We’re heading to the Palomarin Field Station (run by Point Blue Conservation Science, link below), the longest-running avian ecology field station west of the Mississippi River! Even though it’s more than an hour from the Diablo area (so we need to leave earlier than usual), the payoff is huge. Staff and interns will give us a behind the scenes mist netting and bird banding tour, so join us to get face-to-face with birds and learn from professional bird researchers!

We’ll meet at the Lafayette BART station at 7:40am to get into carpools (limit GHG emissions, Palomarin is tricky to get to), then arrive at the station at 9:30am. If you live on the Richmond side of the hills it might make more sense to meet at Palomarin, but everyone living in the Diablo area passes by Lafayette BART to get to Palomarin, so let’s carpool.

Bring water (there is none on-site), sturdy shoes, layered clothes, hat, sunscreen and snack. Heavy rain cancels. A bathroom is on-site. We have extra binoculars and field guides, so as always the only thing young birders need to bring is a parent/responsible adult.

MDAS will pay the recommended $5 donation per participant to Point Blue Conservation Science, but attendees are encouraged to donate something of their own as well. Image is of a mist-netted and banded fox sparrow at Palomarin, and provided by Point Blue Conservation Science.

Thanks and see you then!