Coyote Hills Regional Park is a mix of high hills and adjacent marshland along the eastern edge of the San Francisco Bay. Covering 1,266 acres, the park attracts a variety of birds of prey, including red-tailed hawks, northern harriers, and American kestrels.
I visited this park on a sunny day in January. The park is quite popular, especially on the weekends and holidays. There was a line to buy parking (currently $5) but once I drove into the park, I was able to find a parking spot by the visitor center.
The lower trails at Coyote Hills, especially near the Coyote Hills Nectar Garden (open Wednesdays through Sundays) are mostly flat, wide graveled pathways. As you move into the park, the trail system zigzags around, up, and over the large rolling hills. The park’s trail system has a variety of grades from flat to steep.
Viewing raptors at Coyote Hills
Coyote Hills’ location within the Pacific Flyway, a major migratory route for birds, makes it an ideal place to observe raptors. The park’s mixture of marshlands, grasslands, and rolling hills creates a perfect habitat for both resident and migratory raptors. The open grasslands are prime hunting grounds, while the marshes support a variety of prey species, including rodents, small birds, and amphibians.
The park is also home to several trees and other elevated perches where raptors can scan for prey. During the colder months, the abundance of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds provides an additional food source, attracting even more raptors to the area.
Since I was interested in birding on this trip, I followed Quail Trail over to Bayview Trail. Bayview Trail meanders between grassy hills and the sal evaporation ponds. Even though the park was busy, Bayview Trail was fairly quiet which allowed me to spot several raptors hunting over the hills.
I spotted several raptors swooping around the grassy hills next to Bayview Trail. A white-tailed kite hovered suspended in the air, wings and tail spread wide. This behavior allows kites to scan the ground below for small prey, such as rodents.
Further along Bayview Trail, a red-tailed hawk was performing aerial acrobatics as it hunted over the grassy hills.
Nearby, a male American kestrel perched in the upper branches of a tree. Males have slate-blue wings and rust-colored tails, while females have a more uniform reddish-brown appearance. American kestrels are the smallest falcons in North America. They are often seen perched on tree branches, fence posts, or utility lines, scanning for small prey such as insects, rodents, and small birds in open areas.
After walking along Bayview Trail, I hiked up the single-track Red Hill Trail. This somewhat steep trail took me to one of the highest points in Coyote Hills. At the top of the hill is a picnic table and sweeping views of the salt evaporations ponds of the San Francisco Bay.
From the top of one of the hills along Red Hill Trail, I spotted a female northern harrier flying over the grasslands near Soaproot Trail.
The easy to walk flat trails combined with open grassy hills, made spotting several species of raptors easy at Coyote Hills Regional Park.
