Palomar Audubon Society Field Trip Report – August 16, 2025

Seventeen birders joined our outing on August 16, 2025, to Cuyamaca Rancho State Park’s Stonewall Mine Trail and Lake Cuyamaca. It was a beautiful day in the mountains, with pleasant sunshine and a refreshing breeze that stayed with us throughout the trip.

Along the Stonewall Mine Trail, the group observed 23 species. We saw many Acorn Woodpeckers, Mountain Chickadees, and Lark Sparrows, along with other favorites. Later, at Lake Cuyamaca, we added 27 more species, bringing our total for the day to an impressive 50 species.

Highlights included Wild Turkeys, several Band-tailed Pigeons, a Solitary Sandpiper, and the always-exciting sight of a Bald Eagle. One of the more challenging moments came when we worked together to identify an immature Orange-crowned Warbler — a good exercise in careful observation and collaboration!

It was a wonderful day of birding, and everyone appreciated the camaraderie and the chance to spend a summer morning outdoors enjoying the birds.

As always, thanks go to Steve Ellis for compiling our eBird list and to our talented photographers!

— Report by Hal Benham, trip leader

Here is the link to the 3 ebird checklists. If you click on the box at the top that says

“checklists” you can then click on each individual checklist and see the pictures in

them.

Steve Ellis