Great Blue Heron photo by Ru Zhou

Birders,
It was a pretty quiet morning at the cemetery except for the numerous Acorn Woodpeckers, Western Bluebirds and Cassin’s Kingbirds. We missed a couple of the usual suspects, the Great Horned Owl and Red-tailed Hawk.
I think most, if not all, of the participants would agree that the highlight of the morning was seeing a Great Blue Heron hunting in a nearby field, catching a gopher and swallowing it whole. A picture should be submitted soon. We had a scope on the whole event. Lots of fun. The Roadrunner and two Kestrels hawking insects were a close second and third.

Happy birding,
Sally Sanderson

p.s. After the walk a few of us went to Kit Carson Park’s Sand Lake aka Eagle Scout Lake looking for the Black-throated Magpie Jay. We dipped on that.

Oak Hill Memorial Park (SDCo), San Diego, California, US
Sep 7, 2019 8:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s)
Comments: This was a Palomar Audubon sponsored walk. The weather was still, humid and hot as the morning progressed.

26 species

Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) X
Greater Roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) 1
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) X
Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Acorn Woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) 30
Nuttall’s Woodpecker (Dryobates nuttallii) 2
American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) 2
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) 8
Cassin’s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) 8
Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) 1
California Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma californica) 1
American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) 8
Oak Titmouse (Baeolophus inornatus) 2
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) 12
White-breasted Nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis) 2
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) 1
European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) 1
Western Bluebird (Sialia mexicana) 14
Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata) 10
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) 8
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) X
Chipping Sparrow (Spizella passerina) 2
Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) 4
California Towhee (Melozone crissalis) 1