Redwood Region Audubon Society
Birding Hotspots
Fairhaven and North Spit of Humboldt Bay
From downtown Arcata, drive westward on Samoa Boulevard (= 4th St., or Cal Hwy 255) through Manila, past the west end of the Samoa Bridge, and out the North Spit. This road takes you directly past several willow patches that are frequently birded, and all the way to the end of the spit.
Zero your odometer as you pass the Samoa Bridge (do not take the bridge!) At 5.6 miles past the bridge you come to Lincoln Avenue, the access to the tiny community of Fairhaven. Fairhaven per se is only occasionally birded; the attractions are to be found south of the Lincoln Avenue intersection. The large bed of willows immediately south and east of the intersection is the 'Horse Pasture' patch. Park on the east side of the road at an informal pullout, just south of a blue FIRE STATION sign which faces south.
Duck under the wire fence and bear left. Take the second little path to the right, which will take you on a loop tour through the heart of the patch. At forks in the path, simply take the more well-trodden trail.
There is no poison-oak on the North Spit and only the occasional garter snake. On summer and fall afternoons after the dew has disappeared, be mindful of fresh webs of spiders across the paths (these little spiders are ENTIRELY innocuous, and are clearly terrified of birders' blunderings!) WARNING: One cannot leave the road in the vicinity of the Fairhaven willow patches in May and June more than momentarily without wearing insect repellent. The mosquitoes here are pernicious and aggressive. This problem has abated by July.
If you happen to become disoriented in Horse Pasture, the patch is actually quite small, and any exit puts one in the open, from which Samoa Boulevard or Lincoln Avenue may be reached by a short (if brushy) walk.
Among the best birds found in the Horse Pasture patch was a juvenile Black-billed Cuckoo, present 18 Sep - 2 Oct 1996. Black-capped Chickadees are routine and reasonably common in this area. The smaller willow thicket to the west can be birded from the outside, or from several rudimentary paths off the main road. Watch for raptors and fence-wire-type birds along the entire North Spit.
From the Horse Pasture, it's about a fifth of a mile or so south on the main drag to a bright yellow fire hydrant on the east side of the road. Park here, cross the street, and access the 'Airport' willows by finding an obvious opening in the willows about fifty feet west of the road on the north side of the patch. This trail leads all the way through the length of the patch, exiting at the west end. Upon emerging from the willows, you're standing at the edge of the City of Eureka's Fairhaven airstrip. Walk to your right (east) along the outside of the patch to return to your vehicle. A pay phone can be found just south of the bed-and-breakfast, which is visible to the north.
Thirty-five species of warblers have been seen here, among them a Golden-winged X Blue-winged type (1973) and the northernmost Cerulean Warbler yet found on the Pacific Coast (1976).
The impressive eucalyptus-and-cypress woodlot east of the road here is PRIVATE PROPERTY. Do not enter.
The large patch of willows which stands south of 'Airport', and which is nearly confluent with it, is the 'Satellite' patch. It can be penetrated partway by walking in around the southwest side.
At 6.3 miles from the bridge, you will come to Samoa Boat Ramp County Park. There is a bathroom and a telephone (BirdBox: 822-5666). The south end of the Eureka shipping channel opens into 'Entrance Bay' here.
Across the street to the west is a rather small but sometimes productive willow thicket called the 'Entrance' patch. This patch is best accessed by walking directly across the street from the turnoff to the park, and ducking in to the south along an obvious path through the sedge clumps along a two-cable fence. The surprisingly birdable west portion of the patch, which becomes a bit more gallery-like, is accessed by crossing this fence and working west about fifty feet. The main north-south path also wends through the breadth of the thicket, so that return to the boat ramp parking lot can be accomplished while checking the outside/opposite side of the patch.
At 7.2 miles from the bridge, beyond several speed bumps and the end of pavement, the road forks. The left fork leads to the 'Cypress' patch, a circle of cypresses and exotic understory at a BLM picnic area. Best birds here include a Spotted Owl, and Yellow-green Vireos in 1984 and 1997.
The right fork leads to the north jetty of Humboldt Bay. From the parking area, it is about fifteen minutes' easy walk to the ocean beach, and another ten minutes out to the end of the jetty. Do not walk out the jetty within two hours either side of high tide.
The BLM gate across the main road is locked one-half hour after sunset; lock time is posted there.
Redwood Region Audubon Society
P.O. Box 1054, Eureka, CA 95502
Last updated February 1999