After weeks of sweating this summer, we went on a weekend getaway to Big Bear with a group my husband belongs to. Big Bear is a mountain town about 2.5 hours away from the San Diego area and is a great weekend trip. It’s mostly known for it’s skiing (yes, there is snow in Southern California I was surprised when I first moved here) and the huge lake there.

One of the members owns this amazing cabin (it’s for rent if you’re interested) up there and they let us all crash there. The birding I did while on our hikes was a bust, but the birding from the front porch was AWESOME! The owners has multiple feeders around the property and the place was intensely saturated with feather-friends. And, really, isn’t the best birding done while sitting and drinking wine?

The thing I found great was the overwhelming amount of Mountain Chickadees. As San Diego is to House Finches, Big Bear is to Chickadees.

I’ve never seen so many new bird species (especially while just sitting) in one day than I saw there. I can’t wait to go back!