San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
Spring: ••• Summer: • Fall: ••• Winter: •••
Wunderlich Park was created in 1974 through a gift of 942 acres of coniferous forest and meadows. Between 1850 and 1870 the large redwoods in this area were cut to build San Francisco. The lumber was hauled to the bay in Redwood City, and sailed by schooner to San Francisco. The lowlands around Wunderlich Park were farmed, and the hillside forests were allowed to acquire a second growth. James A. Folger, the second owner of the farmlands, built the handsome stable across from the parking lot in early 1900. Martin Wunderlich, the third owner, acquired much of the Folger estate in 1956. In 1974 he generously gave 942 acres to San Mateo County for open space and park use. Today, the county has completed 25 miles of trails, and it is possible to walk 10 miles from Skyline Boulevard down to the park or select any of several shorter loops.
The park is open year-round from 8:00 A.M. until dusk, and there is usually a park ranger on duty. Birding is best in spring. Wunderlich is heavily oriented toward equestrian use, so when you're birding here, you are expected to step aside for riders and to avoid startling the horses. The many trails are described in detail in Peninsula Trails by Jean Rusmore and Frances Spangle. The Alambique trail runs from Skyline to the main entrance, and would take one through all the habitats available in the park. Walking the Alambique trail from Skyline to The Crossroads, then looping back on the Skyline Trail, makes for a brisk morning walk.
Connecting trails make it possible to walk loops from one to ten miles long through mixed woodlands of Black Oaks, Toyons, Canyon Oaks and Pacific Madrones, which may yield the same general bird species as described under Huddart Park. Northern Pygmy-Owl, Pileated Woodpecker, and abundant Varied Thrush (winter) are among the specialties of this park. Once you have learned the high-pitched call of the Brown Creeper, you will find them everywhere in this park.
In the spring, Douglas Iris, poppies, Sword Fern, Goldback Fern, and Giant Chain Fern (woodwardia) decorate the trails. Baby Blue-eyes, lupines, Hound's Tongue, Milk Maids, Indian Warrior, Sticky Monkeyflower, Hazelnut, California Buckeye, and gooseberry also thrive in the shady forest. Other native plants may be seen in the well-kept Native Plant Garden behind the Woodside Library on Woodside Road near town.
Canada Goose, Mallard, California Quail, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle (rare), Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Great Horned Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Vaux's Swift, White-throated Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird (migration), Allen's Hummingbird, Caspian Tern, Great Blue Heron, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Pileated Woodpecker (uncommon but resident), American Kestrel, Olive-sided Flycatcher, Western Wood-Pewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Hutton's Vireo, Cassin's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Steller's Jay, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, White-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, House Wren (unusual at this location), Bewick's Wren, Pacific Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Wrentit, European Starling, Western Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Northern Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, Purple Finch, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Red Crossbill (irruptive), Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Chipping Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler (uncommon, migration), Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Wild Turkey, Bald Eagle (1992, 2021), Golden Eagle (2021), Red-naped Sapsucker (2021), Cassin's Finch (1977)
Take Interstate 280 to the Highway 84 (Woodside Road) exit and turn west. From the town of Woodside after Woodside Road, Highway 84 turns south; look for Bear Gulch Road. Stay on Highway 84, and about one-quarter mile past Bear Gulch, you will see the small park sign on the right. This is 1.7 miles from the Woodside Town Hall. The entrance to the upper portions of Wunderlich can be accessed from Skyline Boulevard; see map for details.
There is a $5.00 fee for parking at the main entrance. One can also purchase an annual pass for the county parks system; this is a good investment for any resident birders.
The main gate of the park opens at 8:00 am. The trailheads off of Skyline are accessible at dawn. Closing time varies by season.
Heavy equestrian use leaves the usual hazards on the trails in Wunderlich. Poison oak is plentiful on some trails. Both rattlesnakes and mountain lions have been sighted in the area. Ticks are present, too.
There are portable toilets at the parking lot for Wunderlich County Park. Gas stations and restaurants can be found in the nearby towns of Woodside and Portola Valley.
The park office can be reached at 650-851-1210.
Wunderlich County Park is a hotspot in eBird, with data in forty-seven of forty-eight calendar quadrants, recording 100 species. Record your sightings to further citizen-science: use eBird often!
There is a strong accumulation of sightings from Wunderlich in iNaturalist; a BioBlitz will likely happen in the first half of the 2020s.
Sequoia Audubon Society has sponsored seven field trips to Wunderlich, primarily in the 1980s through early 1990s.
Author: Jane and Frank Allen, Uploaded: