About a mile from Robb and Mary’s home in Del Mar is a neat birding spot called the Los Penasquitos Marsh Preserve. I walked down there several mornings and crossed busy Carmel Valley Drive to check out the ducks and other waterfowl on the quickly-moving river. I didn’t have a scope with me and the trail alongside the highway is a bit tight in places but it was a fine place to check off birds. Because of the moving water, it was a virtual parade with bushes along the creek blocking views and then nice open stretches.

There were several Green-winged Teal pushing the limits of my Canon SX50.

This Mallard’s head looked iridescent blue in the bright sunlight.

Northern Pintail is one of the common ducks here at this time of year.

This Pied-billed Grebe cruised in rather closely. See his legs?

It was common to see a wide mix of ducks in the same general area, cruising and feeding together. American Coots, Ruddy Ducks, Cinnamon Teal, Gadwalls, and the above ducks were just a few of the species there. It’s a nice challenge for me to sort them out.