Views of the river valley
An early June morning view of the San Dieguito River where a new, 160-ft bridge will link the Osuna segment of the Coast to Crest Trail to the western portion of the popular hiking, biking, and riding trail / Photo: Jeff Carmel 
Sunset over the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Hikers on the Coast to Crest Trail above the Birdwing open air classroom that is tucked into the slope looking over the restored San Dieguito Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
A section of the quarter-mile Lagoon Boardwalk that allows visitors to the River Park to observe some of the more sensitive marsh areas of the San Dieguito Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Full winter moon over the lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Afternoon in the lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
An autumn sunrise in the San Dieguito River Valley / Photo: Jeff Carmel
Birds and other creatures of the river Valley
Diving Forster’s Tern / Photo: John Weare 
Forster’s Tern with catch / Photo: John Weare 
Spotted Sandpiper and Pacific Oysters in the San Dieguito Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff swallows along the riverbank / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff swallow / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff swallows gathering mud for nests under the I-5 overpass above the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Osprey / Photo: Paul Haydu 
Red-winged blackbird / Photo: John Weare 
Great Blue Heron fledglings awating dinner / Photo: John Weare 
Osprey chicks ready for flight training above the Coast to Crest Trail in Del Mar / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Northern Rough-winged Swallow flying amongst Cliff Swallows near the I-5 overpass / Photo: John Weare 
Black Phoebe on final approach / Photo: John Weare 
Black Phoebe resting on a rock along the river / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff Swallows constructing mud nests on concrete buttress of I-5 overpass in Del Mar / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff Swallows at mealtime / Photo: John Weare 
Perched Anna’s Hummingbird along the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
Great Egret fledglings roughhouse in their nest before going back to sleep. Such aggression is common and large chicks often kill their smaller siblings – a behavior known as siblicide / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Egrets scanning the sky / Photo: John Weare 
Confusion in the nest as three juvenile Great Egrets jockey for position / Photo: John Weare 
Fledgling Egret launches – on a wing and a prayer / Photo: John Weare 
Fledgling Egret tests wings in pre-flight / Photo: John Weare 
Great Egret, symbol of the National Audubon Society, on final approach / Photo: John Weare 
Great Egret feeding young / Photo: John Weare 
A male Anna’s Hummingird hovers for a drink from a Bladderpod bush near the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
A hungry Double-crested Cormorant, with its distinctive orange throat patch, nabs a Diamond Turbot in the San Dieguito Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Double-crested Cormorant and Diamond Turbot down the gullet / Photo: John Weare 
Killdeer gathering bugs along the river bank / Photo: John Weare 
Feeding time for Cliff Swallows nesting beneath the I-5 overpass / Photo: John Weare 
A flight of Cliff swallows over the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Egrets in their Torrey Pine tree nest / Photo: John Weare 
Male House finch among the grasses and weeds along the river / Photo: John Weare 
A charm of House finches catching up on the latest news / Photo: John Weare 
Monarch butterfly along the riverbank / Photo: John Weare 
Young Egrets in their Torrey Pine home preparing for their first flight / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Egrets in their Torrey Pine tree nest / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Egrets limbering up for thier first flight / Photo: John Weare 
And they’re off! Young Egrets finally launch from their Torrey Pine tree nest – observed by Great blue heron / Photo: John Weare 
Whimbrel on final approach for a water landing / Photo: John Weare 
Whimbrels bathe at the edge of the river / Photo: John Weare 
Long-billed Curlew wading in the shallow waters of the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
A Yellow-crowned Night Heron waits patiently for an unsuspecting fish or frog to pass by / Photo: John Weare 
Female Anna’s Hummingbird / Photo: John Weare 
Kildeer chicks like this one hatch with their eyes open and start scurrying around as soon as their feathers dry / Photo: John Weare 
Female Anna’s Hummingbird takes a sip from a bladderpod bush along the Coast to Crest Trail in Del Mar / Photo: John Weare 
A small crab is nabbed in the mudflats by a Long-billed Curlew / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird showing off her head plumage / Photo: John Weare 
A juvenile Black Phoebe keeping an eye out for next insect meal / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Black Phoebe takes flight / Photo: John Weare 
Baby Cliff Swallow getting ready to take a first flight / Photo: John Weare 
Intricate patterns and colors in the plumage of an Anna’s Hummingbird / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff Swallow with a beakful of mud to shore up its nest under the I-5 bridge / Photo: John Weare 
Snowy Egret spies a small crab just beneath the surface / Photo: John Weare 
An elegant Kildeer reflected in the river / Photo: John Weare 
Young Osprey surveys the river and trail for an afternoon snack / Photo: John Weare 
Cassin’s Kingbird performs a high-wire act / Photo: John Weare 
Long-billed Curlew stalks its prey in the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Female Osprey soars above the Coast to Crest Trail near the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff Swallow chicks on the lookout for returning mother with food / Photo: John Weare 
Cliff Swallow demands its dinner / Photo: John Weare 
Tasty Mayfly delivery to a Cliff Swallow chick beneath the I-5 bridge / Photo: John Weare 
Black Phoebe scanning surroundings for a tasty insect / Photo: John Weare 
California Towhee perched on a trail post near the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
Afternoon bladderpod snack for an Anna’s Hummingbird in the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
An elegant Whimbrel pauses in the pickleweed for a moment of reflection / Photo: John Weare 
A Yellow-crowned Night-Heron intently watches its prey along the river bank / Photo: John Weare 
A pair of young Snowy Egrets reflect upon an imminent meal from the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
A hungry Western Willet uses its sensitive bill tip to pull up a small fiddler crab from the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Double-crested Cormorants getting ready to spend the night on the wires / Photo: John Weare 
A juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron prepares for a crab dinner along the river bank / Photo: John Weare 
Great Blue Heron standing proud in a grassy area along the banks of the river / Photo: John Weare 
A regal Great Blue Heron along the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
Curlew calisthenics / Photo: John Weare 
Watchful female Mallard / Photo: John Weare 
Mallard drake paddles around the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
A female Northern Harrier keeps an eagle eye on her surroundings / Photo: John Weare 
Adult Green Heron hunting in the shallows / Photo: John Weare 
Western Willets discuss dinner plans at dusk / Photo: John Weare 
Immature White-crowned Sparrow pauses momentarily for a portrait / Photo: John Weare 
Snowy Egret cruises past oyster shells clinging to the I-5 bridge pilings / Photo: John Weare 
Great Blue Heron glides gracefully over the lagoon on a winter afternoon / Photo: John Weare 
Kestrel on the job, overlooking the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Male Belted Kingfisher spies his afternoon snack from a wire high above the Del Mar Lagoon… / Photo: John Weare 
…and dives down to retrieve it from the water’s surface / Photo: John Weare 
Gone fishing: male Belted Kingfisher dives toward the river / Photo: John Weare 
Osprey with catch of the day / Photo: John Weare 
Red-breasted Merganser on a bad hair day / Photo: John Weare 
Female American Wigeon cruising the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Male American Wigeon catches rare ray of sunshine on a January afternoon / Photo: John Weare 
A regal Snowy Egret on point / Photo: John Weare 
All-you-can-eat-buffet in the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
A resplendent Mallard drake and his better half / Photo: John Weare 
Curved-bill Thrasher in mid-aria / Photo: John Weare 
The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron forages during the day and at night for crabs and other small crustaceans / Photo: John Weare 
The Yellow-crowned Night-Heron is the rarest heron to migrate north to our coastal wetlands from Mexico / Photo: John Weare 
A patch of sun between rain showers brings a Bush Sunflower to life / Photo: John Weare 
Curved-bill Thrasher on short final – once on the ground, it will use its curved beak to sweep under leaves for food / Photo: John Weare 
The eyes have it: Intense scrutiny from a male Osprey perched above the bridge on Jimmy Durante Blvd. / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron foraging along the river’s edge / Photo: John Weare 
Juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron catches late afternoon light and dinner / Photo: John Weare 
Female American Kestrel intently surveying the ground for a meal. Kestrels feed chiefly on House Sparrows which is why they are also known as Sparrow Hawks / Photo: John Weare 
A gaggle of Canada Geese caught gaggling in the Del Mar Lagoon. These noble birds are named after John Canada, the ornithologist who separated the species from other geese / Photo: John Weare 
An eagle-eyed Osprey Intently watches the water for signs of fish while showing off balancing on one talon / Photo: John Weare 
Pretty pair of paddling Northern Pintails / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird gracefully executes a two-point landing / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird caught in takeoff mode / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird flits off to more important tasks than posing for the camera / Photo: John Weare 
Osprey returning to her nest above the Coast to Crest Trail in Del Mar / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird at moment of landing / Photo: John Weare 
Spotted Sandpiper sans spots in its non-breeding plumage / Photo: John Weare 
Willet in winter plumage / Photo: John Weare 
Greater Yellowlegs shows off how it got its name / Photo: John Weare 
Greater Yellowlegs pokes along in the tidal mudflats / Photo: John Weare 
A California Thrasher sits for her portrait on a handy post / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird in full display of brilliant acrobatics / Photo: John Weare 
A Great Egret wades slowly through the Lagoon at dusk / Photo: John Weare 
Snowy Egret on final approach / Photo: John Weare 
White-crowned Sparrow gathering seeds along the river / Photo: John Weare 
An American Kestrel or Sparrow Hawk keeping an eye out for something tasty on the ground / Photo: John Weare 
Snowy Egret among the oyster shoals in the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Red-breasted Merganser calisthenics / Photo: John Weare 
Quite the mouthful for this Great Blue Heron / Photo: John Weare 
Pocket gopher down the hatch of a Great Blue Heron / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird sits on her tiny nest woven with twigs and lichen / Photo: John Weare 
Greater Yellowlegs with sharp eyes on the prize / Photo: John Weare 
Spotted Sandpiper searching for small crustaceans in the mud flats / Photo: John Weare 
Clark’s Grebe, not to be confused with a Western Grebe, with its black cap that does not reach the eyes / Photo: John Weare 
Song Sparrow enjoys spring bloom in the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Song Sparrow in mid-wingbeat / Photo: John Weare 
Song Sparrow belts out an avian hit / Photo: John Weare 
Mr. and Mrs. Gadwall dabble in Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird among the Bladderpod / Photo: John Weare 
Green Heron on the hunt for insects or small fish along the river’s edge / Photo: John Weare 
Green Heron on final mudflat approach / Photo: John Weare 
Lesser Goldfinch sticks the landing / Photo: John Weare 
Getting an eyeful from a resident Osprey along the San Dieguito River / Photo: John Weare 
The Black-crowned Night-Heron is a relative newcomer to the lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Great Blue Heron chicks patiently waiting for lunch / Photo: John Weare 
Osprey returning home from a fishing trip / Photo: John Weare 
A common but brightly colored House Sparrow / Photo: John Weare 
Up close and personal with a male Western Bluebird / Photo: John Weare 
Male Western Bluebird whose brilliant coloring attracts females / Photo: John Weare 
Female Redhead on patrol / Photo: John Weare 
A male Redhead, a local diving duck in the lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Male Gadwall knee-deep in mud and algae / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird darts off in search of nectar / Photo: John Weare 
Anna’s Hummingbird eye-to-eye / Photo: John Weare 
Say’s Phoebe thinking of something to say / Photo: John Weare 
Peregrine Falcon surveys activity in the Del Mar Lagoon / Photo: John Weare 
Four Osprey chicks (with red eyes) under their father’s supervision / Photo: John Weare 
Mother Osprey leaves the nest in search of food for fledglings / Photo: John Weare 
Osprey chick knows the drill even if not ready for flight / Photo: John Weare 
A regal Great Egret / Photo: John Weare 
Osprey chick surveys the nearby Del Mar Fair / Photo: John Weare 
Great Blue Heron chicks discuss the day ahead under the watchful eye of a parent / Photo: John Weare 
Peregrine Falcon sits for its portrait / Photo: John Weare 
California Thrasher belts out a throaty song / Photo: John Weare 
A Great Blue Heron spies its lunch – and takes the plunge / Photo: John Weare 
Success! Great Blue Heron comes up with a prize / Photo: John Weare 
Great Blue Heron shows off its catch / Photo: John Weare 
A young Black-crowned Night Heron waits for something edible to pass by / Photo: John Weare 
The I-5 freeway bridge over the San Dieguito River is reflected in the eye of a young Black-crowned Night Heron / Photo: John Weare