Essentially this hotspot is the large parking lot along a small pond and large lake area of the Sacramento River along Park Marina Drive. It is an established duck feeding area though signs now say do not feed the ducks. Huge numbers of gulls winter here but change their numbers all the time. This site probably has more first-county records than anywhere else in the county.  

A scope is needed to get good views of all the birds on the lake but binocular views will tell you if a loon or Western Grebe is present. Bird here, then drive or walk west checking the little pond, then bird around the Aqua Golf range, especially the water area to the far west just past the golfers' area. If you continue this way you get to the pond with the island at the apartments and this is another good birding site.

20-30 Barrow’s Goldeneyes are usually among the 800+ Common Goldeneyes at Kutras Lake in the early morning in the winter. 1 or 2 Thayer’s and Glaucous-winged Gulls are often here in winter. Loons and Grebes are regular too.  On one heavy winter storm day, there were 6 Eurasian Wigeons among lots of Americans.  Recently Great-tailed Grackles have been regular here year-round. Red Knot, Red Phalarope, Red-throated Loon, Sabine’s Gull, Franklin’s Gull, and Black Scoter are among the goodies seen here over the years.

Kutras Lake (a bay of the Sacramento River) is across Park Marina Drive from Kutras Park. People feed the gulls (mostly Ring-billed) and Canada Geese in the ample parking area. Use your scope to cover the entire lake, the small-enclosed pond and the tops of the surrounding trees. A Bald Eagle, Peregrine Falcon and Merlin are often on patrol. Up to four species of gulls are commonly seen (Ring-billed, Herring, first-year Glaucous-winged, and California), less common are Western, Thayer’s, and Mew gulls. Ducks, including Common Golden-eye, Lesser and Greater Scaup, Common Merganser, Ruddy, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck and Bufflehead are to be expected. Hooded Mergansers are sometimes seen in the small, enclosed pond. This is the easiest place to find Barrow’s Golden-eye and all four grebes—Pied-billed, Western, Eared, and Horned.