San Diego has quite a bit going for it. There are stunning seashores, a plethora of wonderful meals and drinks, a mess of household enjoyable areas, a world-renowned zoo, and one of many largest birding festivals within the US. My household visited San Diego yearly as a part of a Disneyland-SoCal Highway journey to flee the wet Christmases at residence close to Portland, Oregon. We might stroll the Pacific Seaside promenade, see Shamu at Sea World (that is earlier than Blackfish, thoughts you), and pattern scrumptious Mexican meals in Outdated City San Diego.
My relationship with San Diego has developed since turning into a birder. In our early birding days, Erik and I had one among our most hilarious bird-related fights whereas a flotilla of geese in Mission Bay yelling at one another about discipline marks earlier than realizing we have been two totally different geese. On one other journey, a couple of birders by accident woke us up as they have been staking out a vagrant Prothonotary Warbler which occurred to be final seen in a tree simply above our tent. So, it has gone from a wonderful place for a quick respite from the Pacific Northwest to a premier birding location that we have been fortunate sufficient to weasel a recurring guiding spot on the San Diego Birding Pageant, securing our likelihood to get a little bit vitamin D after we want it essentially the most.
Every year, the San Diego Audubon Society hosts their annual birding competition within the third week of February. With all kinds of discipline journeys, wonderful guides, and a strong vendor expo, it’s no marvel that it attracts so many birders. The competition headquarters is situated on the southwest facet of Mission Bay, overlooking a marina with close by Black-crowned Night time Herons and incessantly performs host to a number of falcon species, and a brief stroll to the San Diego River. This makes it a chief spot for bicycle-birding, our area of interest on the competition. Using round Mission Bay and again to the headquarters alongside the San Diego River can garner us about sixty-five species over the 10-mile bike experience. Granted, it’s a giant county spanning many various habitats, however San Diego County garners 515 species.
A number of issues that I like about San Diego is that the group couldn’t be higher. There’s a main airport close to downtown AND that main airport occurs to be one of many best airports to navigate. It’s in a significant metro space with many eating places and resort choices. Lastly, implausible birding websites are usually not an enormous distance away. The Salton Sea might be one of many furthest locations you may contemplate visiting whereas there and it’s roughly a 2 ½ hour drive from San Diego – which many birders may contemplate a day journey.
Though my birding is normally restricted to a motorbike experience round Mission Bay on my annual journey to San Diego, we handle to squeeze in some visits to different birding websites, eat tasty meals, and pattern the cocktail and beer scene. Listed below are a couple of of my favourite gems that you simply may contemplate testing.
Mission Bay affords over a dozen miles of pedestrian entry alongside its shores. Traditionally, it was an enormous marshland full of shallow waters, a plethora of waders and shorebirds, and tall grasses. Humankind has since modified the panorama right into a leisure wonderland with open water for boating, fishing, and jet skis with an expansive spoils pile on the south facet known as Fiesta Island that has entry for off-leash canine, seaside recreation, and extra. Efforts have been made to return Mission Bay to its wildlife roots which will be witnessed from the Kendall-Frost Marsh Protect on the northwest nook with a number of businesses working to replant and handle for wildlife, together with the Ridgway’s Rail. We usually discover Snowy Egrets, scope out Brant, and shorebirds.
By bicycle, the route round Mission Bay might take hours with common stops for birding. Considered one of my favourite stops is alongside the San Diego River the place you may see Little Blue Heron, all three usually occurring teal species, and a wide range of shorebirds relying on the tide stage. Just lately, there was a Burrowing Owl hanging round that’s simple to identify amongst the riprap close to the river mouth.
San Elijo Lagoon is a county park north of San Diego and is without doubt one of the area’s largest wetlands. At slightly below 1,000 acres of reserve property with a number of habitat sorts, it hosts a range of vegetation and animals. The paths range from boardwalks alongside the tidally influenced estuary to slim canyons to hikes by way of scrub. Because it flows into the Pacific Ocean, the twice-daily tide combats the freshwater drained by way of the rain-fed creeks and different drainage. Though the property has seen human impacts, there have been latest efforts to enhance water high quality and restore this necessary habitat.
Whether or not you need a brief stroll or an extended hike, San Elijo Wetland can provide that. After I visited, it was wet and a trek by way of a probably slippery canyon appeared like I’d find yourself within the hospital, so we ventured alongside the raised boardwalk. A number of rain showers handed which precipitated us to run for the character middle and canopy. In between showers, we have been capable of go examine a bit and we discovered a couple of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, fishing Osprey, and chickadees.
La Jolla Cove has quite a bit occurring. Multi-million-dollar houses, fancy eating places, rugged swimming, California sea lions, and close-up seems at some birds. The cove itself is a small seaside surrounded by sandstone cliffs and a pure platform the place the ocean lions haul out. As you strategy, the mixed odor of seabird excrement and sea lions fills the air.
The La Jolla Cove is a superb hotspot for all. Not solely are you able to see cormorants, turnstones, and pelicans up shut and private, however as it’s on some extent, it’s a great place to scope out pelagic species. In addition to birds, there’s fascinating geology, simply viewable wildlife, and a mess of different sights that may curiosity the non-wildlife lovers at your occasion.
San Diego has a lot to see and do. There’s a range of city birding websites that provide you with a glimpse of the wild in amongst the hustle and bustle of one among California’s most various cities and give you the benefit of doing a little bit birding on non-birding journeys. Each time I go to, there’s something new to discover, and retains me coming again for extra. What are a few of your favourite San Diego city birding websites?
