Our Spring Birdathon is underway and we’re raising funds for our education programs! When you sign up for a field trip, please consider making a donation to support our mission. Every dollar that you donate makes a difference! If you're interested in more events, see the Birdathon page.
TRIP POLICY: Please limit your sign-ups to 1 weekend trip and 2 weekday trips per month. Also, please take a moment to read our other policies here.
Allen's/Rufous Hummingbird by Sarah Chan
Ed R. Levin County Park - Sandy Wool Area
The trip will take a loop around the Sandy Wool Pond, the adjacent lawn areas and a short hill climb, where we will likely find 50+ species during our walk. We'll check the shrubs for Rufous and Allen's Hummingbirds, Bullock's and Hooded Orioles, and hopefully Lawrence's Goldfinches, while Great Blue Herons and Great Egrets hunt on the pond. All the while we'll have to keep an eye to the sky for this location's abundant raptors: Bald Eagle, Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-shouldered Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk, White-tailed Kite, Merlin, American Kestrel, and Peregrine Falcon are all possible here!
Trip Difficulty: 2 miles, muddy or possibly muddy after rain, some hills (less than 300 ft elevation gain), steep in some sections
Other Trip Notes: The area can have limited to no cell phone service. If you need direction for navigation download an offline map for the area or save your planned trip home.
Leaders: Connor Christensen (714) 616-4866, Liz Frith (408) 505-2867 and John Tsortos (408) 348-6805
Beginner Friendly
Meet: Large parking lot adjacent to dog park
Directions: From I-680 in Milpitas, exit E Calaveras Blvd and go east for 2 miles. Turn left onto Downing Rd and continue for 1.1 miles going past Sandy Wool Lake to the opposite side. The large parking lot will be on your right next to the dog park. Latitude/Longitude: 37.456984, -121.863857
Facilities: bathroom, cell coverage may be intermittent or non-existent
Parking Type and Fees: paved parking lot, parking fees (use Santa Clara County Park annual pass, otherwise it is $6.00 per car, credit card only)
Banner Photo: Allen's/Rufous Hummingbird by Sarah Chan
Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvbirdalliance.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.