Birds of Sweet Springs Nature Preserve



Since the early 1990s, more than 350 bird species have been reported as being seen at and from Sweet Springs Nature Preserve. The majority of the 99 images below, taken by David Keeling, are birds likely to be seen during the course of a year, and were all reported in 2016 or 2017 (see eBird list). Some species are resident and some are seasonal. For more info about when a bird specie is typically seen in SLO County, download The Birds of SLO County (PDF) or buy a copy of that pamphlet from the MCAS Nature Shop. Also available for download is the Birds of Sweet Springs Checklist (PDF). You may also be interested in the annual Sweet Springs Breeding Bird Survey (scroll down to results at bottom).

BRANT CANADA GOOSE GADWALL
EURASIAN WIGEON (rare) AMERICAN WIGEON MALLARD
BLUE-WINGED TEAL CINNAMON TEAL NORTHERN SHOVELER
NORTHERN PINTAIL GREEN-WINGED TEAL GREATER SCAUP
LESSER SCAUP BUFFLEHEAD RED-BREASTED MERGANSER
RUDDY DUCK CALIFORNIA QUAIL PIED-BILLED GREBE
HORNED GREBE EARED GREBE WESTERN GREBE
DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANT AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN BROWN PELICAN
GREAT BLUE HERON GREAT EGRET SNOWY EGRET
TURKEY VULTURE OSPREY COOPER'S HAWK
BALD EAGLE RED-SHOULDERED HAWK RED-TAILED HAWK
AMERICAN COOT AMERICAN AVOCET BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER
KILLDEER LONG-BILLED CURLEW MARBLED GODWIT
SANDERLING DUNLIN LEAST SANDPIPER
WESTERN SANDPIPER SHORT-BILLED DOWITCHER SPOTTED SANDPIPER
GREATER YELLOWLEGS WILLET RING-BILLED GULL
WESTERN GULL CALIFORNIA GULL CASPIAN TERN
FORSTER'S TERN ROYAL TERN EURASIAN COLLARED-DOVE
MOURNING DOVE GREAT HORNED OWL ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
BELTED KINGFISHER RED-BREASTED SAPSUCKER NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
DOWNY WOODPECKER MERLIN PEREGRINE FALCON
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER BLACK PHOEBE SAY'S PHOEBE
HUTTON'S VIREO CALIFORNIA SCRUB-JAY AMERICAN CROW
TREE SWALLOW CHESTNUT-BACKED CHICKADEE OAK TITMOUSE
BUSHTIT MARSH WREN BEWICK'S WREN
BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHER RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD
EUROPEAN STARLING CEDAR WAXWING ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
COMMON YELLOWTHROAT YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER TOWNSEND'S WARBLER
FOX SPARROW DARK-EYED JUNCO WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW SAVANNAH SPARROW SONG SPARROW
LINCOLN'S SPARROW CALIFORNIA TOWHEE SPOTTED TOWHEE
RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD BREWER'S BLACKBIRD HOUSE FINCH
LESSER GOLDFINCH AMERICAN GOLDFINCH HOUSE SPARROW