Just a couple of days after getting a chance to photograph a male Anna’s hummingbird, hauling the long and heavy 200-500mm lens on a hike paid off again unexpectedly: on a docent-led chaparral hike at the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve we were met by a large Red Diamond Rattlesnake (Crotalus ruber) that was basking in the sun, right in the middle of the trail.
Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve
Gorge(ous) Hike at the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve
A couple more photos to sum up my impressions from the docent-led hike at the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve last Sunday (previous posts: Chaparral Clematis, Santa Margarita Oaks).
Santa Margarita Oaks
Typical for the somewhat sheltered and wet canyons along streams, oaks and sycamores grow there and form a beautiful riparian jungle (together with an abundance of Poison-oak of course).
Summer at the Santa Margarita River
When one of our friends mentioned that there’s a river to see in northern San Diego County, I was very curious, and a bit skeptical of course. He led us to the Santa Margarita River near Fallbrook, where a trail starts at the Sandia Canyon bridge and follows the river east, on the old and partially overgrown River Edge Road. And indeed, the river was flowing nicely, even in September, most likely thanks to the very wet winter.