On Wednesday, I was doing my morning run by myself because Peter needed to run later in the day. He dropped me off at Lake Hodges and I made my way home via a series of trails.
My non-prescription athletic sunglasses are broken, so I’ve been running in my everyday prescription Ray Bans for sun protection. The combo of a quiet solo run and good eyesight had me in a constant state of wonder! I finally identified a specific shrill call we’ve been hearing to be the Spotted Towhee, and in just 8 miles saw at least these 25 species, 3 new for our 2021 list:
Night Heron, Blacked-Necked Stilt, Spotted Towhee, Western Scrub Jay, White Pelican, Coopers Hawk (2), Red-Tailed Hawk (3), Says Phoebe, Black Phoebe, California Towhee, Hummingbirds (many!), Coot, Grebe, Lesser Goldfinch, Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, Bushtits, California Thrashers, Snowy Egret, Cassin’s (or Western) Kingbirds, White-Crowned Sparrow, Song Sparrow, Crow, Mourning Dove, Spotted Sandpiper.
We see this red-tailed hawk almost every morning at this trailhead. These were taken a few weeks ago (didn’t have my camera on Weds. of course.)
The Big Year 2021 