Due to its diverse topography and climate, California offers a variety of habitats for plants and animals making it one of the best places in the world for bird-watchers of all ages. From irrigated farming and pasture land and natural wetlands to desert areas such as the Sonoran there are plenty of places to see birds of all kinds. Over 500 species of birds call California their home. Here are just a few places you can visit to get a chance to see them all.
California is home to the California Condor, one of the largest flying land birds in the world. Although you may see these huge birds anywhere in the state at any given time, the best place to view them riding the air currents is in the rugged mountains south of Bakersfield, east of Santa Barbara.
The South Coast Botanic Garden was at one time a landfill but is now a beautiful 87 acre garden filled with lush plants and trees that offer homes for several species of birds and other wildlife.
Wister Waterfowl Management Area includes 35,000 acres of fields of native grass, foothills, and river bottoms. Turkey, ducks, quail, dove, bald and golden eagles can all be found among the grasses, greenbrier, and sumac.
The Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge offers 36, 527 acres of croplands, marshes, and open water that houses over 375 species of birds. Here you will see all kinds of waterfowl, shorebirds, raptors, and smaller songbirds. An exhibit is on display that lists all the bird species that are common to the area.
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary is a 12-acre nature preserve that is owned and operated by the Fullerton and its College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and California State University. It serves as a research center for students and is also open to the public. Here you will find 2 ponds, a bird observation area with a porch and several feeders, and many hiking trails. Here you will see hummingbirds, woodpeckers, quail, dove, blue jays, and many more species of birds. Children can enjoy the plants, birds, and butterflies in the Children’s Garden.
The Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve and Japanese Gardens offer the bird-watcher the chance of a lifetime. Here you will find several ponds, some with islands and reeds, and platforms in which to watch the wildlife. Flycatchers, Cassin’s Kingbird, bluebirds, bushtits, warblers, hummingbirds, pelicans, and geese are just a few of the species you will see here.
The Ano Nuevo State Reserve is a 1500 acre protected breeding ground for the bull elephant seal. This area is teeming with bird life and hiking trails in which to see them all. The hiking trails are only open for part of the year. Here you will find remote dunes, beaches, freshwater ponds, and layered sea cliffs. The Ano Nuevo State Reserve is home to migrants, vireos, warblers, hummingbirds, raptors, shorebirds, brown pelicans and more.
The Sweet Springs Nature Preserve is a 24-acre sanctuary on the Morro Coast that is home to several endangered and threatened species. Flocks of ducks and shorebirds migrate here in the winter.
San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary was established to protect more than 300 acres of California coastal freshwater wetlands. There are 10 miles of trails and more than 200 bird species here. School field trips, education programs, and tours are available.
For an even more remote place to watch bird life, visit the Piute Ponds on Edwards Air Force Base. You must get permission from the base before visiting. The Piute Ponds consists of more than 500 acres of marshy to open lake areas that are home to over 250 species of birds including ducks, coots, grebes, sparrows, blackbirds, ibis, and dowitchers.
