De Silva Island Heron Colony
2026-05-26 10:00 - 12:30 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Tuesday, May 26, 2026
10:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Birding with Ron Brown
REGISTER HERE
Registration required for this trip. Registration opens Saturday, May 16 at 8:00 AM. Trip limit is 15.
De Silva Island is home to a long-established colony of Great Blue Herons, residing in a grove of eucalyptus trees on the banks of Belloch’s Lagoon (Strawberry Cove) in Richardson Bay. In recent years Great Egrets and Double Crested Cormorants (colonial nesting species) have moved into this fine breeding site.
Although the start of the breeding season is somewhat variable, we should see late-stage Heron and Egret chicks and early-stage Cormorant chicks. The colony is best seen by a scope from across Belloch’s Lagoon (Strawberry Cove). One scope will be available, but others would be welcome. The viewing area is the sidewalk and there is no easy parking. I can take a couple of people with difficulty walking, others can move their cars a short distance and walk a short distance.
DIRECTIONS: From Hwy 101 south, exit at 446 toward Seminary Drive, make a left onto Redwood Hwy frontage road, and follow as it goes under the freeway. Continue for 1/2 mile, make a right on Seminary Drive to the Fitness outdoor workout at 107b Seminary Drive and find street parking. From Hwy 101 north, exit at 446 toward Seminary Drive, make a left at Redwood Frontage Road. In about 1/2 mile make a right on Seminary Drive to the Fitness outdoor workout at 107 Seminary and find street parking.
We will meet on Seminary Drive near the outdoor workout area at 10 am. It will be a short walk on the somewhat uneven public footpath around the marsh with a set of stairs up to view the colony trees.

The Ponds at the Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District (LGVSD) - San Rafael
2026-06-04 08:30 - 12:00
Thursday, June 4, 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, raptors and swallows. 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.

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2026-06-05 07:30
Marin Audubon Hosts Field Trips for California Bird Atlas BIG WEEKEND. California Bird Atlas Big Weekend is a four-day statewide celebration of birds and the new California Bird Atlas – featuring dozens of field trips, and a collective mission to document as many species breeding in as many blocks as possible.
Field trips introduce Atlas basics in the field, with leaders showing how to contribute. The goal is to make it easy for first-time participants to get involved and continue contributing beyond the weekend.
Marin Audubon is sponsoring the following field trip for the CBA Big Weekend:
Rodeo Lagoon, Marin Headlands
Friday, June 5, 2026
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
REGISTER HERE
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on Tuesday, May 26 at 8AM
Limit of 15 participants for this trip.
The primary focus of this Field Trip will be seeking out and documenting breeding birds for the California Bird Atlas (CBA). Join us for a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM or arrive later at 8:00 AM for an expanded circuit of the lagoon to include trails that are rarely birded.
DIRECTIONS: 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. Turn left at the sign to the Marin Headland. Proceed on Bunker Road to the Rodeo Lagoon Parking Lot and meet at 7:30 by the bridge over the channel to the beach.

San Geronimo Community Center environs
2026-06-05 09:00 - 12:00
Marin Audubon Hosts Field Trips for California Bird Atlas BIG WEEKEND. California Bird Atlas Big Weekend is a four-day statewide celebration of birds and the new California Bird Atlas – featuring dozens of field trips, and a collective mission to document as many species breeding in as many blocks as possible.
Field trips introduce Atlas basics in the field, with leaders showing how to contribute. The goal is to make it easy for first-time participants to get involved and continue contributing beyond the weekend.
Marin Audubon is sponsoring the following field trip for the CBA Big Weekend:
San Geronimo Community Center environs
Friday, June 5, 2026
9:00 AM-12:00 PM
Birding with Liz Lewis and Susan Kelly
REGISTER HERE
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on Tuesday, May 26 at 8 AM
Limit of 14 participants for this trip.
On this trip we will be introducing the CBA and the breeding codes to those who are new to the Atlas. All experience levels are welcome for this easy, three miles roundtrip. We will meet in the parking lot of the former San Geronimo Golf Club now offices of Marin County Fire. There is a porta potty in the parking lot. We will hike the paths and grounds of the former golf course.

Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica
2026-06-11 19:00 - 21:00
Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica
Thursday, June 11, 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Speaker: Alvaro Jaramillo
Event is free. Register HERE for this speaker series.

Topic:
There is no greater wilderness than the Southern Ocean! Between Antarctica and the southern points of the continents, there are islands with hundreds of thousands of penguins, millions of prions (a small seabird) and astounding numbers of fur seals, elephant seals and whales.

Alvaro will talk about some of the wonderful birds and wildlife of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, as well as South America. Places like South Georgia, the Chatham Islands, Macquarie and of course the Antarctic Peninsula.
Speaker Bio:
Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of international birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution studying the co-evolution in cowbirds. He has published several books and field guides, including the Birds of Chile, a major New World sparrow chapter for Birds of the World, and the ABA Field Guide to Birds of California. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. He now lives with his family in Picton, Ontario, Canada.
Photo Credit: Royal Penguin
By Alvaro Jaramillo

Rodeo Lagoon - Marin Headlands
2026-07-29 07:30 - 12:00
Rodeo Lagoon, Marin Headlands
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
7:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers
REGISTER HERE
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on Wednesday, July 15 at 8 AM
Limit of 15 participants for this trip.
Join William and David for the first of five fall migration field trips at Rodeo Lagoon. This is their long-time “patch,” which never seems to disappoint birders with daily variations in species and the chance of an unusual sighting. On this July trip, we will be targeting northward bound Heermann’s Gulls and Elegant Terns, and hopefully the first southbound migrating shorebirds, and early western passerine migrants. We will begin with a Sea Watch at 7:30 AM from Rodeo Beach. Those arriving later may join us at 8:00 AM for a circuit of the lagoon, about 2-3 miles of light to moderate hiking. A brief mid-morning ‘coffee-stop’ is planned at Headlands Center for the Arts and it would be appreciated if participants come willing to contribute ($3) via the onsite ‘tip-jar’ as a thank you for accommodating our group. This field trip is less suitable for beginners.
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 footbridge over the channel to the beach or join MAS birders with scopes along the nearby beach area.

Abbotts Lagoon – Pt. Reyes National Seashore
2026-08-22 08:30 - 14:00
Abbotts Lagoon – Pt. Reyes National Seashore
Saturday, August 22, 2026
8:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Birding with Rusty Scalf
All participants are welcome to join this trip. No registration required.
We will bird the coastal scrub, lagoons, and ocean. We hope to find migrant shorebirds and resident Snowy Plovers. Abbotts Lagoon has historically been good for Baird’s Sandpiper and we may get lucky. Meet at 8:30 AM at the Abbotts 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.
DIRECTIONS: From Point Reyes Station on Hwy 1 go just south of town, right turn onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd, follow that through 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.

Farallon Islands Boat Trip - From Clipper Yacht Harbor, Sausalito
2026-09-12 08:30 - 16:00
Farallon Islands Boat Trip – From Clipper Yacht Harbor, Sausalito
Saturday, September 12, 2026
8:30 AM to 4 PM
Birding with Susan Sherman
Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on August 12 at 8:00 AM. See cost below.
REGISTER HERE
Join us for a day of seabird and marine mammal watching as we head out to the Farallon Islands and offshore waters aboard Captain Christian’s power catamaran, Outer Limits. When we last did this cruise sightings included Humpback Whales, Laysan and Black-footed Albatross, Tufted Puffin, Rhinoceros and Cassin’s Auklets, shearwaters and jaegers.
We will get a close-up look at the islands and hear about their interesting natural and human history. This is a trip that both experienced and first-time birders and nature lovers enjoy.
A rain jacket and pants are recommended no matter what the weather on shore. If you get seasick easily, this is not the trip for you. We will be on the boat all day.
Although unlikely at this time of year, rescheduling might be necessary at the last minute due to sea conditions.
The trip costs $165. A waitlist will open if the trip sells out. Add your name to the list by clicking Contact Organizer prompt. If you cancel your registration by September 5 and we can fill your spot with someone else on the waitlist, you will be reimbursed, minus a small transaction fee, unless you would like to convert your registration fee into a tax-deductible donation to MAS.
DIRECTIONS:
Take Highway 101 to the Marin City/Sausalito exit, head south on Bridgeway. Turn left at Mollie Stone’s onto Harbor Drive and proceed to the parking area at the end. We will meet on the south side of the parking lot to check in before boarding. Plan to arrive by 8:30 AM for check-in and instructions.
