Trancas Crossing Park

Located in North Napa, this 33-acre park is a beautiful urban oasis for birders and the public. This is one of the few places within the city limits where birders can experience the riparian habitat of the Napa Valley. Trancas Crossing Park features a mile long loop trail that borders the Napa River and a grassy meadow that hosts a variety of species. Oak Titmice, White-breasted Nuthatch, Acorn, Nuttall’s and Downy Woodpeckers, Bullock’s Orioles and Black-headed Grosbeaks call from the oaks groves. Western Bluebirds and Tree Swallow fight over the nesting boxes that NSAS has placed along the loop trail. Mallards, Great Blue Herons, Black Phoebes, Northern Rough-winged and Cliff Swallows and Belted Kingfishers travel along the river in search of food. You can access this park across Trancas Ave. from the Nob Hill Shopping Center behind the Chevron Station where you can park if you’re lucky to find a space in the small parking lot at the beginning of the driveway that leads to the trail or along Old Soscal Way behind the gas station.

Common Resident and Breeding Birds: Anna’s Hummingbirds, California Quail, Mourning Dove, Oak Titmouse, White-Breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Hairy, Downy, Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, Western Bluebird, Black Phoebe, Bewick’s and House Wrens, Tree, Violet-green, and Cliff Swallows, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Bushtits, American Robin, Northern Mockingbirds, Hutton’s, Cassin’s and Warbling Vireos, Orange-crowned Warblers, Song Sparrows, Lesser Goldfinch, House Finch, American Crow, Stellar’s and California Scrub Jays, Spotted and California Towhees, Dark-eyed Juncos, Brewer’s and Red-winged Blackbirds are common resident birds. Turkey Vultures, Red-tailed, Red-shouldered, and Cooper’s Hawks frequent the Oak Woodlands and can be observed flying above the river.