Point Reyes in Season: Fall Migration at Drakes Estero (Oct 22)
Point Reyes in Season: Fall Migration at Drakes Estero (Oct 22)
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A Small-Group Bird and Wildlife Photography Field Experience with Jen Waicukauski
Thursday, October 22, 2026
2:00–6:00 p.m.
$249 per person
Limited to eight photographers
Each fall, Point Reyes becomes an important stopping place for birds moving along the Pacific Flyway. At Drakes Estero, tidal wetlands, mudflats, grasslands and sheltered waters provide food and resting habitat for migrating and wintering birds.
Join photographer, instructor, and Certified California Naturalist Jen Waicukauski for a small-group afternoon exploring the Estero Trail to Home Bay. Migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, herons and egrets will be the group’s primary photographic subjects, with the possibility of encountering hawks, northern harriers, osprey and other raptors moving over the surrounding grasslands.
The experience is timed around a mid-afternoon low tide, when receding water exposes mudflats and tidal edges where birds gather to feed. As the afternoon continues, the lowering sun may create opportunities to work with reflections, backlight, silhouettes, layered groups of birds, and environmental photographs that place wildlife within the broader estuary landscape. Weather permitting, the final portion of the experience will extend into golden hour, bringing warmer light and greater depth to the estuary, grasslands and wildlife.
This is not a formal bird photography class with a fixed curriculum. It is an opportunity to explore and make photographs alongside an experienced photographer and naturalist who can help you notice behavior, respond to changing conditions, and make more intentional photographs.
Jen will begin the afternoon with a brief orientation before the group sets out along the Estero Trail. As you explore and photograph together, she will offer informal individual guidance and occasionally bring the group together to discuss a bird’s behavior, a photographic challenge, or something unfolding within the surrounding habitat.
Depending on the moment and each participant’s needs, Jen’s advice may touch on autofocus and exposure for birds in motion, anticipating flight and feeding behavior, working effectively with long lenses, and locating and following a moving subject within the frame. She can also help participants think about compositions involving groups of birds, reflections, environmental context and changing afternoon light.
Responsible wildlife photography will be central throughout the experience. Migrating birds depend upon places like Drakes Estero to rest and feed, making it especially important to avoid disturbing or displacing them while pursuing a photograph.
As a Certified California Naturalist, Jen will also share insight into Pacific Flyway migration, bird identification and behavior, estuary ecology, and the influence of tides on the animals that live and feed here.
Who This Is For
Photographers with a range of experience levels are welcome. You do not need to be an experienced bird photographer, but you should be comfortable with the basic operation of your camera. This is not a fundamentals or camera-settings class, although Jen can offer advice on settings and technique as situations arise.
This experience is especially well suited to birders who want to translate their knowledge of birds and behavior into stronger photographs, as well as photographers who want to become more thoughtful and observant around birds.
A telephoto lens reaching at least 300mm is highly recommended. A lens reaching 400mm or longer can be helpful for smaller or more distant birds, although the best choice will depend upon your camera, the kinds of photographs you hope to make, and the equipment you can handle comfortably.
Longer lenses can make it more challenging to locate a bird in the viewfinder and keep it within the frame, particularly when the bird is moving. The afternoon should provide valuable opportunities to practice those skills with Jen’s guidance. A shorter lens may also be useful for wider views, groups of birds and photographs that incorporate more of the surrounding landscape.
Participants are encouraged to bring a monopod, tripod and gimbal, and binoculars.
Walking and Field Conditions
The planned route follows the Estero Trail to the footbridge at Home Bay, approximately 2.4 miles round trip. The trail passes through open grasslands and stands of Monterey pine before reaching the estuary.
Participants should be comfortable walking this distance while carrying their own equipment. The route follows unpaved, packed-earth trails over generally gentle terrain, but ruts, animal holes, mud and uneven surfaces may be encountered. Cattle may be present in the surrounding pastures, and participants may pass through gates that must be left as they were found.
Point Reyes weather is famously changeable. Fog, wind and light rain will not necessarily cancel the experience and can create beautiful photographic conditions. The outing will only be canceled or rescheduled if weather, flooding or park conditions make it unsafe to proceed.
Please dress in layers and bring sturdy, potentially mud-ready footwear, water, a snack, rain protection for yourself and your equipment, and any necessary medications. Binoculars are optional but highly recommended.
Meeting and Transportation
The group will meet at the Estero Trailhead. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the meeting location.
The Estero Trail to Home Bay is the planned route. However, wildlife activity, recent sightings, trail conditions or weather may lead Jen to incorporate a short visit to Muddy Hollow or use it as an alternative location. If the group relocates during the experience, participants will drive their own vehicles.
The experience will conclude shortly before sunset. Participants should expect at least part of their return drive to take place in fading light and potentially after dark, depending on their destination. Roads within Point Reyes are narrow and winding, and wildlife may be present near or on the roadway. Please allow additional time and drive cautiously.
Detailed directions and final preparation information will be provided before the experience.
About Jen
Jen Waicukauski is a photography instructor, expedition leader, and Certified California Naturalist. She has led photographers through remarkable landscapes and wildlife habitats around the world, combining practical photographic guidance with a deep curiosity about the natural world. Her field experiences are welcoming, collaborative, and grounded in respectful observation.
A Note About Wildlife
The birds and other animals at Point Reyes are wild and move freely throughout a large and varied landscape. Migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, herons and egrets will be the afternoon’s principal focus, but sightings, proximity and particular behaviors cannot be guaranteed.
Other possibilities may include owls, hawks, northern harriers, osprey, tule elk, river otters and other estuary wildlife. Tidal patterns, reflections, grasslands and the changing coastal light will provide additional photographic opportunities throughout the afternoon.
Cancellation Policy
Because these are small-group experiences with limited enrollment, cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by emailing shop@lookingglassphoto.com at least 10 calendar days before the scheduled experience. Cancellations received by that deadline will receive a full refund. Cancellations received fewer than 10 days before the experience, as well as no-shows, are nonrefundable.
Description
Description
A Small-Group Bird and Wildlife Photography Field Experience with Jen Waicukauski
Thursday, October 22, 2026
2:00–6:00 p.m.
$249 per person
Limited to eight photographers
Each fall, Point Reyes becomes an important stopping place for birds moving along the Pacific Flyway. At Drakes Estero, tidal wetlands, mudflats, grasslands and sheltered waters provide food and resting habitat for migrating and wintering birds.
Join photographer, instructor, and Certified California Naturalist Jen Waicukauski for a small-group afternoon exploring the Estero Trail to Home Bay. Migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, herons and egrets will be the group’s primary photographic subjects, with the possibility of encountering hawks, northern harriers, osprey and other raptors moving over the surrounding grasslands.
The experience is timed around a mid-afternoon low tide, when receding water exposes mudflats and tidal edges where birds gather to feed. As the afternoon continues, the lowering sun may create opportunities to work with reflections, backlight, silhouettes, layered groups of birds, and environmental photographs that place wildlife within the broader estuary landscape. Weather permitting, the final portion of the experience will extend into golden hour, bringing warmer light and greater depth to the estuary, grasslands and wildlife.
This is not a formal bird photography class with a fixed curriculum. It is an opportunity to explore and make photographs alongside an experienced photographer and naturalist who can help you notice behavior, respond to changing conditions, and make more intentional photographs.
Jen will begin the afternoon with a brief orientation before the group sets out along the Estero Trail. As you explore and photograph together, she will offer informal individual guidance and occasionally bring the group together to discuss a bird’s behavior, a photographic challenge, or something unfolding within the surrounding habitat.
Depending on the moment and each participant’s needs, Jen’s advice may touch on autofocus and exposure for birds in motion, anticipating flight and feeding behavior, working effectively with long lenses, and locating and following a moving subject within the frame. She can also help participants think about compositions involving groups of birds, reflections, environmental context and changing afternoon light.
Responsible wildlife photography will be central throughout the experience. Migrating birds depend upon places like Drakes Estero to rest and feed, making it especially important to avoid disturbing or displacing them while pursuing a photograph.
As a Certified California Naturalist, Jen will also share insight into Pacific Flyway migration, bird identification and behavior, estuary ecology, and the influence of tides on the animals that live and feed here.
Who This Is For
Photographers with a range of experience levels are welcome. You do not need to be an experienced bird photographer, but you should be comfortable with the basic operation of your camera. This is not a fundamentals or camera-settings class, although Jen can offer advice on settings and technique as situations arise.
This experience is especially well suited to birders who want to translate their knowledge of birds and behavior into stronger photographs, as well as photographers who want to become more thoughtful and observant around birds.
A telephoto lens reaching at least 300mm is highly recommended. A lens reaching 400mm or longer can be helpful for smaller or more distant birds, although the best choice will depend upon your camera, the kinds of photographs you hope to make, and the equipment you can handle comfortably.
Longer lenses can make it more challenging to locate a bird in the viewfinder and keep it within the frame, particularly when the bird is moving. The afternoon should provide valuable opportunities to practice those skills with Jen’s guidance. A shorter lens may also be useful for wider views, groups of birds and photographs that incorporate more of the surrounding landscape.
Participants are encouraged to bring a monopod, tripod and gimbal, and binoculars.
Walking and Field Conditions
The planned route follows the Estero Trail to the footbridge at Home Bay, approximately 2.4 miles round trip. The trail passes through open grasslands and stands of Monterey pine before reaching the estuary.
Participants should be comfortable walking this distance while carrying their own equipment. The route follows unpaved, packed-earth trails over generally gentle terrain, but ruts, animal holes, mud and uneven surfaces may be encountered. Cattle may be present in the surrounding pastures, and participants may pass through gates that must be left as they were found.
Point Reyes weather is famously changeable. Fog, wind and light rain will not necessarily cancel the experience and can create beautiful photographic conditions. The outing will only be canceled or rescheduled if weather, flooding or park conditions make it unsafe to proceed.
Please dress in layers and bring sturdy, potentially mud-ready footwear, water, a snack, rain protection for yourself and your equipment, and any necessary medications. Binoculars are optional but highly recommended.
Meeting and Transportation
The group will meet at the Estero Trailhead. Participants are responsible for their own transportation to and from the meeting location.
The Estero Trail to Home Bay is the planned route. However, wildlife activity, recent sightings, trail conditions or weather may lead Jen to incorporate a short visit to Muddy Hollow or use it as an alternative location. If the group relocates during the experience, participants will drive their own vehicles.
The experience will conclude shortly before sunset. Participants should expect at least part of their return drive to take place in fading light and potentially after dark, depending on their destination. Roads within Point Reyes are narrow and winding, and wildlife may be present near or on the roadway. Please allow additional time and drive cautiously.
Detailed directions and final preparation information will be provided before the experience.
About Jen
Jen Waicukauski is a photography instructor, expedition leader, and Certified California Naturalist. She has led photographers through remarkable landscapes and wildlife habitats around the world, combining practical photographic guidance with a deep curiosity about the natural world. Her field experiences are welcoming, collaborative, and grounded in respectful observation.
A Note About Wildlife
The birds and other animals at Point Reyes are wild and move freely throughout a large and varied landscape. Migrating shorebirds, waterfowl, herons and egrets will be the afternoon’s principal focus, but sightings, proximity and particular behaviors cannot be guaranteed.
Other possibilities may include owls, hawks, northern harriers, osprey, tule elk, river otters and other estuary wildlife. Tidal patterns, reflections, grasslands and the changing coastal light will provide additional photographic opportunities throughout the afternoon.
Cancellation Policy
Because these are small-group experiences with limited enrollment, cancellation requests must be submitted in writing by emailing shop@lookingglassphoto.com at least 10 calendar days before the scheduled experience. Cancellations received by that deadline will receive a full refund. Cancellations received fewer than 10 days before the experience, as well as no-shows, are nonrefundable.
