I have mixed feelings about Wild Turkeys in San Diego County. Going back thousands of years, there is no historical or archeological evidence they ever lived here. There were introduced to satisfy the special interests of “sportsmen” who wished to have them here to hunt. Species such as lizards, and other reptiles, along with wild … Read more
My experience in my Poway yard with the woodpecker clan has provided me regular meetings with Nuttall’s and Acorn Woodpeckers, and sometimes the often shy Northern Flicker. Downy Woodpeckers are probably in my neighborhood more often than I see them, as there is a dense riparian corridor a stone’s throw from the hillside property I … Read more
Swainson’s Hawks are long-distance migrants. They spend winters in Argentina, but travel to Western North America to breed. Until 2003 it was believed that all Swainson’s Hawk migration was through Texas and the mid-west, but Hal Cohen, a recent migrant from the mid-west himself, was studying Turkey Vulture movements through Borrego Springs and discovered these … Read more
This Monday was my third trip following up on the nesting Brandt’s Cormorants at La Jolla. Most of the eggs I’d seen under brooding adults in February had turned into strange looking alien creatures. During feeding time for the young birds, there were elements of a horror show. It seemed as if the parents were … Read more
California Gnatcatchers are listed as threatened due to habitat loss. It has been their bad fortune to depend on a few locations lusted after by developers eager to make a buck by scraping out a flat spot and sticking on a building to house some rich fool, or to build a shopping mall to sell … Read more
I made seven trips to the La Jolla Cove between February and May 2011. This Thursday I toured the coastline, looking for any subject that might offer itself to me. When I realized the local Brandt’s Cormorants were either courting or already on eggs, I knew I had a long-term mission to address. The unobstructed … Read more
I drove this Thursday morning to San Diego Bay at Chula Vista Bayfront Park. My favorite route to this destination is not direct. Rather, I take “F” street to Marina Parkway and stop where a natural channel connects a small wetland field to the bay. I’ve found this a good place to look for … Read more
Three species of cormorant exploit the cliffs and surrounding waters by the La Jolla Cove; Double-Crested, Pelagic and Brandt’s. I found Brandt’s Cormorants on eggs and raising babies in full public view and took advantage of the opportunity to capture images. I also sat out on Point La Jolla watching the cormorants doing flybys and … Read more
I’d heard reports of a Northern Waterthrush at the ‘stick pond’ near Dairy Mart Road for at least a month. Having looked and failed to find this bird when on my 2005 Alaska expedition, I took a run at this warbler now in my backyard. I often wait too long to respond to ‘rarity reports’, … Read more
One aim on this trip was to visit family in Northeast Tucson. While there I spent some time at Agua Caliente Park. It had been in my head for several years I should spend a few days at Beatty’s Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon in the Huachuca Mountains south of Sierra Vista. On my return … Read more