Palomar Audubon Society

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Escondido, CA
Palomar Audubon Society

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Audubon Chapter serving the north inland county of San Diego.

Palomar Audubon's mission is to conserve and restore natural ecosystems, focusing on birds and other wildlife for the benefit of humanity and the earth's biological diversity.

11/02/2026

On Saturday October 17th 2026, this group of birders was relieved to find the winds relatively calm at Lake Wohlford, after San Diego County experienced the wrath of a Santa Ana wind event on Friday. The lake's water level was high, and the east end sandbar was submerged, it was cloudy and cool, but it was really beautiful out there!

We were able to identify 57 species. Yellow-rumped Warblers and Ruby-crowned Kinglets were all over the place, Grebes were close to the shoreline and some participants couldn't wait to get down to the lake to view, identify, and photograph. It was great to see the excitement! Ducks are just beginning to arrive, it seems. We had single individuals of the Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead (early arrival alert!), Cinnamon Teal, and then a few Lesser Scaup and several Ruddy Ducks. We also had three American White Pelicans.

Other highlights were a Bald Eagle, a Zone-tailed Hawk (briefly seen), several other hawks, an Osprey, a sapsucker, a few flickers, and our friendly group. Thanks and applause to Beth for maintaining the eBird checklist and to scopeman Patrick. Much appreciation goes out to those with cameras who document our sightings and enhance our experience. The companionship and support were excellent and made for a very enjoyable outing.

Please see our eBird checklist by copying and pasting the link into your browser.
https://ebird.org/checklist/S403185694

TRIP LEADER: Mary Jo Hayes

11/02/2026

On Saturday October 10th, 2026, 22 birders met up at Oak Hill Cemetery in
Escondido. We found 31 bird species, including an abundance of White Crown Sparrows, Acorn Woodpeckers, and Bushtits. It was exciting to see Cedar Waxwing and Ruby-crowned Kinglets returning to the area, and to watch a juvenile Cedar Waxwing being fed. Other fun surprises included spotting both a coyote and a Roadrunner in the field.

Many thanks to Steve for keeping a list of the birds we saw and to the photographers for adding their great photos to the list. Copy and paste this address to your browser https://ebird.org/checklist/S401006416 to view the complete list and photos.

JIM BECKMAN trip leader

10/03/2026

On Saturday, September 20th, 19 birders met at 7:30 a.m. at Live Oak County Park. The weather was quite nice at the beginning of the day, although it slowly warmed up as the morning progressed. At Live Oak, we observed 31 species. Highlights included Band-tailed Pigeons, Acorn Woodpeckers, White-breatsted Nuthatches, and Western Bluebirds. We had a Swainson's Thrush, which was exciting, but our thrush was not as excited to see us, so we only had a few glimpses.
Around 9:30 a.m., we packed up and made our way to Los Jilgueros Preserve. I was told that “Los Jilgueros” means “goldfinch” in Spanish, which makes sense because we heard plenty of Goldfinches throughout our walk! We observed 36 species at the preserve, including several aquatic birds such as Mallards, a Black-crowned Night Heron, a Belted Kingfisher, and a Pied-billed Grebe. Toward the end of the walk, the weather started to warm up, but we all had a great time exploring the preserve and enjoying the birds.

Thank you all for making the experience so enjoyable. Cheers,
Mac, Trip Leader.

Live Oak County Park: https://ebird.org/checklist/S394766539

Los Jilgueros Preserve: https://ebird.org/checklist/S394766636

09/19/2026

Robb Field Trip Report — September 5, 2026

Our walk began at 7:30 AM under light cloud cover, a welcome break from the recent heat and excellent conditions for birding. The mudflats were lively with shorebirds, including large numbers of Black‑bellied Plovers still sporting their breeding plumage.

We enjoyed energetic displays from Reddish Egrets, had reasonably close views of a Little Blue Heron, and observed multiple Black Skimmers, Royal Terns, and Western Gulls, among others. A Peregrine Falcon was actively hunting over the area and was seen several times throughout the morning.

Along the main trail, a small group of Horned Larks provided fun and engaging views.

In total, we recorded 52 species, enjoyed by 35 birders.

Thank you to everyone who shared their scopes, enriching the experience for all, and to Steve for diligently maintaining our sightings list.

The link to the ebird list is below: please check it out, there were many photographers and there are many great photos and moments captured.

Warm Regards,

Gerry and Linda Baade

https://ebird.org/checklist/S390102371

09/19/2026

08/13/2026

It was a beautiful morning to walk the Whelan Lake property on Saturday, August 8th. We had 30+ participants in hot weather and had great views of numerous heron & egrets on the lake. Lots of young Bell’s Vireos, Song Sparrows & House Finches. A few Northern Yellow Warblers, a Wilson’s Warbler and a Western Tanager also made an appearance. The hunt for views of the reported Rose Breasted Grosbeak was unsuccessful! But, a great group of hunters!

Thanks to the Walkley’s for the refreshments. A small group stayed in the shade and bird watched in comfort.

Thanks to Steve for keeping the list.

Denise Riddle, trip leader.

08/02/2026

On June 6th, 22 early-rising birders made their way up Palomar Mountain to enjoy the mountain air, beautiful trees of the forest, and observe the birds. We missed our leader, Sally, who couldn’t join us, but her daughter came and shared her knowledge of the plants, early native occupants, and the birds; we were lucky to have our own personal trail guide. We started the walk with an introduction to the California Breeding Bird Atlas project and made sure to note all observed breeding bird behaviors we could during our walk, and we were happy to contribute to such a great project, of which Palomar Audubon Society is a sponsor. A highlight was the opportunity to watch a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers coming to and from their nest cavity to feed their young, which definitely got noted on our bird list. Of course, Steve dutifully kept track of all of the birds observed; our photographers documented those birds beautifully; and Beth noted and added the breeding codes to the list.
If you are interested in helping add data to the project, check it out here: California Bird Atlas
And please enjoy our list of fabulous birds and gorgeous photos. https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S354232583 and https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S354227939
Happy Trails,
Beth

07/19/2026

On Saturday July 4th, 9 birders gathered for a very nice walk out into Laguna Meadows. It was overcast with a cold breeze till almost noon. We got to see
all the regular mountain birds, including great views of male and female Purple Finches. Watching the feeding of cute baby Coots is always a treat. Thanks to Mac and Haru for the great photos.

Steve.

Here is the link to the eBird checklist: ebird.org/checklist/S367654771

07/19/2026

On Saturday, June 27th, 12 of us headed out to the Laguna Mountains to find mountain specialties like Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches, Cassin’s Vireo, and Band-tailed Pigeons, and we were not disappointed. The day was sunny and cool with a breeze that occasionally aspired to be wind, but for most of the time we were on the trail, it was not that strong. However, by the time we stopped for lunch, it was legitimately windy. We saw a total of 31 species of birds, and highlights included nesting Western Wood Pewees, Band Tails cooing, and, honestly, tracking down Cassin’s Vireos, who were being very tricky. It was a beautiful day made better by a magnificent group of people. Thanks always to Steve for keeping the list and now also the breeding codes. eBird List: https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S365078147
Happy Trails,
Beth

06/30/2026

On Saturday, June 20, twenty five of us met at the Paso Picacho lot in the Cuyamaca mountains. It was a pleasant day with clear skies and a light breeze. The azalea loop took us through varied habitats and we encountered expected birds and some less so. Near the entrance to the park we heard a Purple Finch calling loudly, could not see it. Very soon on the same trail we found Lazuli Buntings, Ash Throated Flycatchers and Purple Martins. I found a Lesser Goldfinch nest in an oak tree which many of us found interesting.
We walked about three miles and had a nice time eating lunch together on the park picnic tables. We encountered some really good mountain birds, please peruse the ebird list which I have attached below.
Thanks to our photographers and everyone that helped make this a good trip.
Gerry and Linda.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S360600112

Address

403 North Escondido Bvld PO Box 2483
Escondido, CA
92033

Website

http://palomaraudubon.org/

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