Experiencing Birds in Ventura County

Coastal scrub, grasslands, and oak woodlands off Lynn Road in Newbury Park. This is also where we hold our monthly Beginner Bird Walks.

• Year-round residents: Red-tailed Hawk, Greater Roadrunner, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, American Kestrel, Nanday Parakeet, Cassin’s Kingbird, California Scrub-Jay, California Thrasher, Bewick’s Wren, Wrentit, California Towhees
  
• Spring/summer: Cliff Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting
  
• Fall/winter: Northern Harrier, Loggerhead Shrike, Sparrows (White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Fox Sparrow), Western Meadowlark

eBird: Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa

A peaceful hillside garden overlooking Thousand Oaks with native plants, oak woodland, and seasonal water sources. This is an especially good place to bird during spring migration!

• Year-round residents: Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds, Acorn Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Bushtit, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Dark-eyed Junco Lesser Goldfinch
• Spring Migration (April): Western Flycatcher, Cassin’s Vireo, Western Warbling Vireo, Warblers! (Orange-crowned, Yellow, Nashville, Townsend’s, Wilson’s, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray), Hooded Oriole
  
• Fall/winter: Northern Flicker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Golden-crowned Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow

eBird: Conejo Valley Botanic Garden

eBird: Dover Hendrix Park

The adjacent open space next to campus provides ideal habitat for many chaparral species, some of which aren’t found anywhere else in the county! Many species are year-round residents, but it is easiest to find birds in late winter/early spring

• Year-round Highlights: Cactus Wren, California Gnatcatcher, Rufous-crowned Sparrow, Northern Mockingbird

eBird: California Lutheran University

A centrally located park in Thousand Oaks with ponds, a meandering stream, mature trees, and paved walking paths. The combination of water, open lawns, and landscaping makes it an excellent place for casual birding and introducing new birders to local species. Winter is the best time to view ducks.

• Year-round residents: Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Hutton’s Vireo, Bushtit, Bewick’s Oriole, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Western Bluebird, Lesser Goldfinch, Spotted Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco
• Spring/summer: Western Flycatcher
• Fall/winter: Waterfowl (Canada Geese, American Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Ring-necked Duck), Ring-billed Gull, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Lark Sparrow, Townsend’s Warbler

eBird: Conejo Creek Park North

Part of the Cheeseboro/Palo Comado Canyon area in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, this extensive network of trails connects Oak Park, Agoura Hills, and China Flat. The mix of oak woodland, chaparral, grassland, and riparian habitat makes it one of the area's quieter and more rewarding birding locations.

Most visitors start from the Cheeseboro Canyon Trailhead on Chesebro Road, the main access point for the Simi Hills side of the park, with a large lot and restrooms. From there the Modelo Trail climbs the ridge dividing the two canyons and connects into Palo Comado Canyon Trail, so a single visit can easily cover both.

• Highlights: California Towhee, Wrentit, California Thrasher, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Acorn Woodpecker, Western Bluebird, raptors, and spring migrants. Great Horned Owls, Barn Owls, and Western Screech-Owls can also be found in the area.
• Best season: Winter through spring, with excellent wildflowers and migrant activity in spring.

eBird: Palo Comado Canyon

A scenic lake surrounded by oak woodland and (mostly gated) residential habitat.

Highlights: Waterfowl, Osprey, Bald Eagle on occasion, grebes, and wintering ducks.

Best season: Fall and winter.

eBird: Lake Sherwood

A fishing pond with islands and a natural-bottomed waterway with a paved bike path, at Erringer Road and Royal Avenue in Simi Valley. The Arroyo can also be accessed from Madera Road and East Street.

Highlights: Ducks, geese, herons, egrets, night-herons, cormorants, gulls, Sora, Black-necked Stilt, Belted Kingfisher, warblers, and swallows. Many species breed here.

Best season: Good all year, especially spring, fall, and winter

eBird: Rancho Simi Community Park

The park spans southern oak woodland, riparian woodland, chaparral and coastal sage scrub, California grassland, and freshwater marsh, giving these quieter entrances a good mix of habitat types in a shorter walk than the main trailhead offers.

Access points on the western side of Wildwood Regional Park, away from the main Avenida de los Arboles entrance. Briar Bluff Open Space enters near Briar Bluff Court, and the Hill Canyon Trail approaches from the Hill Canyon Wastewater Treatment Plant area, following riparian habitat along the North Fork Arroyo Conejo.

• Highlights: Oak Titmouse, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, California Quail, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Great Blue Heron and Great Egret along the creek, Wrentit, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Bewick's Wren, and Common Poorwill at dusk
• Best season: Good all year; spring brings the most songbird activity, fall and winter for raptors along the ridgelines

eBird: Wildwood Regional Park

A 145-acre park in Thousand Oaks' Lang Ranch neighborhood, preserved largely as natural open space to protect the Lang Creek watershed and native oak tree landscape. Over 400 oak trees remain on site, and the park's low-water design keeps most of the acreage in native habitat rather than turf.

• Highlights: A lightly birded spot, but its oak woodland and coastal sage scrub favor Oak Titmouse, California Scrub-Jay, California Quail, Bewick's Wren, California Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, and Red-tailed Hawk overhead
• Best season: Good all year; fall and winter bring more sparrows and other ground-foraging birds

eBird: Sapwi Trails Community Park

A 432-acre park in northeast Thousand Oaks surrounding the Chumash Indian Museum, with 11 archeological sites clustered along the stream-bed and a 1.5-mile round-trip trail behind the museum through groves of old oak trees, some dating back 300 years, that parallels Conejo Creek. The mix of mature oak canopy and creekside habitat makes it a reliable spot for woodland and riparian species close to the museum grounds.

• Highlights: Oak Titmouse, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, California Scrub-Jay, Bewick's Wren, Hutton's Vireo, Black Phoebe along the creek, Cooper's Hawk, and Red-shouldered Hawk
• Best season: Good all year; spring for nesting woodpeckers and vireos, winter for a mix of resident and wintering songbirds

eBird: Oakbrook Regional Park

Coastal strand, dunes, and marsh in Port Hueneme, with three access points: Port Hueneme Park (fee), Perkins Road, and Arnold Road.

Highlights: An endangered Least Tern and Snowy Plover nesting site, plus shorebirds, terns, Brown Pelicans, and bitterns. Rare migrants turn up regularly.

Best season: Good all year, especially summer for shorebirds and late spring through summer for nesting species

eBird: Ormond Beach

Part of Point Mugu State Park, with coastal sage scrub, eucalyptus, and sycamore groves about 4 miles south of Mugu Rock off Highway 1. Park on the highway or pay a day-use fee.

Highlights: Thrashers, towhees, migrant flycatchers and warblers, grosbeaks, and woodpeckers.

Best season: Early spring, summer, and fall

eBird: Pt. Mugu/Sycamore Canyon

One of Ventura County's premier birding locations, featuring freshwater ponds and adjacent coastal habitat.

Highlights: Waterfowl, shorebirds, ducks, gulls, terns, and occasional rare species.

Best season: Fall through spring.

eBird: Ventura Settling Ponds

Where the Santa Clara River meets the Pacific Ocean in Ventura, this dynamic estuary combines river, lagoon, salt marsh, mudflats, beach, and coastal dune habitat. Seasonal changes in water levels and sand berms create constantly changing conditions that attract a remarkable diversity of birds.

Highlights: Snowy Plover and Least Tern (both nesting nearby), Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Marbled Godwit, Willet, Whimbrel, Caspian and Elegant Terns, Brown Pelican, Osprey, Peregrine Falcon, and a variety of ducks and gulls. During migration, large numbers of shorebirds may gather, and unusual species occasionally appear.

Best season: Productive year-round. Spring and fall migration bring the greatest diversity, summer features nesting coastal species, and winter attracts waterfowl, gulls, and raptors.

eBird: Santa Clara River Estuary

Riparian woodland and river habitat near Santa Paula. The 1,000-acre preserve is owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy, with bird research and habitat monitoring support from the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology.

Highlights: Yellow-breasted Chat, orioles, flycatchers, warblers, and raptors.

Best season: Spring migration and summer breeding season.

eBird: Santa Clara River Preserve

Varied habitat of live oak, open grassy areas, and creekside trails on Highway 150 between Santa Paula and Ojai. The Santa Paula Canyon trailhead is about two miles north of the park, just past St. Thomas Aquinas School.

Highlights: Woodpeckers, raptors, warblers, kinglets, and vireos in the park itself. The canyon trail yields spring warblers, vireos, flycatchers, Dippers, tanagers, orioles, grosbeaks, Canyon Wrens, swifts, Costa's Hummingbird, Golden Eagle, and Zone-tailed Hawk, especially in winter.

Best season: Good all year, especially spring

eBird: Santa Paula Canyon

eBird: Steckel Park

A productive corridor of oak woodland and riparian habitat between Ventura and Ojai.

Highlights: Acorn Woodpecker, Western Bluebird, California Thrasher, hawks, and migrants.

Best season: Spring.

eBird: Cañada Larga Road

A lake area with freshwater marsh, oak woodland, and open meadows off Highway 33 toward Ojai (entrance fee applies).

Highlights: Sparrows, grosbeaks, Clark's and Western Grebes, Osprey, Western Bluebird, and raptors. Bald Eagles have bred here.

Best season: Good all year, best in winter and spring

eBird: Lake Casitas

A scenic reservoir surrounded by rugged mountains and oak woodland north of Fillmore. The lake and surrounding hills provide excellent opportunities for raptors, waterbirds, and one of Ventura County's best chances to spot California Condors (entrance fee applies).

Highlights: California Condor, Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Osprey, grebes, waterfowl, swallows, and a variety of raptors.

Best season: Fall through spring for waterfowl and raptors, though condors may be seen year-round.
Good to know: Early morning and late afternoon can be especially productive. Scan the ridgelines and soaring birds carefully, particularly on days with good thermal activity.

eBird: Lake Piru

A varied city park with cactus, oak, and chaparral habitat just off the 101 at Camarillo Springs Road.

Highlights: Cactus Wren, Hermit Thrush, Ground Dove, Cedar Waxwings, bluebirds, woodpeckers, and raptors

Best season: Good all year, especially fall, winter, and spring

eBird: Camarillo Grove Park

At 8,800 feet, Mount Pinos is the highest point in Ventura County and one of Southern California's premier mountain birding destinations. The pine and fir forests of the Los Padres National Forest offer a completely different birding experience from the coast and valleys, with cool temperatures even during summer.

Highlights: Clark's Nutcracker, Pygmy Nuthatch, Mountain Quail, Steller's Jay, White-headed Woodpecker, Green-tailed Towhee, Cassin's Finch, and raptors. California Condors are occasionally seen in the region.

Best season: Late spring through early fall. Summer offers the most reliable access and breeding birds, while winter can bring snow and seasonal road closures.

Good to know: Bring layers, water, and snacks. Temperatures can be 20–30 degrees cooler than Conejo Valley, and snow may limit access during winter.

eBird: Mt. Pinos

A dramatic 8,000-plus acre park in the Santa Monica Mountains, on Las Virgenes/Malibu Canyon Road in Calabasas (parking fee applies). Oak and sycamore woodland, chaparral, and creekside trails.

Highlights: Western Bluebirds, woodpeckers, and wintering specialties like Golden Eagle and Merlin. Spring migration brings Black-headed Grosbeaks and Lazuli Buntings.

Best season: Spring for migrants and wildflowers, also good in fall

eBird: Malibu Creek State Park

A coastal estuary where Malibu Creek meets the Pacific, with boardwalks and trails right off Pacific Coast Highway.

Highlights: Brown Pelicans, Snowy Plovers, terns, and a strong variety of wintering migratory birds

Best season: Worth visiting any month; spring and fall bring the most species, including the best chance at rarities

eBird: Malibu Lagoon

A former movie ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area near Agoura Hills, with oak woodland, grassland, and creekside trails around Medea Creek.

• Highlights: Acorn Woodpecker, Oak Titmouse, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Western Bluebird, Great Blue Heron and Black Phoebe along Medea Creek, Red-tailed Hawk, White-tailed Kite over the grassland, and Lazuli Bunting in spring
• Best season: Spring for migrants and nesting activity, fall and winter for raptors over the open meadows

eBird: Paramount Ranch

A low mountain pass in the Angeles National Forest, about 30 miles north of downtown LA near Santa Clarita. This is one of only a few places in the western US where you can watch songbird migration happening in broad daylight, sometimes thousands of birds in a single morning. Home to the Bear Divide Banding Station.

Highlights: Tanagers, orioles, buntings, grosbeaks, and warblers, moving through at eye level. Best viewing is 6:30–9:00 am.

Best season: Mid-March through mid-May, peak migration mid-April to mid-May

Good to know: Wind and weather conditions can greatly affect migration, so some mornings may have only a few birds while others produce thousands. Check the Bear Divide Banding Station's social media or migration updates before visiting, and bring layers since mornings can be cool and breezy.

eBird: Bear Divide

A tidal estuary and wetland preserve along the Santa Barbara coast.

Highlights: Egrets, herons, rails, shorebirds, ducks, and migratory species.

Best season: Fall through spring.

eBird: Carpinteria Salt Marsh Nature Park

Outstanding coastal wetlands and lagoon habitat near Goleta.

Highlights: Snowy Plovers, shorebirds, ducks, raptors, and wintering waterfowl.

Best season: Year-round

eBird: Coal Oil Point Reserve and Devereux Slough

A freshwater and brackish lagoon in Santa Barbara.

Highlights: Waterfowl, shorebirds, herons, and migrating songbirds.

Best season: Fall through spring.

eBird: Andree Clark Bird Refuge

The largest of California's Channel Islands, part of Channel Islands National Park, reached by ferry from Ventura Harbor with Island Packers (about 1 to 1.5 hours each way). Home to the Island Scrub-Jay, found nowhere else on Earth, with a chance at pelagic species like shearwaters and storm-petrels on the crossing.

Highlights: Island Scrub-Jay (endemic to the island), Island Fox, and on the boat ride: shearwaters, Scripps's Murrelet, and other alcids depending on season.

Best season: Year-round for the Scrub-Jay; spring and fall bring the best variety of seabirds on the crossing.

Good to know: Reservations through Island Packers are required, and there are no food or water services on the island, so plan for a full day and bring your own supplies.