American Canyon Wetlands

The American Canyon Wetlands also known as Wetlands Edge Park is a Napa County Regional Park and is located at the west end of Eucalyptus Drive in American Canyon. Following the Napa-Sonoma Marsh shore line, the trails provide a variety of ways to explore the marshland, tidal wetlands, and Napa River. The wetlands are a great place for bird watching and enjoying the sunrise or sunset, and are heavily used by locals for family outings, walks, and bike rides. The SF Bay Trail winds its way through the Park continuing North past Green Island, which is part of the Napa-Sonoma Marsh Complex. Like the Huichica Wetlands this is a hotspot for fall and wintering waterfowl, shorebirds and raptors. The best time for birding is 2-3 hours before or after high tide. Many interesting birds have been reported in the area in the past.

Common Residents and Breeding Birds: Black-Necked Stilts, American Avocets, Double-Crested Cormorants, Pied-billed Grebes, Mute Swans and American White Pelican along with Great and Snowy Egrets and Great Blue and Black-crowned Night Herons. You are likely to find Mallard, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, and Cinnamon Teal throughout the year. Virginia, Soras and Black Rails can be heard and sometimes found  along the Main Entrance and SF Bay Trails. California and Ring-bird Gulls visit regularly. Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, White-Tailed Kites, Red-tailed and Red-shouldered Hawks, Great Horned Owls and Turkey Vultures are some of the raptors that visit the marshes and frequent the Eucalyptus groves.  Occasional wintering Merlin, Peregrine Falcons and Bald Eagles visit in search of passerines, shorebirds and fish that they prey upon. Anna’s and Allen’s Hummingbirds nest in the park, as do Kingfishers, Marsh Wrens, Morning Doves, Black Phoebes, Western Bluebirds, House Finch, California Towhees, Song and Savanah Sparrows, along with Red-winged Blackbirds and Common Yellowthroats.

Migrants: Green-Winged Teal, Northern Pintail, Ruddy, Bufflehead, Canvasback and Scaup Ducks are frequent visitors during the winter months. Least and Western Sandpipers, Long-billed Dowitchers, Dunlin, Willets, Long-billed Curlews, Semipalmated and Black-bellied Plovers, all visit during the Fall Migration and some of these shorebirds stay into the winter months. You can occasionally spot a Say’s Phoebe feeding in the lawns and coyote brush and White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Lincoln’s and Fox Sparrows visit during the fall, winter and early spring months.