San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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Hikers and beachcombers like this beach because of the privacy afforded by the half-mile hike in. But because that same hike takes you past active farmland, leads you to an excellent overlook for scanning the sea, and then takes you to a beach that has open sand, rocky outcroppings and high cliffs, the birding possibilities expand.
Once again, birders and beachcombers can thank the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST), that saved this property from development back in 1987. They also helped sustain agriculture in the area by selling the land to local farming families who would agree to environmental conservation easements.
The area near the parking lot can sometimes produce four different dove species (whether you want them to be there or not): Mourning Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon, Rock Pigeon, and the recently arrived Eurasian Collared-Doves. The wires here may also hold all four blackbirds: Brown-headed Cowbird, Red-winged, Brewer's, and Tricolored Blackbirds. The doves and blackbirds should also be active in the farm field.
Once you have parked your car, you take the only trail in the park, due west past the metal gate. The land on either side of you is used for farming; look for artichoke, one of the staple crops of the San Mateo County coast. The presence of a variety of thistle plants brings finches to these fields. In fall, if more birders are checking, vagrant sparrows are likely here. If you look to the north, you can see the edges of the golf course. The views ahead of you, if the fog is not present, are spectacular. The length of the trail is just over a half mile.
As you approach the beach, there is a set of stairs on your right, that go down to the beach. If you've brought your scope, though, go ahead to the overlook. This site should enable you to scan the sea for migrant seabirds and sea ducks, as well as off-shore grebes, scoters, and alcids. The walk down to the beach is pleasant, but by scanning ahead of time, you can determine if the rewards will justify the climb back up.
This park is easily overlooked for the more extensive and famed coastal sites. But because it is compact, yet has a continual edge effect between agricultural and coastal habitat, it is a very rewarding park to include in a larger birding expedition to the coast. It is not difficult for a birder who knows local bird calls and songs to detect 35-45 species here in an hour.
Brant, Canada Goose, Mallard, Surf Scoter, Ruddy Duck, Common Loon, Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Horned Grebe, California Quail, Brown Pelican, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret (uncommon at this location), Turkey Vulture, Osprey (uncommon), Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, American Coot (uncommon at this location), Black Oystercatcher, Black-bellied Plover, Killdeer, Whimbrel, Black Turnstone, Surfbird, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper (uncommon at this location), Heermann's Gull, Short-billed Gull, Iceland Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Herring Gull, California Gull, Western Gull, Caspian Tern, Elegant Tern (summer), Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Allen's Hummingbird, Anna's Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel (winter), Merlin (winter), Peregrine Falcon, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe (winter), Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Bushtit, House Wren (fall migration), Bewick's Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wrentit, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, American Pipit, European Starling, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Savannah Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow (winter), Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Western Meadowlark, Red-winged Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, Purple Finch, American Goldfinch, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrow
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Greater White-fronted Goose (2015, 2018, 2021), Cackling Goose (2019, 2021), Pacific Golden-Plover (2013), Rough-legged Hawk (2019), Ferruginous Hawk (2019, 2021), Broad-winged Hawk (2014 fall migration), Glaucous Gull, Short-eared Owl (2012, 2019), Tropical Kingbird (2015), Palm Warbler (2014), Chipping Sparrow (2018), Clay0-colored Sparrow (2019), Harris's Sparrow (2018)
The parking lot is on SR 1, clearly marked, on the west side of the road about 1 mile south of the last stop light in Half Moon Bay going south. It is about 3.2 miles south of the intersection of SR92 and SR1.
There are no fees connected with this park.
The gate to the parking lot opens around 8:00 am and closes just after sunset.
Cliffs here can be unstable; do not get close to the edge, especially at the overlook site at the end of the trail.
A Harbor Seal Preserve is located just south of the main beach. Do not harass the pinnipeds, and do not touch a baby seal that you believe is separated from its parent: this is a normal behavior, but when humans interfere, they often condemn the pup to rejection from the parent. Know the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and visit the website of the Marine Mammal Center for more information, particularly their article on proper human/pinniped protocol during the pupping season.
There is a port-a-potty in the parking lot, and another just before the stairs to the beach. There are benches at a few junctures along the trail. The natural beauty of the views along the trail, and the general evenness of the trail surface, makes it appropriate for people with mild mobility issues. Food can be found with ease in Half Moon Bay.
Officially a part of Half Moon Bay State Beach; you can contact them at 650-726-8819.
Cowell Ranch Beach Park is a hotspot in eBird with 39 of 48 calendar quadrants containing 120 species. This hotspot grew from a small new one to this megalith over the past decade because of birders' efforts to upload data; continue this noble tradition!
iNaturalist coverage of Cowell Ranch can be viewed here. It lumps Cowell Ranch State Beach and Cowell-Purisima Coastal Trail.
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.
Author: Jennifer Rycenga, Uploaded: