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Metal Bridge across Pilarcitos Creek at Strawflower Plaza, looking southwest, October 2010 (Jennifer Rycenga)
This small riparian area boasts ease of access, plenty of free parking, good habitat, a playground, a public restroom, and more. It can be easily checked in under ten minutes, or take up an hour or two of locating and re-locating migrant flocks for rarities. While there are problems here - parking lot traffic, noise from vehicles and shoppers, and the use of the riparian zone by people for all manner of activities unrelated to birding - migrant and breeding birds love this riparian zone. Especially when the sunlight first hits this area, there are always many birds around. As a Half Moon Bay resident, your author enjoys hearing Swainson's Thrush and Wilson's Warbler whenever she stops for a quart of milk in spring!
The best area consists of the riparian zone that forms the southwestern boundary of the shopping plaza known as Strawflower Plaza. On the shopping side, this riparian zone runs the full length of the plaza, snaking around the back of the Safeway store, where a recycling truck and Park-n-Ride lot are located. On the residential side, the area is less extensive but easier to search, in addition to providing better acoustic conditions. This side - accessed by the metal bridge - consists of a small city park known as Oak Avenue Park. A storyboard relays information about the Pilarcitos Creek Watershed. Oak Avenue Park sports a playground and restroom, making this an ideal birding spot for parents and grandparents with small children in tow.
The metal bridge itself marks the best place to begin your exploration of this area, since it provides a view into the mid-and-upper ranges of the streamside vegetation and trees. The lighting can be a problem because of the lush health of the plants, but this is often the easiest place from which to see or hear flocks of passerines. The metal bridge does get a lot of foot and bike traffic, though, so stay alert. Virginia's Warbler and Black-and-White Warbler are among the rarities found here in recent fall and winter warbler flocks.
From this site, the paved trail along the riparian zone that leads eastward from the meta bridge continues under SR1 and into the downtown area of Half Moon Bay. See the entry on Carter Park for the specifics of this trail and its continuity. Pilarcitos Creek runs parallel to SR 92 in Half Moon Bay; other sites in this guide that describe accessible sections of Pilarcitos Creek include entries on Half Moon Bay Sewer Authority; Pilarcitos Creek Mouth and Coastal Trail, and Carter Park: Pilarcitos Creek Downtown Half Moon Bay.
Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Killdeer, California Gull, Western Gull, Rock Pigeon, Mourning Dove, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Anna's Hummingbird, Downy Woodpecker, Black Phoebe, Warbling Vireo, Western Scrub-Jay, American Crow, Common Raven, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Bewick's Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Swainson's Thrush, American Robin, European Starling, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Yellow Warbler, California Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Golden-crowned Sparrow, Brewer's Blackbird, 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.
Black-and-White Warbler (2009-2010), Virginia's Warbler (2010), Swamp Sparrow (2013), Great-tailed Grackle (2021)
This area is adjacent to Strawflower Plaza, which is located at the junction of SR 92 and SR1. If you are traveling west on SR 92, when you reach the light at SR1, simply continue straight across the street. Park past the driveway to the Burger King, in a rarely-used parking area between the Burger King and the CVS. If you are traveling along SR 1, there is a light at the corner of SR 1 and SR 92; turn west at this light and go past the Burger King into the above-mentioned parking lot.
Red Markers: Parking Area or Trail Head
Hover mouse pointer over marker, or click marker, for pin identification.
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There are no fees connected with this area.
There are no posted time limits.
Traffic entering the shopping area is not alert for pedestrians - please be careful crossing the active roadways.
In addition to restrooms in the various restaurants at Strawflower Plaza, there is a public restroom located in the park, near the playground on the Oak Avenue side. Everything your heart desires for food - Subway, Starbuck's, McDonald's, Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, Round Table Pizza, a few independent restaurants, a full-service grocery store (Safeway), and a full-service drug store (CVS) - call Strawflower Plaza home.
Accessibility information is currently not available for this location.
Half Moon Bay Recreation Department can be reached at 650-726-8297, or by email at recreation@hmbcity.com. Please contact them if you see an increase in graffiti, garbage, or dumping of materials into the creek.
The eBird hot spot for this area is named Pilarcitos Creek-Safeway Riparian. Currently twenty-three of forty-eight time quadrants hold information, representing 90 species; please use the hotspot when recording data from here to enable monitoring of this fragile site.
The iNaturalist place marker is under Oak Avenue Park on Pilarcitos Creek and it is in need of data!
Orange-crowned Warbler, Pilarcitos Creek at Strawflower Plaza access, October 2010 (Jennifer Rycenga)
White-crowned Sparrow adult taking a dirt bath, Pilarcitos Creek at Strawflower Plaza access, October 2010 (Jennifer Rycenga)
The Half Moon Bay Burger King, looking northeast from the end of the metal bridge, October 2010 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Pilarcitos Creek, looking down from the metal bridge, October 2010 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Paved Trail along Oak Avenue, south side of Pilarcitos Creek at the Strawflower Plaza access, October 2010 (Jennifer Rycenga)
Author: Jennifer Rycenga
Uploaded:
November 6, 2010
Last Update:
May 10, 2021 12:08pm
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