easy
This stroll is a birder's delight. As you walk within the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge, you'll have the chance to see the American white pelican, least tern or maybe even the endangered Ridgeway rail.
Great blue herons, coots, and shovelers. Also look for the endangered Ridgway rail and salt marsh harvest mouse, which depend on this habitat to survive.
Distance: 1 mile round trip
Elevation change: N/A
Hiking time: 30 minutes
Trail surface: gravel
Best Season: All year
Managing agency: Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
Parking lot location: Click here for directions
Overview: From the Mountain View Shoreline Park Kite area, cross the bridge and head north along the Levee Trail past the Stevens Creek Nature Study Area. Retrace your steps.
Bring your binoculars, as you are sure to see a variety of birds in this 50-acre bayfront preserve. In addition to more common birds such as mallard ducks, avocets, swallows, and sandpipers, you may notice more unusual critters such as burrowing owls. Although there is plenty to see year round, it is especially busy during spring and fall migrations.
The 55 acre Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area is part of the larger Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. At 30,000 acres, it is the nation’s first and largest urban wildlife refuge and home to literally millions of migratory birds and endangered species.
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