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 
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 
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