Marin Audubon Society

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District - San Rafael
2024-01-04 08:30 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles)
Thursday, January 4, 2023
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
No registration required. All participants are welcome to join this trip.
Join old friends and meet new ones on our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, on this leisurely walk around the ponds. Special thanks to Bob and Sande Chilvers for volunteering once again to lead our monthly walks in search of waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds. Among other birds, we will see various species of rails, swallows and teals.
With fall migration underway, we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search. We all help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30-60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond, and our group is easy to find.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is an outhouse in the parking area for public use or you can use the bathrooms at nearby McInnis Park.

Stinson - Bolinas Birding Area
2024-01-06 08:30 - 15:30
Birding in Marin Season 9-Trip 1
Saturday, January 6, 2024
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration opens on December 27, 2023 at 8 AM
A healthy happy New Year to you all. Bob and I are pleased to share the bird rich Stinson Beach/ Bolinas birding area with you. Coupled with non freezing winter weather and many diverse habitats the CBC, Southern Marin Christmas Bird Counts, show this to be most specie rich, birdiest, area in Southern Marin county. These habitats include the ocean, beaches, rocky shores, a large lagoon with acres of mudflats, Douglas Fir and Redwood forests, Alder riparian, parking lots, residential and more. The CBC data show an average of over 125 specie winter in this area. Plus, many of these birds, like ducks, gulls and shorebirds, are rather easy to see as they float about on the water or walk along the open shores. Can we find 100 species today?
Thanks can be given today to the founders of Marin Audubon and some conservation minded elders for the parks, open space, public access, and wildlife habitats in much of the country and around Bolinas Lagoon. Dr Martin Griffith was instrumental in saving Bolinas harbor from a hotel and yacht club destination and he is commemorated at the heron and egret rookery that we will pass along the east side of the lagoon.
So start your year list if you haven’t already. Bob is adept with ebird but he is recovering from hip replacement surgery. We strive to help all of our participants to see or hear all of the birds that we encounter but that is a goal not quite a reality. Let’s go birding!
Meet at 8:30 at the Stinson/Bolinas School on Highway 1

Loch Lomond Marina - San Rafael
2024-01-17 10:00 - 12:00
SPECIAL INTRODUCTION TO BIRDING – WINTERING WATERBIRDS
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register HERE for this Field TripRegistration required. Registration opens on January 7 at 8:00 AM.
Join Roger Harris and other Marin Audubon board members for a field trip specifically designed for people interested in getting some of the birding basics down. And there is no place better suited for that than the half-mile-long flat and paved levee path at the Loch Lomond Marina. With panoramic views of the surrounding bay, we should get close-up views of wintering waterbirds including Black Turnstones, diminutive Least Sandpipers, Black Oystercatchers with bubblegum pink legs, Snowy Egrets sporting golden slippers, and a variety of ducks, grebes, gulls, and cormorants. This is a terrific place for photography, if you like, but each participant is requested to bring binoculars.
DIRECTIONS: Head east on Second Street in San Rafael, which turns into Point San Pedro Road. Continue approximately 2 miles past the Montecito Shopping Center to a red light at the intersection of Point San Pedro Road and Loch Lomond Drive. Turn right here, then turn left in front of Andy’s Market (75 Loch Lomond Dr.) where the road comes to a “T” at the waterfront. Continue all the way east to the end of the road where you will find ample parking and a public restroom.
Dress warmly as some winter days here are cold and windy. Heavy rain cancels.

Olompali State Historic Park - Novato
2024-01-24 09:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, January 24, 2024
9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Rich Cimino
No registration required for this trip. All participants are welcome to join.
Olompali State Park has reopened after a nearly nine-month closure due to mudslide damage. It’s always an exciting time to birdwatch at Olompali State Historic Park! Beginning and experienced birders are invited to join Rich Cimino to bird the park. We will walk the old ranch road to the park’s reservoir. We hope to see a wide variety of species that thrive in the park’s oak savanna and open grasslands.
Meet Rich at 9:15 AM in the parking lot. The field trip will start at 9:30 .
DIRECTIONS: Exit Hwy 101 at Atherton Ave/ San Marin Dr in Novato. Follow the signs to Olompali State Historic Park. A right turn onto the Old Redwood Hwy frontage road will take you to the park. There is an $8 cash only parking fee. Recently, the park gates have been opening by 8:30 AM.

Skagg's Island Road
2024-01-31 10:00 - 14:00
Wednesday, January 31, 2024
10 AM – 2 PM
Birding with Daniel Edelstein
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration required. Registration opens January 21st at 8AM.
Skaggs Island Road; flat, level hiking on road for no more than 1.5 miles; lunch at bridge ~.6 mile from the parking area at Highway 37.
Daniel invites you to discover the joy of a wilderness-like paradise — Skaggs Island Road — that often attracts dozens of shorebird and duck family members, in addition to uncommon, visiting non-breeding raptors such as Rough-legged Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Merlin (along with sightings of White-tailed Kite and other raptor species).
Closed to the public, Skaggs Island Road is accessed by meeting our group in the parking area adjacent to Hwy. 37 (approximately 3 miles east of Reclamation Road and 2 miles east of the Highway 121/Sears Point Raceway intersection (at the stoplight). We’ll meet on the north side of Hwy. 37 where it intersects with Skaggs Is. Rd. and bird together while walking north on the road.
Please be careful turning into this road when coming from Marin Co. because oncoming traffic is often heavy.
Here’s a map link that shows where we’ll meet:
https://www.google.com/maps/search/Skaggs+Island+Road,+Highway+37/@38.1563398,-122.3935838,14z
Daniel is a freelance Birding Guide (WarblerWatch.com) and Consulting Avian Biologist. His web site (WarblerWatch.com) features abundant birding information, in addition to his 17-year-old warbler-centric blog (WarblerWatch.blogspot.com).

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District - San Rafael
2024-02-01 08:30 - 12:00
Thursday 1, February , 2024
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
No registration required. All participants are welcome to join this trip.
Join old friends and meet new ones on our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, on this leisurely walk around the ponds. Special thanks to Bob and Sande Chilvers for volunteering once again to lead our monthly walks in search of waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds. Among other birds, we will see various species of rails, swallows and teals.
With fall migration underway, we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search. We all help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30-60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond, and our group is easy to find.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is an outhouse in the parking area for public use or you can use the bathrooms at nearby McInnis Park.

Sausalito, Mill Valley, Strawberry Point
2024-02-03 08:30 - 15:30
Birding in Marin, Season 9, Trip 2
Saturday, February 3, 2024
8:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration opens Wednesday, January 24 at 8 AM.
We are going to explore the bay from the Sausalito water front to the Golden Gate and Richardson’s Bay around to Strawberry Point and on to Blacky’s pasture in Tiburon. Many ducks, loons and grebes winter on the bay waters and we may find close comparative looks at similar species pairs like Eared and Horned or Clark’s and Western Grebes, of Red-throated, Pacific and Common Loons or Greater and Lesser Scaup. We are likely to find some shorebirds too, perhaps a Spotted Sandpiper or a rather rare Wandering Tattler.
Herring runs happen around this time of year and if we are lucky they will still be numerous. Herring deposit large numbers of eggs on eelgrass, which water birds, especially gulls, love to feast on. Last year near this time I think that 10 species of gulls were located. So brush up on your gull IDs and join Bob and I along the shore.
DIRECTIONS: Meet at the east end of Harbor Drive. Handicap Accessible. We will park where the birding is close, near level and smooth. Thanks to enlightened development planning, Harbor Drive and the rather posh Strawberry spit have fine public shoreline paths.

Winter Birds of the Delta - Boat Trip
2024-02-18 08:30 - 16:00
Sunday, February 18th, 2024 – Rescheduled from 2/4 due to bad weather
8:40 AM to 4:00 PM
Birding with David Wimpfheimer
Register HERE for this Boat Trip
The trip costs $130. Registration for this trip opens January 8 at 8 AM.
A waitlist will open if the trip sells out. Add your name to the list by clicking Contact Organizer prompt. You may cancel your ticket for a refund until 9AM on February 2nd by clicking Contact Organizer on the Ticketbud site and leaving a message.
After meeting at 8:40 AM for sign in and instructions, we’ll depart from the Antioch Marina at 9AM and enter the San Joaquin River, keeping an eye out for overwintering birds and any marine (or other) animals that happen to show up. As we head east, we enter a number of the smaller sloughs and waterways with views out over the flooded agricultural fields that provide a refuge for flocks that nest in the north but winter here.
Along with the flocks of snow geese, white fronted geese and Tundra swans, numerous ducks, shorebirds, and raptors are usually spotted. Well known birder and naturalist David Wimpfheimer will provide commentary and Ronn Patterson (captain and naturalist) will fill in bits about the history of the delta as we transit this altered but still viable ecosystem.
Coffee, tea, hot chocolate is provided, bring lunch and snacks. Bring rain gear as needed!
Ticket holders will receive instructions and directions to the Antioch Marina, where the trip begins and ends, approximately one week prior to the trip.

Tomales Bay State Park
2024-02-28 10:00 - 13:00
Wednesday, February 28, 2024
10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Birding with Rich Cimino
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration required. Registration opens February 18th at 8 AM.
As we bird the trails of the State Park on this field trip, we will also discuss the Forest Health & Fire Resilience management plan for the California State Parks.
We will meet at the parking area on Pierce Point Road just 0.1 mile before the entry to Tomales Bay State Park.
Rain cancels. Please dress in layers.
Directions: From 101, Take Lucas Valley Rd, Nicasio Valley Rd, Pt. Reyes – Petaluma Rd and Sir Francis Drake Blvd 6.4 miles to Pierce Point Rd. Entrance will be on the right. The parking lot in Tomales Bay State Park costs $8, pay by card only.

Mt. Tam and Corte Madera Marshes
2024-03-02 08:30 - 15:30
Birding in Marin – Season 9, Trip 3
Saturday, March 2, 2024
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens Wednesday, February 21st at 8 AM.
Mount Tamalpais, rising like an icon above Marin, hosts some birds uncommonly seen in the rest of the county such as Pileated Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, and in the winter, 1 or 2 Townsend’s Solitaire.
About twenty years ago our friend Dave MacKenzie discovered a TOSO feeding on mistletoe berries in some Sargent Cypress trees along the trail to Barth’s retreat and the bird or its children have returned every year since! But the trail, built by the CCC, (California Conservation Corp), back in the 1930s has not withstood the test of time quite as well. So, if you are up for a vigorous though short (3.5 miles) hike, join us to see what we can find.
After our lunch break back at Rock Springs with fine picnic tables and a restroom, we intend to drive down to sea level to look at the Corte Madera marshes. This area is very birdy, so depending on the tidal height, we expect to see a lot of birds there. Wintering shorebirds are gearing up for the return to their arctic nesting grounds, so we may be able to see how Black-bellied Plovers got their name. As the shorebirds molt into their breeding plumage, if we are diligent, we might even be able to tell the two Dowitcher species apart.
DIRECTIONS: Meet at Rock Springs at 8:30 a.m. From Hwy 1 in Stinson Beach or up 3.3 miles from Tam Junction, take Panoramic Dr to its crest then go uphill 1 mile on Pantoll Rd to the Rock Springs parking lot.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District
2024-03-07 08:30 - 12:00
Thursday, March 7, 2024
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
No registration required. All participants are welcome to join this trip.
Join old friends and meet new ones on our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, on this leisurely walk around the ponds. Special thanks to Bob and Sande Chilvers for volunteering once again to lead our monthly walks in search of waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds. Among other birds, we will see various species of rails, swallows and teals.
With overwintering birds present, we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search. We all help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30-60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond, and our group is easy to find.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is an outhouse in the parking area for public use or you can use the bathrooms at nearby McInnis Park.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2024-03-20 07:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
7:30 AM to noon **Please note start time is 7:30 AM not 8:00 AM. Ticketbud only allows 8AM as their earliest start time.
Birding with William Legge & David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on March 10 at 8:00 AM.
With early spring migration underway will be looking out for migrant wildfowl, grebes, loons, gulls, and passerines. As usual, the weather will dictate our focus with onshore northwest winds ideal for spring sea watches, while offshore easterly winds promise a good selection of late winter and early summer passerine migrants. Join us for a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM or arrive later at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon. This field trip is less suitable for beginners.
DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101 and take the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right and go under the freeway, then follow the road down to the left. Within
300 feet turn left at the sign to the Marin Headlands; this is the only available left turn before you begin the descent into Sausalito. You should see the tunnel with the five-minute signal light. Proceed through the tunnel on Bunker Road to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end and meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach.

Loch Lomond Marina - San Rafael
2024-03-21 10:00 - 12:00
SPECIAL INTRODUCTION TO BIRDING – WINTERING WATERBIRDS
Thursday, March 21, 2024
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Roger Harris
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration required. Registration opens on March 11 at 8:00 AM
Join Roger Harris and other Marin Audubon board members for a field trip specifically designed for people interested in getting some of the birding basics down. And there is no place better suited for that than the half-mile-long flat and paved levee path at the Loch Lomond Marina. With panoramic views of the surrounding bay, we should get close-up views of wintering waterbirds including Black Turnstones, diminutive Least Sandpipers, Black Oystercatchers with bubblegum pink legs, Snowy Egrets sporting golden slippers, and a variety of ducks, grebes, gulls, and cormorants. This is a terrific place for photography, if you like, but each participant is requested to bring binoculars.
DIRECTIONS: Head east on Second Street in San Rafael, which turns into Point San Pedro Road. Continue approximately 2 miles past the Montecito Shopping Center to a red light at the intersection of Point San Pedro Road and Loch Lomond Drive. Turn right here, then turn left in front of Andy’s Market (75 Loch Lomond Dr.) where the road comes to a “T” at the waterfront. Continue all the way east to the end of the road where you will find ample parking and a public restroom.
Dress warmly as some winter days here are cold and windy. Heavy rain cancels.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD)
2024-04-04 08:30 - 12:00
Thursday, April 4, 2024
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
No registration required. All participants are welcome to join this trip.
Join old friends and meet new ones on our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, on this leisurely walk around the ponds. Special thanks to Bob and Sande Chilvers for volunteering once again to lead our monthly walks in search of waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds. Among other birds, we will see various species of rails, swallows and teals.
With overwintering birds present, we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search. We all help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30-60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond, and our group is easy to find.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is an outhouse in the parking area for public use or you can use the bathrooms at nearby McInnis Park.

Nicasio / Tomales Bay - Birding in Marin - Season 8, Trip 4
2024-04-06 08:30 - 15:00
Birding in Marin, Season 8, Trip 4
Saturday, April 6, 2024
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration is required. Registration opens Wednesday, March 27 at 8 AM
The rolling hills of central Marin are covered with pastures, horse ranches, forested ridges, homes, reservoirs and occupied by many interesting birds. We will look for them in and around Nicasio and along the nearby stream before heading three miles north to see what is on and around Nicasio Reservoir. This is Bob’s birding “patch” and he has found both Bald and Golden Eagles recently with a nice array of other birds in this vicinity.
We expect to travel the few miles to Point Reyes Station for a lunch break or picnic. In the after- noon we will explore the south end Tomales Bay. Then, as time allows, we can explore the eastern edge of Tomales Bay along Highway 1, which supports a winter population of thousands of ducks, geese and shorebirds. We might travel 10 miles north to see if an Eagle’s nest is having success. Heavy Rain cancels.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101 in north San Rafael take Lucas Valley Rd west 10.3 miles then right turn onto Nicasio Valley Rd for 0.5 miles and park near the baseball field, the center of town. For GPS use 1 Old Rancheria Rd Nicasio, the address for the Rancho Nicasio Restaurant.
Meet at the ball field in Nicasio.

Olompali State Historic Park - Novato
2024-04-10 08:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
8:30 AM to 12 PM
Birding with Rich Cimino
No registration required. All participants are welcome to join this trip.
This year we will be birding the Olompali Park well into spring migration. We will be looking for early spring migrant arrivals. It’s always an exciting time to birdwatch at Olompali State Historic Park. We’ll be looking for early spring arrivals such as the Western Flycatcher, Ash-throated Flycatcher and the Hooded Oriole. Beginning and experienced birders are invited to join leaders Rich Cimino and others to bird the park. Early spring arrivals should be on hand as we walk the old ranch road to the park’s reservoir. Olompali State Park features oak savanna, open grasslands and riparian habitat: There is a good assortment of species, raptors, flycatchers, swallows, vireos, warblers, woodpeckers, nuthatches, thrushes, and orioles. Be early, the field trip will start at 8:30 AM in the parking lot. There is an $8.00 parking fee, pay by cell is now possible in the park. Rain cancels.
DIRECTIONS: Exit Hwy 101 at Atherton Ave/San Marin Dr in Novato. Follow the signs to Olompali State Historic Park. A right turn onto the Old Redwood Hwy frontage road will take you to the park. There is an $8 parking fee.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2024-04-17 07:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with William Legge & David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens April 7 at 8 AM.
With spring migration underway will be looking out for migrant wildfowl, shorebirds, grebes, loons and passerines. As usual, the weather will dictate our focus with onshore northwest winds ideal for spring sea watches, while offshore easterly winds promise a good selection of passerine migrants. Join us for a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM or arrive later at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon.
DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101 and take the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right and go under the freeway, then follow the road down to the left. Within 300 feet turn left at the sign to the Marin Headlands; this is the only available left turn before you begin the descent into Sausalito. You should see the tunnel with the five-minute signal light. Proceed through the tunnel on Bunker Road to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end and meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District - MAY
2024-05-02 08:30 - 12:00
Thursday, May 2, 2023
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
All participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
Beginning birders are especially welcome on the first Thursday of each month for a leisurely walk around the Las Gallinas ponds. Join our friendly leaders as we search for waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, and shorebirds.
Bird enthusiasts of all levels help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist. You don’t even have to arrive on time because we spend the first 30 – 60 minutes studying the birds around the first pond and the group is easy to find. Heavy rain cancels.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is an outhouse in the parking area for public use.

Mt. Burdell/Stafford Lake or Rush Creek - Birding in Marin Series
2024-05-04 08:30 - 15:30
Birding in Marin, Season 9, trip 5
Saturday, May 4, 2024
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration is required. Registration opens April 24 at 8:00 AM.
Join Jim and Bob for a field trip to the gentle slopes of Mount Burdell where we’ll listen to and observe the impressive variety of songbirds that make this area their springtime home. Species we might see include Lark Sparrow, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Bullock’s Oriole, Lazuli Bunting and Grasshopper Sparrow, among may other possibilities. In the afternoon, we plan to continue birding at Stafford Lake or Rush Creek.
This will be a moderate hike with many opportunities to look at birds and spring wildflowers. Wear comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing. Bring water and snacks. We will meet at the end of San Andreas Drive in Novato.
DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy 101 to Novato, exit at the San Marin Dr/Atherton Ave exit. At the end of the exit ramp, turn left (west) on San Marin Dr. Go approximately two miles and turn right on San Andreas Dr. Drive nearly to the end of the road and park on the street. No restrooms available.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands - MAY
2024-05-15 07:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, May 15, 2024
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with William Legge & David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens May 5 at 8 AM.
With spring migration underway will be looking out for migrant wildfowl, shorebirds, grebes, loons and passerines. As usual, the weather will dictate our focus with onshore northwest winds ideal for spring sea watches, while offshore easterly winds promise a good selection of passerine migrants. Join us for a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM or arrive later at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon.
DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101 and take the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right and go under the freeway, then follow the road down to the left. Within
300 feet turn left at the sign to the Marin Headlands; this is the only available left turn before you begin the descent into Sausalito. You should see the tunnel with the five-minute signal light. Proceed through the tunnel on Bunker Road to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end and meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach.

Big Rock and Las Gallinas - Birding in Marin Series
2024-06-01 08:30 - 15:30
Saturday, June 1, 2024
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on May 22 at 8:00 AM.
Trails at Big Rock, rather steep, allow us to view some of the expansive grasslands and forested ravines in Marin. Some of the grassland nesting birds we will be looking for include Lazuli Bunting, Grasshopper Sparrow, Horned Lark, and Ash-throated Flycatcher. We will also have a vast amount of sky visible so swallows, swifts, and raptors may appear with a chance for a Golden Eagle.
At midday we expect to drive Lucas Valley Road to Las Gallinas where we will be looking for American and Least Bitterns, Green Heron, Cinnamon Teal, Common Gallinule, and Great-tailed Grackle.
DIRECTIONS: From Highway 101 in San Rafael, exit on Lucas Valley Rd and go west approximately 5.5 miles (look for the big rock). We will be walking approximately 3 miles. Because this area can get quite hot this time of year, be sure to wear a hat, use sunscreen and carry plenty of water.

Outer Point Reyes
2024-06-12 08:30 - 14:00
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
8:30 am – 2:00 pm
Birding with Liz Lewis and Susan Kelly
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration required. Registration opens June 2 at 8 AM
Would you like to contribute to the second Marin County Breeding Bird Atlas? Join MCBBA2’s Liz Lewis and Susan Kelly for a morning of blockbusting birding in Outer Point Reyes including the cypress tree tunnel to the historic RCA radio station. Time permitting, we will explore the abandoned ranch as well. Block 3-4 is a high priority block with minimal data collected to date. Species we might see or hear include: Allen’s Hummingbird, Swainson’s Thrush, Northern Harrier, and Western Meadowlark.
The Atlas II is a four-year project that builds on the first Atlas begun in the 1970s by Bob Stewart and Dave Shuford that occurred over four field seasons, where they supervised scores of volunteers in data collection using a grid system overlaid onto topographic maps of Marin County to determine the current distribution and composition of breeding birds. Their fieldwork culminated in the publication of Shuford’s landmark Marin County Breeding Bird Atlas. Now four decades later, 70 volunteers are in their fourth year of collecting data to determine where we are now. All the data is being stored digitally with the California Avian Data Center (CADC) and can be accessed by the public through the MCBBA2 Data Explorer.
Directions from the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center:

From the Bear Valley Visitor Center, head north 0.2 miles (0.3 km) to Bear Valley Road.
Turn left and follow Bear Valley Road 1.75 miles (2.8 km) northwest to Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
Turn left and follow Sir Francis Drake Boulevard 9.5 miles (15.2 km) north and west.
Follow road signs for “Lighthouse” until you see a sign for “North District Operation Center.”
Parallel park on the shoulder along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard near the entrance to the cypress tunnel.

Parking is limited to the shoulder of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard at the entrance to the cypress tree tunnel so carpooling is encouraged. Restrooms are available at the Visitor’s center and at the North Beach parking lot.

Bear Valley and Five Brooks - Birding in Marin - Season 9, Trip 7
2024-07-06 08:30 - 15:30
Saturday, July 6, 2024
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White & Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration is required for this trip. Registration for the Bear Valley/Five Brooks trip will be open starting on June 26 at 8:00 AM.
Join Jim and Bob on this trip as part of their yearly series of Marin walks. We will start our day at Bear Valley in search of nesting birds. Next, we’ll travel to Olema Marsh and Whitehouse Pool for a look at some different habitats. Our final stop of the day will be Five Brooks where we have a chance of finding Wood Duck at the retired logging pond. We will also look for birds in the Douglas Fir forest.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101 take Sir Francis Drake Blvd toward Point Reyes for about 20 miles. At Olema turn right onto Hwy 1.
In 600 feet, turn left onto Bear Valley Rd. In approximately 0.5 mile, turn left at the entrance to Point Reyes National Seashore Headquarters at Bear Valley. We will meet at the picnic tables near the parking lot.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2024-07-31 07:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
7:30/8:15 AM – 12:00 PM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on July 21 at 8 AM.
Join William and David for the first of five fall migration field trips at Rodeo Lagoon. This is their long-time “patch,” which never seems to disappoint birders with daily variations in species and the chance of an unusual sighting. On this July trip, we will be targeting northward bound Heermann’s Gulls and Elegant Terns, and hopefully the first southbound migrating shorebirds, and western passerine migrants. We will begin with a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM from Rodeo Beach. Those arriving later may join us at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon. A brief mid-morning ‘coffee-stop’ is planned at Headlands Center for the Arts and it would be appreciated if participants come willing to contribute via the onsite ‘tip-jar’ as a thank you to the Headlands Center for the Arts for accommodating our group.
DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101 and take the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right and go under the freeway, then follow the road down to the left. Within 300 feet turn left at the sign to the Marin Headlands (This is the only available left turn before you begin the descent into Sausalito). You should see the tunnel with the five-minute light. Proceed through the tunnel on Bunker Rd to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end. Meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach or join MAS birders with scopes along the nearby beach area.

Point Blue Conservation Science Bird Banding Demonstration
2024-07-31 08:00 - 10:30
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
8-10:30am,
Palomarin Field Station, 999 Mesa Rd, Bolinas, CA
No Registration Required
Point Blue Conservation Science has been continuously running a songbird banding project at the Palomarin Field Station since 1966. Come visit one of the premiere, long-term banding operations in North America and see the work in action. Mark Dettling will host a bird banding demonstration, explaining how birds are captured, what information is collected, and how that information is used in conservation. There is an optional ¼ mile hike to view our mist nets that does include some stairs and steep sections. Of course, we will be bird watching the entire time and talking about bird identification and life history.

Sky Trail and Limantour Beach – Birding in Marin
2024-08-03 08:30 - 15:00
Birding in Marin, Season 9 – Trip 8
Saturday, August 3, 2024
8:30 AM – 3:00 PM
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on July 24 at 8 AM.
The Sky Trail, called “the misty spine of Bear Valley”, takes us through a maturing Douglas Fir/ Bishop Pine forest. Forest birds are more active early and moving birds often follow ridges so I would like to look and listen on our walk through this habitat. We may see or hear a Pileated Woodpecker, Band Tailed Pigeons, Stellar’s Jays, Swainson’s Thrush, Osprey, nuthatches and surely Acorn Woodpeckers and Chestnut-backed Chickadees. Northern Spotted Owls, Western Screech and Saw-whet Owls live here but we would need to be here at dusk or dawn to hear them.
After we leave, we drive down to the great beach of Limantour with its tidal estuary, the open expanse of Drakes Bay and the Pacific Ocean beyond. We will gather at 9:30 in the ample parking lot with restrooms nearby. We’ll pack our lunches, shoulder our scopes and head out and up the beach. We can hike far enough to find Snowy Plovers to get our exercise and to cross over to the estuary side for our walk back. Gulls, terns, cormorants, loons, grebes, pelicans, murres, and guillemots will garner our attention. Shorebirds too, some already back from their breeding excursion to the Arctic, may gather along the estuary shores and shallows. Some ducks, hawks, and herons will show up too.
Directions to Sky Trail: From CA 1 South, right (left from CA 1 North) onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd for 0.7 miles, left onto Bear Valley Road for 0.5, then right onto Limantour Road for 3.4 miles to the Sky Trailhead. Meet at Sky Trailhead, near the crest of Limantour Rd. Roadside parking is available near the trailhead. From Sky Trailhead, the drive to the Limantour beach parking lot is 4.3 miles.

Abbotts Lagoon – Pt. Reyes National Seashore
2024-08-24 09:00 - 14:00
Saturday, August 24, 2024
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Birding with Rusty Scalf
All participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
We will bird the coastal scrub, lagoons, and ocean. We hope to find migrant shorebirds and resident Snowy Plovers. Abbott’s Lagoon has historically been good for Baird’s Sandpiper and we may get lucky. Meet at 9 am at the Abbott’s Lagoon parking lot (bathrooms but no water). Bring scope, liquids, lunch. Plan on walking 4 miles round-trip; relatively flat but trail consists partially of sand. Prepare for wind.
DIRECTIONS: From Point Reyes Station on Hwy 1 go just south of town, right turn onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd, follow that thru Inverness up over Inverness ridge into the Point Reyes National Seashore then go north on Pierce Point Road. The Abbott’s Lagoon parking lot is on the left in about 3 miles. Carpool if you can.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2024-08-28 07:30 - 12:00
Wednesday, August 28th, 2024
7:30/8:15 AM – 12:00 PM ** Please note times below
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on August 18th at 8 AM.
Join William and David for the second of five fall migration field trips at Rodeo Lagoon. This is their long-time “patch,” which never seems to disappoint birders with daily variations in species and the chance of an unusual sighting. On this late-August trip, targets will include offshore Parasitic Jaegers, migrant shorebirds (including Red-necked Phalarope), and hopefully a good selection of western passerine migrants.
We will begin with a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM from Rodeo Beach. Those arriving later may join us at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon. A brief mid-morning ‘coffee-stop’ is planned at Headlands Center for the Arts and it would be appreciated if participants come willing to contribute via the onsite ‘tip-jar’ as a thank you to the Headlands Center for the Arts for accommodating our group.
DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101 and take the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right and go under the freeway, then follow the road down to the left. Within 300 feet turn left at the sign to the Marin Headlands (This is the only available left turn before you begin the descent into Sausalito). You should see the tunnel with the five-minute light. Proceed through the tunnel on Bunker Rd to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot at the end. Meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach or join MAS birders with scopes along the nearby beach area.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District
2024-09-05 08:30 - 12:00
Thursday, September 5, 2024
8:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with Mark Clark
All participants are welcome to join this trip.
We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels, especially beginning birders, to join leader Mark Clark on our monthly walk around the ponds at Las Gallinas. On our search we’ll be looking for waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, rails and swallows. With fall migration underway, shorebirds are arriving from their nesting grounds and we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search.
The packed dirt paths around the ponds are wide, flat and easy to navigate. Heavy rain cancels
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101, exit at Smith Ranch Rd. Drive east on Smith Ranch Rd. toward McInnis Park. Turn left immediately after crossing the railroad tracks and drive about 0.5 mile through the LGVSD gates and into the parking lot at the end of the road. Meet the group by the bridge just past the parking lot. There is a portable restroom in the parking area for public use.

Point Reyes Lighthouse to Drakes Beach – Birding in Marin
2024-09-07 08:30 - 15:30
Birding In Marin, Series 9 – Trip 9
Saturday, September 7th, 2024
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens August 28 at 8AM.
This is the place to be for fall birding. Many migrants like hawks, jaegers, shorebirds and loons follow the coast south. Many songbirds migrate at night and seem to have a compass bearing in mind, momma said “fly 15 degrees east of due south for 4 days.” Millions of recently fledged birds undertake a journey of 2,000-4000 miles, many without further parental guidance and without google. Some get lost.
Imagine that you are a dyslexic Connecticut Warbler hatched in early June in the boreal forest of north central Canada. It is your second night flight, but you are flying west instead of east or south. You crossed some mountains so that you are flying sort of high, morning is approaching so you descend thru the clouds and there is nothing but ocean water. A fog shrouded coast was not in your flight plan. You reverse directions, trying to avoid the gulls and jaegers pursuing you, when you see trees in the distance sticking out above the fog. Relief, a place to land, to rest, and to find something to eat. These vagrant warblers and other eastern songbirds are the reasons that the tree islands of the Point Reyes peninsula are so popular with birders.
We intend to visit the nearby Fish Docks after the lighthouse then work our way back to Drake’s Beach for lunch and much more birding.
Directions: Meet at 8:30 at the Light House parking area. The lighthouse parking area is at the west end of S F Drake. Going north thru Inverness follow Drake to the lighthouse. Allow 30 min from Inverness or 1.5 hour from San Rafael.
