Ever watched a Great Egret hunting?  In the early evening at the Sikes Adobe, just a few wing flaps north of Lake Hodges, an egret recently found some good pickings in the way of lizards!  Like much of the San Dieguito River Park, the Sikes Adobe sits on the edge of the urban interface.

This Great Egret cruised around the south side of the Sikes Adobe farmhouse for some time, taking one slow, deliberate step after another, and stretching its already elongated neck up under the pepper tree; almost as though it were listening for our ubiquitous alligator lizards.  Or perhaps it was sniffing for them!  You can research further on your own by clicking here.

As one of the cultural resources within the San Dieguito River Park, the Sikes Adobe may not be the first place one thinks of when considering the realm of natural habitats and species to which the River Park is dedicated.  However, we see and hear our fair share of wildlife right there off Via Rancho Parkway!  We’ve seen California weasels, heard Least Bell’s vireos, experienced nocturnal visits from a bobcat, and are home to countless California ground squirrels.  (Personally, I’m cheering for the gorgeous red tailed hawks, when it comes to our burgeoning population of ground squirrels.)

One of the legacies of life on a 19th century farmstead would have been that proximity to the natural world which so many of us crave today.  Being able to provide a place to satisfy that craving is central to the mission of the San Dieguito River Park. Come out and spend some time on the south porch of the Sikes Adobe farmhouse and bring your binoculars – you might be pleasantly surprised by who’s in the neighborhood! We’re conveniently located on the Coast to Crest Trail.

Blog post written by Anne Cooper, former Museum Manager. For more information, please email current Interpretive Ranger David Vidal at dvidal@sdrp.org.