Locations: 309 Smith Ranch Rd, San Rafael US-CA (38.0257,-122.5176) (5 m)

Site Description: We visited the Sanitary District area in San Rafael and made one main stop. We walked along the trails surrounding the site. It was mainly a marshland with a couple of pond-like bodies of water (see photo). The trails ran alongside the water and looped around back to the parking area where we began walking. There were smaller islands within the larger pond areas that had many of birds within the shrubbery there. One of the main birds we saw on these islands were the Black-crowned Night-Herons. These birds were perched up sitting in the branches. There were many unique species of birds that we had not seen before. There were several other people seen recreationally walking along the trail — some with other people and some just walking their dog. It was a very quiet and overall flat area. There were some trees along the trails, but they were not very tall. Along the shoreline, there was mainly bushes and shrubs along with some short trees. We saw Marsh Wren coming in and out of these bushes that were along the shore. These shrubs and trees were mainly at our eye-line. There was also a palm tree along one of the trails. There were not many steeps inclines along these trails. There were not many different elevations and but we were able to see a large variety of species on this trip due to diversity of waterbirds. Birds were seen at all levels— from the ground to the sky. We also learned some new bird sounds with Professor Paul’s help. Many birds sounds were heard and properly identification of the call helped us identify the bird — mainly for the Marsh Wren because it was hard to see this bird as it was so fast. There were around 40 taxa observed and the key bird species seen included: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, Blue-winged Teal, Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Mallard, Green-winged Teal (American), Bufflehead, Common Merganser, Pied-billed Grebe, Mourning Dove, Common Gallinule, American Coot, Killdeer, Short-billed Dowitcher, Wilson’s Snipe, Greater Yellowlegs, Forster’s Tern, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Downy Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, swallow sp., Marsh Wren, European Starling, House Finch, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, and Brewer’s Blackbird.

Species Account: Marsh Wren were a key new species seen on this field trip. These birds were seen in the small trees/bushes that were along the shore. The Marsh Wren were very quick and hard to spot — as they would flit from branch to branch very fast and disappear into the bushes. The birds were hard to get a visual on because they were so fast. But overall, they looked brown and had a distinctive call that was pointed out by Professor Paul. According to the Sibley Guide, these birds are a rufous-brown color on their wings and tail and prominent white coloration on their eyebrow area. They are known to be found in tall reeds of wet marshes, which is exactly where we saw them along the shore in a heavily wooded (that looked almost like tall hay coming out of the ground). They made a distinctive call that sounded somewhat like a repetitive rolling squeak/rattle like noise. It also fluctuated in pitch —  almost like an up and down from high pitch to low pitch very rapidly. Marsh Wren belong to the order Passeriformes and the family Troglodytidae (Wikipedia). Marsh Wren are described as overall small and round-bodied birds (All About Birds). Marsh Wren quickly flap their wings and make short flights within the marsh– flitting from branch to branch– and they grab onto the stalk of the branch (All About Birds). Songs are known to differ among Marsh Wren found in the East and those found in the West — with the Western birds having more songs and tend to be more complex (Audubon). Their diet mainly includes insects (Audubon). Females tend to lay 4-5 eggs in each brood (two each year) and the young leave the nest about 12-16 days after hatching (Audubon).  

Narrative: The class drove to San Rafael for this field trip. We left around 8 am on Thursday morning. It was a nice day overall with some overcast. The sun was not out much, but there were some times when the clouds would clear up and the sun would be out. It was not too cold and but there was a slight breeze. There was no fog coverage so it was a clear day to go birding and see birds nearby. We could also see the soaring birds well — like hawks and Turkey Vultures. We walked the area along the sanitary district near the water. There were lots of birds as soon as we arrived— mainly shorebirds and birds from Charadriiformes. We started at the parking area and wrapped around the first pond. We saw lots of blackbirds in the trees/along powerlines as soon as we arrived (see photo) We then continues and walked into the first and second pond areas and then continues to walk along the side of the second pond. We then turned around and made a full loop before returning to the parking lot. Small birds like sparrows and wrens were seen in the lower shrubs. Other birds like hawks, vultures, and crows could be seen higher in the sky or in taller trees. Apart from birds, we saw some river otters in the water. There were a few swimming around — we could only see them bobbing up and down in the water. We got to see a couple new and unique species to see that we had not seen before. For example, we got to see Marsh Wrens for the first time and hear their unique call. We observed how fast they flew in and out of the bushes. It was hard to see them because they were so fast. There were many birds in the air and we got the chance to see a couple new kinds of birds on this trip including: White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier and a couple new sparrow species. The flat marshland also allowed for us to get visuals on hawks that were flying in the air. We were able to see a couple White-tailed Kites in the air. We saw one circling and looking for its prey. We had the opportunity to see a couple of swans in the water as well. Ducks and geese were the most numerous birds seen on the trip. I enjoyed this field trip because we had the chance to see many new species and more of the species we have already seen. It was also very eye-opening because it shows how difficult it is to identify birds in the duck family because they look very similar. 

Additional Photos or Media: https://ebird.org/checklist/S65463714