SATURDAY WALKS // SATURDAY TALKS // SUNDAY WALKS // SUNDAY TALKS
Mare Island San Pablo Bay Trail
Sunday, 10am to 3pm
Self guided walk, one mile loop trail with views of San Pablo Bay and Mt Tamalpais.
Look for scope stations staffed by Napa Solano Audubon Society
and Golden Gate Alliance members​
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There are many birds to be seen including raptors, songbirds, and egrets.
This hike is easy terrain, but may be muddy if there have been recent rains.
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Park in parking lot off Dump Road, Mare Island
Directions: go west on Tennessee Street in Vallejo to where it dead ends into Azuar Drive on Mare Island, turn south (left), turn right on Dump Road and drive to parking lot (landmarks: information sign and porta potty).
South End of Mare Island
Sunday, 8am to sunset, walk lasts about 2 hours
Mare Island Preserve and Regional Park
Self guided tour
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You can see a variety of birds including songbirds and osprey. You'll have views of Carquinez Strait, San Pablo Bay, and Mt. Tamalpais.
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This is considered moderate terrain for experienced hikers.
Start at 167 O'Hara Court, Vallejo
Directions: go west on Tennessee Street in Vallejo to where it dead ends into Azuar Drive on Mare Island, turn south (left), follow the signs to “Mare Island Preserve” and navigate to 167 O’Hara Ct at the end of Azuar Drive.
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Skagg’s Island
Sunday, 9:30am to 1:30, walk lasts about 4 hours
Led by Mark Stephenson (President, Napa Solano Audubon Society), Meg Marriott (Wildlife Biologist, San Pablo Bay and Marin Islands National Wildlife Refuges, USFWS), Murray Berner (has led over 70 field trips to the Island), Adrian Johnson (Co-Manager, West County Hawkwatch)
Registration required, limited to 40 participants. We will divide into two groups of 20.
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Brush and grassland, the Island is notable for its wintering and resident hawks, owls, and falcons.That will be our focus. The 18 species of regularly occurring raptors include Rough-legged Hawk, Short-eared Owl, and Merlin. Songbirds and aquatic species are well-represented. A typical February field trip finds about 40 species. This is a four mile round-trip hike over uneven terrain. No driving will be allowed.
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Directions will be provided upon registration.
Pacific Flyway Center Wetlands – “Ken Hofmann's Walk in the Marsh”
Sunday, 8:30am, walk lasts about 2 hours.
Led by: Demitri “WalkingintheWild” Penuelas (Wildlife Photographer and Naturalist)
Registration required, limited to 20 participants.
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Demitri Penuelas — better known across the North Bay as WalkingintheWild — is a naturalist and wildlife photographer with a gift for helping people see the world with sharper eyes and deeper curiosity. Featured in The San Francisco Standard for his intimate, ground-level portraits of bobcats, Demitri is known for his rare patience in the field: he’ll spend hours quietly observing a single animal, letting its natural behavior unfold without disturbance.
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That same presence and attentiveness shape every hike he leads.
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As the guide for the Pacific Flyway Center’s Ken Hofmann Walk in the Marsh, Demitri brings participants into the rhythm of the marsh itself — noticing subtle tracks, reading habitat clues, and revealing the hidden stories playing out all around us. His calm storytelling style, sharp field instincts, and deep respect for wildlife make him a magnetic leader for both seasoned naturalists and first-time explorers.
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A walk with Demitri is more than a nature outing. It’s an invitation to slow down, tune in, and experience the marsh the way wildlife does: with awareness, humility, and wonder. He inspires people to look closer, listen deeper, and leave with a renewed sense of connection to the landscapes we’re working to protect.
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Preview the “Ken Hofmann Walk in the Marsh” before it’s 2027 unveiling. Join Dimitri Penuelas on this rare available to the public walk, you will see waterfowl, herons, marsh and endemic bird species. Recent bird count results identified over 70 species including owls and a bald eagle. There are 3.25 miles of paved trail primarily flat, however some parts of the walk may be off-trail closest to the wetlands. We recommend waterproof shoes or hiking boots, long pants, hat, binoculars and spotting scope if you have one. All children must be accompanied by an adult.
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Important Note: There are no restrooms, potable water or trash receptacles on site. Location, Fairfield-Hwy 680. Directions will be provided upon registration.
American Canyon Wetlands
Sunday, 9am, walk lasts about 2 hours.
Led by Joseph Furnish, Ph.D retired Regional Aquatic Ecologist, U.S. Forest Service, Vallejo, CA
Registration required, limited to 20 participants.
Joseph Furnish was Regional Aquatic Ecologist for the Bureau of Land Management and U.S. Forest Service’s Regional Office in California, Oregon and Washington, where he helped develop techniques for water quality monitoring, and conservation of threatened and endangered aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates. Since retirement in 2015, he has volunteered as a docent at the Jepson Prairie vernal pool reserve near Dixon and for local high school environmental education programs in the North Bay.
Walk description: The Napa River's tidal floodplain hosts a wealth of birds each winter. Wetlands Edge Park in the city of American Canyon provides easy access to ponds, woods, mudflats and open water habitats. We'll walk a ~ 2 mile gravel/dirt loop to pick up landbirds (likely American Kestrel, White-tailed Kite, Western Bluebird; possible Peregrine Falcon, Hermit Thrush and Common Yellowthroat), marsh birds (probable Mute Swans, Marsh Wrens and all 4 resident heron species; possible Ring-necked Pheasants, Virginia Rails and Sora). This area has a high diversity of winter ducks (13 duck species are likely and another 5 are possible) a number of waders and shorebirds as well as possible Bald Eagles, Osprey, Kingfishers, and more.
Directions will be provided upon registration.
​Tour the C.A. Thayer: The Last Pacific Lumber Schooner
Sunday, Feb. 1 at 1pm and 3pm
Led by National Park Service Rangers from the San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park
Registration required, each tour limited to 10 people
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Join a park ranger for a 20-minute program on the lumber schooner C.A. Thayer to look for birds from a unique perspective and to learn about the ship's role in Pacific Coast maritime history and culture.
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Meeting location will be provided on registration.