2-hour (9 - 11 am) birding trips to PRBO research locations or other habitats in the North Bay
Meet PRBO biologists, learn about local birds and habitats
Discover some birding hotspots!
Free to PRBO members; $10 donation request for non-members
Sign ups are not necessary except with groups of 5 or more
You can become a member of PRBO at the bird walk! (individuals $40; family $55)
*To determine if a PRBO monthly bird walk is cancelled due to weather, please call (707) 781-2555, ext 355. RAIN CANCELS
For more information please contact Missy Wipfat 707-781-2555, x 302 or mwipf@prbo.org.
Please check our accesibility information in each bird walk description or call the contact above for further inquiries. PRBO urges birders and wildlife watchers to act responsibly while viewing birds and other wildlife. Please heed restrictions on access to land, respect nesting birds, and avoid disturbing birds and other wildlife while you are viewing them. For more information you can review the American Birding Association's code of ethics.
2010 Monthly Bird Walks *Please note there will not be a walk in January 2010*
Long-billed Dowticher
Satuday, February 6, 2010: Wetland Waterbirds at Shollenberger Marsh
Observe
migratory and resident shorebirds, ducks, and waders, and learn about
their unique adaptations as we hike the levee trail surrounding this
Petaluma wetland – the site of PRBO’s San Francisco Bay Research Center & Headquarters.
Petaluma Wetlands Alliance will also be sharing their knowledge of the wetlands on this walk! DIRECTIONS: Take Lakeville exit off Hwy 101; follow Lakeville eastbound
and turn right on S. McDowell Blvd. Turn right onto Cypress, second building on right. Follow parking lot to the back end at Shollenberger Park wetlands. Meet at 9 am. Check out a bird list for this walk.
Sunday, March 7, 2010: Seabirds & Seals at Chimney Rock Join a PRBO biologist as we visit the point of Point Reyes
National Seashore to take a look at some of PRBO's seabird study
species. We will be looking for elephant seals finishing their breeding
season, seabirds beginning theirs, and migrating gray whales. Learn
about the amazing adaptations that allow seabirds to survive along the
rugged West Coast. Meet in the Drakes Beach parking lot at 9:00 am.
Bring $5.00 (under 16 free) to ride the bus from Drakes Beach to
Chimney Rock (roads are closed to most cars during the winter). Walk
follows a paved road, which is steep; there is a narrow, dirt trail to
the seal overlook which we will visit. Buses are not wheelchair
accessible, but folks can register with Park staff in morning, and
follow in their car behind bus and meet us at Chimney Rock. Directions to Drakes Beach (you will need Adobe Acrobat). Check out the bird list from past walks!
Saturday, April 3, 2010: Wood Ducks and Woodpeckers at Five Brooks Join PRBO biologists as we search for Wood Ducks, woodpeckers, and spring’s first migrants. Meet at Five Brooks parking lot, about 10 minutes south of Olema on Hwy 1. Click here for a map and directions on the Five Brooks Ranch web page.Check out the bird list from past walks!
Saturday, May 8, 2010: Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day with PRBO at Redwood Creek!
Join PRBO biologists on this very important day for international migratory birds as we explore the riparian habitat, check mist-nets for songbirds and observe biologists band and release songbirds. We will keep our eyes and ears out for signs of nesting, and discuss how and why we monitor nesting songbirds. Find out why songbirds sing and other fascinating tidbits about their lives! Meet at the Muir Woods National Monument parking lot for a shuttle ride to PRBO’s mist netting station at Redwood Creek. Then come back to Muir Woods and celebrate the IMBD festival with shade-grown coffee and organic chocolate! Learn more about IMBD.
Sunday, June 6, 2010: Exploring Oak Woodlands at Mount Burdell, Novato (Marin County Open Space) This is sure to be a fantastic birding adventure in oak woodlands. We'll likely see nesting migrants, including Bullock's Orioles and Western Kingbirds. From Hwy 101, take the San Marin/Atherton exit and go west on San Marin Blvd. Turn up San Andreas Dr. Meet at the Marin Open Space gate at the top of San Andreas Dr. Please make sure to bring water, as the temperature is usually very warm. There are NO restroom facilities. Check out the bird list from past walks! Learn more about Marin County Open Space Preserves.
Saturday, July 10. 2010: Muddy Hollow Migrants and Mist-netting We will hike through the central part of the Burn Zone of the 1995 Mt. Vision Fire, examine the remarkable extent of vegetative recovery, and discuss how monitoring songbird response to natural disturbances like this can teach us many important lessons. We'll also have a chance to experience science-in-action as we check mist-nets for songbirds and observe bird banding. A great opportunity to see birds up close and learn about breeding biology. Meet at the Muddy Hollow parking lot at 9:00 am. Check out the bird list from past walks! Directions:
From San Rafael, follow Sir Francis Drake about 18 miles until Olema.
You will arrive at a “T” intersection in Olema; turn RIGHT onto
Shoreline Highway (Hwy 1). Follow directions listed here http://www.bahiker.com/northbayhikes/muddy.html. There are NO bathroom facilities at Muddy Hollow, but there are some at Limantour Beach.
Sunday, August 1, 2010: Stopover at Bodega Bay This is a fun walk to learn about and observe migrants at this important migration stopover site. Learn about the critical role that wetlands play in the lives of waterbirds, and why so many of these birds are migratory superheroes. We'll likely see adult and young Caspian Tern, Heermann's Gull, Brown Pelicans and many shorebirds. Meet at 9:00 am in the main parking lot (paved) at Doran Beach about ¼ of a mile past the park kiosk, next to a grove of cypress trees. Please bring $6 to park (try to car pool!). A mix of paved, bumpy dirt trail, and sandy beach. Please visit the following link for more information on Doran Regional Park. Check out the bird list for past walks!
Saturday, September 11, 2010: Abbott’s Lagoon - Beaches are Habitat! This special walk led by PRBO educators will focus on the conservation and protection of threatened Snowy Plovers and beach habitat. Educators will discuss the successes and challenges during the breeding season for Snowies. This walk also coincides with fall migration so we'll spend time admiring some far-flung, feathered travelers, including waterfowl and shorebirds. Meet at Abbott’s Lagoon parking lot at 9:00 am. Narrow, dirt trail and sandy beach. Check out the bird list from past walks. For more information on Abbott's Lagoon and directions.
Point Reyes Beach
Sunday, October 3, 2010: Location TBD
Saturday, November 6, 2010: Winter Birds at Helen Putnam Park, Petaluma Winter brings a completely new group of birds to northern California. As we walk along we will search for some of Sonoma County’s winter residents including Golden-crowned and Ruby-crowned kinglets, Townsend's Warblers, and Golden-crowned Sparrows. Meet near the entrance from Chileno Valley Rd. in the main parking lot at 9:00 am. Bring $6 to park.Check out the bird list from past walks! Learn more about Helen Putnam Regional Park, 411 Chileno Valley Road, Petaluma, CA 94952.
Sunday, December 5, 2010: Wintering Waterbirds on Bolinas Lagoon: Join us to welcome back the wintering populations of shorebirds and waterfowl to this beautiful lagoon. We'll work on waterbird ID at a few stops alongside the Lagoon. Bring rubber boots for exploring the pickleweed marshes at Pine Gulch. Meet at 9:00 am in the large dirt parking lot next to Bolinas School, 125 Olema Bolinas Rd, in Bolinas. Check out the bird list from past walks!
Bird Lists from past Monthly Bird Walks:
Sunday, February 8, 2009. Shollenberger Park, Petaluma, CA
1. American White Pelican
2. Double-crested Cormorant
3. Snowy Egret
4. Mute Swan
5. Canada Goose
6. Mallard
7. Northern Pintail
8. Northern Shoveler
9. Blue-winged Teal
10. Green-winged Teal
11. Domestic Mallard
12. Canvasback
13. Greater?? Scaup
14. Bufflehead
15. Ruddy Duck
16. Turkey Vulture
17. American Coot
18. Virginia Rail
19. Black-bellied Plover
20. American Avocet
21. Black-necked Stilt
22. Greater Yellowlegs
23. Willet
24. Marbled Godwit
25. Dunlin
26. Western Sandpiper
27. Least Sandpiper
28. Dowitcher sp.
29. Ring-billed Gull
30. Glaucous-winged Gull
31. Western Gull
32. Anna's Hummingbird
33. Downy Woodpecker
34. Black Phoebe
35. American Crow
36. Tree Swallow
37. Marsh Wren
38. American Robin
39. European Starling
40. American Pipit
41. Myrtle's Yellow-rumped Warbler
42. Savannah Sparrow
43. White-crowned Sparrow
44. Song Sparrow
45. Red-winged Blackbird
46. House Finch
Sunday, May 10, 2009. Tolay Lake Regional Park, Petaluma, CA
collaborative walk w/ PRBO, Cotati Creek Critters/California Native Grasslands Association
Birds detected on "bird loop"
1. Great Blue Heron
2. Great Egret
3. Turkey Vulture
4. Cinnamon Teal
5. Mallard
6. Red-tailed Hawk
7. California Quail
8. Sora
9. Killdeer
10. Mourning Dove
11. Anna's Hummingbird
12. Allen's Hummingbird
13. Nuttall's Woodpecker
14. Black Phoebe
15. Western Kingbird
16. Common Raven
17. Tree Swallow
18. Cliff Swallow
19. Barn Swallow
20. American Robin
21. European Starling
22. Wilson's Warbler
23. California Towhee
24. Song Sparrow
25. Red-winged Blackbird
26. Brewer's Blackbird
27. Brown-headed Blackbird
28. Bullock's Oriole
29. House Finch
30. American Goldfinch
Other birds detected on "grass loop"
31. American White Pelican
32. Brown Creeper
33. Western Bluebird
34. Western Meadowlark
Caspian Tern
Point Reyes Beach
