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Ruddy Duck by John Scharpen

Field Trip: Los Capitancillos (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. If the gulls are around, we should be able to pick out some Iceland and Glaucous-winged from the Herring and California Gulls. And, we will check out the pond edges for Wilson’s Snipe, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper, and the sky for raptors.

Trip Difficulty: 2-3 miles, paved trails, gravel trails, packed-dirt trails, muddy or possibly muddy after rain, little or no elevation gain, little to no shade

Other Trip Notes: Bring layers as can be chilly

Leaders: Peg Albrets (408) 891-3554 and Vicki Silvas-Young (408) 807-6993

Additional Languages: English will be the primary language of this field trip, but other languages spoken by our trip leaders include some German and Danish.

Family Friendly Ages 10 and up, No elevation gain, Beginner Friendly, Intermediate Level Birding, Loaner Binoculars Available

Meet: trail entrance on Singletree Way in San Jose

Directions: From CA-85 in San Jose, exit Camden Ave. Drive south about 1 mile. After crossing over Blossom Hill Rd and just past the school, turn left onto Singletree Wy. The trailhead is on your right in 0.2 miles (after the PG&E substation). Street parking. GPS: 37.234266, -121.899898

Facilities: No toilets, cell phone service

Parking Type and Fees: street parking, no fees

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