I call it Secret Spring.
Not because it’s unknown, but because it’s a tiny seep of water tucked into a cozy grove of Palomar Mountain pine trees, providing a sheltered place for wild creatures to drink.
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This tiny oasis is more like a rustic dive bar than an elegant lounge; a simple place where the working wildlife can come for a quick drink after a hard day.
For nearly a year I have maintained a wildlife camera at this remote spring, recording not only the variety of animals that visit here but also gaining insight into the habits of the forest creatures who call this home.
While the camera captures most of the activity, I’ve also spent time there just sitting and watching nature go about its routine.
When initially set up, my prime goal was to capture good images of mountain lions, but over the seasons I have taken beautiful photos of birds, butterflies, rodents and mammals. Most photos were taken with the remote camera triggered by passing animals, but some were recorded during the times I sat quietly and watched.
A western screech owl. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A Steller’s jay. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A male Bullock’s oriole. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A flicker. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A western bluebird. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A red-tailed hawk. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A western tanager. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A white-breasted nuthatch. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A mountain quail. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A male acorn woodpecker sharing a bath with an American robin. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A band-tailed pigeon. (Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
This column begins a series to introduce readers to the forest animals who come to Secret Spring, starting with the many birds, followed by accounts of skunks, foxes, deer, bobcats and mountain lions, representing the order of their visits from most to least frequent.
Frequency of visits is likely determined by the territorial range of various species, which can range from just a few acres for birds, to hundreds of miles for mountain lions. The smaller the territory, the more frequently these visitors showed up on camera.
Dawn in the mountain woods is often thought of as a quiet time of peaceful awakening as the first rays of sunshine filter through scented pines.
But at Secret Spring it was more like Mardi Gras as the gathering of birds brought flashes of color, songs, cackles, chirps, whistles and squawks as they drank, bathed or socialized.
Springtime brought an amazing variety of birdlife as some arriving summer and departing winter migrants crossed paths. Those included western tanagers, yellow-rumped warblers, Bullock’s orioles, and the winter visiting Townsend’s warbler.
Other resident daytime visitors to Secret Spring included western bluebirds, northern flickers, white-breasted nuthatches, acorn woodpeckers, mourning doves, band-tailed pigeons, mountain quail, Steller’s jays, chipping sparrows, lark sparrows, hermit thrushes, mountain chickadees and red-tailed hawks.
The large red-tailed hawk has a home range of several square miles, so it is not as frequently captured by the Secret Spring camera.
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The beautiful adult bird tends to show up very late in the day as it lands next to the small puddle to drink.
It was the nighttime bird activity that was far more interesting.
In the security of darkness, many of the larger animals come to drink, but almost nightly, the game camera captured visits from a rarely seen western screech owl.
This delightful little owl is a native to the pine woods and higher elevations of San Diego County. While fairly common in numbers, they are rarely seen due to their nocturnal habits and preferred habitat of dense oak or pine woodlands.
Screech owls are known by their signature call, described as a series of five to 15 short, whistled hoots that get closer together and more rapid like a bouncing ball.
This is also a small owl, measuring no more than 8 to 10 inches tall, with a round face, large eyes, ear tufts and plumage color of gray, black and white.
The nightly visits to Secret Spring can probably be explained by the screech owl’s small territorial area than can range from 2 to about 25 acres depending on food availability and habitat. Secret Spring is likely the regular source of water for this tiny bird.
During my visits to the spring, it’s the daytime bird activity that brought color, sound and joys to the woods.
They own the sunshine.
But it was the larger creatures that own the night, and they are more challenging to photograph. Some were curious regulars, seemingly posing for pictures, while others were cautious and tentative as they approached.
The next most frequent visitor to Secret Spring was the striped skunk that you will get to meet in my next column.
Cowan is a freelance columnist. Email [email protected] or visit erniecowan.substack.com.
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