Lake Cunningham Park (Winter):
Wintering Waterfowl and Gulls
by Laura Coatney
Are you looking for a place to go birding in San Jose during the winter? Look no further! Lake Cunningham Park in East San Jose’s Alum Rock neighborhood is a winter waterfowl oasis with gulls galore. During winter, while Raging Waters is closed, take an outing to this park and you won’t be disappointed. There are plenty of great birds to find and areas to explore. If you have limited time, you can easily break this trip into multiple outings. During the holiday season, take a needed nature break while enjoying Lake Cunningham Park!
Trip Covers: November - February
Key Birds: Geese (Snow, Ross’s, Greater White-fronted, Cackling), Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Hooded Merganser, Eared Grebe, Ring-billed Gull, American White Pelican, Green Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Yellow-bellied and Red-breasted Sapsuckers, American Pipit, Great-tailed Grackle
How to Bird
For this trip, you can start in any parking lot and head to the trail that wraps around most of the lake (around two miles). There are two main park entrances; Tully Road and South White Road. I will be mentioning some key areas to explore from both entrances. Keep in mind both the Marina and Parking Lots A and C have open restrooms (see interactive map below). There is a main paved path, good for social distancing, that loops around the majority of the lake; however, the area around Raging Waters unfortunately does not have an accessible path. I will mention how to bird this area a little later and suggest you arrive early in the morning when the park opens or mid-day, as evenings are busier with walkers.
In 1982, the 50 acre Lake Cunningham was built alongside the water recreation theme park, Raging Waters. It was previously Mount Pleasant Dairy and for thousands of years, Ohlone people have inhabited the area consisting of vast oak savanna and grasslands with meandering streams. A volunteer-managed native garden lines the eastern edge of the lake (see interactive map). Native plants such as the California poppy, California fuchsia, buckwheat, and our state grass, purple needle grass, are planted to attract native pollinators and wildlife. Anna’s Hummingbirds love this area with its vast array of nectar producing flowers! Ruby-crowned Kinglets and Bushtit can be found hopping quickly from branch to branch in the coffeeberry and toyon shrubs around the garden; Hermit Thrush can be found here as well. Keep an eye out for other wildlife which can be spotted here such as, jackrabbits, bobcats and coyotes.
The Native Garden has a nice bench to rest and watch the birds and view the lake. Photo by Laura Coatney
From the Marina parking lot, look for geese on the lawn area in front of the lake. The usual Canada Geese will likely be there, but also keep an eye out for Greater White-fronted, Snow, and Cackling. Cackling Geese look like a much smaller version of the Canada Goose. Be sure to check the groups of geese in the water as well. The boat launch area has many perches: Snowy and Great Egrets as well Great Blue Herons may be here. Look for Green Heron, as they are sometimes seen at the water’s edge. Across the lake to the shore below Raging Waters, you might find Black-crowned Night Herons roosting in the trees. I have seen a Spotted Sandpiper low on the docks and an occasional Cooper’s Hawk perching high up in the tower around the marina area on recent visits. Great-tailed Grackles show up here too. Scan above the lake from time to time for other raptors like Osprey, Bald and Golden Eagle, Red-tailed Hawk, and Merlin. Hint: if the waterfowl or gulls are flushed suddenly, look out for raptors overhead.
Scan the lawn area for Canada Goose and less common geese such as Snow, Cackling, and Greater White-fronted. Photo by Laura Coatney.
Canada Goose. Photo by Carter Gasiorowski.
Look on the water for gulls, as there are likely to be many (probably hundreds). When identifying gulls on the water, a spotting scope comes in handy if you happen to have one but binoculars do just fine too, if that’s what you have. California and Ring-billed Gulls are most commonly seen here. California gulls have a black spot on the gonus (near tip of bill) with a red spot, diagnostic to these gulls. Ring-billed Gulls are smaller with a black ring on its bill with a yellow eye. Other gulls that you may see are Glaucous-winged, Herring, Mew, Iceland and Bonaparte’s too if you are lucky! That’s a lot of gulls!
California Gulls. Photo by Bill Pelletier.
Ring-billed Gull. Photo by Carter Gasiorowski.
Other waterfowl such as diving and dabbling ducks can be spotted wading and foraging on the lake. Among the divers are Ruddy Duck, Bufflehead, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, and sometimes Ring-necked Duck. Dabblers include Mallard, Northern Shoveler, and Gadwall. Less common among the dabblers here are Cinnamon Teal and American Wigeon. The main difference between dabbling and diving ducks is their style of foraging for food. Diving ducks (as their name suggests) will dive and swim to the bottom to gather food, while dabblers will tip their heads below the surface as their tails lift up and out of the water.
Dabbling female Mallards. Photo by Sushanta Bhandarkar.
American Wigeon. Photo by Bill Pelletier.
It is best to bird the area around Raging Waters theme park by keeping close to the reed and willow-choked channel (Lower Silver Creek), along the edge of the parking lot/ access road. This area is paved, but unfortunately no accessible trail along this section. The riparian habitat is a good place to find Hooded Mergansers. In winter Yellow-rumped Warblers, White and Golden-crowned Sparrows en masses. Maybe you’ll get lucky and spot a Fox or Lincoln’s Sparrow or perhaps a Townsend’s Warbler in this area too.
Riparian Habitat along the parking lot by Raging Waters theme park. Photo by Laura Coatney.
Hooded Merganser in the creek across from the waterslides. Photo by Bill Pelletier.
From the South White Road entrance near Parking lots A thru E there is a big meadow (see the interactive map) where you're very likely to find Black Phoebe and the occasional Say’s Phoebe flycatching, and possibly some American Pipits too. These fields flood with the rains and attract ducks, geese, yellowlegs, Killdeer, and Black-necked Stilts in winter. The paved path meanders around the big meadow and you can take the forked path to get closer to the lake again. However, be mindful in these areas, as one of the sections is under construction currently and closed off to thru traffic (see map for closed off section). The open section’s pavement has many cracks, so be sure to look down and use caution in this area. The pine trees lining the lake are good places to look for White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Sapsucker and Nuttall’s, Hairy and Downy Woodpecker. The park has hundreds of Pepper Trees, aka “Sapsucker Trees” where local birders have found some rarities including Yellow-bellied, Red-naped and Williamson’s Sapsucker.
Red-breasted Sapsucker. Photo by Bill Pelletier.
One of the paved paths that wraps around the lake. Photo by Laura Coatney.
Ready for More?
If you would like to cover more area in less time, consider taking your bike and riding around the lake on dry, winter days. The summer months can be crowded from the Raging Waters theme park. Keep in mind, the park is so large that you can usually find a less crowded area even during the busier summer months.
Interactive Map
Directions
Marina Parking Lot: From US-101, exit Tully Rd. Continue east on Tully Rd for about 2 miles passing Capitol Expy and Safeway. Park entrance road is on your left. Continue into the park, following the signs to the marina. Latitude/Longitude: 37.335000, -121.810047
White Road Entrance: From US-101, exit Tully Rd. Continue east on Tully Rd and continue for about 2.2 miles. Turn left at South White Rd then turn left into the park. Latitude/Longitude: 37.339184, -121.804059
Parking: Large paved lots with ADA Compliant spots.
Fees: Day-use parking fees. See the park website for more information
Public Transportation: VTA bus lines 22 and Rapid 522 will take you to the intersection of Tully and Capitol Expressway. You can then navigate to the park entrance off Tully Road, one block east of the intersection of Tully Road and Capitol Expressway. If you are coming from the north Milpitas area, take VTA bus line 70, also intersects with Tully Road and Capitol Expressway.
Park Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 1/2 hour after sunset
Facilities: Cell phone service is good. Accessible restrooms are located at the Marina, A and C parking lots (at least one accessible stall in the women’s restroom at the Marina Parking lot). There are many accessible picnic tables and benches to use, rest, and relax.
Trip Mileage: About 2 miles around the lake
Trail Conditions: Paved path around 75% of the lake (some sections have cracks in the pavement). The area around Raging Waters theme park does not have an accessible trail, (only parking lot and access road). There is sun exposure, but little shade around most of the lake; however tall pine trees lining the lake provide some shade in a few areas. The park is crowded in the late afternoon and evenings with walkers. The paved areas are great for rainy days when other parks would have muddy trails.
Accessibility: There is good parking lot birding from the various parking lots. The marina parking lot is the closest to the lake. This trip is wheelchair accessible around most of the lake; a paved path wraps around about 75% of the lake. The paved path is mostly flat, but there are bumps and cracks in the pavement in some areas. The path by the Native Garden is slightly inclined and there are many benches and picnic tables right along the path, should you need to rest.
Bikes: Allowed. If you would like to cover more area in less time, consider taking your bike and riding around the lake on dry, winter days.
Dogs: Yes, allowed on 6 foot leash
More Information
Lake Cunningham Trail Map
Lake Cunningham Website
eBird hotspot: Lake Cunningham
All About Birds: Cackling Goose, Ring-billed Gull and California Gull
More Resources
For more trips like this one, visit Self-Guided Field Trips.
Visit the SCVAS Birding Resources page for more information on where to bird, our birding community, bird identification resources and more.
Read “What to Look for Now” by SCVAS Executive Director Matthew Dodder.
Banner Photo Credit: Bufflehead by Luis Villablanca
Last Updated: 05/22/2022
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