Ernie's Great Outdoors

BACKYARD  BIRD-WATCHING TRY STARTLING A TATTLER AND IT WILL SHOW YOU HOW IT GOT ITS NAME Shorebird breeds up north but likes to spend winters here BY ERNIE COWAN Our mild winter days are a wonderful time to wander the scenic coastline of San Diego, enjoying the collection of both resident birds and migratory visitors. There is always plenty to see. Dominating the shoreline are the ungainly brown pelicans, now beginning to take on seasonal breeding colors, while the cliffs of La Jolla are teeming with activity as cormorants begin to build their informal nests of seaweed and engage in dramatic courting displays in hopes of attracting a worthy mate. By late March the Brandt’s cormorants with their distinctive blue throats and the double-crested cormorants with their crown of white or black feathers will be tending freshly laid eggs. Just about everywhere, there are also flocks of gulls feeding, congregating or seemingly posing for photographs on light posts or rocks. These are all re...

ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors HOPING FOR GREAT DESERT BLOOM Whispers of hope are becoming shouts of expectation as recent rains have drenched San Diego’s deserts,  promising a spectacular  spring wildflower display. It’s something that desert lovers look forward to every year, but the combination of rainfall, mild temperatures and the lack of high winds is something that nature only delivers about every seven to 10 years. With nearly 2 inches of rain recorded throughout Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in December, and more on the way, the most important part of the equation is in place. A few more showers through January will support the ample growth of spring plants already underway and if temperatures remain mild to avoid searing the delicate flowers, and if high winds don’t shred the blossoms, it could be a banner color year. There are some spring wildflowers every year, but the past five years of drought has limited plant growth. At best, spring displays have been more lik...

ERNIE COWAN   Outdoors BEST TIMES OF YEAR TO EXPLORE COUNTY’S OFFERINGS  Some people are just drawn to the outdoors. I’m one of them. Being outdoors— hunting, fishing, bird-watching, hiking or enjoying nature and wildlife photography— is when I am the happiest. Some people have social calendars, or work schedules they compile at the start of each year. For me, that exercise involves creating my outdoor calendar. Here is a list of a few of the things I try to schedule each year in the outdoors. January is peak migration season for birds at Salton Sea. Less than 100 miles to the east is a vast inland sea that provides winter hospitality for huge flocks of visiting birds, including several varieties of ducks, geese, swans, sandhill cranes and American whit! e pelicans. How thrilling to be startled by the explosive rising of 10,000 or more geese lifting into the air, creating a sound like a jetliner taking off. Resident species such as hawks, dove, quail and bur...