We'll repeat a trip to Pacheco Pond for our first Thursday of the month walk in December. It's hard to compete with Las Gallinas, but Pacheco Pond has provided a reasonable substitute location for our usual Las Gallinas walk. The area provides habitat for a variety of ducks, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Common Gallinule, Sora, and Virginia Rail. The adjacent non-native eucalyptus provides additional habitat for both songbirds, egrets, and a number of raptors including Peregrine Falcon. Thank you, Bob and Sande, for continuing as our competent and friendly guides on this popular monthly walk. We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels and help each other to find and identify the birds. The area around Pacheco Pond is mostly flat, but we will be walking across some rocky, uneven surfaces. Dress in layers and bring binoculars, scopes, and water. Heavy rain cancels. Directions: Take the Bel Marin Keys Blvd exit from Highway 101. Travel east on Bel Marin Keys Blvd for 2 miles passing through a commercial/industrial section until arriving at a small parking area on the right, which faces the pond. We will meet in the parking area and walk to the trail a short distance up the road.

Please meet at the foot (east end) of Bahia Drive in Novato where Marin Audubon has completed a large restoration project. Shorebirds, ducks, herons, swallows, and rails will be reaping the benefits here for years to come. After viewing the birds and the restoration area, we intend to walk the trail along the edge of the mixed oak woodland. We then plan to drive around to the end of Topaz Street to view the Horseshoe Pond where some diving ducks, including a few Barrow's Goldeneyes, like to winter. During the day we may practice some bird counting to help prepare for the upcoming Christmas Bird Count season. After lunch we will take a look at two nearby areas-Rush Creek and the Rowland Avenue wetlands. Heavy rain cancels. Directions: From Hwy 101 in North Novato, take the Atherton Avenue exit east about 0.9 miles, then turn left onto Bugeia Lane, which becomes Bahia Drive. Follow it to the end where there is street parking. No restrooms available here.

Marta's Marsh hosts a wide variety of bird species and provides great viewing opportunities. Typically, shorebirds, ducks, gulls, terns, and some of Marin's only endangered Ridgway's Rails can be seen at this Marin birding hotspot. We will take a short walk alongside San Clemente Creek to the creek mouth where it then enters the bay. Some of our target birds include Blue-winged Teal, Ridgway's Rail, Dunlin, Western and Least Sandpiper, and the possibility of encountering raptors such as Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, and Northern Harrier. We will time our walk to put us at the creek mouth a few hours after low tide, as the incoming tide causes sandpipers, gulls, and ducks to fly from the bay mudflats to the high tide refuge at Marta’s Marsh. As we walk, we will listen for rails as well as any other migrants that we may run into. The fennel patches and grassy areas surrounding the marsh can also be productive for a variety of sparrow and warbler species. At the mouth of the creek we will scope the bay looking for ducks like Lesser and Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Wigeon, and possibly Canvasback or Redhead. Heavy rain cancels. Bring binoculars and, if you have one, a spotting scope. There are no restroom facilities in the marsh. Directions: From Hwy 101, take Exit 449A at Tamalpais Drive in Corte Madera; go east 0.2 mile toward the bay; turn right at the Home Consignment Store and go 0.4 mile on San Clemente Drive; make the first left onto Harbor Drive for 0.2 mile; turn right onto Yolo Street for 400 feet. Then turn left onto Channel Drive. We will meet where the road dead ends at the marsh.

Once again, Carol is leading her first trip as a birding field trip leader. (She unfortunately had the flu last month and couldn't complete her official first trip.) She is enrolled at the San Francisco Master Birding Course offered by the California Academy of Sciences, which includes scientific training and at least 100 volunteer hours. Any and all beginning birders are encouraged to join her on this very leisurely stroll around a soccer field at McInnis Park and along the path adjacent to Gallinas Creek. We can expect to see Western Bluebird, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and more around the soccer field. On our stroll along the creek channel, we hope to see fall migratory waterfowl such as Ring-necked Duck, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, and, of course, our usual residents such as Great and Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron, and Greater Yellowlegs. We'll also look for sparrows foraging on the ground and raptors soaring overhead. Wear sturdy shoes, dress in layers, and bring water, binoculars, scopes, and your birding enthusiasm! Heavy rain cancels. Directions: We will meet at McInnis Park. From Highway 101, take the Smith Ranch Road exit east toward McInnis Park. We will meet at the first parking lot to the right after you enter McInnis Park. There is plenty of parking available.

Join Rich for an easy bird walk on level ground during a high tide. We will bird the shoreline of San Pablo Bay watching for shorebirds on the rocks and diving ducks, loons, and grebes on the bay. We will also look for the Puget Sound variety of White-crowned Sparrow. Bring your scope, water, and snacks. Restrooms are available at the bird walk halfway mark (Target Store). Meet in the parking lot for the Jean and John Starkweather Shoreline trailhead. Heavy rain will cancel. Directions: From the north, take Highway 101 to the Bellam Blvd exit. Turn left on Bellum then right on East Francisco Blvd, which parallels I-580. Head east (toward the Richmond/San Rafael Bridge for about 1-1/2 miles. You will see a Bay Café sign at the Bay Park Center. Turn left on Pelican Way then right to the trailhead parking area. From the south you can take the exit to the San Rafael Bridge getting off at the last Marin exit, the San Quentin exit. For GPS, use the Bay Café address, 2165 Francisco Blvd, San Rafael.

Location: Novato, CA Trip Leader(s): Sande & Bob Chilvers Start Date: Thursday, February 6, 2020 Start Time: 8:30 AM End Time: 12:00 PM Description: Join our "First Thursday walk" walk of the new year in the oak woodland at Deer Island Preserve with views of the surrounding marshland visible from parts of the trail. Red-shouldered Hawks and White-tailed Kites nest here with additional resident and winter raptor sightings possible during our visit. The woodlands are home to woodpeckers, owls, juncos, and towhees, and we'll also watch for egrets and White Pelicans. As usual, birding enthusiasts of all levels are invited to join our group. We always help each other find and identify the birds. We will be walking approximately 1.5 miles on a dirt trail with some gradual up and down slopes. Dress in layers and bring binoculars, scopes, and water. There are no restrooms at this location. Heavy rain cancels. If Marin has received any rain by the date of this field trip, we may stop by Simmons Slough, a diked off tributary of Novato Creek and one of Marin Audubon's properties, to look for wintering waterfowl. This property is part of what Marin Audubon envisions as a Simmons Slough Wildlife Corridor consisting of wetlands and adjacent uplands associated with the watershed. The area is popular with ducks when the seasonal marsh becomes flooded. Directions: From Highway 101 in Novato, take the exit for Atherton Avenue east 1.7 miles. Turn right onto Olive Ave and left onto Deer Island Lane. The gate is on your right with a nearby dirt parking lot.

Ruthie Rudesill of Redwood Regional Ornithological Society fame will lead this trip as a follow up to her presentation at our Speaker Series on January 9 entitled "Little Known Great Birding Locations in Northern California." The San Joaquin River NWR is situated where three major rivers (Tuolumne, Stanislaus, and San Joaquin) join in the San Joaquin Valley, creating a mix of habitats that provide ideal conditions for high wildlife and plant diversity. The refuge was initially established primarily to protect and manage habitat for the Aleutian Cackling Goose but now provides important nesting habitat for Swainson's Hawks, herons, cormorants, as well as the endangered least Bell's Vireo, which was absent from the area for five decades. The refuge is also home to the largest wild population of Riparian Brush Rabbits in the world that approached extinction in the 1990's. Bring optics (scopes would be useful), lunch, and dress in layers. There is a restroom at the refuge headquarters. No fees are collected here. Heavy rain cancels. This field trip is co-sponsored by RROS and Marin Audubon. Sonoma County folks who wish to carpool can meet at the Petaluma Park N' Ride at the junction of Highways 101 and 116 at 7:15 AM. These Sonoma participants will meet up with Marinites who wish to join a carpool at the Smith Ranch Road and Highway 101 Park N' Ride at 7:35 AM. For more information about this trip, contact Ruthie at (707) 833-6026 or (707) 481-0768. Directions: From Highway 580 southbound after Altamont Pass, take the Maze Blvd Exit onto Highway 132 (east towards Modesto). The NWR is at the San Joaquin River. Turn left on North Gates Road from Highway 132. Travel northbound on Gates Road for approximately 3 miles. Turn left on Beckwith Road. Travel westbound on Beckwith Road for 2 miles to the refuge parking lot on the left side of the road. Our first stop will be at the Migratory Bird Viewing Platform on Beckwith Road. Later we will return to Highway 132 and travel to the refuge headquarters at 2714 Dairy Road, Vernalis.

Location: Corte Madera Creek Trip Leader(s): Rich Cimino Start Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 Start Time: 9:30 AM End Time: 12:00 PM Description: Purchased in 2016 by Marin Audubon, this important bayland property has undergone extensive restoration work in subsequent years thanks to the hard work of Marin Audubon Society board members, hired restoration specialists, and volunteers. The area is now a restored marsh that supports an important population of Ridgway's Rails and other special status species and includes a newly created high tide refuge habitat where volunteers have planted 16,200 native plants. Regularly scheduled workdays are held here for those who might like to help with the continuing restoration work, but on this particular day, we will join Rich for a tour of the area with a focus on BIRDS! Recently Rich began visiting the area regularly and will share his discoveries with us. Species we may see are ducks, long-legged waders, shorebirds, rails, plovers, kites, osprey, sparrows and meadow larks. No restrooms are available here. Bring binoculars, scopes, layers, water, and snacks. Heavy rain cancels. Directions: CMER is located behind Trader Joe's at the eastern end of Industrial Way in Corte Madera. Meet and park behind Trader Joe's.

Location: Beginning in Winters Trip Leader(s): John Klobas & Sarah Brooks Start Date: Saturday, January 25, 2020 Start Time: 8:00 AM End Time: 3:00 PM Description: Located within a one and one-half hour drive of many North Bay locations, Yolo County offers diverse habitats ranging from Coast Range mountains to near sea level agricultural lands of the Sacramento Valley. This one-day trip will visit prime birding sites in western Yolo County during the height of winter bird diversity and numbers. We will meet in Winters where we will introduce our itinerary for the day and our target birds for the morning at Lake Solano Park. This park straddles both Yolo and Solano counties along Putah Creek at the base of the Coast Range. We will bird both outside and inside the park ($6/car day use fee) and, weather permitting, have lunch there, as well. Specialties here include Hooded Merganser, Barrow's Goldeneye, Phainopepla, Wood Duck, various raptors, perhaps even Pileated and Lewis’s Woodpecker. After lunch we will walk along Putah Creek watching for both water and land birds. The day will conclude with a stop at a raptor hot spot near Woodland where overwintering specialties may include Ferruginous Hawk among several raptor species. The companion trip to this day features eastern Yolo County and is scheduled for Saturday, February 22, 2020. This trip begins in Davis. Directions: We will meet at Rotary Park located at Main and Railroad Streets in Winters. From Marin take Highway 101 North to Highway 37. Then exit onto Highway I-80 East. In approximately 22 miles, take Exit 56 at Vacaville to merge onto I-505 North toward Redding. Take the Highway 128 exit (west toward Lake Berryessa) from Highway I-505. Take a left over the freeway, then stay on Highway 128 until the light at Railroad Avenue. Turn left (south), travel 2 blocks to the intersection of Railroad and Main. Rotary Park is at the south side of this intersection. We will meet at the gazebo in the park.

Trip Leader(s): Joseph Zeno & William Legge

Location: Sonoma County Trip Leader(s): Murray Berner Start Date: Tuesday, January 28, 2020 Start Time: 9:15 AM End Time: 2:00 PM Description: Trip full. Wait list only. Space available on February 10 trip. Skaggs Island is part of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. The area is not open to the general public and requires special permission to access, which will be granted to Marin Audubon with our guide, Murray Berner. Because of the high level of interest in this area, we are requiring advance registration for this trip, which will begin on Monday, December 23, 2019. Registration will be limited to 25 people. If you would like to participate in one of these trips, please contact Jeanine Starritt at . Be sure to specify whether you wish to participate in the January 28 or February 10 field trip and include the names of people who will be attending with you. A second trip is scheduled for Monday, Feb 10 (see alternate trip description. To sign up for this January 28 trip, contact Jeanine Starritt at . Be sure to include the names of the people who will be attending with you. Jeanine will confirm your registration via email. Our leader, Murray Berner, has been a longtime field trip leader for Napa Solano Audubon and is the author of the Solano County Breeding Bird Atlas. Our visit will coincide with the peak season for raptors. In previous years our group has spotted Golden Eagle, Rough-legged Hawk, Prairie Falcon, and Burrowing Owl, plus dozens of kites and harriers. Songbirds flock in the former residential area, harassed by Merlin and Accipiter. Please arrive promptly at the south entrance to Skaggs Island off of Hwy 37. Those arriving late may find themselves locked out! We will travel by car across the island, stopping to bird along the way, and depart through the north gate at approximately 1 PM. From this point interested birders may continue with the group to Hudeman Slough where we will bird on foot. Dress in layers and sturdy shoes and bring lunch and water. Heavy rain cancels. Directions: Take Hwy 101 north to Hwy 37 East. At the intersection with SR 121 (Sonoma Raceway), continue straight on Hwy 37 for 3.8 miles and turn left at Skaggs Island Road. No restrooms available.