San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
The Dunes Beach/Sweetwood Group Camp area is near the northern end of Half Moon Bay State Beach. The area is a large rectangle, defined by SR1 on the east, the beach on the west, Young Avenue to the north, and Frenchman's Creek to the South. It is contiguous with Venice Beach to the south (connected by a bridge; see the separate entry on Venice Beach), Roosevelt Beach to the north, and with Frenchman's Creek Park to the east (see separate entry for that park). It is a constituent part of the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail. The paved Coastal Trail is handicapped accessible and makes for an easy walk through the coastal scrub and some contiguous agricultural fields. The paved Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail is part of a larger trail system (some of it unpaved) that runs all the way from Fitzgerald Marine Reserve to the north and extends all the way south to Cowell Purisima Trail. This popular Coastal Trail system is used by bicyclists , joggers and dog walkers. With the good mix of habitats, the Dunes Beach/Sweetwood Group Camp area not only has good species diversity, but has produced a fair number of rarities over the years.
Starting at the Dunes Beach parking lot at the end of Young Avenue, the beach to the west of the parking area has a latticework of informal trails running through it, some of which will take you down onto the beach where you can get close-up looks at sea birds and shorebirds. When the famous gull flock is not at Venice Beach, you can often find it here when Frenchman's Creek runs out to sea. 11 gull species have been noted at Dunes Beach, including Slaty-backed Gull, making this location one of the best "gulling" hotspots in the region. Black and Common Tern have been noted here when the Elegant Terns are present. Exactly where Pilarcitos Creek and Frenchman's Creek empty out to the ocean changes every year. Lagoons can form both at Pilarcitos Creek and here at Frenchman's Creek and can attract large numbers of loafing gulls and draw smaller numbers of shorebirds and waterfowl.
Returning to the Blufftop, ocean birds can be scoped from this vantage point, especially in fall migration. When the anchovies are present, late summer/early fall feeding frenzies can be quite a spectacle and can include a mix of Brown Pelicans, multiple cormorant, gull, tern and jaeger species, and huge numbers of Sooty Shearwaters in the thousands. Hump-backed Whales, Bottlenose Dolphin and Harbor Porpoise may come in close to shore. Always good to scope the green and red buoys just offshore to see what is perched there. You may luck into a Brown Booby or better!
The blufftop area around the parking lot has extensive coastal scrub where resident species, such as Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, and Black Phoebe abound.
From the Dunes Beach parking lot walk south on the paved coastal trail and you will reach the Sweetwood Picnic and Group Camp area. This open grassy space encourages edge-effect; the Monterey Cypresses to the west and south form a protective barrier for small passerines as well as picnickers. Western Bluebird has become year-round here and Northern Mockingbird frequent this area. You will notice wide trails on either side of the grassy plot, heading east towards SR1. As you head east on the south side of the grassy area, away from the picnic area, you will pass the bridge (on your right) that connects Sweetwood Group Camp with Venice Beach. Before proceeding to the eucalyptus grove, a quick stop on the bridge can provide a viewing spot for migrants using the waterway below. Back on the maintained trail, continuing east and entering the Eucalyptus grove with occasional conifers interspersed, one can follow the lush riparian corridor for Frenchman's Creek. As you proceed, you may notice side trails carved in the brambles leading towards the creek. Those are "birder trails" that are created by foot traffic when rarities are reported! If you plan to chase a rarity here or simply bird this area to its highest potential, be sure to be prepared with appropriate apparel and footwear. This grove is used by numerous species including passerines, woodpeckers, and raptors. Both residents and migrants are present here in their proper seasons. 14 species of warbler have been found here including Worm-eating, Black-and-White, Lucy's, Nashville, Magnolia and Blackpoll being some of the rarer species. One can often hear courting Great-horned Owls at this location. Monarch Butterflies also winter here. Where the maintained trail turns left, it moves north for a short distance, then turns back to the west on the north side of the loop. The northern maintained trail runs parallel to an agricultural field which is worth always scanning.
Before returning to the picnic area, and just after you exit the Eucalyptus canopy, the northern loop trail intersects with a maintained dirt road. Turn right here and follow the dirt road north. You will pass a stand of Monterey Pines which warrant a look during spring and fall migration. The agricultural field to your right is always worth a scan and can hold unusual migrants. Tricolored Blackbirds are often in abundance here in Fall and Winter. A Gray Flycatcher was found along this road one summer. The dirt road takes you through classic Coastal California scrub. Watch out for the resident California Thrashers, Wrentits, and Spotted Towhees as you reach Young Ave. before your return trip to the Dunes Beach Parking Lot.
In sum, Dunes Beach has an enviable number of habitats in a compact space. It features about a mile of trails, all of them level and half of them paved. Therefore, it makes a great location for a beginner's bird walk, or a walk with friends who have mobility issues, or a walk with your pooch if you have a companion canine. Remember all dogs must be kept on leash.
Brant, Canada Goose, Mallard, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Rufous Hummingbird (spring migration), American Coot, Black Oystercatcher, Black-bellied Plover, Snowy Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Surfbird, Sanderling, Dunlin (rare here), Western Sandpiper (uncommon here), Short-billed Dowitcher (rare here), Spotted Sandpiper (rare here), Willet, Parasitic Jaeger, Common Murre, Marbled Murrelet, Bonaparte's Gull, Heermann's Gull, Short-billed Gull, Ring-billed Gull (rare here), Western Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Iceland Gull (thayeri), Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Elegant Tern, Red-throated Loon, Common Loon, Pacific Loon, Northern Fulmar (irruptive, winter), Sooty Shearwater (fall migration), Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron (rare here), Osprey (rare here), Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Barn Owl, Great Horned Owl, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker (rare here), Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Merlin, Olive-sided Flycatcher (migration), Western Wood-Pewee (rare, migrant), Pacific-slope Flycathcer, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, California Scrub-Jay, Steller's Jay, Common Raven, American Crow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Bushtit, Wrentit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (rare here), House Wren, Pacific Wren, Bewick's Wren, European Starling, California Thrasher (uncommon here), Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Varied Thrush (unusual here), Hermit Thrush, Swainson's Thrush (April-October), American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch, Red Crossbill (rare here), Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Fox Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Western Meadowlark, Hooded Oriole (rare here), Bullock's Oriole (in migration), Red-winged Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Nashville Warbler (uncommon in winter), Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler (fall migration), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler (rare in fall migration), Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager (mostly spring migration), Black-headed Grosbeak
