Birdwatching at Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Birding 101

Experienced birders confidently identify birds by just a glimpse or hearing their calls. If you are new to the hobby, think of it like identifying new people you meet. Observe their characteristics, like size, shape, sounds, posture, flight pattern, and walking behavior, as well as the place you saw them, as identifiers. As a next step, notice the field marks, which are colored or patterned places on a bird’s body, head, and wings. Remember that a bird’s feathers, or plumage, change over time as a juvenile bird molts into its adult plumage or an adult molts into its breeding plumage.

Identifying birds by ear is essential for improving your birding techniques. Expert birders can identify thousands of songs. Bird songs, which can be quite elaborate, are used to attract a mate or defend territorial boundaries; calls are used to find family members, announce the approach of a predator, or share information about food sources. You can look at species lists to know what birds to expect in a particular park.

Carrying the right equipment is key for successful birding. All you need:

• A Pair of Binoculars: No matter what pair of binoculars you own, practice looking through them so that you are not scanning wildly for a bird through the trees. First spot a bird with your eyes, and then lift your binoculars to your eyes without moving your head or losing sight of the bird.
• A Field Guide: Whether you use a book or a mobile app like Merlin, becoming familiar with your field guide by interpreting the range maps, learning the terms for various field marks, and the species arrangement will help you more quickly identify birds.
• A Pocket Notebook: In your notebook, you can record your observation (species, date, location, and observers), and any other notes, such as behavior or weather). Alternatively, you can use any notetaking mobile application, or a birding-specific app such as ebird, When you use eBird, your sightings may be used by researchers studying bird populations to support conservation.

Responsible Birding

Please respect and help protect birds by following these rules when birding:

• Do not use any audio or mechanical device to attract birds and other wildlife (Code of Federal Regulations). State law strictly prohibits broadcasting recorded vocalizations of an endangered species, such as the great gray owl (California Code of Resources). The use of such devices may induce stress and disrupt mating/nesting activities of wildlife.
• Do not view birds or other wildlife with a flashlight or spotlight (Code of Federal Regulations).
• Do not divulge locations of any special status species observed in the park over the Internet.

Note: The National Park Service is authorized to withhold information about endangered, threatened, and rare species in order to protect the species and their habitats from harm (National Parks Omnibus Management Act).

You can learn more about how scientists are monitoring and protecting birds on the Bay Area Inventory & Monitoring Network and Golden Gate Raptor Observatory pages.

Where to See Birds in the Parks

North of San Francisco (Marin County) recommended birdwatching areas:

• Muir Woods is home to the northern spotted owl and 69 different species of birds
• Scan the sky for migratory birds of prey (raptors) soaring above Marin Headlands on Hawk Hill (in Fall)
• Explore the water birds near Rodeo Beach and Rodeo Lagoon and on Bird Island in the Marin Headlands

In San Francisco County:

• Explore areas in the Presidio like El Polín Spring and Lobos Creek Trail.
• Alcatraz Island has become a place for bird colonies and nesting sites along the rocky coast

No matter where you go in Golden Gate National Recreation Area, you are bound to spot some interesting bird life!