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Beginner-friendly birding at Rancho San Antonio

California Scrub-Jay by Vinayak Hebbigal

Join us for a beginner-friendly birding trip through the easy trails in Rancho San Antonio Park. We will look for some of the resident woodland species like Oak Titmouse, Hairy Woodpecker, White-breasted Nuthatch; a variety of swallows that call the park home; and some regularly occurring birds like California Scrub-Jay, Dark-eyed Junco and Spotted Towhee. We'll also keep our ears open for birds like the Wrentit and eyes in the sky for raptors. We'll go over some basics of birding and using apps like Merlin to supplement your identification.

Trip Difficulty: 1.5 miles, dirt trails, little or no elevation gain, some shade

Other Trip Notes: It may get warmer during the trip so bring your sun protection - hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, etc. and water

Leaders: Vinayak Hebbagil (585) 705-6643, Shweta Shidhore (585) 748-5117

Beginner friendly

Meet: Rancho San Antonio Parking Lot 6

Directions: From Foothill Expressway in Cupertino, turn onto Cristo Rey Drive; continue 0.8 miles to the roundabout; take the second exit to stay on Cristo Rey Drive; continue 0.2 miles. Turn left into Rancho San Antonio and follow the signs to Parking Lot 6. Latitude/Longitude: 37.332651, -122.087392

Facilities: bathroom, drinking water

Parking Type and Fees: paved parking lot, no fees

Questions? Email general questions to fieldtrips@scvas.org or contact the trip leader for questions regarding the event.