Leaders: Mary Krentz and Stephanie Floyd, fieldtrips AT ohloneaudubon.org

Lake Merritt is a great place to go birding in the winter!  Rare winter visitors in the past have included Tufted Ducks and Redheads.  Come help us find them. We’ll meet on the lake side of the Rotary Nature Center where we should find plenty of wintering ducks such as Buffleheads, goldeneyes, and scaups as well as other waterfowl including several species of grebes.  We’ll walk along the shoreline exploring both the lake side and the park side where we may find Townsend’s and other warblers in the trees.  As time allows, we’ll wander across the park towards the Japanese garden looking for woodpeckers, nuthatches, wrens, raptors and others in the oaks.  Rain cancels.  The Rotary Nature Center is at 600 Bellevue Ave. in Oakland.  From Fremont/Hayward, take the Oak Street exit from I-880 North in Oakland and head northeast.  Continue on Oak Street as it becomes Lakeside Dr.  Turn right onto Bellevue from Lakeside Dr.  From I-580 west (Castro Valley), take the Grand Ave. exit in Oakland and turn right onto Grand.  Turn left onto Bellevue Ave.  $5 parking fee on weekends.