Shhh! I'm stalking. Stalking BIRDS! So it's totally acceptable.
Today I got to meet with a Bird Watching Leader, Tom Troy, at Buena Vista Audubon Society. Tom is a wealth of knowledge about birds (and was very patient with me about my lack of birding)
Bird watching is a great activity to do during COVID. It's easy to keep your safe social distancing outside. Plus...honestly, it's very calming and meditative. Well, unless you're me and scream every time you spot a bird (hey--I was excited OK!)
San Diego County is actually a global birding hot spot with more than 546 different species of birds in the county.
You don't need much to get started, just a pair of binoculars and perhaps some online resources to help you identify the birds. Like these:
Cornell University’s Ornithology Lab:
www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search
Merlin Bird App:
merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download
iNaturalist:
www.inaturalist.org
eBird:
ebird.org/home
Where to go birding: BVAS website has information on birding locations and resources for birders in North County: https://bvaudubon.org/ and birding hotspots for north county brochure: https://bvaudubon.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/235_BVAS_Birding-Hot-Spots_Brochure_r11_small.pdf