Welcome to the 16th Annual Flyway Festival, February 10-12, 2011 which promises more guided hikes and outings, tours and workshops on Mare Island than every before. With over 60 events on the schedule, you'll have to watch closely to make sure you don't miss your favorite! You will find that one of the most unique aspects of our birding festival is the chance to soak up history on Mare Island and view an amazing array of birdlife all at the same time. Click here for a link to Napa Solano Audubon Society birder Wally NeVille's Mare Island Bird List.

NOTE:
Dates for the 16th Annual Flyway Festival are
February 10-12, 2012

Click here for Downloadable 2012 Program Guide or
NEW 8-page shorter version of schedule only without driving directions/lodging and few photos for those who want a quick print version.
To print it out on an 8.5 x 11 sheet, you will need to set your printer at "shrink to fit page" in your print setting, or 75% size. Often "shrink to fit" is a default setting. NOTE: To conserve color ink use "black & white" printer settings.

We Invite You to Return Often to San Francisco Bay’s
“North Shore”

Mare Island
The San Francisco Bay Flyway Festival is based on the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, the U.S. Navy's oldest installation in the Pacific and a National Historic Landmark, the highest ranking National Park Service gives an historic site in America. Mare Island is flanked by the Napa River or as it is also know, the Mare Island Strait, to the east and San Pablo Bay to the west. This setting in combination with its rich maritime and naval history makes it an irresistible attraction for those intrigued with military history and eager to discover natural places.

Visit Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve
The Shoreline Heritage Preserve is now open every Friday-Sunday 10am-5pm including the Festival weekend. A self-guided walking trail with 14 stops, docent led outings, fun programs that feature discovery of natural treasures or commemorate an event in history linked to the Preserve are offered, as well as seasonal events that celebrate holidays like Halloween, Valentine’s Day and Easter. Click here for a description of the additional guided outings that will give you access to sites throughout the Preserve with former workers, birding guides and Preserve enthusiasts.
  Click on the photo to visit the Shoreline Heritage Preserve Site

Historic St. Peter's Chapel
Built in 1901, St. Peter’s was the first Naval chapel built on the West Coast, and it is now the oldest Naval Chapel in the nation. The Chapel was in regular use by the Navy until the Mare Island Naval Shipyard closed in April 1996. The Chapel is now rented for weddings and tours. St. Peter’s is the repository for one of the finest collections of Louis Comfort Tiffany stained-glass windows under one roof west of the Mississippi River. It is the largest collection of Tiffany in a single site in the West. Many of these windows and the plaques that adorn the walls and ceiling are memorials that link us to individuals and ships that served our country throughout its history. The Chapel’s traditional, simple design, its graceful proportions, its wood-paneled interiors bathed in glowing light from 29 stained-glass windows and its pastoral setting make it an inviting sanctuary.

Click on the photo to visit the St Peter's Chapel Site

Have Information about “north shore” events?

Email us the basic information and we’ll add it to our growing Flyway Festival listings. Remember too, that many of the groups listed as exhibitors or who offer outings during the Festival have activities going on year round. Check out their contact info. In the other pages of the Festival website.

To be added to the Flyway Festival and “north shore” activities notification list or inquire about the 2011 Flyway Festival, click the contact us button.

Slide Show Photo Credits:

Brian Collett :
Mt. Tam winter setting sun from Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve
Fog over the Carquinez Strait Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve
Cast the Wreath Lost Boats of Mare Island Memorial

Bob Dyer :
Females and male bufflehead duck, cinnamon teal pair, Clark's grebe, Shollenberger Park, Petaluma

Sarah Ann Evans :
Blue on blue, Mare Island Strait waterfront

Steve Farley :
Hawk having a meal at Shollenberger Park in Petaluma.

Kathleen Fenton :
Shorebirds take flight over Napa Sonoma Marshes State Wildlife Area
American Canyon wetlands
Great blue heron takes flight, Vallejo
Can we go home? former Marine Officer's Quarters Mare Island

Myrna Hayes :
Winter sunset Carquinez Strait and San Pablo Bay, Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve

Sue Wilson :
Walkin' in the rain Mare Island Shoreline Heritage Preserve