Alum Rock Park, San Jose
Alum Rock Park is 8 miles (13km) east of San Jose. For woodland species, bird the trails along the creek where you should see Nuttall’s and Acorn Woodpecker, Steller’s Jay, Brown Creeper, White-breasted Nuthatch and Black-headed Grosbeak. Walk the North Rim Trail to see more of the open country birds. California Quail Yellow-billed Magpie and California Thrasher can be found here. To get to the park from San Jose, follow Alum Rock Avenue east from the city center.
Birding San Francisco and the Bay Area.
The San Francisco and Bay area offers very good year round birding. Places in the heart of the City which are easily accessible are the Golden Gate State Park, which is only 3miles (5km) from the city. The best access to the Golden Gate Park is in Fulton Street. Take the 25th Avenue entrance. Bird the area west Cross Over Drive, checking the bushes and woodland around Middle and North Lakes for woodland birds. This area is particularly good during spring and autumn migration when flycatchers, vireos and warblers pass through. Lincoln Park is 5 miles (8km) from the city. Two of the best birding spots are East Wash and West Wash. These are north facing wooded gullies at the east and west end of the Lincoln Park Golf Course that have turned up rare birds during migration. Keep an eye open skywards for raptors. Most of the western raptor species can be seen from here. To access Lincoln Park near East Wash, take Geary Boulevard to 34th Avenue. Turn left and go to Legion of Honor Drive. Park at the Legion of Honour Museum and walk north. Angel Island State Park is a hilly, grass and forest-covered island, located one mile from the Tiburon Peninsula. Many trails crisscross the island, providing many great birding opportunities. Birds that are often seen include grebes, ducks, egrets, hawks, gulls, owls, kingfishers, hummingbirds, flickers, robins, scrub jays, sparrows and juncos. Ferries are available daily during the peak season to take you to Angel Island, with the Tiburon Ferry running daily weekday service to Angel Island at 10am, returning at 1:20pm. Winter weekends, there are four roundtrips each day.
Kelley Park, San Jose
Kelley Park is in central San Jose, near the San Jose State University. This is an ideal birding spot for that “hour before breakfast”. Bird the area along the banks of the Coyote Creek. You will see typical Californian Valley birds, but two species to look out for are Nuttall’s Woodpecker and Wrentit.
Monterey Bay Area
South of San Francisco is Monterey Bay. Although many people associate Monterey with pelagics, there are also some good birding spots in the area, including Castle Rock State Park along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Thje park is located on Highway 35, just 2 1/2 miles southeast of the junction with Highway 9, The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park, 4 miles north of Aptos, whick is itself on the north edge of Monterey Bay, on Aptos Creek Road, and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Parknear Felton on HIghway 9 in Santa Cruz County. Most of the birds found here are year round residents. For seabirds and waders, the Elkhorn Slough National Wildlife Refuge, on the coast near Watsonville is a good place to start. Carmel River State Beach, 1 miles south Highway 1 on Ocean Avenue and Point Lobos State Reserve, 3 miles outh of Carmel on the coast, both offer good birding close to Monterey and Carmel.
Point Reyes National Seashore
This popular birding spot located only 22 miles north of San Francisco, is one of the best fall migration hotspots in the U.S.A. During September and October large flocks of land birds arrive here at night or in fog. With a species count of over 430 birds, this is a place not to miss. There are numerous places to bird here and it is recommended that birders without a guide book go to either the visitors center at Drakes Beach or at the lighthouse and get some local literature.