Green Valley and Wheelock Roads
These rural roads north of Watsonville pass through orchards, pasture, riparian, live oak, and redwood forests. They are birdy year round, with rarities appearing at Casserley Creek in the fall and winter. From Hwy 1 southbound, take the Hwy 152 exit at Watsonville and go left (east) on Green Valley Rd. Drive 4.6 miles, then park on the right side just after the road crosses Casserley Creek. Check the riparian forest, fields, and orchards near the creek; walk up Litchfield Lane for more access to riparian habitat on the west side of the road. Continue up Green Valley Rd, past Wheelock Rd, for as much as about four more miles to its end. Along the way stop to search for Western Bluebird, various raptors (including Ferruginous Hawk in winter), and nesting Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Yellow Warbler, and Bullock’s Oriole. Some good stops with riparian forest are at 5.3, 6.3, and 6.7 miles from the intersection of Green Valley Rd and Hwy 152 intersection. Walk on from the 6.7-mile stop for 0.2 mile to visit a stand of Monterey pines on a slope with grassland and scrub. Golden-crowned Kinglet, Northern Pygmy-Owl and Pileated Woodpecker reside in the redwood forest toward the end of the road.
Double back along Green Valley Rd and turn left on Wheelock Rd. An orchard of persimmon trees along Country View Lane (0.15 mile in from Green Valley Rd) can be bustling with activity in late fall and early winter, when the fruit attracts hordes of American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, European Starlings, and others. Continue for one mile to the other end of Wheelock and park on the right just before its intersection with Casserley Rd. Walk back from here on Wheelock Rd to explore a nice section of riparian (with a history of winter rarities) along Casserley Creek and simply continue and bird along the road. In winter look for various raptors, White-throated Sparrow, California Thrasher (resident), Western Bluebird, and Western Meadowlark. Winter birding is also worthwhile along Gilchrist Lane, which joins Wheelock Rd 0.5 mile from the parking spot near Casserley Rd.
Lake Tynan
This fair-sized lake east of Watsonville can be viewed from a road at its northern end. From Hwy 1 take Riverside Dr (Hwy 129) east for 2.8 miles to Lakeview Rd. Turn left on Lakeview, go 1.7 miles, and turn right onto Marsh Lane. Park soon after turning, and walk ahead to survey the lake for ducks, herons (including American Bittern), Common Moorhen, sparrows, and other birds associated with freshwater marsh, willows, and weedy margins.
Corralitos Creek
Once a favorite winter birding spot, unfortunately this Watsonville site now has greatly reduced public access just downstream from Green Valley Rd. From Hwy 1 take the Hwy 152 exit at Watsonville, and go left (east) on Green Valley Rd for 1.6 miles. Turn right into “The Towers” office complex parking lot just before reaching the intersection with Airport Blvd. Park near the creek and check the trees there for migrants and wintering species. Past rarities included Summer Tanager, Prairie, Tennessee, and Black-and-white warblers, and wintering Empidonax flycatchers. Look also for Merlin, accipiters, sapsuckers, White-throated Sparrow, and Winter Wren. An option still available to the adventurous birder is to enter the creek channel here (boots needed in winter and spring), and explore much farther upstream and down.
City of Watsonville Slough Trails
The sloughs just upstream of Hwy 1 in the city of Watsonville have been hemmed in by recent urban development, but a network of trails along Struve and Watsonville sloughs offers opportunities to bird extensive areas of seasonally flooded marsh and adjacent upland slopes. The trail plan calls for three main interconnecting trails with numerous access points, but it has so far been only partly constructed. Birding opportunities presently occur at Struve Slough along parts of the Ohlone Loop Trail (south of Main St), and at the Upper Slough Trail (north of Main St). Winter and spring are the best times to bird here.
Access to the Ohlone Slough Trail is at the junction of Harkins Slough Rd and Ohlone Parkway, and farther south along Ohlone Parkway ***. This trail provides views of a productive part of the slough that has many of the ducks, other marsh birds, raptors and sparrows described in the account of the sloughs west of Hwy 1, above. This is a good area for Blue-winged Teal, Hooded Merganser, American Bittern and Great-tailed Grackle. Access to the Upper Slough Trail is at Hope Drive, Montebello Road, and ***. Look here for the bittern, many swallows, and sparrows.
Santa Cruz County Buena Vista Road Landfill
Although one cannot enter just to bird, local birders (county residents only) with refuse to dump (fee charged) should bring binoculars along with the trash. Take the Buena Vista Rd exit west off Hwy 1. Go 0.9 mile to the landfill entrance. This is the largest landfill in the county. Gulls visit by the thousands, including many Herring and Thayer’s gulls in winter. Glaucous Gull is annual in winter. Look also for Tricolored Blackbird, Peregrine Falcon, and Merlin.
Spring Valley Road
South of La Selva Beach, this road passes willow riparian forest, coast live oak woodland, and scrub. Take the San Andreas Rd exit west from Hwy 1. Follow it for 3.0 miles, through La Selva, and then turn left on Spring Valley Rd. Cross the railroad tracks and park along the road where it skirts willow riparian forest. Walk and bird along the road for about 0.6 mile, past Willow Creek Dr. This road is good for migrants and offers interesting birding all year.
Manresa State Beach Uplands
This expanse of coastal scrub with live oaks, pines, cypress and winter-flowering eucalyptus offers views of the bay and access to Manresa State Beach. Tent camping is available. From the San Andreas Rd exit from Hwy 1, go west 2.8 miles to Sand Dollar Dr. Turn right and, following the park signs, go 0.6 mile to the park entrance (use fee). Leave your car in the day-use area. Bird along the main road or on various trails that pass through and around the campground, or take the path down to the beach. Be sure to check the area east of the campground. This interesting but seldom birded site may have uncommon migrants, as well as species typical of scrub and oak woodland habitats. The expected species of the sandy beach and inshore bay use its shoreline. Birding in these uplands should be most pleasant from late fall to early spring, when the campground is least crowded.
La Selva Beach
A fine view over the bay and a wooded ravine reward the birder here. Take the San Andreas Rd exit from Hwy 1 and go west 1.4 miles to Playa Blvd in La Selva Beach. Any of this small town’s streets may have interesting birds during fall migration and winter, especially around pines or flowering eucalyptus. Hooded Oriole is fairly frequent here in spring and summer. Please respect the privacy of the residents. Enjoy a bay vista at well-named Vista Dr, just left of the west end of Playa Blvd. The bluffs overlook Manresa State Beach, which has species typical of our sandy beaches. The nearshore bay waters have not only all the expected birds, but also bottlenose dolphin and harbor porpoise. There is beach access by walking a few hundred yards south of the end of Playa Blvd.
To visit a birdy wooded ravine, park at Vista Dr and backtrack on foot on Playa Blvd to Breve Ave. Walk left on Breve Ave down a small slope and continue on an unpaved section of road, now Margarita Rd. The road curves northeast along the edge of a ravine. The whole length of the road has migrants in season and a variety of breeding and wintering birds associated with mixed evergreen forest, oak woodland, willow and scrub. This area is seldom birded, but it has harbored fall and winter vagrants. Eventually you come to San Andreas Rd. Retrace your steps back to your car.