The Coronado Islands from William Heise Park Near Julian

The Coronado Islands viewed from William Heise Park Near Julian. From left to right, you can see the South Island, both Middle Islands and the North Island. It's pretty amazing what you can see on a clear day! This shot was taken from one of the scenic overlooks on the desert view trail in William Heise Park.

The Coronado islands include four islands off the Northwest coast Baja, Mexico. These islands are now a Mexican wildlife preserve although they have been used by American bootleggers in the past and are reputedly still used for human smuggling when bad weather threatens. The Coronado Islands derive their name from Los Cuatro Coronado, the four crowns, a name coined by a priest for Sebastián Vizcaíno to honour four martyrs.

Sunset Along Highway 79

Sunset Along Highway 79 near Cuyamaca, California.

New Bird: Black-Chinned Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird, Archilochus alexandri, William Heise County Park, Santa Ysabel, California. It's always fun to see a new bird. This little hummer was perched high up on a dead tree (a victim of the Cedar Creek fire). You can ID him by his conspicuous white collar. While the lower part of the collar is vivid purple in the right light, this little guy would simply not look directly into the sun for me! These little birds are found in the Western U.S. and Northern Mexico in semi-arid river groves, canyons and chaparral (which accurately describes the oak scrub/chapparal this little guy was perched in).

Anna's Hummingbird on Barbed Wire

Anna's Hummingbird on barbed wire! Nothing stops these fierce little birds. This one was keeping a keen eye on the camera and threatening to fly off.

Backyard Birder: What's in Your Backyard?

Bushtit -- Coastal Form, Psaltriparus minimus. I wandered down into the canyon in back of the house the other day to snap some bird pictures and take a look at what was living there. There was a flock of bushtits that appeared to be sipping nectar from the profusely blooming bushes. While it is only January, the Winter rains have resulted in all sorts of flowers, sprouts and a profusion of Toyon Berries that are attracting seasonal bird visitors.

Stanhopea nigroviolacea

Stanhopea nigroviolacea blooming in the back yard under lath.

Reflecting Pool at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

Reflecting Pool at the Joan Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, University of San Diego, San Diego, California.

Silvered Leaf Monkeys in a Huddle

Silvered Leaf Monkeys, Trachypitheces cristatus, huddling for warmth at the San Diego Zoo.

White Cheeked Pintail Duck

White Cheeked Pintail Duck, Anas bahamensis. These cheeky little ducks are native to South America and the Galapagos. The South American population of these ducks migrates South to Argentina to breed each Spring.

Komodo Dragon

Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis. These large lizards are reputedly one of the last living representatives of large varanid lizards that once lived across Australia and Indonesia. In nature, they opportunistically prey upon/ambush goats, deer and even water buffalo while relying on a diet of mostly carrion. Their bite contains fairly toxic bacteria that will may eventually result in the death of their prey, even where the bite itself may have been relatively minor.

Sanderling

Sanderling, Calidris alba, Tijuana Estuary Reserve, California. These little guys have a circumpolar distribution and Winter all the way down to the Southern Hemisphere. This one is Wintering in lovely San Diego.

Prarie Falcon

Prarie Falcon, Falco mexicanus, Mission Trails Park, San Diego (Santee), California. These little birds frequent grasslands, hills and praries and are found from Southwestern Canada to Southern Mexico.

Lion Tailed Macaque Behind Bars

The Lion-Tailed Macaque, Macaca silenus, is a native of South India. Although this Lion-Tailed Macaque has a huge enclosure and lots of Macaque friends, I couldn't help but think he looked a little sad.

Sighting: Common Yellowthroat (or Holy Warblers Batman!)

Male Common Yellowthroat, Geothlypis trichas, Mission Trails Park, San Diego, California. This is a first time sighting for me although, given that this bird lives in swamps, marshes and wet thickets which are not widespread in dry coastal Southern California and given that the female is less descript (no batman mask), that is not altogether surprising. This bird Summers throughout the Western United States and Winters in Mexico. Coastal (Central to Southern) California, however, is one of the few areas that maintains a year round presence. This particular bird was not particularly shy, appearing to have a nest in the dense grass; however, taking a picture of him without my trusty 500mm lens proved challenging due to the low light and myriad branches and grass, all eagerly becoming targets for the camera's autofocus.

Rare Sighting of Mountain Bluebird in San Diego

Mountain Bluebird,Sialia currucoides, eating Toyon Berries. I've seen Mountain Bluebirds up in Julian before; however, it's pretty rare to see them in San Diego (here, in Mission Trails park eating Toyon Berries). I'm thinking the plentiful crop of Toyon Berries was too much to resist!

Western Snowy Plover

Western Snowy Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus. It's Winter. The beach is cool, windswept and foggy and the birds have the beach all to themselves.

Casa Del Prado by Night

Casa Del Prado by Night, Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The Prado is so alive with lights and reflections by night! A picture taker's paradise.

Black Crowned Night Heron

Black Crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycotidor, fishing for dinner, Kailua Beach, Hawaii.

Saddleback Butterflyfish

Chaetodon ephippium, Saddleback Butterflyfish, at Waio'Opae Marine Preserve, Hawaii. It's always pretty exciting to see one of these beauties! They're large, colorful, a teensie bit skittish and rather rare in Hawaii.

Lava Eel

Lava Eel at Mele Kohola on the Big Island. Doesn't it look like a prehistoric or perhaps a deep water eel (like mega-mouth), washed up on the rocks, being eaten by crabs? On the other hand, it kind of reminds me of those big sand worms in Dune... I suspect that the red coloration results from a high iron content in that segment of lava.

Marbled Blenny and Helmet Urchins

Entomacrodus marmoratus or the Marbled Blenny, with Shingle or Helmet urchins (Ha'Uke'Uke), Magic Island, Hawaii. These amazing little Hawaiian blennies come up out of the water as the waves wash over shoreline rocks. They sit on these rocks where they graze on algae, ever keeping a watchful eye for threats such as stray humans or the occasional bird or crab. Their eyesight appears to be quite good, even out of water. When threatened,do a quick snap of their tail, possibly with a bit of a wiggle to get to the edge of the rock, to escape back into the ocean.

The local fishermen will sometimes catch these little blennies to use as live bait for larger fish such as Ulua (Jacks) and Baracuda.

Also shown are a group of Shingle or Helmet urchins, Colobocentrotus atratus. These are called Ha 'uke 'uke in Hawaiian and, while edible,are not commercially harvested. They are usually found out of water in the splash zone clinging to large rocks.

January San Diego American Orchid Society Regional Judging Awards

(Cyc warscewiczii X Morm andicola) 'Priscilla's Pink Lady' HCC/AOS 78pts

Cymbidium Byaka Pendant 'Ernie' HCC/AOS 78pts

Cyrtochilum trilingue CHM/AOS

Dendrobium tetragonum var carcatua 'Windflower II' HCC/AOS 78pts

Masdevallia ivanii 'Windflower' CBR/AOS

Mormodes elegans 'Sunset Valley Orchids II' AM/AOS 80pts

Mormodes vinacea 'Sunset Valley Orchids' CBR/AOS

Mormodes warscewiczii 'Brent Baker' HCC/AOS 77pts

Mormodes warscewiczii 'Sunset Valley Orchids' HCC/AOS 78pts

Mormodia Leopard Drops 'Sunset Valley Orchids' AM/AOS 85 pts

New Bird: Horned Lark!

Horned Lark, Eremophila alpestris, Fiesta Island, San Diego, California. Three of these adorable little birds were foraging for bugs in the sand between the cars at the dog park. This was another first sighting for me!

Add a New Bird to My List: Gadwall Ducks

Gadwall duck pair, Anas strepera, at the Old Mission Dam, San Diego, CA. Always a nice surprise to see a brand new bird in an old, familiar spot. These ducks breed in Northern N. America and spend their Winters South through Mexico, Africa and India! These are lake and pond ducks. While I've seen Mallards and Coots at this particular pond, these are the first Gadwall Ducks.

Giant Dome off of Waikiki: Sea-based X-Band Radar

Sea-based X-Band Radar off of Waikiki Beach. Wow, this radar dome is absolutely huge! It's based on a Norweigian/Russian-built, double-hulled, mobile oil platform that cost over $900M to build. It provides radar tracking for advanced missile defense. It's a pretty amazing sight to see.

Happy New Year!

As we reflect back on 2011, some of you no doubt have fond memories; others would rather forget 2011; most of us have both. Regardless, here's to wishing you all a happy, healthy and successful 2012!

Hawaii from the Air!

On a nice clear day, you can see a long, long ways. While we're still missing Oahu and Kauai, you could see most of the major Hawaiian islands on this nice, mostly clear day.

Foreground, from left to right: the islands of Molokai, Kaho'olawe and Lanai.
Background, from left to right: the islands of Maui and Hawaii.

The Hawaiian Monk Seal Strikes Again

Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi, on Waikiki Beach, Honolulu. Now what's the chance of running into an endagered Hawaiian Monk seal, not just once in a lifetime, but twice in a week? This time it was a few miles to the East on Waikiki Beach. The seal apparently arrived at 10am and lounged around the beach until around 4:30pm whereupon it waddled slowly into the sea, perhaps to catch a quick meal of fish from within the marine preserve before sunset.

How Much Does a Beachfront Home on Kailua Beach Cost?

View of the big houses on Kailua beach from a kayak on Kailua Bay. They're not quite as big as those HUGE houses on Diamond Head but they're still plenty pricey... There were none listed for sale but I'd guess they're upwards of $10M. Not too shabby.

At the Base of the Baobab Tree

Baobab Tree, Adansonia digitata, Foster Botanical Gardens. The Baobab tree grows in Madagascar where it thrives in wet Summers and dry Winters. Ironically, this Baobab has grown to huge proportions in Hawaii where it likely treats the warm wet year round weather as one extended, unending growing season.

Do Surfers Take Christmas Off?

Surfer at Sunset Beach, Christmas Day, 2011. Okay, so it wasn't totally packed at Sunset Beach but it did take a while to find parking.

Eating Fish Through A Straw

Coronetfish, Fistularia commersonii, or nunu peke in Hawaiian, live on the shallow reef where they feed upon smaller fish. Their long snout allows them to access small holes and crevices where they use their long snout and vacuum-like suction, caused by rapidly opening their snout, to "suck in" their small prey.

What Did You Do On Christmas Eve?

School of Weke Ula (Yellowfin Goatfish), Mulloidichthys vanicolensis, off Waikiki Beach. It was a little rainy but the fish were still there. What did you do on Christmas eve?

Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples

A tranquil moment at the Byodo-In Temple in the Valley of the Temples in Kaneohe, Hawaii.

The Ever-Elusive Hawaiian Owl

The Hawaiian Owl or Pueo, Asio flammeus sandwichensis. These are endangered on Oahu and are becoming sparse throughout the major Hawaiian Islands. As opposed to most owls, the Hawaiian owls are diurnal, preferring to hunt during the day. They nest in open fields and are subject to predation by mongoose, feral cats and wild boar. Note that Hawaii also has a modest population of barn owls that nest in trees and hunt by night.

Star Gazing or Spotting a UFO?

Black Pond Turtles, Siebenrockiella crassicolis, gazing off into the distance. Exactly what they all spotted remains a mystery! These little turtles are from the Southeast Asian rainforests where they spend their days in the mud, waiting for fish, shrimp, frogs, snails and other tasty prey.

Napping Hawaiian Monk Seal

Hawaiian Monk Seal, Monachus schauinslandi, napping on the rocks, on Oahu, Hawaii. Hawaiian Monk Seals are solitary, endagered, earless seals and, due to development and environmental degradation, are largely restricted to the Northern Hawaiian Islands. They are the only native seal in Hawaii and one of only two surviving species of Monk seals in the world. Hawaiian Monk seals are rarely found on the major, inhabited islands. This one, however, was napping on the rocks on Oahu, the most populated of all the Hawaiian islands. Quite a treat indeed!

Hawaiian Monk Seal Plays Peak a Boo

Hawaiian Monk Seal Playing Peak-a-boo! Cute, isn't he?

Body Surfing Flip Acrobatics

Body Surfing Flip at Sandy Beach, Oahu. This surfer did a full flip and landed it perfectly! He was also doing 360s in the waves!

Brown House Gecko

Brown House Gecko. There used to be a lot of these on the plate glass windows at night catching bugs when I was a kid. Now, there are much fewer. I suspect that it has to do with competition from and predation by other later introduced gecko species such as the Madagascar Day Gecko. There are still a few around although they are albeit a bit camera shy. This one is doing his best to blend in with the wood he's on; unfortunately for him, the wood is long dead and painted white...

Hang gliding over the cliffs of Makapu'u

Hang Gliding over the cliffs of Makapu'u