Trip to my spot

I went up to San Jacinto after lunch. After a series of meh sort of trips this one really hit home! More hawks and raptors at one time than I can remember, at least for the last few years.

When I arrived the first thing I saw was this peregrine falcon on a pole and I knew that I would have a great day!

It was a perfect sunny day with perfect conditions. The peregrine falcon you see on top and bottom I was lucky enough to catch in an evening silhouette before I drove home!

Just what the doctor ordered.

Although I saw no eagles or owls yesterday, I did see a lark bunting, my first. 

I thought it was a strange phoebe at first but later after talking to Dr. Tony Meltcalf realized what I had actually seen.

I managed to take a wonderful hike on the loop, saw the vermilion pair and some warblers, both yellow rumped and orange crowned.

Just a perfect day. Lots of ducks, no bugs. A little mud but nothing terrible.

One of the highlights was watching the kites in the hovering display called "kiting."

I don't have time to do a lot of shpieling today so the pictures will have to take the place of words. This is a fraction of what I saw.

Enjoy.

kestrel

this coyote was in the field at the hunt club

yellow and red headed blackbirds

loggerhead shrike

female northern harrier

vermilion male, slightly out of range

Coots and shovelers

snowy egret

white tailed kite

red tailed

red shouldered

vermilion male, juvenile

peregrine falcon