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Its diversity of land
and water birds plus its history of producing vagrants and rarities have
made this state beach very attractive to birders. A large pine grove, areas
of live oaks, willow riparian, and a sandy beach support many resident and
visiting species. There are day use facilities and a campground. A birding
excursion here may be extended to the nearby Porter -Sesnon Parcel, state
park land described separately below.
Directions. Take the Park Ave exit off Hwy 1, and
go south one short block to its intersection with Kennedy Dr/McGregor Dr. To
drive into the park (fee), turn left on McGregor Dr to the entrance road.
Alternatively, park along Kennedy Dr and walk in for free along the path at
the southeast corner of its intersection with Park Ave.
Birds. Near the park’s entrance kiosk a trail
leads through willows, pines and oaks to the campground. This path usually
has a number of riparian and evergreen forest birds. Check especially along
the railroad tracks (use caution: trains pass about twice daily) as far east
as there is riparian habitat, and be sure to bird the oaks on the slope
south of the tracks. Residents such as Purple Finch and Chestnut-backed
Chickadee are joined in spring by, for example, nesting Allen’s Hummingbird,
Western Wood-Pewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Swainson’s Thrush, and
Orange-crowned and Wilson’s warblers. Among the wintering species are Hermit
Thrush, Fox Sparrow, and Winter Wren. This part of the park can provide
great birding during migration, and numerous vagrants have been found here.
The campground is in a mature grove of planted Monterey pines
(some dying from pine pitch canker) and Monterey cypress, mixed with native
coast live oaks and understory species. Residents include Hairy Woodpecker,
Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Pine Siskin, and Purple Finch. Townsend’s
Warbler (usually common), Red-breasted Sapsucker and Nuttall’s Woodpecker
winter here. Irruptive species such as Red-breasted Nuthatch, Golden-crowned
Kinglet, and Red Crossbill are numerous some years. Birding in this
campground is best from October to April, when fewer people are around. The
eastern part of the campground is often closed to campers in winter, and
then it may be quite birdy. The northwestern part of the pine grove is away
from campsites and several large snags there attract woodpeckers and other
cavity-nesters.
A path from a parking lot just west of the campground leads
to the beach, and so does a trail leading down from the campground itself.
This beach gets crowded on summer weekends and holidays, but early mornings
are good even then. In addition to the usual sandy-shore birds, Wandering
Tattler sometimes appears here in late July and August and again in the
spring, and Black Turnstones work the kelp wrack when it is abundant. At low
tide check for Spotted Sandpiper near the cliffs at the west end of the
beach. Sooty Shearwater (often huge flocks as evening approaches),
Heermann’s Gull, Brown Pelican, and Caspian and Elegant terns grace the
summer scene, and a variety of gulls are present in winter. From August to
October look for Pomarine and Parasitic jaegers harassing terns just
offshore, and for Marbled Murrelet. Wintering Red-necked Grebe, Black
Scoter, and Greater Scaup sometimes swim just offshore among loons and
Western Grebes.
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