San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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This area of Redwood Shores is one of the birding highlights of San Mateo County. Easily accessible, the Nob Hill Ponds combine views of Steinberger Slough with a large pond, a channel, and quite a few stands of fennel, which attract migrants. Always birdy, the area becomes spectacular in fall and winter, when rare waterfowl (hybrids, Eurasian Wigeon, the uncommon geese) can be more easily observed, and are almost expected, compared to anywhere else in the county (except for the nearby Radio Road, which makes a good companion site to this one).
The Nob Hill Pond area, like most of Redwood Shores, is defined by water. For the purposes of this article, the Nob Hill Pond area is bordered by Steinberger Slough to the south, Redwood Shores Boulevard to the north, Mariner Park to the east, and the San Carlos Airport fence to the west. There are three entrances to this area, all off of Redwood Shores Parkway.
The best all-purpose entrance is at the end of Spar Drive. From Redwood Shores Parkway, go past the shopping plaza that gives the area its name (from its anchor grocery store, Nob Hill). Turn right on Bridge Parkway. Almost immediately, take a right at Tiller Lane (there is a small city park in front of you, named "Mariner Park"). Follow Tiller Lane to its end point, where you take a left on Spar. Follow Spar to its end, where there is a small cul-de-sac that has parking spaces for three or four vehicles (you can also park in the residential area if necessary). You'll see the Slough in front of you; the trailhead can be detected between a stone garbage receptacle and a palm tree. Once you are on the raised levee here, you can walk in either direction, but walking to your right takes you to the Nob Hill Pond area (the other direction constitutes a section of the Bay Trail, continuing east along the slough, and can be good for shorebirds, depending on the tide). Going to Nob Hill Pond from this direction is especially good for morning light, with the sun in back of you. As you start in this direction, note that the house you are passing maintains extensive gardens in the back yard. Over the years this has proven to be attractive to migrants, and to resident Bewick's Wrens. It is worth stopping here a moment and listening, especially in spring.
The expanse of the main Nob Hill Pond opens before you now. You can walk along the east edge of the pond, but it is recommended that you stay away from the pond's edge, to avoid spooking the birds. Among the principal features of the Nob Hill Pond are the two islands in the northeast corner. These islands are attractive resting points for shorebirds, pelicans, terns, skimmers, gulls, pigeons, and more. They are always worth studying and scoping, from numerous angles.
As you proceed along the paved trail, you will be faced with a choice - you can either continue on the paved trail, or take a similarly wide dirt trail toward a pump house structure. Both pathways take you past good stands of fennel and other plants that are attractive to warblers, bushtits, and migrant passerines. The paved trail hugs the slough shoreline. Various patches through here give you exceptional views of Bair Island; at dawn and twilight in winter, look across to the undeveloped Bair Island for Short-eared Owl; Northern Harrier can be spotted here during daylight hours. The paved trail goes by a day-care center; remember to use discretion when carrying binoculars near this childcare facility. This paved trail continues past the back of the Marriott Towne Place Suites Hotel, going almost to the fence around the San Carlos airport. There are mud flats worth perusing here at low tide. From this point, you can go to the parking lot area for the hotel and the Pacific Athletic Club. The Nob Hill Pond has been narrowed to a channel here. In previous years, this channel held a great variety of wild birds - Black-crowned Night-heron, a Common Gallinule, Marsh Wrens - but lately the condition of the waterway has deteriorated, and it is less productive than in the past. But it is still worth walking over to the bridge and looking out in both directions. From here, you can complete a loop by walking down to the channel and heading back toward the pump house on the dirt path. The fennel around the pump house (some of it now trapped behind a fenced-in area) has been productive for rare migrant sparrows and warblers over the past decade.
Another entrance to Nob Hill Pond, off of Redwood Shores Parkway, can be to take Twin Dolphin Drive directly to the parking lot for the Marriott Towne Place Suites Hotel, Pacific Athletic Club and Shore Plaza Day Care. From 101, turn east onto Redwood Shores Parkway, then turn right on Twin Dolphin Drive. Use the bridge at this location as your orientation point once you've parked.
The second entrance is to drive into the parking area of "The Marketplace at Redwood Shores," better known amongst local birders as the "Nob Hill Plaza," named for its anchor grocery store. Drive around to the back of the building, to scope through the fence at the north side of the pond and the islands. The best spots in the lot are to the east, where there are open places to look at the islands in the ponds. Furthermore, the bushes along the fence line anywhere in back of the plaza can have interesting passerines, and provide views of the pond. In previous years, people had created holes in the fence large enough to walk through. However, as of this writing (2011) the fence is fully restored. Birders should respect private property, and use either the Twin Dolphins or Mariner Park/Spar Drive access points when wanting to walk around the pond area. Your author uses the back of the mall parking only for quick scans of the island. You can also park in the main lot for the plaza. Local birders all know where the Starbucks at Nob Hill is located (for the bathroom, as well as the refreshments!).
In many ways, this small set of habitats is a kind of suburban/urban birding miracle. The scenery here is not spectacular, but the birds are: seeing fifty species in a morning is not uncommon in fall and winter. As Ron Thorn, who has visited this area extensively, wrote in a post on Peninsula Birds, "The habitat around the pond is not that extensive, and it would be thought, what little habitat there is would not attract many migrants. Wrong! This is turning out to be quite a place for migrants to drop in. The habitat is so limited, (however, that) migrants that are there one day are gone that night and replaced by new migrants the next day." Indeed, it is a land of one-day wonders when it comes to passerine migrants, but the list is impressive (see below). Palm Warbler, Tennessee Warbler, Clay-colored Sparrow, and Lark Sparrow have all occurred multiple times in the past decade. Keep your eyes open!
Canada Goose, Snow Goose (2018, Steinberger Slough), Ross's Goose (2018, Steinberger Slough), American Wigeon, Mallard, Blue-winged Teal (uncommon but a relatively dependable site), Cinnamon Teal, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Canvasback, Ring-necked Duck, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser (uncommon), Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser (uncommon), Ruddy Duck, Wood Duck (2021, very rare here), California Quail (unusual), Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Common Loon, Double-crested Cormorant, American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-heron, Turkey Vulture, Osprey (uncommon at this location), White-tailed Kite, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Ridgway's Rail, Sora, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Willet, Lesser Yellowlegs (uncommon but annual in migration), Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Black Turnstone (unusual), Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Red Knot (uncommon at this location), Sanderling, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Wilson's Snipe, Wilson's Phalarope (rare at this location), Red-necked Phalarope, Heermann's Gull (only once at this location), Iceland Gull thayeri, Bonaparte's Gull (uncommon), Short-billed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Western Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Elegant Tern (unusual), Black Skimmer, Rock Pigeon, Band-tailed Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, White-throated Swift, Vaux's Swift (migrant), Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Acorn Woodpecker (uncommon at this location), Downy Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Ash-throated Flycatcher (rare migrant at this location), Western Wood-Pewee (migrant), Pacific-slope Flycatcher (migrant), Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Hutton's Vireo, Warbling Vireo (migrant), Loggerhead Shrike (unusual for this location, looking across), 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, Wrentit, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Pygmy Nuthatch (rare at this location), House Wren (migrant), Bewick's Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush (rare at this location), Hermit Thrush (uncommon at this location, winter), American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird (uncommon), European Starling, American Pipit, Cedar Waxwing, Nashville Warbler (migrant), Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Black-throated Gray Warbler (rare migrant at this location), Yellow Warbler (migrant), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, MacGillivray's Warbler, Townsend's Warbler, California Towhee, Spotted Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Fox Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Western Tanager (migrant), Lazuli Bunting (migrant, unusual for this location), Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Hooded Oriole, Bullock's Oriole (migrant), House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Snow Goose (2018), Ross's Goose (2018), Greater White-fronted Goose (2011), Cackling Goose, Eurasian Wigeon (most winters), Tufted Duck (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023), Redhead (many years; one long-staying male in the late 2000s started quite a discussion about provenance, health, and countability), Barrow's Goldeneye (2008), Long-tailed Duck (2016, 2020, 2021), Cattle Egret (2009, 2012), Swainson's Hawk (2009), Golden Eagle (2016), Bald Eagle (2016), Common Gallinule (2003-2006), Pacific Golden-Plover (2002, 2014), Semi-palmated Sandpiper (2008), Ruff (2022), Stilt Sandpiper (2022), Lesser Black-backed Gull (2017), Glaucous Gull (2018, 2019), Common Tern, White-winged Dove (2013), Short-eared Owl (can be scoped in winter when they are on Bair Island, just to the south of this area), Costa's Hummingbird (2022), Rufous Hummingbird, Willow Flycatcher (2007, 2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2021), Dusky Flycatcher (2007), Hammond's Flycatcher (2010), Western Kingbird, Cassin's Kingbird (2005), Tropical Kingbird (2015), Cassin's Vireo (2008), Plumbeous Vireo (2021), Tennessee Warbler (2005, 2007, 2017, 2022), Palm Warbler (2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017), Blackpoll Warbler (2006, 2013), Northern Waterthrush (2013), Yellow-breasted Chat (2013, by Athletic Club), Brewer's Sparrow (2013, 2014, 2022), Chipping Sparrow (2005), American Tree Sparrow (2010), Clay-colored Sparrow (2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2018), Black-throated Sparrow (2015), Lark Sparrow (2005, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014), Vesper Sparrow (2004, 2006), Swamp Sparrow (2008, 2009, 2015, 2017), Harris's Sparrow (2013), White-throated Sparrow (2013), Yellow-headed Blackbird (2009), Orchard Oriole (2010, 2017), Indigo Bunting (2019), (some unusual ducks seen here include the Eurasian Common Teal, still considered to be a subspecies of Green-winged Teal by the AOU, a Green-winged x Common hybrid Teal, a Northern Shoveler x Gadwall hybrid, and an American x Eurasian Wigeon hybrid). In 2023, a stray Red-whiskered Bulbul was sighted in the neighborhood of Steinberger Slough.
Take the exit from US 101 for Holly Street. Turn to the east, onto Redwood Shores Parkway. All three of the entrances to this area, discussed in the description above, are accessed from Redwood Shores Parkway. This area constitutes one of the best areas for a quick visit, because of its ease of access from the highway. Especially during fall migration, this area should be kept in mind for those little thirty minute windows in your day!
There are no fees associated with this area.
The area has no official hours.
This is one of the safest trails in the county in terms of natural hazards. Even in terms of human criminal hazards, the trail is so open, and so often used, that these are minimal. The trails are used by dogs and their human walkers, but this rarely affects either birder's personal safety, or the bird life here. Don't leave valuables visible in your car (though this is not a high crime district).
There are no facilities along the trails, per se, but the plaza has lots of restaurants and cafes that offer bathroom facilities along with victuals.
No known contact site.
Nob Hill Pond is a hotspot in eBird, with data representing 191 species in all forty-eight time quadrants.
The iNaturalist place marker, name Nob Hill Pond on Steinberger Slough is newly established, and rich primarily with birds.
Since the closure of Radio Road, this has been the primary go-to site in Redwood Shores. Sequoia Audubon Society has sponsored four dedicated trips to Nob Hill Pond, all since 2014.
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