Abbott’s Lagoon – Pt. Reyes National Seashore
2022-08-21 09:00 - 14:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA, United States
Sunday, August 21, 2022 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Leader: Rusty Scalf
Registration for the August 21 Abbott’s Lagoon trip will be open starting on August 11 at 8:00 AM
Register HERE for this field trip
There will be a limit of 25 fully vaccinated participants for this trip.
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 9AM 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.
This trip is free but advance registration is required. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins allowed.
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.

THE PONDS AT THE LAS GALLINAS VALLEY SANITARY DISTRICT (LGVSD) San Rafael
2022-09-01 09:00 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Thursday, September 1, 2022
9 AM to noon
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
No registration required for this trip.
Fully vaccinated guests only please.
Join old friends and meet new ones as we resume our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. We especially welcome 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 welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels. 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.
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Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

ABBOTT’S LAGOON AND THE INVERNESS TENNIS AREA - Birding in Marin Series
2022-09-03 08:30 - 14:00 | CA, United States
Saturday, September 3, 2022
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register for this field trip HERE
Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens on August 24 at 8AM.
Abbott’s Lagoon on the Pacific Coast in the Point Reyes National Seashore is one of Marin’s premier birding locations sporting an eBird sum of 283 species. Fall migration south along the coast brings many birds to this area. Some that we hope to see include Ferruginous Hawk, Baird’s and Pectoral Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalaropes, Lapland Longspur, Horned Lark and Pipits. Hundreds of ducks of a dozen species, geese, herons, Peregrines and Ospreys are also likely visitors. Plus you get some exercise; out and back is about 3 miles (some in sand) and Jim likes to do a full 5-mile loop. So pack a lunch for a picnic on the beach and bring a couple of layers for the fresh ocean air and help us spot a rarity.
To help bolster our participant’s species lists to our yearly goal of 200, we plan to stop along Tomales Bay near the Inverness Tennis club to look for Pine and Alder woodland birds. A surprising number of species have been seen here and there is a nice little beach where we usually find several kinds of gulls.
DIRECTIONS: From Point Reyes Station on Highway 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. Car Pool if you can, allow 1.5 hours from San Rafael and please be vaccinated.
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Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

RODEO LAGOON - Marin Headlands
2022-09-07 07:30 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Wednesday, September 7, 2022
7:30/8:30 AM to noon
Birding with With William Legge and David Wiechers
Register for this field trip HERE
Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens on August 28 at 8AM
Join William and David for this fall migration field trip at Rodeo Lagoon. This is their longtime “patch,” which never seems to disappoint birders with daily variations in species seen and unusual sightings. On this particular trip, our group will be targeting Parasitic Jaeger, migrating shorebirds, warblers, and other passerines. We will begin the morning with a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM. Those arriving later may join us at 8:30 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 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.
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Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change
2022-09-08 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom Event, CA, United States
Thursday, September 8th – 7:00 PM
Speakers: Rob Badger and Nita Winter
Register for the September Speaker Series Zoom Program HERE
Internationally acclaimed conservation photographers Rob Badger and Nita Winter take you behind the scenes of their 27-year journey photographing wildflowers throughout California and the West. As the climate changes, and development impacts the natural world, wildflowers are vanishing. This program shows how two dedicated photographers continue to use their art, and the voices of a diverse group of scientists, environmental leaders and nature writers, to inspire hope and action regarding climate change, land conservation and species extinction.
Bob and Nina’s work has been featured in Time, Mother Jones and Sierra Magazines, the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle and Los Angeles Times. They are recipients of the Sierra Club’s 2020 Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography. In their new, award-winning book, “Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change”, art and science are woven together to celebrate California’s wildflowers and promote Rob and Nita’s conservation and climate change messages.
Photo caption – Desert Candles, Carrizo Plain NM
Photo by Rob Badger and Nita Winter

Vaux Swifts at McNear Brick and Block
2022-09-17 18:00 - 19:45 | CA, United States
Saturday, September 17, 2022
6:00 to 7:40 PM depending on the weather
With Rich Cimino
Register HERE for this field trip
Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens September 7 at 8AM
Join other MAS members for an evening opportunity to witness Vaux’s Swifts during their fall migration through Marin, which occurs in September and October. Dan McNear of McNear Brick & Block has kindly allowed Marin Audubon to access this remarkable site where three decommissioned chimneys provide an important communal evening roosting place for the Vaux’s swifts.
Watching tens of thousands of Vaux’s swifts as they descend into the stacks just before night- fall is an unforgettable sight. At the peak of migration, as many as 19,000 swifts have been counted in one evening. However, keep in mind that the number of swifts varies greatly from night to night and can range from a few hundred to thousands. Like everything else in birding, there are no guarantees!
Sunset on the evening of our visit will be at 7:11 PM, so plan on arriving on time to be ready. If the weather on the day of our trip is particularly cool or windy, the swifts are likely to enter the stacks early, so plan accordingly. Bring scopes, binoculars, and, if desired, folding chairs for your seating comfort. It can be chilly at dusk. Please stay with our group and do not enter any of the private areas on the property. Use soft voices and be sure to respect the privacy of local residents.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101 take the Central San Rafael exit. Head east on Third St./Point San Pedro Rd for about 3.5 miles. The brickyard will be on the right. The address is 1 McNear Brickyard Rd. Park as close to the San Pedro Road entrance as possible. Please do not drive to or park near the closed gate.

Point Reyes Lighthouse to Drakes Beach – Birding in Marin - Season 7, Trip 10
2022-10-01 08:30 - 15:00 | CA, United States
Saturday 10/1/2022
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Register HERE for this field trip
Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens September 21 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 to fly “15 degrees east of due south for 4 days.” Millions of recently fledged birds undertake a journey of 2-4000 miles without a google assistant and many without further parental guidance. 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, 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 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 miles away on a point sticking 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 Light house then work our way back to Drake’s Beach for lunch and much more birding.
Directions: Meet at 8:30 at the Lighthouse 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.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2022-10-05 07:30 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Wednesday, October 5, 2022
7:30 AM to noon **Please note 7:30 AM is the correct start time, not 8 AM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
Register HERE for this field trip
Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. Registration opens on our TicketBud sight on September 25 at 8AM.
With large numbers of birds moving through the area this time of year, it’s sure to be an interesting outing with unusual sightings a definite possibility. We’ll start with a 30-40 minute visible migration and sea watch from Rodeo Beach hoping for Parasitic Jaegers as well as other passing goodies before undertaking an extended circuit of Rodeo Lagoon in the search for scarce migrants including early winter wildfowl, shorebirds and fall passerines. More than 60 species should be possible at this time of year. The morning will begin with a sea watch at 7:30 AM.
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 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 Valley Sanitary District (LGVSD)
2022-10-06 08:30 - 23:30 | CA, United States
Thursday, October 6, 2022
8:30 AM to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
All fully vaccinated participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
Join old friends and meet new ones as we resume our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. 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. With fall migration underway, we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search.
We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels. 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.

Hummingbirds of California and Beyond
2022-10-13 19:00 - 21:00 | CA, United States
Thursday, October 13 at 7:00 PM
Speaker: Bob Lewis
Free and open to the public.
Register for this speaker series program HERE
The story of hummingbird evolution starts about 50 million years ago, far from the lands they currently inhabit. We’ll trace the history of their evolution and then briefly discuss relationships between the 9 tribes of living species. After reviewing California’s 7 most common species – all belonging to the Bee tribe, we’ll look at other North American species, and then examine representatives of the other tribes, mostly concentrated in South America. Finally, we’ll consider some conservation issues and end with a few words on hummingbird photography.
Bob trained as a chemist and worked in the energy field for 33 years. He’s taught birding classes in the Bay Area for over 25 years and served as the chair of Golden Gate Audubon’s Adult Education Committee. Bob was honored with American Birding Association’s Chandler Robbins Award for Education and Conservation in 2016. He loves to travel and has photographed and chased birds in over 40 countries. His life list is over 5000 species.
Caption – Costa’s Hummingbird
Photo by – Bob Lewis

Olompali State Park - Novato
2022-10-22 09:00 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Saturday, October 22, 2022
9 AM to noon
Birding with Rich Cimino and Janet Bodle
Register HERE for this field trip
There is a limit of 15 participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please. Registration opens on October 12 at 8 AM.
It’s always an exciting time to birdwatch at Olompali State Historic Park! October can bring fall surprises. This year, with the fires in the northern part of the state, Olompali Park may become home to species typically not seen in the park. Beginning and experienced birders are invited to join leaders Rich Cimino and Janet Bodle 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. The field trip will start at 9 AM meeting in the front of the visitor center.
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.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD)
2022-11-03 08:30 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Thursday, November 3, 2022
8:30 AM to noon
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
All fully vaccinated participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
Join old friends and meet new ones as we resume our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. 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. With fall migration underway, we are likely to spot some interesting species, so come assist in our search.
We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels. 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.

Las Gallinas and Hamilton Wetlands - Birding in Marin - Season 7, Trip 11
2022-11-05 08:30 - 15:30 | CA, United States
Saturday, November 5, 2022
8:30 AM to mid afternoon (3PM)
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration will be open starting on October 27 at 8 AM. There is a limit of 15 participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please.
Join Jim and Bob on an easy, birdy walk of 1.5 miles around the Las Gallinas ponds where we are likely to see 10 species of ducks, five of herons, five of raptors, five of sparrows and some rails like Ridgway’s, Sora, and Virginia with Gallinules, coots, swans and geese! Shall we try to identify the duck species by females? I wonder if the Merlin will be back. These oxidation ponds, where a large portion of Marin’s waste water is converted to useful nutrients and clean enough to return safely to the San Francisco Bay ecosystem, demonstrate how we can provide for wildlife and live in harmony with nature.
After lunch we are going to visit the Hamilton Wetlands, restored by the Army Corp. of Engineers in the recent 5–10 years to the SF Bay ecosystem, which have become the winter home of some ten thousand birds. It is remarkable that thru the 2nd World War and the Cold War years the US
Air Force stayed on alert and could launch jet fighter planes in minutes from an airport here to defend the Bay Area. We will try to find 10 species of shorebirds here while staying alert to many other possibilities.
DIRECTIONS: From 101 north San Rafael take the Lucas Valley/Smith Ranch Road exit east. In about 0.5 miles, immediately after crossing the RR tracks, left turn and follow the road another 0.5 mile to the Las Gallinas parking at the end.
To the Hamilton Wetlands return to 101 North, take the second exit, Nave Drive toward Hamilton. Stay on Nave Dr, heading north, to Main Gate Dr and turn right. Go east to Hanger Ave and park along the levee behind Hangar 7.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2022-11-09 07:30 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Wednesday, November 9, 2022
7:30 AM to noon **Please note this is the correct time. TicketBud only allows an 8AM start time, but please meet at 7:30 AM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
Register HERE for this Field Trip
Registration opens October 31 at 8AM. Limit of 15 fully vaccinated participants for this trip. There will not be a waiting list. No drop-ins, please.
Early-November is a surprisingly active time for migrants at this Marin Headlands location, as we search for scarcer late fall migrants including winter wildfowl, loons, grebes and passerine migrants. As always, the weather will determine the focus of our search on the day. This “hotspot” has produced some memorable Marin rarities in recent Novembers, including Tricolored Heron, Scaly-breasted Munia and Rusty Blackbird. We will begin the morning with a sea watch and/or visible migration watch at 7:30 AM. Those arriving later may join us at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon.
DIRECTIONS: Head south on Hwy 101, taking the last Sausalito exit just before the Golden Gate Bridge. At the exit stop sign, turn right. Go under the freeway, following the road 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. Meet by the bridge over the channel to the beach.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

Anacapa Island Seabird Restoration
2022-11-10 19:00 - 21:00 | CA, United States
Thursday, November 10 at 7:00 PM
Speaker: Annie Little
Register HERE for the November Speaker Series
Photo caption: Scripps’s Murrelet
Photo by: Sarah Thomsen
The removal of invasive species from islands is a powerful tool for conserving and protecting unique island species. Island eradication projects often face formidable biological, logistical, and social challenges. This presentation will highlight the eradication of black rats from Anacapa Island. This project was the first rodent eradication from an island where an endemic rodent was present and the first aerial application of a rodenticide in North America. Now, 20 years after the successful implementation of the project, monitoring shows significant positive benefits to seabirds.
Annie Little is the Supervisory Natural Resource Manager for Channel Islands National Park. Prior to joining the National Park Service in 2019, she worked 23 years for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Annie’s focus is the conservation of unique island ecosystems, including eradication and control of invasive species and habitat restoration. Annie is the U.S. coordinator for the Trilateral Island Initiative which promotes island conservation in Canada, U.S., and Mexico.

San Francisco and San Pablo Bay Boat Trip
2022-11-12 09:00 - 16:00 | CA, United States
Saturday, November 12, 2022
9 AM to 4 PM
Trip Leader: Roger Harris
Tickets go on sale October 15th at 8AM
CLICK HERE to sign up for the boat trip
San Francisco Bay, the largest and one of the most important estuaries along the Pacific Flyway, is right in our own backyard. Join us as we cruise from Berkeley toward the Golden Gate Bridge and north into San Pablo Bay, hugging the shorelines and waters that are home to thousands of wintering birds. We will pass by 10 islands, under two bridges, and up two creeks in four counties in search of migrating and resident waterfowl, shorebirds and marine mammals. This trip offers water bird and marine mammal viewing in stunning locations, many of which can only be seen by boat.
Dress in layers. Bring liquids and lunch. Please bring a mask for any time spent inside the cabin.
The trip costs $125 and is limited to 25 people. A waitlist will open if the trip sells out. Waitlist names will be contacted according to the order they were received. You may request to cancel your ticket for a full refund, up to 48 hours before the date and time of the event.
All participants must be fully vaccinated.
Registered participants will receive directions to the Berkeley Marina and other instructions prior to the trip.
Inclement weather will reschedule the trip to the next Saturday, November 19.

BAHIA, HORSESHOE POND & RUSH CREEK
2022-12-03 08:30 - 15:00 | CA, United States
Birding in Marin, Season 7-Trip 12
Saturday, December 3, 2022
8:30 AM to 3:00 PM
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens on November 24 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 participants. No drop-ins, please.
MAS acquired and restored to tidal action the diked bay lands around the residential Bahia neighborhood. As the ebbing tide exposes the mudflats to thousands of shorebirds, while on the flood tide hundreds of ducks and some gulls float, forage and loaf about. The oak-wooded ridge stretching from Hwy 101 to Bahia, also saved from development by MAS, holds Oak Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, Hutton’s Vireo, at least four woodpecker species and many sparrows in the winter.
Homeowners Lagoon at the southeast end of Topaz is a great place to look for wintering ducks. Goldeneyes, Scaup, Canvasbacks, Buffleheads, and Mergansers seem to like it and it has been Marin’s best place for Barrow’s Goldeneyes the last few years.
After lunch we plan to look at the nearby Rush Creek area from the Airport Rd which parallels Hwy 101 north of Atherton.
DIRECTIONS: From 101 in north Novato take Atherton Avenue east, take the Y left onto Bugeia which becomes Bahia Drive, near the end at the bottom of the hill take a right onto Topaz, follow Topaz to its end and park.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

Corte Madera Ecological Reserve - December #1
2022-12-04 09:00 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Sunday, December 4, 2022
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Bryan Flaig
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens on Thursday, November 24 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 20 participants. No drop ins, please.
This trip is perfect for beginning birders looking to learn how to identify waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as experienced birders interested in honing their skills. Corte Madera Ecological Reserve contains a variety of birding habitats, like tidal ponds, pickleweed marshes and a high tide refuge purchased by Marin Audubon in 2016. Much of the area has undergone extensive restoration for rare and endangered salt marsh species.
On this field trip, we will hike a short distance to explore the marsh at high tide, searching for elusive Ridgway’s Rails and winter residents. We’ll walk along the east side of Shorebird Marsh (pond), observing the wide variety of ducks, gulls, and wading shorebirds that frequent the area this time of year.
Restrooms are available at nearby stores (Trader Joe’s), but not on the marsh. Bring binoculars, scopes, layers, water, and snacks. Plan for a 1.5 to 2 mile walk on flat terrain. Light rain does not cancel the trip.
DIRECTIONS: Corte Madera Ecological Reserve is located behind Trader Joe’s in Corte Madera. Meet in the parking lot behind the store, accessed by the driveway on the south side of World Market.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

Domestic Cat Management: Challenges and Opportunities
2022-12-08 19:00 - 21:00 | CA, United States
Thursday, December 8, 2022
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Speaker: Grant Sizemore
Register HERE for this Speaker Series
Domestic cats (Felis catus) can make wonderful pets, but their unrestrained presence on the landscape presents serious challenges. Outdoor cats are introduced predators that inflict serious harm to birds and other wildlife and contribute to a variety of public health risks. Cat management, however, has historically been complicated by unclear authorities, resource limitations, competing priorities, and a tradition of laissez-faire attitudes. This talk will review the wildlife conservation and public health evidence emphasizing the need for owned and unowned cat management and present solutions for cat owners and communities to effect meaningful change that will benefit cats, wildlife, and people.
Grant Sizemore earned B.S. degrees in Zoology and Environmental Science from Miami University in Ohio and an M.S. in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation from the University of Florida. He has experience in wildlife conservation research, education, and policy and is currently the Director of Invasive Species Programs at American Bird Conservancy, where he has run the Cats Indoors program for the last 10 years.
Photo Credit – Shutterstock_forestpath
Caption – “Domestic Cat and Hooded Warbler”

Corte Madera Ecological Reserve - December #2
2022-12-10 09:00 - 12:00 | CA, United States
Saturday, December 10, 2022
9:00 AM to noon
Birding with Bryan Flaig
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens on Thursday, November 30 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 20 participants. No drop ins, please.
This trip is perfect for beginning birders looking to learn how to identify waterfowl and shorebirds, as well as experienced birders interested in honing their skills. Corte Madera Ecological Reserve contains a variety of birding habitats, like tidal ponds, pickleweed marshes and a high tide refuge purchased by Marin Audubon in 2016. Much of the area has undergone extensive restoration for rare and endangered salt marsh species.
On this field trip, we will hike a short distance to explore the marsh at high tide, searching for elusive Ridgway’s Rails and winter residents. We’ll walk along the east side of Shorebird Marsh (pond), observing the wide variety of ducks, gulls, and wading shorebirds that frequent the area this time of year.
Restrooms are available at nearby stores (Trader Joe’s), but not on the marsh. Bring binoculars, scopes, layers, water, and snacks. Plan for a 1.5 to 2 mile walk on flat terrain. Light rain does not cancel the trip.
DIRECTIONS: Corte Madera Ecological Reserve is located behind Trader Joe’s in Corte Madera. Meet in the parking lot behind the store, accessed by the driveway on the south side of World Market.
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD)
2023-01-05 08:30 - 11:30 | CA, United States
Thursday, January 5, 2022
8:30 to 11:30 AM
Birding with Sande and Bob Chilvers
All participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
Join old friends and meet new ones on our regularly scheduled walks on the first Thursday of the month at Las Gallinas. With fall migration just about over, we might see more waterfowl and spot interesting species, so come assist in our search.
We welcome bird enthusiasts of all levels. We all help each other to find and identify the birds, and there are usually several experienced birders to assist.
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.

STINSON / BOLINAS
2023-01-07 08:30 - 15:00 | CA, United States
Birding in Marin Season 8-Trip 1
Saturday, January 7, 2023
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens on December 28, 2022 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 participants. No drop-ins, please.
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
Become a chapter supporting member of the Marin Audubon Society starting at $35 a year, or RENEW your membership today! Your membership helps to fund important efforts such as our ongoing habitat restoration projects, the Monarch Rescue Project, and our Northern Spotted Owl Outreach program. We cannot do these important projects, along with our many other efforts, without the support of our dedicated members!

Nature's Best Hope
2023-01-11 19:00 - 21:00 | CA, United States
Presentor: Doug Tallamy
Wednesday January 11, 2023
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Click HERE on the night of the program to join this Speaker Series – Passcode: [REDACTED] ** Please note this is a direct link to the webinar, and you will be able to join the meeting at 7 PM on January 11th. It will not work before then.
Recent headlines about global insect declines and three billion fewer birds in North America are a bleak reality check about how ineffective our current landscape designs have been at sustaining the plants and animals that sustain us. To create landscapes that enhance local ecosystems rather than degrade them, we must 1 remove the invasives on our property and 2) add the native plant communities that sustain food webs, sequester carbon, maintain diverse native bee communities, and manage our watersheds. If we do this in half of the area now in lawn, we can create Homegrown National Park, a 20 million acre network of viable habitats that will provide vital corridors connecting the few natural areas that remain. This approach to conservation empowers everyone to play a significant role in the future of the natural world.
Doug Tallamy is the T. A. Baker Professor of Agriculture in the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware, where he has authored 106 research publications and has taught insect related courses for 41 years. Chief among his research goals is to better understand the many ways insects interact with plants and how such interactions determine the diversity of animal communities. His books include Bringing Nature Home, The Living Landscape, co-authored with Rick Darke, Nature’s Best Hope, a New York Times Best Seller, The Nature of Oaks, winner of the American Horticultural Society’s 2022 book award. In 2021 he co-founded Homegrown National Park with Michelle Alfandari. His awards include recognition from The Garden Writers Association, Audubon, The National Wildlife Federation, Allegheny College, The Garden Club of America and The American Horticultural Association.
Tonight’s program is a Zoom presentation of Golden Gate Audubon Society, co-sponsored by Marin Audubon Society and other Bay Area Audubon chapters. The direct link to the program is below. No registration is required.

Hamilton Wetlands
2023-01-24 10:00 - 14:00 | CA, United States
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
10 AM to 2 PM
Birding with Daniel Edelstein
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens January 14 at 8 AM.. Trip limit is 15 participants. No drop-ins, please.
We’ll pursue sightings of visiting shorebird, duck, gull, and songbird species for this area, including uncommon to rare species such as Lesser Yellowlegs, Western Snowy Plover, Glaucous Gull, Lesser Scaup, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Eurasian/Common Green-winged Teal, and Redhead.
Feel free to pack a lunch and beverage. Spotting scope recommended, but not essential.
Daniel is a long-time Avian Biologist, Birding Guide, and college birding instructor (WarblerWatch.com).
Directions: From US-101N, take exit 458, take right fork to continue on Nave Dr. Make a right on Main Gate Road, continue onto Palm Drive, right onto Hangar Ave, continue to South Hamilton Park, near the end of the road. Parking is available in the Park’s parking lot. Meet at the Hamilton Wetlands trailhead, near the South Hamilton Park playground.

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD) - San Rafael
2023-02-02 08:30 - 11:30 | CA, United States
Thursday, February 2, 2023
8:30 to 11:30 AM
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 to 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.

Birding in Marin - Sausalito and Tiburon
2023-02-04 08:30 - 15:00 | CA, United States
Season 8, Trip 2
Saturday, February 4, 2023
8:30 AM to mid afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
Register HERE for this field trip
Registration opens Wednesday, January 25 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 fully vaccinated participants. No drop-ins, please.
We are going to explore the bay from the Sausalito waterfront 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 compare looks at similar species 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. Although the roe, are fancied by some diners and there is a purse seining fleet hungry for profit, the Department of Fish and Wildlife is trying to maintain a sustainable catch. 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
2023-02-05 09:00 - 15:00 | CA, United States
Birding with David Wimpfheimer
Sunday, February 5th, 2023
Boat departs at 9 AM. Plan to arrive early!
Register HERE for this field trip. Please see below for important registration information.
The trip costs $135. Limited to 25 people. Registration for this trip opens January 8th at 8AM. Tickets may be cancelled until February 2 at 12 noon. Cancellations will be refunded MINUS the TicketBud service charges.
If tickets aren’t available, you may sign up for the waitlist by clicking the “Contact Organizer” prompt on Ticketbud and leaving your name and phone number.
This very popular trip is being held the first weekend in Feb on Sunday Feb 5. 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. Bad weather can cancel as with any winter trip. Light rain will not cancel.
Ticket holders will receive directions to the Antioch Marina, where the trip begins and ends, and other instructions, approximately one week prior to the trip.
Inclement weather will reschedule the trip to Sunday, February 19.

A World on the Wing: The Global Odyssey of Migratory Birds
2023-02-16 18:00 - 20:00 | CA, United States
Thursday February 16th, 2023
Start Time: 6:00 PM
Speaker: Scott Weidensaul

This program is a Zoom presentation of Golden Gate Audubon Society, co-sponsored by Marin Audubon Society and others.
Please use THIS LINK the night of the Speaker Series. Password: [REDACTED]
Scientists continue to make astounding discoveries about the navigational and physiological feats that enable migratory birds to cross immense oceans, fly above the highest mountains, go weeks without sleep or remain in unbroken flight for months at a stretch. Scott Weidensaul, author of A World on the Wing (2021), takes us around the globe — to the shores of the Yellow Sea in China, and the remote mountains of northeastern India where tribal villages saved the greatest gathering of falcons on the planet, to learn how people are fighting to understand and save the world’s great bird migrations.
Scott Weidensaul’s field research focuses on bird migration. He is a co-director of Project Owlnet, studying owl migration, and is a founder of the Critical Connections project, which is tracking the migration of birds that breed on National Park lands in Alaska. He co-founded the Northeast Motus Collaboration, which is creating a network of telemetry receivers to track the movements of bats, insects and small birds.
Image: Shorebirds swarm the mudflats of the Yellow Sea in China, one of the most endangered migratory hotspots on the globe.
Photo by: Scott Weidensaul

The Ponds at Las Gallinas Sanitary District (LGVSD) - San Rafael
2023-03-02 08:30 - 11:30 | CA, United States
Thursday, March 2, 2023
8:30 to 11:30 AM
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 to 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.

Birding in Marin - Mt Tam and Corte Madera Marshes
2023-03-04 08:30 - 15:00 | CA, United States
Birding in Marin, Season 8 – Trip 3
Saturday, March 4, 2023
8:30 AM to mid-afternoon
Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin
CLICK HERE to sign up for this field trip
Registration opens Wednesday, February 22 at 8 AM. Trip limit is 15 fully vaccinated participants. No drop-ins, please.
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.
