It was quite foggy at the beach when leaving my house but
as I drove towards Rancho Santa Fe it was clear and bright... hoping that the
weather would be nice and bird subjects plentiful at Lake
Cuyamaca!
To park at Lake Cuyamaca you need to purchase a parking
ticket at the Bait and Tackle store. It costs $8.00 for all day parking. If you
want to go fishing ... you have to pay more. I quickly
got my ticket and drove to the far south of the parking lot to the right of the
docks. The weather was perfect and the lake was filled with water birds. I got a
shot of a group of Ruddy Ducks still sleeping with a few American Coots
sprinkled in.
Just spotting four Canvasbacks swimming nervously at the
south end of the lake made this one and a half hour drive worth it!
Walking down towards the lake, I find a coarsely
constructed 3 x 6 ft. bench with plywood shade and decide it would be a good place
for me to sit quietly to see the Bald
Eagles if they decide to make an appearance. The sun was just coming up over the
tallest trees of the center island (peninsula). Watching the Great Egret fish in front of my bench... I snap a shot
as he catches a morning snack.
Something spooks the coots. They are frantically running up the
center of the lake but reluctant to fly.
Now the Canvasbacks are in the air.
Here is the reason why... a Bald Eagle makes an
appearance! It is amazing that I searched the sky for almost an hour and didn't
see the Eagle approach but the Coots knew right away when one entered the Lake
area.
Wow, what a treat, there are two Bald Eagles in the Lake
Cuyamaca grounds, as one lands on a tall pine tree across the way on the island.
Only when they perch together can you see which is the male and which is the
female. Females can be up to 25 to 30% bigger than the males. I believe this is
the bonded pair that the locals talked about last year. The one just landed is
much bigger so I am pretty sure it is the female.The male is to the left in this photo with head bowed...
showing his non-aggressive posture towards his mate.
The female soon scoots over next to the male and both
vocalize a greeting call to each other as well as announce to anyone in hearing
distance this is their territory
and don't mess with them. The calls go on for a while and soon they fly West
probably to survey the rest of their territory. This photo really shows the
difference in the size between the male and the female!
Watching the pair of Bald Eagles was exciting but now I
want to get a few close-up shots of the Ruby-crowned Kinglets so I walk back towards the parking lot and spot a
bird I have never seen before. It's a OMG moment for me as I click the camera and get as many photos as
possible as he is creeping around the bark of a nearby tree. It is a Red-breasted Sapsucker! Wow, what a beauty! A
life bird for me and what a amazing looking bird this is!
The Sapsucker drills holes in trees to tap the tree for
sap. When the holes fill with tree sap... they come and visit their little wells
to feed on the tree sap. This one is looking for one of its holes
that has filled with tree sap.
Found one!
The tree sap is like nectar and many times the
hummingbirds will follow the Sapsucker to their wells to benefit from the honey
like tree sap.Trying for a closer shot, the Sapsucker hears me stepping
on a dead branch. It snaps as I inch my way closer... and this Sapsucker decides
to fly off into the dense brush nearby.
Disappointed but soon my attention goes to this little
guy close by. This is a little Oak Titmouse... "Baeolophus inornatus".
They are 5.75 inches long with a wing span of 9 inches. This one appears to be a juvenile with a short crest on
its head. A adult will have a full pointed crest which is easy to spot.
Hoping to spot the Sapsucker again, I station myself next
to a large poplar tree with tables and chairs to wait and see if it
makes another appearance. A very experienced birder told me that
the littler critters like to hang out in a particular area and they will
re-visit
the area, you just have to be patient. But there are
dozens and dozens of Ruby-crowned Kinglets fluttering overhead to keep me
entertained.
These Kinglets are insect eaters and hover and skip from
branch to branch gleaning insects off leaves and branches.
I spot a second life bird today or at least I thought so for a while thinking it may be a Myrtle Yellow-rumped
Warbler. The throat is definitely pale white-ish. But the pale throat dosen't seem to wrap around the back of auriculars... so this may just be wishful thinking on my part.
Some wing movement gets my attention and there is my
3rd life bird that I spot today!! It is a Red-naped
Sapsucker! I keep watching and snapping with my camera but soon he goes out
of the clearing and disappears behind thick branches and foliage.
A very familiar bird comes out into the clearing and into
my camera sights... it appears to be a female Nuttall's Woodpecker.
This tree is amazing!
I find the Red-naped Sapsucker in my camera sights again but he
soon departs.
But wait... the Red-naped Sapsucker lands nearby and I get one more photo
before he moves on to another part of the huge tree.
Well, finally my patience has paid off! The
Red-breasted Sapsucker makes a brief appearance on the
huge poplar tree that is only about 15 feet away and I get one more shot before he
departs... and it is time for me to head for home. What an
incredible day it has
been for me. Wow, photographing these birds I have never seen before makes today a fantastic
outing!
Have a great week everyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment