Week of Events
Volunteer to Count Vaux’s Swifts
September begins the fall migration of Vaux’s Swift through Marin County Marin Audubon and the Bay Area Vaux’s Swifts Working Group are expanding efforts to count Vaux’s Swifts and are seeking new volunteers with various abilities to join in the effort through this Workshop. This is part of a wide effort to understand the largely unknown movement and roosting patterns of Vaux Swifts. We invite you to join us for this exciting citizen science opportunity! Volunteers will engage with knowledgeable Vaux’s Swift counters/members of the Working Group who bring years of experience to share with newly-motivated birders. Volunteers will learn about and participate in refining the methods used to count these large congregations of Vaux’s Swifts and plan future counting activities. The Workshop has two parts: - Thursday, September 5th - 7PM - a meeting on Zoom at which you will hear an overview of the conditions at the overnight roost areas, efforts to count the swifts at this local site, and the various ways you can help. Register HERE for this Zoom Workshop Program: Welcome - Barbara Salzman, President Marin Audubon Society MC – Rich Cimino Presenters – Michael Helms, Rusty Scalf - Sunday, September 8 , 6 to 8PM A site visit to the Vaux’s Swift migration roost at Mc Near Brick Yard, San Rafael for on-site experience and guidance from experts. Contact Rich Cimino for more information: via email at or text 925-353-0266
Rodeo Lagoon – Marin Headlands
Rodeo Lagoon – Marin Headlands
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 7:30/8:15 AM to noon **See start time locations below Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers Register HERE for this Field Trip Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on September 1st at 8 AM. Join William and David for this third fall migration field trip at Rodeo Lagoon. This is their long-time “patch,” which never seems to disappoint birders with daily variations in species and a good chance of an unusual sighting. On this trip, our group will be targeting Parasitic Jaeger, migrating shorebirds and scarcer migrant passerines. We will begin the morning with a Sea Watch from Rodeo Beach at 7:30 AM. Those arriving later may join us at 8:15 AM for a circuit of the lagoon. 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 via the onsite ‘tip-jar’ as a thank you to the Headlands Center for the Arts 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 bridge over the channel to the beach or join MAS birders with scopes along the nearby beach area.
Vagrancy in Birds
Vagrancy in Birds
Thursday, September 12th
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Speaker: Daniel Edelstein
More information will be announced closer to the event
Vaux’s Swifts at McNear Brick and Block
Vaux’s Swifts at McNear Brick and Block
Friday, September 13th, 2024 6:00 to 7:40 PM depending on the weather Birding with Rich Cimino Register HERE for this Field Trip Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens September 3rd 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 decommissioned smokestacks provide an important communal roosting place for the swifts. Watching thousands of 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 7:09 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.