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Every second Saturday of each month, trained naturalists from the Conservancy's volunteer docent program offer free guided bird and nature walks to the public. The walks start at 9 am at the Rios Avenue trail head and last for approximately 2 hours. If you are interested in scheduling a guided tour of the Lagoon for your group, please contact us.
05-16-09
Report from first ever San Diego North County BioBlitz held at San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve: 729 different species of living organisms found, with some of the invertebrate identification continuing. Get all the details here.
Total number of species per group reported:
birds 109 species
algae 86
fungi 4
plants 232
marine invertebrates 8
freshwater invertebrates 9
insects 213
spiders 28
fish 16
amphibians & reptiles 10
mammals 12
birds 109
Amphibian, reptile, & mammal species included:
garden slender salamander, Pacific treefrog, bullfrog, California legless lizard, western fence lizard, side-blotched lizard, orange-throated whiptail, tiger whiptail, western rattlesnake, pond slider;
red bat, Yuma myotis, western mastiff bat, Mexican free-tailed bat, coyote, striped skunk, raccoon, mule deer, California ground squirrel, valley pocket gopher, mouse sp., dusky-footed woodrat, desert cottontail
(offshore - California sea lion, common dolphin)
04-11-09
Report from second Saturday Walk:
There was a quail calling a one-note call for
quite awhile; it's always nice to know that they are still around. We saw
all of the teal, some widgeons, dowitchers, peeps, a couple of avocets
and stilts. Lots of willets. Bob Chaddock, one of the Conservancy docents, clapped a response from a Sora. There
were several Caspian terns and one or two Foresters. The wildflowers, of
course, were spectacular. Check our new mini guide to flowering plants here.
04-04-09
Large numbers of Lorquin's Admirals reported in willows at naturce center.
04-03-09
This just in from Elizabeth Venrick:
Morning sightings from Nature Center:
Clapper Rail - a long, satisfying look!
A very young fluff-ball of a Gadwall (madly paddling between adults)
Caspian tern chasing a Northern Harrier
Black-headed Grosbeak songs (no sightings)
03-16-09
Report from 2nd Saturday Nature Walk:
Lemonade berry, Encelia (bush or coast sunflower) and black sage have been blooming for awhile. Coreopsis (sea dahlia) and Mimulus (monkey flowers) are both coming into flower. Peak blooms of these are probably in the future, but there are colorful vistas to be seen. Also there are still some nice displays of the Chapparal Clematis. Little "treasures" included baby blue-eyes, and one wind poppy and one cream cup blossom; presumably more will come.
02-14-09
Report from 2nd Saturday Nature Walk:
Wild Cucumber, Lemonade Berry, Mule Fat, and Deerweed are all blooming. Over 40 species of birds were seen or heard during the morning. Highlight bird was a blue-gray gnatcatcher. Other birds of note were Peregrine Falcon, two Northern Harriers, Male Cinnamon Teal, and a dozen American White Pelicans. The White Ceanothus
can be seen starting to bloom in the hills west of Holmewood Canyon.
02-10-09
The white
Ceanothus are coming
into bloom in East Basin. Two shrubs near the Santa Helena trailhead are
especially spectacular right now. Also, the fuschia-flowering gooseberries
(Ribes speciosum) are starting to develop good numbers of flowers. These
are also East Basin, on the main E-W trail, near the junction with the
east end of the loop to the bench
02-07-09
A pair of hooded mergansers is in the currently flooding Escodido Creek at the Highland Farms horse facility located at the end of 5th St in Olivenhain.
01-30-09
One female Canvasback spotted from the nature center trail. Also seen a wide variety of waterfowl, incl. several Blue-winged Teal, Green-winged Teal, American Wigeons, one Ruddy Duck and one Western Grebe. Shorebirds are also numerous. The continuing Little Blue Heron was foraging out on the mudflats.
01-10-09
Elizabeth Venrick, Conservancy board member and docent reports from the monthly guided nature walk:
We spent some time watching (through the scope) two different osprey having fish for breakfast. One, which both groups saw, involved the osprey trying to drag a very large fish to shore so he (she) could chow down. Beyond that, we just enjoyed the usuals - due to the high tide these were mostly the large (long-legged) waders - herons and egrets, and dabbling ducks. There were scaup and one bufflehead down by the freeway.
We spent a fair amount of time looking at the vegetation and discussing the different types of drought adaptations. The sagebrush is putting out its tender young spring leaves right now.
12-13-08
By Bob Chaddock, Conservancy docent:
In spite of extremely high tides covering the lagoon with water, overcast skies threatening rain, and cold raw wind, approximately a dozen visitors joined Elizabeth Venrick and I for today's second Saturday walk. Although weather and tide conditions limited the number of bird species that we might normally expect to see at this time of year, we did have over 30 species seen during the walk. The most exciting for our visitors was seeing the osprey catch a very large mullet which it struggled to get to the top of post where it began its mid-morning brunch. A northern harrier and a hermit thrush were the other birds of interest. High water levels limited the number of shore birds seen, and the cold wind limited the number of song birds seen. But the rain held off, and the last of our visitors left at approximately 11:30. A good day in spite of the weather.
11-09-2008
Buck in the Lagoon
Lance Pecchia reports:
On November 9th in the afternoon, just before sunset, I was driving along Manchester Avenue in Cardiff when I saw a rainbow in the lagoon.
I pulled over by the side of the road, walked over by the lagoon,
and saw in front of me a buck with medium sized antlers walking slowly in the lagoon along side of the road (about 40-50 yards away from me).
He walked into some taller brush and was gone.
He was very large, and appeared to be old. The antlers extended out about a 12 inches from his head.
Someone else came over, who had seen him, and we were both astounded.
Unfortunately my camera equipment was in my wife' car, who was on her way home also. The rainbow hit the ground in the distance behind the buck.
10-15-2008
Sandhill Crane in Cardiff
Chris Mayne, a photographer friend of mine observed and photographed a
Sandhill Crane this morning at approximately 10:15 AM. He said that it
was coming from northwest of the train tracks and east of Hwy 101. He
was photographing the sandpipers eating flies at the pond across from
Seaside Surf Park at the south end of Cardiff and north end of Solana
Beach, 2nd pond from the south. The Sandhill flew directly towards him
and then banked over his head and headed east along the South Rio side
of San Elijo Lagoon. I will post a picture in the photo section.
Vic Murayama
10-14-2008:
Semipalmated Sandpiper
Yesterday (Monday) during the census at San Elijo Lagoon I saw a Semipalmated
Sandpiper. The bird was foraging on the mudflat immediately west of the dike
(north end) in the northern section of the eastern basin. The bird was about 40'
from the dike making it possible to see its webbed feet. Nearby were 6 Western
Sandpipers and over 30 Least. We also saw a Vaux's Swift overhead with a mixed
flock of swallows and White-throated Swifts.
Good Birding,
Kevin Pickard
Carmel Valley
10-11-2008:
Pectoral Sandpiper at San Elijo Lagoon
Birded San Elijo Lagoon this morning with Jimmy McMorran. Best bird of the day
was a Pectoral Sandpiper East of the I-5. Park at the gate on Manchester Ave
and walk a short distance from the gate. There was a little patch of mud flat
along a channel and the Pectoral Sandpiper was working this area. It was the
only shorebird there.
Other highlights included a Virginia rail standing next to a clapper rail jsut
down the trail from the sandpiper.
Eric L. Kershner, Ph.D.
Wildlife Management Branch Head
Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton
8-18-2008:
Semipalmated Sandpiper at San Elijo Lagoon
This afternoon around 1530 the bird was quite near the bench that is a
little less than one-half mile east of the end of Rios. This was
around the time of the higher low tide which was about a foot and a
half. In that the bird was quite near and in good light it was
idenifiable on the basis of plumage and bill and therefor quite
different from the one off Via de La Valle where one might struggle
with trying to pick a bird out on the basis of subtle shapes.
Peter Ginsburg
8-09-2008:
Pacific Golden Plover at San Elijo Lagoon
Led monthly walk at San Elijo Lagoon this AM between 9 and 11:30. Went east
from Rios Ave trailhead toward freeway and out onto flat coastal sage scrub
area. Mud flats to the northeast showed number of whimbrels, semi-palm plovers,
marb godwits, black-bellied plovers and numerous peeps. Most interesting was
what appeared to this very amateur birder to be a Pacific Golden Plover in
transition from breeding to non-breeding plumage. Hopefully some one more
knowledgeable than me can find and confirm.
Bob Chaddock
Carlsbad
7-26-2008:
San Elijo Lagoon
I birded the south side of the central basin of San Elijo Lagoon around
9:30-11:00 today and had around 180 birds of 13 species (within scoping
distance) scattered across the mudflats near the southeast corner. The tide
was quite low but there were essentially no birds (or birders) anywhere
else. All shorebirds were adults in molt to basic plumage--I saw no
juvenile Short-billed Dowitchers, which should be showing up soon.
The salinity level of lagoon must be increasing. I noticed the inlet west
of the spit is now almost covered with pickleweed and cordgrass has
appeared. I haven't birded the lagoon in fall in about two years but even
then pickleweed was spreading into areas that were easily-scoped mudflats
years ago. Back then there were brackish-water areas (probably runoff from
the former nursery to the south) with tules that had Marsh Wrens.
Geoff
Geoffrey L. Rogers
San Diego, CA
7-17-2008:
San Elijo Lagoon and Cardiff Beach
Greetings,
This morning at Cardiff Beach 3 Black Turnstones foraged with 5
Whimbrels. The trail leading north from the Rios cul-de-sac into
San Elijo Lagoon (to the double benches at the end of the "spit")
featured a Clapper Rail, 3 White-faced Ibis, 3 breeding plumaged
Black-bellied Plover, 30 Western Sandpipers. 10 Least Terns foraged
with the Forster's and a couple of Caspians. A mixed group of 20
adult and juv Northen Rough-winged Swallows were roosting on and
feeding around the snags out near the benches, the parents feeding
young both on the snag and on the fly.
W. Terry Hunefeld, Leucadia
Life is short.
Bird often.
Report your own sightings to sightings@SanElijo.org.
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Submit your photos to photos@SanElijo.org.
Two-striped garter snake (Photo by Ranger Rachel Carter)
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