Monarch Butterfly

Thursday, April 11th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Mia Monroe and Ole Schell
Register HERE for this Speaker Series

Topic:
Where have all the monarchs gone?  Recent population trends and data on the Monarch Butterfly will be shared, as well as the good habitat work going on throughout Marin, especially Ole Schell's West Marin Monarch Sanctuary.  Tips for how you can help will be offered, and a few controversies will be discussed, such as the role of eucalyptus and the dangers of tropical milkweed.  Local photographers will be featured, and the work of the Marin Monarch Working Group will be a focus.

Rodeo Lagoon – Marin Headlands

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.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District – MAY

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

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.

Ethical Wildlife Photography

Thursday, May 9, 2024
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Speaker: Sarah Killingsworth
Register HERE for this Speaker Series

Topic:
Wildlife photography is an increasingly popular hobby, and time in nature observing wildlife can bring great joy to a photographer. Wildlife images can be powerful tools for conservation and education. At the same time, our time with wildlife impacts the individual animal and potentially the entire ecosystem. Using her own photos to highlight the concepts, Sarah will discuss photography ethics and etiquette - what they are, and why they matter. She will also share tips for photographing our natural world in ways that create impactful images.

Rodeo Lagoon – Marin Headlands – MAY

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.

Big Rock and Las Gallinas – Birding in Marin Series

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 BuntingGrasshopper SparrowHorned 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 BitternsGreen HeronCinnamon TealCommon Gallinule, and Great-tailed Grackle.

Outer Point Reyes

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. 

Declining Shorebird Populations

Thursday, June 13th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Nils Warnock - Individual / Cypress Grove Research Center

More information will be listed soon

Vagrancy in Birds

Thursday, September 12th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Daniel Edelstein
More information will be announced closer to the event

Raptor Quest: Chasing America’s Raptors

Thursday, October 10th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Scott Harris (Author & Photographer)
More information will be be announced closer to the event