Calaveras Birding Spots - from, Central Sierra Audubon

New Melones Lake has trails that are a very good place to spot Woodpeckers and Sapsuckers. This lake vies with Lake Don Pedro for having the most Golden Eagles and wintering Bald Eagles in Calif. Also, it may well have the most Osprey in the summer. Here is also a good place to spot water birds including Clark's Grebes mixed in with the Western Grebes.

Salt Springs Valley and Salt Springs Valley Reservoir in Calaveras County make up another favorite nearby birding area. To get there turn north off SR-4 at Copperoplis. Stop and have a look for water birds at the pond on your left just after you leave SR-4. Be sure to park at the extreme north end of this pond as the homeowner on the other side of the pond has requested people to not park directly across from his home The drive in from there is a great place for Yellow-billed Magpies, Phainopeplas and Lewis's Woodpeckers. In the winter, the valley is as good a place as any we know of for Ferruginous and Rough Legged Hawks. Also burrows on hillsides house Burrowing Owls. The lake attracts a very wide variety of wintering water- and shore-birds. The last few winters a large "raft" of Pied-billed Grebes (and a few Eared Grebes mixed in) have been seen practicing cooperative feeding. This valley and along the side road leading westward directly down to the "Central Valley", is a very good place to spot Tri-colored Blackbirds.

Murphys to Arnold on SR-4 is a good stretch with a number of small lakes off to the south. These make for a very good opportunity to view wintering water birds at a fairly close range. This is particularly true of the holding-water ponds used to irrigate the Golf Course at the Forest Meadows Development. The landscaping of the homes here also attract many birds. On Christmas Bird counts a flocks of 20 or so Red Crossbills have been spotted here.

Calaveras Big Trees State Park provides a birding opportunity at one's leisure in wonderful surroundings. The species list is somewhat limited, and most tend to be deep woods species. Two noted examples are Pileated and White-headed Woodpeckers. Goshawks can be found in this park at the South Grove.