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American Coot by Annette Teng

Summertime at the 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 water birds, passerines, and raptors. We’ll spend the morning scanning the ponds for Gadwalls, Ruddy Ducks, grebes, herons (great, green, snowy, and black-crowned night), kingfishers, swallows, raptors, and possibly Wood Ducks. And, we will check out the pond edges for Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper, and keep our eyes open for Red-winged Blackbirds and Cowbirds.

Trip Difficulty: 2 miles; gravel trails, packed-dirt trails, little or no elevation gain, little to no shade

Leaders: Peg Albrets (408) 891-3554

Beginner Friendly, Loaner Binoculars Available, Family Friendly Ages 4 and up

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: cell phone service

Parking Type and Fees: street parking

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