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Las Gallinas Water Treatment Ponds

California  >  United States

This area includes water treatment ponds and tidal marsh surrounded by agricultural fields, hosting a variety of ducks, shorebirds, raptors and song birds.

Ajouté* par Allison Levin
Dernière actualisation 19 avril 2024

Description

The Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District water treatment ponds is one of the most popular birding spots in Marin County. This is great place for overwintering birds as well as spring activity. The ponds offer lush cattail marsh and islands with habitat for a variety of herons, rails, and marsh birds like Green Heron, Common Gallinule, Black-crowned Night Heron, Sora, Ridgway's Rail and Virginia Rail. In particular, this site is one of the few places in the Bay Area where Least Bitterns can be found - though locating them requires a good ear, sharp eyes and often lots of patient seaching. If you're lucky, you'll hear their grunting/cackling cries or eventually see a bird stealthily peek between reeds or fly between reed beds.

In late Fall through early Spring, the ponds host a huge variety of duck and goose species, as well as grebes, and flocks of shorebirds foraging in the exposed mud. Wilson's Snipe, Savannah Sparrow and American Pipit can sometimes be seen quietly foraging in the fields and along the banks of the ponds.

In Spring and Summer, the edges of the ponds ring with the sounds of Red-winged Blackbirds, Marsh Wrens, Song Sparrows and Common Yellowthroats, while swallows swoop overhead, Golden-crowned Sparrows and White-crowned Sparrows forage along the trail margins, phoebes hunt for insects from exposed perches and raptors soar above looking for prey. White-tailed Kites, Northern Harriers, American Kestrels, Osprey, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk and Red-tailed Hawks are all common, while Peregrine Falcon, Merlins, or Bald Eagles sometimes make an appearance.

A number of uncommon, rare, out-of-usual-habitat or vagrant birds have been found here over the years including: Tundra Swan, Redhead, Tufted Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, Pacific Golden Plover, Red Phalarope, Baird's Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Iceland Gull, Pacific Loon, Little Blue Heron, White-faced Ibis, Rough-legged Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Tropical Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird, Northern Shrike, Horned Lark, Bank Swallow, Rock Wren, Sage Thrasher, White Wagtail, Lawrence's Goldfinch, Clay-colored Sparrow, Harris's Sparrow, Swamp Sparrow, Green-tailed Towhee, Yellow-breasted Chat, Bobolink, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Northern Waterthrush, Magnolia Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Palm Warbler, Hermit Warbler and more.

Détails

Accès

Las Gallinas Water Treatment Ponds is located between San Rafael and Novato. Parking is available at the trailhead, adjacent to the water treatment plant. Click on the P in the map for directions. There are portable toilets at the edge of the parking area.

Terrain et Habitat

Zone humide , Arbres et buissons disséminés , Prairie , Étang , Agriculture

Conditions

Sec , Poussiéreux

Boucle

Oui

Avez-vous besoin d'une longue-vue?

Peut être utile

Saison idéale pour observer

Toute l'année

Meilleure période pour une visite

Hiver , Automne , Printemps

Itinéraire

Route non pavée , Sentier large

Niveau de difficulté de l'itinéraire

Facile

Accessible via

A pied , Vélo

Observatoire/hutte d'observation

Non

Liens

Voir les sites d'observation voisins publiés sur Birdingplaces

Carte

Top 5 oiseaux

Autres oiseaux que vous pouvez observer ici

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