Checking on the Lagoon

I have not gone to the Nature Center at San Elijo Lagoon in awhile because all the construction has kept many of the birds away. Last night, I checked on Al's photo site http://www.pbase.com/albutler/image/167065569 and saw a shot of a hummer's nest with a newborn. Hummingbirds nests are always exciting to find so I decided to go and try to find the hummingbird nest for myself.

It was late morning and the weather was cool and crisp. Sunny with few clouds. I wanted to take a few shots of the construction and dredging that is going on at the lagoon. It will be quite a while before things get back to normal. 

Closer look to the south.

Looking southwest.

Looking west from the nature center.

Walking to the south end of the trail, I spot three male Buffleheads in the middle of the tide channel. These were the only water birds I got today. They were as close as I could get. Some Lesser Scaups were spotted but much too far for photos.

Walking past the boardwalk, I spot a female Mallard duck in the shallow pond.

I follow the nature walk east but find nothing to photograph. Spotted a Sora but it was only an instant before he disappeared into the dense foliage. Here, I came across a little lizard sunning himself.

Making a U-turn and heading back to the boardwalk, constantly looking for the hummingbird's nest, I did find what appeared to be a freshly pecked out hollow in a tree trunk. Looks like the woodpeckers have been busy.

Reaching the boardwalk, I slow down to inspect all the nearby branches to see if I can spot a nest. Bingo, I found one!

As always, it is the mom hummingbird sitting in the nest. This is a female Anna's Hummingbird. Only the females make the nest and brood the eggs. Males have nothing to do after the breeding. The female does all the work of caring for the baby birds.

It appears that she is fixing the nest but I can't be sure. This may be a feeding but I think it's nest trimming. So I believe she is still incubating her eggs but will watch longer to see if there is any sign of a feeding.

I waited and watched her leave for awhile. She came back and settled into the nest but did not feed. She flew in and out several times and each time she just sat back into the nest with no sign of feeding chicks. I do notice that she is sitting high in the nest which may indicate that there is a hatching going on.

Time to go and check out the east side of the lagoon on the Solana Beach side at the Santa Carina trail. Hope to come back soon and check on the progress of this nest.

Arriving at the Santa Carina trailhead. I notice a male Anna's Hummingbird alert and defending his territory. What a handsome hummer.

Walking towards the lookout, I spot a female Northern Harrier gliding and inspecting the area. Here, she swoops towards me for a quick shot.

Gliding by riding the wind.  Harriers have a distinctive facial "disk", a circle of pale feathers around the face which is almost owl-like.

These harriers are so graceful when they fly. It's much like watching a giant butterfly. They are just beautiful to observe. The streaking on the breast and lack of rufous tones on the underside are what suggest this is an adult female rather than the similar looking immature harrier.  She flies east and I walk on.

I spot another Harrier. Probably another female with all that dark streaking. I'm shooting into the sun here.

Gliding by.

And soon joined by another Harrier. On this bird, you can see a few new tail feathers growing out. You can also see the white rump patch which appears on all harriers.  A helpful field mark!

Sun filtering through the wings and tail.

A beautiful sight.

One last shot of this beauty and it's time to head for home.

On my way back to the trailhead, I spot a female American Kestrel. She appears to be scanning the area for prey from high on this dead snag.

Close up. Well, it's always good to see raptors on a walk. You can be sure that if you go to Santa Carina trail, you are very likely to see at least one raptor, if not many more. Good birding to you!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!