Best Bird Watching Area Antioch Near Me

4worldlovers: Historically a shifting riverine sand dune ecosystem, the Antioch Dunes National Wildlife Refuge supports the last known populations of the endangered Antioch Dunes evening primrose, the Contra Costa wallflower, and the Lange's metalmark butterfly.

Due to the sensitive nature of the habitat, the refuge is closed to the public. However, our docent-led tours are back. See below for details.

The refuge was established in 1980 to protect plants and insects federally listed as endangered: Lange's metalmark butterfly (Apodemia mormo langei), Contra Costa wallflower (Erysimum capitatum var. capitatum), and Antioch Dunes evening primrose (Oenothera deltoides var. howellii). The refuge is the only known location in the world where the Lange's metalmark butterfly is found. Once part of an extended riverine sand dune ecosystem, the dunes of the refuge hosted a variety of endemic plants and insects. During the last 150 years, the dune ecosystem was seriously degraded by sand mining (removal), invasive plants, and other threats. Today, the refuge represents one of the last remaining riverine sand dune environments in the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta.

Time to get outside again and enjoy a stroll through the dunes.


Our knowledgeable and fun docents lead a free 1-1.5-hour tour through the dunes every second Saturday of the month throughout the year.


Many spring flowers are in full bloom, including the magnificent endangered species, Antioch Dunes Evening Primrose. No registration necessary.


Every second Saturday of the month at 10:00 a.m. throughout the year.

4worldlovers: Nov.-Feb.: 8am-4pm, Mar.: 8am-5pm, Apr.: 8am-6pm, May - Aug.: 8am-7pm, Sep. 8am-6pm, Oct.: 8am-5pm


Waterbird Regional Preserve is a 198-acre area comprised of a wetland and the associated uplands to the east. The focal point of the Preserve is the rich and diverse Al McNabney Marsh, of which the East Bay Regional Park District owns 46 acres in the southern end and Mountain View Sanitary District owns 69 acres in the northern and deeper end.


McNabney Marsh and the uplands area of Waterbird Regional Preserve provide habitat for a variety of birdlife and offer good opportunities for birders to view species ranging from waterbirds to raptors.

Waterfowl and shorebirds use the marsh for foraging and nesting, and the uplands areas are home to small mammals such as ground squirrels and pocket gophers. The patient birdwatcher may see birds ranging from the American avocet, killdeer, and great blue heron to the American kestrel, western meadowlark, cedar waxwing, and great horned owl. Familiar waterbirds observed in the marsh area include the American coot, mallard, green-winged teal, black-necked stilt, bufflehead, Canada goose, cinnamon teal, and white pelican. Other common birds seen at the Preserve include the barn swallow, black phoebe, Brewer's blackbird, cliff swallow, European starling, Say's phoebe, house finch and house sparrow.

This is only a partial listing of the many bird species that are resident or are expected to visit this Preserve. The lucky birder may also see the white-tailed kite, northern harrier, golden eagle, osprey, and peregrine falcon.

McNabney Marsh lies on the Pacific Flyway for migratory birds and is home to many species of waterfowl and shorebirds. The fall and spring migrations bring an abundance of waterfowl as they stop to rest and feed on their flights north or south.

The Preserve also provides hiking opportunities in the several miles of trails in the uplands area. Take the trail out of the parking area to reach the Meadowlark Ridge Loop for good views of the marsh. Walk to the northern end of the park towards the pepperwood trees to see signs of the old housing site dating from the early 1900s.

In the future, the trail system in Waterbird Regional Preserve is expected to connect to the proposed Point Edith-to-Martinez Shoreline Regional Trail, which will connect the Preserve to trails in the nearby Peyton Hills Marsh operated by the State Lands Commission.

Please note that due to the fragile nature of the marsh ecosystem and the presence of feeding and breeding waterbirds, DOGS ARE NOT PERMITTED anywhere in Waterbird Regional Preserve.

Fishing is not permitted in Waterbird Regional Preserve. McNabney Marsh contains treated, reclaimed water. Water contact of any kind is prohibited.

The area now known as McNabney Marsh was first visited by the Bay Miwok's Chupcan people, a tribelet thought to have consisted of about 200 people. With the plentiful resources of the bay, marshlands, and uplands, these Native Americans were able to sustain their existence here for centuries, until the influx of explorers and missionaries in the 1800s.

The construction of a major rail line through the area in the 1880s helped define the marsh as we see it today. The shipping and rail services of Martinez encouraged the location of the Peyton Chemical Company and the Mountain Copper Company at the mouth of Peyton Slough. The uplands area of the Preserve with pepperwoods and eucalyptus was most likely the site of early nineteenth-century chemical company worker housing. The pepperwoods line an old road made of "clinker" stones, produced through smelting operations.

McNabney Marsh, named after a former leader of the Mt. Diablo Audubon Society, is part of a larger 200-acre wetland complex connected by Peyton Slough, which drains into Suisun Bay. In 1988 an oil spill inundated marshlands in this area, including McNabney Marsh. Following that spill, a $10 million Natural Resource Fund was established to restore, rehabilitate and acquire the equivalent of the natural resources damaged by the oil spill. The East Bay Regional Park District acquired 198 acres in the south end of the marsh in 1992 using funding provided by the Trustee Committee overseeing the Natural Resource Fund. This land included the uplands to the east of the marsh, which provide recreational trail opportunities today.

4worldlovers: With 88,000 acres of land, bays and sloughs, the Suisun Marsh is significant: it is the largest contiguous estuarine marsh in the entire United States. Grizzly Island Wildlife Area is approximately 12,900 acres of this prime habitat and the complex is a patchwork of 10 distinct land parcels, many of which are not connected and are surrounded by private land. Units include Grizzly Island, Crescent, Joice Island, Island Slough, Gold Hills, West Family, Goodyear Slough, and Grey Goose. They offer a variety of recreation opportunities and act as a vital buffer against further marsh development.

The complex combines natural tidal wetlands and artificially diked marshes. Each habitat attracts a special kind of wildlife. Pass some hours along the bay or on the graveled foot trails at Peytonia Slough. Experience the renewing rhythm of the tides, the changing complexion of marsh life. Some animals, like the California clapper rail and Suisun shrew, live exclusively in these tidal wetlands. Rare, threatened and endangered species include the salt marsh harvest mouse, peregrine falcon, California Ridgway's rail, California black rail, bald eagle, Suisun aster, and soft-haired birds beak.