Point Reyes - October 10-11th, 1998. Saturday the 10th dawned bright and beautiful. We had heard both Great-horned and Barn Owls throughout the night, and six Altacalers set out with great anticipation of what the Point would yield. The good weather did not bode well for disoriented Warblers or Vireos. We arrived at the Lighthouse parking lot and found only one car. We had a bad feeling that we would miss what we had come for. We saw White-crowned, Golden-crowned, and Song Sparrows. Approaching the famous Warbler Cypresses we heard and saw little avian activity. We trekked on out towards the lighthouse, picking up an Anna's Hummingbird by the residences. Once out on the platform things began to improve. A Say's Phoebe flew across a rock face to a perch, a Peregrine Falcon perched below us on a rock outcropping. After we had a soul-satisfying look, it soared above us for awhile. Looking down the 150-foot cliffs we could see lots of aerial displays as well as birds bobbing in the ocean and others perched on the rocks. The perching birds were Double-crested, Brandt's, and Pelagic Cormorants. Bobbing in the ocean were Pigeon Guillemots, Surf Scoters and Common Murres. To our amazement, flying below us were hundreds of Sooty and Buller's Shearwaters (these pelagic species usually reside farther out to sea). Brown Pelicans and Western Gulls were also circling below us. On the way back to the car we added a Rock Wren to our list.

Driving to our next site we picked up Northern Harrier, Killdeer, American Pipit, Savannah Sparrow, and Brewer's, Red-winged and Tricolored Blackbirds. Our next stop was the Fish Docks, where we final started picking up some warblers. We first saw some Townsend's Warblers with some Mountain Chickadees and Red-breasted Nuthatches. Scrub Jays and Ruby-Crowned Kinglets were also flitting about. As we wandered down the hill to the Eucalyptus in the back, we were told there had been some Clay-colored Sparrows and a Varied Thrush. We found these in short order as well as Winter Wrens. The bay yielded Common Loon and Western Grebe.

Drake's Beach was our next stop this added Heermann's, Glaucous-winged, and Ring-billed Gull to our list as well as Pied-bill Grebe and Ruddy Duck. We next went to check out some mud flats that produced Willets, and Long-billed Curlews and Marbled Godwits.

We proceeded to Abbott's Lagoon for a four-mile hike and some great birding. We started out with lots of Yellow-rumped Warblers and Song Sparrows, then passed a small pond that had a Sora Rail working the edge of the pond. The rail gave us all super looks. The next pond added a lot of Ducks to our list. We saw Green-winged Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, American Wigeon and Redhead. Great Egrets and Great-blue Herons were lurking around the pond edges. We marched on towards the ocean and the Lagoon; reaching the Lagoon we had a Greater Yellowlegs working a shallow pond. Least Sandpipers scampered ahead of us as we walked along the edge of the Lagoon. Further on we came across Western Sandpipers and Dunlin. Out among a large flock of Brown Pelicans were some Black-bellied Plovers. Making our way back we were treated to a Black Turnstone and a Yellow -shafted Flicker.

We went back to camp so the crazy leader could jog for two hours; the rest of the entourage continued to bird. That afternoon they added Black-crowned Night Heron, Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, California Quail, Belted Kingfisher, Stellar's Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Swainson's and Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Wrentit, Cassin's Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco and House Finch.

The next morning we went to the Olema Marsh where we added Ringed-neck Duck, Virginia Rail and Common Snipe. We then went to Estero Beach. To get there you must go over a Mountain and some new habitat (and birds!). We stopped upon top and were treated to Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglets, Townsend's Solitaire, Red Crossbills, and Pine Siskins. Estero Beach itself yielded Red-necked Grebe, Eared Grebe and Pacific Loons. The group then proceeded North to Bodega Bay. There we added Short-billed Dowitcher, Ruddy Turnstone, Forester's Tern and Orange-crowned warbler. All in all we saw 124 species for the weekend.

Chico Oxidation Ponds, Llano Seco, Nelson Road and Oro Chico Highway - October 24,1998. Saturday Morning bleakly arose with driving rain and howling wind. Five hearty souls joined their leader for a half day of wet birding. The ponds provided us with Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Snipe, Least Sandpiper and Dunlin. As it was too wet to walk around the pond, we went out to Llano Seco Refuge on Seven Mile Lane. There we had fantastic looks at Sandhill Cranes, Long-billed Curlews, Long-billed Dowitcher, Green-winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Gadwall, American Wigeon and Canvasbacks. We stopped further out on Seven Mile Lane and saw Wood Ducks, Black-crowned Night Herons, Common Moorhens, Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Golden-crowned, White-crowned and Song Sparrows. Heading east on Nelson road we spied a Belted Kingfisher; further on we encountered Savannah Sparrows, Turkey Vultures and Red tailed Hawks. Cruising down the Road we saw in the checks Great Egrets, Snowy Egrets and Great-blue Herons. Brewer's and Red-winged Blackbirds flew along side the cars for miles. We ended the expedition along Oro-Chico Highway, where we saw Ravens, a Burrowing Owl, and a Loggerhead Shrike. We had about forty species for a blustery day.