San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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Tunitas Creek Road, located between Half Moon Bay and San Gregorio, is well-known to local birders because of two specialty birds: Baird's Sandpiper and Lawrence's Goldfinch. This description will cover the areas where these birds have been found in the past: Tunitas Creek Mouth, and the riparian areas along the road, especially those just east of Lobitos Creek Cut-off.
From SR 1, turn east onto Tunitas Creek Road. Park immediately, on the right hand side of the road, as soon as you feel you are safely out of the intersection. It helps to understand your goal here. You are taking a trail that will go under the bridge on Route 1 that goes over Tunitas Creek. This is a very steep and difficult trail; it is not maintained, and will not be suitable for people with any mobility issues. Add to this that if you grab onto anything, it likely has poison oak; you really have to want to see the creek mouth to attempt this trail. So once you are parked, look for the steep entrance to a trail that will hug the east side of Route 1; it is visible, on the west side of a farmer's fence. Slide down to the trail, and follow it. It will take you to a cement drainage. To continue on the trail, you need to cross over to the east side of this drainage - not a difficult task. Starting from this point, you can conduct a seminar on the difference between wild raspberry vines and poison oak; there are places where they are even growing together. As you continue down the trail, you will see an open area to your left. At the right moment in fall, this can become a magical theater of migrant warblers. You are elevated above some tree tops, and in the midst of some other trees. Depending on migrant conditions, this could be spectacular, or deadly silent.
The trail descends down to the creek level, taking you under the highway. This brings you to a great spot for Winter Wren, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and other small passerines. The trail hugs the north side of the creek, and there are a few tricky spots (a plank for a bridge over some mud, a bit of a low cliff edge above the creek, etc.). You can start to get some scrub birds here, like Scrub Jay, Wrentit, and finches. Ahead of you will appear the beach. Once you emerge into the open sky, find a way to cross over to the beach side. There is a small lagoon to your right. This is the spot for the Baird's Sandpiper. Other unusual birds seen here in recent years include Solitary Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, and Ruddy Turnstone, in addition to expected migrant shorebirds. Although bringing your scope on this trail is no easy assignment, seawatching from the beach can be good. In addition to the expected Sooty Shearwaters in fall, expert sea-watchers have seen Pink-footed Shearwater and even Cassin's Auklet from this area. Common Murre and a few lingering Pigeon Guillemots can add to your species list in fall.
Once you've walked back up the trail to the road (still avoiding the copious poison oak), drive almost half of a mile; you'll see a pull-out on your right. This is the spot where Tunitas Creek crosses the road from the north to the south side. Good for passerines at any time of year, it has attracted migrant warblers in spring and fall, including Northern Parula and American Redstart. Once you've exhausted this spot, drive until you reach the corner with Lobitos Creek Cut-off (2 miles east of SR1). Bear right at this intersection to stay on Tunitas Creek Road. You are now in the heart of an excellent riparian area. The creek is on your left (the north side of the road). There is a large pulloff a bit further up the road. This area has the advantage of not being near any private residences, so one can bird here without fear of disturbing others. However, the road is narrow, so stay alert for cars. The Lawrence's Goldfinches were discovered in this area in May, 2007. Look for them from April to July, and please report them if you see them. Other birds to look for in this area include Allen's Hummingbird, Hutton's Vireo, Band-tailed Pigeon, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, California Scrub-Jay, Bewick's Wren, Common Raven, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Orange-crowned and Wilson's Warblers (spring-fall), Wrentit, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Swainson's Thrush and Black-headed Grosbeak (spring-summer).
In their relentless expansion across the continent, Eurasian Collared-Doves have colonized parts of this road. In the open agricultural areas and along the bare hillsides, look for migrating raptors, including Ferruginous Hawk, rare for the county. Every time we look at these bare hills, we think they would be perfect for Common Poorwill, but our wishing has not yet materialized into a sighting of this bird.
Mallard Surf Scoter, California Quail, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Red-throated Loon, Sooty Shearwater, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Brandt's Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, American Kestrel, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlew (unusual at this location), Sanderling, Least Sandpiper, Western Sandpiper, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, California Gull, Heermann's Gull, Elegant Tern, Caspian Tern, Common Murre, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl (uncommon), Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee (migration), Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Warbling Vireo, Hutton's Vireo, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, House Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Wrentit, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, WIlson's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, Brewer's Blackbird, Purple Finch, House Finch, American Goldfinch,
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Blue-footed Booby (2013), Swainson's Hawk (2014, 2016), Golden Eagle (2015), Broad-winged Hawk (2021, 2022), Ferruginous Hawk (2011, 2018, 2022), Prairie Falcon (2011), Solitary Sandpiper (2009), Baird's Sandpiper, Hudsonian Godwit (2019), Bar-tailed Godwit (2019), Rufous Hummingbird, Hammond's Flycatcher, Willow Flycatcher (2015, 2018, 2019, 2020), Tropical Kingbird (2012), Loggerhead Shrike (2015, along Lobitos Creek Cut-Off), Cassin's Vireo (2018, 2022), Red-eyed Vireo (2015, 2023), Plumbeous Vireo (2009, 2014), Gray Catbird (1998), American Redstart (2009, 2017, 2022), Northern Parula (2007), Virginia's Warbler (2018), Magnolia Warbler (2009), Mourning Warbler (1999), Chestnut-sided Warbler (2011, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023), Blackpoll Warbler (2011), Blackburnian Warbler (2020), Bay-breasted Warbler (2011), Black-and-White Warbler (2009, 2020), Tennessee Warbler (2011, 2012, 2018, 2019, 2022), Nashville Warbler (2019), Ovenbird (2016), Hooded Warbler (2020), Northern Waterthrush (2019), Clay-colored Sparrow (2016), Snow Bunting (1989, creek mouth), Lawrence's Goldfinch (2007, 2018), Rose-breasted Grosbeak (2019, 2020), Summer Tanager (2013)
Tunitas Creek Road is located off of SR1, south of Half Moon Bay. Tunitas Creek Road is about five miles south from the southernmost stop light in Half Moon Bay. Tunitas Creek Road can also be picked up from Skyline Boulevard, where it intersects with King Mountain's Road (see entries here on Huddart County Park and Purisima Creeks Redwood Open Space Preserve for more information on the habitat at this end of the road).
24/7 - this is a public road. However, please be respectful of private property and the privacy of residents along the road. Do not attempt the trail to Tunitas Creek Mouth at night.
Poison Oak is quite thick on the trail leading to the creek mouth, and is certainly present nearly everywhere you'd bird along this road. Beware of ticks at the margins of roadside grass.
No facilities along Tunitas Creek Road itself. All manner of supplies, victuals, and comfort stations can be found in Half Moon Bay. San Gregorio State Beach (see separate entry in this guide) has restrooms and picnic facilities.
Since this is a road, there is no official contact information. If you see damage to the road, such as a pothole or collapse, please call the county road officials at San Mateo County Public Works, 650-363-4100.
Currently, no part of Tunitas Creek Road, Tunitas Creek Mouth, or the Tunitas Creek Riparian areas are eBird hotspots.
Because Tunitas Creek Mouth is less-visited than the beach parks further south, it is vitally important to report any banded birds you see here. Pt. Reyes Bird Observatory (PRBO) maintains a long-running study of Western Gulls; if you see Western Gulls with colored leg bands, note the respective legs and colors, and contact PRBO to forward this data to the researchers on this project.
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.
The Lawrence's Goldfinch colony observed in May 2007 led to some birding activists cooperating with the County Works department to preserve the habitat on the streamside. By the spring of 2009, this had blossomed into an ongoing partnership to preserve the roadside vegetation preferred by these rare county visitors.
Author: Jennifer Rycenga and Peggy Macres, Uploaded: