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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"

by Chris Johnson

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.  

Trip Covers: March - May

Key Birds: Costa’s Hummingbird (rare), Rufous Hummingbird, Allen’s Hummingbird, Golden Eagle (uncommon), White-tailed Kite, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Western Kingbird, House Wren, Purple Finch, Hooded Oriole, Bullock’s Oriole, Wilson’s Warbler, Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, and Lazuli Bunting (uncommon).

How to Bird

Ed Levin Park is in the chaparral foothills of the Diablo Range east of Santa Clara Valley. This trip is centered on the Spring Valley Area south of Calaveras Road. The Spring Valley Area contains a large pond, open grassy areas (for picnickers), chaparral, oak and pine woodlands, and grassland. The area also contains numerous eucalyptus trees that attract migrant hummingbirds and serve as the main attraction for birders in spring. There are also plenty of raptors in the area. 

On this trip, you will begin at Parking Lot 2 for some parking lot birding (#2 on the interactive map), walk to Parking Lot 3 (#3 on the map) and stake out the Magic Tree across from it, circle the Spring Valley Pond (#5) using the dirt Nature Trail, and then head back to the Magic Tree (#4) to access the start of the Spring Valley Trail. From the Spring Valley Trailhead (#6), you can walk the 1.5-mile loop around the Spring Valley Trail.

Eucalyptus tree at Parking Lot 2 by Chris Johnson

Eucalyptus tree at Parking Lot 2: Your first stop is Parking Lot 2 (#2). Listen and watch for hummingbirds in the eucalyptus trees bordering the eastern edge of the parking lot. Rufous Hummingbirds begin to show up in the 3rd week of February and can be found until the end of April. Allen’s Hummingbirds may arrive several weeks earlier and, like Rufous Hummingbird, will continue until the end of April. Costa’s Hummingbird has been reported in April and is the rarest of the regularly occurring migratory hummers. Patience and a bit of luck is required to get a good view of any of the migrant hummingbirds. 

Tips for Finding Migrant Hummingbirds: Plan to spend 20-30 minutes looking in the upper canopy of the eucalyptus. The Rufous Hummingbird likes to perch inside the eucalyptus trees and often stays inside the interior part of the upper canopy. A single Rufous Hummingbird may even favor a particular part of the upper canopy and go back repeatedly to the same perch inside the tree while making repeated foraging trips in the surrounding area. Listen for the buzzing sounds of a very loud bee; this is the Rufous/Allen’s wing noise. Focus on the section of the tree where you repeatedly hear wing buzz until you find the hummingbird’s favorite perch or perching area. Rufous Hummingbirds rarely venture down toward the middle and lower parts of the canopy and tend to favor concealed perches. The same can be said for Costa’s Hummingbirds. Allen’s Hummingbird tends to be somewhat more conspicuous, perching out in the open and displaying atop small trees and shrubs. The worst time to try for the migrant hummingbirds is when the winds are high, as usually happens in spring by late morning and afternoon. Early morning before the winds pick up is usually much more productive. 

Rufous Hummingbird by Chris Johnson 

“Magic Tree” near Parking Lot 3: The next location is near Parking Lot 3 (#3). Look for the large, isolated eucalyptus to the southeast of the parking lot. This is the “Magic Tree”. It tends to attract more hummingbirds than any of the other eucalyptus trees in the area, perhaps due to its numerous flowering blossoms, but the exact reason is unknown. Walk to the northeast side of the tree and stand facing southwest. After 5 minutes, if no wing noise is heard on that side of the tree, reposition slightly by moving clockwise until eventually you reach the south side of the tree facing north. Listen for the wing noise. Sometimes standing directly under the tree can produce good results. The Anna’s Hummingbirds will be abundant, but they do not make any wing noise; however, they are very vocal and conspicuous. Attempt to tune them out and focus on the quiet wing noise and the Rufous and Allen’s Hummingbirds that are hiding inside the tree in the upper canopy. They can be very hard to spot. Rufous and Allen’s will sometimes perform displays in the nearby area by performing fast dives with loud tail buzzes at the bottom of the dive. Their tail buzz is not as loud as Anna’s Hummingbird. A displaying Allen’s/Rufous hummingbird will usually have a favorite perch that it might use frequently before and after dives (check the shrubs near the horse ranch to the northeast of the Magic Tree). 

This is also a good area to scan for raptors. Golden Eagles are uncommon but will sometimes appear in the distant hills to the northeast. White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, and Cooper’s Hawk are all common and will pair up in late February and begin to show courtship and nesting activities throughout the early part of spring. 

“Magic Tree” by Chris Johnson

Spring Valley Pond: After spending at least an hour with the hummingbirds and reaching your warbler-neck tolerance, walk around the picnic grounds and loop around the Spring Valley Pond. There will be ducks, herons, woodpeckers, swallows, sparrows, and woodland birds. Green Heron, Great Blue Heron, Great Egret, Black-crowned Night Heron, Song Sparrow, and Red-winged Blackbird are common around the pond, along with the occasional American White Pelican. Five species of swallow may be foraging over the pond. White-breasted Nuthatch, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Hutton’s Vireo, Acorn Woodpecker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, and other oak-loving species are abundant in the surrounding woodland. As this corresponds to the migration window, numerous migrant and summer nesting species will also occur. Bullock’s Oriole is exceedingly plentiful and is often found associating with the eucalyptus trees. House Wren, Western Kingbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, Wilson’s Warbler, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Wilson’s Warbler, and Black-headed Grosbeak will be around in small numbers.

Spring Valley Pond by Chris Johnson

Spring Valley Trail: If you want to extend your trip and have a chance at Lazuli Bunting, head back towards Parking Lot 3 and the Spring Valley Trailhead (#6) southeast of the “Magic Tree”. While on the trail, listen for the Lazuli Bunting’s fast, twinkling, buzzy song in the grassy and oak woodland areas. Many of the previously mentioned migrant and summer nesting species favor this area, especially the ones that prefer grassland and oak woodland habitats (e.g. Black-headed Grosbeak, Western Kingbird, Orange-crowned Warbler, House Wren, etc…).

Spring Valley Trailhead by Chris Johnson

Spring Valley Trail by Chris Johnson

Spring Valley Trail Loop

Ready for More? Before leaving the area, remember to check out the rest of the eucalyptus trees near the picnic tables. Head over to Sandy Wood Lake on the north side of Calaveras Road to check out even more eucalyptus trees and explore the trails around the lake, the moderately challenging Tularcitos trail loop, and the steep and challenging Agua Caliente trail for great views of the valley floor.

Interactive Map

Directions: From I-680 in Milpitas, exit E Calaveras Blvd and go east for about 2.5  miles. The Spring Valley Area will be on your right. Enter the park, make a left and park at the first parking lot on your right. Latitude/Longitude: 37.447145, -121.846845

Parking (Type): Paved parking lots. ADA compliant parking spots available.

Fees: Vehicle entry fees are collected year-round.

Public Transportation:  The park is not easily accessed by public transportation.

Park Hours: The park is open year-round from 8 a.m. until sunset.

Facilities: Wheelchair accessible bathroom, drinking fountain, picnic tables, and limited cell phone service. 

Heads-up! The area has limited to no cell phone service. To print or download this guide before you go, select the text you want (don’t include the banner photo), then print to PDF, or use a free service such as printfriendly.com, which lets you shrink or remove photos.

Trip Mileage: 2-3 miles including Spring Valley Trail loop. 

Trail Conditions: Combination of paved and dirt trails. Limited elevation gain in the central picnic areas. The Spring Valley Trail is moderately difficult and has some changes in elevation. Partially shaded in some areas around the Spring Valley Pond, while the Spring Valley Trail is mostly in full sun. 

Accessibility: The parking lot and paved trails are wheelchair accessible. Parking Lot 2 offers a chance to view hummingbirds in the adjacent eucalyptus trees without leaving the parking lot.  

Bikes: Bikes are allowed.

Dogs: Dogs must be on leash and dogs are not allowed on the dirt trails south of Calaveras Road.

More Information

More Resources

Banner Photo Credit: Rufous Hummingbird by Vivek Khanzode

Last Updated: 2/21/2022

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