Write up by Russ Butcher

Dos Picos County Park & Ramona Grasslands Preserve

January 20, 2019 – 38 species

 

After five days of precipitation, our Birdwatchers group felt especially fortunate to have favorable weather for this birding excursion: mostly sunny with scattered high thin clouds, a very light westerly breeze and temperatures rising from the mid-50s to around 70 degrees.

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Highlights of our Dos Picos County Park walk through a grove of live oaks and around the shore of the park’s pond included a Hermit Thrush, Acorn and Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, White-breasted Nuthatches, Dark-eyed Juncos, a few Ring-necked Ducks, American Wigeons, 

Northern Shovelers, and a single Osprey that repeatedly flew back and forth above the pond.

The highlights of birding at and near the Ramona Grasslands Preserve included watching a flock of Mountain Bluebirds – the males dazzling in their sky-blue plumage, a first-year juvenile Ferruginous Hawk, two Peregrine Falcons, Western Meadowlarks singing their musical songs, and close-up views of a couple of Savannah Sparrows and Say’s Phoebes.

Before heading home, our group enjoyed lunch at the Boll Weevil restaurant in Ramona.

 

 

Canada Goose – San Pasqual Valley

Mallard – Dos Picos

 

American Wigeon – DP

Northern Shoveler – DP

Ring-necked Duck – DP

American Coot – DP

Red-tailed Hawk – Ramona Grasslands

Ferruginous Hawk - RG

Red-shouldered Hawk – DP

Osprey – DP

Turkey Vulture – SPV

American Kestrel – RG

Peregrine Falcon – RG

Mourning Dove – RG

Anna’s Hummingbird – DP

Acorn Woodpecker – DP

Nuttall’s Woodpecker – DP

Say’s Phoebe – RG

Crow – DP

Raven – RG

California Scrub-Jay – DP

White-breasted Nuthatch – DP

Oak Titmouse – DP

Wrentit – DP

California Thrasher – DP

Hermit Thrush - DP

Western Bluebird – RG

Mountain Bluebird – RG

Yellow-rumped Warbler – RG

Tri-colored Blackbird – RG

Great-tailed Grackle – DP

Starling – RG

Western Meadowlark – RG

White-crowned Sparrow – RG

Song Sparrow – DP

Savannah Sparrow – RG

Dark-eyed Junco – DP

House Finch – RG

 

It was a fine day of Birding.