Please take a moment to read our field trip policies here.

Field Trip: Beginner Birding Basics at Cuesta Park (Mountain View)

Dark-eyed Junco by John Scharpen

If you have never birded before, or are a novice in need of a refresher, this field trip is for you. But be careful, this might be the beginning of a lifelong addiction! We will start by reviewing some birding basics, including effective use of binoculars (loaner binoculars will be available), approaches to bird identification, and birding responsibly. Then, in a leisurely route around this urban park, we will identify some of the birds that are often seen in our city parks and neighborhoods, including songbirds, hawks, woodpeckers, and hummingbirds.

Trip Type: Beginner-focused

Age Limit: Ages 14+; Young birders, ages 18 and under, must be accompanied by a parent or guardian

Capacity: 10

Price: Free

Trip Difficulty: less than a mile, paved trails, little or no elevation gain, some shade

Tags: Loaner Binoculars Available, Beginner Friendly, 1 mile or shorter, No elevation gain, Only paved paths

Meet: Cuesta Park main parking lot, near the tennis building

Directions: From CA-85 in Mountain View, exit onto CA-82 N/El Camino Real. Continue north on El Camino Real towards downtown Mountain View for about 0.3 miles then turn left onto Grant Rd. Continue for 0.6 miles, then turn right onto Cuesta Dr. In 0.2 miles, turn left at the light into the Cuesta Park main parking lot. (This is the larger of two parking lots accessed from Cuesta Drive; it's the second one if you're coming from Grant Rd.) Latitude/Longitude: 37.3722387, -122.0822564

Facilities: ADA accessible bathroom, drinking water, cell phone service, bike rack

Parking Type and Fees: paved parking lot, ADA compliant spots

Leaders: Susan Tenney (408) 802-6184, Ryan Ludman

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