2015 San Diego County Fair

I went to the county fair at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and, sure, I can show you all kinds of boring photos of the fairway, rides, shops, etc like I've done thousands of times in my articles. Sometimes, I'll take photos of the animals in the barns, too. There was no poultry show when I went, so I have no poultry photos like last year. There were so many people, that I couldn't get any good photos of themed performers. Instead, I'll show you some other boring photos from the fair.

I like to look at the birds at the infield pond. This year, like last year, the area was fenced off and there was no access, so I couldn't see much. I heard a killdeer and some stilts, but saw no chicks or nests like I have in previous years. I did see this little ruddy duckling with his mom. They're the little spot in this photo.

I also like to go see the horses. I take pictures to use as reference photos for when I want to do horse paintings. Here is an American mustang at the World of Horses:

There were several competitions at the Charity Horse Show in the arena, including a western riding competition.

This year's theme was the 100th anniversary of Balboa Park and the World Fair of 1915. I saw this poster for 1915 rules for teachers posted in the art gallery. It's probably the only thing you're allowed to take a picture of in there. They don't like people to take any pictures of anything inside most of the exhibits, except, maybe, the animal and fair theme exhibit.

That's all I got. I didn't find anything extra interesting to photograph like a butterfly show or the Beatles theme like last year. The lighting wasn't that good, either. Next week, it's supposed to be really sunny and warm, so it might be good if you want to take nice pictures during that time. It's basically the same fair as usual with the same vendors. The day I went, the small music shows were good, but I didn't go to the grandstand shows.

The fair runs until July 5th and is closed every Monday. Be sure to arrive early, preferably on a weekday. I would recommend parking at the horse park as the parking in the fairground parking lot costs a lot of money. Plus, they drop you off right at the entrance.

Count birds on Saturday and a word about Chollas Lake

Global Big Day:

So, apparently tomorrow is some kind of global bird counting day. It is hoped that everyone around the world will count birds tomorrow. It's called the Global Big Day and it's also a fundraiser for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. It's a lot like the Great Backyard Bird Count. Click on that link and it will take you to a page where you can submit your data.



International Migratory Bird Day:

Head on out to the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve tomorrow, May 9th,  for fun activities for the whole family at their visitor's center. They're located at 301 Caspian Way in Imperial Beach. They will have birdwatching tours, educational games and activities for adults and children. It's a nice reserve with lots of interesting native plants and animals.

May 16th, Explore Mission Trails Day:

Mission Trails Regional Park will have a ton of activities all over the park for Explore Mission Trails Day next Saturday, May 16th.. Most of the activities will either be at the visitor's center at 1 Junipero Serra Way, East Fortuna Staging Area, or Kumeyaay Lake Campground.  Your kids can ride a pony, get a close-up look at raptors and do crafts. There are also several walks, including a birding walk and a starlight walk. It runs mostly from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with the night-time activities at Kumeyaay Lake starting at 7 p.m. Call the Mission Trails Regional Park for more details at 619-668-3281.

A word about Chollas Lake:

Recently, news stories have started jumping on the city for dumping water into Chollas Lake. For those who don't know, Chollas Lake is a small pond that used to be a fully functioning reservoir. Currently, kids under 15 fish there and there's camps for underprivileged children and other activities. The residential area nearby is an ethnically diverse, low income area. It's an extremely nice park and it's extremely nice to have a park like that in a low income area. 

The news media is making out that they're only dumping water into the lake so that people can fish. Trust me, it's not a prime fishing spot. But, it's nice for the kids. It's also home to dozens of domestic waterfowl who can't travel anywhere if the lake were to dry up. They would have to be re-homed or even euthanized if that lake dried up. I'm sure the staff there would do their best to get them new homes if that happens, but I don't think that all of them will be able to be able to be rehomed. Other wildlife may also suffer as other areas get drier and drier.

Chollas Lake is also a backup source for water to put out brush fires in the area. And, it can still function as a backup reservoir. The problem is that, I guess, a lot of it evaporates and those eucalyptus trees suck up a lot of water. I say that they need to do more research on this instead of criticizing the situation and making it look like a bunch of privileged people are being selfish.

Baby news, Ternwatchers, and people stealing wildlife

Gosling at Lake Murray

Sorry that it's been a while since I last posted. I've been dealing with other writing gigs and the like. Anyway, before I get started with a little news of what's going around San Diego and SoCal, I would like to make an announcement. If you enjoy researching birds and want to help with predator abatement of one of the world's cutest chicks, then you might want to be a Ternwatcher for San Diego Audubon. This program monitors and records predator interaction at the least tern nesting sites in Mission Bay. You can apply here. I am going to apply even though I am still having a hard time watching cute baby animals get eaten. I just witness a bunch of adorable ducklings at Lake Murray getting slaughtered by the herons. Plus, one of them was eating live squirrels, too. It's really hard to watch, especially when they're cute. Also, killdeer nest there, too, and I might faint if I see one of their babies carried off.

Speaking of baby animals, there are several baby goslings at Lake Murray right now and more of them on the way. All the babies from last year, now teenagers, are still hanging around, not knowing what to do. One of the babies, which was returned to the lake by Project Wildlife after it had disappeared last year, seems to have already found a mate for next breeding season. There are also baby squirrels at the lake, too, and about 30 ducklings have also made an appearance so far, but almost all of them have been eaten by herons and cormorants. But, more are to come.

What's up with people stealing wildlife, lately? Not only did I see a guy grab a nearly grown Canada goose at Lake Murray recently, but someone stole a baby seal in Los Angeles lately. I mean, seriously, what would someone want with a seal? The perps apparently harassed the mother and tried to grab both her babies, but the other one got away. I sure hope the baby they stole is doing OK because baby seals need a specialize diet and care. I can understand why people steal ducks and geese, but a seal has no useful purpose. 

If you love seeing the wildlife, don't take it with you. Let it be and you can enjoy it for the rest of its life.

Police searching for missing SDSU student at Lake Murray

Update: Right as I was posting this, they announced they found his body. Apparently, they found him while I was there, but I had left before they brought him out.

Many people who read my other blogs know that I frequent Lake Murray here in San Diego. I guess on Thursday morning, a set of clothes and other personal effects were found on the round concrete structure near the Kiowa Drive entrance. After searching all over the lake for the owner of these items, the police were called. There is currently a search going on.

Just to let you know, there is officially no fishing or any boat launching until the police are done in the area. They have the area completely closed off around the docks.

I don't know how much I want to say, but they are searching all areas of the lake, but are focusing just to the east of the booms at the dam and maybe near the dam.

The 18 year old man was a student at SDSU and did not show up to class on Thursday. Most of the school has been doing mid-terms all the last week as next week is Spring Break. One TV station has released his name and shown a picture of him, but I can't remember his name. But, I do know that he's from San Jose. His parents are very concerned about him and say he may have been under stress. According to some of the local media, a suicide note mentioning water and the lake was found.

There is talk by non-participants and observers that this might be a hoax. I think it might be wishful thinking. Bits and pieces are coming out through the media that indicate that this is something serious.

If you go to the lake, be aware that you may not be able to access certain areas or may be told to stay out of certain areas. Also, the noise from search helicopters is pretty loud. The helicopters were creating a wind that even blew a mother duck's tiny baby ducklings around.

Birdy weekend with a bird festival

OK, it's the weekend again!  And, it's birdy and the weather is awesome! If you want to help the least tern and visit an island in Mission Bay that you usually can't visit, then contact Christina Hirt of the San Diego Audubon Society at hirt@sandiegoaudubon.org or call 858-273-7800 x106 ASAP.

Basically, what you will be doing is removing trash and invasive plants from FAA island on Mission Bay. It's a known least tern nesting area that has been having some success since it started to be maintained. The event takes place THIS SUNDAY, March 8th, probably in the morning. You have to contact Christina to find out the time and location of where the boat will pick you up. Once you are there, you can't leave until everyone's done, which will be in about three hours. There's no restroom or anything you can use as a restroom, so don't drink any coffee or juice that morning. But, do bring a water bottle and sunscreen.

Unfortunately, I've been sick a lot lately and haven't had the energy to work on the least tern sites this year. But, I may go to the San Diego Bird Festival at Mariner's Point. This year, not only Sunday set aside as a family fun day, THE WHOLE WEEKEND is going to have free family-friendly events. Friday and Saturday's free events go on throughout the day. There will be a couple of free bird walks in the area as well as kid's art classes, a class on attracting birds to your garden, and an expo with optics and live birds. On Sunday, most activities start around noon, but the 'Big Sit' along the bicycle path starts early in the morning. There are some events that might require a fee.

The Big Sit bird numbers around mid-day last year

Mission Trails Regional Park will have an art reception on Saturday, March 7th from 1-4 p.m. in their visitor's center. They are currently exhibiting work for the Pastel Society of San Diego. They are located at 1 Junipero Serra Trail near Mission Gorge Road.

Unfortunately, I posted too late for an upcoming hike on March 7th from 9 AM to 1 PM at the Rancho Jamul Ecological Reserve. They required RSVPs on March 5th, so it's too late to reserve a spot. I'm just mentioning it because I want people to be informed about the Reserve and keep their eyes open for the next hike. They usually have a hike at least once a month. They're located in Southeast-Central San Diego County (east of Spring Valley). If you want to ask what hikes they will be having next time, call 619-654-3793.

GBBC, Weekend to-dos in San Diego, and the Chargers

I happened to get extremely ill last weekend, so I had to limit some of the bird counting for the Great Backyard Bird Count. I did see some interesting birds, but the only unusual one I saw was a cackling goose at Chollas Lake:

In the South Bay, I saw a bunch of shorebirds, too!

Shorebirds in the South Bay

This weekend, San Diego Audubon will have what might be the last Salt Works tour of the year. They close it down during the summer so that the birds can breed in peace. There is a long tour of about four hours and five miles long. And, a short tour which could last up to three hours. Once you go in, you can't leave until the tour is over unless it's an emergency. Though kids are welcome, it's not recommended. My experience has been that kids under 10 or 12 tend to get bored and restless as the pace is slow. They also must stay with the group and can't run ahead or stop to play anywhere.

It might be canceled due to the predicted rain this weekend. You can call Peter Thomas at 858-571-5076 for more information. The good thing is that it doesn't start until Noon, so you don't have to get up early for this one. Meet at the gate on Bay Boulevard south of Palomar Street in Chula Vista. Be sure not to be late or you may get locked out.

The Chargers: You may have heard about the Chargers bombshell when they said they've been working out a plan with the Raiders to move to Carson City in the L.A. area. The people in Carson act like it's a done deal and somehow have a plan that involves no public money. Mayor Faulconer here in San Diego is a bit upset because they've been working on negotiating with the Chargers for about nine months now and he says he never knew about these plans.

A lot of people here in San Diego aren't happy with this sudden move. I'm wondering why the same deal can't be worked out here. The only thing I can think of is that it requires the co-operation of another team and San Diego is not a two-team town. So, that means that either the city or the Chargers will have to use their own money.

I love the Chargers, but, I don't think the city should shell out a lot of money for a new stadium considering the team and the NFL make a lot more money.

Now on Examiner.com

I did two articles there recently:

Large Number of Band-tailed pigeons dying

and

Sea Lion Pups Stranding Themselves in Record Numbers

Don't forget the Great Backyard Bird Count is this weekend!

This is an osprey photo I took in 2011. I even did the GBBC back then.

February 13-16, 2015 is the Great Backyard Bird Count. This is a less formal bird count than the Christmas Bird Count which happens in December. Despite the name, you don't just have to count in your backyard, but you can if you want.

I plan to count somewhere for each day of the count. I like to do Lake Murray, around my home, Chollas Lake and somewhere in the South Bay. If you decide to count, try to pick an area where you are less likely to see people counting the birds. Be sure to count for at least fifteen minutes (of course you can count for longer periods).  You can sit by your window and watch birds come to your feeder if you like. After you count, go to the GBBC site and enter them on eBird through their link for them to count  If you're not familiar with eBird, visit the site and familiarize yourself with it.

It's important to get out there and represent San Diego with a high number of bird species. San Diego, and California, usually have some of the highest species numbers in the nation during the GBBC.  Some of the areas which may need some counters are the more remote areas of the desert and mountains. If you are planning to hike around this weekend, perhaps bring your bird journal with you so you can count the birds. Also, urban areas such as mid-city and southeast San Diego may also need counter. Southeast San Diego has a lot of birds, actually.

Don't worry if you don't know how to identify every bird you see. Just do the best you can.