Abbott’s Lagoon

September 26, 2026
Weather: early in our visit, it was mostly clear with scattered clouds, high of about 69°F. By the time we left the beach to head back to the parking lot (~1600), it had grown overcast, with a slight mist coming in from the ocean, with a slight drop in temperature.

Today, my General Ecology class took our first field trip of the semester to Abbott’s Lagoon. The lagoon, located within the Point Reyes National Seashore, is known as an excellent place for viewing birds, which is the primary reason I chose this location. 

It did not disappoint. We had an amazing day of birds and a lot of other plants and wildlife, as well. 

We started out from the parking lot at the trailhead at around 12:45 p.m. The 1.5 mile trail that led to the lagoon is characterized by coastal scrub (Baccharis and Lupinus dominated). Our first bird of the day was (unsurprisingly) a Turkey Vulture overhead. A Song Sparrow was seen in the scrub near the trail. We’d barely started down the trail, however, when there was some additional excitement: a Northern Harrier (juvenile or female) soared past, and then we spotted a very dark morph Red-tailed Hawk being harassed by a White-tailed Kite. 

Most of the trail to the lagoon had fairly similar vegetation: lots of Coyote Brush and Coastal Bush Lupine, with a good amount of California Blackberry. We also found Coastal California Poppy (very yellow), the local bracken subspecies (Hairy Brackenfern), and some Cobwebby Thistle that was unfortunately not still in bloom. Lots of Fennel and Common Yarrow, as well. 

One of the first birds that caught our attention while walking the trail was a Black Phoebe, flycatching near what is a small freshwater pond part of the year, but now seemed mostly dry (although still covered by what looked like Azolla).  Surrounded by what I think are Broad-leaved Cattails, we heard (and caught a couple of glimpses of) Marsh Wren. Near this location we also spotted Golden-crowned Sparrow (although none with a particularly bright yellow patch on the head), a couple of Say’s Phoebe, a lone California Scrub-jay, several White-crowned Sparrow, and a single Yellow-rumped Warbler. I spotted my first Great Egret of the day on the far side of the freshwater (inland) part of the lagoon. 

On the other side of the path from this pond, there was an interesting stand of blackberry – it had grown into a hedge (probably 8-ish feet tall), which is a growth pattern I usually associate with Himalayan Blackberry. But this all appeared to be California Blackberry, or perhaps some hybrid plants. I didn’t see anything, though, that appeared to be un-hybridized Himalayan. 

As we continued toward the beach, a boardwalk allowed us to pass over a marshier area with some different vegetation. In addition to cattails, there was more blackberry, Great Horsetail, a good amount of Hedge-nettle (mostly  Coastal, but also possibly some California). We also saw a few Pacific Aster plants, gorgeously in bloom with lavender-colored flowers. Here, and farther along the path as well, we encountered Common Cowparsnip, although none of these plants were as big I used to see in Sonoma County. At some point, we saw our first Double-crested Cormorant fly past us on its way toward the beach, and I got a nice look at a Cardinal Meadowhawk, but I was too close to this bright dragonfly to get a good photo. 

As we neared the bridge that separates the upland habitat from the beach, we saw a Great Egret close up, as well as our first Great Blue Heron, both of whom were foraging along the edges of the freshwater lagoon. 

At the bridge, we’d hoped to see some North American River Otter (as they are often seen here), but we didn’t spot any. There was another Great Blue Heron right next to the bridge, giving us some great views, and a Great Egret on a spit of land not far away. While we were at the bridge, a pair of small shorebirds flew down and landed – I managed to get a couple of not-great photos, but the bird disappeared before I could get a good look at them. My original impression was of Spotted Sandpipers, but the photos aren’t really clear enough to be sure. I think it’s also possible that they are Baird’s Sandpipers, which are commonly seen here at this time of the year. 

As we continued down to the more brackish part of the lagoon, we found ourselves in a sandy dune habitat, with what appears to be an active dune to the north. Here, Yellow Sand Verbena, Coastal Sagewort, and Oregon Gumplant are common, and we found a single Beach Strawberry plant. There is also a lot of vegetation on the slopes of the hills on the other side of the lagoon, but it was hard to ID them from this far away. I think a lot of it is Baccharis that’s growing in tight, rounded bushes, probably due to the effects of the wind. A small flock of Northern Raven passed overhead, as did a group of Canada Geese, as well as another Say’s Phoebe. We also spotted a couple of pretty Sandhill Skippers, and a couple of interesting wasps, including a Common Thread-waisted Wasp, and something that looked like a smaller version of the tarantula hawks I’ve seen in the Mojave Desert. 

This branch of the lagoon was teeming with birds: a huge flock of Brown Pelican and various gulls, plus some other birds that I wasn’t able to confidently identify (including possibly some Scoter). There was a good variety of gulls, including Western, Heermann’s, California, and at least a couple of Short-billed. I think it’s also possible that a couple of Glaucous-winged Gull were present, but I didn’t get any good enough photos to be sure. We also saw a few Ring-billed and American Herring Gulls. In this area, a flock of small dark birds passed overhead – I think they were Vaux’s Swifts, but I’m not super confident with that ID. 

As we continued toward the ocean (which wasn’t yet visible from where entered the beach area, but sat just past a sandy rise. Along the way, we realized that there was a patch of sand dotted with a few dozen small birds, mostly Snowy Plover. Oh, they’re so adorably cute, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen any (and this might be the first time I’ve seen them in Northern California). There were also a few Semipalmated Plover here, along with some peeps. Least Sandpiper, for sure, but maybe Pectoral and Baird’s, as well. 

We continued all the way to the ocean, where we sat and had lunch. Earlier, some folks reported seeing some breaching whales, and some of my students spotted some spouts on the horizon, but I didn’t see any whale activity myself. There was a gorgeous Northern Raven who was hanging around, probably to pick at a dead shorebird. A few birds flew past along the coast, including possible Caspian Tern and Parasitic Jaeger. 

After lunch, we walked a bit south along the beach toward a large group of birds, hoping to find some Godwits. All we found were Brown Pelicans and more gulls, though. 

By this time, it was about 4:00, and time to start heading back to the car. A few of us took our time walking back, though, which turned out to be very productive, as we made some new discoveries! 

As we walked along the lagoon, we saw the Snowy Plovers again, scattered across the beach. A couple of my students also spotted some North American River Otter swimming in the lagoon, but I wasn’t able to get my eyes on them. I did hear a Killdeer call, but didn’t see the bird. 

We then decided to get as close as we could to a large group of birds, and see if we could spot anyone we’d missed earlier. Here, there were Brown Pelicans and a bunch of California Gulls, along with a few other gull species. But we also found a Black-bellied Plover, a couple of Dunlin, a Common Merganser, and a small group of Short-billed Dowitchers hanging out with a lone Willet. While we were looking the birds, and trying to sort out who’s who, a flock of Sanderlings flew in and started to forage on one of the sandy spits. I also caught sight of a Red Phalarope in winter plumage, Semipalmated Plover, and perhaps a Western Sandpiper. A pair of Elegant Tern landed near the edge of the water, as well, giving us a nice view. 

Finally, we really needed to start the 1.5 mile hike back to the car before we lost the light. We passed by a patch of yellow-flowered Marsh Jaumea, and a Great Blue Heron on our way to the bridge, where I was hoping to find the River Otters cavorting. Unfortunately, they’d moved on (swam back out into the lagoon), but I was able to grab a photo of their tracks on the bank, so I can still count them that way, haha. The Great Blue Heron and Great Egret were still hanging around the bridge, along with a couple of Least Sandpipers, which cooperated nicely while I took a few decent photos. Looking toward the freshwater part of the lagoon, we saw a Great Egret, plus one more new friend: a juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron. Such striking colors up close. I especially loved the amber color of the bird’s eyes. 

As we walked up the trail along the lagoon, we saw three Pied-billed Grebes, and a small flock of Mallard (identified by call, as the birds were just silhouettes as they flew past). In the coastal scrub, there was even more bird activity than we’d seen earlier in the day, mostly White-crowned Sparrows flitting about in the bushes alongside the trail, but also a few Song Sparrow and another Black Phoebe. We saw two more Northern Harrier – another brownish juvenile/female bird, and a male bird who was hunting along the edge of the Lagoon. We scanned the hillside, as some other folks had reported seeing a Coyote. We didn’t spot the coyote, but did see several Columbian Black-tailed Deer (the first of several we saw along the trail, and also on the drive home, as they came out late in the day to forage). 

When we were just steps away from the parking lot, we had one more surprise: first, we heard a California Quail call, and then there they were – I think I saw two adults/older juveniles, and also three birds who seemed to me surprisingly young for this late in the season. I am always so happy to see quail. Another gorgeous Raven was hanging around in the parking lot, and then it was time for us to head back to “civilization.” There were a couple of additional species seen while driving that we can count for Point Reyes: an Acorn Woodpecker who flew past near the trailhead, and some Red-winged Blackbirds near the Olema Marsh. Plus a whole lot more Columbian Black-tailed Deer near the Bear Valley nature station.

I also saw a few things while on the road to and from Point Reyes, including (in the morning): American Crow, Red-shouldered Hawk, and California Scrub-jay; (in the evening): Western Bluebird, Wild Turkey, and a fantastic sighting of a smallish Coyote very near Skywalker Ranch. 

I couldn’t have asked for a better day out birding with my ecology students, and am already looking forward to returning to Abbott’s Lagoon in a few weeks with my Organismal Biology class. 

Species List

Birds: American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura), Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia), Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius), White-tailed Kite (Elanus leucurus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans), Golden-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia atricapilla), Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya), California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica), Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris), Great Egret (Ardea alba), Yellow-rumped Warbler (Setophaga coronata), Double-crested Cormorant (Nannopterum auritum), White-crowned Sparrow (Zonotrichia leucophrys), Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias), Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis), Common Raven (Corvus corax), Canada Goose (Branta canadensis), California Gull (Larus californicus), Western Gull (Larus occidentalis), Short-billed Gull (Larus brachyrhynchus), Heermann’s Gull (Larus heermanni), Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla), Snowy Plover (Anarhynchus nivosus), American Herring Gull (Larus smithsonianus), Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola), Dunlin (Calidris alpina), Short-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus griseus), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus), Willet (Tringa semipalmata), Sanderling (Calidris alba), Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius), Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans), Black-crowned Night Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax), Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps), Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos), Killdeer (h) (Charadrius vociferus), California Quail (Callipepla californica), Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus), Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus), Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

Plants: California Blackberry (Rubus ursinus), Hairy brackenfern (Pteridium aquilinum pubescens), Coyote Brush (Baccharis pilularis), California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica maritima), Cobwebby Thistle (Cirsium occidentale), Coastal Bush Lupine (Lupinus arboreus), Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), Common Yarrow (Achillea millefolium), Giant Vetch (Vicia gigantea), Coastal Hedge-Nettle (Stachys chamissonis), Pacific Aster (Symphyotrichum chilense), Great Horsetail (Equisetum telmateia), Common Cowparsnip (Heracleum maximum), Broad-leaved Cattail (Typha latifolia), Oregon Gumplant (Grindelia stricta), Coastal Sagewort (Artemisia pycnocephala), Yellow Sand Verbena (Abronia latifolia), Beach Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), Marsh Jaumea (Jaumea carnosa)

Other Wildlife: Feather Boa Kelp (Egregia menziesii), Cardinal Meadowhawk (Sympetrum illotum), Sandhill Skipper (Polites sabuleti), Common Thread-waisted Wasp (Ammophila procera), North American River Otter (Lontra canadensis), Columbian Black-tailed Deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus), Coyote (Canis latrans)

Probable Sightings (Uncertain ID): White-winged Scoter (Melanitta deglandi), Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens), Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularius), Baird’s Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii), Vaux’s Swift (Chaetura vauxi), California Hedge Nettle (Stachys bullata)