Observations by marleycrow

Sorry the photos aren’t very good (had to zoom in a lot). It’s not easy to see but the butterfly was mostly black (the sun reflecting off the wings looks like it’s green but it was not). It was mostly black with white stripes and the red corners only on the backs of the wings.

Found along Lake Miramar. I’m not sure if this is a Splendid Mariposa Lily (it was more bluish than pink) but I defer to the expertise of others here for a more solid identification. Thank you in advance for your identification!!!

I hadn't uploaded this photo until just now (took it back in 2014 when we had an unexpected visitor to San Diego). I'm certain many others had observed this same BE but it was certainly a surprise for me.

I have to point out that I hadn't expected to find this girl and when a little boy approached me on the trail (he and his father were leaving as I was walking further down the trail) to tell me he saw a Bald Eagle, I thought he was just being imaginative and fantastical so I went along with it but assumed it wasn't REALLY there. "Yeah, sure you saw a Bald Eagle, kid" was the sarcastic thought at the time. I don't know who that kid was but I'm so glad he told me, even if I didn't believe him at first.

I usually didn't bring my DSLR with me on the trail but that day I went out to take pictures of Grebes and other wading birds. Never thought I'd ever see a BE that day, or ever, in San Diego city limits.

While there are a few other locations of nesting BEs (I won't disclose but they're not very well-kept secrets either), this one was only in the area for a few days (transient). FYI She originated from Santa Catalina Island Conservancy (fledged in 2008) and was tracked in Mission Bay the same week.

Would you believe it that other hikers in this area wanted to kill this beautiful Rosy Boa (thankfully, not all, and they were willing to listen as I explained this was a "friendly"? I've had the benefit of having handled many a-snakes (mostly captive, not wild) and Rosy Boas are one of my favorites. They're so easy-going. Fortunately, I was able to assure the nearby hikers that this gorgeous creature was not a threat and moved it away from the path to avoid human altercations. It looked a bit wide as though it might either have recently fed, or might've even been a gravid female.

Found this carcass on the shore in the early AM. I'm not sure if it naturally died or if it was "bycatch"(not sure if there's a different word for private fishers) from some of the guys who were fishing in the area at the time.