Visiting the San Diego area for a conference last week, I snuck away one afternoon to check out the birds at the Cabrillo National Monument. The site is at the very tip of Point Loma which forms one side of the San Diego Bay and is edged by the Pacific Ocean on the other.
A historic lighthouse and a monument to Juan Rodriguez Castillo, a Spanish explorer who made the first documented European landing on the California coast in 1542, are prominent features. There are several miles of walking trails, a visitor center and a military museum. These are all ADA accessible. However, the tidal pools are by their nature very uneven and caution may be necessary for those with mobility issues.
The land is covered by coastal scrub providing prime habitat for native birds. The cliffs and tidal pools also provide a home and food for the seabirds.
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I only had time to get some birding in and make a quick visit to the visitor center. After entering the park, I headed down to the tidal pool area. As my arthritic knees reacted very poorly to the damp atmosphere, I didn’t attempt to walk down the path to the tidal pools.
Unfortunately, the marine fog did not burn off, it was overcast all day long, making photography difficult at times. Birds could be seen on both the Bay and the Ocean sides of the peninsula. Using a viewing spot on a bluff overlooking the ocean, I saw lots of pelicans, gulls and cormorants.
Plenty of seals could be seen. With a major kelp bed just offshore, the seals had an abundant food source.
I added two new birds to my life list at the monument: the California Thrasher and the Spotted Towhee.
Here are a few of the other birds that can be seen on the slopes and ridges of the monument:
Saw this little guy near the Cabrillo monument.
On the way back to my hotel, I decided to check out the Kendall Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve off of Crown Point Drive. I couldn’t go in, so I took what I could from the sidewalk next to the reserve. I added another bird to my list, the Common Tern.
Finally, I had a free hour to explore the grounds of the conference, Paradise Point Resort on Vacation Island in the middle of Mission Bay. They had a colony of Black-Capped Night Herons and a number of other birds residing around a large lagoon.
As I had dinner on the patio with friends we saw a GBH hanging around the trash cans. A short time later we saw him fish a hamburger patty out of a can and fly away.
Here are few other residents living in and around the lagoon.
I also saw birds usually gulls on the bay waters but I didn’t have my camera except once.
As I drove up to the lobby to check out, I noticed a pair of gulls on top of the 10-foot high fountain that sits in front of the main pool and front desk. They were nest building in front of the busiest building and area on the resort.
While I was happy I visited Cabrillo, I never had a chance to check out the 4 or 5 estuaries that exist up the coast. They are potential sites for my next trip whenever that may happen.
One more hot day in the 90s, then temps are expected to be in the 80s for the rest of the week.
What’s up in your neck of the woods?