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We are pleased to partner
with Acteva.com to offer convenient, secure
online registrations for classes. If you would
like to take advantage of online registration,
you will see a "Register Now"
button (like the one below) at the end
of each seminar description. Just click
on it to register. A minimal processing
fee will be charged.
You can also call us to register for classes at 415.663.1200 ext. 373 or download and print a registration form that you can mail or fax to us.
David Wimpfheimer
Saturday, August 25 • 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM • $60 ($55 Members)
Come spend the day looking for and observing migrant shorebirds that have traversed thousands of miles from their Arctic breeding areas. Some may stay within the rich habitats well into the winter. Others will pause only briefly before traveling south. Join David for a hike on Limantour Spit or around Abbott’s Lagoon, depending on where the birds are. Both are wonderful places to learn the difference between a plover and a phalarope or how to tell sanderlings from other sandpipers. We will focus on identification and behaviors of shorebirds and other avian residents.
Expect to hike on trails over sandy areas throughout the day.
Josiah Clark
Saturday, September 8 • 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM • $60 ($55 Members)
Bird migration is like a tide that washes over us twice per year, bringing both abundance and diversity. Unlike the ephemeral movements of spring when the birds are racing to be the first to set up territories in newly-leafed and thawed habitats, in fall, with the breeding season behind them, birds are content to move south more slowly. We will visit several habitats and study numerous bird guilds, discussing when, why and where each group may be coming from and going to. Josiah will also teach us about general weather patterns and how they affect bird migration in our area. We will also study plumages of immature sparrows and other breeding songbirds and listen for the late summer and fall begging calls that can confuse even experienced birders. We will be looking to find and acquaint ourselves with the first passing fall migrants as they come into basic plumage.
David Wimpfheimer
October 6 & 7 • 9:00 AM Saturday – 4:00 PM Sunday • $150 ($140 Members)
This migration immersion class will take place on the Point Reyes headlands giving participants a unique opportunity to study and appreciate this special area and its avian inhabitants. On Saturday, a series of short walks may take us to the Lighthouse, Chimney Rock, and Drakes Beach. Depending on weather patterns, many migrant warblers, sparrows, and other passerines concentrate in the surrounding cypress groves and willow thickets. Ranch ponds and marsh habitat hold shorebirds while scoter, loons, and other water birds rest on Drakes Bay… there is almost always a surprise.
We will spend the night in this dramatic setting and watch a digital presentation on the birds of Point Reyes. Sunday morning may find us visiting some of the same locations. We may also take a walk at Abbotts Lagoon. The variety of sandpipers, ducks, terns, and other water birds can be dramatic. Many raptors take advantage of this rich area to feed.
Rustic accommodations at the charming and historic Lifeboat Station are included for all participants.
Expect to take several hikes throughout the weekend.
Trinka Marris
Saturday, October 20 • 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM • $50 ($40 Members)
Owls are creatures of rare beauty and unique biological interest. They play an enormously important role in keeping the balance in nature. Come spend an evening with these creatures with large eyes and silent flight and learn why they are so magical. In this class we will learn about the local owls of the Bay Area, their habitats and their hoots. After learning a brief natural history of each owl, we will get up close and personal with an Olema Barn Owl couple and their fledglings through footage of an owlcam set up in their nest box. We will meet live owls brought into the classroom and study their unique and amazing physical attributes. We will then go out into the field at night and explore some of their preferred habitats. Come learn why the true facts of owls are even more fascinating than their myths!
Also open to youth (age 15-17) with parent attendance.
Peter Bergen
Saturday, October 20 • 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM • $50 ($40 Members)
There is a constant conversation going on in the wilds of Point Reyes. Those who have the skills and understanding to join the conversation can interpret the behavior and natural language of birds. Come learn about this lost art, and expand your knowledge of what’s happening in the natural world. The class will explore the basic core routines of bird language, the “shapes of alarm”, the sound & motion-based alarm signature that each animal generates as it moves across the landscape. Come walk the trails with esteemed naturalist Peter Bergen, and learn how to diminish your ring of disturbance and expand your ring of awareness while in the field, so you will be able to see more wildlife on your own journeys. We will also touch on ‘backyard bird’ language practices and routines so you can join in on the conversation at home.
Also open to youth (age 15-17) with parent attendance.
Lisa Hug
Saturday, December 1 • 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM • $50 ($40 Members)
“What do you call a sea gull flying over the bay? A bay gull!”
Come join gull expert Lisa Hug for a day of fun, excitement and of identifying gulls! There are some simple strategies that can take some of the intimidation and frustration out of the difficult process of gull identification. Learn with Lisa as you discover the many different types of gulls that reside right here in Point Reyes National Seashore. After this class expect to become more courageous about practicing your gull identification skills!
Also open to youth (age 15-17) with parent attendance.
David Wimpfheimer
Sunday, December 2 • 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM • $50 ($40 Members)
Winter is actually the time of greatest abundance for many birds at Point Reyes. Coastal estuaries such as Limantour Estero are rich feeding areas for thousands of ducks, shorebirds, grebes and other waterbirds. Over ten species of hawks, falcons and other raptors, as well as warblers, thrushes, kinglets, flycatchers and other landbirds can be found here in huge numbers. This class will cover the basics of field identification in a fun, relaxed atmosphere while offering insights into the use of binoculars, scopes and field guides. Come discover why birding is one of the most popular pastimes in the country, and why Point Reyes is one of the best locations to enjoy it.
Also open to youth (age 15-17) with parent attendance.
David Wimpfheimer
Sunday, December 16 • 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM • $25 ($20 Members)
For over forty years the Point Reyes Christmas Bird Count (CBC) has been an annual tradition monitoring the winter populations of over two hundred species of birds that winter here. The National Seashore and adjoining areas rank in the top ten of over two thousand counts nationwide in terms of species diversity. This remarkable accomplishment is mostly the result of the wide variety of habitats here. The day after the 2012 count we will enjoy some of this amazing avian diversity and also look for any rarities found on the count. This will be a moderately fast paced day aiming to see a lot of birds, but allowing time to learn bird identification by sight and sound. David compiled the CBC for twenty years and will share information on population trends of the birds of Point Reyes. Learn which birds are more common here than in the past and conversely which are less common.
John Klobas & Sarah Brooks
Saturday, January 19 • 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM • $80 ($70 Members)
Join us for a spectacular day of winter birding in the Sacramento Valley, an easy day’s drive from the Bay Area. Yolo County, with its varied landforms from Coast Range mountains to the flood plain of the Sacramento River, affords us the opportunity to view wildlife in riparian creek sides, lowland ponds, and marsh systems in this car-based adventure during the height of winter bird populations.
We’ll begin the day in Winters, explore bird-rich Lake Solano Park and Putah Creek where our target birds are Barrow’s goldeneye, hooded merganser, wood duck, and phainopepla. After lunch, we’ll head into the valley for raptor hotspots and waterfowl concentrations in the Davis and West Sacramento areas. We’ll finish the day at Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area east of Davis, weather permitting. Winter birding means that we’ll take advantage of areas free of flooding, so our route may change throughout the day. Please carpool, if possible.
ALSO SEE
Pelagic Birds & Marine Mammals of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Wildlife Watching by Boat at Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
We offer gift certificates for specific classes or the dollar amount of your choice. Email or call 415.663.1200 ext. 373 and we can create a certificate for you to give as a gift.
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This page last modified July 23, 2012.
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