Twin Lakes State Beach, including Schwan Lake, the bay shoreline, and the entrance channel to the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor, provides good birding in this busy part of Santa Cruz. The north side of Schwan Lake is bordered by extensive state park land with live oak woodland and open areas. Woods Lagoon, Schwan Lake’s original “twin,” is now the harbor.
Directions. To bird the south end of Schwan Lake, and the beach and bay, park along East Cliff Dr just east of 7th Ave. The lake’s north end and adjacent upland habitats are reached from the parking lot of Simpkins Family Swim Center at 979 17th Ave, or by paths crossing the railroad tracks at the ends of either El Dorado Ave or Live Oak Ave, both south off Brommer St. This big lake is best birded by checking both its south and north ends. You can reach the entrance of the Santa Cruz harbor by walking west on the beach from the south end of Schwan Lake, or from the east end of Atlantic Ave (off Seabright Ave). Park near the end of Atlantic and walk right past Aldo’s Restaurant to reach the beach.
Birds. Through the 1980s Schwan Lake was one of the best mid-county “duck ponds,” with wintering dabbling and diving ducks, a host of coots, and a variety of grebes, herons, and gulls. For unknown reasons, this bounty has diminished greatly since the mid-1990s, but some ducks still frequent this lake, and the situation might improve. Double-crested Cormorants roost in the eucalyptus trees along the lake, and have been nesting there since 2001. Their nesting activity is best viewed from the lake’s southeast corner along East Cliff Dr. A variety of gulls are usually present on the beach and at the south end of the lake, and Black Skimmer has turned up here several times. Check for visiting wild geese among the domestic fowl here. The north side of Schwan Lake has trails and good views of the water. The willows, oaks, pines, and scrub support many landbirds and sometimes vagrants. Trees and shrubs along the railroad tracks can be productive, particularly at the park’s northwest end where the tracks cross a willow-lined drainage, and at the northeast end near the Simpkins Swim Center. Check the pines for Golden-crowned Kinglet in fall and winter, and for Pygmy Nuthatch all year.
At the harbor, carefully check the entrance channel, rock jetties, and adjacent ocean. Look for Red-necked Grebe, Black Scoter, and Long-tailed Duck (all rare and irregular). In the fall and winter a few rocky shorebirds frequent the jetties (Rock Sandpiper was found here once), and the channel between them offers a close study of grebes and loons. A flock of Snowy Plovers winters on the broad beach just west of the harbor.