The famous Monterey Bay is one of the world’s top birding destination for its incredible range of habitats and endemic species. With hundreds of species of local and migratory birds, few places can match it for avid or novice bird watchers.

Take a drive to Asilomar’s restored coastal dune ecosystem to catch a glimpse of the snowy plover, and then dip over to nearby Carmel-by-the-Sea for the Carmel River State Beach, whose eastern marsh is a protected sanctuary for many rare birds. There, you’ll come across kites, harriers, swallows, mallards, and many other bird species.

If you’re interested in seeing egrets, rocky shorebirds, cormorants, passerine, and other seabirds, you’ll have to visit the Elkhorn Slough Estuary, 24 miles north of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The reserve is home to hundreds of species of bird and marine life, who live in the 2,500 acres of marshland that you can explore on a guided tour.