Wildlife of SoCal

Ground squirrel at the Torrey Pines Glider Port.  Someone left peanuts for him.

With people away, the animals play.  It's spring and the birds seem extra exuberant.  I'm continuing on my quest to photograph birds in the area.  So difficult with just a phone.  I saw a hooded oriole get into a battle with a yellow warbler over choice nesting material.  It appeared the warbler won and the oriole fled in shame.

Song sparrow

Yellow warbler

Shrike

I've gotten so frustrated trying to photograph birds that I'm trying slower animals.  There are many snails species in SoCal.  (Who knew!)  Here are a few:

These a some type of desert snail.  They look like they belong on the beach.

These are two different species - milk snail and garden snail

Lizards, lots of lizards:

Fence lizard

Alligator lizard

The lizard is the pink colander is post-capture.  He got into MY ROOM!  I trapped him and put him back outside.  He was a big fellow.

Bobcat at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge

Burrowing Owl

I believe this bird is a phainopepla, the silky flycatcher.  It was very shiny.

This white-crowned sparrow was so busy singing in a meadow, it didn't notice me.

This pigeon guillemot had bright red legs:

House finches are common, but they are entertaining birds.  The males have bright red throats during the spring.