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Bufflehead by Vinayak Hebbagil

Early Winter Birding at Los Capitancillos Ponds (San Jose)

The Los Capitancillos percolation ponds, located between the Cambrian and Almaden Valley areas of San Jose, are a great birding location for wintering ducks. We’ll spend the morning scanning the ponds for American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Gadwalls, and Ruddy Ducks. And, we will check out the pond edges for Wilson’s Snipe, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper.

Trip Difficulty: 2-3 miles, packed-dirt trails, little to no shade

Leaders: Vinayak Hebbagil (585) 705-6643, Shweta Shidhore (585) 748-5117 and Vicki Silvas-Young (408) 807-6993

Beginner Friendly

Meet: Trail entrance on Meridian Ave, west side

Directions: From CA-85 in San Jose, exit Camden Ave. Drive south on Camden Ave for 0.7 miles. Turn left onto Kooser Ave, drive for 0.8 miles. Turn right onto Meridian Ave. Drive for 0.6 miles. The trail entrance will be on your left between Oslo Ln and Coleman Rd. Park anywhere on Meridian Ave or Oslo Ln. Latitude/Longitude: 37.238543, -121.886929

Facilities: no bathrooms or drinking water

Parking Type and Fees: Street parking on Meridian Avenue or Oslo Lane off Meridian. Please be respectful of local parking restrictions and driveways.

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