2026 Species Accounts: Birds

Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus

9/26: Point Reyes, CA. During a brief late afternoon visit, several of these birds were active near the Olema Marsh Trailhead.

Snowy Plover
Anarhynchus nivosus

9/26: Abbott’s Lagoon, Point Reyes National Seashore, CA. We saw several of these adorable, tiny birds going about their business on the sand between the lagoon and the larger sand dune when we first arrived at the beach. They weren’t particularly shy – quite a few people were watching and photographing them. I also saw Semipalmated Plover and Least Sandpipers in the area. A couple of hours later, on our return to the trailhead, they had moved closer to the lagoon.

Continue reading →

October 2, 2026 0

Indian Valley, Novato

October 1, 2026
1300 – 1530; Sunny and warm (~79° F), with a mostly clear sky.

I was going to frame this as the first off-campus field trip with my Organismal Biology class, but it’s not really off-campus, since we went to Indian Valley. We were originally supposed to go to Roy’s Redwoods, but I didn’t realize I needed to apply for a permit to bring more than 15 people, so we pivoted today to come to Indian Valley instead (which was also on our field trip list, later in the semester).

Continue reading →

October 1, 2026 0

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.

Continue reading →

September 27, 2026 1