Winter Birding

Snow is falling in the San Jacinto Mountains. When the storm ends and the clouds depart, we will be able to see the snowy mountains. Waiting for the unveiling of the mountains is like opening up a surprise present.

Lesser Scaup

So while we are waiting to see how much snow has fallen, I want to share some more winter bird sightings. Ducks in breeding plumage are a welcome sight in the winter. Many times, they are distant silhouettes bobbing along in the water but the following photos are birds that were close to shore.

Cinnamon Teal by Adam Roberts

It isn't very often that we are able to find beautiful Cinnamon Teals especially close up. Ducks vary in their foraging techniques. Some are dabblers with their bill slightly underwater like this teal, others tip up their bodies with their heads underwater like Mallards while others dive underwater for their meals.

The Ring-necked Ducks and Green Winged Teals were striking.

The Northern Pintails were my favorite ducks of the day. These long-necked males bobbed their necks up and down quietly calling as they paddled up and down the lagoon.

As we were leaving, about 20 of these fruit-eating Cedar Waxwings flew directly overhead.

San Elijo Lagoon is one place where people are actively working on restoring habitat along the busy coast. Not only do these efforts benefit birds, native plants and other wildlife but it gives all of us a quiet place in nature to explore and enjoy.

As we returned home through the ranch land in Garner Valley, we found a perched White-tailed Kite. This kite and the Ferruginous Hawk are usually only here in the winter. What a great sighting! It was catching the last rays of the sun while peering on the ground for a final meal of the day.

Winter is a great time to look for breeding ducks and visiting raptors.

Happy Winter Birding!

Photos and content by Robin Roberts

Click on photos to view enlarged

Exploring the Desert

Winter in Anza-Borrego Desert and nearby Salton Sea are quite popular places. Just ask any "snowbird" from the Pacific Northwest, Canada or Europe. You can also verify by observing the vast number of Jeeps and dune buggies cruising the vast landscape.

The wintering birds love it, too! They have their own followers like me.

Our post-Christmas trip to the desert began with sighting one of my very favorite winter residents. Fortunately, the road leading from Idyllwild to Borrego Springs wasn't too busy so we could abruptly do a U-turn once I spotted this magnificent Ferruginous Hawk on a telephone pole. I rarely get to see them so this was a great find.

If you are a birder, you already know that telephone wires and poles are great places to spot birds especially hawks and kestrels. As you can see, we spotted a smaller Red-tailed Hawk on another pole. It became suspicious when we tried the same U-turn maneuver to "capture" it. Immediately after this photo, it flew down the road to avoid us.

When you see this Yeti, you know that the desert is just a short drive away. 

Since we arrived close to sunset, there wasn't much time for any birding but we were able to find a mammoth size scorpion and a dragon. Not bad for the first day! Thanks to the artist, Ricardo Breceda, the desert is full of his amazing sculptures.

The challenge before us this holiday week was to find a place to hike in solitude without Jeeps or dune buggies.

We found a superb hike through a slot canyon. Despite the hundreds of Jeeps and buggies, we had this place to ourselves! What a beautiful spot!

Searching for some of my favorite desert or Salton Sea birds was also on the list. Note the signage under the Great Blue Heron! I'm sure he ignores all signs.

 The Burrowing Owl at Sonny Bono Wildlife Refuge posed for me as it usually does when I visit.

Belted Kingfishers usually fly off rattling before I get their photos. On this day, however, they both seemed more intent on staying perched overlooking their fishing holes. Great for me!

The desert has always been filled with adventurous people now and years ago. We were determined to find the historic monument to Pegleg Smith, 1801-1866. According to Pegleg, he found black covered gold nuggets in the area but was never able to rediscover more of them. The legend grew as did the people who tried to find his lost gold. The sign reads "Let those who seek Pegleg's gold add ten rocks to the pile." There is a huge rock pile behind this sign.

Finally, the last bird I photographed on this trip early in the morning just as the sun was peeking through the rain clouds was a Cactus Wren. He and 2 other local wrens were singing their hearts out to each other. Appropriately named, he was perched on a cholla cactus without any trouble.

There are lots of reasons to visit the desert or the Salton Sea. Enjoy!

If you visit Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge, be sure to pack out your trash due to the government shutdown.

Photos and content by Robin Roberts.
Click on photos to enlarge.