San Mateo County Birding Guide by Sequoia Audubon Society - Printed on October 30, 2026
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A lattice-work of lagoons, channels, ponds, and shoreline, Redwood Shores boasts some of the best birding in San Mateo county. Technically a section of Redwood City, it is located north and east of its parent municipality. Redwood Shores is defined by Belmont Slough on the north (separating it from Foster City), and Steinberger Slough on the south (separating it from Bair Island), with the San Francisco Bay to the east, and, informally, Highway 101 to the west.
Redwood Shores hosted the Bay Area's Marine World/Africa U.S.A. theme park from 1968 to 1986, when rising land values and tax burdens became too much, and the park relocated to Vallejo in Solano county. By that point, housing developments had begun in Redwood Shores, and accelerated rapidly after the departure of the theme park. Planning around the various lagoons and channels, the city provided a number of pocket parks, and then undertook positive measures to render the abundant water features more attractive to wildlife. This planning has produced the liveliest waterfowl scene in the county in winter.
In this online guide, Redwood Shores is covered in four separate entries, as marked on the map below. They are Belmont Slough, Redwood Shores Central Core, Nob Hill Ponds, and Radio Road. Easy access from US 101 makes it possible to cover two, three, or even all four of these areas in one day. Most of the sites are accessible at all hours, too (with due regard to birding etiquette in residential areas), making Redwood Shores an easy stop enroute to or from other obligations.
Birding here is best in fall, winter and spring. Nearly every waterfowl possible in the county has occurred here; shorebirds are the specialty at Radio Road; passerine migrants include rare warblers and sparrows.
For more details, see the individual entries listed above.
See individual entries.
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
See individual entries, but this is the locale in the county to search for the uncommon to rare wintering ducks: Eurasian Wigeon (one or two present every winter), Tufted Duck (one every few years), Barrow's Goldeneye (present every winter in small numbers).
Redwood Shores is easily accessed from two exits off of US 101: Marine Parkway (Exit 412) and Holly Street/Redwood Shores Parkway (Exit 411). Redwood Shores is east of the highway.
There are no fees associated with any of the parks in Redwood Shores.
Most sites are accessible at all hours.
Redwood Shores speed limits are enforced: observe them!
There is a bathroom at Marlin Park on Neptune, and plenty of victuals, coffee, and supplies at the Nob Hill Market.
There are too many jurisdictions here to list any shared contact source, but the contact number for the Redwood City municipal parks is 650-780-7311.
There are eleven eBird hotspots in Redwood Shores. These are
1. Canvasback Way-public shore
2. Radio Road
3. Nob Hill Pond
4. Redwood Shores Lagoon
5. Oracle Pkwy and Pond
6. Redwood Shores Public Library
7. Belmont Slough
8. Belmont Slough-Bridge Pkwy
9. Marlin Park
10. Redwood Shores: Starboard and Bark
11. Davit LaneSequoia Audubon Society has sponsored 48 field trips to Redwood Shores since 1990! Three of these were to the Redwood Shores Public Library; four others specifically to Nob Hill Pond. It is literally the case that good birding spots can be found around every corner in this canal-filled part of the county.
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