Enjoying our first good sunny day in a week, Fred and I went out in search of sun and birds. We stopped by a Pt Loma neighborhood in search of an American Redstart that had been sighted there; no luck. After a nice hike on Sunset Cliffs, where we saw a few birds but a lot of surfers and dogwalkers, as well as the Point Loma Nazarene University girls' softball team, we went to the Cabrillo National Monument, one of my favorite birding locations.
It turned out to be a great day. We saw three red-tailed hawks (someone later saw four) soaring in close proximity. It was a windy day, and one by one, the hawks would soar to a point almost directly overhead, face into the wind and just float in place. When we got there, one stayed in almost the same place long enough for me to watch it as we parked and then get out of the car and walk nearer to get some pictures. Later, one soared directly overhead and not very high above us, a you can see from this picture!
It turned out to be a great day. We saw three red-tailed hawks (someone later saw four) soaring in close proximity. It was a windy day, and one by one, the hawks would soar to a point almost directly overhead, face into the wind and just float in place. When we got there, one stayed in almost the same place long enough for me to watch it as we parked and then get out of the car and walk nearer to get some pictures. Later, one soared directly overhead and not very high above us, a you can see from this picture!
Looking down at one of the hawks. That's San Diego Bay and the Naval Base in the background.
Another view of the hawk.
Periodically, one of the hawks would flare at another.
We also saw many of the usual suspects: scrub jay, many white crowned sparrows, orange crowned warbler, california towhee, ground squirrels and we heard wrentits.
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