WhenToBird

Birding spot · Orange County, California

Birding at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (Sunset Beach): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (Sunset Beach) are Snowy Egret (84%), Willet (76%), and Great Blue Heron (67%). It is busiest in spring, when 87 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of December (105 species). 146 species have been reported here across 827 complete checklists from 492 birders.

Species by week

0255075100125Jan 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsJan 8-14: 91 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsJan 15-21: 77 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsJan 22-31: 87 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsFeb 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsFeb 8-14: 83 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsFeb 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsFeb 22-28: 79 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsMar 1-7: 85 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsMar 8-14: 99 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsMar 15-21: 84 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsMar 22-31: 72 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsApr 1-7: 97 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsApr 8-14: 86 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsApr 15-21: 76 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsApr 22-30: 80 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsMay 1-7: low data (9 checklists)May 8-14: 71 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsMay 15-21: low data (7 checklists)May 22-31: 65 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJun 1-7: 63 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsJun 8-14: 58 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsJun 15-21: 63 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJun 22-30: 64 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsJul 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJul 8-14: 64 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsJul 15-21: 58 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsJul 22-31: 69 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsAug 1-7: 64 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsAug 8-14: 58 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsAug 15-21: 54 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsAug 22-31: 67 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsSep 1-7: 52 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsSep 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Sep 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Sep 22-30: 60 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsOct 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Oct 8-14: 85 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsOct 15-21: 85 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsOct 22-31: 83 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsNov 1-7: 86 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsNov 8-14: 93 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsNov 15-21: 87 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsNov 22-30: 71 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsDec 1-7: 84 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsDec 8-14: 105 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsDec 15-21: 80 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsDec 22-31: 84 species on 5%+ of 56 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1Snowy Egret84%
  2. 2Willet76%
  3. 3Great Blue Heron67%
  4. 4Great Egret67%
  5. 5House Finch63%
  6. 6Marbled Godwit63%
  7. 7White-crowned Sparrow63%
  8. 8Brown Pelican61%
  9. 9Double-crested Cormorant61%
  10. 10American Wigeon52%
  11. 11Western Gull52%
  12. 12Bufflehead49%
  13. 13Killdeer48%
  14. 14Northern Pintail48%
  15. 15Song Sparrow48%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 84 species

  1. Willet81%
  2. Snowy Egret79%
  3. Lesser Scaup73%
  4. Bufflehead73%
  5. Great Egret71%

Spring 87 species

  1. Snowy Egret78%
  2. American Crow73%
  3. Willet71%
  4. House Finch67%
  5. Great Blue Heron59%

Summer 65 species

  1. Snowy Egret86%
  2. Willet78%
  3. House Finch72%
  4. Barn Swallow71%
  5. Great Blue Heron70%

Fall 85 species

  1. Snowy Egret81%
  2. Willet78%
  3. Great Egret69%
  4. Great Blue Heron64%
  5. Marbled Godwit64%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across California.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.