United States Ramsar wetland
Tomales Bay
364 bird species recorded; the most from September to October.
Daniel di Palma · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
226 species in January.224 species in February.225 species in March.225 species in April.241 species in May.208 species in June.215 species in July.238 species in August.289 species in September.285 species in October.256 species in November.252 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
VU
VU
NT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
364 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 364Speciesrecorded more than once
- 198Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 16ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 482,033Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 19Raptors
- 9Owls
- 46Waders
- 47Gulls & seabirds
- 39Ducks & geese
- 22Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 147Songbirds
- 34Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 364 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors19 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- Red-tailed HawkButeo jamaicensis
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Falco sparveriusFalco sparverius
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- White-tailed KiteElanus leucurus
- Red-shouldered HawkButeo lineatus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Ferruginous HawkButeo regalis
- Bald EagleHaliaeetus leucocephalus
- Accipiter striatusAccipiter striatus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
- Prairie FalconFalco mexicanus
- Golden EagleAquila chrysaetos
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Swainson's HawkButeo swainsoni
- Broad-winged HawkButeo platypterus
- Cooper's HawkAccipiter cooperii
Owls9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Horned OwlBubo virginianus
- American Barn OwlTyto furcata
- Burrowing OwlAthene cunicularia
- Northern Saw-Whet OwlAegolius acadicus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Spotted OwlStrix occidentalisNT
- Western Screech-owlMegascops kennicottii
- Glaucidium gnomaGlaucidium gnoma
- Barred OwlStrix varia
Waders46 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Least SandpiperCalidris minutillaNT
- SanderlingCalidris alba
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferusNT
- Western SandpiperCalidris mauri
- Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoaVU
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Semipalmated PloverCharadrius semipalmatus
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- Greater YellowlegsTringa melanoleucaNT
- Red-necked PhalaropePhalaropus lobatus
- Wilson's SnipeGallinago delicata
- Long-billed dowitcherLimnodromus scolopaceusNT
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
- Short-billed DowitcherLimnodromus griseusVU
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Black TurnstoneArenaria melanocephala
- Black OystercatcherHaematopus bachmani
- Baird's SandpiperCalidris bairdii
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Pectoral SandpiperCalidris melanotos
- Long-billed CurlewNumenius americanus
- Grey (Red) PhalaropePhalaropus fulicarius
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- Lesser yellowlegsTringa flavipesVU
- Pacific Golden PloverPluvialis fulva
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- Buff-breasted SandpiperCalidris subruficollisVU
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Black-necked StiltHimantopus mexicanus
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Solitary SandpiperTringa solitaria
- Semipalmated SandpiperCalidris pusillaNT
- Bristle-thighed CurlewNumenius tahitiensisNT
- Wandering (Alaskan) TattlerTringa incana
- Wilson's PhalaropePhalaropus tricolor
- SurfbirdCalidris virgata
- Rock SandpiperCalidris ptilocnemis
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Hudsonian GodwitLimosa haemasticaVU
- Stilt SandpiperCalidris himantopusNT
- Hudsonian WhimbrelNumenius hudsonicus
- Sharp-tailed SandpiperCalidris acuminataVU
- Little StintCalidris minuta
- White-rumped SandpiperCalidris fuscicollisVU
Gulls & seabirds47 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Larus occidentalisLarus occidentalis
- Ring-billed GullLarus delawarensis
- California GullLarus californicus
- Common LoonGavia immer
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Glaucous-winged GullLarus glaucescens
- Red-throated LoonGavia stellata
- Heermann's GullLarus heermanniNT
- American Herring GullLarus smithsonianus
- Short-billed GullLarus brachyrhynchus
- Pacific LoonGavia pacifica
- Common MurreUria aalge
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Iceland GullLarus glaucoides
- Elegant TernThalasseus elegansNT
- Forster's TernSterna forsteri
- Sooty shearwaterPuffinus griseus
- Cepphus columbaCepphus columba
- Arctic SkuaStercorarius parasiticus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- FulmarFulmarus glacialis
- Yellow-billed DiverGavia adamsiiNT
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- Black-throated DiverGavia arctica
- Marbled MurreletBrachyramphus marmoratus
- Black-vented ShearwaterPuffinus opisthomelasNT
- Ancient MurreletSynthliboramphus antiquus
- Rhinoceros AukletCerorhinca monocerata
- Black-legged kittiwakeRissa tridactylaVU
- Pomarine SkuaStercorarius pomarinus
- Pink-footed ShearwaterPuffinus creatopus
- Cassin's AukletPtychoramphus aleuticusNT
- Black SkimmerRynchops niger
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Long-tailed SkuaStercorarius longicaudus
- Fork-tailed Storm PetrelOceanodroma furcata
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
- Laughing GullLeucophaeus atricilla
- Sabine's GullXema sabini
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Leach's Storm PetrelOceanodroma leucorhoaVU
- Hydrobates homochroaHydrobates homochroa
- Black-footed AlbatrossPhoebastria nigripesNT
- Least TernSternula antillarum
- Franklin's GullLeucophaeus pipixcan
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Little GullHydrocoloeus minutus
Ducks & geese39 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillata
- BuffleheadBucephala albeola
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Greater ScaupAythya marila
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- American WigeonMareca americana
- Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Red-breasted MerganserMergus serrator
- Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
- Ring-necked DuckAythya collaris
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Cinnamon TealSpatula cyanoptera
- White-winged ScoterMelanitta deglandi
- Cackling GooseBranta hutchinsii
- CanvasbackAythya valisineria
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- American ScoterMelanitta americanaNT
- Hooded MerganserLophodytes cucullatus
- Blue-winged TealSpatula discors
- Long-tailed duckClangula hyemalisVU
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- RedheadAythya americana
- Snow gooseAnser caerulescens
- Bewick's SwanCygnus columbianus
- Barrow's GoldeneyeBucephala islandica
- Harlequin DuckHistrionicus histrionicus
- Ross's GooseAnser rossii
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- King EiderSomateria spectabilis
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Trumpeter SwanCygnus buccinator
Herons, ibises & grebes22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
- Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
- Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
- Eared GrebePodiceps nigricollis
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Western GrebeAechmophorus occidentalis
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Horned GrebePodiceps auritusVU
- Brandt's CormorantUrile penicillatus
- Black-crowned Night-HeronNycticorax nycticorax
- Pelagic CormorantPhalacrocorax pelagicus
- Clark's GrebeAechmophorus clarkii
- Red-necked GrebePodiceps grisegena
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- Plegadis chihiPlegadis chihi
- Green HeronButorides virescens
- Western Cattle EgretBubulcus ibis
- Yellow-crowned Night-HeronNyctanassa violacea
- Little Blue HeronEgretta caerulea
- Brandt's CormorantPhalacrocorax penicillatus
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Sandhill CraneGrus canadensis
Songbirds147 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Song SparrowMelospiza melodia
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- White-crowned sparrowZonotrichia leucophrys
- California Scrub JayAphelocoma californica
- Black phoebeSayornis nigricans
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- WrentitChamaea fasciata
- Pipilo maculatusPipilo maculatus
- Bewick's WrenThryomanes bewickii
- Chestnut-backed ChickadeePoecile rufescens
- American GoldfinchSpinus tristis
- Savannah SparrowPasserculus sandwichensis
- Myrtle WarblerSetophaga coronata
- Common YellowthroatGeothlypis trichas
- Western BluebirdSialia mexicana
- Agelaius phoeniceusAgelaius phoeniceus
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- House finchHaemorhous mexicanus
- Golden-crowned SparrowZonotrichia atricapilla
- Ruby-crowned KingletRegulus calendula
- Marsh WrenCistothorus palustris
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Brewer's BlackbirdEuphagus cyanocephalusNT
- Sturnella neglectaSturnella neglecta
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- California TowheeMelozone crissalis
- Buff-bellied PipitAnthus rubescens
- Say's phoebeSayornis saya
- Junco hyemalisJunco hyemalis
- Wilson's WarblerCardellina pusilla
- Steller's JayCyanocitta stelleri
- Red Fox SparrowPasserella iliaca
- Townsend's WarblerSetophaga townsendi
- Vireo huttoniVireo huttoni
- Purple FinchHaemorhous purpureus
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- Empidonax difficilisEmpidonax difficilis
- American BushtitPsaltriparus minimus
- Pygmy NuthatchSitta pygmaea
- Pine SiskinSpinus pinus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Tree SwallowTachycineta bicolor
- Orange-crowned WarblerLeiothlypis celata
- Brown CreeperCerthia americana
- Mangrove WarblerSetophaga petechia
- Northern House WrenTroglodytes aedon
- Warbling VireoVireo gilvus
- American Cliff SwallowPetrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Lincoln's SparrowMelospiza lincolnii
- Troglodytes pacificusTroglodytes pacificus
- Violet-green SwallowTachycineta thalassina
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Lesser GoldfinchSpinus psaltria
- Northern Rough-winged SwallowStelgidopteryx serripennis
- Tricoloured BlackbirdAgelaius tricolor
- Black-headed GrosbeakPheucticus melanocephalus
- Black-throated Grey WarblerSetophaga nigrescens
- Golden-crowned KingletRegulus satrapa
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Red-breasted NuthatchSitta canadensis
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Varied ThrushIxoreus naevius
- Western TanagerPiranga ludoviciana
- Grasshopper SparrowAmmodramus savannarum
- Olive-Sided FlycatcherContopus cooperi
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Blue-gray GnatcatcherPolioptila caerulea
- Western Wood-PeweeContopus sordidulus
- White-throated SparrowZonotrichia albicollis
- Hermit WarblerSetophaga occidentalis
- Northern MockingbirdMimus polyglottos
- Purple MartinProgne subis
- Ash-throated FlycatcherMyiarchus cinerascens
- LeConte's SparrowAmmospiza leconteii
- Oak TitmouseBaeolophus inornatus
- MacGillivray's WarblerGeothlypis tolmiei
- Vireo cassiniiVireo cassinii
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Palm WarblerSetophaga palmarum
- Red-throated PipitAnthus cervinus
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Swamp SparrowMelospiza georgiana
- Loggerhead ShrikeLanius ludovicianusNT
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Chestnut-collared LongspurCalcarius ornatusVU
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Northern ParulaSetophaga americana
- Willow FlycatcherEmpidonax traillii
- Bullock's OrioleIcterus bullockii
- Lazuli BuntingPasserina amoena
- Western KingbirdTyrannus verticalis
- Tropical KingbirdTyrannus melancholicus
- Lark SparrowChondestes grammacus
- Red-eyed VireoVireo olivaceus
- American RedstartSetophaga ruticilla
- Rock WrenSalpinctes obsoletus
- Nashville WarblerLeiothlypis ruficapilla
- Tennessee WarblerLeiothlypis peregrina
- Smith's LongspurCalcarius pictus
- Vesper SparrowPooecetes gramineus
- Clay-colored SparrowSpizella pallida
- BobolinkDolichonyx oryzivorusNT
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- Prairie WarblerSetophaga discolor
- Chestnut-sided WarblerSetophaga pensylvanica
- Rose-breasted GrosbeakPheucticus ludovicianus
- Lark BuntingCalamospiza melanocorys
- Hooded OrioleIcterus cucullatus
- Northern WaterthrushParkesia noveboracensis
- Blackburnian WarblerSetophaga fusca
- Black-and-white WarblerMniotilta varia
- Blackpoll WarblerSetophaga striataNT
- Eastern phoebeSayornis phoebe
- Summer TanagerPiranga rubra
- Sage ThrasherOreoscoptes montanus
- American Tree SparrowSpizelloides arborea
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Yellow-breasted ChatIcteria virens
- Hammond's FlycatcherEmpidonax hammondii
- Orchard orioleIcterus spurius
- OvenbirdSeiurus aurocapilla
- Eastern Yellow WagtailMotacilla tschutschensis
- Green-tailed TowheePipilo chlorurus
- Yellow-headed BlackbirdXanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Rufous-crowned SparrowAimophila ruficeps
- Evening GrosbeakHesperiphona vespertinaVU
- Quiscalus mexicanusQuiscalus mexicanus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Philadelphia VireoVireo philadelphicus
- Townsend's SolitaireMyadestes townsendi
- Lawrence's GoldfinchSpinus lawrencei
- Magnolia WarblerSetophaga magnolia
- Cape May WarblerSetophaga tigrina
- Least FlycatcherEmpidonax minimus
- Rusty BlackbirdEuphagus carolinusVU
- Eastern TowheePipilo erythrophthalmus
- Brewer's SparrowSpizella breweri
- Sooty Fox SparrowPasserella unalaschcensis
- Dusky-capped FlycatcherMyiarchus tuberculifer
- Mountain BluebirdSialia currucoides
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Blue GrosbeakPasserina caerulea
- Bay-breasted WarblerSetophaga castanea
- Winter WrenTroglodytes hiemalis
- Northern ShrikeLanius borealis
- American Yellow WarblerSetophaga aestiva
Other birds34 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- California QuailCallipepla californica
- Anna's HummingbirdCalypte anna
- Yellow-shafted FlickerColaptes auratus
- American CootFulica americana
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Belted KingfisherMegaceryle alcyon
- Acorn WoodpeckerMelanerpes formicivorus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Downy WoodpeckerDryobates pubescens
- Band-tailed PigeonPatagioenas fasciata
- Hairy WoodpeckerLeuconotopicus villosus
- Allen's HummingbirdSelasphorus sasin
- Nuttall's WoodpeckerDryobates nuttallii
- Virginia RailRallus limicola
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- Pileated WoodpeckerDryocopus pileatus
- Red-breasted SapsuckerSphyrapicus ruber
- SoraPorzana carolina
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Rufous HummingbirdSelasphorus rufusNT
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Vaux's SwiftChaetura vauxi
- Yellow-bellied SapsuckerSphyrapicus varius
- White-throated swiftAeronautes saxatalis
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Black RailLaterallus jamaicensis
- Common PoorwillPhalaenoptilus nuttallii
- Williamson's SapsuckerSphyrapicus thyroideus
- American Black SwiftCypseloides nigerVU
- Western RailRallus obsoletusNT
- Sphyrapicus nuchalisSphyrapicus nuchalis
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Black-billed cuckooCoccyzus erythropthalmus
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from September to October.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan12°/9°134 mm
- Feb13°/9°127 mm
- Mar13°/10°104 mm
- Apr13°/10°52 mm
- May14°/10°25 mm
- Jun15°/11°9 mm
- Jul16°/12°2 mm
- Aug17°/13°2 mm
- Sep18°/13°6 mm
- Oct17°/12°37 mm
- Nov15°/11°83 mm
- Dec13°/9°169 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Tomales Bay.
Inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County, California, US
Tomales Bay is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United States.
364 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 482,033 open records.
The most recorded are the Turkey Vulture, the Song Sparrow and the Northern Raven.
84 species come for the summer, 106 for the winter and 8 only pass through.
16 are threatened worldwide, including Marbled Godwit, Grey Plover and Horned Grebe.
The most species are recorded from September to October.
Get there and watch
- Marshall Beach Boat-In Campsitescampsite · 2.2 km · 2 within 10 km
- Tomales Bay Resortplace to stay · 5.6 km · 7 within 10 km
- Invernessnearest town · 6.4 km in a straight line
- Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 41 km in a straight lineCar hire at STS airport (Santa Rosa)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1marked trails within 4 kmAbbotts Lagoon Trail
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 6car parks within 3 km
- 2restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 2campsites within 10 kmMarshall Beach Boat-In Campsites, Lawsons Landing
- 7places to stay within 10 kmTomales Bay Resort, Nick's Cove Cottages, Nick's Cove and 4 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Tomales Bay.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas21 mountains within 25 kmBlack Mountain · 14 kmAntonio Mountain · 15 kmDos Piedras · 17 kmDeer Point · 19 kmFirtop · 20 kmBarnabe Mountain · 21 kmEnglish Hill · 22 kmBodega Head · 23 km
Coastya13 beaches within 10 kmHearts Desire · 1.8 kmPebble Beach · 2.4 kmShalow Beach · 3.1 kmTomales Beach · 3.5 kmShell Beach · 4.0 kmTeachers Beach · 4.6 kmAlan Sieroty Beach · 6.3 kmPoint Reyes Beach · 9.8 km
Lakeyas3 lakes within 15 kmSoulajule Reservoir0.7 km² · 10 kmNicasio Reservoir3.2 km² · 15 kmLaguna Lake0.8 km² · 15 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Tomales Bay
United States
- 90Birdyas Score
- 364Species
- 198Migrants
- 16Threatened
Laguna de Santa Rosa
United States · 36 km
- 80Birdyas Score
- 256Species
- 139Migrants
- 6Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q7818240) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 482,033 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Coastya, Lakeyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
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