I feel like every Christmas card ever made with a bird on it has a bright red cardinal on a snow-covered branch eating bright red berries. This frustrates me because clearly we don’t get any of these in San Diego (cardinals or snow)… but I was surprised to find that we actually get some red berries here.
I don’t normally bird much during the winter. Partly because of the cold (I’m a whimp) and partly the birds here are boring during that time (little migration happens so all the birds I’ll see I can see from the comfort of my warm house looking out into my backyard)… so I never noticed that we get red berries. Apparently, we have a lot of them called Heteromeles arbutifolia or as it’s also known as “Christmas Berry.” I have to admit, I feel a little silly that I never paid much attention to the native plants in San Diego.
I’m currently in the process of redoing the Buena Vista Audubon’s website (phase 1 is up in case you want to check it out, we’ll be adding more resources overtime) so I’m spending a lot of time there… so I’m learning quite a bit about native plant species. I wish I had known more before we xeriscaped our yard because I would have included more of them! There are quite a few that are really pretty. If you are in Oceanside, you should stop by the Nature Center and check out the native plant garden there.
Birding Ninja 
I winter in Florida, and almost daily, I photograph at a bird rookery near me. Everyday a delight for the eyes – different herons, and egrets in their mating plumage, courtship dances, nest building, and of course can’t forget a out the chicks, and adolescents trying to be the first to eat. Will be posting often with photos of the birds.
I hope you stop my to view them.
The Audubon runs it.
Yes, I can see where your photo reminds you of a Christmas card. Beautiful clear colors in your photo.
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Great site! I loved watching herons and egrets. They are so elegant. It’s interesting how birds come in so many different shapes, sizes, and personalities! It’s hard to believe when you see a heron and a hummingbird next to each other that they have a common ancestor!
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I’m out at the rookery today taking photos of Great Blue Herons and their one week old chicks, just white fuzzy balls with tiny beaks and in two months they should be as big as their parents. Wil be posting some of these photos soon. Thank you J.J. for stopping by and commenting. Much appreciated.
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Just needs “Merry Christmas” across the top and it is a perfect card. Great photo!!!
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Haha! Maybe I’ll do some bird Christmas card this year. 🙂
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