Location: Skaggs Island Trip Leader(s): Daniel Edelstein Start Date: Monday, February 10, 2020 Start Time: 10:00 AM End Time: 2:00 PM Description: Join Avian Biologist and Birding Guide, Daniel Edelstein, for this special opportunity to visit Skaggs Island, a rich winter birding location not generally accessible to the public. The island was formerly home to a naval facility but is now part of the San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It often attracts uncommon visiting, non-breeding season raptors such as Rough-legged Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, and Merlin along with White-tailed Kite, and other raptors in addition to diverse shorebirds, waders, and ducks. This will be our second winter field trip to Skaggs Island. The first is scheduled on January 28, 2020 with Murray Berner (see alternate trip descriptionl). This second trip will not include a visit to Hudeman Slough. If you would like to participate in one of these trips, please contact Jeanine Starritt at jeanineis@comcast.net. Be sure to specify whether you wish to participate in the January 28 or February 10 field trip and include the names of the people who will be attending with you. Meet on Skaggs Island Road after turning onto it from Highway 37. We’ll carpool through the locked gate far into the heavenly solitude and bird-filled environs of this amazing birding venue. Heavy rain cancels. Directions: Take Highway 101 North to Highway 37. At the intersection with SR 121 (Sears Point), continue straight on Highway 37 for approximately 4 miles to Skaggs Island Road. Please be careful crossing Highway 37 to turn onto this road because oncoming traffic is often heavy.

Location: Tomales, Lawson's Landing, and Chileno Valley Trip Leader(s): David Wimpfheimer Start Date: Thursday, February 13, 2020 Start Time: 9:00 AM End Time: 3:30 PM Description: This annual winter trip repeats David's popular guided explorations of the less familiar habitats in Marin near the town of Tomales. We will meet at the Tomales Bakery, and our itinerary for the day will cover coastal and interior habitats. Our first destination will be Lawson's Landing, a private resort near the mouth of Tomales Bay. Loons, grebes (including Red-necked Grebe), ducks, and Brant can be quite numerous here. Shorebirds are diverse here as well. After birding the coast, the rest of the day may be spent covering the open grasslands, wetlands, and forests of this part of Marin. Raptor sightings may include Ferruginous and Rough-legged Hawk, Golden Eagle, and Merlin, and, if we are lucky, we may spot the now uncommon-in-Marin Loggerhead Shrike. Meet at the Tomales Bakery at 9:00 AM. Plan on arriving early to sample the delicious pastries. If the bakery is closed, the deli nearby has a nice variety of food and beverages. Check your map for your best route to Tomales. You can head west from Highway 101 at Old Redwood Highway in Petaluma or from Novato at San Marin Drive. The address of the bakery is 27000 Highway 1, Tomales. Allow about an hour from Marin. Light rain will not cancel this trip, but a heavy storm will.

Location: Nicasio, CA Trip Leader(s): Jim White & Bob Battagin Start Date: Saturday, February 15, 2020 Start Time: 8:30 AM End Time: 3:00 PM Description: We will meet at the backstop to the baseball field in the small West Marin hamlet of Nicasio. This is Bob's home "patch" where the riparian, open field, and wooded habitats are good for a nice variety of sparrows, gleaners, and woodpeckers. From town we'll head over to nearby Nicasio Reservoir and make several stops along the shoreline. Many water bird species hang out there while raptors grace the sky, and who knows what will be flitting around in the willows and shrubs that line the shore? In the afternoon we are likely to explore along the northern shoreline of Tomales Bay. Heavy rain cancels. Early Birds will meet at the entrance to Roy's Redwoods on Nicasio Valley Road for a short walk through bay, redwood, oak, and madrone habitats in search of Pileated Woodpecker and other forest denizens. DIRECTIONS: From Highway 101 take the Lucas Valley Road exit. Turn left on Lucas Valley Road and continue approximately 10.3 miles. Keep right on Nicasio Valley Road for 0.5 mile to the town of Nicasio. The baseball field is in the center of town. For GPS, use 1 Old Rancheria Road, Nicasio, the address for the Rancho Nicasio Restaurant.