The Fall Equinox represents a time for us to FALL INWARD to awaken within us our Inner Light and connect with our NAAM (our true selves).  It is the season of shedding and letting go of that which we no longer have the energy to give. 

Nature leads us through this time by example as we watch the last of the coastal fledglings hunt on their own and the adult birds leave their nesting grounds for the year.  My coastal walks become quieter as though nature has gone back to school and I find myself reminiscing about the summer days of watching the young hatchlings in their groupings - preening, loafing and developing their skills but alas time moves on, the days grow shorter and the Redwoods thin their leaves as the forest floor thickens and plumps itself with duff to store the winter rains. It’s a palatable energy shift, a re-centering.  

The Harvest Moon, the first full moon after the Equinox, marks this transition and this year it finds itself in the sign of fiery and impatient Aries! Aries takes us back to the beginning, to those days of our earliest needs, to our innocence, and to our impulse to cry out when something is the matter. So with this full moon we may find ourselves being reminded of old wounds that need healing and urge us to be honest about our pain, problems and needs. We find ourselves driven in this state to get what we perceive as missing and to seek a salve for wounds that have not yet been healed, or even recognized.

I call this state of mind the Common Cold of the Emotions and as humans we are all bound to get this bug at some point - it’s inevitable at this time of year! Symptoms include all or some of the following: mild depression, a sense of unease, frustration, anxiety, anger, impatience, fatigue, negativity and an all around feeling of loneliness tinged with being misunderstood. 

Fortunately, though, the adventurous, rowdy, “me first” Aries in this Full Moon is soothed with the compassionate neutral caring of Libra (the scales, balance).  Libra helps us define HOW we want to BE in relationships, including the relationship with ourselves.  And, you know, Aries ain’t all that bad - I should know because I am one! and if we can use the “me first” Aries archetype in a positive way it can direct us back to ourselves consciously and utilize the head-strong Ram’s fiery spirit to encourage us to be self-reliant and to seek answers and solace in self-knowing, self-confidence, and self-nurturing. Using this positive aspect of Aries in conjunction with Libra’s desire for compromise and win-win outcomes - we can find the answers to our needs! 

One way we can do this is through Kundalini Yoga and Mantra.  These tools help us to get back to SELF (Naam) and support getting our needs met through self-confirming attitudes.  Breath techniques and mantra are a way of sending a positive coded message to the Brain hemispheres - taking the mind off negative patterning and putting us on the track of self love, positivity and fulfillment. 

It’s easy to complain, to rehash those old wounds, feel unloved or that life is unfair - because the truth is that it can be at times.  But to every decision please know there is an opposite.  A friend of mine from whom and with whom I studied Kundalini (kundaliniwithsheel.com) recently wrote about the karma of complaining and I loved what she had to say:   

“We think these reactions are not that bad since we are not punching anyone. Sometimes we even sweep these actions under the rug by calling them “being human.”
That might have been okay in past lives, but here is a secret of Kundalini: yogis figured out that complaining creates dullness in your aura, a constant stream of low-grade karma that corrodes your connection to Spirit and other Souls over time, and diminishes the container of your life to effortlessly receive blessings and what you need to complete your mission and elevate to the Realm of Dharma. That is why there is yearning, devotion and even urgency for yogis to keep pulling the mental fluctuations back to the Naam.”

I love this! It couldn’t be said any better!  And what is important to know is that this is true from any level you are willing to ponder it.  You don’t have to be a yogi, an advanced yoga student or even take yoga, really.  You just need to try and be vigilantly conscious,  to catch yourself before going down the dark path of negativity! and mantras and breath work can help you do just this.  We have used several mantra’s in class (Ong So Hung, Har Haree and others) but if you don’t understand or know a mantra in the language - use an English one, like “I am bountiful, blissful and beautiful” or “I am, I am” (thanks Sheel)

Upon completing my training my teacher gave me a spiritual name based on my birth date and what he saw in me.  The name he gave me is Amrit Shakti.  Amrit is the sweet, purifying nectar of the Gods which, when taken, purifies us and allows us to live from the Path of the Heart.  Shakti is the ultimate feminine - I like to think of it as "potential manifested".  I use the meaning of Amrit Shakti as a way to close class... to remind ourselves to live from The Path of the Heart and to ALWAYS see ourselves as potential manifested. 

This past week and even just this morning... I have been struggling with a recent feeling of rejection.  Something that happened recently seemed to dredge up for me the painful feelings of being unworthy and undervalued, unwated.  My typical response in situations like this is to be mean, to put up the shield, to be angry and stew.  It seems silly when you are outside of these emotions but the darkness of their cloud is a whole different beast!  Each day I would go to the mat and practice and each day I would fall off track with the mind, falling back into bitterness and anger.  But the true discipline is getting back up and to remind myself ... I am Amrit Shakti -  I am the Path of the Heart, I am Potential Manifested. 

And when I do I feel like myself again.  
Sat Nam.

​

Robert Frost’s Poem The Road Not Taken (see below) is not about the woes and regrets of making one decision over the other - it's about how we navigate our choices in Life that can make all the difference.  

Friday’s Aquarius Full Moon Lunar Eclipse will be the longest (4 hours) this century giving us plenty of time to adjust our focus from the Sun’s glare to see what’s really been going on. This is a real eye opener of a Lunar Eclipse with Mercury and Mars retrograde where Mars will also (and very rarely) be eclipsed with the moon.  

In a way, cosmically, the message of this eclipse is equivalent to being called down to the Principal’s office over the School-of-Life’s PA system ... WHAT DID YOU DO THIS TIME?

In all seriousness, it’s not about punishing ourselves for our past choices and behavior - but rather learning from our actions in order to express our energy in a more positive, productive way.  Our physical body reminds us of our impermanence in this world.  Understanding this and acknowledging it through our choices can help us live more soul fulfilling lives that enrich us and help us make the most beneficial decisions along the way.
   
So with this moon we are presented the proverbial “fork in the road”.  Which one will you take to transform yourself and successfully ride the waves created from your past decisions into the future?  

Rather than making choices out of the immediacy of need and fear we can seize the opportunity to see our shadow selves and transmute our "dark side" positively. Below are some questions (from GURU RATTANA’s blog) that can help us navigate the path to higher Self - to take the mystery out of the things we do and to set the foundation of courage to live fully from our heart and soul.  So get out a pad of paper and a really good pen to scribe your words with integrity and answer for yourself the following questions:  Side Note before you start - Contemplating these questions through the fiery, masculine energy of Mars with this Lunar event can make for a very BUMPY RIDE emotionally, stirring frustration and anger relating to where we’ve misused our energy or not been as productive, appreciated or understood as we wished. However, WE CAN channel this emotional energy positively for ourselves and give our Soul the “get out of Jail” pass it needs to continue its journey.  Doing so can immediately transform our mood!  GO FOR IT!

• What is it that you really want to do with your energy and your life?
• Be clear about what you no longer want and what your are tired of wasting in life. 
• Define and determine what it is you wish to impart in this world - to the collective  - what is your gift!?
• If you honor and speak up from your self-confirmed unique essence - what would you say?
• What is it that only you can do? ​​

This year (2018) is all about enlightenment in this Aquarian Age of Truth & Knowing.  The number of the year 2018 corresponds to 11 (2+1+8 =11) in Kundalini Tantric Numerology. This Aquarian Full Moon Lunar Eclipse is all about helping you navigate your Dharma in this lifetime. 

The Dharma of number 11 is to exist in and through the grace of the non-existence. It is the highest expression of instinctive and innate spiritual wisdom. The Karma of number 11 is to be the duality. To be ever critical. To exist through denial of existence. It is the extreme expression of spiritual naivety.

As we navigate our choices in life - no matter our path and the difficulties we may face - when we listen to our existence we are never alone!

Sat Nam
​Margaret

THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
by Robert Frost. 
​
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

If you like our posts please see our blog of inspiration by Guru Rattan  here

​I don’t know about you but I have been feeling a bit restless of late - a feeling of being on the verge of a shift, of drawing the line in the sand that will ultimately pinpoint and set purpose behind my actions.  It’s a feeling of my inner Sat Nam (or true self) telling me to pony up and “walk it like I talk it!” Usually, this is a feeling I love, that prickly nudge of intuition that lights a fire under my britches, but this recent bought of restlessness feels a bit off course and undefinable ... uneasy. 

And it is this uneasiness that is befitting of today’s fiery Sagittarius full moon.  If there is ever a time we must work to direct our inner truth it is now. Perhaps this is the time to begin a 40 day sadhana - a daily practice to shift our habits and to help us make the conscious decision and projection of what we want our lives to be!   ​

While Sagittarius can represent the neutral mind and our ability to see the bigger picture and grander plan,  the  fiery elements of Aries and Leo in this full moon represent the adventurer and innovator in us, the fearlessness to go and grow. To use this fiery energy effectively, though, we must direct our action from the heart and our inner truth in order to shed the distractions, negativity and bad habits that cause us to veer off course.   In other words we need to act constructively and access our truth to gain a higher perspective and understanding of our goals and mission.  

This is the time to take an internal inventory of WHERE and HOW we wish to direct the arrow of our Intentions for our next stage of growth.  With this said, it’s one thing to be devoted to our goal but quite another to take that devotion to a higher level by experiencing it through the action of our truth! i.e., there is a difference between going through the motions and what are we are doing specifically to make those motions count for something.   

For example, if your Intention is to bring your business to the next level, how are you operating on a daily basis that works in line with this Intention? OR if you are just beginning this process with your business - then what does achieving this goal look like to you?  What are the ingredients that make up your success?  

And you can put the same questions to your daily yogic practice. If you meditate daily to release fear what is your purpose in doing so? Is it to help you step outside your comfort zone to raise the bar of your personal success? If so, what does it look like?  And if you are just now intending this then what does it feel or look like for you to release fear? List the attributes of this Intention in a journal.  Sketch it out.  

A great way to direct the trajectory of your Arrow or Intention is to Self-Initiate.  This is to define and declare not only your Intention but the specific actions that back your Intention.    A great way to do this is to act as though your personal goal or Intention is a Travel Destination. Visualize what that place looks like and how to get there.   What do your directions to this Destination (Intention) look like?? And what are the things that sets your “Destination” apart, what makes it recognizable? 

It is all well and good, for example, to say you are going to San Francisco but it will be very hard to get there (if at all) if you don’t know a.) how to get there, b.) where it even is or c.) what some of the identifiable landmarks look like at your Destination (e.g., the Golden Gate Bridge) so you know you have arrived at the intended place?  This is no different with a personal or professional Goal.  What does your success look like and how do you get there?   I AM A HUGE FAN OF MIND MAPS and use them to break down my goals ALL THE TIME.  Mind maps can help us see the itinerary of our goals, our inner truth and actions. ​

Combining Self-Initiating (identifying the actions of our Intentions) with the daily use & Technology of Kundalini Yoga is to claim your Intention as your own and to custom design the outcomes you want all while bypassing those pesky road blocks along the way!  Doing this doesn't remove our intuitive drive - rather it cleans the glass of our inner compass so we can see the multitude of possibilities before us. 

​Please be sure to read our reference blog by Guru Rattana here

Sat Nam!
​Amrit Shakti
"I am the Path of the Heart - I am Potential Manifested" - Margaret Lindgren, Unbeaten Path Tours

It’s interesting how clues reveal themselves in order for us to see more clearly.  That is, if we dare to look closely enough to notice them.  

I recently meditated to delve deeper into a nagging sense of disappointment I struggled to shake and upon opening my eyes at the end I found myself staring deeply into a painting on my wall. I have various paintings in my house, works from friends or local artists, but most are personal paintings from a “time-piercing” layer in my life as a younger woman.  The painting I found myself staring into was of woman standing naked and exposed, arms covering her chest.  With the exception of red lips and the pale tip of her nose, her face is obscured by a wild tangled shroud of indigo blue hair as bursts of fire orange color spray from behind the entanglement likes rays of light strangled by a black hole.  This painting always hangs near the deep inner chambers of my hive (my home). It’s personal to me because it is me.  A self portrait I painted almost 20 years ago at age of 30.  A woman struggling with her image and inner acceptance, her mind deep with intuition, her soul fire trapped and begging to emerge. 

Another painting bears a signature on the bottom right - that is, it bears the word Signature, cut sloppily from a magazine like a ransom note begging you to investigate the perpetrator. Yet another of mine that hangs more prominently is of a beautiful horse, painted half black and white, a photo negative of itself, turned on its back with a hint of crimson red that oozes from its heart center when the lighting hits it just right (see photo shown above). ​

Disappointment, expectation and feelings of betrayal can create a constant mental visual "flash-card" in place of our view of  reality.  It is no different than the “virtual reality” toy of the 1970‘s (and earlier years) known as the View-Master.  The View-Master was a hand held device that you looked through to view corresponding View-Master "reels", which were thin cardboard disks containing seven 3D pairs of color-slide images that each eye viewed separately creating the effect as though viewing real life through binoculars. As a child I recall how awesome yet weird those images seemed to me. They were real but not real, miniaturized, stunted, trapped and overly saturated. 

This is exactly how I conceptualized my recent disappointment which I initially experienced on a professional level after a serious let-down by a women’s group I personally held in high esteem. This disappointment somehow seeped its way into my personal world and took hold - tapping into my roots of femininity.  In business you move on if something doesn’t align with your Vision & Values but on a personal level our conditioning, those things that shaped us in our early years and which occurred before our professional lives, leaves us staring blindly into a mental View-Master, confused and let down. 

To help shed light and wash away the false colors of my disappointment I decided to do a meditation I recently taught during a Corporate Workshop I hosted on Setting Intentions.  I call the meditation “Emptying the Mental Garbage” and it helps to break down negative thought patterns, clearing our mental clutter to reveal (from a place of clarity) the true mosaic of what’s behind our false mental slides.  The efficiency of this meditation always astounds me! In just 11 minutes the breath technique used in this meditation calms the Mind enough to help us to acknowledge (and clearly see) what no longer serves our growth and personal vision.  

Just to give you an idea of how layered my disappointment was, I have provided a chronological breakdown of how my thoughts shifted in the course of 11 minutes. 
My thoughts went from: 

• Being angry that I was disappointed to 
• Feeling angry that I always feel let down to 
• Feeling isolated in this feeling - that I am on my own - to 
• Feeling that no one has my back to 
• Feeling unworthy of support to 
• Being disliked to 
• Having a profound sense of loneliness that I felt in my lungs to
• Having the ultimate need to expel this sensation of deep sadness and finally
• Knowing I was carrying a constant sadness of expectation that created in me a strong inner believe of rejection.

YIKES! The fact is, I know I am not alone in having these feelings.  This “profound sadness” I was experiencing wasn’t from this one example of disappointment that was nagging me but rather it was a recurring pattern of expecting disappointment from others.  LET’S READ THAT AGAIN! what I was expecting from others - was disappointment.  I was pre-ordaining it by constantly expecting it - and my own sense of rejection! 

So here’s a good answer to solve the problem --- Don’t expect anything! Problem Solved!  Right? 

Exactly!!! and this takes practice and understanding.  The description of the thoughts I experienced above might sound awful and sad - but getting closer to the truth can be such a relief. Most importantly it turns the focus COMPASSIONATELY WITHIN for deeper introspection -  rather than putting it on something outside of ourselves we can’t control anyway! 

The fact that I opened my eyes from this meditation to view my self portrait with compassion and understanding of my inner beauty, when for so many years it represented inner conflict, struggle and rejection was to finally witness my disappointment for what it was, A LACK OF COMPASSION FOR MYSELF, rather than what I wanted it to be ----> a failed expectation of someone else. 

There are so many things we can be disappointed in and when you feel this way ask yourself what is really nagging you!? Meditate, follow the breath and see where it takes you.  Join us in Kundalini class on Unbeaten Yoga Wednesdays to learn the tools and exercises you can use to clear the blocks and open your mind and heart.  Working our Heart and Solar Plexus Chakras can help clear feelings of rejection, disappointment and self worth issues. The bottom line is this: When we better ourselves - we better those in our life.  We lift them and they lift us and we interconnect as all things do in Nature, ultimately giving us Peace. 

And it's important to remember - the higher we put people on a pedestal the greater the fall and feeling of vengeance and disappointment. 

Yogi Bhajan once said, “To have no enemies is to have no friends at all” and the same goes with disappointment and betrayal.  These things are a fact of life and to live a full life is to have Compassion and to have Compassion is to be HUMAN. And to be human is to manage our disappointments by working to see some version of ourselves in those we accuse of letting us down. It is something that tests me all the time and, I confess, I struggle with it often but I would rather work toward living a full life of compassion than a partial life of confrontation.  Ultimately, though, each step helps me draw the line and to recognize what is skewed, what no longer serves and to make a decision for the compassion of myself in order to grow.  There are challenges everywhere and there is adversity everyday - but the bottom line is this:

YOU ARE YOU no matter what. 
YOU HAVE GRACE no matter what. 
YOU HAVE IDENTITY no matter what.  

​Sat Nam
Margaret
Contact Margaret Lindgren, Owner of Unbeaten Path Tours & Yoga, to learn more about our private and corporate workshop offerings.  Locals can join Margaret's Unbeaten Yoga Wednesdays class - every Wednesday 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM at Gualala Dance Studio in Gualala, CA - Drop-Ins welcome!  Contact us for details

SCORPIO MOON

I stand before your light
My shadow cast
I listen to the breath 
of a nearby animal

Witnessing 

The pouring of my soul
like the spanning roots of 
the redwood grove
My Will webs wide 

I stabilize 

Your mist shifts my image
Your vines tighten
My pulse runs deep
Pulled by your compass

Weightless

I am free
​

As part of Unbeaten Path's local community Yoga work - I take a moment each month to put together some reflection on the NEW or FULL Moon (phases for setting or identifying intentions).  I find these thoughts can apply on so many levels - on tour, at work, with friends, family and co-workers. I hope by sharing these thoughts it can give us all the opportunity to think on our path.  Kundalini Yoga is all about duality, extension - it's about expanding in opposites, to be ever evolving.  As David Bowie once said, "I love getting older - you get to become the person you have always wanted to be" ..  Well said.     

The facts: 
Today's New Moon (at 6:57PM, April 15th 2018) is in the Zodiac sign of Kick Butt Aries!  Boldly go with horns high!  
Featured song: "Shining Ghosts" by French artists Burning Peacocks (it's about letting the past be just that ... PAST!) 
Featured saying:  "Memories affect how we move forward ... OR NOT" from the documentary David Bowie, the last 5 Years

Today the new moon is in my birth sign ARIES.  My husband is also an Aries.  We have a piece of artwork that hangs on our wall. I bought it when we first married almost 20 years ago.  It is a small sculpture of two seriously long-horned rams locked in defiance.  That's us!  No one said marriage is easy.  But what I love about this sculpture that would take on so much meaning for us is that it represents how we LOVE A GOOD CHALLENGE (each and every day!).  That's what ARIES LOVE - being explorers and blazing new territories and they are either incredibly stubborn in how they do just that or, as I am, are quickly bored, constantly wanting to learn and renew (to shear their coats, if I may say). 

This new moon speaks so much to taking on the new, shearing our shaggy coats and committing to living the naked "NEW" fully and completely!

WITH THAT SAID... this new moon also has a wicked awesome astrological line up.  Joining team NEW MOON is the SUN, MERCURY and URANUS.  Holy hot dogs!  That's pretty heavy duty! I am no astrologer - but I do love a good line up! I love viewing things from a different perspective and comparing them to what is happening in the here and now.   The Sun represents the Self, one's way of being in the world. It can represent, on different levels, both the ego and the higher Self or soul purpose (our SAT NAM - our true identity) and the planet Mercury, well, that's all about communication ---->  so what are you saying or thinking about yourself  - how are you putting yourself out there in the world?? 

and URANUS... Uranus is that jerk at the party who blurts out the obvious.  (That jerk, by the way, sometimes being me, constantly putting my foot so completely into my mouth only to be followed with  "why on Earth did I just say that!!!?" except it sounds a bit more muffled than that).  It's totally embarrassing but so on the mark it makes you stop and reflect.  That's why I like jerks (and myself, ha ha!) because it's the jerks in life that help us shake our "Ego Technicolor Dream Coat" we so lovingly adorn (look at all its shiny colors!). Well, you can count on Uranus to dump some bleach on that program! It turns upside down the notion of what we THINK WE WANT or ARE SUPPOSED TO BE only to find ourselves struck by a deep and shaky breath in an effort to understand our inner most self, if even for just a moment. When I am on tour with Unbeaten Path I am constantly (and literally) walking a fine line along steep cliffs, talking with guests, engaging them, all while peering at harbor seals 80 to 100 feet below.  As I talk with guests about history, architecture or some other subject, there is ALWAYS the thought in the back of my mind "watch it, Margaret .... your reality is right down there ... splattered on the rocks!" That's exactly what URANUS can do for you! - It's that cliff reminding you that there is more to you than just the obvious!  THANKS, URANUS ... I better take advantage of your obnoxiousness NOW before you split tomorrow and head towards your next Zodiac sign for continued torment and awakening!

In addition to this line up, and what is really super awesome about this new moon, is that the planet MERCURY IS NO LONGER in retrograde!  YAHOOO!  Personally, I couldn't be happier - so much drama these past weeks. As hard as it is - I identify deeply with those people in our lives who love holding onto drama and trauma (speaking as a pro, that is). There is a song I play during yoga class at times - it is called SHINING GHOSTS by the BURNING PEACOCKS.  Holy smokes... their words are a great reminder of the fact that WE ALL HAVE A BACK STORY.  It is what has shaped us, made us ... and, sadly, it is also what has played us for so long! The thing about the song Shining Ghosts is that we tend to put our past trauma on a pedestal. PLEASE resist the temptation. It takes so much effort to placate these shining ghosts - to keep them on that pedestal - it is so truly exhausting.  Talk about tapping the well.  By the end of the day you have no more energy left to nurture yourself let alone those you love. In my opinion, I love the things that helped shape who I am today but it is nicer to know that it is I who is IN CHARGE of those things (or at least making the effort to be in charge). Just know that it takes more strength and courage to get back on the horse than it does to fall off! - trying matters!  I know that those shining ghosts are no longer looking at me with their eyes of gold.  As they say in the song "let your anger be your light" (your determination).  We are not responsible for the things or circumstances that happened to us.... BUT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE for how we manage those things.  Resist using your past as a necklace and remember: Our MEMORIES affect HOW WE MOVE FORWARD .... OR NOT.  It is up to you. 

With this said, the ARIES NEW MOON and this crazy line up fortifies us with COURAGE, CREATIVITY and the ability to commit to living fully!  As a strong ARIES I love learning and initiating new projects. Gods know, I get bored easily!  I love a challenge and I love peering over the cliff of potential failure - it's scary in a good way and that energizes me. BUT TO MANIFEST takes PURPOSE< PRACTICE <PREPARATION and <PERSISTENCE! It takes DOING!  

This NEW MOON helps us see more clearly and to choose more wisely the things we want to devote ourselves to.  It allows us the OPPORTUNITY to sort through our notebooks, to edit and amend - to clarify what we know in our hearts to be what shall be!  It may not be easy - we may have that urge to cling on to our SHINING GHOSTS... but raise the hand high and slay those ghosts! as you lift your horns higher and CLIMB NEW GROUND. 

As I (we) always recite at the end of every class.... 

I AM HEALTHY, HAPPY and FULFILLED .... I AM POTENTIAL MANIFESTED. 


You are!  Sat Nam. 

M

Although this is an older post, it's a great birding reference and relevant to this time of year. 

It's been a while since our last post with a flurry of tours and a busy beginning to the New Year! It has also been a wonderful time for learning and exploring! Recently we had the incredible opportunity to join other Beach Watch volunteers on a Bodega Bay birding expedition with birder extraordinaire & author of the Identification Guide To North American Birds (Parts I and II), Mr. Peter Pyle of the Institute for Bird Populations (IBP)!   

Peter Pyle is the ultimate BIRDMAN and is an incredible wealth of knowledge - not to mention a great teacher and guide!  His passion and patience truly inspires others to explore and learn more!  I love this kind of energy and I latch onto it like a dog to a bone!  We toured all along Bodega Bay - a wonderful area to see loads and loads of different bird species.  Their numbers are overwhelming!  To be among such a vast diversity of species is amazing… it makes you truly appreciate the special region in which we live.  

Peter and the many great guides from the Farallones Marine Sanctuary provided us with great tips on identifying and aging bird species - both alive and deceased (for those of us that conduct the Beach Watch surveys). A short list of some of the species we saw: Whimbrel, Willet, Godwits, Sanderlings, Western Sandpiper, Dunlin, Eared Grebe, Horned Grebe, Western Grebe, Common Loon, Red-necked Grebe, Ruddy Duck, Common Golden Eye, Brant goose, all sorts of Gulls, Pelicans, Cormorants AND MORE!  Here is a brief slide show of the day and below this I provide some helpful hints on identifying the common species (and winter species) we see here along our coast!

THE WILLIT:  These guys run along the shoreline bobbing and stabbing at the sand.  They have a long straight bill and long grey legs… but are most easily identified (whether in winter plummage or not) by the black and white wing bands when in flight. 

Willet Adult in flight

• Large shorebird with boldly patterned black and white wings
• Long, straight black bill
• Long gray legs
• Mostly gray above, white belows

THE WHIMBREL: This bird can be confused with the Long Billed Curlew (see pic of curlew following the picture of Whimbrel below). The best way to confirm it's a Whimbrel is by the distinctive stripes in plumage along the crown and through the eye.  That's how I tell the difference!  

Adult Description

• Large shorebird.
• Long, down-curved bill.
• Long neck.
• Long legs.
• Streaked and buffy overall.
• Crown dark with a distinct light stripe in the middle.

Immature Description: Similar to adult, but back with light spots, crown stripe less distinct, breast more buff, and with finer streaking on neck and chest.

DUNLIN vs SANDERLING - BREEDING PLUMAGE - the big thing to notice between these two - can you guess?  It's the big black patch on the underside belly of the DUNLIN 

WESTERN SANDPIPER:  This is another that has a very similar winter plumage to that of the Dunlin & Sanderling…. so what's the difference?  The WESTERN SANDPIPER has a smaller bill and is smaller in size than the DUNLIN…. also - always remember the "smudge" on the shoulder of the Sanderling (see above). This will help you distinguish between the WESTERN SANDPIPER and the SANDERLING as you look for them during the winter months along the shoreline.  

Here is a great picture I found that shows the WESTERN SANDPIPER in front of a DUNLIN (in the back).  Note:  The bill of the DUNLIN is 2/3rds larger than the WESTERN SANDPIPER … and the Western Sandpiper is about 1/2 the body size… 

Eared Grebe vs Horned Grebe (pronounced GR-EEEB) - these two are smaller than the Western Grebe and have a much smaller bill.  They can be confusing to distinguish… so here are some tips… 

In this picture below both are in winter plumage.  The Eared Grebe is on the Right (back) and the Horned Grebe is on Left (front).  

Eared Grebe Non-Breeding plumage ADULT

• Small, stocky waterbird with peaked crown
• Thin, pointy gray/black bill - NOTE how it almost points upwards near the tip
• Mostly dark gray with white on face, nape, and flanks - NOTE the distinction between their face and the clearly defined white vs black on the face of the Horned Grebe. 
• Eared Grebe Rump/tail area often appear inflated and "fluffy"

Here's another picture of the EARED GREBE - winter plumage - note how the rump is much fluffier than the horned.. 

Below is the breeding plumage of the Eared Grebe (Left) and Horned Grebe (on the RIght)

GOTO www.arenatheater.org and click on COMMUNITY EVENTS for tickets
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ARENA THEATER OCEAN FILM FESTIVAL
Saturday, April 9th2:00 p.m. Family/Kids Animated Films - $5

• Ain't No Fish (4 minutes)
• The Great Wide Open (10 minutes)
• Song of the Spindle (5 minutes)
• Coralax (7 minutes)
• A Sea Turtle Story (9 minutes)
• Zoe and Her Adventures (3 minutes)
• Net Positiva (11 minutes)

4:00 p.m.Ocean Films - $11 in advance, $12 at the door, $5 age 12 & under.

• Whale Aware (8 minutes)
• TBD: Q&A with Filmmaker Lauren Gilberston (10 minutes)
• A Small Surfer Makes Big Waves (7 minutes)
• Cordell Bank: A Sound Investment (4 minutes)
• Feature: Sonic Sea (55 minutes)

7:00 p.m. Ocean Films - $11 in advance, $12 at the door, $5 age 12 & under.

• Domoic Acid Attack (3 minutes)
• Sanctuary in the Sea (18 minutes)
• The Cook, The Hunter, The Whales and Their Watchers (5 minutes)
• Feature: Of the Sea (55 minutes), includes Q&A with Filmmaker Mischa Hedges (15 minutes) Few California fishing families remain. In 1981, there were nearly 7,000 families; today there are only 1,800. To revive a fading way of life, Bay Area fishermen and entrepreneurs are exploring ways to support sustainably produced seafood.

All three screenings feature different films. Attend all with a $50 VIP Pass which includes local merchant discounts!
VIP Passes - $50 per person, Includes all screenings, discounted admission to Point Arena Lighthouse and other local merchant discounts. If purchased online before Thursday, VIP Passes may be picked up in Gualala at the Visitor's Center located at 39150 S. Hwy 1(west side) in the Forte Gualala building.
For Family & Kids: At nearby Point Arena Library, the festival will offer FREE ocean exhibits and children's activities Saturday from 11am to 4pm, with special presentations and free raffles for kids from 2:30 to 4pm.
Arena Theater
214 Main Street
Point Arena, CA
All Saturday screening tickets are available in advance at
www.arenatheater.org or at the door.
On Saturday Evening, 215 Main Wine Bar sponsors a special Festival Reception with featured filmmakers. All Adult Festival Participants are invited to attend. Come meet the film directors. Donations are welcomed at the door and raffle tickets will be available.
On Sunday Morning, to complement the Film Festival, the Greater Farallones Association and California State Parks will conduct a naturalist-led "Wildflowers & Whales" Walk at Salt Point State Park, starting at 10:00 a.m.
Sunday Wildflower & Whale Walk*
*Contact [email protected]  for $20 Walk tickets sold separately or call (415) 561-6625 x 315 for further information about ALL of these events.
Ocean-themed Indie Films; Festival Reception; Family Activities; Q&A with Filmmakers and Marine Life Experts; Great Raffle Prizes! Proceeds benefit the non-profit Greater Farallones Association's ocean education and science programs in Sonoma and Mendocino counties.

Happy New Year! 2015 has started off with great success and our new Rack Flyers are now available!!!

The front of each flyer has our signature eye catching photo from one of our tour experiences and the backside provides wonderful overviews of our most popular tours along with testimonials from our guests.

Be a part of our progress! Contact us for your free Unbeaten Path rack flyers and let's make 2015 a year to remember!! We look forward to working with each of you!