The Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area is a 55 acre natural preserve next door to the Shoreline Park in Mountain View, Calif. The salt marshes and Stevens Creek are seen with birds and other small wildlife that lie on either side of the Study Area's levee trail on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2010.

If you love bird watching, grab a pair of binoculars and visit the Stevens Creek Shoreline Nature Study Area in Mountain View. Particularly spectacular during spring and fall migrations, the preserve is rich with birdlife in all seasons. The Study Area is the tiniest - only 55 acres - of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District's 26 preserves. Adjacent to Shoreline at Mountain View Park, the Study Area's levee trail is flanked by Stevens Creek onthe west and salt marshes and ponds to the east. The trail continues as part of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge all the way to the bay.

With views to the east of Moffett Field and beyond to Mount Hamilton and the East Bay, this is a perfect fall outing to squeeze in between rains. The distance from the trailhead to the bay and back is about 3 miles.

The trail

Pick up the trail at the Shoreline Amphitheater parking lot, Section E. Walking through the long lot, you will see benches and the kite-flying area to your left. At the end of the lot, look ahead to a rust-colored arched bridge that leads across Stevens Creek to the levee trail.

Getting to the bridge requires a series