Date: 5/17/26 5:17 pm From: Connor Christensen via groups.io <connor.r.christensen...> Subject: [southbaybirds] SCVBA Lake Almaden Park Trip Report
Hello everyone,
We had a spectacular time this morning birding at Lake Almaden Park with spring in full swing. Our species total for the morning was 60, with 18 different species observed exhibiting breeding behaviors, and young birds identified from 10 different species. Here is our checklist ( https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S341207530 ). We began our morning at the center of the breeding action, the egret rookery on the island in Lake Almaden. The rookery was active with a wide variety of stages of nesting. Snowy and Great Egrets were seen taking care of sizeable chicks while at least two *Great Blue Heron* nests crowned the island. Black-crowned Night Herons and a small swarm of turtles rounded out the bottom of the island.
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While scoping out the rookery, a Girl Scout troop happened to be there for a morning of bird watching. We shared our scope with the group, and I couldn’t tell if the girls or the adults were more excited. While making our way around the lake, we happened upon a Red-shouldered Hawk nest with an adult sitting snuggly, likely actively incubating eggs. We shared our scope with the Girl Scouts again as the rest of the group took in views of the male and female Western Tanagers overhead. Before bidding farewell to the Girl Scout troop, they gave us very kind handwritten thank-you cards. That might be the highlight of my Trip Leader career!
The lake and surrounding grounds were teaming with young birds. In and around the lake, many Canada Geese were leading their goslings around. One set of parents was seen swinging with 8 goslings. Young stripey Pied-billed Grebes and fuzzy American Coots were diving or foraging in the pond when they weren’t begging their parents for more food. Young Dark-eyed Juncos and a Western Bluebird were also seen foraging around the lake. My favorite young birds we spotted were the adorable Killdeer chicks scurrying around the sandy shore of the lake.
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Territorial defense was another highlight of the trip. We watched a pair of Hooded Orioles chase an American Crow from their palm tree. We also saw the classically defensive Northern Mockingbird and Red-winged Blackbirds defending their turf from Great-tailed Grackle. Other species were seen gathering nesting material, including a pair of Scaly-breasted Munia, which we also observed nesting in the same area this time last year.
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After finishing our loop around the lake, a few birders stuck around to explore the Los Alamitos Creek in hopes of spotting a Black-chinned Hummingbird. One did briefly zoom overhead while chasing off an intruder, but we never got a good look at the bird. We were eventually rewarded for our efforts with a great view of an Osprey soaring overhead and by picking up the last few species, bringing our total species count up to 60!
Do not disclose information that identifies the location of nesting birds of any species, to minimize stress on the nesting birds and the risk of vandalism or abuse.
