Excerpt from Birding at the Bottom of the Bay

Years ago Almaden Lake (not to be confused with Almaden Reservoir) was the site of a rock quarry. Excavation of the quarry produced craters, and their expansion led to the creation of a lake. Today that lake is a magnet for bird life, and what was once a scar on the landscape has become a pleasant park, complete with picnic grounds, manicured lawns, and even a public swimming beach.

Directions
Almaden Lake Park is located in south San Jose at the north end of the Almaden Valley. Take Hwy. 85 to Almaden Expwy., go south and the park will be on your left, just past Coleman Rd. Drive past the park and double back at the first opportunity to enter the west parking area. Alternatively, to get to the east parking area, turn left at Coleman, and then right at the next intersection (Winfield Blvd.). Entry is free except on summer weekends.

How to Bird the Area
One of the most interesting spots is where Los Alamitos Creek empties into Almaden Lake. Common Mergansers like to loaf on the rocks below the footbridge, and there is often a Green Heron or Common Moorhen lurking in the vicinity. Here, and upstream along the creek, watch for introduced Nutmeg Mannikins (aka Spice Finch or Spotted Munia). This goldfinch-sized bird can be identified by its black bill and brown upperparts. Adults also show black scalloping on their breasts.

Searching trees within the park may reveal Red-shouldered Hawk at any season, Red-breasted Sapsucker in winter and Bullock’s Oriole in spring and summer. The area between the footbridge and park office is good for birds of oak woodland. Look for the resident Acorn Woodpeckers. Check the budding oaks for warblers in spring.

The lake itself is host to wintering grebes, geese and ducks. Occasionally there is a Common Loon; rarer visitors have included Pacific Loon, Red-necked Grebe and Ross’s Goose. Winter storms can produce unusual inland sightings of saltwater species such as Surf Scoter, Red-breasted Merganser and Western Gull. Even when there are no oddities around, Canada Geese and Common Mergansers are almost always present (both breed locally). The goose population has increased dramatically in recent years. Flocks move around, but frequently return to graze the lawns of the park. Broods of yellow goslings follow the adults in spring and summer.

In winter large numbers of gulls raft on the lake and rest on the gravel bar near the inflow. Ring-billed, California, Herring and Thayer’s are the more common species (this an excellent place to study Thayer’s), but a few Mew and Glaucous-winged are also to be expected, and Glaucous has been recorded occasionally. The gulls are commuters and visit the lake en route to and from feeding areas. Numbers vary from day to day and hour to hour: the best time to study them is usually late morning and early afternoon, when thousands may be present. By late afternoon they are gone.

The majority of the gulls depart in spring, but a few Ring-billed and California Gulls remain, and during the warmer months share the lake with Caspian and Forster’s Terns. The large vegetated island in the middle of the lake serves as a communal roost for several species of wading birds, and is a nesting site for Great and Snowy Egrets, Green Heron and Black-crowned Night-Heron. Check the island’s bare strip of land for Spotted Sandpiper and other shorebirds in winter. Recently a few Great-tailed Grackles have been seen around the islands, with nesting suspected in the summer of 2000.

The park is a starting point for Los Alamitos Creek Trail. Although hemmed in by roads and suburbs, the trail provides access to some fine riparian habitat. Bird life is varied and plentiful, especially in spring. The area along the creek is also home to many other creatures—deer, muskrat, squirrel and even coyote have found refuge in this urban wildlife corridor. The trail is an easy walk over level terrain, and for most of its length it closely parallels the creek. Wherever there is a view of the water, Great Blue Heron, Great and Snowy Egrets, Green Heron and Black-crowned Night-Heron, Mallard (watch for broods of cute ducklings in spring and summer), and Common Merganser are all possible.

Listen for the Red-shouldered Hawk’s insistent shrieking while following the creek upstream. A flash of blue and a rattling call announces the sudden appearance of a Belted Kingfisher. You probably won’t get very far without noticing a Black Phoebe or two flycatching from streamside perches. The trail passes under a bridge, beyond which the creek and trail soon diverge, separated by an overflow channel (normally dry). Killdeer like the gravel beds, but otherwise there is little of interest along this stretch. Where the creek rejoins the trail, look for Western Kingbird and orioles in spring and summer. Chances of seeing Hooded Oriole improve by scanning the palms across the creek: Bullock’s Oriole is usually easy to find among the oaks and sycamores.

Watch for several species of swallows (including Violet-green and Northern Rough-winged) over the water in spring and summer. Among them you might spot a few Vaux’s Swifts from the local breeding population; larger numbers pass through as migrants in spring and fall. The path skirts other habitats, including chaparral and oak savanna. In spring listen for the songs of resident California Thrasher and Rufous-crowned Sparrow coming from the brushy hillsides. Both species can be elusive and hard to spot. Look for American Kestrel and Acorn Woodpecker perched atop gnarled oak snags. Continuing south you will eventually reach a wooded picnic area. This is an excellent place for woodpeckers year-round, and for migrant songbirds (especially warblers) in spring and fall. In winter look for neatly-patterned Lincoln’s Sparrow in weeds and brush near the water. Fox, Song, White-crowned and Golden-crowned Sparrows also skulk in the vegetation.

Proceeding down the path you will cross a wooden footbridge to a trail parking area on Camden Ave. near Graystone Ln. about 1.5 miles from the lake. The trail continues along the creek to the Camden Ave. crossing and beyond for those with the time and stamina. A path paralleling the Arroyo Calero (a stream confluent with Los Alamitos Creek) begins at the Camden Ave. bridge and offers access to more riparian habitat. This trail system eventually connects to Santa Teresa County Park.

Woodland birds found along the trail year-round include California Quail, Anna’s Hummingbird, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Western Scrub-Jay, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Oak Titmouse, Bushtit, White-breasted Nuthatch, Bewick’s Wren, and Spotted Towhee. In more open areas watch for such “suburban” birds as Mourning Dove, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch and Lesser Goldfinch.

Winter brings Red-breasted Sapsucker, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Yellow-rumped Warbler. Spring is an exciting time, when the resident species are joined by neotropical migrants. Some stay to nest—Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warbler, and Black-headed Grosbeak. During fall migration it’s worth checking the riparian corridor for migrant passerines. Rarities are possible, and Western Tanagers frequent fruiting elderberry bushes in August and September.

— John Mariani

See more birding opportunities in the Santa Clara Valley in our publication Birding at the Bottom of the Bay.

Last modified on August 23, 2005.