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 South Coast
B1
Gaviota, Refugio & El Capitan State Beaches
(map)
(fee)
 Directions: From Santa Barbara take US 101 west
(north) approximately 20 miles to El Capitan State Beach entrance
(Exit 117); 22.8 miles to Refugio
State Beach entrance
(Exit 120); 32 miles to Gaviota State Beach entrance. A day use fee is
required, and camping is available by
reservation only during peak seasons. Your camping or day use fee will allow entrance into all three locations.
Rewards:
These sites
provide a mix of coastal scrub and chaparral, willow-riparian habitat and stream and canyon woodland
on the south coast of Santa Barbara County. All three hot-spots are a must when
looking for fall rarities! Gaviota Beach was formerly much better than today
when there were planted tamarisk trees throughout the camp ground, but it is still
worth birding. Each campground is located at the mouth of a canyon along the
Pacific coastline where migrant passerines become "trapped" at the edge of the
ocean and sometimes linger in the trees and shrubs before continuing south. All three
sites have a history of producing many of the rarest birds found in Santa
Barbara County. September and October are best, but spring can also be good for
breeding birds
and north bound migrants. Rare birds include Great
Crested Flycatcher, Least Flycatcher,
Yellow-green Vireo, Mourning Warbler,
Prothonotary Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler,
Scarlet Tanager, Brown Thrasher and
Painted Redstart. Regular fall rarities include Palm Warbler,
Virginia's Warbler,
Blackpoll Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, plus most of the common western
migrant land birds. Resident birds typical of coastal scrub include Wrentit, Bewick's
Wren, Western Scrub-Jay, California Thrasher, Allen's Hummingbird, Spotted and California Towhee.
Ocean birds are easily spotted offshore due to the generally calm waters and
include gulls, terns, shearwaters and jaegers in summer and early fall. Loons, grebes and scoters in winter
months. Photo: Canada del Capitan Creek Mouth, El
Capitan State Beach
B2
Refugio Canyon
(map)
Directions:
(Exit 120)
From Santa Barbara take US 101 west (north) approximately 22.8 miles to Refugio
State Beach entrance at Refugio Road. Exit the freeway here and drive north into
Refugio Canyon. Birding can be done along this seven mile stretch of canyon road
all the way to the summit of the Santa Ynez Mountains where the road turns to
dirt and descends into the Santa Ynez Valley at Solvang (avoid during wet
weather). See Interior - Mountains site at Refugio Road - Quiota Creek for a
continuation of this route.
Rewards:
Spring and early summer birding along
the riparian habitat in the lower portion of the canyon is excellent for
flycatchers, warblers, vireos, kingbirds, swallows and orioles. Phainopepla
might also be spotted. As the road winds upward you drive past grassy hills and
enter chaparral habitat. As you reach the top the habitat is Coast Live Oak and
Madrone. Birds here include Chipping Sparrow, Black-throated Gray Warbler,
Olive-sided Flycatcher and Cassin's Vireo. Rare birds have included Indigo
Bunting.
B3
Devereux Slough & Coal Oil Point Reserve
(map)
(parking fee)
Directions:
(Exit 108)
From US 101 in Goleta take Storke
Road-Glen Annie Road exit and drive south on Storke Road. Cross the Hollister Road
intersection and continue south toward the coast. Where Storke Road veers to the left
becoming El Colegio Road, keep right at the entrance road to UCSB West Campus
and the slough. There are two pull-outs along the road from which you can look
into the slough. If parking in the Cliff House lot at the end of the road (Coal
Oil Point) a
parking permit is required and must be obtained from Parking Services on the UCSB campus prior to visiting. You can park on side streets in Isla Vista on
Camino Corto or Del Playa Drive off El Colegio and walk west to the point and
slough. Look for UCSB Parking Services near the Main Campus (map).
The Coal Oil Point Reserve website contains information about the Reserve
including a map of the area with directions (link).
 Rewards:
This site is recognized as a National
Audubon Society "Important Bird Area" as part of the Goleta Coast (link).
Productive birding at Devereux Slough is highly dependent on water levels, but
this location can be very good for a variety of waterfowl, herons, egrets and
shorebirds. Fall (as early as July) and winter are the best seasons for birding the slough. Many
rare birds have been found here and include Ruff,
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper,
Little Blue Heron,
"Eurasian" Green-winged Teal and Laughing
Gull. Most unexpected was a White Wagtail
and a Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher on the same
day! The beach at the mouth of the slough is protected Snowy Plover and Least
Tern habitat during the breeding season. Both species are easily seen near the
beach in summer. Scan the ocean from Coal Oil Point for
pelagic birds, and check the pines and eucalyptus trees around the parking area
and entrance road for migrant passerines in spring and fall.
Photo: Coastline at Devereux Point, Callie Bowdish
B4 Goleta Slough,
Goleta Point & UCSB Campus Lagoon
(map)
(parking
fee)
Directions:
From U.S. 101 in Goleta, exit
Highway 217 (Ward Memorial Blvd. - UCSB exit) and drive south to the East Gate
campus entrance kiosk. Ask for a campus map. To reach the Goleta Slough
Overlook, turn right on Mesa Road and continue west to Ocean Road. Look for
metered parking spaces here and in regular C lot
spaces in this same lot (16) or in lot
31, next to facilities management.
To reach Goleta (Campus) Point, take Lagoon
Road and go past the Marine Science Building. You can
park in the metered spaces in the Marine Sciences lot
if any are available, or you can go here in the
evening or on a weekend and park in the regular spaces for a small fee.
Head down to the beach and walk the trail up to the bluffs (campus map).
Rewards:
Goleta Point is an
excellent promontory for watching migrating seabirds in spring. Birders often
make spring seabird migration counts from this spot. Hundreds of
scoters, loons, shearwaters, jaegers, gulls and terns can be seen moving west
offshore from March through May. Daily totals are impressive. A check of the
rocks below will provide turnstones in fall and winter. In April
of 2006 an American Oystercatcher was found
here. Birding at Campus Lagoon is good for waterfowl in winter where one can see
American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Redhead, Cinnamon and Blue-winged Teals (rare) in addition to
several other expected species. When conditions are right, a variety of
shorebirds will frequent the slough.
A spotting scope is helpful at
both locations. A look through the exotic plants around Manzanita Village near the lagoon can be good for
land birds during migration periods and in winter. Rare birds on UCSB campus
include Painted Redstart, Tropical Kingbird and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher.
B5
Lake Los Carneros
County Park & Stow House
(map)
Directions:
(Exit 107) From U.S. 101 in Goleta, exit at Los Carneros
Road and drive north 0.4 miles to
the park entrance on the right. A pathway
encircles the lake.
 Rewards: Around the historic old Stow House
there is a lush garden of exotic plants and trees worth
looking through. Regular western birds such as Acorn and Nuttall's Woodpecker,
Hooded Oriole, Hutton's Vireo, California Thrasher, and winter sparrows are
common. This habitat can be good for migrants in spring and fall with
the occasional rarity being spotted. Yellow-green Vireo and Nelson's
Sharp-tailed Sparrow are two such
unexpected sightings in fall. A walk around lake trail is good for viewing the
water from different angles to find waterfowl,
grebes, egrets and herons. Virginia Rail, Sora, American and Least Bitterns, and
Common Moorhen (rare) may be spotted in the channel and among the reeds from the wooden footbridge at the
north end of the lake.
Photo:
Lake Los Carneros, Lynn Watson
B6 Goleta Beach County Park &
Slough Estuary
(map)
Directions:
From U.S. 101 in Goleta exit Highway 217 (Ward Memorial
Blvd. - UCSB exit) and drive south to Sandspit Road. Turn left (south) to Goleta
Beach County Park entrance and drive to the end of the lot to see the estuary.
Rewards: At the east end of the parking lot look
for egrets, herons, gulls and terns where
the channel empties into the ocean. More herons can be seen feeding in the upper
portion of the channel where the entrance road crosses. An active heron
rookery can be seen in the eucalyptus trees across from the parking lot where
Great Blue Heron, Great Egret and Double-crested Cormorants have nested. Scoters
and loons can be seen offshore from the beach and pier. Rare
birds
in the estuary and on the beach include Yellow-billed Loon, Tricolored Heron,
Eurasian Wigeon, Reddish Egret, Rusty
Blackbird, Glaucous Gull and Laughing Gull.
B7 Goleta Wastewater Treatment Plant
(Goleta Sanitary District)
(map)
 Directions:
(Exit 105)
From U.S. 101 in Goleta, exit on
Fairview Avenue and drive south, crossing the Hollister Avenue intersection,
about 1.5 miles. Eventually the road makes a sharp turn to the right (west)
becoming Fowler Road. Continue south past the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport
terminal building and look for the sewage treatment plant entrance on the left
at One William Moffett Place. The management is very accommodating to birders
and the facility is open each weekday
from about 8:30 to 5:00 (4:30 on Fridays). Visitors must sign-in at the office
prior to birding. Park only in the lot near the office- do not park near the
ponds.
Birding is allowed around the parking area
near the office and around the ponds.
Trespassing is not allowed in
sensitive habitat areas outside the plant and specific places within the
facility so inquire where you can go.
Rewards:
Look for shorebirds from mid-summer through fall. At the
height of migration look for Western, Least, Baird's, Pectoral, and Semipalmated Sandpipers (rare)
as they move south in late summer. Numerous Black-necked Stilts can be seen
here. Also look through the myoporum trees for passerines. Rarities have included
Black-headed Gull, Curlew Sandpiper, Buff-breasted Sandpiper,
Yellow-green Vireo, and a county first Sedge Wren was found in an
adjacent marsh. Numbers of waterfowl also frequent the ponds nearly year-round.
Blue-winged Teal and Wood Duck may be seen. An accommodating Fulvous
Whistling-Duck was present for months in 2006 allowing great looks.
Photo: Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Jamie Chavez
B8 Atascadero Creek
(map)
Directions:
(Exit 103) Exit U.S. 101
in Goleta at Turnpike Road and drive south crossing the Hollister Avenue
intersection to its dead-end. Walk the path to the creek. Atascadero Creek is
also accessible from the 101 to South Patterson Road and driving south, turning right (west) on
Hollister Ave. to Ward Drive on the left (south), and continuing to its end.
Bird along the edge of the bike path running parallel to the creek in either
direction.
Rewards:
Fall birding is
best along this willow-riparian corridor. Migrant land birds regularly filter
through this stretch of Atascadero Creek from August to November. Allen's
Hummingbird is regular along the creek and in the yards adjacent to the
path. Unusual
migrants and rarities include Palm Warbler, Swamp Sparrow,
Bobolink, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, and the only county record of Groove-billed Ani!
This can be a great place for Blue Grosbeak
and Indigo Bunting from August to October. It has been one of the best places in
coastal California for Painted Bunting with a number of records.
B9 South County Parks
(map)
 Directions:
A few county and area
community parks are located in Goleta west of the City of Santa Barbara. Among
those with better habitat for birding are: Arroyo Burro County Beach, Eling's Park, Tucker's Grove County Park, Stow Grove
Park and Winchester Canyon Park. All have excellent habitat and can be quite
good in fall for migrant birds and winter rarities.
- WINCHESTER CANYON is located at the western edge of Goleta off Cathedral Oaks
Road. The small park at the entrance to the canyon has been a good spot for
wintering rarities. The riparian habitat and wooded canyon along Winchester
Canyon Road are worth birding for warblers and sapsuckers. Look through the
riparian habitat and sycamore trees. Most unusual was a
Red-headed
Woodpecker in an orchard grove in winter of 1989. A Philadelphia
Vireo wintered in the park riparian area in 1992.
-
STOW GROVE PARK is just northeast of Lake Los Carneros off Cathedral Oaks Road. The
dense redwood trees and live oaks in the park make this a pleasant spot to bird.
In late fall of 2007 a Scarlet Tanager was present, and the famous Goleta
area Zone-tailed Hawk used the park redwoods for a time as a consistent
roost site with Turkey Vultures. This bird returned for 12 consecutive years to
Goleta and was seen by scores of birders.
-
TUCKER'S GROVE COUNTY PARK is located off Cathedral Oaks Road west of Highway 154. San
Antonio Creek meanders through the park which is mainly oak woodland and
sycamore trees. It is a good place to look for typical California woodland birds as you hike the
long trail extending north into the foothill canyon. Woodpeckers, wrens,
towhees, winter sparrows and Spotted Owl have been seen.
- ELING'S PARK is accessible off Las Positas Road on Jerry Harwin Parkway. Continue to the top
of the hill to the parking area. Another access point is at the end of Calle
Montilla. Unusual birds found here in fall of 2007
include Magnolia Warbler, Chestnut-collared Longspur, and incredibly, a third
county record Dusky Warbler! Photo: Eling's Park Dusky
Warbler, Wes Fritz
- ARROYO BURRO COUNTY
BEACH and the Douglass Family Preserve is also accessible at the end of Las Positas to
Cliff Drive. Beach access is available
from the stairs at the end of the parking lot. Birding along Arroyo Burro Creek
can be rewarding in fall.
B10 Mission Canyon
(map)
Directions:
There are several wonderful parks worth exploring in the oak covered foothills
of Santa Barbara. A few of these parks are accessible from the Mission Street
exit off U.S. 101
(Exit 99). Drive north four blocks to State Street and turn left (west).
Go two blocks and turn right (east) on Los Olivos heading past the Santa Barbara
Mission. At the
fork in the road, stay left to Mission Canyon Road.
Rewards:
The parks in this
oak woodland in Santa Barbara’s Mission Canyon are home to a variety of nesting
and seasonal birds including Hooded Oriole, Allen’s and Black-chinned
Hummingbirds, Canyon Wren, Black-headed Grosbeak, Cedar Waxwing, Acorn and Nuttall’s
Woodpeckers and Band-tailed Pigeons There are other nearby parks worth visiting
as well. From the Santa Barbara Mission on Mission Canyon Road take Alameda
Padre Serra Road east to the intersection of Moreno Rd. to visit the city park Orpet
(Hillside) Park. Nearby Francecschi Park is accessible along Mission Ridge Road nearby
to the east (map)
(see the Santa Barbara City Parks site description for specifics).
Winter birding in the exotic plants and trees in these park settings and
adjacent neighborhoods on the
Riviera occasionally turn up unusual birds, particularly in winter. Rarities
have included Tennessee Warbler, Golden-winged Warbler, Summer Tanager, Hepatic Tanager,
White-throated Sparrow and Scott's Oriole.
-
ROCKY NOOK COUNTY PARK:
Enter from Mission Canyon Road a quarter
mile past the mission on the right.
Bird along Mission Creek the entire length of Rocky Nook Park for oak woodland
birds and migrants. A Hepatic Tanager wintered at this location for 12
consecutive years!
-
SANTA BARBARA MUSEUM OF NATURAL
HISTORY:
(museum fee) Birding through the
museum grounds can
be productive in spring
and winter
for a nice variety of woodland birds. The Natural History Museum is walking
distance from Rocky Nook Park by
crossing Mission Canyon Road, or drive one block north to Las Encinas Road on
the left and follow the signs to the parking lot at the end of Puesta del Sol
Rd. The exhibits in the museum are well worth the price of admission alone,
including the Bird Diversity Hall with an amazing display of mounted specimens
complete with California Condor, and a large collection of bird nests from the
region.
-
SANTA BARBARA BOTANIC GARDEN:
(fee)
Continue north on Mission Canyon Road to its intersection at
Foothill Road. Turn right (east) on Foothill for 2 blocks then left again to
resume Mission Canyon Road heading north and bear right at the fork. Drive about
1 mile to the entrance at 1212 Mission Canyon Rd. Stroll through the grounds to
see a vast garden of native plants, shrubs and trees, and follow the trail down
to Mission Creek to explore shaded stream and canyon habitat. Birding here in
spring, early summer and winter is best. Photo: Mission
Dam, Santa
Barbara Botanic Garden
B11 Santa Barbara City
Parks (links)
Directions:
Several parks within the
City of Santa Barbara are worth exploring. Birders have visited these
parks with some regularity and seasonal rarities have turned up. Those
parks with nice wooded habitat, native botanical gardens, riparian habitat
and coastal beach access include Bohnett Park, Skofield Park, Rattlesnake
Canyon, Hidden Valley Park, Steven's Park, Shoreline Park, Alice Keck
Memorial Gardens, Orpet Park, Parma Park and Oak Park. See the City of
Santa Barbara
Parks
Features page for details about each location.
Rewards:
The generally mild climate on
the south coast in winter means Santa Barbara has a long list of
over-wintering rarities. Tanagers, orioles, grosbeaks, hummingbirds,
flycatchers, and warblers in particular, have been located in these city
parks among the oaks, pines, blooming eucalyptus and riparian corridors.
Adjacent neighborhoods with exotic plantings are also worth looking
through.
B12
Andree Clark
Bird Refuge
(map)
Directions: Exit U.S. 101
in Santa Barbara at Hot Springs Road. Cross under the freeway on Cabrillo Blvd.
and immediately turn right (west) on Los Patos Way. The parking lot is to the
left at the edge of the lake.
Rewards:
The bird refuge
lagoon often contains a variety of common gulls, ducks, grebes and phalaropes in
season. Many of these birds are tame and approachable owing to handouts from
park visitors. Wood Ducks are present in fall and winter. Look for night-herons,
egrets and cormorants roosting on the islands in the center of the lake, and
walk the trail from the parking lot westward to find Marsh Wrens, Common
Yellowthroats and winter sparrows. Great-tailed Grackle is now a common fixture
at the Bird Refuge. Palm Warbler, Swamp Sparrow, Red-necked
Grebe, Tropical and Eastern Kingbirds have all been found
here.
B13
Santa Barbara Beaches
(map)
(parking fee)
Directions:
To reach East
Beach, Chase Palm Park and Stearns Wharf, Exit U.S. 101 in Santa Barbara at Hot
Springs Road to East Cabrillo Blvd. and drive
south and west along the beachfront about 3 miles to the intersection at Santa
Barbara Street. Turn left (south) into the public parking lot.
 Rewards:
Outfall
channels from Garden Street create pools in the sand and are a common gathering
spot for gulls and terns. The county's largest concentration of Black Skimmers
are common at East Beach and are approachable for study or photography. At the
Mission Creek and Garden Creek outfalls there have been as many as ten gull
species in winter, including Thayer's Gull. Rare birds found here include
Black-headed Gull, Glaucous Gull and exceptionally, a Wilson’s
Plover on the beach! Scan offshore for loons, grebes and scoters. Walk along
the beach to check for gulls and wading birds in the wet sand. Snowy Plover is
fairly common here. Across East Cabrillo from the beach is Chase Palm Park.
This narrow park strip can be worth checking in fall. Bird the willows and weedy
edges along Laguna Creek for migrants. This is where Lucy's Warblers
have been consistently found in late summer and early fall.
Photo: Black Skimmer on East Beach
B14
Santa Barbara
Harbor
(map)
(parking
fee)
Directions:
Continue west
on East Cabrillo Blvd. to Santa Barbara Street about 1 mile to reach the harbor
entrance on the left. The harbor can also be reached by exiting Highway 101 at
Castillo Street. Park in the pay lots near the harbor marina.
Rewards:
Wintering loons,
scoters and grebes are a common sight in the harbor. Red-throated, Common and
Pacific loon can be seen here. In fall, winter and spring, walk the breakwater
for rocky shorebirds. Look for Black and Ruddy Turnstone, Surfbird and Wandering
Tattler. Long-tailed Duck has been found
here among the rocks, and Red-necked Grebes have been seen with Western
and Clark's Grebe off the wharf.
B15
Carpinteria
Creek & Salt Marsh Reserve
(map)
Directions:
(Exit 86) To reach Carpinteria Creek- from
U.S. 101at the city of Carpinteria, exit at Casitas Pass Road exit at Casitas
Pass Road and drive one block south to Carpinteria Avenue. Turn right (west) on
Carpinteria Ave. then make an immediate left on Palm Avenue. Follow Palm 2
blocks to 6th Street and turn left (east) into a parking lot at the end of the
road. To visit the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, return to 6th Street and
drive west to Linden Ave (Exit 86B). Turn left (south) on Linden and drive to the end of
the street at Sandyland Rd. Linden Ave. is also an exit at Highway 101. Just
drive to its end. Head west on Sandyland to Ash Ave. You can park
along the length of Ash to access a couple of viewing points that overlook the
canal at the east end of the marsh.
Rewards:
The narrow riparian habitat that meanders along Carpinteria Creek is good for fall and spring
migrants including Nashville Warbler, Western Wood-Pewee, MacGillivray’s
Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Bullock's Oriole and Western Tanager. A small
sampling of the rare birds found here include: Yellow-billed Cuckoo,
Philadelphia Vireo, Golden-winged Warbler and Yellow-bellied
Flycatcher! Fall is most productive, but winter can be rewarding by checking
the blooming eucalyptus that often attract over-wintering birds. Visiting the
Salt Marsh at the Ash Ave. overlooks can be good for egrets, herons and
waterfowl. Little Blue Heron, Reddish Egret, and the rare and declining
Clapper Rail have been recorded
in the Reserve.
B16
Rincon Creek & Bates Road
(map)
Directions:
(Exit 83) Rincon Creek marks the Santa Barbara
and Ventura County line as the boundary line meanders with the creek all the way to
the ocean. Birding the "left" side of the creek is considered Santa Barbara
County, but it matters not because the habitat is great along both sides of the
creek. To reach the Rincon Creek area exit Highway 101 south of Carpinteria at
Bates Road and drive north about one-half mile to where Bates Road crosses the
creek at a narrow stone bridge. This is a narrow road so park where safe to pull
out. Return toward the 101 and cross under the freeway to
reach the parking lot for coastal access at Rincon Beach Park.
Rewards:
Spring birding along Rincon Creek can be very rewarding for migrant land birds
and nesting species. Birding from the bridge allows good views of the upper
level tree tops where birds are often difficult to observe from below.
Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Allen's Hummingbird, Wilson's
Warbler, Swainson's Thrush, Yellow-breasted Chat, Black-headed Grosbeak and
Bullock's Oriole are commonly seen. Olive-sided Flycatcher and Black-chinned
Hummingbird also breed here. This riparian corridor is well
known as a migrant trap in fall with the occasional rarity showing up. September
and October are best. Among the more unusual birds found at the Bates Road
Bridge are Baltimore Oriole, Kentucky Warbler, Black-throated Blue Warbler
and Northern Parula, Birding at Rincon Beach Park is good for gulls, terns
and offshore loons, grebes and scoters.
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