Docent Resources
The Docent Resource page is intended to assist docents in the interpretation of their respective State Parks. It includes some of the training material used to prepare docents and volunteers working on the coast; extensive information about animal and plant life, geology, and archaeology; as well as other tools that can be useful to docents.
Please contact the Webmaster if you have comments or suggestions regarding this page. We hope to provide as much useful information as possible to the docents/volunteers who interpret natural history for visitors to our beautiful coast.
Marine Mammal, Geological, Archaeological Articles
In addition to the articles posted here, Año Nuevo docents should check the binder available at the “Roost.” That binder contains a large collection of copyrighted research articles, which we cannot legally reproduce on this website.
Elephant seals sleep while diving
Sea lion brain mapped to study toxins' effect
Great white shark study (SF Gate)
Spring 2007 CA sea otter survey results
Real seals wear helmets, Robert Evans
How and when does an e-seal urinate
E-seal migrations and feeding strategies, Jan 2000
Research program at Quiroste Valley
Marine Protected Areas (MPA): Docent Reference Material
These articles and images are provided to assist docents in interpreting the MPAs of the central California coast for the visitors to our parks.
Related E-Newsletters
Wildlife Sightings
Click on a park name below to learn what wildlife is seen there.
On a regular basis, you can see elephant seals, gulls, coyotes, brown pelicans, cormorants, various hawks, ducks on the pond, rodents (mice, voles). To discover what elephant seal activity can be expected at any time of the year, click this link: Annual Cycle of Elephant Seal Activity at Año Nuevo
7/5/10: Recent wildlife sightings: 4-6 swifts between the Staging hut and beginning of the dunes. Among 150-200 mixed swallows (Barn, N. Rough Winged, Clift, Bank, Tree, Violet Green) in a feeding frenzy. Mute Swans are still on the pond. Hauled out roosting on smashed down tule. Breeding plumage Eared Grebe still present on pond. Joined by a couple of Pied Bill Grebes. Three Ruddy Ducks. In the channel in the late afternoon, 6 Brant Geese. Brandt's Cormorants on the island seemed to have increased slightly from a week ago. Spotted Towhees seem to be having a good year at Año. Seen/heard more than in past summers. A family of 3-4 Purple Finches is still hanging around the shack near beginning of equal access trail. I saw one at same location a week ago. An Osprey and two falcons above beach/dunes on the north side of North Point. No hunting/feeding behavior observed. 20 to 30 Pigeon Guillemot's were very active below the Staging Hut overlook. I think a few fledglings were among them. Lone Whimbrel and Caspian Tern. SF Garter Snake on way to North Point.
Recent counts of elephant seals on the beach are listed below.
2/11/10: 238 males, 871 females, 490 weaners, 620 pups
1/6/10: 382 males, 478 females, 196 pups, 2 orphans
3/13/09: For a summary and comparison of weaner counts from 2000 to 2009, click here.
This is the only beach along the San Mateo coast where western snowy plovers nest. The small shorebirds, listed as "threatened" under the Endangered Species Act, can be seen in the largest numbers during the winter months. Between 40 and 50 have been spotted at the beach most days in January and February.
Other regular sightings include great egrets, northern harriers, kestrels hunting in the fields east of the beach, long-tailed weasels, voles, mice, and other small rodents.
1/9/10: Peregrine Falcon on Francis Beach. The falcon flew from where we initially sighted it to Pilarcitos Creek and proceeded to bathe in the creek. We then spotted a Greater White-Fronted Goose in Pilarcitos Creek. On our return walk home, we had great views of a Spotted Towhee.
Marsh wrens, great blue herons, Brewer's blackbird, western gull, Heerman's gull, western grebe, mallard, gadwall, cormorant, Caspian tern, barn swallow, violet-green swallow, song sparrow, American goldfinch, turkey vulture, raven, northern harrier, and common yellowthroat. We heard chickadees, house finch, hummingbird, and wrentit.
The Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve, a part of Pescadero State Beach, shelters a diversity of wildlife in a complex of several habitats—a tidal estuary, freshwater marsh, brackish water marsh, dense riparian woods, and northern coastal scrub. It is an important wintering ground for waterfowl on the Pacific flyway.
In winter, visitors on the twice-monthly, docent-led nature walks have seen as many as 35 different species of birds, including great blue herons, great egrets, and snowy egrets, and many varieties of ducks, including gadwalls, American widgeons, northern shovelers, green-winged and blue-winged teals, pintails, ruddy ducks, common goldeneyes, and buffleheads.
Fewer ducks are seen as spring approaches, as migratory ducks begin to fly to their northern breeding grounds. In March, however, great blue herons put on an impressive display as they begin their nesting season in the tall eucalyptus trees that line one shore of the marsh.
You never know what you will see when you walk through the marsh. A Western pond turtle was spotted basking in the sun on February 1, and the wildflowers in spring are delightful.
11/2/09: At Pescadero Marsh: Gadwall 20, American Wigeon 200, Mallard 6, Blue-winged Teal 1, Northern Shoveler 35, Northern Pintail 10, Green-winged Teal 60, Ring-necked Duck 46, Bufflehead 52, Common Merganser 2, Ruddy Duck 53, Common Loon 1, Pied-billed Grebe 6, Eared Grebe 9, Western Grebe 3, Clark's Grebe 1, Brown Pelican 4, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 2, Snowy Egret 3, White-tailed Kite 1, Northern Harrier 4, American Coot 150, Killdeer 5, Black Oystercatcher 1, Western Gull 41, California Gull 66, Glaucous-winged Gull 1, Belted Kingfisher 1, Northern Flicker 3, Black Phoebe 7, Western Scrub-Jay (Coastal) 3, Common Raven 1, Chestnut-backed Chickadee 1, Marsh Wren 6, Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1, Wrentit 4, European Starling 5, American Pipit 1, Common, Yellowthroat 1, Spotted Towhee 1, Savannah Sparrow 5, Song Sparrow 14, White-crowned Sparrow 2, Red-winged Blackbird (Bicolored) 2, Brewer's Blackbird 2
4/24/09: White crown sparrow, western gull, song sparrow, caspian tern, 6+ brant, whimbrel, common raven, common merganser, bufflehead, snowy egret, swallow, sanderling, marsh wren, great blue heron, gadwall, mallard, great egret, Anna's hummingbird, red-tailed hawk, turkey vulture. We heard wrentit and california towhee. Also saw a pond turtle, fence lizard, and brush bunny.
3/20/09: A large flock of birds at Gazos Creek, including Wilson's warblers, Townsend's, yellow-rumped, and orange-crowned. Wilson's warblers at Cascade Ranch and at Pescadero Marsh.
3/15/09: Brewer's blackbird, red-winged blackbird, western gull, black turnstone, oystercatcher, gadwall, mallard, bufflehead, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, song sparrow, marsh wren, common merganser, Anna's hummingbird, belted kingfisher, northern harrier, turkey vulture, cormorant, house finch and common goldeneye.
3/6/09: Western gull, ring-billed gull, Brewer's blackbird, oystercatcher, marsh wren, gadwall, stunning male and female pair of common mergansers, snowy egret, great blue heron (about 15 of them in the rookery area), bufflehead, black turnstone, sanderling flock, pelagic cormorant, great egret and song sparrow.
2/1/09: Pied-billed grebe, brown pelican, great egret, mallard, northern shoveler, common goldeneye, bufflehead, turkey vulture, red-tailed hawk, American coot, black oystercatcher, western gull, Anna's hummingbird, black phoebe, raven, violet-green swallow, chestnut-backed chickadee, marsh wren, yellow-rumped warbler, red-winged blackbird, Brewer's blackbird
1/4/09: Eared grebe, pied-billed grebe, brown pelican, Brandt's cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, mallards, gadwall, American widgeon, northern shoveler, green wing teal, common goldeneye, bufflehead, turkey vulture, northern harrier, red-tailed hawk, American coot, black oystercatcher, western gull, Anna's hummingbird, belted kingfisher, northern flicker, black phoebe, raven, marsh wren, common yellowthroat, song sparrow, avocet, blue-winged teal, brant, crow, pintail, robin, western pond turtle
Harbor seals, California sea lions, brown pelicans, black oystercatchers, different species of gulls and cormorants, and rabbits can be seen on an almost daily basis. Listed below are some recent sightings of other animals at the park.
11/30/09: Six orca whales (extremely unusual this close to the coast!); several hundred Northern Fulmars; several red-throated, Pacific loons; a peregrine falcon.
6/13/09: The oystercatchers have hatched. We have 2 tiny chicks! Mom and Dad are taking good care of them. Also spotted close to a dozen Risso's dolphins. Last week there were at least 40 orcas off the point in a feeding frenzy - so our harbor seal population was hit, and there are some injured and orphaned.
3/20/09: Peregrin falcon on Prisoner's Rock, barn swallow, Pacific loon with breeding plumage.
3/9/09: As many as 100 gray whales spotted traveling north
3/8/09: Red-throated Loon, Western Grebe, Black-footed albatross, Pink-footed shearwater, Ashy-strom petrel, Brown Pelican, Double-crested Cormorant, Brandt's Cormorant, Pelagic Cormorant, Brant, Black scoter, White-winged Scoter, Surf Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser, Black Oystercatcher, Surfbird, Sanderling, Pomarine Jaeger, Mew Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Western Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Glaucous-winged x Western Gull hybrid, Glaucous-winged x Herring Gull hybrid, Black-legged kittiwake, Caspian Tern, Common Murre, Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrele, Rhinoceros auklet, Merlin, American Kestrel
2/7/09: Gray whales, red-breasted merganser (female); brown pelicans; cormorants - Brandt's, Pelagic, double-crested; black turnstones; western gull, western grebe (in cove); ring-billed gull; Brewer's blackbird; black phoebe; kestrel; house finch; song sparrow; harbor seals
1/31/09: Four dolphins, elephant seal
1/16/09: Humpback whales, elephant seal
Be sure to check the Links Page for additional resources.
