San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026

Año Nuevo Point

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Description

Area Habitats
Chaparral, Coastal Scrub, Grassland, Rocky Shoreline, Ocean, Sandy Shoreline, Sand Dunes

Año Nuevo State Park is one of the most picturesque and ecologically rich areas along the central California coast. Located 55 miles south of San Francisco, the Park boasts sweeping dunes, sheer cliffs, panoramic views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, an intricate plant community, luxuriant intertidal marine life, a major seal and sea lion rookery and a varied and unique bird community. The land that now encompasses the Park has a long and colorful history, beginning with the sighting of Point Año Nuevo (Spanish for "New Year") by Spanish maritime explorer Sebastian Viscaino in 1603, and subsequently passing through several different owners' hands-mostly dairy ranchers and row-crop farmers. In prehistoric times it was occupied by Native Americans as a fishing and hunting camp. The Park now includes some 4,000 acres of coastal mountains, dunes and beaches. The rocky 13-acre island is closed to the public to protect the thousands of marine birds and mammals which nest there. Año Nuevo has become famous in recent years as the most important pinniped (seal and sea lion) rookery and resting area in central and northern California. Hundreds of thousands of human visitors come each year to witness the spectacle of 3,000 or more northern elephant seals on their breeding grounds. During their December to March breeding season much of the Park is closed and visitors can only tour the area on one of the regularly scheduled walks conducted by docents. Advance reservations are absolutely necessary. For advance reservations visit the park website. From April through November visitors must obtain a hiking permit to enter the ecologically sensitive areas. However, birders who don't wish to visit the pinnipeds or the point, can hike the trails all the way out to the tour staging area without special permission at any time.

A birding trip any time of year is apt to bring rewards. A spotting scope is highly desirable to get close-up views of sea birds and marine mammals. Be prepared for cool, windy, foggy conditions, even in mid-summer. To fully cover the Park area, a 3 mile round trip hike is necessary, beginning at the parking lot and heading west to Point Año Nuevo. Many people find this to be a fairly strenuous hike since it entails hiking up and down through loose sand dunes in some stretches.

Just east of the main parking lot is a lush wooded area where birders can look for typical western forest and scrubland birds. Walk along the road here, or take the trail south from the Visitors' Center to the bridge over Año Nuevo Creek. Scan the ridges of the Santa Cruz Mountains to the east for migrant raptors and flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons and the skies above for swallows and swifts.

Before taking the trail out to the point, stop in at the Visitors' Center to look at a selection of brochures, gifts, books, and informative displays. Pick up a checklist here for a nominal charge. There is an excellent overlook of the entire beach and dune area from the Visitors' Center picnic area. With binoculars one can get views of Año Nuevo Island and its reefs and cliffs without the hike. Steller's Jays and White-crowned Sparrows (of the resident coastal nuttalli race) will visit your picnic table for tidbits. Purple Finch and Pine Siskin can also be seen here regularly.

The main trail leads from the Parking Lot west through grassland and coastal scrub toward Año Nuevo Point. Stay on the left trail where the trail forks at the shipwreck exhibit and proceed until you arrive at a freshwater pond. The pond attracts bathing gulls and foraging swallows, including the Bank Swallow, which is uncommon in the county. You will also see small numbers of diving ducks and grebes. Check the openings along the tule-choked shore for rails, American Bittern and Common Yellowthroat. The marshy area here is home to the beautiful and endangered San Francisco Garter Snake. Scan the tops of pines and cypresses for roosting kites. Before the trail passes the pond and heads up the hill, look down at the sandy beach below for roosting gulls and shorebirds, and beyond the surf for grebes, loons, sea ducks and alcids. Descending to the beach you may scan the cliffs above to observe nesting Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Cliff Swallows, and Bank Swallows (all April-July). Marbled Murrelets are resident here and easiest to see from March-September when they are often seen in pairs just offshore. Amazing as it may seem, these small alcids build nests of moss on limbs of tall coniferous trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains a few miles inland from here.

Hiking out to the point from the pond area, keep a constant watch to the sky for foraging birds-of-prey: harriers, vultures, kestrels, Red-tailed Hawks and White-tailed Kites are all resident. During migration and winter other species are possible (Peregrine, Merlin, Osprey, Rough-legged Hawk).

About 3/4 of a mile from the parking lot you will arrive at the tour staging area where people assemble before joining the docent-conducted walk. Access is limited from this point on. Restrooms are available here.

Once past the staging area the habitat abruptly changes from grass and scrub to expansive rolling sand dunes with scattered clumps of low willows. This habitat is one of the few remaining active dune fields on the California coast. There are colorful wildflowers in bloom nearly year-round in these dunes (peak in spring and summer), much to the delight of botanists and hummingbirds. Brush rabbits will hop out of your way at nearly every bend. California Thrashers may be heard singing year-round from the scrub here although they are unusual elsewhere along the immediate coast. Where opportunities exist to scan the sea below the bluffs, check for scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, grebes, loons, murres and other alcids. The Harlequin Duck is a specialty of the area, a few occurring virtually year-round, usually in turbulent water in the vicinity of rocks. When not feeding just off the beach they may be resting on an offshore rock. Scan the skies above the cliffs for foraging Black Swifts which nest in sea-caves here during the summer. This highly-sought-after species used to be predictable here, but they have become irregular and rare in recent years, declining on the Santa Cruz county coast, as well.

When you arrive at South Point you will be directly opposite Año Nuevo Island. The island and surrounding waters are home to thousands of pinnipeds (elephant seals, harbor seals, California and Steller's sea lions) and a few sea otters as well. During the winter months if you use a scope to look over the island you will be treated to the spectacle of hundreds of marine mammals and thousands of roosting Brown Pelicans, gulls and cormorants. Species which breed on the rocky island include Pelagic and Brandt's Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, Black Oystercatchers, and Western Gulls. In 1994 and 1995 a pair of Heermann's Gulls nested on the island, one of very few breeding records for North America. Small numbers of Rhinoceros and Cassin's Auklets have colonized the island in recent years, nesting in burrows on sandy bluffs above the beach. The waters around the island may be "alive" with marine mammals and foraging birds: Heermann's Gulls and Elegant Terns are common in summer and fall, alcids (including a few Ancient Murrelets in winter), diving ducks, scoters, grebes (rarely Red-necked), and Common Murres. Great white sharks patrol these waters and are sometimes seen in the channel separating the island and the point.

The rocky intertidal area between South Point and North Point is a protected cove. There are usually piles of tide-cast seaweed along the shore. This is a superb area for close-up studies of shorebirds typical of rocky coasts (both turnstones, Surfbirds, Wandering Tattlers, Black Oystercatchers and Whimbrels occur here virtually year-round). During fall migration (August-October) the rotting kelp and the flies it attracts are feeding sites for migrant shorebirds: both American and Pacific Golden-Plovers (rare), Baird's and Pectoral Sandpipers and Red Knots are regular in small numbers at this season. Extreme rarities such as Ruff, Curlew Sandpiper and Buff-breasted Sandpiper have been recorded here during fall as well. Brant may be foraging in the kelp beds too, along with a variety of gulls (Short-billed Gulls being common in winter) and song birds including American Pipit.

North Point has a sandy bluff which often harbors a Bank Swallow colony in summer. A few Northern Rough-winged Swallows are usually found in or near the colony. Scan any perches above the beach for both Black and Say's Phoebes and Belted Kingfisher.

There are a number of no-fee access points to coastal grasslands and bluffs, as well as a winter warbler magnet at Cascade Ranch, that are technically part of Año Nuevo. They are dealt with in another account on this website, called Año Nuevo: Outlying Areas.

Look For These Birds

Resident Nesting Species
Brandt's Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, White-tailed Kite, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Harrier, California Quail, Black Oystercatcher, Western Gull, California Gull, Rhinoceros Auklet, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, Hairy Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Common Raven, California Scrub-Jay, Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Pacific Wren, California Thrasher, Wrentit, Bushtit, European Starling, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Western Meadowlark, Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin.

Year-round Visitors
(found in every month but not breeding in the Park): Turkey Vulture, Brown Pelican, Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, White-throated Swift, Tricolored Blackbird.

Summer Visitors
(April-September): Sooty Shearwater, Heermann's Gull, Elegant Tern, Pigeon Guillemot, Black Swift, Allen's Hummingbird, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Bank Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Swainson's Thrush, Wilson's Warbler, Grasshopper Sparrow.

Winter Visitors
(September-May): Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Eared Grebe, Horned Grebe, Pied-billed Grebe, Northern Fulmar, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Peregrine Falcon, Merlin, Virginia Rail, Wandering Tattler, Whimbrel, Ruddy Turnstone, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Short-billed Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake (rare), Ancient Murrelet, Burrowing Owl (rare), Say's Phoebe, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, American Robin, Townsend's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Red Crossbill (erratic). Some of these winter visitors may occasionally be found "vacationing" at Ano Nuevo during the summer months. Among these lingerers may be Brant, loons, scoters, Red-breasted Mergansers, and various shorebirds and gulls.

Regular Migrants
Brant, Buller's Shearwater, Pink-footed Shearwater, Red Knot, Spotted Sandpiper, Red Phalarope, Parasitic Jaeger, Bonaparte's Gull, Vaux's Swift.

Rarities Seen Here

In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.

Mute Swan, Snow Goose (2011), Greater White-fronted Goose (2013), King Eider (1978, 1993), White-winged Scoter (most years), Long-tailed Duck (2016, 2017), Harlequin Duck (2016, 2017), Red-necked Grebe (2017), Laysan Albatross (1982), Northern Gannet (2016, 2017, 2022), Masked Booby (1998), Brown Booby (2015), Blue-footed Booby (2013), Yellow-crowned Night-heron (1981, 2023), American Bittern, White-faced Ibis (2013), Sandhill Crane (2000, 2002, 2017), Black Vulture (2018), California Condor (2011), Bald Eagle (2018), Pacific Golden-Plover (2014), American Golden-Plover, Baird's Sandpiper (2016), Pectoral Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper (1981), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (1978, 1987), Ruff, Glaucous Gull (2016), Royal Tern (2016), Common Tern (2017), Black Tern (2017), Tufted Puffin (2009), Horned Puffin (2018), Ancient Murrelet (2009), Cassin's Auklet (known to breed on the island, sometimes seen from the point), Broad-billed Hummingbird (1986), Rufous Hummingbird (2017), Snowy Owl (1974), Black Swift (best spot for them in the county; nearly annual), Prairie Falcon (2022), Williamson's Sapsucker (2018), Red-naped Sapsucker (2016), Dusky-capped Flycatcher (2000), Tropical Kingbird (2013, 2015, 2020, 2023), Western Kingbird, Eastern Kingbird (2011, 1976), Gray Catbird (1998, 2014), Tennessee Warbler (2009, 2023), Prothonotary Warbler (1979), Prairie Warbler (2009), Palm Warbler (2013), Magnolia Warbler (2012), Yellow-breasted Chat (2011, 2022), Clay-colored Sparrow (2011), Chipping Sparrow (2011), Lark Sparrow (2011), Swamp Sparrow (2011), White-throated Sparrow (2016), Snow Bunting (2000), Blue Grosbeak (2011), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2020), Summer Tanager (2011), Bobolink (2011), Great-tailed Grackle (2019)

Directions

From the bayside communities of San Mateo or Santa Clara counties take either Highway 101 or I-280 to Highway 92 and follow Highway 92 west to Highway 1. Año Nuevo is on Highway 1, 24 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 23 miles north of Santa Cruz. A sign on the west side of the highway just south of some ranch buildings and just north of the San Mateo county line on west side of highway points the way.

Fees

Separate fees are required both for day use parking and for the tour. When you make reservations for the elephant seal tour, you will be given the most current fee structure.

Hours

The main gate and parking lot is open from 8:00 am to sunset. There are highly specific instructions for hours and times to walk to the Point, depending on the season, and always liable to change is the needs of the seals and other wildlife require it; please call the information line, or check the park webpage, for more information.

Hazards

The popularity of this park ensures it is chock-full of people most days in winter. Once you are on the dunes, though, and especially out at the point, very few of those many people are looking for small alcids or ogling the gulls - you'll often have the birds to yourself!

Two of the large dangerous animals of the county - Great White Shark and Mountain Lion -have been spotted on the Reserve. The Great White Shark is liable to hurt you only if you are swimming, but consider that possibility before you jump into the water to get away from the Mountain Lion. It should be added that you will likely harass a sea mammal along the way, which is against the law. In the absence of adequate law enforcement, large bull Elephant Seals will sometimes take the law in to their own flippers. This is a park where it pays to respect nature. Elephant Seals are legitimately dangerous! They are the heaviest mammal to ever come to land in North America. Treat them with the deference they seek. It's the law.

Facilities

Restrooms are available at the parking lot and tour staging area. Water is available at the Visitors' Center. Food, gas, and other amenities are available at Pescadero, 11 miles north, or Davenport (Santa Cruz County), 10 miles south. Camping is available at Butano State Park (see separate entry here).

Contact

Recorded Information about Año Nuevo: 650-879-0227
Seal Walk reservation number: 800-444-4445
Park Office (do NOT use this number for Seal Walk reservations): 650-879-2025
Official Park Website

Avian Research Status

Año Nuevo is a designated IBA (Important Bird Area). This brings added focus and protection to this site. It also makes it all the more important for birders to share and record their sightings, both with the excellent staff at Año Nuevo, many of whom are skilled birders themselves, and in citizen-science databases such as eBird.

eBird's current designation for the main visitors access to Año Nuevo, is titled "Año Nuevo SP--Visitors Center, Elephant Seals and all trails." Information for this hotspot can be viewed here. Additional Año Nuevo hotspots are dealt with in other articles in this guide. Please try to use the correct hotspot for your particular trip! The principal Año Nuevo hotspot described here has a lot of data, with information in all time quadrants. Continue to study and protect our IBA by entering your sightings on eBird.

The University of California sustains many research programs on Año Nuevo's wildlife, including some on Rhinoceros Auklets.

Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) conducts major research operations at Año Nuevo Island; see link below for more specific information. If you see leg-banded Western Gulls, they are likely part of a long-range PRBO study; contact PRBO to convey the color/leg combination of the bands to their scientists.

The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) is conducting a long-range study of gull movements in the Bay Area. California Gulls have been leg-banded with plastic colored bands. If you see any of these gulls, please note the leg and the color of the band; if it is possible to read the number on the band, record that also. This information can be shared directly with Carly at SFBBO (cschacter@sfbbo.org). If the birds also have a metal band, and you can read that number, too, please report that to the National Bird Banding Lab.

Sequoia Audubon Society has led 14 field trips to Año Nuevo, visiting at least once/decade since the 1960s. The logistical difficulties involved with visiting the park (the need for reservations) have likely held the number of field trips artificially low. A trip to Whitehouse Canyon was held in 2001.

This area was affected by the CZU Complex Fires in August-September 2020. Please join the iNaturalist project charting the response to this fire - the largest in southwestern San Mateo county in over a century - by visiting its home page here.