Sem Lane Public Access Trail

Spring Summer Fall Winter

Stream habitat, Sem Lane, December 2020 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Description

Area Habitats
Riparian, Suburban

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The Sem Lane Public Access Trail is a small trail tucked away behind hotels, corporate offices, and parking lots. The trail runs adjacent to a canal, which is bordered on the far side by an inlet of the Redwood Shores Lagoon. Snugly nestled between a sizable and calm parking lot and the canal and lagoon, the Public Access Trail is a welcome sight for migrants and insect-eaters, and is probably best known for boasting consistently high numbers of Western Tanager and fantastic swallow and flycatcher diversity. Western Wood-Pewee, Willow Flycatcher, Gray Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, and Ash-throated Flycatcher have been well documented at this location in the past.

The trail isn't used by many and is flat, short, and easy to walk. There are many trash cans and multiple cutbacks to the parking lot for those eager to get home and/or looking to brag about seeing a tanager from the parking lot. There are no public restrooms, but there is ample public parking along Sem Lane itself and in the surrounding lots. Additionally, there is a parallel trail across the canal that stretches North towards Marine Parkway. If you are a birder from out-of-town, it is worth staying at one of the nearby hotels just to have a migratory hotspot at your doorstep!

Besides the aforementioned flycatchers, tanagers, and swallows, Sem Lane public access trail is notable for being an Eastern-peninsula hotspot for migrating Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds. Other notable species seen here in the past include Bald Eagle, Green Heron, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Tricolored Blackbird, Summer Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lazuli Bunting, as well as multiple oriole species. Unusual warblers and sparrows also turn up at this location, including good numbers of Clay-colored Sparrow and relatively good numbers of Tennessee Warbler, Palm Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler, Brewer's Sparrow, and Vesper Sparrow. Most of the aforementioned species can be seen in shrubs and trees on either side of the canal and flitting back and forth across the canal throughout the trail's length. The lagoon inlet is visible from the Southern half of the trail and can provide opportunities for keen-eyed birders to see ducks, gulls, terns, and the occasional shorebird.

Look For These Birds

Canada Goose, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Ruddy Duck, California Quail, Pied-billed Grebe, Eared Grebe, Clark's Grebe (uncommon here), Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Mourning Dove, White-throated Swift, Anna's Hummingbird, American Coot, Killdeer, Long-billed Curlew, Ring-billed Gull, Western Gull, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Elegant Tern (uncommon here), Pacific Loon (uncommon here), Double-crested Cormorant, Brown Pelican, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, Northern Harrier, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Bald Eagle (uncommon here), Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Western Screech-Owl (2023, first known dispersal east of US101), Red-breasted Sapsucker, Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Olive-sided Flycatcher (migration), Western Wood-Pewee, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, Ash-throated Flycatcher, Hutton's Vireo, Warbling Vireo, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Barn Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Red-breasted Nuthatch (uncommon here), House Wren, Marsh Wren, Bewick's Wren, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Swainson's Thrush (spring migration), Hermit Thrush, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, House Finch, Purple Finch (uncommon 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, Western Meadowlark, Hooded Oriole, Bullock's Oriole, Red-winged Blackbird, Tricolored Blackbird (uncommon here), Brown-headed Cowbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow Warbler (in migration), Yellow-rumped Warbler, Black-throated Gray Warbler (in migration), Townsend's Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Western Tanager (migration), Black-headed Grosbeak (migration), Lazuli Bunting (migration)

Rarities Seen Here

In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.

Rufous Hummingbird (many years), Gray Flycatcher (2016), Hammond's Flycatcher (2022), Willow Flycatcher (2013, 2015, 2017, 2018), Bell's Vireo (2015), Brewer's Sparrow (2015), Clay-colored Sparrow (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022), Lark Sparrow (2015, 2018, 2023), Vesper Sparrow (2016, 2021), Swamp Sparrow (2017), White-throated Sparrow (2017, 2018, 2019), Prothonotary Warbler (2017), Tennessee Warbler (2014, 2019, 2023), Nashville Warbler (2014), Palm Warbler (2017, 2019), Yellow-breasted Chat (2022), Orchard Oriole (2016)

Directions

Sem Lane is a small dead end street in Belmont, CA. It is accessible by heading South on Shoreway Road (it is on the left). The public access trail starts at the terminal point of Sem Lane.

Interactive Map

Fees

There are no fees associated with birding this spot.

Hours

No posted hours

Hazards

Small, easy-to-walk trail. Possible dog-walkers or joggers but doesn't seem particularly well-used.

Facilities

There are many trash cans around the trail, though there are no public restrooms. There are some picnic tables in adjacent parking lots.

Accessibility

  Accessibility information is currently not available for this location.

Avian Research Status

This site is an eBird hotspot information page: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L3644788
31/48 eBird sections filled--this spot is heavily used in spring but lacks visits in winter and midsummer

Additional Photos

Ash-throated Flycatcher, May 2020 (Simon Westley)

Chestnut-backed Chickadee fledgling, May 2020 (Simon Westley)

Western Tanager, May 2016 (Chris O'Connell)

Location at the end of Sem Lane, December 2020 (Jennifer Rycenga)

Welcome Sign, Sem Lane, December 2020 (Jennifer Rycenga)