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San Bruno Point Park, July 2009 (Jeff Fairclough/Laurie Graham)
The Bay Trail from Point San Bruno Blvd. to Oyster Point is pleasant and beautifully landscaped, and is wonderful for walking and biking, with reliable if not world-class birding. It connects to Sierra Point in the north, and to the Colma Creek Mouth Public Shore/SamTrans Peninsula in the south with a brand-new bridge and trail provided by South San Francisco Scavenger. Point San Bruno is a bluff in the midst of the Genetech campus, with several designated Public Shore parking spaces. The trail slopes downhill in both directions. At the base of the bluff, mudflats sparkle along the shore, host to shorebirds and gulls. Mallards move between the mudflats and the marshy creek alongside the South San Francisco Scavenger waste transfer station. Birds using the bay include ducks in winter and Aechmophorus Grebes year around. Double-crested Cormorants and Brown Pelicans fly low over the water. Terns hunt at the water's edge. Black and Ruddy Turnstones peck on the rocks below the bluff. House Finches, Brewer's Blackbirds, and European Starlings are the major passerines.
Walking the trail north, you arrive at San Bruno Point Park, where people picnic, fish, and launch sailboards. Ardeidae hunt along the riprap at the edge of the fill. There are a dozen designated parking spaces. Continuing, as the trail curves gently west, you will find more passerines in the ornamental shrubs and trees: Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Anna's Hummingbird, American Robin. Along this section, Brewer's Blackbirds take over from starlings, as if lines were drawn.
At the end of the Genentech parking, the trail turns north again alongside the UPS facility. There is a pretty little creek that flows into the bay. There is a large cove and mudflat, with similar birds to the earlier mudflats. In this cove, you might have Pied-billed Grebe. Mallards enjoy the creek. The blackbirds are again replaced by starlings. House Finches and House Sparrows flit in the trees at the UPS boundary fence. Rock Pigeons roost on the roof of the facility and drink in the creek. American Crow is more numerous than Common Raven. Northern Mockingbird is heard at both ends of this trail section.
The trail reaches a bridge over a larger creek and turns right (east) toward the Oyster Point fishing pier. This will be covered in a separate section. You may continue here, or return to your car.
It is possible for handicapped people to bird the Bay Trail from San Bruno Point Park to Sierra Point, as the trail is flat and paved. The Point San Bruno Blvd area is at the top of a rise, probably 40 feet high, and the trail in both directions is broad and paved, but steep. The Point San Bruno Blvd overlook is wheelchair accessible from the Public Shore parking at this spot, and provides wonderful views of the mudflats to north and south.
Canada Goose, Mallard, Greater Scaup, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Pacific Loon (uncommon here), Common Loon, Pied-billed Grebe, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Clark's Grebe, Brown Pelican, Brandt's Cormorant, Double-crested Cormorant, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Snowy Egret, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Turkey Vulture, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, American Coot, Black-bellied Plover, Semipalmated Plover, Killdeer, Black Oystercatcher, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Lesser Yellowlegs, Willet, Whimbrel, Long-billed Curlew, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Black Turnstone, Sanderling, Western Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, Dunlin, Short-billed Dowitcher, Long-billed Dowitcher, Herrmann's Gull, Short-billed Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Western Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Caspian Tern, Forster's Tern, Elegant Tern, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Black Phoebe, Say's Phoebe, California Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Cliff Swallow, Barn Swallow, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Marsh Wren, American Robin, Northern Mockingbird, European Starling, American Pipit, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, California Towhee, Savannah Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-Crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brewer's Blackbird, Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, American Goldfinch, House Sparrow
In this guide, "rarities" are defined as those species given an County Abundance Code of 4, 5, or 6.
Ruff (2022), Least Tern (2006), Prairie Falcon (2006), Palm Warbler (2017, 2022), Black-throated Blue Warbler (2022), Clay-colored Sparrow (2020, 2022)
Going north on US-101, take exit 425B toward Oyster Point Blvd. Turn left at Dubuque Ave but be in a right lane. Turn right at Oyster Point Blvd and continue east.
From the north, take 425B Oyster Point Blvd, and continue east.
For the Marina, turn right at Marina Blvd. Continue almost to the fishing pier and park.
For Genentech and San Bruno Point Park, turn right onto Gull Drive, left on Forbes Blvd. The Genentech lot is at Forbes and DNA Way. There are Public Shore parking spaces dotted throughout the lot.
To reach San Bruno Point Park, continue south through the employee parking areas until you reach a dead end. There are a dozen parking spaces.
For Point San Bruno Blvd, turn off Forbes onto DNA Way. At the top on the hill, turn left onto Point San Bruno Blvd. Follow the signs for Public Shore parking, which is at the edge of the cliff. There are 3 spaces.
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.
All of these areas are currently free of charge.
For Oyster Point Marina Park, the hours are 6 a.m. to midnight. The others aren't posted.
Traffic is heavy, especially during the week. Don't leave valuables visible in your car when you go hiking.
The Oyster Point Marina Bait Shop has a deli. It is open Tues through Sunday 6 am to 5 pm. The Inn at Oyster Point has a restaurant, Dominic's, but it is closed at this time (June 2009). There is usually a taco truck in the vicinity of Oyster Point Blvd and Gull Drive during the week. The Marina has public restrooms, but none of the other locations do. There are plentiful eateries close by; see links below.
Accessibility information is currently not available for this location.
The San Francisco Bay Trail offices in Oakland can be reached at (510) 464-7900.
San Bruno Point Park is a hotspot in eBird, named San Francisco Bay Trail--San Bruno Pt., holding data in 36 of 48 time quadrants, with 125 species (as of May 2020). This area is dotted with hotspots along the Bay Trail. Try to remain aware of your location as you enter data, but whatever you do, please add your bird observations to eBird.
The iNaturalist place marker, Point San Bruno Park could use more data.
There is an active study of Ridgway's Rails in the Bay being conducted under the auspices of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center, that includes radio-tagged rails at the contiguous Colma Creek Mouth area.
The San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory (SFBBO) is conducting a long-range study of gull movements in the Bay Area. California Gulls have been leg-banded with plastic colored bands. If you see any of these gulls, please note the leg and the color of the band; if it is possible to read the number on the band, record that also. This information can be shared directly with Carly at SFBBO (cschacter@sfbbo.org). If the birds also have a metal band, and you can read that number, too, please report that to the National Bird Banding Lab.
Sequoia Audubon Society has conducted five field trips to the San Bruno Bayfront area in general.
A meeting of the minds! Black Oystercatcher and Western Gull interacting, October 2017 (George Chrisman)
Nashville Warbler, September 2018 (Casey Girard)
"I must attack this fiendishly good-looking rival!" Palm Warbler, February 2017 (Adam Dudley)
A pair of Western Kingbirds, September 2017 (Alane Gray)
Creek into UPS Cove from Genentech, July 2009 (Jeff Fairclough/Laurie Graham)
Point San Bruno looking north, July 2009 (Jeff Fairclough/Laurie Graham)
Point San Bruno looking south, July 2009 (Jeff Fairclough/Laurie Graham)
Bridge over the Marsh that completed this section of the Bay Trail, November 2010 (Laurie Graham/Jeff Fairclough)
Author: Laurie Graham and Jeff Fairclough
Uploaded:
August 30, 2009
Last Update:
October 31, 2022 8:24am
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No use without written permission
