Santee Lakes

Had a wonderful stroll along Santee Lakes in Santee, California.  These man-made lakes are fed with reclaimed water and are just teaming with bird life!

Belted Kingfisher

Crow chasing a red-shouldered hawk.

Double-crested cormorant 

Grace's Warbler, Western Form 

 Nuttall's Woodpecker

 Osprey

 Phainopepla

 Red-Shouldered Hawk

 Red-Winged Blackbird

 Ruddy Duck getting out of Dodge!

Wood Duck, likely a beneficiary of one of the many wood-duck nesting boxes that have been added to the trees in the park.

Duck Attack

A territorial display between two ducks. The one being chased is a wood duck. The chaser is possibly a greater scaup. The scaup managed to bite the wood duck on the wing at some point before the wood duck escaped.

Wood Ducklings

Every Spring we get all kinds of ducklings in San Diego. Here is a picture of Momma Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, fiercely guarding her ducklings.

Wood Duck Stretching

Wood Duck, Aix sponsa, stretching his wings. Or, maybe he was thinking of flying away. Either way, it was a funky pose. They are beautiful though, aren't they?