Spring

Yuba Pass and Sierra Valley (Summer): Birding the mid-Sierra

Yuba Pass and Sierra Valley (Summer): Birding the mid-Sierra

The Bay Area is blessed not only with some of the finest and most diverse Bayfront, oak savanna, coniferous woodland and farmland habitats, but also easy access to both the coast to our west and Sierra Nevada to the east. A modest drive from our county brings birders to the beautiful mountain landscape and its characteristic mix of species. The itinerary describes birding stops ranging from alpine Yuba Pass (7000’) which hosts Williamson’s Sapsuckers, Mountain Quail and Clark’s Nutcrackers to the subalpine Sierra Valley (4800’) home to Sage Thrasher, Brewer’s Sparrows and Yellow-headed Blackbirds.

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Charleston Road Marsh (Fall/Winter/Spring): A Bayside "Migrant Trap"

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Charleston Road Marsh (Fall/Winter/Spring): A Bayside "Migrant Trap"

A migrant trap close to the bayfront, Charleston Road Marsh is worth visiting for a chance to find fall migrants dropping in, seek out songbirds spending the winter skulking in the shrubs, or enjoy some colorful spring travelers on their way back north. Peaceful and rarely very crowded, this marsh is an underappreciated and under-birded gem with great potential for bringing in migrants common and rare.

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Sunnyvale Baylands Park (Year-round): Reclaimed Habitat

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Sunnyvale Baylands Park (Year-round): Reclaimed Habitat

Fueled by water from the nearby water pollution control plant, Sunnyvale Baylands Park is a freshwater oasis for waterfowl and shorebirds (mostly in winter) and upland birds (year-round). Lovely, level walks throughout the park make for a pleasant stroll any time of year. This guide covers a one-mile loop around the park, hitting all the varied habitats and birds found throughout the year.

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Loma Prieta (Spring): Magic of Migration

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Loma Prieta (Spring): Magic of Migration

Loma Prieta is one of the greatest spots in the county (and California!) to see migration in action. This spot in the Santa Cruz Mountains is a natural funnel for migrants. Few other places match the ability to truly immerse yourself in warblers, hummingbirds, finches, and more. While birding here can be challenging, Loma Prieta is a superb spot and shouldn’t be missed.

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Pearson-Arastradero Preserve (Spring)

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Pearson-Arastradero Preserve (Spring)

Pearson-Arastradero Preserve is located in Palo Alto and is a great place to go birding if you live in Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, or San Mateo. The park features a range of habitats from grasslands to oak woodland, and a small lake, all of which are home to a wide variety of birds throughout the year. In the spring, many birds arrive from the tropics and make this their home for a few months when they build their nests and raise their young before heading back south in the fall.

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Henry Coe State Park Headquarters

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Henry Coe State Park Headquarters

At Henry Coe State Park, you are in the wild, among an intact community of native flora and fauna. There are beautiful panoramic views of the hills around Gilroy, reaching to the Santa Cruz Mountains and within this giant of a park you have long vistas of mountain ridges and valleys like Sycamore Canyon and Pine Ridge. In spring, migrant birds are returning and many birds are nesting, so there is always something exciting to find. Abundant, diverse spring wildflowers and their pollinators make for a beautiful and interesting distraction.

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Shannon Valley Open Space Preserve (Year-round)

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Shannon Valley Open Space Preserve (Year-round)

Shannon Valley in Los Gatos is just that - the valley at the bottom of steep Blossom Hill where the hill meets the Guadalupe Creek corridor. The preserve offers a variety of habitats from woodlands and willow groves to meadows and a stream-side trail. Birding is good at any time of year, but especially in the springtime when Lazuli Buntings are seen among the yellow mustard flowers on the hillside with Orange-crowned Warblers calling nearby.


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Sanborn County Park (Spring): John Nicholas Trail

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Sanborn County Park (Spring): John Nicholas Trail

The John Nicholas Trail in the hills of Los Gatos is a fairly flat, wide trail belonging to Upper Sanborn County Park. It is surrounded by native forest, including oak, redwood, fir and pine which provide a nice cover to be enjoyed year-round. This is one of the best places in Santa Clara County for a chance at seeing Pileated Woodpecker or Pacific Wren. In the spring, it’s a great place to find mountain birds returning from the tropics to nest in the area.

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Shoreline Lake (Winter/Spring): From Scoters and Goldeneye to Skimmers and Terns

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Shoreline Lake (Winter/Spring): From Scoters and Goldeneye to Skimmers and Terns

Along the bayfront in Mountain View, Shoreline Lake offers close-range views of waterbirds like Surf Scoters and Eared Grebes, occasional less-common species such as Horned Grebe and Barrow’s Goldeneye, and the ever-present possibility of finding an ocean-going rarity. Ducks are most numerous in winter, while in early spring, the spectacle of breeding Black Skimmers and Forster’s Terns returns to the lake.

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Ed Levin Spring Valley Area (Spring): Hummingbirds at the “Magic Tree"

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Ed Levin Spring Valley Area (Spring): Hummingbirds at the “Magic Tree"

The Spring Valley Area at Ed Levin Park on the east side of San Jose in the Diablo Foothills offers one of the best places in Santa Clara County to observe migratory hummingbirds in spring. Enjoy an easy walk around the Spring Valley Pond and spend some time at the “Magic Tree” watching the hummingbirds come and go, or take the more challenging Spring Valley Trail for a walk in the grassy hills and surrounding woodlands.

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Stile Ranch Trail in Santa Teresa County Park (Spring):  A Short Climb for Chaparral and Grassland Birds

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Stile Ranch Trail in Santa Teresa County Park (Spring):  A Short Climb for Chaparral and Grassland Birds

During spring along the Stile Ranch Trail, located in Almaden Valley, you’ll find species of birds that aren’t widely found in other areas of Santa Clara County such as Horned Lark and Grasshopper Sparrow, as well as a variety of wildflowers. As you ascend the trail up the south-facing hill you’ll get great views of the hills of Santa Teresa, Almaden Valley, and of Mount Umunhum and the Santa Cruz Mountains.

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Foothills Nature Preserve in Palo Alto (Year-round)

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Foothills Nature Preserve in Palo Alto (Year-round)

A lake for winter ducks and summer swallows, a panoramic vista for soaring hawks and cruising vultures, redwoods and oaks for woodpeckers, juncos, and bluebirds, and chaparral for towhees, wrens and jays! Foothills Nature Preserve in Palo Alto, newly opened to the public, has it all, all year round for everyone!


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Los Alamitos Creek Trail (Spring/Summer)

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Los Alamitos Creek Trail (Spring/Summer)

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.

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Guadalupe Creek off Guadalupe Mines Road (Year-round)

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Guadalupe Creek off Guadalupe Mines Road (Year-round)

Enjoy some interesting birding on this short half-mile easy-paced paved loop in a quiet San José neighborhood. Those of us who have birded this area for many years have discovered a mix of montane, riparian and lowland birds throughout the seasons including migrants and occasionally an unusual vagrant.

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Los Gatos Creek Trail South of Main (Year-round): American Dippers

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Los Gatos Creek Trail South of Main (Year-round): American Dippers

Visit the Los Gatos Creek Trail south of East Main Street in Los Gatos to find the American Dipper, America’s only aquatic songbird. Watch these birds walk, wade, swim and even dive in and out of the water as they hunt for food.


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Villa Montalvo (Spring/Summer): Formal Gardens in the Redwoods

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Villa Montalvo (Spring/Summer): Formal Gardens in the Redwoods

In the mood to get off the rugged trails and try something different? Visit the beautiful grounds of this Saratoga park. Meander the formal gardens of the villa while enjoying the various art installations and the birds.

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Stevens Creek County Park (Spring/Summer): A Morning Drive-and-Bird

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Stevens Creek County Park (Spring/Summer): A Morning Drive-and-Bird

Just a short hop off Highway 280 in Cupertino brings you to this, our very first Santa Clara County park. Drive through lower Stevens Creek Canyon, stopping to bird at parking spots and picnic areas. Shady creeksides, a reservoir to scan, and oak and chaparral hillsides are alive with resident and migrant birds. The secret to finding them is to come early to beat the heat and crowds. And don’t forget your picnic lunch!

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Palo Alto Flood Control Basin (Spring/Summer): A Noisy California Gull Colony

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Palo Alto Flood Control Basin (Spring/Summer): A Noisy California Gull Colony

If you are not sure if you are a larophobe or a larophile then come along the Adobe Creek Loop Trail between the Palo Alto Flood Control Basin and Charleston Slough in Mountain View and watch the antics of the California Gulls in their colony. We find these noisy birds so fun and hope you do too.

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Calero Reservoir (Late Spring): Families of Western and Clark’s Grebes with Chicks

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Calero Reservoir (Late Spring): Families of Western and Clark’s Grebes with Chicks

May to June, Western and Clark’s Grebes are taking care of their downy young. You can see babies on their parents’ backs as well as juveniles on their own in the water near their parents. Calero Reservoir in San José south of Almaden Valley can be a fairly easy place to watch them.

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Monte Bello Open Space Preserve (Spring): Summer Breeding Birds

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Monte Bello Open Space Preserve (Spring): Summer Breeding Birds

The “Beautiful Mountain” lives up to its name. Located west of Palo Alto, sweeping views and multiple microhabitats make this preserve a visual delight to walk through. Many of our most coveted summer breeding birds are attracted to the richness of this park. Lazuli Bunting is an excellent example of a species that drops in to breed at this location. Sometimes residents such as Pileated Woodpecker can also be seen.

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