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Field Trip: Los Capitancillos Ponds (Meridian Ave Entrance)

  • 37.238543, -121.886929 (map)

UPDATED! Please limit your sign-ups to 2 WEEKEND trips per month.

Before signing up for this trip, please take a moment to read our trip policies and view our liability waiver.

Los Capitancillos Ponds (Meridian Ave Entrance)

Ring-necked Duck by Bill Walker

The Los Capitancillos percolation ponds, located between the Cambrian and Almaden Valley areas of San Jose, are a great birding location for wintering ducks. We’ll spend the morning scanning the ponds for American Wigeons, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Gadwalls, and Ruddy Ducks. If the gulls are around, we should be able to pick out some Iceland and Glaucous-winged from the Herring and California Gulls. And, we will check out the pond edges for Wilson’s Snipe, Killdeer and Spotted Sandpiper.

Trip Difficulty: 3 miles, wide gravel trail, no elevation gain

Leaders: John Harshman (408) 406-4733 and Craige Edgerton (408) 460-1102

Meet: trail entrance on Meridian Ave, west side

Directions: From CA-85 in San Jose, exit Camden Ave. Drive south on Camden Ave for 0.7 miles. Turn left onto Kooser Ave, drive for 0.8 miles. Turn right onto Meridian Ave. Drive for 0.6 miles. The trail entrance will be on your left between Oslo Ln and Coleman Rd. Park anywhere on Meridian Ave or Oslo Ln. Latitude/Longitude: 37.238543, -121.886929

Facilities: No bathrooms or drinking water

Parking Type and Fees: Street parking

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