Birding spots

Best Birding Spots in California

By species reported, the top birding spots in California are Frank G Bonelli Regional Park, San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve, and Rodeo Lagoon. Frank G Bonelli Regional Park has the longest list (266 species), and its best season is fall.

Species counts are birds reported at least three times in that season at that spot, 2016–2025. Busy spots list more species simply because more people look, so compare the checklist counts. Spot names come from public map data and hotspot listings.

Spot	County	Species	Checklists	Winter	Spring	Summer	Fall
Frank G Bonelli Regional Park	Los Angeles County	266	7,491	203	215	167	226
San Joaquin Freshwater Marsh Reserve	Orange County	259	14,224	186	213	177	220
Rodeo Lagoon	Marin County	258	5,666	158	184	179	227
Quivira Basin	San Diego County	257	10,306	176	190	137	218
Santa Clara River	Ventura County	255	5,820	178	202	159	225
Huntington Beach Central Park	Orange County	250	7,470	158	188	145	209
Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary	Humboldt County	245	6,882	180	185	161	212
Crespi Pond (Point Pinos)	Monterey County	245	4,174	152	163	119	220
Abbotts Lagoon	Marin County	242	2,610	165	143	151	217
Malibu Lagoon State Beach	Los Angeles County	241	4,904	171	170	152	202
Laguna Lake Park	San Luis Obispo County	241	4,246	173	171	150	206
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve	Orange County	239	7,437	179	181	151	191
Point Reyes National Seashore	Marin County	237	3,522	90	149	139	195
San Jacinto Wildlife Area	Riverside County	237	2,774	165	198	148	203
Sepulveda Basin Wildlife Reserve	Los Angeles County	236	5,230	167	190	148	186
Coyote Hills Regional Park	Alameda County	234	4,990	181	190	155	205
Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park	Los Angeles County	234	3,462	150	182	139	189
Peck Road Park	Los Angeles County	234	3,102	163	179	143	204
Piute Ponds	Los Angeles County	234	1,269	128	187	152	189
Drakes Beach	Marin County	230	2,861	119	141	138	202
Elkhorn Slough Ecological Reserve (west)	Monterey County	230	2,097	162	164	139	211
Hayward Regional Shoreline	Alameda County	230	1,879	163	190	154	192
Coyote Point Recreation Area	San Mateo County	229	4,248	167	182	116	188
Furnace Creek	Inyo County	228	1,527	101	172	125	182
Lake Los Carneros Park	Santa Barbara County	227	5,984	158	169	131	196
Oso Flaco Lake	San Luis Obispo County	227	2,699	144	171	145	182
Laguna Grande Regional Park	Monterey County	226	4,654	138	146	114	198
Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area	Yolo County	226	2,593	140	176	147	171
San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve	San Diego County	224	6,462	176	190	139	187
Mile Square Regional Park	Orange County	224	4,306	155	157	131	189

By county