Search for great blue heron chicks and great horned owls now in Golden Gate Park

Great blue heron chicks by Simon Rogghe; Instagram @simonrogghe

Spot nesting herons at Stow Lake

In my book, Golden Gate Park, An A to Z Adventure, “N” is for “nesting herons.” And right now is when you can spot these cute, goofy-looking chicks. Look in the trees on the island near Huntington Falls.

Great blue herons began nesting at Stow Lake in 1993, and in the years since more than 200 chicks have fledged here! From mid-April to mid-June each year (except sadly not this year), volunteers lead walks and are stationed with spotting scopes on Saturdays at Stow Lake as part of ‘Heron Watch.’ #heronwatch

You can learn about the birds and their history at Stow Lake at sfnature.org thanks to passionate birder Nancy DeStefanis. She’s been observing and tracking them since the very beginning.

Great horned own and chick by Andrew Bland

Adorable great horned owl chicks near the Bison Paddock

April is also when you’ll find resident great horned owls raising their young in the park. Head to the Bison Paddock right now and see if you can spot the great horned owl chick. The group of photographers make it pretty easy!

Bird watching is always great in Golden Gate Park

Red-tailed hawk photo by Deborah Underwood

If you’re looking for guaranteed bird sightings, head to Stow Lake for mallards, ring-necked ducks, hooded mergansers, western gulls, buffleheads, and Canadian geese. I see resident red-tailed hawks soaring above the park all the time, too.

But everywhere in Golden Gate Park is great for birding. Why? Because it’s a stop for birds on the Pacific Flyway migration route. This means you never know what you might find! See what others have spotted and track your own birding in Golden Gate Park at inaturalist.org.

Share your photos with #birdsofggp and #GoldenGateParkAtoZ. Tag me on Instagram and Twitter.