Napa Solano Audubon Society

Our mission is to share the fun of birding, promote conservation and scientific understanding of wild birds and their habitats, and offer engaging, science-based education emphasizing the communities of Napa and Solano counties.
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Coming Up

Get Involved

Napa-Solano Birds is predominantly a volunteer organization. To make our programs successful we need membership involvement in all of our activities. Donating even a few hours of time can help a lot. There are all sorts of fun ways to get involved – from helping out with a classroom visit, bird walk or special event, to monitoring your own area for breeding birds.

Bird Family Galleries

Welcome to Napa Solano Audubon Society!

Bird of the Week – Tufted Duck
Found at Milton Road Pond 8 by Larry Kent on February 19th
Select to learn more about this bird

NSAS Spring 2025 College Scholarship Awards Program:

This Spring, NSAS will continue providing a one year, $2,000 Scholarship for two High School Seniors from Napa & Solano Counties who will be enrolled in the Fall of 2025 at a Community or 4-year College pursuing a course of study in ornithology, wildlife, conservation, environmental studies or related fields. If you know of any seniors living in either Napa or Solano counties who are continuing their education in one of these fields of study please let them know they can apply for one of our scholarships. To be considered, applications must be submitted by April 30, 2024. Click here for more information and eligibility requirements.

Upcoming Field Trips – All Members, Family & Friends of NSAS are Welcome to Join!

Field Trip Announcements: Beware our Field Trip eBlasts may end up in your Spam Folder!

Weekly Field Trips to Napa & Solano County Hotspots with Andrew Ford

NSAS offers Weekly Bird Walks on Saturday mornings with Andrew Ford to birding hotspots in Napa or Solano County, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending around noon. Come join in all the fun and have a great morning learning about birds. To look at some of our favorite weekly walk outings see Saturday Walks! A typical trip attracts approximately 20 birders. Through the seasons we try to catch the local “spectacles” of birding: spring shorebirds at American Canyon, winter raptors and Mountain Plovers in the Solano prairie, or fall warblers at Lagoon Valley. Locations are subject to change due to the changing of bird population and influx of migrants.

Beginner Field Trips to American Canyon Wetlands with Karina Garcia, Carol Boykin and Tom Slyker

So, if you are dipping a toe into birding, or dusting off a pair of binoculars for the first time in a while and you want some company as you learn about birding, we’d be delighted to have you join us for our Beginners Bird Walks. We hold Beginner’s Walks at the American Canyon Wetlands Edge Park on two Sundays each month beginning at 9:00 a.m. No reservations are necessary, just plan to show up and enjoy being outdoors for a little while. Sign up for Field Trip Notices by clicking on the Activity Sign-up Button at the top of our Home Page or Check our Calendar for the next Beginner’s Bird Walk. These walks are open to birders of all levels and ages. It’s free, it’s fun, and loaner binoculars are on hand if you need them. Napa Solano Audubon membership is not required. Karina Garcia, Carol Boykin, and Tom Slyker lead these walks. They are citizen science volunteers and participate in the Napa Solano Audubon’s CA Birdseasons project at this wetlands park location. NSAS has been monitoring birds at this site every Monday morning since 2016. This monitoring has provided the participants with a wealth of knowledge about the birds you might see at this location. They have been observing numerous species of waterfowl, a variety of shorebirds including American Avocets and Black Necked Stilts, as well as a variety of raptors, while looking and occasionally spotting the secretive Sora and Virginia Rails.

April Field Trip to East Side Berryessa with Larry Kent & Robin Leong
Saturday, April 5, 2025

Date: Saturday April 5, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM to 3:30 or longer
Meet: Meet at Eticuera Creek Day Use Area, 8:30 am.
Leaders: Robin Leong and Larry Kent
Carpool: Meet 7:15 at River Park shopping center.
What to bring: Binoculars, spotting scope, water, lunch, sturdy shoes, layered clothing.

This is your chance to bird east side of Lake Berryessa with the experts at a beautiful time of year. Highlights might be Lewis Woodpecker, Osprey on nest, Bald Eagle on nest, White tailed Kite, Yellow-billed Magpie.

Registration Information: To sign up for this Field Trip, click on the Registration link below, complete the Registration Form and click the Submit Button. We encourage you to sign-up early as this trip is popular and bound to fill up quickly. This field trip has a limit of 15 NSAS Members. The first 15 members to register will be active participants in this outing and additional registrations will be placed on a waiting list.

Registration Link: https://forms.gle/4Q3HCfdXJ3FjqLrA6

NSAS Presents: Exploring Florida Birds – with Mark Stephenson
April 10th at 7:00 p.m. at the Benicia Public Library

NSAS Presents: Exploring Florida Birds with Mark Stephenson

About the presentation: Mark has been birding in Florida since the 1960’s when he visited regularly as a teenager to visit his grandparents who lived near Tampa. Recently, he has returned to visit some of Florida’s most exciting birding locations. His presentation will take a look at some of the best birding hotspots Florida has to offer, how birding populations have changed over the years, and close-up looks at Florida’s many herons, shorebirds, raptors, woodpeckers, warblers and other passerines. Mark will share his extensive birding knowledge and impressive photos.

About the Presenter: Mark has been the President of Napa-Solano Audubon for the past 5 years. He began birding in the 4th grade and his birding knowledge expanded dramatically when his family moved to Ithaca, NY where he birded regularly with Dr. Arthur Allen, founder of Cornell’s Laboratory of Ornithology and other leading experts from the Lab. During college he worked summers at Sapsucker Wood’s and for the Massachusetts Audubon Society before heading west and directing Environmental Education Programs at Foresta Institute in Washoe Valley, Nevada. After a career of more than 30 years in public education in Benicia and Napa Schools, he is enjoying retirement and Northern California birding. When Mark’s son Lucas caught the “Birding Bug,” Mark turned from his passion for portrait and landscape photography to focus on birds. With his son Lucas, he has traveled to every corner of California, Arizona, Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Costa Rica searching for birds and taking their photos.

Searching for Volunteers

We are looking for volunteers to help support our beginning bird walks that take place in our local parks. Please consider helping out with this rewarding activity. We are also looking for supporters to assist us with Education Programs in our Schools, Tabling for Community Events such as Earth Day and in a number of Citizen Science activities from Monitoring Bluebird Boxes to Christmas Bird Counts. If you are interested in serving in any of these areas in any capacity, please click on the volunteer opportunities link below or contact Mark Stephenson at for more details.