Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

TenTh A nnuAl

MonTerey BAy Birding FesTivAl sepTeMBer 25–sepTeMBer 28, 2014

Experience Birding at Its Best!

Multiple opportunities to see 250+ species of birds!

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The Festival

Fantastic half-day and full-day field trips Practical, hands-on workshops Enlightening presentations And more …

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Keynote Speaker: Kenn Kaufman on Saturday, Sept. 27, 7:00 p.m.

Festival Headquarters Watsonville Civic Plaza, 275 Main Street, Watsonville

Registration: It’s Fast and Easy Go to www.montereybirding.org

Photos by: Efren Adalem Donald Dvorak Kimberly Kaufman Mickey Rebecchi Larry Selman

Contact us: Telephone (toll-free): 1.888.909.7829 Email: montereybaybirding@gmail.com

to the 10th Annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival

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elcome to the home of one of the most spectacular birding and wildlife venues in North America—the tenth annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival.

Premiere Birding

From soaring golden eagles, effortlessly gliding California condors, cheeky bushtits, gorgeous Townsend’s warblers, scampering snowy plovers, to thousands of sooty shearwaters streaming along the ocean’s surface, few places can match the diversity of species as the Monterey Bay region.

September marks the peak of fall migration, with wintering shorebirds arriving en masse. Warblers and other passerines are doing the same, and we even start seeing the first appearances of wintering ducks and other waterfowl. Meanwhile, just a few miles offshore, jaegers, shearwaters, and alcid are present in good numbers. There’s no better time to visit the Monterey Bay area to see the greatest number of species or to find a rarity.

Kenn Kaufman

This year’s lineup of nightly speakers, headed by author, artist, naturalist and conservationist Kenn Kaufman, simply soars.

Kaufman is recognized as one of the world’s most renowned bird experts. He is the author of a popular series of field guides and a highly sought-after public speaker. He

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Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

will explore what the world looks like from a bird’s point of view in his keynote presentation on Saturday, September 27.

Kenn and his wife, Kimberly, will co-lead several festival field trips! Take advantage of these incredible opportunities!

Fantastic Field Trips

Whether you’re a beginning birder, a serious birder doing a Big Year, or just love the outdoors, the festival’s half-day and fullday field trips offer unique opportunities to see many of the 250+ species in the area.

You’ll also get to explore extraordinary habitats, such as: • Elkhorn Slough National Marine Estuary • Pinnacles National Park • Andrew Molera State Park and Big Sur Join a boat trip to experience the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of the most productive regions for albatrosses, shearwaters, storm-petrels, and more.

Or, take a scenic ride in Elkhorn Slough by kayak, pontoon, or silent electric boat.

Practical Workshops

Make time for at least one exceptional workshop! This year’s workshops are designed to help you improve your birding skills in the field. For example, you’ll have opportunities to increase your ability to sort out shorebirds and seabirds, learn how to identify raptors quickly in the field, test the

waters of bird photography or take your field workflow to next level, and hone your observational skills through field-sketching.

Join Us!

We hope you will join us for the tenth annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival. Registration for each birding event is a la carte, so you can mix and match outings according to your interests. You can register for the entire four days or just one day. Or sign up for a workshop or evening presentation.

Registration is simple and easy. Just go to www.montereybaybirding.org

Festival Highlights • Kenn Kaufman, keynote speaker • 250+ species of birds, including 8 species of owls • World-class birding habitats • Fantastic fieldtrips, including pelagic trips • Exceptional fieldtrip leaders • Practical, hands-on workshops • Enlightening and engaging evening presentations • Birder’s Market • Family fun with Family Days!

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Receptions & Birders Marketplace Bird Lists Featured Presentations Featured Workshops Schedule of Events

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Field Trips Water Adventures Field Trip Leaders Birding Ethics

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!

11th Annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival

Sept. 24-27, 2015 Watsonville Civic Plaza

Cover Photos: Efren Adalem, Donald Dvorak, Kimberly Kaufman, Mickey Rebecchi, Larry Selman Additional photos appearing throughout this guide taken at previous Monterey Bay Birding Festivals by Tarmo Hannula.

Art & Design: Mike Lyon Published By The Register-Pajaronian

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

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Photos by Tarmo Hannula

A juvenile red-tailed hawk soars over Harkins Slough.

Monterey Bay Birding Festival Opening Reception: Taste of Pajaro Valley

Thursday, September 25, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Join us for the opening reception of the tenth annual Monterey Bay Birding Festival!

Nosh on irresistible appetizers and beverages from many of Watsonville’s best—and most generous—restaurants, growers, and producers while nattering and socializing with fellow birders.

Browse the Birders’ Marketplace where you’ll have opportunities to: • discover world-class domestic and international birding adventures

A great blue heron launches from the shoreline at Pinto Lake City Park

• try out the ultimate in birding optics that fit your budget • find that perfect gift for your favorite birder—or yourself Peruse the tantalizing raffle prizes on display. Wager your complimentary raffle ticket on the prize of your choice. But be sure to up the odds-you’ll get that musthave item by purchasing additional tickets!

Have a question? Our warm and welcoming volunteers at the Hospitality Booth will

BIRDERS’ MARKETPLACE

Birders’ Marketplace hours are: Thursday, Sept. 25, 2 p.m. to 7p.m.

(Closed to the public: 5:00 p.m. to 7 p.m. for Opening Reception)

Friday, Sept. 26, 2p.m. to 7p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 27, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m 4

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

be there to provide you with information on local resources and events.

Revel in this fun and relaxing atmosphere before attending the festival’s kickoff evening presentation, which starts at 7pm in the adjoining auditorium. Ornithologist Brian Sullivan will discuss how the birding community’s global passion for birds has taken eBird, a novel approach to crowd-sourcing, and turned it into a vast data resource for science and conservation.

The public is invited to visit the Birders’ Marketplace located in the community room (top floor) at the Watsonville Civic Plaza, 215 Main Street. An array of artists, craft people, birding tour businesses, book publishers and optics vendors will be represented in addition to local wildlife and nature non-profit organizations.

For local birders, the Marketplace presents an unusual opportunity to inspect and try the latest in optical equipment, from binoculars to scopes. For the new birdwatcher, there is ample opportunity to chat with local birders and pick up information about the Santa Cruz Bird Club, new trails and areas for birding, field guides and optics. On display will be everything from bird houses to binoculars, notecards, jewelry, books, mittens, potholders and more. You are sure to find something you need or the perfect gift for someone special.

Daily field trips and workshops are arranged so there will be ample time, for registered festival attendees, to shop the Marketplace. Thursday night’s Opening Reception will be held in the Marketplace from 5 to 7pm. Plan on it!

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PRICE MATCH ON MOST ITEMS

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Your Camping, Survival, PaintBall & Airsoft Headquarters

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Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

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Aldina with Aldina Real Estate, Inc. is proud to present: 3070 Pleasant Valley Rd. located in Aptos.

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abulous upper Pleasant Valley gated Tudor residence located on approx. 2+ acres. Luxurious front door leads you to the presidential library and master bedroom suite with his and hers walk-in closets and alcove Jacuzzi tub surrounded by windows. The reverse floor plan is designed to accommodate the beautiful views and social entertaining. Through the kitchen and breakfast room windows you can have the view of deer playing in the backyard. Panoramic views of the valley and distant ocean view. Enjoy a peaceful drive up to the property viewing vineyards and the nature side. Offered At: $1,275,000 Please contact Aldina at (831)840-1360 to schedule a private viewing.

You can also view this home online at www.aldinarealestate.com

ALDINA MACIEL

BROKER/GRI, CRS, SRES, ABR www.aldinarealestate.com Email: aldinam@aol.com 713 East Lake Ave. Watsonville, CA 95076 (831) 722-7131 ext. #202 Direct: (831) 840-1360

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CALL THE MOST DIVERSE D L E I F EXPERT IN THE Consultation By Appointment Hablo Español - Falo Portugués

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Each office is independently owned and operated Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

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American white pelicans take flight from the waters of Struve Slough. For information about field trips and lectures visit www.montereybaybriding.org.

2014 BIRD LISTS and OTHER SOURCES To find the latest information about birds in the Santa Cruz area, with daily reports from local birders, you may wish to sign on to the Monterey Bay Birders’ listserver at www.santacruzbirdclub. org/listserv.html September marks the peak of fall migration, with wintering shorebirds arriving en masse. War-

Watsonville Wetlands encompass a variety of habitats (and the birds associated with those habitats), including:

blers and other passerines are doing the same, and we even start seeing the first appearances of wintering ducks and other waterfowl. Meanwhile, at sea, jaegers, shearwaters and alcids are all present in great numbers. There is no better time to visit the Monterey Bay area to see the greatest number of species or find a rarity.

Among the hundreds of bird species visiting these varied environs are these regular visitors and/or local breeders.

Extensive local bird lists can be found at: www.santacruzbirdclub.org/chlists.html www.santacruzbirdclub.org/arrival.html www.elkhornslough.org/birds1.htm www.shearwaterjourneys.com www.www.montereybay.com/creagrus/

The Wetlands of Watsonville and Elkhorn Slough are a mecca for shorebirds, with over 25 species regularly being seen through the fall and winter.

Shorebirds present include:

Riparian corridors Fresh-water and brackish marshes Seasonal and permanent lakes Grasslands Oak scrub Coastal beaches Open ocean

Golden Eagle White-tailed Kite Peregrine Falcon Wilson’s Snipe Virginia Rail Sora Cinnamon Teal Northern Shoveler Snowy Plover California Thrasher Wrentit

Black-bellied Plover Snowy Plover Black-necked Stilt American Avocet, Whimbrel Long-billed Curlew Marbled Godwit Western and Least Sandpiper Short- and Long-billed Dowitcher Wilson’s Snipe Red Knot Greater Yellowlegs Ruddy Turnstone Black Turnstone Surfbird

The entire Monterey Bay region has the added attraction of being one of the premier locations for finding vagrants and wanderers from all of North America

and even Asia. This combination of a huge variety of regularly occurring birds and the potential for rarities truly makes the Pajaro Valley a destination that pro-

vides something for birders of all levels of skill and experience.

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The public is welcome to attend evening presentations.

Tickets are $10.00 and may be purchased at the door.

Keynote Speaker: Kenn Kaufman

When the Bird Looks Back

Kenn Kaufman

Saturday, September 27, 7 pm

Author, artist, naturalist, and conservationist Kenn Kaufman’s keynote presentation explores what the world looks like from a bird’s point of view.

When he was a little kid, Kenn was obsessed with questions such as: How does it feel to be a bird? What does the world look like from a bird’s point of view? As he grew older, he put those questions aside as being too “unscientific.” Now, years later, he has circled back to those questions,

armed with enough scientific knowledge to make a few guesses. Can we imagine what life is like for a bird? And even if we can’t be sure, is there value in trying to see the world from that viewpoint? This is a new program, based on a chapter from Kenn’s forthcoming book about bird migration.

Kenn and his wife, Kimberly, will co-lead several festival field trips! Don’t miss these incredible opportunities!

eBird–Innovating Citizen-Science, Big Data Research, and Bird Conservation Thursday, September 25, 7 pm: (Kickoff Presentation) In our fast-paced world, birds serve as an unrivaled window for studying and assessing environmental change: literal canaries in coal mines. eBird is a network of human observers spread across the planet collecting millions of data points each month, combined with the power of remote sensors that collect realtime environmental data, spun together through innovative computer science and

modeling efforts that ultimately achieve real-world conservation outcomes for birds. Today, eBird is arguably the fastestgrowing biodiversity network in existence.

Brian Sullivan of Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab will show you how we’ve

taken a novel approach to crowdsourcing, and turned the birding community’s global passion for birds into a vast data resource for science and conservation.

Brian Sullivan

The Ten Most Misidentified Birds in Monterey– Time, Change, and eBird Friday, September 26, 7 pm:

Don Roberson 8

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

For 35 years, Don Roberson has been the “keeper of the Monterey County list” while serving as the county editor for “North American Birds,” and now for eBird. He’s seen birding evolve over that period of history, and has observed changes in what observers get

right—and what they get wrong.

This talk centers on the concept of “The Ten Most Misidentified Birds” in Monterey County, and how that list has changed over time. He’ll provide tips to help you avoid these common mistakes.

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SANTA CRUZ COUNTY VISITORS COUNCIL BIRDING AND WILDLIFE VIEWING KIT There are approximately 400 migratory and permanent bird species found throughout Santa Cruz County.

Now, avid birdwatchers can locate winged creatures in their natural habitat a little easier, thanks to the Santa Cruz County Visitors Council’s Birding and Wildlife Watching Kit. The kit features a 48-page guide, designed for use by both visitors to the area and residents of communities adjacent to the many birding destinations throughout the county. The kit, three years in the making, was made possible by funding from the City of Watsonville, City of Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz County, Mountain Parks Foundation, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, and various business sponsors.

The guide includes information on a variety of habitats, from sandy beaches to lagoons, wetlands and river mouths, as well as descriptions and photographs of the some of

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the area’s most commonly seen birds, wildlife and the best times of the year to view them.

It also provides maps of birding and wildlife hotspots, points of interest, and itineraries.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 31 percent of Americans engage in wildlife watching as a hobby or recreational activity, an increase of 13 percent from a decade ago.

“This area is an avian Eden for birders”, said Maggie Ivy, CEO of the Visitors Council.

“Now, visitors interested in finding out about avian ‘hot spots’ have a guide to use in this living museum.”

The Santa Cruz County Conference and Visitors Council is distributing the free kit at its main visitor center at 303 Water Street in Santa Cruz and via mail by request at www. birding.travel. For more information about the Birding and Wildlife watching Kit, call 1-800-833-3494.

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Birding Optics Demystified Thursday, Sept. 25, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

Thinking about buying your first pair of “real” binoculars or upgrading the ones you have? Considering taking the leap to buy a spotting scope? Learn all about binoculars and scopes, and how particular products perform in different birding situations. What’s more, try out a range of products to find out what feels right in your hands and to see the differences for yourself!

Marilyn Rose, who has been in the optics business for 25 years and owns Out of This World and DiscountBinoculars.com in Mendocino, will demystify birding optics and answer your questions.

Pelagic Birds Identification Thursday, Sept. 25, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m.

This workshop will provide an overview of seabirds off the California coast. It will introduce you to birding at sea and the overall approach to seabird spotting and identification. The focus of this workshop will primarily be on pelagic (offshore) birds, covering species typically encountered offshore in Monterey Bay. You will also learn how to identify more problematic species, such as jaegers, offshore terns, and storm-petrels. In addition, you’ll learn about some of the vagrant seabirds that occur off California.

Scott Terrill, MS, PHD, has conducted numerous seabird identification workshops for the Western Field Ornithologists and the San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory. He and his wife, Linda, have been leading pelagic birding trips off central and northern California for Shearwater Journeys for more than two decades, logging hundreds of boat trips in California waters.

Scott also is senior ornithologist for H. T. Harvey & Associates,

an ecological consulting firm. In addition to contributing to a number of articles on bird identification, Scott was the major contributing author to the three-volume Master Guide to the Birds of North America. He also served for ten years as a regional editor on seabirds for North American Birds, and has been serving on the nine-member California Bird Records Committee for more than 15 years.

Bird Photography Basics Friday, Sept. 26, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

You want to take crisp, engaging photos of birds, and you have a camera or a smart phone. But, where to begin?

The first step is to learn about your camera, take it off auto, and discover that it’s not the equipment—but the person behind the camera—that makes the shot.

Nature photography is arguably the hardest field of photography, even for those with years of experience. This entry-level workshop will get you started by helping you become comfortable with and confident in using your camera. This workshop is for anyone who would like to move away from taking snapshots to taking photographs that capture birds in action.

What to bring: whatever camera you have (smart phone, point-and-shoot, or even a DSLR) and an open mind that you can be a photographer.

Jeff Bleam

Scott Terrill

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Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

7765 Soquel Drive, Aptos (Across from Safeway) (831) 685-FEED (3333)

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Jeff Bleam currently works designing medical devices, but has been taking photos for more than 40 years, first with film and now digitally. Although relatively new to birding, he is a big supporter of eBird since 2005 and feels that capturing birds in action is where nature becomes art.

Field Workflow For Photography Friday, Sept. 26, 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.

Learn how to read the environment, make appropriate camera settings in a timely manner, and then track and “capture” the wildlife you want to photograph! You can take classes to learn settings, but mastering the details of a successful workflow in the field can take years. Join this one-of-a-kind photography workshop where you’ll begin to develop a field workflow just like the pros. d What You Need: Digital SLR t ?camera with zoom lens; basic understanding of ISO/aperture/ tshutter speed; thorough familiarity with and understanding of ,your equipment’s buttons and functions. e Chris Hartzell is an avid birder, photographer, and artist. nHe and his wife, Ame, offer wildlife photography tours, teach tphotography, produce informational movies, and work toward global environmental conservation. Chris also is the vice -president of Monterey Audubon Society and edits its newsletter, -The Sanderling. In his other life, Chris is a fire captain with the hCalifornia Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Carmel -Hill Fire Station. u t d s

Chris Hartzell

Field Sketching

Saturday, Sept. 27: 9:30 a.m. to noon, 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

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This workshop is designed to enhance your bird watching experience.

The morning classroom session includes hands-on, step-by-step instruction, using various local bird specimens to study shape, proportion, color, and texture.

After a one-hour lunch break, we’ll go to the wetlands for an afternoon of observation and sketching.

What to Bring: Sketchpad, #2 soft pencil, colored pencils,

Carol Bennett

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sharpener, and eraser. For the afternoon at the wetlands, bring a folding chair, sun hat, and remember the binos!

Carol Bennett has enjoyed living and working in Santa Cruz County since 1980. She has an award-winning graphic design business, Carol Bennett Design, and teaches watercolor painting in local elementary schools as an Arts Council of Santa Cruz County Spectra artist. Carol also teaches through Watsonville Wetlands Watch, where she painted a wall mural and helped to create the “Web of Life in the Wetlands” diorama.

Peregrine Falcons:

Back From The Brink Of Extinction Saturday, Sept. 27: 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

By the late 1970s, the peregrine falcon had all but disappeared from U.S. skies. Only two pairs were known to be in California-none could be found nesting east of the Mississippi River.

Today, these magnificent birds once again command the skies. Find out how biologists at UC Santa Cruz and other institutions, along with countless dedicated falconers, brought this remarkable bird back from the brink of extinction. Falconer Bill Murphy will bring one of his peregrines to the presentation.

Bill Murphy has been a licensed California falconer for 43 years. He also worked on the recovery of the peregrine falcon with the Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group since the group’s inception and has been a federally licensed raptor breeder since 1984. In those 30 years, he has produced over 600 captive-bred hawks and falcons. Many of these birds were released to augment wild populations. In addition to working as a teacher and administrator for the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, Bill has also served as Southwestern Director of the North American Falconers Association and President of the California Club.

Field Identification of Raptors Saturday, Sept. 27: 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Raptors inspire awe and wonder, but identification in the field can be difficult and confusing. Join Bob Power as he leads you through a straightforward process for identifying raptors in the field. Along the way, Bob will convince you that you have what it takes to excel at raptor identification and that you too can distinguish Cooper’s hawks from sharp-shinned hawks with confidence.

Bob Power has taught raptor identification and introduction to birding classes for the past nine years, and has been a day leader for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory’s HawkWatch program for ten years. In addition, Bob has been the primary field seminar leader for the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society for the past eight years. He has led or co-led eco-tours to Alaska, Costa Rica, Texas, Southeastern Arizona, the Mono Basin, the Klamath Basin, and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

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MONTEREY BAY BIRDING FESTIV Thursday, Sept. 25

Friday, Sept. 26

VENDORS/EXHIBITORS • NOON – 6:30 P.M.

VENDORS/EXHIBITORS • NOON – 6:30 P.M.

BIRDERS MARKET

Full-Day Field Trip

California Specialties ➤ 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15

Half-Day Field Trips

Natural Bridges ➤ 6:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Kirby Park/Elkhorn Slough Reserve 6:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Pajaro Dunes / Sunset Beach 6:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Watsonville Lakes and Local Hotspots 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Beginning Birding ➤ 8:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.

Water Adventures

Shearwater Journeys Pelagic Trip 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ➤ $164 Whisper Charters, Inc. ➤ 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. ➤ 11

a.m. - 1 p.m➤ 2 p.m. - 4 p.m ➤ $39.00 (Festival Discount)

Elkhorn Slough Safari 9:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. ➤ $35

Workshops

Birding Optics Demystified, Marilyn Rose 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Pelagic Birds Identification Workshop, Scott Terrill, PhD 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Social Reception

A Taste of the Pajaro Valley 5 p.m. ➤ FREE

FEATURED SPEAKER

Brian Sullivan, Cornell University Ornithology Lab ➤ eBird: Innovating Citizen-Science, Big Data Research, and Bird Conservation ➤ 7 p.m. ➤ $10

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Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

BIRDERS MARKET

Full-Day Field Trips

Condor Viewing @ Big Sur ➤ 6 a.m. ➤ $15 San Felipe Lake/Llagas Creek 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15

Half-Day Field Trips

Elkhorn Slough/Moss Landing (Coastal) 7:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. ➤ $15 Watsonville Sloughs ➤ 7:00 a.m. ➤ $15 Salinas River Mouth ➤ 7:00 a.m. ➤ $15 Point Pinos/Monterey Peninsula 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15 Rancho Del Oso ➤ 7:00 a.m. ➤ $15 Beginning Birding ➤ 8 a.m. & 1 p.m. ➤ $15

Water Adventures

Shearwater Journeys Pelagic Trip 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. ➤ $164 Kayak Connection – Elkhorn Slough 9:00 a.m. ➤ $55 Elkhorn Slough Safari ➤ 9:15 a.m. ➤ $35 Whisper Charters, Inc. ➤ 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. ➤ 11

a.m. - 1 p.m➤ 2 p.m. - 4 p.m ➤ $39.00 (Festival Discount)

Workshops

Bird Photography Basics ➤ 1:30 p.m.

Tactical Field Photography ➤ 1:30 p.m.

Shorebird Identification Workshop ➤ 3:30 p.m.

FEATURED SPEAKER

Don Roberson, Monterey Bay Bird Expert

10 Most Misidentified Monterey Area Birds ➤ 7 p.m.

Night Field Trip

Owls of Robinson Canyon 7:00 p.m. ➤ $15

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AL 2014 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Saturday, Sept. 27

VENDORS/EXHIBITORS ➤ 8:00 A.M.–6:30 P.M. BIRDERS MARKET

Full-Day Field Trips

Pinnacles National Park ➤ 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15 California Specialties ➤ 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15 Palo Corona ➤ 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15

Half-Day Field Trips

Vagrant Chasing at Carmel Rivermouth ➤ 6:30 a.m.

Kirby Park/Elkhorn Slough Reserve ➤ 6:30 a.m.

Elkhorn Slough/Moss Landing. ➤ 7:30 a.m.

Watsonville Sloughs ➤ 7:00 a.m.

Pajaro Dunes/Sunset Beach ➤ 6:30 a.m.

Rancho Del Oso ➤ 7:00 a.m.

Natural Bridges State Beach ➤ 6:30 a.m.

New Brighton State Beach ➤ 6:30 a.m.

Beginning Birding ➤ 8 a.m.

Water Adventures

Shearwater Journeys Pelagic Trip ➤7 a.m. ➤$164 Elkhorn Slough Safari ➤ 9:15 a.m. ➤ $35 Whisper Charters, Inc. ➤ 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. ➤ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m➤ 2 p.m. - 4 p.m ➤ $39.00 (Festival Discount)

Workshops

Sunday, Sept. 28

Full-Day Field Trip

Andrew Molera & Condor Viewing in Big Sur ➤ 6:00 a.m. ➤$15 Rarity Roundup ➤ 6:30 a.m. ➤ $15 Raptors in Flight ➤ 9:00 a.m. ➤ $15

Half-Day Field Trips

Vagrant Chasing at Camel River Mouth 6:30 a.m.

Watsonville Sloughs ➤ 7:00 a.m.

New Brighton State Beach ➤ 6:30 a.m.

Watsonville Lakes & Local Hotspots 7:30 a.m.

Salinas River Mouth ➤ 7:00 a.m.

Point Pinos/Monterey Peninsula 6:30 a.m.

Water Adventures

Shearwater Journeys Pelagic Trip 7 a.m. ➤ $164 Elkhorn Slough Safari 9:15 a.m. ➤ $35 Whisper Charters, Inc. ➤ 8 a.m. - 10 a.m. ➤ 11 a.m. - 1 p.m➤ 2 p.m. - 4 p.m

Field Sketching w/ Carol Bennett ➤ 9:30 a.m.

➤ $39.00 (Festival Discount)

RAFFLE

➤A ll workshops and evening presentations are free with festival registration. Otherwise, you may purchase a ticket for a specific workshop or evening presentation.

Tickets are $10.00 for each workshop and presentation.

Peregrine Falcons: Back from the Brink of Extinction ➤ 1:30 p.m.

Raptor Identification ➤ 3:30 p.m.

Raffle Prizes ➤ 6:30 p.m.

FEATURED SPEAKER

➤A ll trips are smoke-free, and most require some easy walking over sometimes rough terrain.

Keynote Speaker: Kenn Kaufman, Author, Artist, Naturalist, Conservationist

➤ Pelagic trips cannot accommodate pregnant women or individiduals in wheelchairs. There are no refunds if you cancel your reservation.

Night Field Trip

➤A ll workshops, with the exception of Tactical Field Photography and Field Sketching are wheelchair accessible.

When the Birds Look Back ➤ 7 p.m.

Owls of Robinson Canyon 8:45 p.m. ➤ $15

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FULL-DAY FIELD TRIPS

Amaral (Saturday)

Transportation: Car caravan from Watson-

ANDREW MOLERA STATE PARK & CONDOR VIEWING IN BIG SUR

ville Civic Plaza.

Activity: Moderate

birding in scenic Big Sur. Festival field trip leaders will take you to Andrew Molera State Park, one of the premier vagrant traps on the West Coast. Afterward, you’ll spend time looking for condors in likely spots along Highway 1. This trip takes you birding in one of the country’s pristine locations–Big Sur. Please do not sign up for this trip if you are unwilling to carpool. Make sure you have a full tank of gas. Participants should bring plenty of water to drink, lunch, and sunscreen for this nearly all-day trip.

Dates: Friday, Sept 26; Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 6:00 a.m. to about 2:00 p.m. in Big Sur Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Trip Leaders: Phil Brown (Friday), Eric Feuss (Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza at 6 a.m. Andrew Molera State Park is approximately 50 miles from Watsonville. For those not traveling in the caravan, meet at 7:15 a.m. at the Ventana Discovery Center/Andrew Molera State Park.

Activity: Moderate

Description: Located on a historic ranch near

Description: This full-day trip takes you

CALIFORNIA SPECIALTIES

Description: This trip focuses on seeing

birds unique to California and the Western United States, such as yellow-billed magpie, California thrasher, wrentit, Nuttall’s woodpecker, snowy plover, California towhee, Lawrence’s goldfinch, Clark’s grebe, white-tailed kite, etc. Ranging from Pacific beaches to the foothills to the Salinas Valley, this fast-paced trip will help maximize your list of western birds. Perfect for the out-of-state birder, but fun for anyone.

Please do not sign up for this trip if you are unwilling to carpool. Make sure you have a full tank of gas. Participants should bring plenty of water to drink, lunches, and sunscreen for this nearly all-day trip.

Dates: Thursday, Sept 25; Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 6:30 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Leaders: Kumaran Arul (Thursday), Tim 14

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

PALO CORONA

the mouth of the Carmel River, Palo Corona is the largest unit in the Monterey Peninsula Regional Parks District. When it was acquired in 2004, it formed the last critical link in a network of public lands that stretches from the Carmel River to the Hearst Ranch in San Luis Obispo County—an uninterrupted expanse of habit

stretching for 70 miles. The park contains rare coastal prairie, live oak forests, and extensive grasslands that together contain more than 500 plant species. Birdlife is diverse and abundant. A bird list is still in development, but marquis species already documented in the park include California condor, peregrine falcon, and spotted owl. What really distinguishes Palo Corona is the diversity of birdlife found in the varying habitats. Fall migration in September can yield some stunning surprises. This recent addition to the Monterey Bay Birding Festival menu promises to open the door to a spectacular landscape overlooking Carmel Bay. Participants should bring plenty of water to drink, lunch, hat, and sunscreen for this nearly all-day trip.

Sign up early–this trip is limited to 11 participants and sold out fast in 2013!

Dates: Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 6:30 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Leader: Mark Paxton Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza at 6:30 a.m.

Activity: Moderate

PINNACLES NATIONAL PARK

Description: Join us for a visit to America’s newest national park! Pinnacles provides a chance to look for specialties of the California interior landscape, including a chance at yellow-billed magpie, canyon wren, Lawrence’s goldfinch, greater roadrunner, loggerhead shrike, and resident prairie falcons. After birding, an NPS ranger/naturalist will do a presentation on the important work the Pinnacles National Park California Condor Recovery Program conducts. Other than Big Sur, Pinnacles offers the next best chance for seeing a California condor.

Participants should bring plenty of water to drink, lunches, and sunscreen for this nearly all-day trip. Make sure you have a full tank of gas.

Dates: Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 6:30 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Leader: David Eckdahl; Pinnacles NPS ranger/naturalist Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

RAPTORS in FLIGHT

Description: This trip will move from Wat-

sonville to Coyote Valley (central Santa Clara County) in search of migratory and resident raptors. Coyote Valley has been home to a significant population of white-tailed kites and several ferruginous hawks. Prairie falcon, bald eagle, and golden eagle are all quite possible.

Field discussions will focus on the useful field marks for identifying raptors in flight. Multiple habitats will be visited as we work on skill-building and identifying between 8 and 12 raptor species.

Please do not sign up for this trip if you are unwilling to carpool. Participants should bring

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plenty of water to drink, lunches, and sunscreen for this nearly all-day trip. Make sure you have a full tank of gas.

Dates: Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 9:00 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Leader: Bob Power Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza at 9:00 a.m.

Activity: Moderate

NEW!!! RARITY ROUNDUP

sDescription: Every year, a good number aof local and regional rarities are discovered aduring Monterey Bay Birding Festival field -trips. Join us for an exciting day as we seek sout the best of the festival’s rarities. We’ll also dpursue any mega-rarity that was recently seen, rregardless of whether it occurred during a fesatival outing. This fast-paced trip is perfect for -county and state “listers” who want to expand ytheir bird lists, or for anyone who enjoys the -thrill of the chase. aPlease do not sign up for this trip if you are unwilling to carpool. Participants should bring oplenty of water to drink, lunch, hat, and sunyscreen for this nearly all-day trip. Be sure you fhave a full tank of gas before arriving for this field trip.

Dates: Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 6:30 a.m. to approximately 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee SLeader: John Garrett Transportation: Car caravan departs from -Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

SAN FELIPE LAKE/ LLAGAS CREEK

-Description: Explore the upper reaches of athe Pajaro River watershed on this rare opporttunity to bird the privately held wetlands surarounding San Felipe Lake in northernmost San dBenito County. While it is still early for windtering waterfowl, a good mix of raptors, rails, .songbirds, and waterfowl summering over, as dwell as a large, resident population of Ameri-can white pelicans are good bets. This 2,300nacre ranch is the location of many first county 2records. Fall records have included tropical

and eastern kingbird. Loggerhead shrikes spin eaway off fences, prairie falcon is regular, and ga resident healthy colony of burrowing owls may make an appearance. The property is home to a robust deer herd, and coyotes are also frequently seen.

Nearby, we will explore Llagas Creek, a tributary to the Pajaro River. A restored native plant corridor borders this creek, which is managed by the Santa Clara County Water District. Paralleling the city of Gilroy’s wastewater treatment plant, it consistently offers surprises in

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Dates: Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Bernadette Ramer (Friday), RJ Adams (Saturday)

Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate any season. Again, access at this location is restricted.

Participants should pack a lunch, hat, sunscreen, and plenty of water for this nearly all-day trip. You will need to carpool, as parking is limited.

Dates: Friday, Sept. 26 Time: 6:30 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m.

Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Trip Leader: Mark Paxton Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

KIRBY PARK & ELKHORN SLOUGH RESERVE (Interior)

Description: Elkhorn Slough National Estua-

rine Research Reserve, in the heart of Elkhorn Slough, is one of the premier bird-watching sites in the Western United States. Birding from the Reserve offers an opportunity to explore several of its diverse habitats and see many of the more than 340 species that visit or take refuge throughout this watershed.

Elkhorn Slough’s importance to birds during

HALF-DAY FIELD TRIPS

BEGINNING BIRDING

Description: Unsure about how to find birds

in your binoculars? Don’t know a great blue heron from a mourning dove? Or, are you just looking for some tips about how to improve your identification skills? Come join us for an introductory bird walk emphasizing the ABCs of identifying and observing birds in the wild.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25, Friday, Sept 26, Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

(Friday) Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Rusty Scalf (Friday p.m. and Saturday a.m.) Lois and Wally Goldfrank (Thursday and Friday a.m.)

Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

ELKHORN SLOUGH & MOSS LANDING (Coastal)

Description: This half-day trip will find us

scouring locations such as the mudflats of Moss Landing, visiting the famous Moon Glow Dairy, or checking the freshwater pond of Zmudowski State Beach for the many migrating and wintering shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl of the region. Peregrine falcons and merlin are often attracted to the large flocks of shorebirds, and California sea otters are usually in the area. Come see why Elkhorn Slough has long been a target destination for birders from around the world. Exact itinerary will be determined based on local conditions.

their great fall and spring migrations has led the American Birding Conservancy to declare it a “globally important” area.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25; Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: David and Jane Styer (Thursday), Christian Schwarz (Saturday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

NATURAL BRIDGES STATE BEACH

Description: Natural Bridges is another loca-

tion that combines the appeal of vagrant warblers with easy access to the beach and ocean.

Three species of cormorants are almost automatic; rocky shorebirds are expected, and a fine variety of warblers, sparrows, and other songbirds are likely along the riparian corridor trail.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25; Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leader: Steve Gerow Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate, limited

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

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NEW BRIGHTON STATE BEACH

Description: New Brighton State Beach in-

cludes patches of willows, oaks, and a fine Monterey Pine forest, all of which are attractive to both migrating and wintering birds.

Townsend’s warblers, pygmy nuthatches, downy and hairy woodpeckers, and brown creepers are all likely to be seen. The adjacent waters of Monterey Bay are a good place to view caspian, elegant, and Forster’s Terns, and sometimes even a parasitic jaeger!

Dates: Saturday, Sept. 27; Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Michelle Scott (Saturday), Matthew Strusis-Timmer (Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

OWLS of ROBINSON CANYON

Description: These trips always sell out!

Robinson Canyon is one of California’s most productive owling sites. Western screech, great horned, barn, and northern saw-whet owls are all likely. Northern pygmy and the endangered spotted owl are possibilities. These field trips, limited to 10, are a must if you’re looking for owls. Bring a flashlight if possible.

Dress warmly!

Please be aware that most owls will only be heard, and not seen. This trip is not recommended for those with an early field trip the following morning, and especially not for those taking a pelagic trip!

Dates: Friday, Sept. 26, Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 8:45 p.m. to after midnight Cost: $15.00 premium trip fee Trip Leader: Steve Rovell Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Limited

PAJARO DUNES/SUNSET BEACH

Description: Shorebirds, songbirds, and

waterfowl are all likely as we visit the varied habitats of Sunset Beach and Pajaro Dunes.

Snowy plovers nest on the dunes themselves, and the Pajaro River Mouth has long been one of the premier locations for rare shorebirds, gulls and terns. Stands of Monterey Cypress and willow patches provide habitat for a variety of passerines. This trip highlights some of the richest birding areas of the entire Pajaro Valley.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25, Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Nick Levendovsky (Thursday), Carleton Eyster (Saturday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

POINT PINOS & the MONTEREY PENINSULA

Description: Besides being a premier birding

spot, Point Pinos has the added bonus of being one of the most scenic destinations of the region. The crashing waves and rocks are a great place for black turnstones, black oystercatchers, and other shorebirds of rocky shorelines. Coastal cypress trees often are excellent spots for migrant songbirds, and some of the westernmost points of land adjacent to Monterey Bay can offer views of true seabirds.

Dates: Friday, Sept. 26; Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Brian Sullivan (Friday), Blake Matheson (Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

RANCHO DEL OSO

Description: Birding at this beautiful and 16

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

historic locale brings together birds from a variety of habitats in a limited area. Turning from the birds of the ocean, beach, creek mouth and marsh, one can search amid riparian, Monterey pine, mixed evergreen, and coast redwood forests. Along with local favorites, such as wrentit, pygmy nuthatch, purple finch, house wren, hermit warbler, northern pygmy-owl, marbled murrelet, and various woodpeckers, this is a good place to encounter raptors and a chance for rare migrants and vagrants. Plan for a few miles of walking on mostly gentle slopes.

Dates: Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27 Time: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Todd Newberry (Friday), Kumaran Arul (Saturday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

SALINAS RIVER MOUTH

Description: The mouth of the Salinas

River offers an excellent opportunity to find a vagrant shorebird, observe several species of terns, study snowy plovers, catch a northern harrier or a peregrine falcon on the wing, or just enjoy a walk to the Pacific Ocean. Fall is the premier time of the year to visit this locale.

Dates: Friday, Sept. 26; Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Carleton Eyster (Friday), Scott Smithson (Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

VAGRANT CHASING at the CARMEL RIVER MOUTH

Description: September and fall migration

is the time birders head to hot spots, such as the mouth of the Carmel River, to search for vagrants and rarities not found in the area at any other time of the year. The Carmel River’s riparian corridor is a fine example of coastal Monterey Bay birding. In addition to the passerines along the river, the mouth of the river itself often provides excellent shorebird habitat.

Rubber boots, hip waders, or water shoes are highly recommended to enable stream crossings!

Dates: Saturday, Sept. 27; Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Bill Hill (Saturday), Rita Caratello (Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza

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Activity: Moderate

WATSONVILLE LAKES & LOCAL HOTSPOTS

Description: Pinto Lake’s many trails and

wetlands harbor the red-shouldered and red-tailed hawk, white-tailed kite, California thrasher, woodpeckers, ducks, and songbirds.

We’ll visit Pinto Lake City Park for a birder’s quick-fix view of the lake, and then wander the trails of Pinto Lake County Park for a more intensive birding experience. This trip is recommended for both beginners and experienced birders.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25, Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Bob and Bernadette Ramer (Thursday), Bob Ramer (Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate

WATSONVILLE SLOUGHS

Description: Come see where the mega-rar-

ity, the common cuckoo, took refuge for several days in September 2012! The sloughs of Harkins, East and West Struve, Hanson, Gallighan, and Watsonville comprise the heart of the Watsonville Sloughs system. A variety of shorebirds, raptors, gulls, ducks, sparrows, and songbirds are present at the sloughs’ varied habitats and their associated uplands.

Learn the local access sites for finding birds in Watsonville’s front yard.

Dates: Friday, Sept. 26, Saturday, Sept. 27; Sunday, Sept. 28 Time: 7:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Cost: Included with registration Trip Leaders: Nick Levendovsky (Friday), Alex Rinkert (Saturday), Earl Lebow(Sunday) Transportation: Car caravan departs from Watsonville Civic Plaza Activity: Moderate, limited

WATER ADVENTURES

ELKHORN SLOUGH SAFARI

Description: Elkhorn Slough Safari is a

birding adventure aboard an open 27-foot pontoon boat, allowing for exploration of the slough from a perspective usually experienced only by birds and sea otters. This tour offers

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a unique opportunity to observe these species in their native habitats, up close, and personal.

Shorebirds, raptors, grebes, and both harbor seals and sea otters are highlighted. Limited to 10 per day.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25; Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27; Sunday, Sept. 28 Cost: $35.00/person Time: 9:15 a.m. – 11:00 Trip Leaders: Captain Yohn Gideon and crew Transportation: Go directly to Elkhorn Slough Safari in Moss Landing. Do not meet at Watsonville Civic Plaza. Allow 30 minutes travel time from Watsonville. Parking is $5.00.

For directions, go to www.elkhornsloughsafari.com

KAYAK CONNECTION – ELKHORN SLOUGH

Description: Here’s your chance to take

your own birding tour of Elkhorn Slough and enjoy a kayaking adventure–courtesy of Kayak Connection in Moss Landing. Shorebirds, sea otters, grebes, pelicans, plus the rarities of fall migration are possible on this guided trip. Some of the most intriguing spots of the slough are accessible only by kayak. Beginning kayakers are welcome and encouraged to sign up. Limited to 10 people in five double-kayaks.

Date: Friday, Sept. 26 Cost: $55.00/person Time: 9:00 – 11:00 Trip Leaders: Kayak Connection to provide map of Elkhorn Slough.

Transportation: Go directly to Kayak Connection in Moss Landing. Do not meet at Watsonville Civic Plaza. Allow 30 minutes travel time from Watsonville. For directions, www. kayakconnection.com.

SHEARWATER JOURNEYS PELAGIC TRIPS

Description:

An incredible submarine canyon lies below the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which hosts a vast variety of seabirds and marine mammals just a few miles from shore. In addition to humpback whales and a variety of dolphins, we can expect to see sooty, pink-footed, and Buller’s shearwaters; common murres; pigeon guillemots; Cassin’s and rhinoceros auklets; pomarine and parasitic jaegers; and maybe a south polar skua. Black-footed albatross, Manx and flesh-footed shearwaters, black and ashy storm petrels, Sabine’s gull, and arctic tern highlight just a partial list of our possibilities.

Book reservations directly through Shearwater Journeys by mailing check to: PO Box 190, Hollister, CA 95024. Include first- and second-choice trip dates, name, complete address, email address, and phone numbers.

Reserve early to avoid disappointment. Dress in layers due to the changing weather conditions. Bring your own lunch and beverages.

Food/beverages are not available for purchase on the boat.

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25; Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27; Sunday, Sept. 28 Cost: $164.00/person. Possible price adjustment, payable only in cash at the dock, $5-$15/person.

Time: All trips depart at 7 a.m. and return at approximately 3 p.m.

Leaders: Monterey Bay Birding Festival’s keynote speaker Kenn Kaufman and long-term Shearwater leaders Scott and Linda Terrill on Friday! Leaders on other days TBD. Transportation: Go directly to Chris’ Fishing Shop on Fisherman’s Wharf Monterey. Do not meet at Watsonville Civic Plaza. Allow 1-hour travel time from Watsonville. Parking is available in the large lot that connects Fisherman’s Wharf and Commercial Wharf #2. Be sure to go to Fisherman’s Wharf, and not the Commercial Wharf. Stop in at Chris’ Fishing Shop to get a parking voucher, which can be used at the end of the day. Be at Chris’ Fishing Shop on Fisherman’s Wharf at 7 a.m., sharp.

Latecomers who miss the boat will forfeit their fees. For more information, www.http:/shearwaterjourneys.com Note: The dock is unable to accommodate wheelchairs. This trip is unsuitable for pregnant women.

NEW!!!

WHISPER CHARTERS, INC.

Description: Silent as a whisper, the electric powered Selkie II glides across the waters of Elkhorn Slough. Explore the slough’s natural wonders on an elegant, eco friendly electric cruiser. Elkhorn Slough is one of the premier bird watching sites in the western United States. More than 340 species visit or find permanent refuge here, a remarkable number given the slough’s relatively small size. The tremendous number and variety of birds at the slough attracts thousands of bird watchers from across the country each year. In addition, you’re likely to see sea otters, as well as harbor seals.

Book early: Limited to six people per trip!

Dates: Thursday, Sept. 25; Friday, Sept. 26; Saturday, Sept. 27; Sunday, Sept. 28 Cost: Festival Discount! $39.00/person Time: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Trip Leaders: Whisper Charters’ guides Transportation: Go directly to Whisper Charters in Moss Landing. Do not meet at Watsonville Civic Plaza. Allow 30 minutes travel time from Watsonville. For more information, www.http://www.whispercharters.com

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

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2014 Field Trip Leaders RJ ADAMS, a native Californian, has lived

and birded throughout the state for nearly 30 years. He has an MS in biology from the University of Utah where he focused on the co-evolutionary history of birds and their ectoparasites. He is also the author of the recently published A Field Guide to the Spiders of California and the Pacific Coast States, and will soon begin working on an inventory of the spiders of Pinnacles National Park. R.J. works as a special education teacher and greatly enjoys leading field trips for beginning birders.

TIM AMARAL is an educator by training

and a professional guide who loves to teach folks about the natural history of his favorite “patch”—the Monterey Bay. He is the new face of the very popular Monterey Seabirds tour company where he acts as the tour coordinator and trip leader for both land and seabirds. He has been a guide for local bird festivals, conferences, and community organizations since 1996 and has served as the vice-president of the local Audubon Society.

KUMARAN ARUL has led trips for the

Monterey Bay Birding Festival since its beginning, and is a passionate observer of birds in the Monterey Bay area. He has conducted breeding bird surveys in the Santa Cruz Mountains, taught classes on birding-byear, and led regular trips for local bird groups.

He enjoys sea watching on the rich coastal waters of the Monterey Bay, ruminating on the beauties of bird songs, and birding foreign lands with his wife and three children. When not birding, he teaches music at Stanford University.

PHIL BROWN turned a lifelong interest

in birds into an obsession in 2004, when he joined the Santa Cruz Bird Club (SCBC).

He has led birding trips for the SCBC since 2006. He serves as the SCBC’s president, and served as the club’s field trip officer for six years. He participates in the Bluebird Birdbox program at Quail Hollow Ranch County Park, leads a section in the Santa Cruz and Moss Landing Christmas Bird Counts, and surveys bird populations for Watsonville Wetlands Watch.

RITA CARRATELLO considers Monterey

County her specialty patch. She participated in the county’s breeding bird atlas project, wrote species accounts, and designed the publication published in 1993. She was the voice for the Monterey rare bird alert before

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Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

the automated BirdBox, and served on the Monterey Audubon Society’s board of directors as the newsletter editor. She and her husband, Don Roberson, also travel the world in search of bird families, and enjoy giving multimedia presentations of these adventures. See more at http://montereybay. com/creagrus/trips.html.

DAVID EKDAHL has been birding and guiding trips for the Santa Cruz Bird Club for more than 20 years. He began his birding in Humboldt County and has birded in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Canada, Alaska, New Zealand, and South Africa. He is a section leader in the Santa Cruz, Moss Landing, and Pinnacles Christmas Bird Counts.

CARLETON EYSTER is an avian ecologist with Point Blue Conservation Science (formerly Point Reyes Bird Observatory). He has studied and helped protect the Monterey Bay population of snowy plovers since 1991. With the exception of two summer migrations to the north slope of Alaska and the forests of Maine, he has been a happy Monterey Bay resident for almost 30 years.

He particularly enjoys the fall migration along the coast, whether it’s shorebirds or warblers.

In the winter, he enjoys travelling, looking for mushrooms and playing traditional Irish music.

ERIC FEUSS has been avidly birding since

STEVE GEROW has been birding and studying other aspects of the natural world since the late 1960s. He has participated in numerous bird studies and surveys around the Monterey Bay Area, and regularly monitors bird populations and trends in the vicinity of Santa Cruz. He has contributed to several publications, and often leads field trips for the Santa Cruz Bird Club and other groups.

LOIS and WALLY GOLDFRANK have been actively birding in the Monterey Bay area since becoming empty nesters in 1991.

Their birding adventures have taken them to over 35 countries and to most of the states in the U.S. Both professional educators, they particularly enjoy leading walks for beginners and sharing their enthusiasm for birding and their knowledge of the local area with residents and visitors alike.

BILL HILL is a lifetime resident of Carmel-

by-the-Sea, California. Since early childhood he has frequented the Carmel River area for fishing, birding, photographing, or just exploring. First introduced to birding in the sixth grade, he has seriously birded Monterey County for 20 years. Few spend more time birding the Carmel River mouth and the surrounding area. He is a wealth of information on the area and all of its avian inhabitants. A real “people person,” birders always have fun when they go into the field with Bill.

he was a lad of 16. From 1992 to 1999, he worked for the Institute for Bird Populations’ (IBP) MAPS Program, a long-term productivity and survivorship monitoring study. As a field biologist for the IBP, he worked in Oregon, Kansas, Missouri, and Yosemite National Park. He has birded in almost every part of the United States and, with the exception of his years with IBP, has led regular field trips for the Santa Cruz Bird Club since 1987. About to become an “empty nester,” he is looking forward to moving back into more academic and field-study activities.

EARL LEBOW has been birding and leading

JOHN GARRETT discovered his interest

KENN KAUFMAN is an American author,

in birds as an eight-year-old in Pasadena.

His passion for birds has taken him to the University of California, Santa Cruz, where he’s majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. He is the youngest member of the prestigious California Bird Records Committee. An addicted eBirder, he helps review records for Los Angeles County when he isn’t reading or “naturalizing.” His other hobbies include taxidermy, long walks on the beach, and procrastination. This summer, he’ll be wandering southern California hoping to learn something about pin-tailed whydahs.

bird trips on the Central Coast of California since he moved here from the East Coast in 1986. Though he had been birding for many years in and around NYC, his skill and passion for birding increased exponentially when he moved to California. He has birded extensively throughout the United States, Central America, Africa and Europe. He has led trips for the Santa Cruz Bird Club for many years and enjoys leading trips locally and sharing his love of birds and birding with others.

artist, naturalist, and conservationist. In addition to his book the Kingbird Highway, Kenn is known for his work on several popular field guides to birds and butterflies in North America. His writings have appeared in a wide range of publications, and he is a field columnist for Audubon magazine.

NICHOLAS

LEVENDOSKY was first introduced to the idea of birding while taking a natural history and ecology course at Prescott College in 2001. Although he found this idea rather silly at first, the puzzle and game of

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identifying birds quickly peaked his interest and he was hooked. From that point on he has worked to transform from a casual birder to an intentional observer. Since moving back to Santa Cruz six years ago after obtaining a job with the San Jose Fire Department, Nicholas has devoted a significant amount of time getting into the field to ‘simply learn birds.’ He most appreciates the relationship between species and habitat—believing birding lends itself to building a sense of place and physical community around one’s home.

BLAKE MATHESON is a fourth generation

resident of the Monterey Peninsula. He became deeply interested in birds and their conservation after taking an ornithology elective in high school taught by local birder and biologist Bob Tintle. He studied Ethics and Politics at Santa Clara University in California and Oxford University in England before earning his Juris Doctor in Environmental Law at Lewis and Clark College. He currently serves as President of the Monterey Audubon Society, and sits on the board of the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History and California Audubon. He travels the world as life allows to explore, photograph and write about our Planet’s endangered wildlife and landscapes.

TODD NEWBERRY a lifelong birder, has

taught biology for 40 years at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He leads frequent and popular bird walks throughout our region, including regular walks in the university’s arboretum and others along the coast for the Santa Cruz Bird Club. He is the author of the recent book, The Ardent Birder.

MARK PAXTON has been a docent at Elkhorn Slough since the 1980s. He leads local tours for area bird clubs, including the Santa Cruz Bird Club and regional Audubon Societies. He also assists avian research studies throughout Monterey County and is the land steward for a 2300-acre ranch at the center of one of Audubon California’s Important Bird Areas. Speaking about the Monterey Bay region, Mark says, “While I do travel to chase birds, there is such rich diversity here that several lifetimes wouldn’t do our home patch justice. For a birder, this is paradise.”

BOB POWER is the executive director for Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society. He has led or co-led trips to Alaska, Costa Rica, Texas, Southeastern Arizona, the Mono Basin, the Klamath Basin, and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. Bob has been a

Hawk Watch day leader for the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory for 10 years, and he has taught raptor identification classes for the past nine years.

BOB RAMER has been birding in the Monterey Bay area for more than 30 years and has done volunteer work with the Nature Conservancy, the Point Reyes Bird Observatory, and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation in monitoring the bird populations in this area. In 1976, he was one of the founders of the Moss Landing Audubon Christmas Bird Count; and he and his wife, Bernadette, continue as co-compilers of this count.

BERNADETTE RAMER began her studies

in shorebird ecology of Elkhorn Slough as a student at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories in 1977. She has coordinated a number of censuses of shorebirds in and around Elkhorn Slough and is currently a volunteer for the Elkhorn Slough Shorebird Monitoring Project. She has led Elkhorn Slough field trips for many local birding groups and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. She spent more than 20 years as a field biologist for Point Reyes Bird Observatory, studying the Monterey population of the snowy plover.

Bernadette and her husband, Bob Ramer, are co-compilers of the Moss Landing Audubon Christmas Bird Count.

ALEX RINKERT grew up in the Santa Cruz

Mountains and is now an undergraduate in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at University of California, Santa Cruz. He leads birding field trips for local organizations, offshore expeditions, and the Santa Cruz Bird Club. He is also currently working on various bird population studies in the Monterey Bay Area, and is an active eBirder. While his main focus is on birds, he enjoys dragonflies and all other taxa.

STEVE ROVELL, is a lifelong resident of California. He escaped the hectic life of Southern California to pursue his studies at Humboldt State University where he graduated with a degree in Natural Resources and a teaching credential. He moved to Monterey County in 1990 where he now teaches high school biology and earth science. His other hobbies include native plant gardening and dragonflies. Steve lives in Marina with his wife of 20 years and two sons, Julian (16) and Marco (9).

RUSTY SCALF has been birding since his

teenage years and has taught adult school bird ID for beginners since 1988. He has been involved in several California breeding bird atlas projects as cartographer and field surveyor and has been a regular field volunteer for organized population studies such as state wide burrowing owl and long-billed curlew surveys. Rusty lives in Berkeley and is active with the Golden Gate Audubon Society.

CHRISTIAN SCHWARZ is a Santa Cruz

resident who spends lots of time birding around his workplace in Watsonville. Although he is first and foremost a fungal taxonomist, engaging birdlife provides him with muchneeded respite from those highly confusing taxa, and more importantly a broader perspective on ecology and evolution. He studied at UCSC and is in the process of finishing a new field guide to California’s fungi (Mushrooms of the Redwood Coast, on shelves next fall), and is very interested in fostering citizen science in all its forms.

DEBRA SHEARWATER is a household

name for any North American birder interested in seabirds and a leader in the seabirding world. She started Shearwater Journeys in 1978, and has logged more than 4,500 days on the water. She has had several publications on birding at sea, contributed to marine mammal research, co-produced a best-selling DVD on seabirds and marine mammals, been

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Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

featured in many books, and was represented in the recent movie The Big Year as “Annie Auklet.” She has served on the Board of Directors for the American Birding Association and is responsible for many California seabird records. Shearwater Journeys hold trips both locally and internationally, where Debi leads expedition voyages to many polar regions, including the Antarctic. Debi invites you to visit her website at www.shearwaterjourneys. com

DAVID SIDLE caught the birding bug on a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains with his brother Dan in 2002. In 2003 he met his first Santa Cruz birder, Kumaran Arul, who turned him on to the Santa Cruz Bird Club and MBB. Soon he was a regular on club field trips. He occasionally leads beginner’s bird walks for the club, and enjoys introducing people to birding.

SCOTT SMITHSON began birding in

hometown Pacifica, CA, after receiving a little blue Golden Guide from his kindergarten teacher. At the age of nine, he met famed birder Gil West on a Sequoia Audubon field trip, and thus began a birder-mentor-friendship that would continue until Gil passed away in 1994.

Scott went on to receive his MS in biology from CSU Long Beach, studying the breeding biology of introduced orange bishops and nutmeg mannikins in southern CA. His most recent venture was the organization of The Green Big Day, an international greenbirding competition held mid-April to mid-May, 2011.

Details are available at www.greenbigday.org

MATTHEW STRUSIS-TIMMER has led trips for the Monterey Bay Birding Festival since its inception and has been enjoying the avifauna of the Monterey Bay area since moving here in 2003. He enjoys natural history interpretation and has taught outdoor education in Santa Cruz County for three years. He has also volunteered for many different organizations and events over the years, including the Quail Hollow Nest Box Project, Santa Cruz County Forest Bird Monitoring Study, Santa Cruz Bird Club, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County Conservation Blueprint, and Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. When not birding for fun, Matthew is often watching birds in the San Francisco Bay area for his job as a wildlife ecologist for H.T. Harvey & Associates.

DAVID and JANE STYER have lived in the area since 2001, and have led field trips for the Monterey Bay Birding Festival almost since its inception. David became an avid birder in1950, and has birded over much of this country, as well as in other countries.

Both he and Jane have served on the board

of directors for the Monterey chapter of the Audubon Society, and have led many bird trips in the Monterey Bay area. In addition to birding, David is working on a flora (inventory) of the native plant life on the lands of the former Fort Ord. David also served on Ohio’s technical committee to determine the state’s Important Bird Areas. His book, Birds of the Oxbow, chronicles the bird life at the mouth of the Great Miami River, on the Ohio/Indiana border. From their home, David and Jane take great pleasure in watching the sooty shearwaters streaming past in Monterey Bay.

BRIAN SULLIVAN has conducted fieldwork

on birds throughout North America for the past 20 years. Birding travels, photography, and field projects have taken him to Central and South America, to Antarctica, the Arctic, and across North America. He has written and consulted on various books, as well as popular and scientific literature on North American bird. He is a co-author on The Crossley ID Guide: Raptors and the forthcoming Princeton Guide to North American Birds.

He is currently project leader for eBird (www. ebird.org) and photographic editor for the “Birds of North America Online” at the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (bna.birds.cornell. edu/BNA/). He also served from 2005-2013 as the photographic editor of North American Birds, the journal for the American Birding Association’s www.americanbirding.org/ pubs/nab/index.html

MICHELLE TEMPLETON is a local educator and naturalist. She has been working on conservation issues throughout the area for over 10 years. In 1997, Michelle developed the Natural History Guide to the Birds of Wilder Ranch in conjunction with Native Plant and Living History sections published by California State Parks. Since then, Michelle has been developing and providing environmental education programs and curricula in Watsonville, Seaside, Salinas, and Marina.

ALACIA WELCH is condor crew leader for

Pinnacles National Park’s California Condor Recovery Program. She brings a wealth of knowledge about the birds and ecosystems of the park. Ranger Welch has been with the park for almost a dozen years, focusing on the condor program for the last seven years. She has also worked on most of the park’s wildlife projects, as well as some of its vegetation projects. She looks forward to sharing her expertise and enthusiasm for Pinnacle National Park with the Monterey Bay Birding Festival.

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American Birding Association’s PRINCIPLES OF BIRDING ETHICS

Everyone who enjoys birds and birding must always respect wildlife, its environment, and the rights of others. In any conflict of interest between birds and birders, the welfare of the birds and their environment comes first.

Code of Birding Ethics 1. Promote the welfare of birds and their environment.

1(a) Support the protection of important bird habitat.

1 (b) To avoid stressing birds or exposing them to danger, exercise restraint and caution during observation, photography, sound recording, or filming. Limit the use of recordings and other methods of attracting birds, and never use such methods in heavily birded areas, or for attracting any species that is Threatened, Endangered, or of Special Concern, or is rare in your local area; Keep well back from nests and nesting colonies, roosts, display areas, and important feeding sites. In such sensitive areas, if there is a need for extended observation, photography, filming, or recording, try to use a blind or hide, and take advantage of natural cover. Use artificial light sparingly for filming or photography, especially for closeups.

1 (c) Before advertising the presence of a rare bird, evaluate the potential for disturbance to the bird, its surroundings, and other people in the area, and proceed only if access can be controlled, disturbance minimized, and permission has been obtained from private land-owners. The sites of rare nesting birds should be divulged only to the proper conservation authorities.

1 (d) Stay on roads, trails, and paths where they exist; otherwise keep habitat disturbance to a minimum.

2. Respect the law, and the rights of others.

2 (a) Do not enter private property without the owner’s explicit permission.

2 (b) Follow all laws, rules, and regulations governing use of roads and public areas, both at home and abroad.

2 (c) Practice common courtesy in contacts with other people. Your exemplary behavior will generate goodwill with birders and non-birders alike.

3. Ensure that feeders, nest structures, and other artificial bird environments are safe.

3(a) Keep dispensers, water, and food clean, and free of decay or disease. It is important to feed birds continually during harsh weather.

3(b) Maintain and clean nest structures regularly.

3(c) If you are attracting birds to an area, ensure the birds are not exposed to predation from cats and other domestic animals, or dangers posed by artificial hazards.

4. Group birding, whether organized or impromptu, requires special care.

Each individual in the group, in addition to the obligations spelled out in Items #1 and #2, has responsibilities as a Group Member.

4(a) Respect the interests, rights, and skills of fellow birders, as well as people participating in other legitimate outdoor activities. Freely share your knowledge and experience, except where code 1(c) applies. Be especially helpful to beginning birders.

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4(b) If you witness unethical birding behavior, assess the situation, and intervene if you think it prudent. When interceding, inform the person(s) of the inappropriate action, and attempt, within reason, to have it stopped. If the behavior continues, document it, and notify appropriate individuals or organizations.

Group Leader Responsibilities [amateur and professional trips and tours].

4(c) Be an exemplary ethical role model for the group. Teach through word and example.

4(d) Keep groups to a size that limits impact on the environment, and does not interfere with others using the same area.

4(e) Ensure everyone in the group knows of and practises this code.

4(f) Learn and inform the group of any special circumstances applicable to the areas being visited (e.g. no tape recorders allowed).

4(g) Acknowledge that professional tour companies bear a special responsibility to place the welfare of birds and the benefits of public knowledge ahead of the company’s commercial interests. Ideally, leaders should keep track of tour sightings, document unusual occurrences, and submit records to appropriate organizations.

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

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FAMILY DAYS CIVIC PLAZA HOW TO GET TO

at the CITY OFatWATSONVILLE The Monterey Bay Birding Festival is based the Civic Plaza, Fourth Floor, 275 Main Street, CENTER Watsonville.

Registration desk, NATURE seminars, workshops, field trip staging, and Vendor’s Faire will be Saturday on the fourth (top)&floor from September Sunday, September 27 & 28, 2014 25-28, 2014.

ks l g s a n e i i t h W i n tc iv o t a i c t w A a Bird Explor ure t a N

If You Are Driving:

From the Highway 1 north, exit Riverside Drive, veer to right and proceed 2 miles.

Turn left on Rodriguez Street, From the Highway 1 south, proceed ½ mile to Watsonville exit Riverside Drive, turn left Civic Plaza. Turn right off Rofrom offramp exit and proceed driquez Street into garage.

From Gilroy (Highway 101) 2 miles. Turn left on Rodrito Highway 152, take Leavesley guez Street, proceed ½ mile to Road exit toward San Ysidro Watsonville Civic Plaza. Turn Avenue.

Turn left at Monterey OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES right off Rodriquez Street into Street.

Turn right at 1st Street/ garage.

Highway152/Hecker Pass Road mile to Watsonville Civic Plaza. to Santa Cruz County. Remain Turn right off Rodriquez Street on Highway 152/East Lake Ave., into garage. Travel distance 47 proceed 3.2 miles. Turn left miles, about 55 minutes. on Main Street and proceed From San Francisco Interna0.3 mile to Watsonville Civic tional Airport, head east, merge Plaza. Turn right on First Street, onto Highway 101 South via the proceed to Rodriguez Street. ramp to San Jose, 23.4 miles.

Turn left to enter garage.

Slight right at Highway 85 (signs From Highway 101 to for Cupertino/Highway 85/Santa Highway 129, head northwest Cruz) ACTIVITIES 13.3 miles. Take the exit INDOOR on Highway 129/Chittenden onto Highway 17 S toward Road to Rodriguez Street, Cruz,Projects 22.0 miles.&Take Family Bird Watching & ArtsWatandSanta Crafts sonville, 12.7 miles. Turn right the exit onto Highway 1 South Exploration Walks on Rodriguez Street, proceed ½ toward Watsonville/Monterey, Nature Activities all day The whole milefamily to Watsonville Civic Plaza. 14.3 miles, to Riverside Drive Turnall rightindoor off Rodriguez Street exit, turn left from offramp exit Saturday 1:30 PM is welcome for into garage. Drive to top floor or and proceed 2 miles. Turn left and outdoorpark activities. on any floor and take an el- Saturday on Rodriguez proceed ½ Sunday 10:00 AM & Street, Sunday evator to the top.

On Thursday mile to Watsonville Civic Plaza.

1:30 PM and Friday, parking is free for Turn right off Rodriquez Street 11:00 AM 5:00 PM All ages may the participate. first two hours after which into garage. Travel distance 77 At each of these times, a 1/2 there is a parking fee. Parking miles, about 1 hour, 23 minutes.

No registration hour walk and a 2 hour walk is freeneeded. all day Saturday and From Monterey Airport, head Sunday.

Fred Kane Drive. Fred Snacks west andondrinks provided are available to choose from.

Kane Drive turns slightly right and becomes Olmsted Road.

Bilingual Spanish/English Turn right at Highway 68.

Merge onto Highway 1 North Binoculars and instruction provided via the ramp to Santa Cruz, 12.8 miles. Exit Riverside Drive, veer From Mineta San Jose Inter- to right and proceed 2 miles.

No birdwatching experience needed national Airport, head south- Turn left on Rodriguez Street, east on Airport Blvd. Take the proceed ½ mile to Watsonramp on the left onto Interstate ville Civic Plaza. Turn right off 880 S. Continue on Highway Rodriquez Street into garage.

17 South, 26.3 miles. Take Drive to top floor or park on any the exit onto Highway 1 South floor and take an elevator to the toward Watsonville/Monterey, top. On Thursday and Friday, 14.3 miles, to Riverside Drive parking is free for the first two exit, turn left from offramp exit hours after which there is a 30 Harkins Slough Rd2 miles. Turn left parking fee. Parking is free all and proceed on Rodriguez (behind Ramsay Park) Street, proceed ½ day Saturday and Sunday.

FREE!

If You Are Flying: For more

information call (831) 768-1622

City of Watsonville Nature Center

22

Monterey Bay Birding Festival 2014

Watsonville CA 95076

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The Monterey Bay Birding Festival Steering Committee members wish to express their gratitude and appreciation for all of our Sponsors, Friends and Supporters who help make this annual event possible. We ask, all of you, in turn, to encourage and support them with your patronage.

Elkhorn Slough Foundation Santa Cruz Conference & Visitors Council

Thanks also to our TASTE OF THE PAJARO VALLEY providers!

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