Little Known Great Birding Locations
2020-01-09 19:30 - 21:30 UTC | Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary, 376 Greenwood Beach Rd, Tiburon, CA, 94920, United States
Most birders visit the famous spots: Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Bodega Bay, Golden Gate Park, Vic Fassio Yolo Wetlands, Klamath/Tulelake and Sacramento NWRs, Monterey Bay, Arcata Marsh, etc. But there is a growing number of lesser known spots, hidden gems for birding and scenery. Ruthie Rudesill will share birding stories and discuss a few special places for those who want to travel to new exciting areas of Northern California. Swainson’s Hawk Courtesy of Ruthie Rudesill
Speaker Ruthie Rudesill is Past President of Redwood Regional Ornithological Society. She has a Wildlife degree from Humboldt State University. She has led and participated in many Christmas Bird Counts, surveys and field trips for over 30 years. Ruthie maintains the records for rare birds in Sonoma County and sends quarterly reports to North American Birds (part of the American Birding Association).

Deer Island Preserve & Simmons Slough
2020-01-02 08:30 - 12:00 | Deer Island Preserve, Novato, CA, 94945
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.

A Bird's Rainbow with Bob Lewis
2019-12-12 19:30 - 21:30 | Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary, 376 Greenwood Beach Rd, Tiburon, CA, 94920, United States
Description: Many birds are brightly colored, others use patterned feathers for camouflage. How do these colors originate? What’s the difference between colors from pigments and physical colors? From Yellow warblers to Anna’s Hummingbirds, from Snow Geese to Brewer’s Blackbirds, each species makes unique use of the feather colors it possesses. What do the colors indicate to other birds? And do birds see the same colors we do? Bob will unravel some of the mysteries of color in birds with a little chemistry, a bit of physics, and a lot of brightly colored slides.
Bob Lewis 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. He’s co-aught a popular Master Birding class at the SF Academy of Sciences with Jack Dumbacher and Eddie Bartley, and Birds of the Bay Area with Rusty Scalf. He taught Avian Evolution with Bruce Mast for Marin Audubon. He loves to travel and photograph birds, and has recently returned from a trip to Namibia, chasing the brightly colored birds of that area, and passing 5,000 on his life list.
Image: The pigment that creates the yellow color in King Penguins is still undefined.

Jean and John Starkweather Shoreline Park Bird Walk
2019-12-12 09:00 - 12:00 | Jean and John Starkweather Shoreline Park, San Rafael, CA, 94901
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 CafÃ© 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 CafÃ© address, 2165 Francisco Blvd, San Rafael.

Beginning Birding at McInnis Park
2019-12-10 08:30 - 11:30 | McInnis Park, 310 Smith Ranch Rd, San Rafael, CA, 94903, United States
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.

Marta's Marsh
2019-12-08 08:00 - 11:00 | Marta’s Marsh, Corte Madera, United States
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 Martaâ€™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.

Bahia, Rush Creek & Rowland Avenue Wetlands
2019-12-07 08:30 - 15:00 | Bahia Wetlands, 499-401 Bahia Dr, Novato, 94945, United States
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.

Pacheco Pond
2019-12-05 08:30 - 12:00 | Pacheco Pond, 600-748 Bel Marin Keys Blvd, Novato, CA, 94949, United States
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.

Schollenberger Park
2019-11-22 08:00 - 17:00 | Schollenberger Park, 1400 Cedar Lane, Petaluma, CA, 94954, United States
Head to Petaluma to explore Shollenberger Park, one of the major hotspots in the North Bay. We’ll walk the ~ 3-mile loop leisurely, looking for waterfowl, rails, shorebirds, waders, raptors, sparrows, and other wintering and year-round passerines. Perhaps we’ll see a White-tailed Kite or a Northern Harrier. Maybe a cooperative Virginia Rail or Marsh Wren will give us a look-or at the very least-a listen! Say’s Phoebes and Lincoln Sparrows might be back in town as well! Let’s go find out!
Learn about the common birds, animals, and plants of Shollenberger in the newly published Petaluma Wetlands Field Guide: https://petalumawetlands.org/field-guide/
If you’re a Shollenberger first-timer, check out Miles & Teresaâ€™s recap of an August 2019 bird survey here: https://imbirdingrightnow.com/2019/08/22/pwa-bird-survey-shollenberger-8-20-19/
Bathrooms at parking lot. Heavy rain cancels. Bring binoculars, layers, sunscreen, water, lunch, or snacks.
Directions:. From Marin, head north on Hwy 101, take Exit 472B for CA-116 East (Lakeville Hwy). Head east ~ 1 mile to South McDowell Blvd and turn right. Turn right onto Cader Lane (tiny street) and park in the lot. Well meet at the entrance.

Albatross of Kauai, Their style and Story
2019-11-14 19:30 - 21:30 | Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary, 376 Greenwood Beach Rd, Tiburon, CA, 94920, United States
Albatross have likely nested in the Hawaiian Islands for millions of years, but disappeared with the arrival of humans. About 40 years ago, individual birds began returning to Kauai, and the population has gradually grown since then. Now, as their mother ship at Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands becomes more and more treacherous, Kauai may become the birds’ Noah’s Ark.
Hob Osterlund, MSN, APRN, is an award-winning writer, photographer and conservationist living on the island of Kaua’i. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic Explorer, Audubon, National Wildlife, Nature Conservancy, Hana Hou (Hawaiian Airlines), Ms. Magazine and more.
She is the founder of the Kauai Albatross Network and has served as a habitat liaison for a number of private landowners for several years. Her work includes direct services such as systematic monitoring of all Laysan albatross on those properties, assisting with predator control and serving as a link between private landowners and state and federal wildlife agencies. For five nesting seasons Hob worked as a Kaua’i Coordinator for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology Bird Cam project. As a result, Laysan albatross live streaming images were played via the “TrossCam” as the chicks grew from hatch to fledge. From 2014-2018 there were 60 million views and 450 million minutes watched by viewers from 190 countries. In 2019 Hob’s primary focus is her new documentary Kalama’s Journey. The film is about an albatross chick adopted by a female pair of birds on Kaua’i, and about the chick’s role in facing her species’ biggest threat.

Drakes Beach and the Fish Docks
2019-10-31 08:00 - 17:00 | Rodeo Lagoon, Marin Headlands, CA, 94941, United States
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Fall Migration Hotspots
2019-10-27 08:00 - 17:00 | Point Reyes National Seashore, 1 Bear Valley Visitor Center Access Road, Point Reyes Station, CA, 94956, United States
No sleeping in will be possible for those who want to join Derek and Bob on this trip to some of the best-known migrant hotspots in Marin. Our plan for the day will depend on what birds have been seen in the area. Point Reyes has proven to be one of the greatest migrant traps on our continent with more than half of all North American birds (at least 502 species) seen there.
We will be looking in the areas of Drakes Beach and the Fish Docks/Chimney Rock. We may also stop to check the fields and trees surrounding some of the ranches in the area as well as the more inland riparian area around the Inverness Tennis Club. Come help us find something rare and unexpected. Fall birders in these areas are rarely disappointed! This time of year, as Rich Stallcup said, The Outer Point never gets old. It is never the same.
We will meet at Whitehouse Pool and bird that area as participants gather before carpooling to the Outer Point. Dress in layers (plan for wind and fog), and bring a hat, sunscreen, water, and lunch. Heavy rain cancels.
Directions: From Hwy 101 in Larkspur, take the Sir Francis Drake exit 20.4 miles to Olema. Turn right onto Hwy 1 and go 2 miles. Before the green bridge, turn left (continuing on Sir Francis Drake Blvd.) and drive 0.7 mile. Look for the White House Pool sign and parking lot on the right.

Rodeo Lagoon
2019-09-30 08:00 - 15:00 | Point Reyes National Seashore, 1 Bear Valley Visitor Center Access Road, Point Reyes Station, CA, 94956, United States
