Field Trips

Wednesday, September 17, 2025 7:30/8:15 AM to noon **Please note below start times for this field trip Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers REGISTER HERE Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on Sunday, September 7 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 the 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.

Wednesday, September 24, 2025 5:30 PM to sunset Birding with Rich Cimino REGISTER HERE Registration is required for this trip.  Registration opens September 14 at 8 am. 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 nightfall 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 7:03 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. Upon arrival, meet inside the yard by the office building on the right side of the parking lot, where you will be checked in from the registration list. 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.

Thursday, October 2, 2025 8:30 AM to noon Birding with Mark Clark Registration is not required. All participants are welcome to join this trip. On this trip we especially welcome beginning birders to join Mark Clark, along with bird enthusiasts of all levels, on our monthly walk around the ponds at Las Gallinas. On our search we’ll be looking for waterfowl, waders, songbirds, raptors, rails 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. There is a portable restroom in the parking area for public use. 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.

Birding in Marin - Series 10, Trip 10 Saturday, October 4th, 2025 8:30 AM to mid-afternoon Birding with Jim White and Bob Battagin Register HERE for this Field Trip Registration required for this trip. Registration opens on September 24th at 8:00 AM. Abbotts 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 2 miles (some in sand). 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. After leaving Abbotts Lagoon, 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 Abbotts Lagoon parking lot is on the left, in about 3 miles. Car Pool if you can, allow 1.5 hours from San Rafael.

Wednesday, October 15, 2025 7:30/8:15 AM to noon **Please note below start times for this field trip Birding with William Legge and David Wiechers REGISTER HERE Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on Sunday, October 5 at 8 AM. Join William and David for this fourth 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.

Farallon Islands Boat Trip - From Clipper Yacht Harbor, Sausalito Sunday, October 26, 2025 8:30 AM to 4 PM With David Wimpfheimer Registration is required for this trip. Registration opens on September 14 at 8:00 AM.  REGISTER HERE A waitlist will open if the trip sells out. Add your name to the list by clicking Contact Organizer prompt on the ticketing page. Join us for a day of seabird and marine mammal watching as we head out to the Farallon Islands and offshore waters. Naturalist David Wimpfheimer will be our guide 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. 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 on the ticketing page. If you cancel your registration by October 20 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.