San Diego Mission Bay Wildlife Photography

cazalea · 2021-03-02T11:23:01Z

Discover the hidden wildlife and unique perspectives of San Diego s Mission Bay bridges through captivating photography. A visual journey of nature and urban exploration.

Cazalea shares a delightful photographic essay from San Diego's Mission Bay, capturing the unexpected beauty found while walking over its bridges. His keen eye for wildlife and unique camera angles transforms a simple stroll into an engaging visual narrative. This post underscores how everyday explorations can reveal hidden natural wonders, offering a refreshing perspective on local environments.

We have walked the entire perimeter of San Diego's Mission Bay, but this morning I realized we have driven over the bridges that traverse the bay, and not WALKED over those bridges. So today we walked a bridge, and boy! Were we surprised at what we found:

All eyes were on the water and the happenings there.

We discovered what has to be mother of all heron rookeries in San Diego.

As water-lovers zipped by unawares.

The advantage of the bridge is unusual camera angles!

A cormorant was greatly surprised when he landed on a buoy and it tipped over.

which gave these paddlers a laugh, as they were close by.

The ripples looked like a spine to me.

No telling what this bird thought about them.

Or these tourists, for that matter (us).

Ground squirrel was looking for his pal, who had run off down the curb.

This heron was actually balanced, cross-legged, on the top of two flimsy branches.

Yawn? or Squawk? I couldn't tell.

Another squirrel watching the water.

Four birds, social distancing.

This looks like He is sneaking up on Her...

Bridges

Obligatory winter flowers shot (tourist board requires in all public displays of San Diego)

Cazalea

Key Points from the Discussion

The spikes on lamp posts are primarily to deter birds from perching and pooping, rather than just preventing them from sitting. The contributor also noted that these plastic spikes might degrade within a year or two.
The pictures were highly appreciated for showcasing the natural beauty of San Diego, making one contributor nostalgic for the area.
A question was posed about the number of bird species that nest year-round in the San Diego area, indicating interest in the local wildlife.
The author provided an answer to the bird species question, stating there are over 500 year-round species, with the latest count being 515, plus migratory birds.

The Discussion

patrick_y

Mar 2, 2021

Pretty birds! Nature at its finest!

San Diego is a very natural place! Thank you for sharing San Diego with us! It makes me miss San Diego!

robmks1

Mar 2, 2021

:Wonderful shots of a hidden paradise. Wow, never saw spikes like that on lamp posts. Guess to discourage the large birds from landing on them.

cazalea

Mar 2, 2021

Yes, not so much to stop them sitting, but to stop them pooping down the light pole

There are birds of prey and small birds that have figured out how to deal with them. And as you can see the spikes are only plastic so probably in a year or two will rot away. Cazalea

nasseriq

Mar 2, 2021

Lovely pictures as always. Good to see some blue skies too. We have thick fog in Guildford this morning!

George Gently

Mar 3, 2021

Nice as always

Thanks!

Ronald Held

Mar 3, 2021

How many species of birds nest in the SD area? (nt)

Key Points from the Discussion

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