Los Capitancillos Ponds (Spring/Summer)
Swifts and Swallows
by Eve Meier
During the spring and summer months, swifts and swallows decorate these ponds, which are located near Almaden Lake in San José. It is a great location to bird on the weekends because it is relatively quiet and uncrowded compared with better known parks nearby.
Key Birds: Vaux’s Swift, White-throated Swift, Spotted Sandpiper, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, Tree Swallow, Violet-green Swallow, Great-tailed Grackle
Trip Covers: April - September
How to Bird
Los Capitancillos, near Almaden Lake in San José, is a series of percolation ponds that run alongside the Guadalupe Creek.
The trail along Los Capitancillos Ponds. Eve Meier
Starting at the trailhead on Singletree Way, you will reach the first pond in ¼ of a mile. Look for Northern Rough-winged, Violet-Green, Tree, Cliff and Barn Swallow. This pond has an island with a snag that the swallows will sometimes perch on making identification a little easier. (If you need more help identifying swallows, watch the Birding Basics video in the More Information section of this guide.) Also watch for White-throated and Vaux’s Swift, which fly higher than swallows and do not perch.
September evenings around dusk are a nice time to check out the Vaux’s Swifts. The scattered swifts seen during the day in the summer months are likely local breeders. Post-breeding swifts gather over the ponds to feed from late August through September. Sometimes over 100 birds can be observed. They roost in chimneys nearby for the night before continuing their migration south the next day. Migration can abruptly stop mid-September or continue to mid-October.
Vaux’s Swifts: These birds have small dark bodies, long wings and stiff, rapid wing beats. They spend most of their day in the air. Photo by Steve Tucker
As you continue your walk, keep watching for swallows and swifts. Also keep your eyes open for a Caspian Tern with its large, thick coral red bill and listen for the rattling call of the Belted Kingfisher, an occasional resident of the pond. If you are really lucky, an Osprey or Bald Eagle might pass by.
The ponds themselves have only a few species of waterbirds in the spring and summer. Look for American Coot, Mallard, Canada Goose, Pied-billed Grebe and Gadwall swimming in the water. If the water levels in a pond are very low, watch for Black-crowned Night-Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Egret and Great Blue Heron wading in the shallows. And don’t forget to scan the edges of each pond for Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper.
Spotted Sandpiper. These birds only have their spots during the breeding season and forage along the pond edges constantly bobbing their tail. Photo by Kristine Powell.
On the ponds east of Meridian Ave, raucous Red-winged Blackbirds and Great-tailed Grackles call among the reeds at the edges of the ponds.
After walking the length of the gravel access road, return using the smaller dirt trail that runs closer to the creek. During the spring and summer months, the Song Sparrows are abundant here. All the other sparrow species have left for the season, so it's a good time to become familiar with this species.
In the sycamores, cottonwoods, and willows near the creek, listen and look for summer residents such as Warbling Vireo and Pacific-slope Flycatcher. Both are the color of leaves, so they are easier to hear than to see. The Warbling Vireo sings a long song, which usually ends with an accented note pitched higher than the preceding melody as if asking a question, while the Pacific-slope Flycatcher calls “peeWEET!”. American Goldfinch, Hooded Oriole and Ash-throated Flycatcher should also be present along with our year-round residents such as Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Bushtit, Oak Titmouse, Spotted Towhee and Red-Shouldered Hawk.
Whenever you can see the creek, be sure to check for Wood Ducks. They can occasionally be spotted at this location.
Notes: The section of trail that runs between Singletree Way and Meridian Ave is the west side, the east side runs between Meridian Ave and Almaden Expressway. If you only have time for one side, I recommend the west side.
Ready for More?
Return in November for the wintering ducks.
Interactive Map
Directions: From CA-85 in San José, exit Camden Ave. Drive south about 1 mile. After crossing over Blossom Hill Rd and just past the school, turn left onto Singletree Wy. The trailhead is on your right in 0.2 miles (after the PG&E substation). Street parking. Latitude/Longitude: 37.234266, -121.899898
Alternatively, access the trail from Meridian Ave between Coleman Ave and Oslo Ln. Latitude/Longitude: 37.238510, -121.886966
For either starting point, parking is on the street. There is no parking along Almaden Expressway. There are no facilities.
Parking: Street parking
Fees: None
Public Transportation: VTA bus stop on Meridian Ave at Oslo Ln
Trail Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Facilities: No bathrooms, drinking water or benches
Trip Miles: Up to 4 miles round trip but easy to shorten
Trail Conditions: Wide and flat gravel access road, no shade, no benches. There are a couple of very small encampments in the creek area.
Accessibility: The trail has a little bit of a slope near the Singletree Way entrance. The gravel trails may be too rocky for some wheelchair users.
Bikes: This is a great trip to do by bike.
Dogs: Allowed on leash
More Information
Guadalupe Creek Trail Map
eBird hotspot: Los Capitancillos Ponds
Birding Basics with SCVAS Education & Outreach Specialist Carolyn Knight: Hirundinidae
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, birding identification resources, and more.
Read “What to Look for Now” by SCVAS Executive Director Matthew
Banner Photo Credit: Los Capitancillos Ponds by Eve Meier
Last Updated: 05/23/2022
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