The main Chinook salmon run begins in October, and hundreds of gulls as well as large numbers of Turkey Vultures arrive to feed on the dying fish. This feast may bring in an occasional Bald Eagle. Ospreys are also often seen in winter along with flocks of Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser and the occasional Barrow’s Goldeneye.
Sailor Bar
Walk the trails along the river and you may find Spotted Sandpipers, Greater Yellowlegs, Great Blue Herons, and Great Egrets hunting at the water's edge while Wood Ducks and Common Mergansers float along. Black Phoebes, Bushtits, and Acorn Woodpeckers are seen year-round. In the spring and summer Ash-throated Flycatchers, Western Kingbirds and Bullock's and Hooded Orioles are all possibilities.
Lower Sunrise Area
In the fall and spring, migrating songbirds such as Townsend’s, Hermit, Nashville and Wilson’s Warblers, as well as Bullock’s Orioles, and Black-headed Grosbeak may be spotted. In winter, California, Herring, and Ring-billed Gulls are the most common species. One might also see less common Glaucous-winged, Iceland, or Short-billed Gulls.
Effie Yeaw Nature Center at Ancil Hoffman Park
More than 70 acres of riparian woodland adjacent the Effie Yeaw Nature Center (EYNC) have been preserved as a nature study area within the American River Parkway. Because this birding spot is easy to reach and includes a variety of habitats, it is possible to sight more than 100 species during the course of a year. In the spring, migrating warblers move through the woods. The crowned sparrows return each fall, and winter brings the goldeneyes back to the river.
River Bend Park
Riverbend Park has a variety of habitats with trails throughout. You can walk along the American River in search of goldeneyes or sandpipers; search the woods for woodpeckers, sparrows, and wrens; or explore the open areas for raptors soaring in the sky and hummingbirds flitting among the bushes.
William B. Pond Recreation Area
Known for its diverse habitats, William B. Pond has fast flowing water where riffles and gravel bars are present, sandy riverbanks, riparian woodlands, a nesting rookery, open areas and woodlands edges, plus a wonderful urban park. All these habitats draw in a great variety of birds making it one of the most popular birding locations along the American River Parkway.
Gristmill Recreation Area
An amazing number of rarities have been found here in the spring and fall: Eastern Wood-Pewee, Red-eyed Vireo, Tennessee Warbler, Northern Parula, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Blackburnian Warbler, Bay-breasted Warbler, Blackpoll Warbler, Black-and-white Warbler, Hooded Warbler, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.
Howe and Watt Avenue Accesses
Throughout the year informal trails provide access to the riparian forest. In the winter this is a good area for sparrows and wrens. During spring and fall migration, look for warblers, vireos and flycatchers in the oaks, willows, and cottonwoods.
Gibson Ranch Regional Park
The trail around the park is at its best during spring and fall migration with large numbers of sparrows, warblers and kinglets in the canopy and on the ground.
Cosumnes River Preserve
The more than 45,000 acres around the Cosumnes River that make up the Cosumnes River Preserve have been designated as a Globally Important Bird Area with more than 300 species recorded. Here you will find a wide variety of habitats, including wetlands, grasslands, wildlife-friendly agriculture, and perhaps the most intact valley oak riparian forest in existence.
Bridgeway Island Pond
This year-round pond in West Sacramento near the eastern edge of the Yolo Causeway is one of the best places in California to see Blue-winged Teal each fall and winter. Additionally year-round resident Black-necked Stilts and American Avocets breed here in the spring.
Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area (aka the Vic Fazio Wildlife Area)
This Global-Priority Level Important Bird Area now contains more than 25,000 acres and is just minutes from downtown Sacramento. Both seasonal and permanent wetlands are present as well as riparian woodland and valley grassland, providing habitat for a large variety of birds.
Wood Duck Ponds and Babel Slough
These two sites just west of the Sacramento River make for an excellent morning of birding in the spring and fall. When there is a good pulse of migrants, the woods can be hopping with warblers and other songbirds.
The University of California, Davis Arboretum
The University of California, Davis Arboretum has produced excellent rarities (notably Scissor-tailed Flycatcher and Red Crossbills) in addition to Red-breasted Nuthatches and Chestnut-backed Chickadees in the appropriate season as well as a rookery of Black-crowned Night-Herons, Snowy Egrets, and Cattle Egrets.
Putah Creek Riparian Preserve
This vital remnant of riparian habitat has become a haven for warblers, flycatchers and other migrating passerines in the spring and fall.
City of Davis Wetlands
This evolving wetland consists of 400 acres of ponds and upland habitat of varying depths and is a continuation of Davis’s storm water and wastewater treatment process. The Wetlands are only open to the public during limited times during the year. From February 15th through August 31st, the wetlands are open seven days/week from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. From September 1st through February 15th, the wetlands are open Mondays only from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Woodland Water Pollution Control Facility
The treatment ponds at this location have a fine history of attracting good shorebirds, gulls, and waterfowl. The peak season for finding rare shorebirds is from July through September, depending on water levels. Good numbers of shorebirds and gulls can be found in the winter, and spring migration can be productive as well.
Falcon Crest
Adjacent to Folsom Lake, Falcon Crest sits on a peninsula on the south side of Folsom Lake and consists of pine and oak woodlands, grasslands and extensive lake floodplains. Falcon Crest makes for a wonderful couple hours of birding. If you’d like to combine a trip to Falcon Crest with other stops along the east side of Folsom Lake be sure to check out the Folsom Point to Sweetwater Creek information.
Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary
A walk through the sanctuary is a delight in any season. Over 195 species of birds have been recorded. In summer, Swainson’s Hawk soar overhead. Great Horned Owl is common here. Wood Duck, herons, egrets, and Pied-billed Grebe can be found year-round. Springtime brings a variety of warblers as well as nesting Western Bluebird, Bullock’s Oriole, and Black-headed Grosbeak. In winter, sparrows, towhees, kinglet, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Northern Flicker are among the common birds.
Woodbridge Ecological Reserve (Isenberg Crane Preserve)
From October through March, many fields in this area contain Sandhill Cranes in varying numbers, with the best time for observation occurring during January, February, and March when some fields are flooded, and there are also large numbers of wintering shorebirds and waterfowl.