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| Area: 665 Acres | ||
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Top Banner Photo Credits
Gary Skipper
American Pika
Rich Warren
Bullocks Oriole
Cindy Croissant
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee
Samira Furlan
Channel Islands National Park Island Fox
Annette Siegel
Young Oystercatcher
Chih-Hsin Wang
Great Egret
Kaelyn DeYoung
San Joaquin Antelope Squirrel
Gary Skipper
American Pika
Rich Warren
Bullocks Oriole
Cindy Croissant
Yellow-faced Bumble Bee
Samira Furlan
Channel Islands National Park Island Fox
Annette Siegel
Young Oystercatcher
Chih-Hsin Wang
Great Egret
Kaelyn DeYoung
San Joaquin Antelope Squirrel
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| Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve - Site # 160 | |||
| Background: | Hills dotted with coyote brush give way to creeks, brackish ponds, sand dunes 40 feet high, tidal flats, and a salt marsh that forms the largest weland between San Francisco Bay and Elkhorn Slough. Sandpipers, plovers, dowitchers, and other shorebirds are seen on the sandy tidal flats east of the Highway 1 bridge. The marsh is home to western pond turtles, endangered San Francisco garter snakes, mallards, cinnamon teal, marsh wrens, common yellow-throats, and red-winged blackbirds. Egets and herons wade in the marsh, roosting and nesting in nearby eucalyptus trees. Woodlands shelter downy woodpeckers, olive-sided flycatchers, and bats. Mice and rabbits hide in the scrub flats, attracting northern harriers and peregrine falcons. The estuary is a nursery for many species; steelhead, salmon, and other fish spawn in upstream waters. | ||
| Wildlife and Where to Find It: | car, easy mostly flat trails, and overlooks | ||
| Viewing Tips: | More than 250 bird species. Probability of seeing waterfowl and shorebirds is high in fall and spring, moderate in winter. Look for songbirds in spring. Wading birds and birds of prey are seen year-round. Good viewing along Pescadero Road pullouts and marsh trails. WATCH FOR POISON OAK AND TICKS. | ||
| Nearby Viewing Sites: | Ano Nuevo Natural Reserve | ||
| Viewing Site Hours of Operation are: | |||
| Staff On-site: | Yes | ||
| Open: | Everday | ||
| Hours: | sunrise - sunset | ||
| Year Round: | Yes | ||
| Road Information: |  Paved. | ||
| Road Hazards: | |||
 Number of Parking Spaces: 100 | |||
| Parking Fee: No | |||
| Proximity to viewing area:0 | |||
 Pull-Through Parking: Yes | |||
| Parking Notes: | |||
| How to Get There: | From Half Moon Bay, take Highway 1 for 15 miles south to state beach parking areas and walk to marsh. | ||
| Contact Information | |||
| Managing Agency: | California State Parks | ||
| Agency Site URL: | |||
| Physical Address: | , CA |
Agency 2: | PO Box 370 Pescadero, CA 94060 |
| Manager Phone: | |||
| Site Phone: | (415) 879-2170 | ||
| County: | San Mateo | ||
| Addition Website: | |||