Ernie's Great Outdoors

ERNIE COWAN OUTDOORS Wildlife photographer a finalist in state contest It began as a world tour for a young Scottish lad, but he only got as far as Del Dios, which is hardly an international travel destination. But in this tiny enclave, tucked away against the reedy shores of Lake Hodges, Brian Caldwell found several passions that changed his life’s direction. He left Glasgow after earning a degree in information engineering, but today, if Del Dios had one, Caldwell might be considered the local artist-in-residence for his broad talents as a nature and wildlife photographer, environmental activist and popular musician. His latest honor was notification recently that one of his bird photographs is a contender for California Wildlife Photo of the Year. This annual contest is conducted by the California Watchable Wildlife Committee, a coalition of federal and state agencies, nonprofits, destination marketing organizations and private-sector businesses. Each quarter, two or three images ar...

I’ve always believed that even a rut is a road to somewhere, but never realized that a weathered old log could be a wildlife freeway. I was in a rambling mode, wandering along a nearly dry creek in a remote area near Palomar Mountain enjoying the solitude of nature when I spotted animal tracks in the sand. The tracks appeared to be headed toward an old log that had fallen across the creek, and I wondered if animals use the log to cross, especially during the rainy season when more water might be flowing down the cobblestoned ravine. Readers may recall that I often put out wildlife cameras in remote places in hopes of capturing images of our wildlife neighbors as they go about their daily or nightly tasks. It was summer now, and not much water was running in the creek, but I wondered if this would be a good place to set up the camera. My camera traps are not the simple all-in-one trail cameras often used by wildlife enthusiasts to capture the nightly antics of neighborhood critters. Whi...

Soft whispering of quail a sign property has come a long way A male quail being a lookout. (ERNIE COWAN) ERNIE COWAN  Outdoors I could hear the whispers and it sounded juicy. If only I understood quail. It was an intimate moment with nature like I had never experienced before. Sitting motionless at the edge of the flowerbed I was listening in to the whispered conversations of feeding quail just a few feet away. The murmurings were hushed, almost inaudible. I’ve written before about the “muttering army” of quail that pass my bedroom window at dawn as they emerge from native cover and march to a nearby seed feeder. Their not-so-subtle cooing then is an almost daily alarm clock. This was the same sound, but I could almost not hear it. Had there been a wind or other noise the sounds would have vanished. The feeding quail were obviously close to each other with no need to be speaking loudly. This became an impromptu sit-and-see moment. I was out enjoying the morning sun and had pulled u...

Column: Got some sugar, water, oranges or grape jelly lying around? Residents are encouraged to share their images and videos of oriole visitors on social media using the hashtags #birdfromhome #weloveorioles and #sdorioles. (Ernie Cowan) Ernie Cowan’s Outdoors column By  ERNIE COWAN COLUMNIST  FEB. 20, 2021  5 AM PT The kids are coming home and I’m excited. OK, they’re not really my kids, but I feed them and provide a place for them to stay, so they might as well be. In the next few days, the brightly colored hooded oriole males will begin straggling into San Diego County from their winter homes in Mexico. They have made a long, challenging journey and will welcome the energy provided by orange slices, grape jelly or nectar feeders filled with fresh sugar water. By mid-March, local gardens will be buzzing with both males and females as they delight birders with their comical antics, bickering and nest building activities. Over the summer they will construct delicate...

Spirits fly high with comforting appearance of red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk is the most common hawk in the region. (ERNIE COWAN)  ERNIE COWAN Outdoors For a few brief moments I could fly. My mind and heart were soaring on the spread wings of a red-tailed hawk as it floated by at eye level. Without a single wingbeat, the hawk’s tail feathers flared as he banked to the right and the crisp morning sunlight ignited the brilliant red plumage. With awe and childlike imagination I was right there, at one with the hawk, floating on gently rising air currents. A leftover raindrop dripped from my patio roof into the fountain and snapped me back to reality. As is often the case, the sunny morning following a rainstorm is a special time. Nature seems to go on as usual, but there is a sense of rejuvenation in the air. The morning sunlight was warm and refreshing, a relief from the previous cold, damp days. My hawk sighting was comforting. Nature’s clock is still ticking. This beautiful m...

  Birds will head to Mexico for the winter By  ERNIE COWAN While the civilized world seems to struggle in turmoil right now, the natural clock of ages faithfully ticks on. As another August slips from the calendar, the beat of nature goes on, and the happy visitors to my summer garden are hearing the call to launch them on a journey south. We can’t hear this call, but the hooded orioles do, and they are eagerly preparing to return to some preordained place in Mexico for the winter. These beautiful birds have added color, sound and joy to Mt. Whoville, as they have for thousands of other bird lovers throughout Southern California who provide food, water and nesting sites. A week ago, I began to notice fewer brightly colored males, and this week the males are gone. This is typical, with males leaving first, followed by females and the late-crop juveniles. For the past few weeks the orioles have been feeding aggressively at the nectar feeders, quibbling and cackling as they alway...

Season has brought forth a baby boom of wildlife Ernie Cowan  Outdoors It’s been quite a spring season for free-range children. Just the other day I was sitting in a shady patch on my driveway working on a project when two toddlers suddenly ran right up to me. I could have picked them up. A moment later there were two more, followed, I was happy to see, by a concerned adult. Seeing me, papa sounded an assembly call and the four little quail youngsters resembling walnuts with legs, dashed back to the protection of the adult bird. The brief encounter brought joy to my heart and a big grin to my face. The innocence of the little chicks and their curiosity had brought them to within inches of me. While the world has been gnashing teeth over social and health issues, nature has endured, and this spring at least, seems to be thriving. We never get enough rain in Southern California, but this year we were blessed with abundant and well-spaced storms that pro...