Feeling ducky;) for the birds, fits the bill…Ok… no more puns
Hopefully people will flock to my post and swoop down on the content and…ok;)…want ducks? As long as your craving is not for “a l’orange” Santee Lakes should fit the bill…oops, that is birdy isn’t it;) This campground, recreation area is overflowing with them. On any of the many lakes you can wander and choose to just sit and watch. You may get overrun by Coots, or watch the duck pairs as they preen and fluff, trying to attract a mate, or keep the one they have, if you’re lucky an Osprey will dive in front of you for supper.
The campground here can be quiet, depending on how boisterous the Air Force is feeling and how many flybys they are doing. Over all, all the loops are nice, you do get cell signal at the Lake Shore loop and a view of the pond, then it drops off to next to nothing (the cell signal) by the loops furthest to the back, but here a small stream (or raging depending on the rainfall) and lots of grass and trees are wonderful for walking Groot. The wifi is impeccable and has worked flawlessly…but back to birds:)
One can always just sit like a bump on a log:)
…and it’s not just ducks, given the wonderful mature trees and flowering shrubs all parts of the park are filled with song and tweets, not the presidential kind;)..thankfully (!) but a melodic tweet;) Spring is truly in the air. A pair of Red Tailed Hawks were performing acrobatic flying feats as they buzzed each other.
But it really is about the ducks for the many photographers I see sitting with their massive lens on tripods, lying on their stomachs for that slightly different angle, or wandering from lake to lake looking for some prize they have yet to capture. So far, I haven’t been greeted with any friendliness, which I’ve found to be sad, except for a delightful Englishman I chatted with, Ian, who was quite charming, all the others just grunted, or nodded and moved along. Are we birders a non-social lot? I have to admit I’m a bit of a misanthrope, but I always try to smile and at least acknowledge the presence of another human being. I miss Baja when this happens. People smile, they are less fearful and just seem somehow happier, or perhaps it is just a politer society…as they say in Lanark, anywho, it was just an observation, so smile my fellow birders! Say cheese!, or birdseed:)
So, if you are in the San Diego area come out and spend a bit looking at these beautiful examples of waterfowl. As we get ready to head East and out towards the desert I have a feeling I am going to miss these watery views and the feathered residents and their counterparts from Manitoba, the snow birds;)
I’ll just have to keep singing their praises….lalalalalalalalala!
Stay tuned amigos for our next step into the SW.