Almost the entire coastline from the Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf to Natural Bridges State Beach is accessible via West Cliff Dr, and affords both ocean viewing and shoreline birding.
Directions. The Municipal Wharf extends from the foot of Front St west of the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. There is a fee to park on the wharf, but your car’s first hour on the wharf and all walk-ins are free. West Cliff Dr begins at Beach St, just west of the wharf. It meets the south ends of all the major north-south streets in western Santa Cruz, including Bay, Woodrow, Almar, Fair, Swift, and Stockton. One can bird it by walking all or part of its length (recommended, if it is not too crowded) or by driving and stopping at pullouts. Early to mid-morning is best; the path along West Cliff Dr is heavily used the rest of the day, especially on holidays and summer weekends. Stand off the walkway while scanning the ocean and shore, to stay clear of bicyclists, skaters, and joggers. Use special care near the edges of the cliffs, on slippery rocks, or during periods of high surf. Serious mishaps occur regularly here – especially, it seems, to out-of-towners.
Birds. The wharf gives one a perch from which to scan the bay and occasionally to see pelagic species at close range. Check for Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel during winter and spring storms when there are strong winds are from the south. Loons, grebes, scoters, terns, jaegers, and Pigeon Guillemot are often easy to see in season. Huge feeding flocks of Sooty Shearwaters and plunge-diving Brown Pelicans often provide a spectacle in the late afternoon and early evening in summer.
About six blocks from the wharf, West Cliff Dr reaches the surfing mecca “Steamer Lane” and Lighthouse Pt (also known as Pt Santa Cruz). This is another fine ocean-viewing spot. Black Swift has nested at the point, although not since 1994, and is still (all too rarely) seen overhead along West Cliff Dr. Pigeon Guillemots nest at the point, and Brandt’s Cormorants nest on a sea stack west of the lighthouse. The large field across the street is part of Lighthouse Field SB. The field’s pines, cypresses, and willow thickets can repay careful searches in migration and winter, and the flowering eucalyptus trees at Pelton Ave along the north side of the field attract wintering orioles, tanagers, and warblers. Since the late 1990s this has become a prime spot to observe winter roosts of Monarch butterflies. Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, and Osprey are among the raptors that frequent this field.
The coastline along West Cliff Dr from Columbia St to Swift St is particularly good for loons, grebes, scoters, and Red-breasted Merganser. The pocket beach and sheltered waters of Mitchell Cove – just off the ends of Woodrow Ave, David Way, and Almar Ave – deserve special attention. Marbled Murrelets often swim just beyond the kelp beds, especially from July to October. The intertidal shelves here host all the local rock-loving shorebirds, including Surfbird, Black Oystercatcher, and Wandering Tattler (the last mostly in migration). Some rare wintering species, such as Red-necked Grebe, Black Scoter, and Harlequin Duck have been found repeatedly in this area, and a Rock Sandpiper returned for two seasons in the 1990s. Continuing west, a rocky point at the end of Stockton Ave is one of the best local spots to closely observe nesting Pigeon Guillemot.
Another place to check for migrant landbirds is the Bethany Curve Greenbelt, a small parkway that begins at West Cliff Dr just west of the end of Woodrow Ave. It follows a small creek for four blocks inland from West Cliff and has produced several rarities over the years (e.g., Painted Redstart, Dickcissel, Least Flycatcher).