Date: 05/10/2020
Location: My Encinitas Backyard in San Diego, CA, 33.03827°N, -117.25233°W, elevation = 82′
Site description: I started my non-traveling bird session by observing morning activity through my family room window at my family’s house in Encinitas, CA. In my backyard there is an immense diversity of tree and plant life. Most notably, is a giant Ficus tree on a hill several yards away from my backyard entrance. Other taller plants and trees include multiple 20 foot (and above) palm trees, bamboo, Japanese ferns, and more. Smaller plant life includes over 50 selected flower species, hedges, and smaller palm trees. With all of this plant life in my backyard, I was able to spot some new bird species that I was not able to identify before. A few of the key species identified was a Black Phoebe and House Finches.
Species account: Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura. Towards the end of my bird watching session, I noticed two light brown/tan medium-sized birds land on the fence at the back corner of the hill in my backyard. I immediately recognized their dove-like appearance yet I was slightly confused on the feather color until I realized that these were Mourning Doves that I have seen in my backyard previously. Mourning Doves are largely found across North America and in some locations in North-western Europe. They have chunky/round bodies and dark spots on their wings. Mourning doves frequent suburbs where they forage along shrubs and trees.
Narrative: I began my bird watching session at approximately 9:30 AM on Mother’s Day, May 10, 2020. Rain fell consistently throughout the night so the ground and surrounding plant life was still wet and the sky remained cloudy. Despite the gloomy weather, I noticed a lot of activity throughout my entire backyard. On one of the Japanese ferns on the hill I noticed a smallish black bird perched on a small branch towards the top of the tree. I immediately identified this bird as a Black Phoebe and confirmed by looking through my binoculars. Another exciting spotting that I made was when I recognized two House Finches from the distinct copper color that surrounds their head. Both of these identifications were exciting because I have never spotted these birds on my own. Although I did not visualize the Great Horned Owl, I knew that one has been living in the large Ficus tree and I confirmed its presence when I heard the iconic “hoot” before I even began officially bird spotting.
eBird: https://ebird.org/checklist/S68812003
