San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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This cemetery is a favorite location for local birders. Located at the peak of the hill on SR 92, right at the corner with SR 35, its elevation renders it both a good migrant spot and a fine perch for hawk-watching. Skylawn Cemetery participates in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System; they proudly display this status in their visiting room. In conjunction with Sequoia Audubon Society, a checklist for the spot is being developed, and will be available on line; watch this website for more developments.
Because this is an active cemetery, delicacy of feeling must enter the birder's equation. Please see the page on Cemetery Etiquette. The page can also be found in this guide under the heading "Supplemental Guide Pages."
Local birders flock to the cemetery to seek that irruptive species par excellence: the Red Crossbill. Because of the profusion of cypresses and pines, and the location of the cemetery at the peak of a hill, the Crossbills here are as dependable as any can be. In fact, this highly-prized species has been seen at Skylawn every year so far in the twenty-first century. They tend to congregate around the two tall sculptures, listed on the cemetery map as "Island East" near Cypress Circle, and "Tower Niches" in the Inspiration area. Both of these sculptures provide perches for the Crossbills as they gather, and the open areas around them allow the birds to be seen and heard in flight. That being said, birders unfamiliar with this species should learn their specialized call notes in advance, because they can occur anywhere in the cemetery. This is not only San Mateo county's best spot for Red Crossbills: it fills that function for the whole greater Bay Area. Other pine specialists, like Pine Siskin and Red-breasted Nuthatch, are also present. Warblers include Townsend's and Hermit; Yellow-rumped Warblers are so common here in winter that they can appear more like a swarm of insects than a flock of birds! Western Bluebirds, an uncommon bird in the county, can be easily found at Skylawn, where they use any open area, often hunting from low perches. Large flocks of gulls, and in summer Caspian Terns, cross Skylawn enroute to Crystal Springs Reservoir. The cemetery is also a fine hawk-watching location; at least one Golden Eagle has been resident in the area over the winters from 2008-2010. Nearly every rare hawk seen in the county has been recorded here at least once.
When you drive into Skylawn, the road forks; the road to your right will take you to the offices of the cemetery and the eastern edge of the area. The fork to your left will set you onto a more northwesterly path. If your goal is primarily to locate the Crossbills, take the right fork and go to the Cypress Circle, north of the office building. The entire cemetery has good birding opportunities. The areas around Lakeview II and III have produced good warbler flocks and Red-breasted Nuthatch sightings; the sparrows, including Chipping Sparrow, have most often been found near the Mausoleum and the Elks Shrine areas. The profusion of finches and Yellow-rumped Warblers, as well as the best hawk-watching spots, include the three upper circle: Reflection, Cypress, and Serenity. However, any walk around these beautifully maintained grounds will yield interesting bird sightings.
In addition to birds, the mammals here include large numbers of Black-tailed Deer. As one would suspect, this means that Mountain Lions also prowl the cemetery; however, the activity level during regular hours make your chances of sighting one here virtually nil. The cycle of life continues, even here: the flowers brought by mourners attract the deer, which then attract the mountain lions.
Canada Goose, Ring-necked Duck, California Quail, Turkey Vulture, Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Killdeer, Wilson's Snipe, Western Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Band-tailed Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird (migration), White-throated Swift, Acorn Woodpecker, Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Hutton's Vireo, Steller's Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Bewick's Wren, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Wrentit, European Starling, Cedar Waxwing, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, Hermit Warbler, Spotted Towhee, California Towhee, Fox Sparrow, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Tricolored Blackbird (rare at this location), Purple Finch, House Finch, Red Crossbill, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Cackling Goose (2014, 2021), Greater White-fronted Goose (2021, fall migration), Golden Eagle (annual), Bald Eagle (2019), Northern Goshawk (2016), Rough-legged Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Broad-winged Hawk (2013, 2014, 2020, 2021), Calliope Hummingbird (2015), Rufous Hummingbird (2015), Black Swift (2015, 2019, 2022), Prairie Falcon (2009), Red-naped Sapsucker (2012), Lewis's Woodpecker (2022 migration flyover), Clark's Nutcracher (2023), Horned Lark (2020 fly-over), Purple Martin (2007, 2013, 2014, 2017, 2019, 2022), Townsend's Solitaire (2010, 2014, 2019, 2021), Lawrence's Goldfinch (2010, 2023), Palm Warbler (2010, 2011, 2012, 2023), Chestnut-sided Warbler (2007), Blackpoll Warbler (2007, 2013), Clay-colored Sparrow (2005, 2023), Chipping Sparrow (2009, 2010, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2023), Brewer's Sparrow (2007), White-throated Sparrow (2014, 2017), Lapland Longspur (2018, 2022), Lawrence's Goldfinch (2017, 2020), Evening Grosbeak (2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2023)
Skylawn is located at the northern intersection of SR 92 and SR 35, at the crest of the hill that leads into Half Moon Bay. While this is a convenient location, it can also be beset with traffic on popular weekends. The entrance road has recently been renamed "Lifemark Road."
Protocol in cemeteries allows you to park anywhere where you are not hurting the lawn or intruding upon active funerals or other mourners.
There is no fee to be on the grounds of the cemetery. If you intend to remain here permanently, there is a fee - talk with them in the office about that!
The gates are open from 9:00 to 5:00 daily and most holidays.
While there might be ticks on the lawn, there are no serious threats to your safety here. Given the fact that the cemetery is located at a mountain peak, the wind can be treacherous, and can interfere with your ability to hear smaller passerines.
The true difficulty here consists in the delicacy the situation calls forth. Please remain attentive to where fresh graves are being dug, to the imminent arrival of a funeral cortege, and to the presence of individual mourners visiting the graves of lost loved ones. If your birding might, however remotely, be misinterpreted as rude, inappropriate, or invasive of another person's privacy, please move to another part of the cemetery.
Skylawn has generously given permission for birders to use the restrooms at the new office building. Remember that this new building includes memorial chapels and is a place of dignity: wipe your feet before you enter if you might be tracking mud or rain.
Skylawn Memorial can be reached at 650-349-4411.
Skylawn Cemetery is a hotspot in eBird, with data in all time quadrants representing 118 species. Share your sightings for science by entering your stops here into eBird.
The iNaturalist place marker for Skyline was just launched in May of 2020, and shows a low amount of data so far.
Author: Jennifer Rycenga with help from Leslie Flint, Uploaded:
