- This event has passed.
Pescadero Village & San Mateo Coast Birding
July 25, 2015
The rugged San Mateo coastline, studded with great headlands and huge waves crashing on the beaches, is one of the Bay Area’s most dramatic and beautiful sights. Just south of Half Moon Bay we find Pescadero, a tiny 19th century village “that the decades cannot improve.” Nearby are numerous wonderful coastal birding sites. On our walk along the white sandy beaches we can observe Heerman’s and Western gulls, Western grebes, terns, various shorebirds and possibly Snowy plover. Next stop will be the high rocky headlands, with Brown pelicans, Willets, turnstones and Oystercatchers flying among the sea stacks. We’ll search for Surfbirds and Alcids also. After a visit to the village for lunch and a quick visit to the remarkable Harley Goat Farm (Killdeer, swallows, Red-tails, blackbirds), we’ll head out to the coastal marshes for herons, egrets, ducks, sparrows, harriers and White-tailed kites. This is a visit to a spectacular and rugged coastline and a secluded, historic village, both with great birding opportunities. Moderate walking, spectacular scenery, great ocean photography.