Anderson Lake County Park (Summer)
Coyote Creek Nature Trail
By Dani Christensen
This summer, you will probably find yourself looking for a shady place to enjoy local birds. The Nature Trail at the Anderson Lake/Coyote Creek Visitor Center in Morgan Hill is a favorite of mine to bird year-round, and great in summer for the ample shade along Coyote Creek. Though parts of this route may be narrow, it is a less traveled trail and thus easy to avoid crowds!
Trip Covers: July - September
Key Birds: Wood Duck, Red-shouldered Hawk, Steller’s Jay, White-breasted Nuthatch
Looking down the dirt path shaded by native trees such as the Western sycamore. These large deciduous trees provide nesting and roosting habitat for birds and other critters, shade for aquatic creatures, and food for birds, mammals, and insects alike.
Let’s start by checking out Coyote Creek near the Visitor’s Center (1 on map below). Walk along the wooden fence and look for Belted Kingfishers, Black Phoebes, and Mallards on the water, and with a bit of luck, Wood Ducks! Wood Ducks are cavity nesters that breed in Santa Clara County, but they aren’t as common and are fairly secretive, making them hard to spot. Girl Scout Jordan Murphy has installed new Wood Duck nest boxes along the creek to encourage these secretive waterfowl to nest here; see if you can spot one in the Sycamores. To learn more, watch her video. Also possible is the Common Merganser.
I like to avoid the busy and exposed paved trail and stick to the dirt path that parallels the creek. Head north along the creek, keeping right (2 on map below) as you pass behind the Visitor Center and maintenance yard. This path sticks to the shade of the sycamores and bay laurel trees. Look for riparian and oak-woodland species like California Quail, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Oak Titmice, Bushtits, White-breasted Nuthatch, California Scrub-Jays, Bewick’s Wren, and woodpeckers such as Nuttall’s, Downy, and Hairy. You might happen upon a foraging family of wild boar, too!
Shallow gravel beds of Coyote Creek, with foothill gray pines in the background.
Coyote Creek flows from its headwaters in Henry Coe State Park all the way to Alviso where it joins the Bay. As you walk along the creek, notice that through the canopy across the water to the east you can catch glimpses of the oak-pine woodland of the foothills of the Diablo Range. Here you can see (and hear!) raucous groups of Acorn Woodpeckers and Steller’s Jays, or the single note of a Northern Flicker. Make sure to follow the frequent short paths that lead down to the water’s edge to get a closer look at the creek.
Field trip leader Laura Coatney spotting some Song Sparrows on the banks of Coyote Creek.
Just be aware of poison oak reaching across the trail! Remember: "Leaves of three, leave it be. If it's hairy, it's a berry. If it's shiny, watch your heiny!"
After about a ½ mile the dirt trail ends and you need to join the main paved trail to cross the bridge (3 on map below). Out in the open, look for raptors in the sky such as Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, Turkey Vultures, and the enigmatic Golden Eagle. Pause on the bridge and look for any remaining migrants such as Bullock’s Orioles, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and Black-headed Grosbeaks.
View of Coyote Creek from the bridge.
After crossing the bridge, make an immediate left to leave the paved trail and once again join the dirt path paralleling the creek. You’ll find yourself in an old walnut orchard (4 on map below). Notice the nest boxes hanging from these trees. I’ve observed Tree Swallows use these boxes, but also look for Violet-green Swallows chattering above. If the small songbirds such as Bushtits and Chestnut-backed Chickadees suddenly start making a lot of noise, look around for a Cooper’s Hawk or a Red-shouldered Hawk, both common along the riparian corridor.
After another ½ mile, you’ll reach the Walnut Rest Area. Listen for Spotted and California Towhees scratching for seeds in the leaf litter. At the triangle intersection, go east to connect to the Malaguerra Trail, an old road that leads you out into the open meadow (5 on map below) to an old barn. This portion of the trail is exposed, so be sure to have adequate sun protection with you.
By now the breeding season is winding down, but here in the open look out for young birds such as juvenile Western Bluebirds or the family of White-tailed Kites. In July, fellow trip leader Laura and I saw four young Kites sitting with one adult on the distant power lines. Kites typically have four eggs, and juveniles have a rusty belly band, remaining dependent on parents for 2-3 months.
At the end of the meadow, take the trail to your right to head back to the creek, first crossing a concrete channel. You’ll soon join the main paved trail again, and cross back over the Coyote Creek bridge. Here you have the choice to either go back to the Visitor’s Center via the same shady dirt trail you came in on, or continue on the main paved trail. There is less shade and more traffic on the paved trail, but the width allows you to adequately social distance. Coming back on the paved trail also allows you to see some of the more urban birds such as Rock Pigeons, Eurasian Collared-Doves, European Starlings, House Finches and Northern Mockingbirds.
Before I leave I like to take one more peek at the creek for any birds in the riparian corridor. Look for a pair of Cooper’s Hawks, seen last month carrying sticks to a nest location nearby.
An adult Cooper's Hawk breaking off a stick to build a nest nearby, 7 July 2020. Males of this species do the majority of the nest building.
Ready for More? Rosendin Park (eBird hotspot: Anderson Lake CP--Rosendin Park) is another great hotspot. You’ll hike through beautiful pine-oak woodlands, have the opportunity to scan the open water of Anderson Lake for Common Mergansers, Western Grebes and other waterfowl and water birds, and you can look for nesting White-throated Swifts and Rock Wrens near the dam. There are numerous picnic areas along Coyote Creek trail such as the Live Oak Picnic Area (eBird hotspot: Anderson Lake CP--Live Oak Area) to look for Mergansers and Woods Ducks.
Directions: From US-101, exit Cochrane Rd and head east. Turn left onto Malaguerra Ave and continue into the park, with free parking lots on the left. Latitude/Longitude: 37.166893, -121.649175. Address:19245 Malaguerra Ave, Morgan Hill
Parking: Large paved lot
Fees: none
Public Transportation: No
Park Hours: 8 a.m. until sunset
Trail Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Facilities: ADA accessible restrooms and picnic tables available at Coyote Creek Visitor Center at Anderson Lake. Visitor Center open 8AM-5PM, closed Saturday and Sunday.
Trip Mileage: 1.5 miles
Trail Conditions: mostly single-track dirt trail
Accessibility: Unpaved, not wheelchair accessible
Bikes: Not allowed
Dogs: Allowed on 6 foot leash
More Information
Coyote Creek Nature Trail Loop (Note that the route for this write-up avoids the markers 1-3 in the beginning, instead opting to walk along the creek in the shade before joining near marker #4.)
Anderson Lake County Park Website
eBird hotspot: Coyote Creek Parkway--trailhead
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 Dodder.
Banner Photo Credit: Coyote Creek Nature Trail by Dani Christensen
Last Updated: 04/19/2022
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