MEMORIAL WEEKEND - 3rd Night FREE - PROMO: BRAVE
Big Bear Valley is home to over 250 species of birds that either live here year-round or visit annually. Among the most notable are the iconic bald eagle pair, “Jackie and Shadow.” You’ll also spot a variety of ducks, including coots, mallards, pintails, and both Canada and Cackling geese. White pelicans, hawks, vultures, and many other species also make regular appearances. While birdwatching around Big Bear Lake, you may encounter shorebirds, terns, and raptors. For an afternoon adventure, head to Bluff Lake or Wildhorse Meadows, where you might find the Williamson’s Sapsucker, Dusky Flycatcher, Cassin’s Finch, Townsend’s Solitaire, and Clark’s Nutcracker.
Big Bear is teeming with diverse birdlife, including various species of sandpipers, gulls, terns, grebes, egrets, herons, and ospreys. The region’s shoreline and trails also offer great opportunities to spot California and Mountain quail, along with several types of doves and pigeons. Springtime brings a burst of activity, with the return of our beloved miniature hummingbirds – Anna’s, Calliope, and Rufous Hummingbirds – as they migrate back to the area. In addition, larger prey birds, such as eagles, hawks, vultures, owls, kestrels, and falcons, are frequently spotted soaring above.
For those who enjoy birdwatching from a cozy porch, you’ll have plenty of calm and charming visitors, including local mountain jays, sparrows, swallows, wrens, starlings, woodpeckers, bluebirds, finches, towhees, blackbirds, warblers, tanagers, and more.
Our friends over at CHIRP NATURE CENTER in Big Bear Lake have provided this incredible Wild Bird Checklist for your enjoyment.
Use this pocket guide to make the most out of the beauty that is Big Bear Birding.
If you’re in the Big Bear area and are interested Bird Watching, check out our free Wild Bird Checklist. Sourced from both sighting data and local expert observation, this Checklist contains all of the birds found in the Big Bear area and the surrounding National Forest. Use it to keep track of all the unique species of birds you spot and let us know if you come across one of the rare or endangered birds we have in the area.
Download your own Wild Bird Checklist by clicking the download button below or stop by the Chirp Store in the Big Bear Lake Village and pick up a free printed copy.
Big Bear is a birder’s paradise where you can find excellent bird watching year-round. Over 250 species of birds call Big Bear Valley and the San Bernardino Wilderness Area home, and the region is also an overwintering habitat for numerous migratory bird species, including white pelicans and bald eagles. The area hosts a large variety of endangered and endemic avian species—some found nowhere else in the world. Though good birding is everywhere in the Big Bear area, here are some spots that are known for their high concentrations of bird life. Big Bear birds are something to explore!
Woodland Trail is the perfect birding trail for beginners, and also appropriate for most fitness levels. This flat 1.5-mile hike hosts a number of resident bird species such as Nuttall’s woodpecker, the band-tailed pigeon, the plain titmouse, and many more.
The beautiful Stanfield Marsh Wildlife and Waterfowl Preserve offers excellent birding, and it’s also a wonderful place for a picnic. A habitat and breeding ground for overwintering species as well as permanent avian populations, Stanfield March is home to thousands of waterfowl. During the winter months, you can see bald eagles, white pelicans, and ospreys. A wooden gazebo and a wetlands boardwalk provide superb places to watch bird life.
Big Bear Lake, especially its north shore, is home to a fair population of loons, geese, ducks, coots, gulls, herons, and egrets. The lake is also a year-round home to hawks and three-colored blackbirds, and is a wintering ground for bald eagles, Canada geese, and white pelicans.
The Cougar Crest Trail hosts a number of rare avian species. Outlining the northern rim of Big Bear Valley before continuing on to the Pacific Crest Trail, you may see endemic avian treasures such as California thrashers, California quail, and California towhees. As with most birding locales, the best viewing is in the early morning.
The spectacular Skyline Trail is located behind Snow Summit and is home to many avian species that are not found anywhere else. Traversing the southern edge of Big Bear Valley parallel to Forest Service Road 2N10 (Skyline Drive), this 8-mile trail also offers some of the best panoramic views in the Big Bear area.
The Bertha Peak Trail offers fantastic birding, and is a favorite winter habitat for several species of tanagers, orioles, vireos, and thrushes, as well as being home to year-round residents such as lesser goldfinches. Offering awe-inspiring lake and mountain views, Bertha Peak Trail connects with the Hanna Flats Loop, where you can also experience good birding.
Our knowledgeable staff lives and works in Big Bear, so we know all about the great birding here and can help you find the best places to aim your binoculars and camera. Contact us today at Big Bear Vacations to plan an amazingBig Bear birds expedition.
