By Miles

   This spring break, my family and I went on a fantastic birding and sightseeing trip to California’s Central Valley and the south-central coastal area. Some of the areas were fantastic but also a bit confusing, so I’d like to share some tips for birding at the Pinnacles National Park and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park in this post.

The Pinnacles National Park:

     One of the best parts of the trip was birding at the Pinnacles National Park. But birding there needs some tips, or you could easily miss the most exciting parts. So, here are some important tips I discovered according to my experience during this trip. 

 [How to get there]

    The Pinnacles NP was very weird because it has two separate entrances, one on the east and one on the west, that do not connect inside the park! So, you should pay attention to all the signs and directions to make sure you don’t get to the wrong side. Both entrances can take you to trails near the High Peaks, where the Condors are, so you can choose your side to go based on your travel plan. Just don’t get lost in the high peaks. 

 [Birding Tips]

    I made a screenshot of the Google Map and made some notes on it:

         – F: parking lot for hiking up to the high peaks to watch Condors. The trail might be steeper than the one from the east side, but it should be shorter

 – East Side (the side we chose):

     – Parking lots: B, C, D, North to E

         – B: the visitor center/entrance: you can ask the ranger for information. We saw our first Condor here!

         – C: park here in case D or E is full

         – D, E: parking lots for hiking up to the high peaks to watch Condors. The trail might be longer than the one from the west, but it’s generally less steep

 – CONDORING!

     – spots for Condor watching: a, b, d

         – a: not a great spot, but a very short distance from the east side, so you can watch Condor there if you don’t have enough energy to hike to “b” or “d”. You can also rest there if you go from the east

         – b: much better than “a”, but most Condors there are hard to photograph and there aren’t that many of them. Not worth it if you’re coming from the west

         – d: A MUST-GO!!! One of the BEST birding experiences in the world! It is a high, flat spot on top of the high peaks in the steep and narrow section of the High Peaks Trail. You can sit there and wait for the Condors to come to the roost, or just enjoy being surrounded by Condors! But, while enjoying them, don’t frighten, disturb, or harm them, talk too loud, or make movements that threaten them, as you will be very close to them. If you are coming from the east side, go D/E  > a  > b  > d  > D/E, would be better, as E  > d  > b… is steeper and shorter than D  > a  > b. 

 [More Tips]

• Condoring means Condor watching, just like Birding is bird watching
• Don’t threaten or hurt the Condors!!!
• Bring enough snacks and water, there will be a long and challenging hike
• Wear layered clothing. The cold wind is very strong, but the sun can be hot too, as there isn’t a lot of shade along the trail
• It will be very hot there in summer
• Here is an altitude graph provided for you, we started our trip here at C (Note: it is in meters and kilometers)    >
• 
• Here is a map provided for you showing the length of the two routes:
• 
• Here is a map provided for you showing the length of a round trip:
• 
• 1 km=0.621371 mi, 1 m=3.28084 ft

The Pfeiffer Big Sur :

     Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park wasn’t as confusing as its name, or Pinnacles NP, but it still requires some tips to watch birds there more easily.

 [How to get there]

    The State Park was very big and amazing throughout, but the best area would be the “Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Campground”. The entrance to this area is {36.252865, -121.787269} / {36°15’10.3″N 121°47’14.2″W}. 

 [Birding Tips]

    I made a screenshot of the “Big Sur Campground Map” and made some notes on it: 

 – American Dipper watching:

     – A: probably the best spot at Big Sur to observe an American Dipper. The map might be a little bit confusing, but the arrow is pointed at the southern (lower) stream, under the Highway 1 bridge and the bridge near the River Path trail. This section of the stream is full of rock, which makes it a perfect habitat for the Dippers, there are usually two or three around there. They are extremely well camouflaged and may appear much smaller than you’d expect.

 – Chestnut-backed Chickadee watching:

     – They are very common in all areas of Big Sur, just listen to the special call/song made by it.

 [More Tips]

• Don’t threaten or hurt the birds!!!
• The State Park has all-day all California SP parking fees sold at the front gate
• Hear the calls and songs of the Chestnut-backed Chickadee! https://ebird.org/species/chbchi (from ebird.org)(don’t use it to frighten the birds)

Good luck and have fun!!!