Bird AlbumUnited States · California
Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
299 species and 525,855 records in eBird up to 2024-12-31.
Best months: September–May, with up to 175 species seen regularly.
Seen here in November
Snowy EgretEgretta thula
BuffleheadBucephala albeola
Great EgretArdea alba
Ruddy DuckOxyura jamaicensis
Double-crested CormorantNannopterum auritum
Great Blue HeronArdea herodias
WilletTringa semipalmata
American WigeonMareca americana
Brown PelicanPelecanus occidentalis
Lesser ScaupAythya affinis
Pied-billed GrebePodilymbus podiceps
American CootFulica americana
Marbled GodwitLimosa fedoa
Black-necked GrebePodiceps nigricollisSpecies seen regularly, by month
Species with 3 or more records in that month, all years combined.
Nearby hotspots
- Bolsa Chica – walkbridge/inner bay1 km260 species
- Huntington Central Park – East4 km314 species
- Mile Square Regional Park, Fountain Valley11 km273 species
- Los Angeles River – Willow St.18 km266 species
- IRWD San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary, Irvine20 km343 species
- Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park24 km311 species
All 299 species recorded here
- Snowy Egret Egretta thula
- Great Egret Ardea alba
- Willet Tringa semipalmata
- Double-crested Cormorant Nannopterum auritum
- Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias
- Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa
- Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis
- Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis
- Western Gull Larus occidentalis
- Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus
- Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri
- Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps
- Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis
- American Coot Fulica americana
- Reddish Egret Egretta rufescens
- American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
- Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri
- Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
- Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis
- Rock Dove Columba livia
- Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
- Killdeer Charadrius vociferus
- Osprey Pandion haliaetus
- Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis
- Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla
- American Wigeon Mareca americana
- Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia
- Bufflehead Bucephala albeola
- House Finch Haemorhous mexicanus
- Northern Pintail Anas acuta
- Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator
- Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
- California Gull Larus californicus
- Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
- Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans
- American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos
- Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus
- Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata
- Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura
- Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca
- American Avocet Recurvirostra americana
- White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys
- Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia
- Blue-winged Teal Spatula discors
- Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas
- Elegant Tern Thalasseus elegans
- Brant Goose Branta bernicla
- Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis
- Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus
- Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis
- Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
- Belted Kingfisher Megaceryle alcyon
- Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres
- Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura
- California Towhee Melozone crissalis
- Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata
- Royal Tern Thalasseus maximus
- Redhead Aythya americana
- Gadwall Mareca strepera
- Canada Goose Branta canadensis
- Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya
- Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna
- American Kestrel Falco sparverius
- Least Tern Sternula antillarum
- Northern Harrier Circus hudsonius
- Sanderling Calidris alba
- Dunlin Calidris alpina
- Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris
- Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
- Allen's Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin
- Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus
- Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris
- Black Skimmer Rynchops niger
- Northern House Wren Troglodytes aedon
- White-faced Ibis Plegadis chihi
- Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus
- Red Knot Calidris canutus
- Ridgway's Rail Rallus obsoletus
- Myrtle Warbler Setophaga coronata
- American Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus
- Northern Raven Corvus corax
- Yellow-crowned Night Heron Nyctanassa violacea
- American Herring Gull Larus smithsonianus
- Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta
- Cassin's Kingbird Tyrannus vociferans
- Snowy Plover Anarhynchus nivosus
- Cooper's Hawk Astur cooperii
- Lesser Goldfinch Spinus psaltria
- Common Loon Gavia immer
- American Cliff Swallow Petrochelidon pyrrhonota
- Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor
- White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus
- Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula
- Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
- American Pipit Anthus rubescens
- Cinnamon Teal Spatula cyanoptera
- Clark's Grebe Aechmophorus clarkii
- Blue-grey Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea
- California Gnatcatcher Polioptila californica
- Little Blue Heron Egretta caerulea
- Green Heron Butorides virescens
- House Sparrow Passer domesticus
- Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularius
- Heermann's Gull Larus heermanni
- Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris
- Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens
- Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus
- Downy Woodpecker Dryobates pubescens
- Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis
- Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus
- Bonaparte's Gull Chroicocephalus philadelphia
- Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus
- Tricolored Heron Egretta tricolor
- Eurasian Wigeon Mareca penelope
- Merlin Falco columbarius
- Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos
- Mountain Plover Anarhynchus montanus
- Orange-crowned Warbler Leiothlypis celata
- American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus
- Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii
- Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata
- Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus
- Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus
- Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus
- Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus
- Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor
- Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus
- Burrowing Owl Athene cunicularia
- Iceland Gull Larus glaucoides
- Greater Scaup Aythya marila
- Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii
- Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla
- Pacific Loon Gavia pacifica
- American Goldfinch Spinus tristis
- Common Tern Sterna hirundo
- Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis
- Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala
- Nuttall's Woodpecker Dryobates nuttallii
- Ruby-crowned Kinglet Corthylio calendula
- Sora Porzana carolina
- Warbling White-eye Zosterops japonicus
- Brandt's Cormorant Urile penicillatus
- Sooty Tern Onychoprion fuscatus
- Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana
- White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis
- Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus
- Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva
- Spotted Towhee Pipilo maculatus
- Black Scoter Melanitta americana
- Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena
- Wilson's Warbler Cardellina pusilla
- Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater
- Snow Goose Anser caerulescens
- Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus
- Canvasback Aythya valisineria
- Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus
- Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis
- Great-tailed Grackle Quiscalus mexicanus
- Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus
- Pelagic Cormorant Urile pelagicus
- Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris
- Black Tern Chlidonias niger
- Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus
- Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus
- Short-billed Gull Larus brachyrhynchus
- Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata
- Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens
- Mangrove Warbler Setophaga petechia
- Harlequin Duck Histrionicus histrionicus
- American Robin Turdus migratorius
- White-winged Scoter Melanitta deglandi
- Red Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca
- Red Phalarope Phalaropus fulicarius
- Virginia Rail Rallus limicola
- Mute Swan Cygnus olor
- Dark-eyed Junco Junco hyemalis
- Western Wood Pewee Contopus sordidulus
- Sage Thrasher Oreoscoptes montanus
- Wilson's Snipe Gallinago delicata
- Eastern Phoebe Sayornis phoebe
- Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina
- California Scrub Jay Aphelocoma californica
- Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
- Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
- Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus
- Lark Bunting Calamospiza melanocorys
- California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum
- Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus
- Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi
- American Tree Sparrow Spizelloides arborea
- Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens
- Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
- Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockiorum
- Townsend's Warbler Setophaga townsendi
- Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana
- Surfbird Calidris virgata
- Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum
- Eastern Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus
- Wilson's Plover Anarhynchus wilsonia
- Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus
- Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus
- Spotted Dove Spilopelia chinensis
- Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis
- Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni
- Ross's Goose Anser rossii
- Common Gallinule Gallinula galeata
- Common Merganser Mergus merganser
- Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina
- Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri
- Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena
- Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus
- Blue Grosbeak Passerina caerulea
- Verdin Auriparus flaviceps
- Western Cattle Egret Ardea ibis
- Northern Red Bishop Euplectes franciscanus
- Purple Martin Progne subis
- Black Oystercatcher Haematopus bachmani
- Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria
- Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus
- Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos
- Least Bittern Botaurus exilis
- Nashville Warbler Leiothlypis ruficapilla
- Sand Martin Riparia riparia
- Tundra Swan Cygnus columbianus
- Tropical Kingbird Tyrannus melancholicus
- Black Swan Cygnus atratus
- Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii
- Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus
- Pine Siskin Spinus pinus
- Ruff Calidris pugnax
- MacGillivray's Warbler Geothlypis tolmiei
- Franklin's Gull Leucophaeus pipixcan
- Brewer's Sparrow Spizella breweri
- Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi
- Pomarine Jaeger Stercorarius pomarinus
- Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii
- American Barn Owl Tyto furcata
- Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis
- Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
- Hermit Warbler Setophaga occidentalis
- Costa's Hummingbird Calypte costae
- Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla
- Tricolored Blackbird Agelaius tricolor
- Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus
- Black-throated Grey Warbler Setophaga nigrescens
- Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni
- Cassin's Sparrow Peucaea cassinii
- California Quail Callipepla californica
- Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus
- Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla
- Wood Duck Aix sponsa
- Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda
- Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus
- Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis
- Vermilion Flycatcher Pyrocephalus rubinus
- Greylag Goose Anser anser
- Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps
- Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii
- Rough-legged Buzzard Buteo lagopus
- Green-tailed Towhee Pipilo chlorurus
- Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura
- Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii
- White-winged Dove Zenaida asiatica
- Stilt Sandpiper Calidris himantopus
- American Black Swift Cypseloides niger
- Magnificent Frigatebird Fregata magnificens
- Muscovy Duck Cairina moschata
- Virginia's Warbler Leiothlypis virginiae
- American Grey Flycatcher Empidonax wrightii
- Black-billed Magpie Pica hudsonia
- Common Ground Dove Columbina passerina
- Lapland Longspur Calcarius lapponicus
- European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis
- Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens
- Bell's Vireo Vireo bellii
- Budgerigar Melopsittacus undulatus
- Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
- Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea
- Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus
- American Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica
- Palm Warbler Setophaga palmarum
- Clay-colored Sparrow Spizella pallida
- Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum
- Sooty Shearwater Ardenna grisea
- Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
- Nelson's Sparrow Ammospiza nelsoni
- Wrentit Chamaea fasciata
- Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber
- Mandarin Duck Aix galericulata
- Pacific Wren Troglodytes pacificus
- Cassin's Vireo Vireo cassinii
- Wandering Tattler Tringa incana
- Lesser Nighthawk Chordeiles acutipennis
- Band-tailed Pigeon Patagioenas fasciata
- Atlantic Canary Serinus canaria
- Black-throated Sparrow Amphispiza bilineata
- Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus
- Common Murre Uria aalge
- Black-and-white Warbler Mniotilta varia
Most recorded first. Species we protect from disturbance aren't listed.
Questions
When is the best time to go birding at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve?
September–May. That's when the most species are seen regularly here, up to 175 in a month.
How many bird species have been seen at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve?
299 species, from 525,855 eBird records up to 2024-12-31.
What birds can I see at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in November?
The most recorded in November: Snowy Egret, Bufflehead, Great Egret, Ruddy Duck and Double-crested Cormorant.
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.