Meet at the Lakeville Park and Ride at the west side of Rte. 101 at Rte. 116 at 7:30am. We will travel together to explore our block on Outer Point Reyes. Liz is a member of the steering committee for this important research project. She will be sharing the project protocols, and we will see what our block holds for us in bird diversity. It will be great to be part of this important research project for Marin County! Bring binoculars, field guide and/or app, lunch, water, snacks and of course layered clothing.

Scott Carey will lead us on a trip along Pine Flat Road. Possible birds are Mountain Quail, Purple Martin, Bell’s Sparrow, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, and California Thrasher. Meet at 8:00AM at the bottom of Pine Flat Road, near the intersection with Red Winery Road (38.6759087, -122.8076800). Bring lunch, fluids, layered clothing. Please note there are no bathrooms. This is a narrow winding road, watch for bicyclists. You are encouraged to carpool since the fewer cars on this road the better. To RSVP contact Garrett Pierce – garrettallenpierce@gmail.com or (415) 260-7406.

Climate Change, Sonoma-area Birds, & Real Solutions

Description: Would you like to know how climate change will impact Sonoma-area birds, and people? Do you feel that it's such a big problem, you're just overwhelmed? Most importantly, do you want to learn real solutions that you can be a part of that can actually solve, and avoid, climate catastrophe? Then this presentation is for you! You have the power to be part of real solutions. Join us!

Meet at the Lakeville Park and Ride at the west side of Rte. 101 at Rte. 116 at 8:00am., or meet at the corner of C and Third Street in Point Reyes Station at 8:30. We will carpool to Point Reyes Station and plan to arrive at the wetlands around 8:30am. This is a restored tidal marsh at the mouth of Lagunitas Creek which historically had been a cattle grazing pasture. We may find a variety of waterbirds and landbirds as we explore this interesting habitat. We will have a picnic lunch at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. We plan to be at the park and Ride around 1:00pm. Bring binoculars, field guide and/or app, lunch, water, snacks and of course layered clothing.

Presenter will be Kate Marianchild, author of Secrets of the Oak Woodlands

Late winter is prime time to visit some of the most productive waterfowl concentrations in the Central Valley. Our prime targets for this trip are Staten Island and the nearby Cosumnes River Preserve (www.cosumnes.org). En route we will survey farm fields off Hwy 12 between Fairfield and Rio Vista on the Flannery-Robinson Rd. loop for wintering raptors (possible Burrowing Owl, Ferruginous Hawk, Prairie Falcon) and possible Mountain Plovers. Staten Island hosts large numbers of Sandhill Cranes, Tundra Swans, Snow Geese, and most of the world’s Aleutian Cackling Geese. Cosumnes has a nice variety of ducks, plus Greater White-fronted and other geese. Meet for carpooling at the park-and-ride lot at the junction of Hwys. 116 and 121 at 7:30 AM (PACIFIC DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME). Bring a lunch. For more information or to RSVP contact Garrett Pierce – garrettallenpierce@gmail.com or (415) 260-7406.

We have the rare opportunity to access the private lands of the Viansa Wetlands in search of waterfowl and much more. For those familiar with Highway 121, the flooded fields of this area can bring an eye-popping amount of ducks to Sonoma. We are limiting this field trip to 12 people. Plan to enjoy a glass of wine afterward, if you’re interested. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce – garrettallenpierce@gmail.com or (415) 260-7406.

At February's Meeting Program Ruthie Rudesill and Bob Hasenick will delve into several aspects of bird vocalizations including anatomy specific to making sounds, physics of sound transmission, and which birds vocalize & how. Plan also to learn about current recording and editing tools, broader field sound recording initiatives, and resources.

Ruthie became a serious birder during college and graduated with a degree in Wildlife Management Biology. Blessed with great hearing, bird calls and song have always been in the background, and night sounds have become a special interest along with a love of owls.

Bob has always been interested in sound and stereo. He studied acoustics in college and completed Cornell's Sound Recording Workshop. He still finds the learning curve for bird vocalizations quite steep.

This meeting will ONLY be Zoomed (to accommodate the church’s schedule). The Zoom Link for the Meeting is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87012594653?pwd=dDAf1FKOmMSBHp8Y87JpxZ1BoDQiLo.1 The Meeting ID: 870 1259 4653; and Passcode: 398696

Meet at the Lakeville Park and Ride at the west side of Rte. 101 at Rte. 116 at 9:00am. We will carpool to Arrowhead Marsh in Oakland. A predicted 6.7 king tide at noon here should make conditions great for viewing rails. Soras might be seen swimming in channels and hopefully we will be able to see Ridgway’s Rails and if we are incredibly lucky – a black rail might show itself. It is also a good time to look for Nelson’s Sparrows. Of course, even if nothing unusual gets seen, it is always fun to explore a new place. Bring binoculars, field guide and/or app, lunch, water, snacks and of course layered clothing.

Hudeman Slough, south of the town of Sonoma, near Skaggs Island, is a rich birding area hosting many waterfowl after the fields are flooded. Join us for a survey of the area led by Malcolm Blanchard. A great many species of ducks along with owls, shrikes, and raptors are expected. We’ll meet at the parking area (38.2211039, -122.3953507) off Ramal Road at 8:00 AM. No bathrooms. Feel free to pack lunch. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce – garrettallenpierce@gmail.com or (415) 260-7406.

Meet at Porto Bodega -1500 Bay Flat Road) at 8:30 am. We will explore Bodega Harbor and vicinity. Bodega Bay never disappoints in bird diversity and abundance. We do a little sea watch on Bodega Head and scour the harbor for shorebirds and waterfowl and maybe even find a passerine or two! Bring binoculars, field guide and/or app, lunch, water, snacks and of course layered clothing.

Who here doesn’t want to improve on their Gull identification skills? To help us further our Gull understanding, Gene Hunn will lead us around Bodega Bay (Doran Spit, Gaffney Point, Salmon Creek) and Jenner in search of all the many different species that congregate around the bay in the height of winter. Meet at Doran Regional Park at the parking lot across from the Rich Stallcup Platform (38.314249, -123.044244) at 8:00AM. Bring lunch. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406 or garrettallenpierce@gmail.com

January's program will feature a report on the ongoing Project Owlnet study of the fall migration of the northern saw-whet owl to lower elevations and latitudes focusing on the Bay Area. As part of the study in the western region of the Bay Area a five-year banding station was actively run during peak saw-whet owl migration.

Julie Woodruff, a senior biologist and project manager at Sequoia Ecological Consulting, will give the preliminary results of the study and plans for additional data collection and regional collaboration that is needed to fully understand the species’ stopover use and scale of migration.

Santa Rosa Christmas Bird Count YAMS will have a new territory this year! It will include the Laguna Water Treatment Plant on Llano Road. This will be a more rural territory than our traditional West Santa Rosa territory. Also, all present and former YAMS are welcome to participate in the YAMS Santa Rosa CBC. We can make this the “YAMS reunion event”. Meeting place and start and end-on time TBA. As always, bring binoculars, water, snacks, lunch, plenty of layered clothing, and field guides. This is definitely an all-day event with optional CBC dinner in the evening.

Member Sharing Event!

Please consider sharing your photos, bird recordings, bird artwork, stories, sketches, etc. and/or any other bird-inspired offerings. Please e-mail Bob at bobhasenick@att.net <mailto:bobhasenick@att.net>  with your presentation ideas so he can arrange the program’s flow. This will again be a hybrid meeting so if you’re Zooming in, have camera & microphone at the ready. If you are bringing material to the room to share on the computer, please bring your content on USB stick or SD card.  (Handy formats are PDF, DOC, PPTX, JPG). Plan on average share time of 4 mins

Hamilton Wetlands is a newly restored salt marsh recovered from the old military airport in Novato. There is always a wide diversity of shorebirds and waterfowl. We will hike from the overlook located by hangar 7 on Hangar Avenue to Pacheco Pond and back. This is a flat, approximately 2 mile hike. We will meet at the Park and Ride at the corner of Hwy 1 and Lakeville Hwy at 8:00am and carpool to the overlook on Hangar Avenue. Bring binoculars, field guide or app, water, snacks, and lunch.

Ellis Creek is one of the best birding hotspots in central Sonoma County, where many rare birds have been documented over the years. We will be led by Peter Colasanti, who knows Ellis Creek and the Petaluma Wetlands like the back of his hand. Expect waterfowl, shore birds and much more (perhaps the Least Bitterns will still be around?) Meet in the parking lot off Cypress Drive, Petaluma (38.2268466, -122.5850014) at 8:00AM. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406 or garrettallenpierce@gmail.com

This will be a leisurely walk around the ponds at Ellis Creek ponds in Petaluma (3800 Cypress Drive). There should be a good variety of ducks and possibly even an American Bittern. Bring binoculars, field guide or app, water, snacks, and lunch. Note: Start time is 8:30am.

We’ll spend the morning with Craig Roth exploring the trails around Sonoma County’s largest regional park. Notable sightings may include Loggerhead Shrike, Prairie Falcon and many other Raptors. Meet at the Tolay Regional Park parking lot (38.2050058, -122.5210195) ($7 fee, or County pass). For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406.

If you are available for this arduous 10 mile round-trip hike to one of the great mountain peaks of the Coast Range, please join us for this memorable day. Known for being one of the few local spots to see both Townsend’s Solitaire and Canyon Wren, this hike is as special as it is grueling. Colin Muesel will lead. Convene at the parking lot across from the Mount Saint Helena Trailhead (38.652755, -122.599675) at 7:30AM sharp. Please pack lots of water, snacks, and lunch. No restrooms. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406 or garrettallenpierce@gmail.com

RSVPs for this event are closed. This private preserve is run the LandPaths organization, and we have the privilege to bird and explore parts of this 1,000+ acre protected land located in and around the Dutch Bill Creek watershed. 6773 Bohemian Hwy, Occidental, CA (38.444229, -122.978521). Please follow these precise coordinates (and do not depend on google maps, which may send you to the wrong address). Please be on time for this trip as the private entrance will be locked after all cars arrive. Carpooling is strongly encouraged, and space is limited. Bring lunch! For more information contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406 or garrettallenpierce@gmail.com

Our speaker will be Dr. Dan Levitis of Sonoma Ecology Center. We'll discuss how asexual reproduction works in primarily sexual lineages, why it likely fails most of the time, why it persists anyway, and what is known about the few documented instances of avian clonality, including a rare and iconic California bird.

Meet at Sebastopol Community Center at 6:45am. This is a very long day with lots of driving. We bird from pre-dawn to dusk and then have a pizza gathering at Mountain Mike’s Pizza in Petaluma where we total our species counts and reminisce about the day. It is a fundraiser for Point Blue Conservation Sciencehttps://www.pointblue.org/engage-with-us/events/ . As always, bring binoculars, water, snacks, lunch, plenty of layered clothing, and field guides.

Continuing our quest for seasonal vagrants, we will scour the environs of Bodega Bay (Owl Canyon, Campbell Cove, Hole-in-the-Head, Rail Ponds, North Shore, West Shore, Doran Spit). Josh Snead will expertly lead us around Bodega Bay. Meet at Porto Bodega (38.3333037 ,-123.0512802) at 8:00AM. Bring lunch. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. Fees or County Park Passes needed for Doran Beach entrance. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406 or garrettallenpierce@gmail.com

We charter the New Sea Angler with Captain Rick Powers out of Porto Bodega, leaving at 7 AM and returning ca. 5 PM. It’s a long day but allows us to survey the continental shelf waters between Cordell Banks and the Bodega Canyon, some 30 miles offshore. Fall migration brings together seabirds from all corners of the Pacific Ocean, including albatrosses, various shearwaters, fulmars, storm-petrels, all three jaegers and the skua, alcids such as Cassin’s and Rhinoceros Auklets and Tufted Puffins, Sabine’s Gulls, Common and Arctic Terns, phalaropes, and sometimes boobies or gadfly petrels, of the elusive genus Pterodroma. We also routinely encounter Humpback, Blue, and Fin whales and a variety of dolphins.

The cost is $180 per person; $100 for students. Contact Gene Hunn (enhunn323@comcast.net or 707-981-7301) to reserve a spot, then send him (at 1504 Smokey Mtn. Dr, Petaluma, 94954) a post-dated check payable to Redwood Region Ornithological Society.

Meet 8:30 AM at Porto Bodega, 1500 Bay Flat Rd, Bodega Bay, CA. Some scoping may be involved. As always, bring binoculars, water, snacks, lunch, plenty of layered clothing, and field guides.

Meet at Sugarloaf State Park, at the picnic tables just above the entrance kiosk (park on the left (opposite the picnic area). Come early for late afternoon birding and/or stay after dinner for a late evening bird walk out towards the observatory. Outdoor dining at the picnic tables starting around 5:30-6. BYO - everything. If desired, bring your own camp chair and/or blanket.

Directions: From Hwy 12 East, about 6 miles beyond Calistoga Road, take a left onto Adobe Rd. Follow Adobe Rd to its end in the park. Main parking lot is on the left, past the entrance kiosk.

What to Know: State Park entrance fee is $10 per car / $8 for senior or student. Covered with California State Parks pass.

Join us for the inauguration of the 2023-2024 birding season with a trip to Point Reyes in search of seasonal vagrants and more. Ruthie Rudesill will expertly lead our group around several of the best hotspots here in California. Meet at the White House Pool parking lot near the intersection of Sir Francis Drake and Bear Valley Road (38.0622416, -122.8168005) at 8:00AM. Bring lunch. Carpooling is strongly encouraged. For more information or to RSVP, contact Garrett Pierce (415) 260-7406 or garrettallenpierce@gmail.com

This is a long day with lots of driving. As always, bring binoculars, water, snacks, lunch, plenty of layered clothing, and field guides. Meet at Petaluma Park and Drive at corner of Hwy 101 and Hwy 116 at 7:45am. We will return to the park and Ride between 4:00 and 4pm.

We charter the New Sea Angler with Captain Rick Powers out of Porto Bodega, leaving at 7 AM and returning ca. 5 PM. It’s a long day but allows us to survey the continental shelf waters between Cordell Banks and the Bodega Canyon, some 30 miles offshore. Fall migration brings together seabirds from all corners of the Pacific Ocean, including albatrosses, various shearwaters, fulmars, storm-petrels, all three jaegers and the skua, alcids such as Cassin’s and Rhinoceros Auklets and Tufted Puffins, Sabine’s Gulls, Common and Arctic Terns, phalaropes, and sometimes boobies or gadfly petrels, of the elusive genus Pterodroma. We also routinely encounter Humpback, Blue, and Fin whales and a variety of dolphins.

The cost is $180 per person; $100 for students. Contact Gene Hunn (enhunn323@comcast.net or 707-981-7301) to reserve a spot, then send him (at 1504 Smokey Mtn. Dr, Petaluma, 94954) a post-dated check payable to Redwood Region Ornithological Society.