Lion's Park and Community Gardens, San Bruno Description & Information

Lion's Park and Community Gardens, San Bruno

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Entrance Sign

Description

Area Habitats
Suburban, Suburban Park, Garden, Creek

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This is a suburban park that is sneaky-good for birds. Amidst the playing fields and maintenance yards, Lion's Park has over a mile of productive edge habitat, punctuated with lush plant diversity from a trio of Community Gardens.
The three large open playing fields attract geese, flycatchers, and raptors. Both Cackling and Snow Goose have been recorded here, and an American Pipit may stop by in winter.
The real action, though, is on the southern side of the park. The entirety of Lion's Park is part of a mitigation project of the San Francisco International Airport. The airport provides space to a Community Garden, a 4-H Club, and a garden for the nearby Belle Air Elementary School. This densely packed vegetation produces excellent conditions for passerines. Walk (or bike) the road (officially First Avenue) to its southeastern end at a fence. Birds to look and listen for include Nuttall's Woodpecker, Bewick's Wren, Song Sparrow, Lesser Goldfinch and, in winter, Yellow-rumped, Townsend's, and a smaller number of Orange-crowned Warblers. The garden can be full of sparrows in winter, including White-crowned, Golden-crowned, Song, Fox, and Lincoln's Sparrows.
When the school is not in session, you can also walk along the northeastern fence line too. The SFO mitigation area beyond the fence line (throughout the park) has some hidden wetlands/creeks that increase the possibility of migratory passerines finding the area attractive. There are also a few stands of Fennel along these edge habitats; Tennessee Warbler was once recorded here.
The presence of the school means you should bird away from the north side of the park when school is in session. But the best areas on the south side are the farthest from the school, so if you come on a weekday morning, concentrate there. People with binoculars near elementary schools are considered 'a priori' suspicious. Bring no shame to our community!

Look For These Birds

Canada Goose, Mallard, Rock Pigeon, Eurasian-collared Dove, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-heron, Turkey Vulture, White-tailed Kite, Red-tailed Hawk, Nuttall's Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, American Kestrel, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Pygmy Nuthatch (rare at this location), Bewick's Wren, European Starling, Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, Hermit Thrush (unusual here), American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, House Sparrow, American Pipit, House Finch, Purple Finch (unusual here), Pine Siskin, Lesser 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, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend's Warbler

Rarities Seen Here

In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Snow Goose (2021), Cackling Goose (2019), Phainopepla (2021), Tennessee Warbler (2020), Lark Sparrow (2021)

Directions

The official address is 500 1st Avenue, San Bruno. The park is located at the south ends of both First and Third Avenues. These roads are located off of San Bruno Avenue, a major exit from US 101 just north of SFO.

Interactive Map

Red Markers: Parking Area or Trail Head
Hover mouse pointer over marker, or click marker, for pin identification.
Use + or - buttons to change map zoom. Click & Drag to pan.

Fees

No fees associated with this location.

Hours

Daylight (officially 5 am to 10 pm)

Hazards

There are no life-threatening hazards here. There are numerous fenced-off "no trespassing" areas, ticks are a possibility along the edge habitat, and baseballs could be flying around and near you. The proximity to the airport means that sometimes your ability to hear birds is filtered through the roar of jet engines.

Facilities

Bathrooms are on the north side of the field at Lion's Park main parking lot, usually open in daylight hours. There are picnic tables and garbage/recycling receptacles. A playground for youngsters, as well as the baseball and soccer fields, makes this a fun spot for parents or grandparents with young kids who want the possibility of a few interesting birds in their day.

Accessibility

Accessibility information is currently not available for this location.

Contact

City of San Bruno Parks, Community Services Department, 650-616-7180

Avian Research Status

The eBird hotspot for this area is still relatively new, and regrettably burdened with a long name: (East)San Bruno--Lion's Park vicinity. It holds 61 species in a mere 7 of 48 time quadrants. This means there is eBird work to be done, birders!