This past week was very active for wildlife.

Bobwhite


Black and White Warbler








I sometimes see otters but never close enough to photograph. This one popped up right next to me for about a second- and then was gone!


Ovenbird




Female Redstart


Red Shouldered Hawk

The Barred Owl greets me every morning as I do my field work.





Golden Orb Weaver



Unidentified bug



Warbler migration is well underway. I have seen several mixed flocks of Yellowthroat, Prairie, Redstart, Black & White, and Blue-grey gnatcatcher moving though the yard. Last weekend, early in the morning, we heard a sudden BANG on the window. Rich ran out and returned with a stunned Worm Eating Warbler in his hands. We kept it in the house a few minutes until it recovered, and then I let it go.

"Impression of a released Worm Eating Warbler"

About 25 minutes north of San Diego, Torrey Pines State Preserve in Del Mar was the highlight of my trip.





I was standing near the spot where the above photo was taken, when I noticed a lot of bird movement in the pine trees. Tiny birds. Their frenetic activities and the soft "peep peep peeps" they made reminded me very much of Long Tailed Tits, my favorite English birds. After some effort, I managed to get one in frame.



I suspected they were Bushtits, and confirmed it later on with iBird. Though nerdy, this app has been very helpful with identifying new birds.

Another shot to show how tiny the bushtit is.



I saw no rattlesnakes which was kind of a bummer.








These lizards were everywhere



California Towhee



Western Scrub Jay, cousin to our rare Florida Scrub Jay



Hummingbirds were abundant

Here is the first set of San Diego pics. I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I did on my last trip to California (see I am learning) but I still took a lot so there will be a few "installments".
The first day of the meeting that I attended was held at the The San Diego Wild Animal Park. The Park,in partnership with the Los Angeles Zoo, is responsible for the captive breeding and re-introduction program for the California Condor, one of the world's rarest birds. The population hit an all time low in 1987 with 22 birds, and has now rebounded to 384 birds.
Luckily we ended our meeting with enough time to take a quick peek at the condor exhibit.









California Condors have the largest wingspan of any North American bird, up to 9 1/2 feet!



The condor exhibit



Scenery





It was quite surreal to see Rhinoceros in the hills of Southern California!



Perhaps if I return to San Diego I will be able to visit the entire Wild Animal Park. From our quick peek it looked like an awesome place.