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Western Grebe by Bilal Al-Shahwany
Social Bird Sit: Lake Cunningham Regional Park (East San Jose)
Bring your portable seating and join us for a relaxing, one-hour lakeside bird sit at Duck Cove in Lake Cunningham Regional Park, a renowned and beautiful South Bay birding hotspot. Birders of all levels welcome, including bird-curious beginners and families with kids of any ages!
Site highlights include Lake Cunningham’s remarkable avian diversity, short 0.25 mile round trip from parking lot, plentiful parking (with ADA spots), fully paved path (consistently 6-10 feet wide), restrooms, and no significant elevation changes. This field trip was designed by an independently ambulatory SCVBA volunteer who requires trails of little to no elevation changes and typically takes a sitting break on a collapsible stool every 0.1-0.2 mile.
We’re excited to have some casual fun socializing while we enjoy up-close views of some year-round residents (ex: Great-Tailed Grackle, Green Heron, Western Grebe), some delightful seasonal visitors (ex: American White Pelican, Northern Shoveler), and plenty more. Hope to see you there!
Trip Difficulty: 0.25 miles, paved trails, little or no elevation gain, little to no shade
Other Trip Notes: Definitely BYOS (bring-your-own-seating) – there is no substantial built-in seating at Duck Cove. Parking is flat fee $6 per vehicle. Please refer to the attached PDF for many more details (ex: visual photo guide of the planned route, restroom location, ADA parking spots).
Leaders: SM, Peg Albrets (408) 891-3554
Additional Languages: English will be the primary language of this field trip, but other languages spoken by our trip leaders include Spanish, Tamil and some German.
Family Friendly All Ages, 1 mile or shorter, 2 hours or less, No elevation gain, Beginner Friendly
Meet: Parking Lot A
Directions: The lake’s general address is 2305 South White Road, San Jose. From US-101, take the East Capitol Expressway exit. Continue for 1.5 miles then turn right on Quimby Road. Continue for 0.75 mile then turn left onto South White Road. Continue for 1 mile then turn left onto the unlabeled traffic signal (large “Lake Cunningham Park” sign visible at this entrance). If you enter the park from this South White Road entrance, continue along the traffic circle and exit the circle to your left (9 o’clock position from where the traffic circle started on South White Road). Proceed along the road until you see the signs on your right for Parking Lot A. If you instead enter the park from Tully Road, turn right at the first stop sign and proceed along the road until you see signs on your left for Parking Lot A (just past the Skate Park). Lat/Long: 37.337451, -121.804069
Facilities: bathroom, cell phone service
Parking Type and Fees: paved parking lot, ADA compliant spots, parking fees
Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvbirdalliance.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.