Birding Wool Lake - San Jose

Wool Lake - a simple and unassuming body of water nestled in the East Bay foothills. A very small fraction of the land that Ed Levin has to offer up in it’s rolling hills, but in spite of its size provides a rich and rewarding nature romp. Easily accessible and birded in short stints, I drop in often on lazy weekend afternoons to check what bird life is in the area. The following stories and photos represent a string of these visits over a 1-2 year stretch. Frog eating herons, a nervous kingfisher and two birds that need to learn the art of peaceful communication, Wool Lake never disappoints!

One key feature of the lake is an old tree branch system that has fallen into the water. These branches offer prime perching real estate for the shorebirds. On this day, a pair of Cormorants took up residence to dry themselves off. This gave a great opportunity to study the ink like patterning on the wing feathers, their fuzzy long necks and emerald green eyes.

A cacophony of cheeps and chirps radiate out from within the dense reeds bordering the lake. Peeking in between the brush, I catch a female red winged blackbird clearly upset with her male partner. The disinterested and “not listening to you” look she gets in response really suggests these two need to work on their communication.

No color on the bird, no problem! On a day where it seemed like the only bird around was this one Black Phoebe, I sat down in the middle of a wooded picnic area and waited. After a few minutes, it landed on a pipe close to me, and I had the time to reposition myself to place two flowering bushes in the background.

A flock of American Coots scooted and shuffled across the grass. Mostly concerned with pecking the ground, they would occasional peek their heads up off the grass to meet me at camera level just above the foliage. Terrific red eye and burgundy markings on an ivory white bill!

Ready, set, go! A Belted Kingfisher occasionally turns up to the lake, and tends to like sitting on the same set of branches scattered around it’s perimeter. My attempts to sneak in closer to it were always foiled. The bird rumbled me every single time, and would fly off to its next perch around the lakes border. In total, we must’ve gone back and forth 3-4 times before I finally admitted defeat. As a consolation prize I did get a Kingfisher with 3 different colored backgrounds.

Near the tree branches where our Cormorants sat is a large oak tree. One day, I noticed a Great Egret sitting awkwardly up in its branches. My view from afar was obscured by other foliage so I moved in for a closer look. I peered directly up into the branches, a menacing face stared back, eyes pierced my soul and the final boss music played…

A small heron sat motionless just off shore. Brown striping on a fluffy white belly, blue-greenish wings punctuated by a yellow ringed eye, a Green Heron! Patiently waiting on a branch, the heron occasionally focussed intensely on the water. Snap! Our heron strikes with its sharp beak plunging into the water and pulls out a frog! A rather big meal for the size of the bird.

Great-tailed Grackle giving it his all. Midnight black to deep ocean blues shimmer in the sun.

Under the tree which was home to the serious looking Great Egret is a volume of shrub and bush that protrudes out into the lake. The back of this shrub makes a great hiding place for various birds who like to perch in private. A Night Heron could be seen within the thicket, looking a little grumpy that someone had found his quiet space.

Just off the lake are numerous trees that attract a variety of woodpeckers. This Nuttall’s Woodpecker caught my attention with his high-pitched ringing call, and after a moment, he appeared high up in the tree branches. His vibrant red crown and intricately patterned black-and-white back made him a striking sight against the sun-streamed foliage.

Another day another woodpecker! This bird flitted quickly from tree to tree in the same area I saw the Black Phoebe. After tracking him through the foliage, the bird finally emerged on the underside of a tree branch. His beautiful bright red head and face confused me when I saw it. Having never seen this guy before in CA, I took the picture back home, and found out it is a Red-breasted Sapsucker! A week later I saw another one down in Sunnyvale. When it rains it pours!

I have been paying much more attention to Sparrows since taking SCVAS’s excellent class on them. Before that, this California Towhee would’ve piqued my interest much less. I have wanted a photo of this California specialist with a colorful, vibrant background to offset the more muted browns of the bird. No easy task given how close to the ground and shrub they like to be. Lucky for me, this Towhee decided he liked a rock in the parking lot that had a rose bush behind it!