Where was The Birds filmed?

One of the few funny scenes in The Birds takes place at the fictitious Davidson’s Pet Shop. If you’re hoping to visit The Birds location for the initial meeting between Melanie and Mitch, you’ll need to plan to make two different stops: Powell Street in San Francisco for the exterior footage and Universal Studios in Los Angeles County for the interior shots. Melanie travels to Davidson’s Pet Shop on the hunt for a mynah bird for her beloved aunt. Mitch enters the store looking for lovebirds for his sister Cathy’s birthday. The two meet and engage in a flirtation with Mitch pretending not to know Melanie. Some banter ensues with Mitch finally yielding that he recognizes Melanie from court proceedings where she was charged for a practical joke gone awry. He says to her: “Don’t you remember one of your practical jokes that resulted in the smashing of a plate-glass window?” Melanie is angry at his original pretense, and Mitch leaves the store without making a purchase. Universal Studios is easily accessed by subway, taxi, or passenger vehicle. To get to the Powell Street, Union Square location in San Francisco, you have lots of efficient transportation options including cable car and taxi.

The town of Bodega Bay itself features very prominently in The Birds. Throughout the film, it is the setting for many different scenes from Mitch driving along the coast to Melanie stopping for information from a local shopkeeper. One of the most noteworthy scenes in the film is when Melanie meets Annie Hayworth for the first time. Seeking the name of Mitch’s sister, Melanie and Annie connect at her residence and the two engage in a discussion. Annie asks Melanie if she met Mitch on her drive from San Francisco along the coast road, and Melanie responds with a yes. Annie’s response is full of humor with a touch of bitterness, “I guess that’s where everyone meets Mitch.” Located along the coast and only 50 miles outside metropolitan San Francisco, Bodega Bay was the ideal spot for shooting this film since it is a popular area for bird migration. An hour and a half’s drive from San Fran, you can reach Bodego Bay by ferry, bus, train, taxi, or car.

One of The Birds film scenes that is the most memorable takes place when Melanie goes to pick up Cathy at school. As she waits in her vehicle, Melanie notes a huge flock of birds gather on the jungle gym behind her, observing her in silence. Melanie calls to Annie to warn her of the imminent attack and helps her to move the children to safety. It is during this scene that Melanie yells to Annie, “They’re coming! They’re coming!” to alert her to the danger ahead. Potter Schoolhouse rose to notoriety when it was selected as one of The Birds film sets. The movie lists the location of the school as Bodega Bay, but it is actually nestled in Bodega proper and is found a little further from the shore than depicted in the film. The facility was built in 1873. Today, Potter Schoolhouse is private property and is considered to be a national landmark. Tours of the building are not permitted; however, the building can be seen directly from the street. To visit this iconic The Birds location, travel along Highway 1 until you reach Bodega Highway. After half a mile of travelling, you can take a right hand turn onto Bodega Lane where the schoolhouse can be seen at the summit of the hill.

After rescuing Melanie from the phone booth, Mitch and Melanie take cover in the Tides Wharf and Restaurant in Bodega Bay. Here, many frightened diners are puzzled and panicked about the birds and their attack on the town. A diner blames Melanie, noting that the bird attacks began when she came to visit. She says to Melanie: “Why are they doing this? Why are they doing this? They said when you got here the whole thing started. Who are you? What are you? Where did you come from? I think you’re the cause of all of this. I think you’re evil. EVIL!” The Tides Wharf and Restaurant was once a popular restaurant in Bodega Bay. Today, this iconic landmark has undergone a large expansion and has reinvented itself as a hotel. There is little to see in the region anymore. The town has since evaporated, leaving only the hotel as its occupant. Found just off Coast Highway 1, Bus 95 has a stop that takes you to the site of the former Tides Wharf and Restaurant now known as the Tides Inn.

After Annie rescues Cathy from the schoolhouse, they return to her home. Upon hearing the sounds from the explosion, Annie opens the front door to investigate and is attacked and killed by birds. Melanie and Mitch go looking for Annie and find her dead outside her home. They find Cathy who relates the tale of Annie saving her by saying, “All at once the … the birds were everywhere. All at once. She … she pushed me inside and … they covered her. Annie. She pushed me inside.” Now a private residence, you can only view Annie Hayworth’s home from the road which is accessed from Bodega Lane just off Bodega Highway.

Melanie, Lydia, Mitch, and Cathy take refuge in the Brenner residence, boarding up all the windows and doors for protection. Thinking they are safe, Melanie ventures upstairs to explore the source of a noise. She discovers the birds have broken their way through the roof and is attacked and trapped in a closet, sustaining serious injury. Mitch rescues a nearly lifeless Melanie and insists she be taken to the hospital. Lydia tries to argue it may not be safe, but Mitch retorts, "We have to try...We can't stay here, she needs help." Found on West Side Road in Bodega Bay, the property that once housed the Brenner Ranch is now vacant land that is part of the Bodega Marine Laboratory and Marine Reserve. Most of the residence was built by the production company specifically for the film.