Self-guided Birding Locations
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.
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.
