Border Field State Park

Several months ago, I decided to take a drive down to Border Field State Park.  It's located in South Bay and borders (literally) against Mexico.  I had never been before and figured it may be a good place to go for bird sightings. Border Field delivered in a big way! Unlike most beaches in San Diego, you have to walk a mile to get to the beach, apparently this does not appeal to most because every time i have gone i was the only one on the beach.  That is unheard of!  A whole beach to yourself?!? Well, i wasn't totally alone, me and the birds

This picture was taken in July, there was something odd that happened here in San Diego. MILLIONS of anchovies were close to the shore and as you can see, the birds took full advantage.

the birds found here are plentiful: Least Terns, Snowy Plover, Brown Pelican, Long Billed Curlew, Willets, Whimbrel, Godwit, Sanderlings, Gulls, Cormorants, Black Bellied Plover, Royal Tern, Caspian Tern and those are just the ones i can think of off the top of my head AND just the ones found near or on the beach.  The walk to the beach is a whole other world, but i will say those Warblers, Finches, Sparrows, Grosbeaks, variety of Flycatchers,  Northern Harrier, Red Tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcons and White Tailed Kites are very shy and i have usually never been able to photograph them, but as always, just seeing them makes me happy!

Snowy Plover Chick

White Tailed Kite

A lot of pictures, I know.  But these are just a few of my favorites.  I love this place and the wildlife that call it home!  I cannot wait to see all the migratory birds that will visit this year.  that is the great thing about nature, it is everchanging and each visit offers a new suprise.

A Second Chance For Gus

Gus is one of the Canada Geese born this year.  He was one of the surprise babies.  His parents, Cosmo and Olivia were very secretive of their nesting and the second week of May they appeared.

 But about three weeks later, I noticed something:

see how his left wing sticks out?

This was at one month old and I knew with a wing like this he would never fly. I was worried, I wanted to catch him and take him to a Wildlife Rehab, BUT the thing that stopped me was the fact he was just a little baby.  He had so much bonding and learning to do with his parents, i just couldn't think of taking him away.

The older he got, the more pronounced the wing became and all the regular visitors to the park started to notice.

this picture was taken and he was about two months old. He was diagnosed with Angel Wing by a local wildlife rehabber. while this wing looks awful, it appeared to cause no pain.  But the older he got, the worse it got and that is when it was decided he needed to be caught and that wing needed to be repaired.  An Avian specialist offered to perform the surgery at no charge.  Gus was gone for over a month.  Each day i would remind his family that he was coming back and they had better accept him back and not reject him.

One week ago today, that day came.  I was lucky enough to be there and since i know these geese like they're my family, i was able to tell them where his family was.

When Gus was released from his cage he ran straight to his family. There was a bit of arguing and then they seemed to want to test his wings, so they took off in flight, Gus tried to follow, but fell.  His family came back to him and they walked to the water.  Gus spent the next half hour bathing, preening and swimming.

And then it happened, his family rejected him and all the other geese tried to attack him.

Gus was home, but he was alone.  It was sad to see.  I came back the next day to check on him and he was 'with' the flock, but he was alone.  then within an hour something happened.

His family (mainly his papa Cosmo) took him back into the family. They ate together, they bathed together and then preened and napped.  it was so beautiful to see. 

While Gus will never fly again, he has his family and he is no longer alone.  Fortunately since we live in San Diego, these geese do not migrate, so being unable to fly will not be detrimental to Gus.  And now that his family have taken him back, the other geese seem to have accepted him as well.

This story could have ended horribly, but in the end, Gus is on the mend, he has his family and he is free, you cannot get any better than that!

San Diego River

The San Diego River runs throughout San Diego.  This is the "mouth" of the river. This water comes directly from the ocean and my little journey this day was that little grassy/marshy area off in the distance.

This whole area is loaded with Great Egrets, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, Cormorants, Brown Pelicans and more.  However, all these birds tend to be shy and usually photos need to be taken from a far distance.

as i was walking through the grassy area, this Little Blue Heron popped up his head.  I was more than delighted!  I love these little guys!!

right after this little guy flew away, i saw this:

BAD picture, but the fact that's it's not a blurry blob is good for me.

i am quite proud of this photo!  this Osprey landed about 300 feet from where i was "hiding" in the grass. after taking several photos he turned to look at me as if to say, "WHAT?!?!?!"

He then proceeded to bath for the next 10 minutes or so.

he was very tolerant of my presence and i was very thankful to him.

This is one of the areas that is closed off for the California Least Tern.  they are the sweetest little birds that squawk and yell at each other while they fly.  the flutter/hover over the water and then will dive bomb to catch a fish.  I have been trying to photograph them for over a week, but those little suckers are fast and my camera is just not up to par.  I really don't think they ever land.  I managed to get a few pictures today.  WARNING!!! these pictures are not good!!!

these guys look like a regular Tern, but they are at least half the size.  They are fast and full of attitude.  it is not a wonder that i have become obsessed with them.

This is a Long-Billed Curlew. How can you NOT love a bird with this beak?

Little Guy hanging out with the Great Egrets (these pictures once again not so good, they were pretty far away)

I was sitting here watching the birds and i heard some rustling near my feet and i saw this:

I thought this (clearly pregnant) squirrel wanted food and then i saw this little plastic container near my feet.

she just needed a drink of fresh water.  VERY cute!  I made sure to fill up this container before i left.  I had to make sure the little mamma had plenty of water.

this BAD picture was one of the last things i saw before i left.  This Brown Pelican flew in and eventually scared away these poor Black Skimmers.  I don't think the Pelican meant any harm, they just tend to be a little "Oafy" when they land.  I was waiting for this Pelican to get closer to me so i could get a decent picture, but it never happened.  That's OK, there's always next time.