Self-guided Birding Locations
¿Se hospeda en el centro de San José y espera poder observar aves durante un programa de convenciones repleto? ¡Echa un vistazo a Kelley Park! A solo dos millas del centro de la ciudad con senderos junto al arroyo y un jardín japonés cercano, la observación de aves es gratificante durante todo el año.
This winter take a leisurely stroll along the paved and flat Coyote Creek Trail in San José. Be on the lookout for Wood Duck in the creek, Hermit Thrush in the understory, and Townsend’s Warbler in the treetops.
Historic Mission City Memorial Park in Santa Clara offers mature redwoods and oaks, hedges of privet trees, and grassy areas. It is the final resting place of many local residents including some early immigrants to the area. As a City Park, it’s well-maintained and local residents enjoy walking the grounds.
Alta Mesa Memorial Park, the only cemetery in Palo Alto, was founded in 1904. Its 72 acres feature open grassy areas, but also mature oak trees, hedgerow with privet and redwoods, a border formed by Adobe Creek, and some contemplation gardens with many California native plants.
Enjoy your visit to this vintage farm in the middle of suburban sprawl in South San Jose, a throw-back to the days when Santa Clara Valley was known as “The Valley of the Heart’s Delight” long before it became known as “Silicon Valley”.
When I worked in the City of Santa Clara, I would take lunchtime bird walks along the portion of San Tomás Aquino Creek Trail that runs between US-101, Great American and Levi’s Stadium. Now I walk the trail to see the wintering Wilson’s Snipes and a nice variety of birds. This unglamorous trail offers flat walking, glimpses of nature, and some fun birds amid the office parks and neighborhoods, and often yields over 30 species in a 1-mile outing.
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.
Looking for an easy, flat walk that encompasses a variety of birding habitats? The Calero Creek Trail at the end of San Jose’s Almaden Valley encompasses an old orchard, riparian areas, chaparral hillside and suburban plantings that attract a wide variety of smaller perching birds and raptors.
Wilson’s Snipe really do exist and Los Capitancillos Ponds in San José is my favorite place to hunt for them. Besides finding the elusive snipe, visit these ponds in the winter for ducks, geese, and gulls. The wide gravel travel is uncrowded making it easy to social distance.
McClellan Ranch Preserve in Cupertino is a special place to visit in fall and winter. The SCVAS bird feeders and baths are being filled regularly, our wintering sparrows have returned, and the benches under the SCVAS Nature Shop awnings make a nice place to sit quietly and observe.
McClellan Ranch Preserve en Cupertino es un lugar especial para visitar en las temporadas de otoño e invierno a partir de octubre. Los comederos y baños para pájaros de SCVAS se llenan con regularidad, nuestros gorriones invernales han regresado y los bancos en el porche a las afueras de la tienda natural de SCVAS son un lugar agradable para sentarse tranquilamente y observar.
Vasona Lake County Park in Los Gatos is a great place to visit in September and October if you are looking for warblers and other fall migrants. The route I’m recommending is short with lots of benches along the way making for a peaceful and easy outing.
Ulistac Natural Area, in the city of Santa Clara, is an urban gem for birders and worth a visit year round. During fall it can get very active with migrant birds. Diverse habitats in a relatively small space offer a variety of species. The park is easily accessible by car or light rail and the trails are an easy walk that don’t require significant exertion.
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.
