Novato has a fairly rich variety of different habitat types: forest, mixed woodland, oak savanna, grassland, chaparral, tidal and seasonal wetlands. The missing element which sometimes irks me, however, is our limited access to the Bay. We are a bayshore community, but we are generally kept at arm’s length from the water itself by a strip of either inaccessible marsh or reclaimed lands diked for agricultural use. You can get within spotting scope distance of a marshy shoreline at Black Point’s Day Island, but if you want to be on the edge of the Bay, it is time to head south to San Rafael. China Camp has a few rocky inlets on the northern, San Pablo Bay side of Point San Pedro, but for the full bay-birding experience, it is even better to continue southwards around the point, especially to my favorite access point at the Loch Lomond Marina.
In addition to being an active marina, Loch Lomond also hosts a section of public shoreline trail, more or less connecting to the Bay Trail, the planned 500-mile trail that will eventually encircle the entire San Francisco Bay (other existing sections include those at Hamilton Wetlands, Las Gallinas Ponds, and the southern San Rafael bayshore described below). The exact layout of the trail here offers some unique advantages, as it passes along the narrow, rocky breakwater that protects the marina. In addition to the practical conveniences of civilization (restroom, picnic tables and benches, nearby market) and the well-designed rocky interface which seems to be exactly to the tastes of a number of birds, the close proximity of the trail to the edge of the water means that the birds here are well acclimated to people and are often visible from close range.
Rocky shoreline
This applies in particular to the specialty shorebirds of rocky shorelines, a department in which Novato is essentially totally lacking. Most spectacular of these is the black oystercatcher, a large and striking bird that uses its long and sturdy bill to pry open oysters and other molluscs and crustaceans. Like big black chickens armed with glowing red daggers and yellow staring eyes, they march along the shoreline and clamber over rocks in search of prey all year-round.
Two winter-only birds are less spectacular, but both rather endearing: the smaller black turnstones and spotted sandpipers. Turnstones are relatively plain and chunky birds, black above and white-bellied, who do indeed turn over stones in a wonderfully appropriate way when suitable rocks present themselves. It really makes me feel like the world makes sense when I see a turnstone who is busily turning stones.
Spotted sandpipers might strike you as less well-named, given that their winter plumage lacks the eponymous spots they sport in spring, but they are still unique and easily distinguished from other sandpipers by their generally individualistic lifestyle and their irresistible urge to teeter, raising and lowering their rump in a nearly constant seesaw motion. Of the old names which no one uses anymore, my favorite is the accurate but convivial “tip-tail.” Well, “teeter-peep” is pretty good too. (You can see a nice video of the tip-tailing action in my Stafford Lake profile.) These three species are the most habitat-restricted of Loch Lomond’s shorebirds: you can also see other more widespread shorebirds like black-bellied plovers, willets, long-billed curlews, and least sandpipers here, often at unusually close distances.
Lastly, I should mention another group of coastal rock-lovers: the cormorants. Although the cormorant population here is dominated as it is through San Rafael, Novato, and other non-coastal areas by the double-crested cormorant (the biggest of our three species, with a tell-tale yellow throat), our two other more coastal species (Brandt’s and particularly pelagic cormorant) also make occasional forays into the bay, where they gather on offshore rocks between sessions of diving for fish.
Deep water
If you park at the far left end of the parking area, by the entrance to the jetty trail, you will be immediately greeted by a seasonally inundated area (visible at bottom right in the image above). In winter, this pond can host ducks like mallards, wigeon, northern shovelers, and gadwall, as well as egrets and a few wading shorebirds like black-necked stilts and American avocets. Some of these will also explore other inlets along the immediate shoreline, especially when the tide is out, but the relatively special offering here is the proximity to deeper bay waters which offer a different array of species.
Once you get well into fall (from, say, November onwards), you can see large groups of some of the saltier ducks such as scaup and ruddy ducks out on the bay, with lower numbers of common goldeneye. Less abundant, but possible visitors from the outer coast include surf scoters, brant, and a good selection of grebes, including the year-round pied-billed grebe, the compact black and white horned grebe, and the larger Western and Clark’s grebes.
These waterfowl and swimming birds are not the only lovers of the Bay. Lanky-winged ospreys hunt for fish year-round, joined in their aerial bombardments by brown pelicans from mid-summer through fall. Close in, belted kingfishers fish on a smaller scale from shoreline trees and other perches. The dominant gull at Loch Lomond is the large, dark-backed coastal species the western gull, joining in with the smaller, lighter-backed ring-billed gulls, as well as both Caspian and Forster’s terns. Loch Lomond is not particularly notable for its songbirds, but you can expect to see some of the wetter-tending birds here such as song and Savannah sparrows.
A nearby destination
Also worth noting another 1.7 miles down Point San Pedro Road is the McNear Brickyard. In fall, peaking from mid-September through early October, migrating Vaux’s swifts roost in the unused chimneys each night on the southward migration. Visit at sunset to see thousands of swifts swirling overhead before plunging into the chimney; you can also see some shoreline birds on the adjacent rocky border.
More San Rafael Shoreline
Many of these deep water birds, and some of the rocky coast birds, can also be seen farther south along the San Rafael shoreline. 2.4 miles of Bay Trail have been completed on the south side of the San Rafael Canal between Pickleweed Park on the north end and the Jean & John Starkweather Shoreline Park on the south end, approaching the Richmond Bridge. This stretch of trail also passes by some marsh and wetland areas that can host additional duck and songbird species, but much of this shoreline is more exposed and less protected, seemingly making it less attractive than Loch Lomond to the oystercatchers and turnstones.
Practical Details
Getting There: The marina address is 110 Loch Lomond Drive in San Rafael, about 1.6 miles east of downtown San Rafael on Point San Pedro Road.
Getting Around: The quickest access to the rocky jetty trail is by turning left upon entering the marina and continuing to the end of the parking area, where there is a signed trailhead as well as a restroom and nearby picnic tables and benches.
For a longer route, park along Point San Pedro Road immediately before the stop light to enter Loch Lomond and walk into the small park and up to the waterfront through the signed Bay Trail entrance, bear left to enter the marina, make your way past the bait shop where egrets await piscine handouts, and then continue along the path along the inner edge of the marina (where some birds do venture) until you reach the jetty trailhead described above.
Birds: See past and recent sightings on Loch Lomond’s eBird hotspot page. Then add your own!
Header photo: Black Turnstone by Mick Thompson
This is a great local spot to explore – thanks again, Jack!