Birding on the warm side of the Dec/Jan Cold Wave
Photos of over 75 bird species of San Diego and Southern California.
Birding in California during my three week stay in Escondido and Ramona. The temps most days were about 10 degrees above normal with average day time temps of high 60's to high 70's with a highs of 80 degrees (though evenings and early mornings were cool). All this while back home, and across much of the country record lows and ice storms were the beast of burden. Special thanks goes out to my wife Barbara, for feeding the wild birds in our backyard while I was in California.
Walked the road and trails at Ramona Grasslands Preserve.
Viewed many Western Meadowlarks. Also, thanks to a birder (Iris Kilpatrick) who stopped along the road and guided me- I was able to view a Bald Eagle nest (She had sighted the Bald Eagle earlier.) And I was able to view a Ferruginous Hawk she ID'd for me. See some of her California bird photos at the bottom of this posting.
Read more about the Bald Eagles nesting at Ramona, CA @ http://ramona.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/bald-eagles-nesting-on-grasslands-preserve
Map of San Diego County Birding Hot Spots: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112790893377775883827.00044214b7c31ce3db25a&dg=feature
Read more about the Bald Eagles nesting at Ramona, CA @ http://ramona.patch.com/groups/around-town/p/bald-eagles-nesting-on-grasslands-preserve
Map of San Diego County Birding Hot Spots: https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112790893377775883827.00044214b7c31ce3db25a&dg=feature
SPECIAL NOTE: Below my Palomar Audubon Society walk and bird photos, VIEW
PHOTOS of the following birds taken by by Iirs Kilpatrick:
| Acorn Woodpecker American Kestrel American Wigeon |
| Ash-throated Flycatcher Bewick's Wren |
| Black-headed Grosbeak |
| Blue Grosbeaks |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-winged Teal |
| Brown Pelican Bufflehead |
| Burning Owl |
| California Quail |
| California Thrasher |
| California Towhee Canvasback |
| Canyon Wren |
| Cassin's Kingbird Chipping Sparrow Cinnamon Teal Crested Duck Cooppr's Hawk |
| Dark-eyed Junco Domestic duck |
| Ferruginous Hawk Gadwell Gila Woodpecker Golden-crowned Sparrow Green-winged Teal |
| Horned Lark House Wren Lark Sparrow Lawerence's Goldfinch |
| Lazuli Bunting Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Scaup Lincoln's Sparrow |
| Loggerhead Shrike Mallard |
| Mountain Chickadee Muscovy duck Northern Flicker Northern Pintail Northern Shoveler |
| Nutmeg Mannikin Nuthall's Woodpecker Orange-crowned Warbler |
| Osprey |
| Pacific-slope Flycatcher |
| Peregrine Falcon |
| Phainopepla |
| Prairie Falcon Redhead |
| Red-shouldered Hawk |
| Red-shouldered Hawk - Western version |
| Red-tailed Hawk Ring-necked Duck |
| Roadrunner Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruddy Duck White duck Rufous-crowned Sparrow Savannah Sparrow |
| Say's Phoebe Song Sparrow |
| Spotted Towhee |
| Steller's Jay |
| Tri-colored Blackbird |
| Western Grebe |
| Western Kingbird |
| Western Meadowlark |
| Western Scrub Jay Western Tanager White-crowned Sparrow Wood Duck |
| Zone-tailed Hawk Here is a preview... |
On Saturday Jan. 4, I joined a group on a Palomar Audubon Society-walk at Dixon Lake in Escondido. http://palomaraudubon.org/ The Audubon folks and the guests were all great folks to bird with.
Greg Thomas- See Birds R Us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/search/1380869638825528/photos-of
Sumac drew many birds including California Thrasher.
Counting up the sightings. Some 41 species for the group. See the listing @ http://palomaraudubon.org/field-trip-ebird-report-dixon-lake-jan-4-2014/ The Ruby Crowned Kinglet, California Thrasher, and Wrentit were among my favorite sightings. Also happy to see some Vermont homeys like Hermit Thrush, Yellow Rumped Warbler, and Northern Flicker.
I returned to Dixon Lake alone a day after the Audubon walk and picked up a few birds I had not seen the day before including these.
California Towhee
Western Scrub-Jay
Least Sandpiper
A cute couple.
This Black-necked Stilt kept just out of camera range. I followed it about for quite a while as it kept walking just a little faster than me, finally getting a few photos of this seemingly camera shy gal.
White crowned sparrow.
These birds were viewed at downtown San Diego near the Midway aircraft carrier.
I think your mystery gull seen in downtown San Diego is an immature Heermans’s Gull: gorgeous and unusual-looking gulls. The immatures are uniformly dusky brown with buff edges to the wing tips, black legs, and a two-toned bill. ~Maeve
Brown Pelican
Well the first thing you know, Jed's a millionaire
Kinfolk said Jed move away from there
Said California is the place you need to be
So they loaded up the truck and moved to BeverlyHills, that is
Swimmin' pools, movie stars
and lots and lots of BiRdS
My thoughts were with folks back home
But as they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I enjoyed the summer like weather.
Song Lyrics being played outside the San Diego airport as I was departing:
"It's not having what you want, its loving what you've got.
"It's not having what you want, its loving what you've got.
Going to soak up the sun, before it goes down on me..."
Bird Photos below taken by Iris Kilpatrick of California.
Please advise me if I have incorrectly labelled the ID of any of the birds shown below.
"{H}ere's a brown pelican and a California Thrasher. You can post any of these photos on your blog if you wish. If you have any requests for bird photos from this area, please let me know! I have falcons, roadrunners, meadowlarks, California quail - shots of most of the species found here." Iris Kilpatrick
Ferruginous Hawk
DUCKS
Taken at Lindo Lake, Lake Poway, Dixon Lake, Lake Hodges, Santee Lakes, Lake Jennings
Wood Duck
Northern Pintail
Ruddy Duck
White Duck
Lesser Scaup
Redhead
Northern Shoveler
Cinnamon Teal
Ring-necked Duck
Muscovy Duck
Bufflehead
Canvasback
Blue-winged Teal
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Green-winged Teal
Mallard
Crested Duck
American Kestrel
@ Rangeland Road
Peregrine Falcon
Prairie Falcon
UP,
UP,
AND AWAY
Oh, to soar like a bird
Canyon Wren
Bewick's Wren
Ramona Grasslands, Growing Grounds Nursery Escondido hiking trail.
Cactus Wren
Along side highway 78 near the San Diego Wild Safari Park
House Wren
Ramona Grasslands and Barnett Ranch Preserve, Ramona
Rock Wren? ID?
El Capitan
OSPREY
Roadrunners at Lake Hodges
No doubt on the look out for Wilie E. Coyote.
One of my (Bernie) favorite sightings at Ramona Grasslands, the Western Meadowlark.
Just makes you want to sing your heart out.
The Western Meadowlarks (above) and Horned Larks (below) photos were taken at the Ramona Grasslands.
Hats off to you, dear sir, ...and to you madam.
Its a family affair
Two heads are better than one when it comes to watching over the little ones.
California Quail
doing the two-step
Lake Jennings and Ramona Nursery along Highland Valley Road
California Towhee seen almost anywhere and in every season in California.
Western Scrub Jay
Steller's Jay
Gila Woodpecker
Dixon Lake Park
Nuthall's Woodpecker
Ramona, some in my back yard. Iris K.
Acorn Woodpecker
William Heise County Park in Julian
I watched as Acorn woodpeckers stored large nuts into single nut sized holes in a tree. Also viewed a stump about four feet high and about five feet in diameter that was chalk full of embedded nuts-presumably stashed there by Acorn Woodpeckers. I could not pull out the nuts. I was told that the nuts dry up and then become easier to pull out. Also this process brings in insects which the Acorn Woodpeckers and other birds take advantage. Bernie
Zone-Tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Juveniles and Dark morphs Redtails
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shoulder Hawk-Western version
Ramona (Dos Picos Park) and near my house on wires and telephone poles, and
in Escondido (Highland Valley Road).
Northern Harrier
Lake Hodges Preserve, the trail that starts near the Ed Brown Senior Center
Cooper's Hawk
(Adults and juveniles)
In my back yard, Lake Jennings, Lake Hodges, and Luelf Pond Preserve. Iris K.
Ramona Grasslands Preserve
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
This bird never sits still.
Orange-crowned Warbler
Please help ID me!
Found at the Tijuana Estuary
"The Tijuana Estuary is the largest coastal wetland in Southern California and it is located on the international border between the U.S. and Mexico." http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=669
Phainopepla
Northern Flicker
My Favorite Vermont backyard bird (pls don't tell the other birds, as I like them all). Bernie
Ramona Grasslands
Dark-eyed Junco
William Heise County Park, Julian and Ramona Grasslands
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Western Kingbird
Lake Hodges, Ramona Grasslands
Western Tanager
April and May (2013) at Lake Jennings in Lakeside, Ramona Grasslands, and Mission Trails.
Say's Phoebe
Lake Hodges Preserve
Burrowing Owl
2013 Audubon California Bird of the Year
Ramona Grasslands
You won't catch me with my head buried in the sand.
Great Horned Owl
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher?
Taken at Lake Hodges Preserve
Nutmeg Mannikin taken on Highland Valley Road near Lake Hodges - the Growing Grounds Preserve in Escondido, part of theSan Dieguito River Park coast to crest trail system.
http://www.sdrp.org/trails.htm I have shots of mule deer and coyotes from there as well! Iris K.
During August of 2013, the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) ratified the Nutmeg Mannikin (Lonchura punctulata) as an established exotic in California.
http://blog.aba.org/2013/09/aba-adds-nutmeg-mannikin-981.html
Loggerhead Shrike
Here's a photo of a Loggerhead Shrike, a natural killer but beauty here at the Ramona Grasslands. These were taken at Lake Hodges. Iris K.
Blue Grosbeaks
at Lake Hodges
This town is only big enough for one of us partner.
Black-headed Grosbeak - female
Black-headed Grosbeak
Pair_Male and Female
Black-headed Grosbeak
Male
Taken in my back yard (Ramona) and at William Heise county park (Julian) except the photos of both sexes together was taken at the Growing Grounds hiking trail in Escondido. Iris K.
Golden-crowned Sparrow
White-crowned Sparrow
Ramona Grasslands, Lake Hodges, Lake Poway, Dixon Lake
Lark Sparrow
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Lake Poway
Lincoln's Sparrow
Savannah Sparrow
Song Sparrow
Chipping Sparrow
Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in Point Loma and Lake Jennings, Lakeside
Lawerence's Goldfinch
might he
be looking for?
Now we know what he was looking for. And he found her.
You take the high road, and I'll take the low road, and will both meet in...
we'll meet on that cow farm, you know the one.
On a cow farm fence along highway 79 traveling to Lake Henshaw just before the casino turn-off and that address is25575 California 79, Santa Ysabel, CA. Lake Henshaw is on Highway 76. This is the only time and place that I've seen this species! They were mixed in with a flock of Lesser Goldfinches. Iris K.
Lesser Goldfinch
Thistle dee, and Thistle do
Thistle seed helps
keep the whistle sharp and clean.
At various hiking locations around San Diego - Mission Trails, Santa Ysabel, Lake Henshaw area, Lake Hodges, Ramona Grasslands, Dixon Lake just pretty much anywhere year round but most abundant in Spring and early Summer. Iris K.
I think Cassin's Kingbird and not Western.
Taken at Lake Hodges
Iris K.
Please leave a comment if you have a favorite among the bird photos shown here.
Iris Kilpatrick- Birder and photographer http://sandiegobirdspot.com/
New Calif bird species. http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/08/04/theres-a-new-bird-species-in-california-sort-of/
Bird Checklists of the US. Birding hotspot locations by state. By NPWRC
FOR VERMONT BIRD PHOTOS INCLUDING BIRD BOXES and one bird story, LOOK UNDER MY (BERNIE) TABLE OF CONTENT http://litterwithastorytotell.blogspot.com/p/contents.html under Birds, birding, and critters. Select postings as desired.
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