We will first bird at Pena Adobe Park, located off I-80 just west of Vacaville. Pena Adobe is a historic park with well established trees, including an orange tree planted as early as the1860s. Birds we've seen here include Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush and Black-headed Grosbeak. After exploring Pena Adobe we will drive to Lagoon […]

This delightful, fairly short stretch of Putah Creek (~3/4 miles), can be very productive during Spring migration. It's a fairly easy walk through lovely riparian right down in the creek bed. And the occasional sandy stretch will often host several species of birds bathing in the shallows. Expect to find a nice selection of warblers: […]

For this trip, we’ll be taking a leisurely sunset walk around the lagoon and shoreline of Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline Park. This flat, unpaved trail meanders through a habitat mosaic of urban parkland, saltmarsh, and seashore. It’s a good outing for beginner birders to see a diverse mix of common northern California species at fairly […]

Every year, a few herons and cormorants nest in the tall trees in the riparian area of the park. We'll take a look at the rookeries, hopefully even catching views of chicks within the nests. Shadow Cliffs, being located in Pleasanton, can get very hot this time of year! Please dress appropriately (broad-brimmed hat recommended), […]

We’ll be taking a leisurely sunset walk around the lagoon and shoreline of Radke Martinez Regional Shoreline Park. This flat, unpaved trail meanders through a habitat mosaic of urban parkland, saltmarsh, and seashore. It’s a good outing for beginner birders to see a diverse mix of common northern California species at fairly close range. This […]

We'll search for shorebirds in the shade of the fragrant eucalyptus groves that line the shores of Pt. Pinole Regional Park. July marks the beginning of shorebird migration: peeps, plovers, and more are starting to trickle back in from the north. We'll scan the beach as the tide rises for shorebirds and marine ducks. The […]

Unwind after a hard day's work at the beautiful Lafayette Reservoir. Tucked into the hills between the coast and interior Contra Costa County, the reservoir's forested hills are home to many pine-oak residents like Spotted Towhees, Red-shouldered Hawks, and Band-tailed Pigeons. The iconic 100-year-old, 170-foot-tall outlet tower in the center of the reservoir attracts many […]

Point Reyes is one of the premiere birding locations in Northern California, a great spot to find rarities during migration. We'll meet at Drake's Beach, where there is excellent birding and a comfort stop, and then head out to the "fish docks." We may skip the lighthouse overlook on this trip and see if that […]

Vaux's Swifts migrate south along the Pacific Americas Flyway each fall, and one of their few known stopping points in Northern California is McNear Brick and Block in San Rafael. At sunset on many September and October evenings as many as 20,000 swifts mass and fly into the decommissioned brickyard chimneys to spend the night. […]