It was a beautiful day in the valley yesterday! The San Pasqual Valley has a lot to offer, being part of the San Dieguito Watershed, close to Safari Park; plus, there are grasslands and agricultural fields nearby. The Santa Maria and Santa Ysabel Creeks, just to the north of our route, provide great habitat for our summer breeders like Hooded and Bullock’s Oriole, the Black-headed, and also Blue Grosbeak, and the Yellow-breasted Chat, which were among the colorful and thrilling birds that we saw. One Bell’s Vireo made itself known only by its song.

There were also a few other special treats. Paul and Tom shared with us their scope views of two Golden Eagles atop a cliff face looking down upon us. We also had good views of a White-tailed Kite in flight, as well as three Wild Turkeys, one male in full display. Cactus Wrens were busy in the re-established Opuntia patch (prickly pear) and were quite cooperative and photogenic. There was a brief glimpse of a Common Ground Dove which is a rarity in the county, but known to be occasionally seen in this valley.

We found temperatures in the high 60s upon arrival, and it remained steady in the mid-70s with partly cloudy skies throughout most of our walk, making for a very pleasant day. Fifty-eight species were found, and about 161 individuals were counted.

Thank you all for your contributions, and special thanks to Steve for your expertise and for managing our eBird checklist along with those taking photos to document our sightings and enhance our experience.

Please check out our eBird checklist below.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S340420471

Bird On!

Thank you.

Mary Jo Hayes

Escondido, CA

Palomar Audubon Society

Palomar Audubon Society

PAS Field Trip Report: San Pasqual Valley

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