Our two most recent monthly bird walks at the coastal end of the San Dieguito River Park have been the most popular and most species we have identified during this event to date!
On Saturday, December 19, 2015, Buena Vista Audubon Volunteer John Haddock and Senior Park Ranger Natalie Borchardt hosted 12 participants and saw a record 50 species. The species of special interest were a Surf Scoter and Red-breasted Merganser. We were graced by the presence of one very still Red-tailed Hawk perched very close to the trail at the beginning of our walk. We also had an American Kestrel posing for us at several intervals along our route. Near the end of our outing, we were excited to follow a Northern Harrier as it dashed and darted in and out of the vegetation along the edge of the wetland.
Photo of an American Kestrel taken at San Dieguito Lagoon
by SDRP Trail Patrol Volunteer Ginni Kitchen.
On Saturday, January 16, 2016, John and Natalie hosted 10 participants and saw 39 species in the lagoon and Crest Canyon. The highlights of our morning were definitely the Red-shafted Northern Flicker, the Hermit Thrush, and California Thrashers we spotted. The Red-shafted Northern Flicker, which everyone got a glimpse of in one of our two telescopes, had a brilliant red moustachial stripe. Birders come from all over the country to see our California Thrashers. We were lucky enough to observe three throughout our morning. Our best sighting was the Hermit Thrush. Despite it’s preference to forage on the ground, openings in the dense Chaparral offered us a few good views. One even stood on the trail as we focused in on it.
Photo of a California Thrasher taken at Lake Hodges
by SDRP Trail Patrol Volunteer Ginni Kitchen.
Please join us on our San Dieguito Lagoon Bird Walks on the third Saturday of the month at 8:30am. John Haddock is a very knowledgeable birder and will provide beginning birders with fun bird facts and tips on how to bird along with some good laughs. We also encourage our regular birders and more advanced birders to join because there is always more to learn and see, and more eyes help us spot more species. Hope to see you on our next walk!
You are also welcome to join the San Dieguito Monthly Bird Count on the first Sunday of each the month. Please make sure to see our event calendar for dates, times, and locations of all events.
