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U.S.A. -- CALIFORNIA: SAN DIEGO COUNTY
A Selection of Day-Trips
September 2001
by Mary Beth Stowe
INDEX:
03 Sep 2001 - Pamo Valley to Oak Oasis
08 Sep 2001 - PCT to Otay Lake
18 Sep 2001 - San Deguito and San Elijo Lagoons
25 Sep 2001 - Bataquitos & Buena Vista Lagoons
03 Sep 2001 - Pamo Valley to Oak Oasis
Poked around one of my favorite places today: Pamo Valley! I was afraid
the low clouds would obscure the view going in, but they really didn't, and
it was gorgeous as always: picked up a Hutton's Vireo at the first stop at
the overlook, plus the usual chaparral fare. I had forgotten that with
the holiday, however, so came the hunters, and gunshot echoed off both mountain
ridges! I managed to stay out of their way for the most part...
Down at the willow riparian area just before the Orosco Trail turnoff was
the only Orange-crowned Warbler of the day.
This is one of San Diego County's best kept secrets, I think: it's a beautiful
valley of oak savannah with some willow riparian running through it, and
sage and chaparral on the hillsides, along with rock outcroppings.
The place was dripping with Acorn Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, Starlings
(most in that funny in-between plumage where they look spotted but still
have the brown heads), and in isolated flocks Lark Sparrows, House Finches,
Meadowlarks, and Brewer's and Red-winged Blackbirds. Saw a big flock
of Turkeys on the far hillside, and a pair of Red-tailed Hawks had each side
of the valley staked out. In the oaks had White-breasted Nuthatch,
Oak Titmouse, and Nuttall's Woodpecker, plus the occasional Western Bluebird.
Poking up the two dirt roads on the eastern side of the valley added Rufous-crowned
Sparrow to the list. Resting in the nice little oak woodland just before
the river crossing some hunters who had gone up ahead of me were shooting
close enough to hear the cracks and echoes off the hillside; time to leave!
The other road was more peaceful with nothing more than a mountain biker
coming up; found a rock at the crest with a wonderful view of the valley,
and a pretty little Sage Sparrow on the way down, still singing! The
only California Gnatcatcher of the day mewed from the sage as well.
Next hiked the Orosco Trail, where this time the "No Trespassing" signs on
the gated road were gone; I was glad to see that as Schad's book includes
this road as a hike! It takes you along the river and up the hill,
and the turnaround point was perfect: a nice little opening with a beautiful
view and a comfortable, moss-covered rock to sit on! Had a covey of
California Quail bouncing around in here, as well as the usual oak woodland
fare.
I was almost ready to remove "Ramona Pond" from my list of birding spots,
seeing as the powers that be had removed the reeds and cleared out all the
surrounding vegetation, but to my surprise there were actually some interesting
birds there: a Great Egret fed in the algae-covered far end, while a pair
of Black-necked Stilts sat like litlle pillows on the close shore amongst
a group of Killdeer. At the far end, behind whatever reeds were left,
was a family of Mallards. It'll be interesting to see what they plan
to do to this little parcel...
Last stop was Oak Oasis, following another wonderful drive down Wildcat Canyon
Road! Red-shouldered Hawk was new for the day, but otherwise nothing
but the usual chaparral fare showed up. Headed home after that with
44 species for the day.
Bird List:
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Wild Turkey
Meleagris gallopavo
California Quail
Callipepla californica
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Rock Dove
Columba livia
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Picoides nuttallii
Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Bewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
California Thrasher
Toxostoma redivivum
Western Bluebird
Sialia mexicana
Wrentit
Chamaea fasciata
California Gnatcatcher
Polioptila californica
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus
Oak Titmouse
Baeolophus inornatus
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Western Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven
Corvus corax
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Hutton's Vireo
Vireo huttoni
House Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch
Carduelis psaltria
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis
Rufous-crowned Sparrow
Aimophila ruficeps
Lark Sparrow
Chondestes grammacus
Sage Sparrow
Amphispiza belli
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Western Meadowlark
Sturnella neglecta
Brewer's Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
44 SPECIES
08 Sep 2001 - PCT to Otay Lake
Today went with my friend Cheryl down to Campo to hit the PCT, then over
to Potrero County Park, then over to the east end of Otay Lake. We
went via I-8, then down towards Lake Morena, then headed west on highway
94 to Campo. The PCT crossing is not too far past the railroad crossing,
and the temperature was just perfect (it can be sweltering here)! We
hadn't even crossed the road before a Nuttall's Woodpecker went bouncing
overhead, and shortly after getting on the trail (which starts out in chaparral
and rocks) we had two gorgeous male Phainopeplas fly in, showing off their
white wing patches and shining in the sun! The usual chaparral stuff
called from their hiding places, and I sneered at a flock of Starlings that
flew past ("Are they bad?" Cheryl asked...)! As we got into the beautiful
riparian woodland we had titmice and Song Sparrows, plus a Yellow Warbler
chirping away. I tried to pish it out, and instead an Orange-crowned
Warbler had come tearing in close, unbeknownst to either of us, until we
started moving again and the thing exploded from the bush right in front
of us! A single Acorn Woodpecker sat on some flimsy-looking dead branches
at the top of a tree, and down at the bridge where we rested, a Hutton's
Vireo and House Wren scolded in duet, giving good comparative "listens" to
their buzzy notes. A female Western Tanager flew in on the way out,
and every Scrub Jay in the area apparently flew in to mob something we could
never find! Cheryl had to find a tree and subsequently missed the California
Quail that called down the trail...
Next stop was Potrero County Park, which for a Saturday was surprisingly
dead (people-wise; the crows were everywhere)! We parked in the picnic
area and took the nature trail, starting from the group campground and heading
up into the scrub, then circling around. The Turkey Vultures that were
sunning on the telephone poles were up in the thermals in short order, and
we heard a Red-shouldered Hawk yelling in the background while a Red-tailed
joined the TVs. A California Thrasher ran along the trail in Roadrunner
fashion, and I thought I may have heard a distant Sage Sparrow, but I couldn't
tell for sure. Back at the car, a ranger was about ready to give me
a citation until I pointed out my annual pass to her; she was duly embarrassed
and tried to make up for it by inviting us back to the Mideval Celebration
they have twice a year; sounds like quite an event! (She admitted she
was new...) Got White-breasted Nuthatch for the day while all this was going
on...
Last stop was the east end of Otay Lake, which was pretty much overrun with
fishing boats, but we did see common stuff like Coots, Forster's Terns, and
a couple of Great Blue Herons and a Great Egret on the far side. Some
Aechmorphorus grebes were WAY out there, so we scooted down the road a bit
to check them out; most of them were Clark's, but we did pick out a couple
of Westerns so Cheryl could see the difference. We got our "cuteness
fix" with the fluffy little babies on the back of one Clark's!
A California Gnatcatcher mewing rounded off the day with a total of 39 species.
Bird List:
Western Grebe
Aechmophorus occidentalis
Clark's Grebe
Aechmophorus clarkii
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
California Quail
Callipepla californica
American Coot
Fulica americana
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Rock Dove
Columba livia
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Acorn Woodpecker
Melanerpes formicivorus
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Picoides nuttallii
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Phainopepla
Phainopepla nitens
Bewick's Wren
Thryomanes bewickii
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
California Thrasher
Toxostoma redivivum
Western Bluebird
Sialia mexicana
Wrentit
Chamaea fasciata
California Gnatcatcher
Polioptila californica
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus
Oak Titmouse
Baeolophus inornatus
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Western Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven
Corvus corax
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
Hutton's Vireo
Vireo huttoni
House Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Yellow Warbler
Dendroica petechia
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Western Tanager
Piranga ludoviciana
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
39 SPECIES
18 Sep 2001 - San Deguito and San Elijo Lagoons
Today I teamed up with Los Angeles birder Molly Pollock and poked around
San Deguito and San Elijo Lagoons. There was a good variety of things
out, and the ducks are definitely coming back, as we had a few American Wigeon
along the trail at San Deguito, and saw several more from the Crest Canyon
overlook. The resident Belted Kingfisher was there, and Pied-billed
Grebes and Mallards were in good numbers. Saw several Black-crowned
Night Herons (both adult and immature) as well as the usual egrets and Great
Blues, one who put on a beautiful show as he glided in! Up at the overlook
we had an Osprey on the wire and a couple of Least Sandpipers along the mud,
as well as many of the same birds we saw from the trail. A Vaux's Swift
circled the car as we packed up, which was nice!
They were doing some kind of construction around El Camino Real, so that
pre-empted the hike at the east end of the lagoon, so we headed to the "Transect
Trail", that concrete section that crosses the lagoon just east of I-5.
It was dry as usual here, but we did pick up Marsh Wrens and Red-winged Blackbirds
for the day, and in what little water there was in the "canal" were five
Black-necked Stilts and a couple more Mallards. The fenceline seemed
more interesting with several Belding's Sparrows and a single Say's Phoebe
showing off. Barn Swallows were swooping around, and several Shovelers
flew over the trail and into some unseen pond.
Rios Avenue had lots of goodies, even though the tide was rapidly moving
in: a flock of peeps exploded as we pulled up, and fortunately we spotted
the Peregrine that had caused the upheaval before he pumped his way out of
sight, never to be seen again! Lots more Shovelers fed here, as well
as additional shorebirds including several Semipalmated Plovers. Got
the California Gnatcatcher (as expected) and enjoyed watching some stilts
bully a Greater Yellowlegs around at the bench. The Butterbutts are
back, as a couple chipped overhead, and a Hooded Oriole "wheeped" from some
vegetation on the way back (at least I'm assuming that; I was telling Molly
that Western Meadowlarks can sound like that, too, but around there it was
probably more likely the oriole).
Scanned at the overlook and added several more birds, including a flock of
Long-billed Dowitchers where we had Short-billed along the trail, and a single
Lesser Yellowlegs. A Long-billed Curlew called, and spotted a Royal
Tern on one of the posts along with the cormorants. Added Green-winged
Teal and Pintail to the duck list, most of them still in eclipse plumage.
A nice California Thrasher buzzed off a bush, giving great looks at his curved
bill!
Bopped over to Cardiff State Beach, where the tide was REALLY in now, the
waves were crashing (along with the attending surfers), and all we picked
up for the day were Heermann's Gulls. Heading over to the San Elijo
Visitor's Center, we had just enough time to hike their nature trail, where
we enjoyed watching an Osprey take a bath by repeatedly flopping into the
water from the air, then dragging his feet through the water as he flew low
over the surface! (If he WAS trying to fish, he wasn't doing a very
good job; in fact a Brown Pelican came up behind him and followed him around
as if to say, "THIS is the way you do it, Sonny!") His mate/mom/dad/brother/sister/
whatever was on a nearby post with a humoungous fish, and yet another bird
claimed another post; this is certainly a good spot for them, it seems!
In the willows we spotted a Pacific-slope Flycatcher and heard a Lazuli Bunting;
no rails this time, but DID pick up yet another California Gnatcatcher on
the far side!
Was time to call it quits after that, so we headed home with 69 species.
Bird list:
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Nycticorax nycticorax
American Wigeon
Anas americana
Gadwall
Anas strepera
Green-winged Teal
Anas crecca
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Northern Pintail
Anas acuta
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
American Coot
Fulica americana
Black-necked Stilt
Himantopus mexicanus
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Semipalmated Plover
Charadrius semipalmatus
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Long-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus scolopaceus
Long-billed Curlew
Numenius americanus
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Lesser Yellowlegs
Tringa flavipes
Willet
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
Western Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Heermann's Gull
Larus heermanni
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
Royal Tern
Sterna maxima
Rock Dove
Columba livia
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Vaux's Swift
Chaetura vauxi
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Belted Kingfisher
Ceryle alcyon
Nuttall's Woodpecker
Picoides nuttallii
Pacific-slope Flycatcher
Empidonax difficilis
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
Say's Phoebe
Sayornis saya
Cassin's Kingbird
Tyrannus vociferans
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rustica
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
California Thrasher
Toxostoma redivivum
Wrentit
Chamaea fasciata
California Gnatcatcher
Polioptila californica
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus
Western Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven
Corvus corax
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
House Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus
Lesser Goldfinch
Carduelis psaltria
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Spotted Towhee
Pipilo maculatus
California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis
Savannah Sparrow
Passerculus sandwichensis
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Lazuli Bunting
Passerina amoena
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Hooded Oriole
Icterus cucullatus
69 SPECIES
25 Sep 2001 - Bataquitos & Buena Vista Lagoons
Today I teamed up with birding buddies Ed Post and Bert McIntosh, fighting
the traffic over to I-805 and up to Bataquitos and Buena Vista Lagoons!
The tide was pretty high at Bataquitos, but we logged a few expected things:
a few Brown Pelicans were floating along, and on what pieces of shoreline
there was we picked up a juvenile Green Heron, as well as a Willet here,
a Black-bellied Plover there, and some fleeing Least Sandpipers, while a
Greater Yellowlegs "floated" along on the opposite side. Yellowthroats,
Song Sparrows, and Red-winged Blackbirds claimed the marsh, and down at the
bench we picked up a few Ruddy Ducks, along with an Osprey sitting next to
a canoe! A couple of California Gnatcatchers complained just before
we started back, and a huge flock of peeps whizzed by which turned out to
be Westerns. Several new species popped up as well, including a nice
Whimbrel and White-tailed Kite back at the car. In the fenced-in pond
a Great Blue Heron and Great Egret had dropped in in the meantime!
I think it was here we had several Double-crested Cormorants perched on invisible
wires that made them look like they were sitting in mid-air!
After a detour to raid the porta-potties at a nearby construction site, we
finally found the east end trailhead, where a Cooper's Hawk took off at the
parking lot. Had lots of hummers in the red tubular flowers (including
one Selasphorus), Marsh Wrens in the marsh, and House Wrens in the willows!
The Butterbutts are certainly back, but not in large numbers yet. Another
Osprey whistled at the resting spot, and Ed found a silent dowitcher that
I felt compelled to go over and make "talk" so we could be sure of its ID
(it was a Short-billed...)! Finally picked up a distant Marbled Godwit
in here, as well as a big flock of Forster's Terns.
Swinging into Buena Vista Lagoon, we were surprised to find that "Duck Landing"
was closed! There was also a ranger and television crew there; Bert
had read an article that implied that the powers that be wanted to discourage
people from feeding the ducks and gulls, hence the closure (the little sign
said it was closed for "habitat restoration"). Fortunately we could
still bird the place: there's a parking area kind of across the street and
down a ways, and you still get a great view of the lagoon from the lot: tons
of Gadwall up on the bank, along with a few Ring-billed and Western Gulls,
and in the water were many coots and Ruddy Ducks. A nice Western Grebe
was way out there along with several Pied-billed and Shovelers even further
out. We walked over to the landing (scaring up a Red-shouldered Hawk
on the way) and found the resident Ross' and Canada Geese in with the domestic
stuff, as well as a few California Gulls. The Redhead pair was back
in there, as well as a few Cinnamon Teal.
Last stop was the Visitor's Center trail, where an American Goldfinch called
in the eucs overhead. In one of the open ponds Ed found two Shovelers,
two Gadwall, and three Mallards. He missed the calling Least Bittern
because he was so busy telling us about all the wonderful warblers at Fort
Rosecrans!
Headed home (through much easier traffic) after that, with a total of 61
species.
Bird List:
Pied-billed Grebe
Podilymbus podiceps
Western Grebe
Aechmophorus occidentalis
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Great Blue Heron
Ardea herodias
Great Egret
Ardea alba
Snowy Egret
Egretta thula
Green Heron
Butorides virescens
Least Bittern
Ixobrychus exilis
Ross' Goose
Chen rossii
Canada Goose
Branta canadensis
Gadwall
Anas strepera
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchos
Cinnamon Teal
Anas cyanoptera
Northern Shoveler
Anas clypeata
Redhead
Aythya americana
Ruddy Duck
Oxyura jamaicensis
Osprey
Pandion haliaetus
White-tailed Kite
Elanus leucurus
Cooper's Hawk
Accipiter cooperii
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Red-tailed Hawk
Buteo jamaicensis
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
American Coot
Fulica americana
Black-bellied Plover
Pluvialis squatarola
Killdeer
Charadrius vociferus
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Marbled Godwit
Limosa fedoa
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopus
Greater Yellowlegs
Tringa melanoleuca
Willet
Catoptrophorus semipalmatus
Western Sandpiper
Calidris mauri
Least Sandpiper
Calidris minutilla
Ring-billed Gull
Larus delawarensis
California Gull
Larus californicus
Western Gull
Larus occidentalis
Forster's Tern
Sterna forsteri
Rock Dove
Columba livia
Mourning Dove
Zenaida macroura
Anna's Hummingbird
Calypte anna
Allen's Hummingbird
Selasphorus sasin
Black Phoebe
Sayornis nigricans
House Wren
Troglodytes aedon
Marsh Wren
Cistothorus palustris
Northern Mockingbird
Mimus polyglottos
Wrentit
Chamaea fasciata
California Gnatcatcher
Polioptila californica
Bushtit
Psaltriparus minimus
Western Scrub-Jay
Aphelocoma californica
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Common Raven
Corvus corax
European Starling
Sturnus vulgaris
House Sparrow
Passer domesticus
House Finch
Carpodacus mexicanus
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Dendroica coronata
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
California Towhee
Pipilo crissalis
Song Sparrow
Melospiza melodia
Red-winged Blackbird
Agelaius phoeniceus
Brewer's Blackbird
Euphagus cyanocephalus
61 SPECIES
Mary Beth Stowe
San Diego, CA
MiriamEagl@aol.com