Join the young birders club on a leisurely walk through this Almaden Valley park where wide flat trails meander through groves of oaks. We will look for wintering birds like Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows, and other oak woodland birds such as Acorn Woodpeckers, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, and Oak Titmice. We'll also be seeking the Phainopepla, an uncommon wintering resident, that might be visiting this park.

This trip is designed for young birders, but parents and siblings are welcome to attend. We welcome birders of all skill levels—whether you’ve been birding for years, or never picked up a pair of binoculars before, we’d love to bird with you! Young birders can socialize and have fun birding together. Loaner binoculars are available for participants.

Trip Difficulty: 2 miles, packed-dirt trails, some hills (less than 300 ft elevation gain), some shade

Leaders: Vinayak Hebbagil & Shweta Shidhore, contact wenchihk@yahoo.com with questions

Directions: From CA-85 in San Jose, exit Almaden Expy. Continue south for 1.2 miles then turn right onto McAbee Rd. Travel 0.3 miles on McAbee then turn right onto Thorntree Dr. Parking lot is on your left in 0.3 miles.

Latitude/Longitude: 37.236394, -121.878188

Meet: Parking lot off of Thorntree Dr

Photo by Shushanta Bhandarkar