Self-guided Birding Locations
Waterfowl and gulls are the main menu here in winter and you will find many! Located in Campbell, this park includes six percolation ponds to explore. It is flat, excellent for walking (as well as for bikes and strollers), and it is partially accessible for people with mobility issues.
Kevin Moran Park is a 10 acre park located in a quiet Saratoga neighborhood and could be easily missed. It's a beautiful multi-use park with plenty of parking. Its convenient proximity to major roadways makes it an easy option to fit some birding into your busy day.
The highlight of this urban San Jose park is scouring through the hundreds of Canada Geese that cover the lake and lawn areas in hopes of finding a Cackling, Greater White-fronted or even a Snow or Ross’s Goose. Start this trip in the late morning after the geese have flown in.
A small, uncrowded place in East San Jose, jam-packed with waterfowl in the winter and offering great photo opportunities of ducks, herons, and shorebirds. The trails are made from gravel and offer easy, level walking, and there is plenty of sun during the colder months. The mix of creekside and pond habitat can result in a large number of species observed, especially in the winter and when water levels are favorable.
Easily reachable by car or public transit (the VTA 51 bus), this Cupertino city park has a level paved trail that follows the creek through orchards, forest and fields and is lined with benches at reasonable intervals, making it a beautiful, accessible natural area in the heart of Silicon Valley. The paved trail continues south through McClellan Ranch Preserve, where SCVAS's headquarters are located.
Enjoy this easy, partially shaded walk alongside the Los Alamitos Creek in Almaden Valley. Bird life is plentiful and varied, especially in the spring! Or visit in the summer to take advantage of the shady trails.
This is a delightful little park located in a quiet neighborhood adjacent to open space. Packed with many species, it a wonderful place to relax and bird when you have limited time. In the springtime be on the lookout for breeding activities including nest building and the raising of young. Practice your birding by ear as bird song fills the air. While the lawn may be occupied by people having a picnic or a quick volleyball game, the paved trail is never crowded.
Sitting adjacent to an avian flyway (the Guadalupe River), surrounded by suburban sprawl, and boasting the last remnant forest in the city of Santa Clara, Ulistac holds its own as a spring migrant trap. Enjoy the smell of native plants and trees in the restored areas of the park and witness the gradual process of forest regeneration.
For great habitat in an urban setting, visit this paved trail along the Los Gatos Creek in San José. It’s the perfect location for spring migrants!
In the heart of Garlic-growing Gilroy, this jewel of a park has some really top-notch, natural river habitat for both birds and kids to enjoy. The oak-bay woodland on the park’s namesake, Christmas Hill provides plenty of places to explore steep trails with older kids, but even very young children can enjoy the birds on the lawn and in the trees at the playground area. The combination of well-maintained city park and immediately-adjacent wildlife habitat makes this park perfect for a family outing… but the restrooms are CLOSED ON SUNDAYS.
En el corazón de la zona de cultivo de ajos de Gilroy, esta joya de parque tiene un hábitat natural de ribera de primer calibre a lo largo del arroyo de Uvas Creek para que lo disfruten tanto los niños como los pájaros. El bosque de robles de la bahía en el homónimo del parque, Christmas Hill, ofrece muchos lugares para explorar, senderos empinados con niños de mayor edad, pero incluso los niños más pequeños pueden disfrutar de las aves en el césped y en los árboles en el área de juegos. Todos, jóvenes y mayores, humanos o vida silvestre, se sienten atraídos por la belleza de un río natural. La combinación de un parque de la ciudad bien mantenido y un hábitat de vida silvestre inmediatamente adyacente hace que este parque sea perfecto para una excursión familiar… pero los baños están CERRADOS LOS DOMINGOS.
Springtime at the Stanford Dish Trail, part of the Stanford University campus, offers a mix of wintering grassland birds, hunting raptors, and singing spring migrants. Though often rather busy, this 3.6-mile loop is popular for good reason: sweeping views, rolling hills, a pleasant patchwork of woodland and pastureland, and—of course—a multitude of birds!
If you’re looking for youth-centered birding in Almaden Valley, Lake Almaden offers close views of Mallards, Canada Geese, and many other waterbirds. In Spring, the heron colony on the Bird Sanctuary Island provides excitement and the stroller-friendly path and playgrounds make this destination easy to explore with the whole family.
Tweet, chirp, chatter, shriek, drum-drum-drum: a cacophony of bird sounds and songs will greet you upon your first step onto the oak and eucalyptus tree-lined paved path to Stanford’s Arizona Garden and Mausoleum. The Stanford campus hosts over 125 bird species, many of which can be spotted in this one small area.
Spring has sprung at Guadalupe Oak Grove Park, an urban park in the Almaden Valley area of San Jose. The grasses are green, the oak trees are leafing out and the birds are active! On this trip, learn about the native oak trees of Santa Clara Valley and observe a variety of oak tree-loving birds.
The McClellan Groundwater Recharge Pond (also known as Bubb Road Percolation Pond) in Cupertino is a treasure of a spot in the winter months, full of migrating winter ducks that especially prefer ponds. Think Mergansers! Buffleheads! and Ring-necked Ducks!
Los estanques de recarga de agua subterránea McClellan (también conocido como el estanque de percolación de Bubb Road) en Cupertino es un tesoro en los meses de invierno, lleno de patos que emigran en invierno y que prefieren especialmente los estanques. Estamos hablando de Mergos (Mergansers), Patos Monja (Buffleheads) y Patos de Pico Anillado (Ring-necked Ducks).
The drought tolerant gardens of the Valley Water Headquarters (previously known as Santa Clara Valley Water District) off Almaden Expressway have become one of our “go to” spots when we are looking for a quiet place to bird in the Almaden Valley area. The one-mile, maintained trail through the gardens and around the large percolation pond is little used by people, has several benches along the route, and has plenty of suitable habitat for birds and other wildlife. This compact location is easy to get to making it an ideal and quick birding location.
Getting young kids excited about birding is easy, when you can show the link between normal playground/park birds and their ancient dinosaur cousins! This neighborhood park in the heart of Sunnyvale’s suburbia has everything to recommend it for a family outing to explore birding with the youngest. Just over a mile of flat, stroller-friendly sidewalks, adjacent farm fields & orchard, and two dinosaur-themed playgrounds make this destination a winner.
Staying in downtown San José and hoping to fit in some birding during a packed convention schedule? Check out Kelley Park! Only two miles from the downtown area with creekside trails and a nearby Japanese Garden, the birding is rewarding year-round.
