Join the monthly bird walk in Upper Newport Bay to view the seasonal shorebirds, ducks, grebes, herons & egrets that frequent the bay. Bring your binoculars and possibly a scope and camera. This is an excellent vantage point to watch for Black Skimmers and terns flying over the water as well as herons & egrets stalking their prey in the shallows.
DIRECTIONS: The meeting place for this walk is the Big Canyon parking lot in Newport Beach. This is easily reached from Jamboree. Take San Joaquin Hills Road west toward the bay where it intersects with Back Bay Drive. Turn right on Back Bay Drive and follow the road to the Big Canyon parking lot on your left. The length of the bird walk will depend on the tide and the number of birds to be seen.
NOTICE!
Due to scheduled restoration in Big Canyon, this event will be divided into two parts through the remainder of 2025.
Part 1 will consist of the usual Back Bay viewing from bayside viewing points from the Big Canyon Parking Lot and adjacent accessible viewing points.
Part 2 will take place near the Peter & Mary Muth Interpretive Center on University off Irvine Avenue. This part will be a casual BirdWalk on Coastal Sage Scrub trails with expansive views of Upper Newport Bay from a height.
Be prepared to drive to the second location in order to participate in the optional Part 2.
We expect to return to the customary single location format in Big Canyon in January 2026.
We encourage you to take advantage of the pre-registration option for this event in order to receive important timely updates during Phase III of The Big Canyon Restoration & Adaptation Project scheduled for September-December 2025.
