Birding Spots in SLO County
- Carrizo Plains
Located in the far eastern portion of the county. Take Highway 58 east
from Santa Margarita. Soda Lake and the surrounding saltbush scrub habitat
harbors Sandhill Cranes, LeConte's Thrashers, Short-eared Owls. In the
surrounding agriculture fields look for Mountain Plover, Longspurs,
Swainson's Hawk, and many sparrow species.
- Chorro Flats
Chorro Flats is located at the Southeast corner of Highway 1 and South Bay
Blvd, just east of Morro Bay. Enter on Quintana Road (Highway 1 frontage).
Large expanses of Willow, Cottonwood, and Sycamore Riparian areas.
- Cuyama Valley
Take Highway 166 east from Santa Maria about 65 miles to the junction with
Highway 33. All three Longspurs (Lapland, Chestnut-collared, McCown's)
have been found at this corner in late Fall. Check this area in summer for
Scott's Orioles and Black-throated Sparrows.
- Montana de Oro
State Park
Located west of Los Osos. Take Los Osos Valley Road west until it turns
into Pecho Road. Continue to the park. Wide variety of habitats...rocky
coastline, chapparal, willow riparian corridors. In the fall, be sure
to walk through the campground and check the willows and pines for
vagrant warblers.
- Morro Bay State Park
The park is located along the southern border of the city of Morro Bay
adjacent to the Morro Bay Golf Course. Check the pines and willows along
the road near the campground entrance and in the campground. Across the
street from the campground kiosk is a trail around the marina. Look for
Nelson's Sharp-tailed Sparrow in the winter here. The waters of Morro
Bay harbor many water and shore birds.
- Oceano Lagoon and
Campground
Maybe one of the finest "migrant traps" around. Enter at the corner of
Coolidge and Norsewing off of Highway 1 between Grover Beach and Oceano.
Enter the trail through the willows and follow it around the lagoon.
- Oso Flaco Lake
Take the Oso Flaco Lake Road west from Highway 1, just north of Guadalupe. The
willows surrounding this lake are an excellent spot for migrating warblers. Also
look for Least Tern, Least Bittern, Bank Swallow, and Blue-winged Teal.
- Santa Maria River Mouth
On the border of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, county
listers are always fighting over which list to place the birds. From Santa
Maria, take Main Street west until it runs into the ocean. Great spot for
migrating shore birds.
This page is in its infancy and in no way pretends to list all the birding
spots found
in the county. More will be added as time permits.
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