Cabrillo Field Notes

 

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Cabrillo National Monument protects a unique and diverse landscape thriving with life. Follow our science teams into the field and discover the stories of our park’s natural resources and beyond.

Adaptability in Say’s Phoebes

November 23, 2023 Posted by: Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Apprentice Vivian Kowieski (16 years old)

Say’s Phoebes are just one of the hundreds of migratory birds that visit San Diego each year. These little birds demonstrate great adaptability that is increasingly necessary for species to survive in the modern world. Here’s a look into what makes them so resilient.

Birds, Migration, Adaptation, CabrilloNationalMonument, NationalParkService, Conservation

 

Excuse Me, What Do You Keep in Your Gular Pouch?

January 23, 2020 Posted by: Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Apprentice Violeta Anghel

Dixon Lanier Merritt wrote a great limerick regarding our fine feathered friend in 1910:
"Oh, a wondrous bird is the pelican!
His bill holds more than his belican.
He can take in his beak
Enough food for a week.
But I'm darned if I know how the helican."
In this field note we discuss the Brown Pelican, the uses of its gular pouch, its diet, description, and, finally, its range.

gular pouch, pelican, Brown Pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis, Birds, water birds, Cabrillo National Monument, nests, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus,, California Brown Pelican, National Park Service, Dixon Lanier Merritt

 

Strange Birds Caught by Observant Community Scientists

August 22, 2018 Posted by: Samantha Wynns

Field scientists do their best to observe and catalogue every species on the Earth, but there just isn’t enough of them to be all places at all times.  Because of this, community scientists are playing an increasingly vital role in keeping track of the world’s organisms – are you one of them?

Birds, Summer Tanager, Community Science, eBird, iNaturalist, Science Explorer’s Club, Cabrillo National Monument, National Park Service

 

The Remarkable Adaptations of Birds to Their Environment

May 26, 2018 Posted by: Samantha Wynns

Birds, like all living things, are sculpted by natural selection. Every adaptation they sport serves a purpose: beaks are designed to eat a specific kind of food, feet help them to navigate their preferred environments, and plumage advertises a bird’s fitness or disguises its presence. Ready to learn about some of the interesting adaptations that make birds unique? Read on!

Birds, Adaptation, Natural Selection, Cabrillo National Monument, National Park Service