North of the developed area of Rockaway Beach is a hidden quarry, whose habitat is severely disturbed. Rip-rap boulders protect the developed area from marine erosion. Near Calera creek there is aquatic vegetation including rushes, bulrushes, horsetail, fat hen, and plantain. The quarry area hosts a surprising number of amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and a variety of birds. Avafauna sighted here include herons, egrets, California least terns, and red-winged blackbirds. The headland cliffs within the quarry provide nesting sites for bank swallows, pelagic cormorants, and Brandt's cormorants. Three endangered species are found proximate to Rockaway Beach: the San Francisco garter snake, the San Bruno elfin butterfly, and the California red-legged frog. These last two are found within the quarry property; the California red-legged frog is a critical food source for the San Francisco Garter Snake that is known to exist on the Mori Point National Park property immediately adjacent to the north.