The Birds of Lake Hodges and Kit Carson Park - December

The area of California I most often find myself in lately is in San Diego County.  If you know anything about California; you know that it is in the southernmost part of the state, close to Mexico and snuggled up next to the Pacific Ocean.  While I have far better reasons for being there than bird watching; I do enjoy the times I get to go out and take a look see. The two main places I visit with Barbara, are Kit Carson Park and Lake Hodges.  I actually scored three more life birds on this trip; the Gilded flicker, California quail, and the Orange-crowned warbler!

KIT CARSON PARK

Indians of the acorn culture were the first inhabitants of Kit Carson Park.  Long before the arrival of the first Europeans, California was the home to an extremely diverse variety of Indian cultures.  The California culture area has the widest variety of native languages, ecological settings, and house types of any North American culture area.  One of the mainstays of the diet for the region was the acorn which was used in soup, porridge, and bread.  Sixteen different species of oak provided the acorns. Because of the nutrition provided by acorns, the Native American people in California did not develop agriculture.

Acorns contributed to the fact that California peoples did not experience annual famine months or develop traditions or legends dealing with famine.  It is estimated that among one tribe, the Yokut, a typical family consumed 1,000 to 2,000 pounds of acorns each year.  This would clearly explain the presence of one of both of our favorite birds; the Acorn woodpecker.  It is a clown-faced western woodpecker with a complicated social structure, living in small colonies. It is best known for its habit of hoarding acorns: the birds drill small holes in a dead snag (5’ to 60’ above the ground), then harvest the long acorns nearby in the fall and store them in these holes to be eaten during winter.  Such a "granary tree" may be used for generations and may be riddled with up to 50,000 holes. Nesting is a group activity, with several adults (up to 12 or more) taking part in incubating the eggs and feeding the young in a single nest.

The park was named after Christopher (Kit) Carson, the famous scout who guided Captain John C. Fremont over the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a government exploration expedition. The park sits in a valley that is approximately five miles west of where Kit Carson fought in the Battle of San Pasqual.  A historical monument commemorating the battle is located on Mule Hill, one mile southeast of the park.

Now HERE'S an "odd duck!"

The City of Escondido acquired the land for its largest regional park from the City of San Diego in 1967. One hundred acres of the park have been developed and 185 acres have been preserved as natural habitat. The newest addition to Kit Carson Park is Queen Califia's Magical Circle, the only American sculpture garden by the internationally acclaimed artist, Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002).

LAKE HODGES

Lake Hodges is a long, winding lake in Escondido about 30 miles north of downtown San Diego. Hodges is known for great bass and crappie fishing.  Lake Hodges was formed by the completion of the Hodges Dam in 1918. Colonel Ed Fletcher, a major mover and shaker in the development of San Diego, led the projects.  Hodges Dam was named after a vice president of the Santa Fe Railroad who made the necessary financing for the construction of the dam. The dam consisted of 23 reinforced concrete arches, each spanning 24 feet.  The cost of the dam was about $630,000.  (That’s nearly 10 million dollars in today’s dollars!)

The reservoir is fed by San Dieguito Creek and features one of the largest watersheds of all the local reservoirs. The San Dieguito River Valley, occupied for centuries by the Kumeyaay people, was also home to earlier Native Americans – the Harris Site located downstream from the Lake Hodges Dam dates back to as early as 7000 B.C. – and when surveying was completed back in 1916 and construction began on the Lake Hodges Dam, there were documented protests of Indian tribe warnings about a river creature.   The “San Diego Union” newspaper ascribed it to attempts to stop the project.

Drifting along with the
tumbling tumbleweeds

The city of San Diego purchased Lake Hodges in 1925 and continues to operate it today.  When full, the reservoir has 1,234 acres (4.99 km2), a maximum water depth of 115 feet (35 m), and 27 miles (43 km) of shoreline.  Interstate 15 crosses Lake Hodges via the Lake Hodges Bridge. 

Approximately 1,000 feet (300 m) west of the I-15 freeway bridge is a bicycle/pedestrian bridge which opened on May 15, 2009 under the (then) governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger and is the longest stressed ribbon bridge in the world.  The San Dieguito Water District has grown by leaps and bounds since the installation of its first four meters in 1923. Today, the District provides approximately 2 billion gallons of potable water and 162 million gallons of recycled water annually to over 38,000 citizens. The land around the water provides some of the west's most diverse bird populations.

BIRD IMAGES BELOW

Cassin's Kingbird singing at dusk in the waning sunlight

A Great egret sits in a tree at Lake Hodges, CA

American crows fly to a dirt pile in search of insects

A Ring-necked duck floats quietly on the pond at Kit Carson

Here's an American coot with a white snoot

A Snowy egret shows off its yellow feet

This American coot shows off its HUGE feet

A female Belted Kingfisher contemplates her options

This American widgeon likes to swim

A House finch stays in the shrubs for safety

Here's a nice looking Song sparrow

The Common yellow-throat looks like a bandit

The jaunty Bewick's wren searches through the bark

Acorn woodpeckers abound in Kit Carson Park

The Ruby-crowned kinglet lands on a twig

Western states have the colorful Audubon's Yellow-rumped

Cactus protects this California Quail against coyotes

♫ Listen to the (Northern) mockingbird ♪

Western scrub-jays can be quite noisy

The tiny Anna's hummingbird is dwarfed by a mere powerline

California Towhee

Bushtit away!

These bushtits prefer the community of company

The elusive Orange-crowned warbler

A cute Western bluebird sits on the roof edge, thinking

Cedar waxwings look towards the setting sun

A friendly black phoebe naps on a white fence

This White-crowned sparrow likes the
morning sun at Lake Hodges

A juvenile White-crowned sparrow awaits its color change

A first year Northern harrier searched below for a meal

Who doesn't love the colors of an American kestrel?

This Gilded flicker caught my attention as a new life bird!

An Osprey with a fish on a stick...nice!

Cassin's kingbird

American crow

Ring-billed gull in the sun

American White pelican on the shore at Kit Carson Park

The lovely sound of the Song sparrow fills the air

Here (below) is the list of the 50 species of birds I (we) saw on this last trip out to California, at both Kit carson Park and Lake Hodges; as well as birds I photographed in the Escondido neighborhood in which we were staying, and on land located near Boulevard, CA:

American Wigeon - Anas americana

Mallard Anas - platyrhynchos

Ring-necked Duck - Aythya collaris

Common Merganser-  Mergus merganser

California Quail - Callipepla californica

Western Grebe - Aechmophorus occidentalis

Double-crested Cormorant - Phalacrocorax auritus

American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Great Egret - Ardea alba

Snowy Egret - Egretta thula

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

Northern Harrier - Circus cyaneus

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

American Coot - Fulica americana

Ring-billed Gull - Larus delawarensis

California Gull - Larus californicus

Rock Pigeon - Columba livia

Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura

Black-chinned Hummingbird - Archilochus alexandri

Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna

Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon

Acorn Woodpecker - Melanerpes formicivorus

Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens

Gilded Flicker - Colaptes chrysoides

American Kestrel - Falco sparverius

Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans

Cassin's Kingbird - Tyrannus vociferans

Western Scrub-Jay - Aphelocoma californica

American Crow - Corvus brachyrhynchos

Northern Rough-winged Swallow - Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Black-capped Chickadee - Poecile atricapillus

Bushtit - Psaltriparus minimus

Red-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta canadensis

White-breasted Nuthatch - Sitta carolinensis

Bewick's Wren - Thryomanes bewickii

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula

Western Bluebird - Sialia mexicana

Northern Mockingbird - Mimus polyglottos

European Starling - Sturnus vulgaris

Cedar Waxwing - Bombycilla cedrorum

Orange-crowned Warbler - Oreothlypis celata

Common Yellowthroat - Geothlypis trichas

Yellow-rumped Warbler - Setophaga coronata

California Towhee - Melozone crissalis

American Tree Sparrow - Spizelloides arborea

Song Sparrow - Melospiza melodia

Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus

House Finch - Haemorhous mexicanus

Lesser Goldfinch - Spinus psaltria

House Sparrow - Passer domesticus