A lifelong bird-watcher finds peace, nature at Railroad Marsh

Jim Gaither Jr. peers through his binoculars at Railroad Marsh on Jan. 14, listening for distinct bird calls echoing across the water.

In about 12 minutes, he’s spotted 14 bird species — mallards, pied-billed grebes, great blue herons and white-crowned sparrows — all recorded in his list on eBird, an app and website created by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

“That’s more than one species a minute,” says the 63-year-old San Rafael resident, whose parents, Jim and Susan, live on the Belvedere Lagoon.

He points to a great blue heron perched on the marsh’s banks.

“As we come into late winter and spring, they start developing their breeding plumage and terrific colors and plumes,” Gaither says. “They’re just a wonderful bird.”

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