A small group of bird watchers on a guided tour of Rose Creek on July 31 didn’t know they were in for a real treat: an osprey feasting on a fish on a Mission Bay High School light pole, a mullet it had just caught before the tour even began.
Tour leader Kyle Fischer, who brought along a field telescope and his smartphone armed with Merlin, a sound-sensitive app that can pick out birds by their song, identified both the bird and its prey for birdwatchers in the free monthly walk of Rose Creek, which begins in the parking lot of MBHS.
Near the end of the tour, Fischer was able to identify a bird song using the Merlin app as that coming from a Golden Warbler.
“I’ve been birding since I was a young kid and during the pandemic I started birding a lot more,” said Fischer about his involvement. “I came up here to Rose Creek and noticed trash building up, so I reached out to Friends of Rose Creek. I found out they were leading bird walks. They asked me to help lead them, and I’ve been doing it for two years now.”
Volunteer Fischer pointed out there are regulars and one-timers on his monthly creek bird walks. “You get a wide range of people, some beginners, and some who have been birding for a long time,” he said.
Asked about the appeal of birding, Fischer replied: “Some people love to bird watch because they’re looking for rarities. Some are making lists, or they’re traveling in birding. Some people just enjoy getting out into nature.”
Is it fun to be a guide? “It’s wonderful, I’m very happy to do it,” replied Fischer. “It’s been great.”
The guide was also quick to point out San Diego is an incomparable place for birding. “More birds have been seen in the County of San Diego than any other county in the United States,” noted Fischer, who explained why. “It is because of the incredible diversity of ecosystems,” he said. “We have far offshore waters. We have desert and mountain habitats. We have chaparral and foothills. We have everything. It’s really phenomenal.”
The birdwatching tour threaded its way up and down Rose Creek along the bike path from the ocean to the north of Garnet Avenue and back. It was a pleasant, early-evening jaunt taking in glimpses of mostly common birds, as participants ducked out of the way of cyclists on the popular PB bike path. Viewed along the way were seagulls, sparrows, ducks, numerous crows, and hummingbirds, among others.
“In the winter there can be hundreds of coots (migratory water birds) here,” pointed out Fischer.
Joining in on the tour mid-way through was Karin Zirk, executive director of Friends of Rose Creek, who talked about how things got started. “I used to do tours for years since I first got involved with Rose Creek in 2004,” she said. “The first one probably happened in 2005. San Diego Audubon helped me do the first few. In the wintertime, I always do two or three, because that’s when all the out-of-town birds are here, the ones that summer up in Canada and Alaska.”
Added Zirk: “The monthly tours have been great because it’s allowed a buildup of people to happen. And now Kyle, an expert birder, really brings the people out. Whenever he comes, we always have a much bigger turnout.”
BIRD WATCHING TIPS
Be quiet: Birds are easily startled by loud noises and will flee. It is almost impossible to sneak up on a bird because they hear much better than humans.
Avoid sudden movements: Just as loud noises startle birds, so does sudden movement. Getting close to a bird means stalking it, moving slowly and deliberately. The closer you are to a bird, the more slowly and quietly you should move.
Follow the crowd: In the nonbreeding season (winter months) many small songbirds join flocks of mixed species both for protection and to make finding food easier. Following a single calling bird will often lead you to a larger feeding flock.
Study habitat: Each bird is specially adapted to a particular habitat. What you see will depend in large part on where you look.
Work the flocks: Your chance of finding an unusual bird is far greater in a flock, just because you have more birds to look at.
Be patient: A bird hopping around in a bush will eventually move into a spot where you can get a good look. Bird watching is often about being patient and waiting for the birds to show themselves.
Get the sun at your back: It is not always possible but moving around so that the sun is behind you will make it much easier to see and identify birds.
Try pishing: Sometimes, no matter how patient you are, you just cannot get a good look at the bird. Try pishing, which involves making small, squeaky noises by kissing the back of your hand or making a low whistled pish by blowing air through your closed teeth. Here’s how to pish: Clench your teeth, open your lips, and whisper the word pish.
Avoid brightly colored clothes: Many birds have poor color vision, but bright clothes, like whites, will contrast with the surrounding environment and enhance the appearance of movement. Wear darker colors or earth tones to blend into the background.
Look around: Many bird watchers, focused on the flock in the thicket, forget to look at the other habitats around them. In particular, they forget to look up and thus miss the flock of geese or the soaring hawk.
