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Lawrence's Goldfinch by Edward Rooks

A Different Perspective on Residents and Fall Migrants: Birds, Phylogeny, and Biogeography at Joseph D. Grant County Park

This field trip at Joseph D. Grant County Park will go beyond bird identification into phylogeny and biogeography. When we see a bird, in addition to the usual “What is it?” and “What’s it doing?”, we will ask “Where does it fit on the evolutionary tree?”, “Where did its ancestors come from?”, and similar questions. The walk will be preceded by a short (15 minutes) slide presentation.

Trip Difficulty: 2 miles, wide trails, mostly flat

Leaders: John Harshman (408) 406-4733 and Dan Bloch (650) 862-2178

Meet: Joseph D. Grant ranch house

Directions: From US-101 exit Capitol Expy in San Jose and continue east for 1.7 miles, turn right onto Quimby Rd and continue for 7 miles. Turn right onto CA-130 E and continue for 0.2 miles. The park entrance is on the right. After passing through the park entry kiosk, continue into the park for about 300 ft. At the brown sign directing you to the park office and ranch, turn left into the parking area. Note that google maps "Ranch House Parking Area" will take you to a different location in the large parking lot. Latitude/Longitude: 37.337493, -121.716896

Facilities: bathroom in the parking lot

Parking Type and Fees: yes, credit card only

Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvas.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.