May Field Trips
Corona Heights
San Francisco
Friday, May 18, 8 – 10 a.m.
Brian Fitch; Dominik Mosur, polskatata@yahoo.com (Leaders vary by month.)
Meet in front of the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, at the end of Museum Way off Roosevelt. We will enjoy views of the city and bay as we circle Corona Heights, checking the east canyon woodland and north forest for residents and migrants, as well as monitoring the hilltop scrub and south cliff.
Aquatic Park and Waterfront
San Francisco
Saturday, May 19, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Carol Kiser, carol_kiser@nps.gov, 415.447.5000
On this walk for children and beginners, and all others, we will look for resident and migrating birds. Meet at the entrance to the Hyde Street Pier at Hyde and Jefferson on the western border of Fisherman’s Wharf. Nearby parking is at the foot of Van Ness Ave. (free for 4 hours), Ghirardelli Square, and the Anchorage.
Bike Trip: Hayward Shoreline
Alameda County
Saturday, May 19
Michelle Labbe, 413.687.1179, labbemichelle@gmail.com; Jeremy Andersen
Meet at 8 a.m. at the San Leandro BART station following 7:56 a.m. arrival of train from MacArthur. We’ll ride 2.5 miles to the trailhead via Williams St. (bike lanes). Or meet at 8:25 a.m. at end of Monarch Bay Dr. adjacent to trailhead. This trip lasts into the afternoon. We will go south on the SF Bay Trail from the San Leandro Marina to the Hayward Shoreline Regional Park and the Hayward Shoreline Interpretive Center, making about a 20-mile round-trip. Nesting avocets, stilts, and swallows may be seen. Some parts of the trails are paved; others are easily negotiable. Dress for variable weather. Bicycle helmet required. Bring lunch and liquids. Rain cancels. Reservations not necessary but an e-mail or phone call would be appreciated.
Transit: From BART, ride south about 1 block to Williams St. and turn right. Go about 3 miles to end and turn left, continuing onto Monarch Bay Dr. and going to end. Car: From I-880 in San Leandro, take the Marina Blvd. exit (west) and in 1.4 miles turn left onto Monarch Bay Dr. Go to the end to the last parking lot at San Leandro Marina Park.
Point Reyes National Seashore
Marin County
Saturday, May 19, 9 a.m.
Martha Wessitsh, 415.681.8059, 415.533.4470 (cell), martha@wessitsh.com
This is a great time of year for migrants at Point Reyes, particularly around the lighthouse and the Fish Docks. We will meet at Drakes Beach, bird around there for a while, and then caravan/carpool to other good areas nearby, including the alphabetized ranches, and the lighthouse and Fish Docks. Weather conditions, such as heavy wind, may change our destinations. Trip will end around 2 or 3 p.m. Bring a lunch and liquids and dress in layers. Restrooms available.
Mitchell Canyon
Contra Costa County
Sunday, May 20, 9 a.m. – noon
Steve and Carol Lombardi, hot-rock@sbcglobal.net, 925.785.0130 (cell)
This beautiful riparian area on the north flank of Mount Diablo should be very birdy this time of year, with many residents and migrants in attendance. We’ll walk out a couple of miles on the flat part of the road and return the same way. Hardier souls can continue up the steeper portion looking for California Thrasher and other scrub species. Meet in the parking lot at the end of Mitchell Canyon Rd. outside Clayton. For directions, search for “Mitchell Canyon Rd., Clayton,” on Google maps, or contact the leaders. Water and restrooms available.
Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park
Oakland, Alameda County
Wednesday, May 23, 9:30 a.m. – noon
Hilary Powers, 510.834.1066, hilary@powersedit.com; Ruth Tobey, 510.528.2093, ruthtobey@gmail.com
Meet at the large spherical cage near the Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. We will bird around there, then go up the garden path toward Children’s Fairyland or walk down the lake toward Embarcadero, after which we will cover what we missed. The winter visitors will mostly have moved on, but those that are left should be wearing their party clothes. Any little grebes will be especially fine! The cormorant rookery will still be in business, and some baby ducks and geese might be waddling about.
Take the 12, N, or NL bus to Grand and Perkins, and walk into the park on Perkins. Best parking is at the boathouse lot near the spherical cage. Entry, via Bellevue near Children’s Fairyland, is $2 if the kiosk is occupied when you arrive (which it probably will be). Buy a 2-hour ticket and try to park in the boathouse lot, where no one checks how long cars sit.
June Field Trips
Tilden Regional Park
Berkeley
Friday, June 1, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Alan Kaplan, 510.526.7609 (messages), LNKPLN@earthlink.net
Birdsongs—how they are learned (by birds and by birders)—will be our theme. More Swainson’s Thrushes than you can shake a stick at! Wilson’s Warbler capital of the world! Meet at the Tilden Nature Area parking lot near the Little Farm and EEC. Walk may include some hills (switchbacks, gentle rise) on the Packrat Trail or Loop Road. Restrooms and water available.
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Sunday, June 3, 8 – 10:30 a.m.
Ginny Marshall, ginnybirder@sbcglobal.net; Dominik Mosur, polskatata@yahoo.com; Alan Ridley, allanrid@pacbell.net; Helen McKenna, 415.566.3241 (Leaders vary by month.)
Meet at the front gate of the garden in Golden Gate Park, 9th Ave. at Lincoln Way. This monthly trip is oriented toward helping beginning birders develop their skills in spotting and identifying birds. The garden charges $7/person if you are not an SF resident or garden member. Bring identification for residency and membership status.
UC Botanical Garden
Berkeley
Wednesday, June 6, 9:15 a.m.
Phila Rogers, 510.848.9156, philajane6@yahoo.com
Join Phila Rogers and Chris Carmichael, associate director of the garden, for a Garden Sit. Breeding birds should still be singing, and the garden will be in full floristic glory. We will sit and listen in several different habitats for two hours. Highlights may be Hooded Orioles, Pacific Wrens, and California Thrashers. Admission fee is $10, $8 for seniors, free for garden members. Parking (for a fee) is available at the UC Berkeley lot directly across Centennial Dr. from the garden. The sit is limited to 20. Contact Phila to sign up. Participants are welcome to bring lunch to eat at one of the garden’s picnic tables. ($)
Wildcat Canyon Regional Park
Contra Costa County
Friday, June 8, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.
Alan Kaplan, 510.526.7609 (messages), LNKPLN@earthlink.net
Meet at the end of Rifle Range Rd. off Arlington Blvd. in Richmond/El Cerrito. We’ll walk into Wildcat Canyon Regional Park and down to the creek (moderate down and up, rocky in places). Warblers, sparrows, thrushes, and the other “usual suspects” and “summer complaints.” No restrooms or water available.
Corona Heights
San Francisco
Friday, June 15, 8 – 10 a.m.
Brian Fitch; Dominik Mosur, polskatata@yahoo.com (Leaders vary by month.)
Meet in front of the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way, at the end of Museum Way off Roosevelt. We will enjoy views of the city and bay as we circle Corona Heights, checking the east canyon woodland and north forest for residents and migrants, as well as monitoring the hilltop scrub and south cliff.
Aquatic Park and Waterfront
San Francisco
Saturday, June 16, 10 – 11:30 a.m.
Carol Kiser, carol_kiser@nps.gov, 415.447.5000
On this walk for children and beginners, and all others, we will look for resident and migrating birds. Meet at the entrance to the Hyde Street Pier at Hyde and Jefferson on the western border of Fisherman’s Wharf. Nearby parking is at the foot of Van Ness Ave. (free for 4 hours), Ghirardelli Square, and the Anchorage.
Lassen Volcanic National Park
Friday – Sunday, June 22 – 24
Dan and Joan Murphy, murphsf@comcast.net (e-mailed preferred), 415.564.0074
Join us on our annual GGAS family camping excursion to Lassen. In past years we have seen Black Swift, Bald Eagle, Osprey, Townsend’s Solitaire, Mountain Bluebird, Calliope Hummingbird, Black-backed Woodpecker, Williamson’s Sapsucker, and many of the flycatchers, warblers, and finches that breed in the mountains. Please contact us by e-mail or phone if you are planning to attend. We may have to limit attendance if the group is larger than in past years.
Birders arriving early, on Thursday night, June 21, can meet us at 7 p.m. to watch the goings-on at the abandoned beaver pond at Hat Lake (about 12 miles south of Manzanita Lake). Park in the lot to the left just beyond the hairpin turn at Hat Lake. Please don’t slam car doors or make excessive noise. We’ll leave early enough to watch the Common Nighthawks over Manzanita Lake.
On Friday and Sunday, we’ll meet at the Manzanita Lake Campground store at 6:30 a.m. and bird around the lake for 2–3 hours, return to camp for breakfast, then rendezvous again at the store at 10:30 a.m. On Friday, we’ll take a leisurely hike of 3–5 miles on one of Lassen’s beautiful trails, climbing as much as 700 feet. On Sunday, we’ll drive through the park (if the road is open), making frequent stops for birding. We usually head for home or camp after lunch at Summit Lake Campground. On Saturday, campers will meet by the store at 7:30 a.m. and caravan north to Burney Falls, Fall River Valley, and Baum Lake. Those staying elsewhere can meet us around 8 a.m. at the Vista Point about 12 miles north of Lassen on Hwys. 44 and 89. Since this is a long day, we suggest having dinner at a local restaurant or a picnic dinner.
Camping facilities at Manzanita Lake Campground are by reservation on loops A and C and on a first-come, first-served basis on loops B and D. Reserve at www.recreation.gov or 877.444.6777. Lodging is available about 15 miles north of the park at Hat Creek Resort, Old Station (530.335.7121). Wear sturdy shoes for hiking and bring lunch and liquids for each day of the trip. For other information, contact park headquarters, Mineral, CA 96063. Contact us prior to the trip to find out our campsite number. For carpool availability, go the the GGAS Yahoo carpool group: http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/GGACarPool.
Bike Trip: Quarry Lakes, Alameda Creek, and Coyote Hills
Fremont, Alameda County
Saturday, June 23
Michelle Labbe, 413.687.1179, labbemichelle@gmail.com; Jeremy Andersen
Meet at 8:20 a.m. on the east side of the Fremont BART Station in the parking lot. We’ll return to BART about 3 p.m. We’ll see birds from the time we step off the train, and we’ll ride through a variety of habitats: riparian, marsh, and bayside. Total distance is about 24 miles mostly on paved bike trails, with almost no uphill. Bicycle helmet required. Bring lunch and liquids for a picnic at Coyote Hills Visitors Center. Dress for variable weather. Rain cancels. Reservations not necessary but an e-mail or phone call would be appreciated.
Transit: The Fremont train passes through MacArthur at 7:35. Car: Take I-880 to Fremont, then the Mowry Ave. exit east toward Central Fremont and go 2.3 mi. on Mowry Ave. The BART parking lot is on the east side of the station past Civic Center Dr.
Lake Merritt and Lakeside Park
Oakland, Alameda County
Wednesdays, June 27, 9:30 a.m. – noon
Hilary Powers, 510.834.1066, hilary@powersedit.com; Ruth Tobey, 510.528.2093, ruthtobey@gmail.com
Meet at the large spherical cage near the Nature Center at Perkins and Bellevue. We will bird around there, then go up the garden path toward Children’s Fairyland or walk down the lake toward Embarcadero, after which we will cover what we missed. The winter visitors will mostly have moved on, but those that are left should be wearing their party clothes. Any little grebes will be especially fine! The cormorant rookery will still be in business, and some baby ducks and geese might be waddling about.
Take the 12, N, or NL bus to Grand and Perkins, and walk into the park on Perkins. Best parking is at the boathouse lot near the spherical cage. Entry, via Bellevue near Children’s Fairyland, is $2 if the kiosk is occupied when you arrive (which it probably will be). Buy a 2-hour ticket and try to park in the boathouse lot, where no one checks how long cars sit.
Mono Lake and the Eastern Sierra
Friday – Sunday, June 29 – July 1
Emilie Strauss; Rusty Scalf, rscalf@sonic.net, 510.666.9936
Enjoy the wonders of Mono Lake and the birds of the pines and sagebrush on our annual trip to the Mono Basin. On Friday and Saturday, we’ll visit the shores of Mono Lake and hike Lundy Canyon. On Sunday, we’ll extemporize based upon snow levels and local reports. Possibilities include subalpine hiking or birding the Great Basin habitats of the Sierran rain shadow. Participants on this trip must be strong hikers. The trip starts on Friday at 8 a.m. at Mono Lake County Park, about 4 miles north of Lee Vining on Hwy. 395. Trip is limited to 15. Contact Rusty to sign up.
And Further Out…
GET A JUMP ON FALL MIGRATION WITH SHEARWATER JOURNEYS!
HALF MOON BAY PELAGIC TRIPS
Dates: July 28 and 29; August 12 and 27 ; September 9 and 10
Join world-class Shearwater leaders on a pelagic trip to search for Cook’s Petrels. The July 31, 2010, Half Moon Bay pelagic trip enjoyed Cook’s Petrels in both San Mateo and San Francisco counties. This is the prime time of year to find Cook’s Petrel, a seabird that has been in recovery since rat eradication on its breeding grounds, Little Barrier Island.
Cost: $146 per person for GGAS members, nonrefundable. Parking is free.
MONTEREY BAY PELAGIC TRIPS
Dates: August 3, 10, and 17
Classic summertime trips for albatrosses and shearwaters, whales and dolphins. This is our 36th year of offering seabird trips from Monterey.
Cost: $104 per person for GGAS members, nonrefundable. Parking is $7.
FARALLON ISLANDS: TUFTED PUFFINS
Date: August 5
Journey to the largest seabird colony on the West Coast south of Alaska. We’ll see seabirds at their peak of breeding. The specialty of this trip is the colorful Tufted Puffin. Shearwater Journeys has a 100 percent success rate in finding these comical seabirds. Brown Booby was a highlight on the 2011 trip!
Cost: $139 per person for GGAS members, nonrefundable. Parking is free. Trip sells out early every year.
Send payment along with the full name, address, phone, cell phone, and e-mail of each person to Shearwater Journeys, PO Box 190, Hollister, CA 95024; debi@shearwaterjourneys.com. See www.shearwaterjourneys.com and http://shearwaterjourneys.blogspot.com for more information. Fuel surcharges, if needed, are not included.
Carpooling and Other Field Trip Resources
If you are going on a field trip, would you welcome company? Do you have room in your car to take other birders? To help find a ride or offer a ride, sign up with GGA’s carpool group at http://groups.yahoo.com/groups/GGACarPool. When you sign up, you answer a few simple questions, then receive a confirming e-mail. Once you are a member, you post messages under “Need Ride” or “Offer Ride,” along with the destination and date. The more birders who sign up, the more useful the group will be. Birders are encouraged to help the driver with expenses by contributing to the cost of fuel and bridge tolls.
