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Elephant Seals at Point Reyes: 45 Years and Still Growing Strong
Thursday, December 11 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM Speaker: Dr. Sarah Allen Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series. Topic: Elephant seals were hunted to extinction at Point Reyes over 150 years ago, but in 1980, the colony recolonized the Point and gradually spread throughout the peninsula. Younger colonies may exhibit novel behaviors such as male altruism and adaptations to changes in climate. Marine protected areas such as national seashores and marine sanctuaries are critical to the recovery and persistence of species and ecosystems. Speaker Bio: Sarah Allen grew up in Marin County where she learned and has a passion for conservation. Sarah received her M.S. and Ph.D. studying marine birds and mammals from UC Berkeley and retired after 26 years as an employee of the National Park Service (NPS), 15 years of which were at Point Reyes National Seashore and then as Science Program Lead for the Pacific Region. She previously worked for 15 years with Point Reyes Bird Observatory. She has authored and co-authored publications, including the UC Press, Marine Mammals of the Pacific Coast: Baja, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia. Sarah lives with her husband in Inverness, California.
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The Ponds at the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District (LGVSD) – San Rafael
Thursday, January 1, 2026 8:30 AM to noon Birding with Mark Clark Registration is not required. 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 and raptors. 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 restroon in the parking area for public use.
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Skaggs Island Road
Friday, January 16, 2026 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM Birding with Daniel Edelstein Register HERE for this Field Trip Registration required. Registration opens January 6 at 8 AM. 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 Island Road. Please be careful turning into this road when coming from Marin County. 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).
3 events found.