Field Journal Entry 10
Date & Location
November 15, 2023
Shorebird Marsh Overlook | 37°56’00.7”N 122°30’55.9”W | 18 ft
Marta’s Marsh | 37°55’32.2”N 122°30’11.1”W | 10 ft
Site Description
Shorebird Marsh Overlook is a tidal marsh, located across the Golden Gate Bridge in Corte Madera, by Nordstorm. Despite it being by the highway, it is a nice spot for birdwatching, specificially for shorebirds. Since it is so close to civilization, the marsh is flat and low-lying and the habitat is a mix of mudflats, salt marsh and freshwater marsh. The marsh overlook is home to a variety of shorebirds, so some key species are Willets, Least Sandpipers, Great Egrets and a variety of ducks.
Marta’s Marsh is a tidal marsh, located in Corte Madera as well, and it was about a 5 minute drive from the previous site. This site was close to civilization just like the Shorebird Marsh Overlook. Similarly, the marsh is generally flat with some slight elevation above sea level as we kept walking deeper into the marsh. There are a variety of wetland habitats including tidal mudflats, salt marshes and grassland. This marsh attracts a wide range of bird species like Least Sandpipers, Snowy Egrets, Ridgway’s Rails and Song Sparrows.
Species Account
Long-billed Curlew | Numenius americanus
Long-billed Curlews are large, slender shorebirds that are native to North America. Their strikingly long downcurved bill is one of their most distinctive features and they use it to probe for food in the mud and sand. Besides their long bill, their legs are also long and slender while their tails are short. Their plumage is a cinnamon-light brown on their bodies and a more pale color on their underparts. These birds are found in various habitats like salt marshes, mudflats and grasslands and they primarily eat insects. They are migratory birds so they winter in coastal areas while they breed in the central and western parts of North America. Long-billed Curlews are long-lived, monogamous birds that mate for life and both parents take part in caring for their chicks.
Narrative
At 8:20 am, we left Koret for our first site, the Shorebird Marsh Overlook. It wasn’t a far drive so we arrived at around 8:45 am. It was really cold and gloomy but we got to see a good number of birds! At the first site, we saw a lot of different ducks, Least Sandpipers, American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts and two new species, the Long-billed Curlew and Hooded Merganser. We spent about an hour at this site before heading over to our second site, Marta’s Marsh, which was about a 5 minute drive. When we arrived, we saw some birds at this small stream before walking into the actual marsh itself. As we were walking, it started to drizzle a little but that didn’t stop us. We saw some more ducks like Buffleheads and Hooded Mergansers. As we kept walking, we saw a few Ridgway’s Rails and got good looks at a couple of Western Meadowlarks. When we were walking back, there was some crazy bird action like a Sharp-shinned Hawk flying in very close to us when it was trying to catch a Western Meadowlark. Then, we saw a Peregrine Falcon chasing a group of European Starlings! We left at around 11:45 am and Dr. Paul took the class to go get In-n-Out before heading back to campus! :’)
Sources
¹ Corte Madera Marsh Ecological Reserve. CDFW. https://wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Corte- Madera-Marsh-ER
² Long-billed curlew – ebird. https://ebird.org/species/lobcur
³ Long-billed curlew identification, all about birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology. https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Curlew/id#
