Issue link: https://imageup.uberflip.com/i/1173016
| OHCC LIVING | OCTOBER 2019 | 13 Birdwatchers Our next meeting will be on Oct. 22, at 12 noon in the Mykonos Room. We will have a party after the meeting! Our next walk will be a week before that on Oct. 15. We will be going to Whelan Lake in Oceanside. Located in the San Luis Rey Watershed, Whelan Lake is a man-made body of water that was used in a dairy farm operation owned by the Whelan Family. Upon her death in 1985, Ellen Whelan donated the entire 305 acre property to a Board of Trustees with the understanding that the land was to remain protected and used as a sanctuary for migratory and resident waterfowl. The area is a mix of mostly grasslands, old oaks, and scrub and chaparral habitats. To date, 170 species of birds have been sighted there, including Canadian Geese, Willow Flycatcher, Least Bell's Vireo, White Pelicans, and 15 different duck species including Wood Ducks. As usual we will meet at the overflow parking lot, get directions, and decide carpooling at 7:45 for an 8 am departure. It is a 35 minute drive. Bring your own picnic lunch, water, binoculars, and sunscreen. Don't forget your hat! A portable toilet is available. Since we see and hear so many crows in Ocean Hills, I thought I would write a bit about them. The American Crow is highly intelligent and, with few natural predators, their population is exploding. Efforts to exterminate them, including dynamiting their roosts, have failed. Their "caw-caw!" can be heard across most of the continent. They are omnivorous, opportunistic feeders eating practically anything, even eggs and the young of other birds. They have been known to carry hard-shelled mollusks high in the air and drop them on rocks to break them open. When courting, male faces female, fluffs up body feathers, partly spreads wings and tail, and bows repeatedly while giving a short rattling song. They nest in trees or large shrubs, 10-70 feet above the ground. Four to six eggs are incubated by female, and the young leave the nest about five weeks after hatching. The "kids" stay around for years helping out with new fledglings. A family unit can include up to 15 birds! Juveniles play a lot, sometimes wrestling, pulling each other's tails, and begging for food. Like any big family, they play and fight together and make lots of noise! Sociable when not nesting, crows gather in communal roosts on winter nights, sometimes with thousands or even tens of thousands roosting in one grove. Their lifespan is six to 20 years. The American Crow