Just 10 miles from our house is the Ramona Grasslands County Preserve, said to be home to over 100 species of birds. It’s a 3,521-acre preserve, but until August 15th some land is closed to the public to protect sensitive resources such as a Golden Eagle nest! We didn’t see any soaring eagles during our visit to the portion of the preserve that is open now, but did have a good day of running and hiking and added the Lark Sparrow and Cliff Swallow to our list.
We pulled off the road before getting to the park when we saw these two raptors because we thought maybe this dark Red-Tailed was a Golden Eagle…
#2 
#1
Also seen and photographed: Bushtits, Western Bluebirds, Snowy Egret, and Turkey Vulture.
-Blair
The Big Year 2021 