For my birthday this year, my wife Julie got me a special and unique gift — a healthy paddling! A kayak paddling trip, that is.

Our adventure began with a scenic, 11⁄2-hour drive through Sonoma and Marin Counties and out towards Point Reyes. The cloudy and cool autumn morning brought out wildlife in abundance, as we spotted wild turkey, quail, and red-tailed hawks in the hills along the way.

Deer were particularly plentiful and active, now in the peak of their annual mating season and often seen running with reckless abandon through the woods.

Our destination was a place I’d never visited before.

Just over the western ridge from Tomales Bay is a fascinating marine habitat called Drake’s Estero.

The many-fingered estuary flows into Drake’s Bay behind the protective arm of Point Reyes.

At the northernmost tip of the estuary is Drake’s Bay Oyster Farm, where we met our guides from Sea Trek Adventures. This public access point attracted many paddlers that day, even with the chilly weather. Some were renting kayaks from our tour group, while others had brought their own. After a brief refresher from our guides on proper paddling, we boarded our two-person kayak and set out on the water.

The steep, white cliffs surrounding Drake’s Estero create the deception of a deep channel of water below. But in fact the entire bay is very shallow, most of it less than four feet deep. Salt water flows in and out of the estuary with the tide over a shallow sand bar at the mouth. The sand bar serves to keep out all effects of ocean swells, so the surface is often beautifully flat and calm — ideal for kayaks.

Many saltwater wetlands tend to be muddy, and visibility is very limited.

But here, the water is amazingly clear! We could see easily beneath the surface every detail of sea grass, crabs, and oyster cribs all along the bottom. Only the deepest areas were beyond our sight on this overcast day, though with the sun shining I suspect even those could be viewed.

The most memorable marine creatures we observed were the harbor seals.

The sight of their distinctive heads popping up on the surface could be spotted throughout our three-mile paddle to Drake’s Beach at the mouth of the estuary.

They generally kept their distance from us, but a couple of times we glanced behind the boat and noticed a seal head following along behind, perhaps making sure we didn’t linger too long in his feeding grounds!

Drake’s Estero is a great place for bird watching as well.

Pelicans abound, both brown and white varieties, with their graceful flying and regal demeanor.

Large rafts of cormorants, with their harsh croaking and awkward attempts at liftoff, were a stark contrast.

Lots of sandpipers, curlews, blue herons and mergansers were also on hand to fill the skies.

Even the common seagulls were impressive, their bright white plumage evidence to a healthy seafood diet.

Other wildlife often seen here include bat rays, leopard sharks and sea lions, though none made an appearance for us on our trip.

It was a great way to celebrate a birthday, exploring a wonderland of nature so close to home.

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with BDCo Accountants and Advisors in St. Helena (www.bdcocpa.com). Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net.