Birding spot · Santa Cruz County, California
Birding at Sunset State Beach (Watsonville Slough): What You'll See Each Week In November, the birds most often reported at Sunset State Beach (Watsonville Slough) are Brown Pelican (80%), Bufflehead (80%), and Double-crested Cormorant (78%). It is busiest in fall, when 95 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late April (98 species). 177 species have been reported here across 809 complete checklists from 240 birders.
Species by week 0 20 40 60 80 100 Jan 1-7: 79 species on 5%+ of 34 checklists Jan 8-14: 54 species on 5%+ of 21 checklists Jan 15-21: 85 species on 5%+ of 17 checklists Jan 22-31: 89 species on 5%+ of 14 checklists Feb 1-7: 80 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Feb 8-14: 88 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Feb 15-21: 76 species on 5%+ of 15 checklists Feb 22-28: 74 species on 5%+ of 22 checklists Mar 1-7: 83 species on 5%+ of 26 checklists Mar 8-14: 78 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Mar 15-21: 90 species on 5%+ of 15 checklists Mar 22-31: 73 species on 5%+ of 23 checklists Apr 1-7: low data (8 checklists) Apr 8-14: 95 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Apr 15-21: 75 species on 5%+ of 11 checklists Apr 22-30: 98 species on 5%+ of 17 checklists May 1-7: 79 species on 5%+ of 22 checklists May 8-14: 69 species on 5%+ of 21 checklists May 15-21: 69 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists May 22-31: 74 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Jun 1-7: 70 species on 5%+ of 10 checklists Jun 8-14: 64 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Jun 15-21: 73 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Jun 22-30: low data (8 checklists) Jul 1-7: 76 species on 5%+ of 17 checklists Jul 8-14: 63 species on 5%+ of 23 checklists Jul 15-21: 75 species on 5%+ of 25 checklists Jul 22-31: 66 species on 5%+ of 33 checklists Aug 1-7: 74 species on 5%+ of 36 checklists Aug 8-14: 64 species on 5%+ of 26 checklists Aug 15-21: 64 species on 5%+ of 25 checklists Aug 22-31: 69 species on 5%+ of 20 checklists Sep 1-7: 92 species on 5%+ of 12 checklists Sep 8-14: low data (9 checklists) Sep 15-21: 76 species on 5%+ of 14 checklists Sep 22-30: 84 species on 5%+ of 28 checklists Oct 1-7: low data (7 checklists) Oct 8-14: low data (7 checklists) Oct 15-21: 83 species on 5%+ of 14 checklists Oct 22-31: 73 species on 5%+ of 23 checklists Nov 1-7: low data (7 checklists) Nov 8-14: 82 species on 5%+ of 21 checklists Nov 15-21: 90 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Nov 22-30: low data (9 checklists) Dec 1-7: low data (8 checklists) Dec 8-14: 83 species on 5%+ of 15 checklists Dec 15-21: 92 species on 5%+ of 13 checklists Dec 22-31: 63 species on 5%+ of 22 checklists Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec 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 Brown Pelican 80% 2 Bufflehead 80% 3 Double-crested Cormorant 78% 4 Western Gull 76% 5 Black Phoebe 74% 6 Eared Grebe 72% 7 Ruddy Duck 72% 8 Mallard 68% 9 California Gull 66% 10 Greater Yellowlegs 58% 11 Marbled Godwit 58% 12 Pied-billed Grebe 58% 13 American Coot 54% 14 Long-billed Curlew 54% 15 Spotted Sandpiper 54% 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 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 .
Brown Pelican80%
Bufflehead80%
Double-crested Cormorant78%
Western Gull76%
Black Phoebe74%
Eared Grebe72%
Ruddy Duck72%
Mallard68%
California Gull66%
Greater Yellowlegs58%
Marbled Godwit58%
Pied-billed Grebe58%
American Coot54%
Long-billed Curlew54%
Spotted Sandpiper54%