San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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This cliff area -- defined as the stretch of coast from Fitzgerald Marine Reserve south to Pigeon Point -- boasts the best seawatching in the northern part of the county, coupled with an extensive rocky shoreline below these cliffs. While the seawatching at Pigeon Point and Año Nuevo will produce more dependable numbers of more species, the Moss Beach site has yielded some genuine rarities, such as Horned Puffin, and is the most dependable site in San Mateo County for Ancient Murrelet (winter).
The easiest point for setting up your scope is along the far western edge of the parking lot for Moss Beach Distillery. From here you will be able to see the rock ledges below, some coastal scrub on the cliffs, and a clear view of the open ocean. Finding Ancient Murrelets is easiest on those winter days when seas are calm. Look carefully: these are really tiny birds being buffeted by waves. All of the other regularly occurring alcids have been seen from here, too.
The extensive rock table at the water's edge attracts many shorebirds from fall to spring. This is a good place to look for Black Oystercatcher, Rock Sandpiper, Wandering Tattler, Surfbird, and Black Turnstone. Larger shorebirds include Whimbrel and Willet. There is a haul-out spot for Harbor Seals; other marine mammals that have been seen here include Harbor Porpoise, sea otter, and whales in migration.
The area described in this account runs the length of the cliff face. To the south it intersects with the Princeton Harbor/Pillar Point entry; for instance, one can dip down into the Princeton Willows from the trail that begins at the terminus of Ocean Boulevard. To the north, one can walk along Ocean Boulevard, cleaving to the coast, and come upon the Bluff loop trail of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. There are plenty of interesting passerines in this neighborhood, too, though the park section of the Marine Reserve is your best bet for vagrant passerines. On a good day in fall, combining the oceanic resources at this site with a migrant fallout along San Vicente Creek in Fitzgerald could produce a memorable list.
Brant, Canada Goose, Northern Pintail, Surf Scoter, Black Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated Loon, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Northern Fulmar, Sooty Shearwater, Pink-footed Shearwater, Buller's Shearwater, Brown Pelican, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Black Oystercatcher, Willet, Whimbrel, Spotted Sandpiper (unusual for this location), Marbled Godwit, Wandering Tattler, Ruddy Turnstone, Black Turnstone, Red Knot, Surfbird, Sanderling, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Red Phalarope, Black-legged Kittiwake, Short-billed Gull, Heermann's Gull, Bonaparte's Gull (rare at this location), Western Gull, Iceland Gull thayeri, California Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Elegant Tern, Forster's Tern, Caspian Tern, Pomarine Jaeger, Parasitic Jaeger, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, Ancient Murrelet, Rhinoceros Auklet, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Hutton's Vireo, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Barn Swallow, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Pygmy Nuthatch, House Wren, Bewick's Wren, Western Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush (rare at this location), European Starling, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Wilson's Warbler, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brewer's Blackbird, American Goldfinch, House Finch, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, 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 (2018), Snow Goose (2016), Redhead (2016), Long-tailed Duck (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2021), White-winged Scoter, Harlequin Duck (2013), Red-necked Grebe (2013, 2015, 2016), Manx Shearwater (2014, 2015), Black-vented Shearwater, Short-tailed Shearwater (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017), Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel (2012), Brown Booby (2014, 2015), Blue-footed Booby (2013), Masked Booby (2014, also Masked/Nazca Booby in 2014), Northern Gannet (2015, 2016, 2017), White-faced Ibis (2014), Sandhill Crane (2016), Solitary Sandpiper (2014), Red Phalarope (2015), Black-legged Kittiwake (2013, 2016), Glaucous Gull, Royal Tern (2015, 2017), Common Tern (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022), Black Tern (2014, 2018), Horned Puffin (2017), Tufted Puffin (2014, 2015), Tropical Kingbird (2018), Rock Wren (2012, 2013), White-throated Sparrow (2018), Eider species (2013)
From SR1 in Moss Beach, go west on Cypress Avenue, then left on Airport. Take a right on Marina, then a left on Beach. The Distillery is on your right, just past the intersection with Park. This route is meticulously signed to deliver customers to the Distillery.
There are no fees to use this spot.
This area has no official hours; since most of it is residential, your own sense of propriety can make a judgement. The Distillery parking lot should only be used in the mornings, prior to 11:00 am (the restaurant opens at noon); since seawatching is best in the morning, this is not a significant hardship. The restaurant fills the lot quite quickly once opens.
The preeminent hazard along this stretch, especially if you choose to leave the Distillery Parking Lot: CRUMBLING CLIFF EDGES! This stretch is notoriously unstable; Ocean Boulevard itself has been permanently closed to traffic, and the places where it is easiest to set up a scope and stare out over the sea for hours are precisely where you can see the impact of former collapses. No one wants any serious injuries or fatalities in the search for pelagic birds.
Other hazards are minor. There are ticks in the grassy areas. Be certain you are not using one of the Distillery's parking spaces once the lunch hour is upon them (11:30 or so). And remember, they claim to have a ghost at the Distillery; perhaps you can blame her for the rarity you missed!
There are no facilities connected with this site. If you are planning on dining, of course, the Distillery is right there; likewise, all the amenities of Moss Beach, Montara, and Half Moon Bay are close by. Since this coastal area is technically a part of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, you can utilize this nearby bathroom (see the Fitzgerald site in this guide).
Fitzgerald Marine Reserve can be contacted at 650-728-3584.
The eBird records for this sea-watch spot are in the hotspot named Moss Beach Distellery Seawatch. The hotspot holds 119 species in 35 of 48 time quadrants.
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.
While there is no iNaturalist place marker for this site, it is an important part of the Snapshot CalCoast projects, and incorporated into bioblitzes for Pillar Point Bluff and Fitzgerald Marine Reserve.
Author: Jennifer Rycenga, Uploaded: