ROGUE WOMAN: Nerdy Birdy: San Jacinto Wildlife Area

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Nerdy Birdy: San Jacinto Wildlife Area

Day one of my trip and my first stop was San Jacinto Wildlife Area a preserve teaming with tons of birds. I was literally in HEAVEN here. I hiked for a good three or four hours around some of the ponds. I tried for a long time AGAIN to get those dang swallows, which were everywhere. I managed to get quazi decent shots but this is definitely something I am going to have to practice more. And when I got home I found out that this was a new bird HURAH!

403.BARN SWALLOW

I found a new bird, the Bullock’s Oriole which I spent FOREVER trying to get a decent shot of. He would just not cooperate and come out into the open for a clear shot. Just when I was about to give up he hopped up onto this broken branch, grasped the twig above him with his claw and went to town trying to get the bugs off. At least this pose gave me a pretty clear view of this gorgeous bird.

580.BULLOCKS ORIOLE

In the city I don’t get a very often look at the Red Winged Blackbird but at this location they were EVERYWHERE, and really I mean everywhere. When I got to this field of yellow flowers I knew it would be a perfect backdrop for the black bird and his beautiful colored wing points.

557.RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

580.RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

There was a wonderful drive around the park where you could bird from the comfort of your car. This was the first time I actually have been able to use the car as a blind (which is suggested by many books because birds have learned to ignore cars for the most part). The road meandered through the park past a ton of low marshes and ponds. The results were amazing in that I could get very close to the birds without scaring them.

189. LEAST SANDPIPER

162.GREATER YELLOWLEGS

162.GREATER YELLOWLEGS

178.MARBLED GODWIT

203.WILSONS SNIPE

Although I did not find any nests full of adorable baby birds at this park I did find many birds gathering nesting materials like this busy female Red Winged Blackbird.

580.FEMALE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

580.FEMALE RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

Aside from the awesome birding here the scenery was breathtaking, particularly in spring with the abundance of flowers everywhere. I will be coming back here again for sure.