This Hotspot developed in the early days of eBird, possibly at the request of a visitor, and apparently was granted Hotspot status. Now, almost 20 years into eBird usage, we prefer you do not use this "general" Hotspot. Birds on a checklist mapped to this "general" Hotspot are mapped to the middle of Elkhorn Slough. But that is almost the same spot the "Elkhorn Slough--boat survey" is located. Thus, if you are on an Elkhorn Slough Safari boat trip, or are kayaking or canoeing, please use the "boat survey" Hotspot.

In the top of this page photo there is an aerial view of Elkhorn Slough at high tide. At the bottom of the photo you see the huge Moss Landing power plant (no access) and in front of it, Highway 1, with the Highway 1 bridge just left of the power plant. Beyond that is Elkhorn Slough, and you are looking east. Any birding spot west of Highway (i.e., off the photo and closer to you) is one of the Moss Landing harbor hotspots, which were never included in this "general" Hotspot. For birding east of Highway, up-slough and away from you in this view, please use one or more of the following Hotspots, rather than this "general" Hotspot:

1) heading up the Slough, the first thing on the right is a large eucalyptus grove and adjacent Moonglow Dairy freshwater ponds. If you bird Moonglow Dairy, please use the Moonglow Dairy hotspot;

2) across the Slough from Moonglow Dairy, to the left (north) of the Slough, is Nature Conservancy and/or the Packard Ranch property. There is no public access to that land; it is surveyed by permit only;

3) at the east end of Elkhorn Slough, the slough "dog-legs" to the left, just before a very straight dike. That dike holds an active railroad track. The wetlands behind the railroad track belong to the Elkhorn Slough Reserve (formal name "Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve" or ESNERR). Elkhorn Slough Reserve is open to public five days a week, with a Visitor Center at 1700 Elkhorn Road. If you bird the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, please use that Hotspot;

4) at the upper left on the aerial photo, in the northeast corner, you see another flooded wetland at high tide. That is the Estrada and North Marshes complex, and nearby Kirby Park (just out of photo farther left (north). If you bird either of those marshes, or Kirby Park, please use the Hotspot called "Elkhorn Slough--Estrada & North marsh and/or Kirby Park".

If you are lucky enough to discover any rare bird within the "general Elkhorn Slough" hotspot, the editors will likely ask to you move your checklist to the relevant location within onr of these four hotspots.

See the four large Hotspots, located east of Highway 1, for information about the birds and access to those locations. We prefer that you do not use this "general" hotspot -- now mostly maintained for historic visits in the 2oth century -- as it does not accurately map birds on the checklist to the correct habitat.