Redwood National Park

National Park · United States

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Photo © National Park Service Digital Image Archives

Photo © National Park Service Digital Image Archives — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Where the Pacific fog rolls deep into northern California's coastal valleys, some of the tallest trees on Earth rise from a landscape shaped by tectonic forces and temperate rainforest ecology. Redwood National Park, sprawling across roughly 2,100 square kilometers of Humboldt County, protects a living cathedral of coast redwoods alongside a matrix of coastal scrub, mixed evergreen forest, and riparian corridors that descend toward rocky shorelines and estuarine wetlands. This is a realm of profound humidity and biological abundance, where the soil itself teems with decomposers and fungal networks that sustain the park's entire web of life. Small forest mammals—from rodents to mustelids—navigate the thick understory and fallen wood; migratory songbirds and resident woodland species move through the canopy and mid-story; birds of prey hunt above the ridges and clearings; and in the streams and coastal waters, anadromous fish and marine predators complete a food web that depends entirely on the structural complexity that only old-growth forest—and the time to grow it—can provide.

For wildlife photographers and birders, the park presents a singular challenge and reward: the very scale of the landscape that makes it ecologically magnificent also demands strategy and patience. The coastal fog that feeds the redwoods creates extraordinary light in early morning and late afternoon, when it diffuses at canopy level and renders the forest's layered architecture in three-dimensional relief. Spring and early summer bring migratory movements and breeding activity among forest birds, while autumn draws photographers to study wildlife behavior against the backdrop of seasonal change. Access via established trails—from river valleys to ridge-top vistas—allows visitors to position themselves within the habitat itself rather than observing it from a distance, and the park's designation as a National Park ensures that the integrity of these ecosystems and the wildlife communities they support remain protected for the long-term field studies and patient observation that serious natural history work demands.

Website nps.gov/redw

Phone +1-707-464-6101

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

California Condor

Gymnogyps californianus

Aquila chrysaetos

Cyanocitta stelleri

Ixoreus naevius

Troglodytes pacificus

Pelecanus occidentalis

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Turdus migratorius

American Dipper

Cinclus mexicanus

Pandion haliaetus

Melospiza melodia

Band-tailed Pigeon

Patagioenas fasciata

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Great Blue Heron

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

Hairy Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus villosus

Double-crested Cormorant

Nannopterum auritum

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Pileated Woodpecker

Dryocopus pileatus

Chamaea fasciata

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Acorn Woodpecker

Melanerpes formicivorus

Dark-eyed Junco

Certhia americana

American Goldfinch

Passerina amoena

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Corthylio calendula

Western Bluebird

Sialia mexicana

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

Allen's Hummingbird

Selasphorus sasin

Marbled Murrelet

Brachyramphus marmoratus

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Brown-headed Cowbird

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Haemorhous purpureus

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus ruber

Sayornis nigricans

Anas platyrhynchos

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Pipilo maculatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Downy Woodpecker

Dryobates pubescens

California Scrub Jay

Aphelocoma californica

Anna's Hummingbird

White-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta carolinensis

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Anarhynchus nivosus

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

Zenaida macroura

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Larus hyperboreus

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Poecile rufescens

Black Oystercatcher

Haematopus bachmani

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

Short-billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

Pelagic Cormorant

Urile pelagicus

Bonasa umbellus

Dendragapus fuliginosus

Mountain Pygmy Owl

Glaucidium gnoma

Cistothorus palustris

Brandt's Cormorant

Urile penicillatus

Aechmophorus occidentalis

Black-capped Chickadee

Poecile atricapillus

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Fulica americana

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Oxyura jamaicensis

Hirundo rustica

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Catharus guttatus

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Tachycineta bicolor

Setophaga coronata

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Bombycilla cedrorum

Melanitta perspicillata

Bucephala albeola

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Branta canadensis

Branta hutchinsii

California Gull

Larus californicus

Larus glaucoides

Perisoreus canadensis

Heermann's Gull

Larus heermanni

Hydroprogne caspia

Loxia curvirostra

Red-throated Loon

Black Turnstone

Arenaria melanocephala

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Branta bernicla

Cygnus columbianus

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Northern Pintail

Aythya valisineria

Aythya americana

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta deglandi

Melanitta americana

Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Oreortyx pictus

Meleagris gallopavo

Common Nighthawk

Chordeiles minor

White-throated Swift

Aeronautes saxatalis

Rallus limicola

Porzana carolina

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Gallinago delicata

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Wandering Tattler

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Calidris virgata

Calidris alpina

Calidris ptilocnemis

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Sterna forsteri

Sterna paradisaea

Thalasseus elegans

Cassin's Auklet

Ptychoramphus aleuticus

Pigeon Guillemot

Cepphus columba

Fork-tailed Storm Petrel

Hydrobates furcatus

Northern Fulmar

Fulmarus glacialis

Sooty Shearwater

Black-crowned Night Heron

Nycticorax nycticorax

Butorides virescens

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

American Goshawk

Astur atricapillus

Rough-legged Buzzard

American Barn Owl

Northern Saw-whet Owl

Aegolius acadicus

Athene cunicularia

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Western Screech Owl

Megascops kennicottii

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

Falco columbarius

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Northern Shrike

Lanius borealis

Eremophila alpestris

Salpinctes obsoletus

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Dumetella carolinensis

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Passer domesticus

Anthus rubescens

Haemorhous mexicanus

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Plectrophenax nivalis

Chondestes grammacus

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Clay-colored Sparrow

Spizella pallida

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

California Towhee

Melozone crissalis

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icterus spurius

Quiscalus quiscula

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Setophaga palmarum

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Setophaga occidentalis

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Anser caerulescens

Spatula cyanoptera

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

Aythya fuligula

Somateria spectabilis

Histrionicus histrionicus

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Barrow's Goldeneye

Bucephala islandica

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

American Black Swift

Cypseloides niger

Chaetura pelagica

Yellow-billed Cuckoo

Coccyzus americanus

Aechmophorus clarkii

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Pluvialis squatarola

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Phalaropus fulicarius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Tringa semipalmata

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Calidris canutus

Buff-breasted Sandpiper

Calidris subruficollis

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Thalasseus maximus

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Leucophaeus atricilla

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Long-tailed Jaeger

Stercorarius longicaudus

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Pomarine Jaeger

Stercorarius pomarinus

South Polar Skua

Stercorarius maccormicki

Rhinoceros Auklet

Cerorhinca monocerata

Fratercula cirrhata

Ancient Murrelet

Synthliboramphus antiquus

Yellow-billed Loon

Pink-footed Shearwater

Ardenna creatopus

Manx Shearwater

Puffinus puffinus

Black-vented Shearwater

Puffinus opisthomelas

White-faced Ibis

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Coragyps atratus

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Short-eared Owl

White-headed Woodpecker

Leuconotopicus albolarvatus

Falco mexicanus

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Hammond's Flycatcher

Empidonax hammondii

American Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

American Grey Flycatcher

Empidonax wrightii

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Eastern Kingbird

Tyrannus tyrannus

Vireo olivaceus

Yellow-throated Vireo

Vireo flavifrons

Plumbeous Vireo

Mountain Chickadee

Poecile gambeli

Riparia riparia

American Bushtit

Psaltriparus minimus

Catherpes mexicanus

Thryomanes bewickii

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Oreoscoptes montanus

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Red-throated Pipit

Anthus cervinus

Lawrence's Goldfinch

Spinus lawrencei

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Calcarius ornatus

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Calamospiza melanocorys

Brewer's Sparrow

Spizella breweri

Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

Pooecetes gramineus

Melospiza georgiana

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Dolichonyx oryzivorus

Icterus cucullatus

Tricolored Blackbird

Agelaius tricolor

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Northern Parula

Setophaga americana

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

Bay-breasted Warbler

Setophaga castanea

Blackburnian Warbler

Setophaga fusca

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Blackpoll Warbler

Setophaga striata

Prairie Warbler

Setophaga discolor

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Setophaga nigrescens

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Spiza americana

Passerina caerulea

Passerina cyanea

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Broad-winged Hawk

Buteo platypterus

Ferruginous Hawk

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus varius

Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Sayornis phoebe

Eastern Warbling Vireo

Clark's Nutcracker

Nucifraga columbiana

Baeolophus inornatus

Haemorhous cassinii

Two-barred Crossbill

Loxia leucoptera

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Virginia's Warbler

Leiothlypis virginiae

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Painted Bunting

Passerina ciris

Cervus canadensis

Odocoileus hemionus

American Black Bear

Ursus americanus

Sylvilagus bachmani

Shadow Chipmunk

Neotamias senex

North American River Otter

Lontra canadensis

Northern Gray Fox

Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Northern Raccoon

Mephitis mephitis

North American Beaver

Castor canadensis

Western Gray Squirrel

Sciurus griseus

American Ermine

Mustela richardsonii

Bassariscus astutus

Western Deermouse

Peromyscus sonoriensis

Douglas's Squirrel

Tamiasciurus douglasii

Siskiyou Chipmunk

Neotamias siskiyou

Douglas's Ground Squirrel

Otospermophilus douglasii

Humboldt's Flying Squirrel

Glaucomys oregonensis

Mountain Beaver

Aplodontia rufa

Pekania pennanti

American Shrew Mole

Neurotrichus gibbsii

Virginia Opossum

Didelphis virginiana

Central Pacific Jumping Mouse

Microtus oregoni

Dusky-footed Woodrat

Neotoma fuscipes

Northern Broad-footed Mole

Scapanus latimanus

Long-eared Myotis

Eptesicus fuscus

Silver-haired Bat

Lasionycteris noctivagans

Townsend's Big-eared Bat

Corynorhinus townsendii

Steller Sea Lion

Eumetopias jubatus

California Sea Lion

Zalophus californianus

Northern Elephant Seal

Mirounga angustirostris

Eschrichtius robustus

Sonoma Tree Vole

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