Anthony Ciccarello

Photo Post

2026-06-03T16:11:49Z

Spangled Cotinga

Had lots of fun with the camera at the San Diego Safari Park with my sister. So many cool animals and fun scenes. It’s not every day you see a man walking an aardvark or a zookeeper named Fern. I finally caught a (poorly lit) glimpse of the platypus. I also saw the Sand Cat for the first time (very cute). Of course I loved the aviaries; one even reminded me of birding in Costa Rica.

Fern with a Eurasian Eagle Owl

The Burrowing Owl eventually came out to say hi

A unique view of an Aardvark

Scimitar oryx, once extinct in the wild

Cheetah and cubs

Baikal Teal

Another Baikal Teal showing off various cool patterns

Mongoose

Giraffe feeding

Great White Pelican

Southern White Rhinoceros

Red River Hog

The adorable Sand Cat

Lowland Nyala

Photo Post

2026-06-01T05:43:00Z

One of my favorite annual events in oceanside is the Beach Soccer Championship. It’s a unique variation of soccer and really fun to watch. The field and teams are small, it is faster pace, you can get close to the action, there are lots of bicycle kicks, and the atmosphere is relaxed like a surf competition. I’ve now been able to bring a sibling 2 years in a row too.

Players from the Tahiti team performing a dance before the men’s pro championship

Photo Post

2026-05-27T06:33:00Z

Hooded oriole

Thanks to everyone who came out to my birding birthday walk yesterday. I had a great time hosting and sharing my love of birds with you all. And the group spotted quite a few birds themselves and had great questions. The full list of species is posted on ebird if you are interested. I didn’t take a ton of photos but here are some of the fun ones.

Song sparrow

House wren butt. This parent was busy feeding a nest full of noisy chicks.

Photo Post

2026-05-25T07:36:00Z

Caught this wild view on my last flight home from the east coast. I’ve never seen the last glows of sunset from above. Was even more wild in motion with a slight parallax effect.

Photo Post

2026-05-17T02:54:31Z

Thanks to my family for coming out this morning. It was fun sharing the birds with both the kids and adults. The indigo buntings and orioles were a big hit and it was really cool having the bald eagles to fly over for us. Even with the big group we still encountered 32 species! Also, thanks to my cousin Jude for capturing some photos.

Photo Post

2026-05-16T19:54:31Z

It’s nice to be on the east coast in May. I love seeing all the spring growth.

Short Note

2026-05-15T04:00:00Z

Okay, I’ve set the times for my open birthday bird walk. If you are in the San Diego area and want to come birding with me, you’re welcome to join!

Date: Monday May 25 (Memorial Day)
Time: 5:00 PM
Location: Batiquitos Lagoon (7380 Gabbiano Ln, Carlsbad, CA 92011)

Kids are welcome as are any bird-curious friends! If you have a pair of binoculars, bring them. If not there will still be plenty to see and hear. I’ll have a couple extra pairs. If you have an extra pair of binoculars you’re willing to share please do. I’ll also be grabbing dinner afterward at the Windmill Food Hall if you’d like to stay for that too.

Short Note

2026-05-10T07:23:43Z

Okay, I’m calling it there. After wandering around town in the dark for an hour, I did eventually find a Great Horned Owl hooting. After reviewing my photos I realized…I’m not cut out for reviewing photos. Well, at least I’m only adding one more species. There’s a pretty clear a Brandt’s Cormorant with a bright blue throat in a picture on the bait barge so I’m confident I can add that. I still need to review the terns but I got some decent sound ID down in Imperial Beach so those have already been added to the count. I’ve added a few photos to the lists as well as some habitat photos. When everything is complete I’ll send out a final wrap up post for those who would like to review. In the meantime, feel free to check out my ebird trip report.

Edit: I got some feedback on the Western/Clark’s Grebe and think there’s enough for a positive ID on that too. Thanks for the help Nick!

Short Note

2026-05-10T03:05:08Z

Species goal met! I was a little worried when I arrived at the Tijuana River Estuary because there wasn’t much activity going on. I heard and saw the Savana Sparrows. I heard and eventually saw the Ridgeway Rail. But there wasn’t much else for a while. I finally caught a glimpse of the Northern Harrier and found a Willet on the bank of the marsh. I was glad to finally hit the goal. Thanks to everyone who donated. It made it a fun day for me and I’m excited to help the San Diego Bird Alliance.

I was also excited for some of the photos I took, only to realize I’d forgotten to replace the SD card… Well, just know they were amazing. The osprey family looked very cute in their nest. I even got a Common Yellowthroat to pose long enough in the open for a picture. I’ll have to use my mind’s eye to remember.

While the sun has set, I’m not quite done. As I ate my dinner looking out over the marsh and into Mexico, I ID’d a couple more terns. From here I’ll be on the lookout for owls this evening.

Short Note

2026-05-09T23:36:48Z

Wrapping up at the San Diego River Mudflats. Got to see the Black Skimmers skimming which was really cool as well as see several other tern including Caspian and Elegant Terns. I took some photos and will check back to see if any Royal Terns were in the mix. There were a host of egrets too: Snowy Egrets, a Reddish Egret, Great Blue Herons, and Little Blue Herons. I checked the bait barge for any Brandta Cormorants but it was mostly Double Created Cormorants and Sea Lions.

I’m getting close to reaching my goal! Continuing my way south with a stop at Famosa Slough next.

Photo Post

2026-05-09T21:04:25Z

Spent two hours at Santee Lakes and saw 29 species including 5 new ones. This tile I brought the DSLR camera with me and got some great shots I’ll add to the list later. Saw several wood ducks including an all-white (albino/leucistic) mother duck. While waiting for my lunch at the grill I got to watch an Osprey and Forster’s Tern catch fish. Next I’ll head to the coast for some shore birds.

Short Note

2026-05-09T18:14:50Z

Just finished a hot hike in the sun at Lake Hodges and added 8 more species with a list of 24. The cutest had to be the covey of California Quail which included a bunch of babies. I also heard a few Bell’s Vireos. There was also a gnatcatcher though I’m not confident enough to ID that. I’ll have to look up California vs Blue-gray later. Next up is Santee Lakes in search of some wood ducks!

Short Note

2026-05-09T16:26:59Z

Starting off strong. I spent about 2 hours at Guajome Park and saw 45 species! That does not include the domestic peacocks in the neighborhood. My favorite birds I saw were the Lawrence’s Goldfinches who were feeding on the side of the trail. They are beautiful birds I don’t get to see too often. A close second would be the Yellow-breasted Chats which took me a while to see. There were lots of Black-headed Grosbeaks calling loudly and so many pairs of California Towhees.

Listen

2026-05-09T05:43:15Z

🎵 Listening to the Bird Songs playlist by Anthony Ciccarello. I’m all set for my birdathon fundraiser tomorrow. I’ve even got my bird playlist lined up!

Photo Post

2026-05-09T05:23:32Z

Before I left New York, I went birding with my sister and brother-in-law at Jamaica Bay. I’d heard the birding is great there but was really impressed at how much was going on. I even ID’d 3 lifers! I couldn’t believe how many tree swallows were nesting though. It seemed like there was another nest box every 50 feet.

Photo Post

2026-05-07T05:50:16Z

One World Trade Center deserves it’s own post. It really dominates the skyline.

Photo Post

2026-05-07T05:26:51Z

I had a great time in NYC last week. As usual, I found the mix of textures and architectures between the buildings captivating.

Photo Post

2026-05-06T04:08:01Z

Another great afternoon playing ultimate on the beach and another great sunset. Technically this photo was from last week but I was too busy playing to get the sunset pic tonight. 😄

Join me birding for my birthday!

2026-04-24T22:18:29Z

A group of birders I joined recently at Whelan Lake in Oceanside

While I’ve been birdwatching for a long time, this year I’ve also enjoyed sharing birding with others. So for my birthday, I’m inviting my friends and family to join me outside throughout the month. In May I’ll be hosting several birding walks people can join, and doing a Birdathon fundraiser! You can join a walk, bird on your own during Global Big Day, or donate to support conservation. My hope is to make this accessible to as many people as possible, so if you’ve never gone birdwatching, I’...

Photo Post

2026-04-23T03:41:41Z

It’s dredging season again in Oceanside. Thankfully they kept the harbor beach clear so we have space for ultimate frisbee. The pier beach is a mess but I’ll admit the machines are kinda cool. Hopefully the sand decides to stay on the beach this year rather than blocking the harbor.

Photo Post

2026-04-16T05:58:50Z

This is how I feel after tax season. 😐 Also PSA: Pelicans are big birds. It’s terrifying when they start asking for handouts…don’t train more lap pelicans.

San Diego Bird Festival 2026

2026-04-13T07:22:56Z

Our group at the Chollas Reservoir hike

This February, I attended my first San Diego Bird Festival. This was only the second bird festival I’ve attended after Wings Over Water 2025. Partially to reduce the cost, but also to contribute, I decided to be a festival volunteer. I started Wednesday evening with the opening keynote from Jason Hall through the Sunday night finale. Between volunteering, going on trips, and just hanging around the festival I had a busy 5 days. There’s no way to capture all the memories in one post, but this ...

Avocado and Sun Dried Tomato Salad with Chicken

2026-04-11T16:10:47Z

This recipe comes from the Half Baked Harvest Super Simple Cookbook (pg 79). Tieghan Gerard also has a version of this recipe with chickpeas on her website as well. Between the sun dried tomatoes and avocado, it has a lot of oil, but it makes for a more filling salad. Lemon juice on the avocado should help reduce browning when stored in the fridge. The first time I made this, I skipped the bacon prep and used store-bought bacon bits. If you don’t want to spend money on pine nuts, sunflower se...

Photo Post

2026-04-11T05:05:14Z

Was able to take advantage of my Safari Park membership and visit with visiting family members. Got some great looks at very cool animals. I also had a lot of fun birding the wild birds too! Came home with lots of pics.

Photo Post

2026-04-10T18:23:43Z

My highlight from yesterday might have been the peregrine falcon pair we saw while walking on the beach below these cool cliffs. Can you see it? I probably wouldn’t have noticed without the guys camped out with giant camera lenses below.

Photo Post

2026-04-09T07:05:35Z

Lots of beach time the last couple weeks. More sunset photos incoming.

Photo Post

2026-04-06T06:25:07Z

Today during the easter service I was reminded of the promise of new life. Our church has a tradition of sharing flowers which also reminded me of this ranunculus bulb that has flowered in the garden we planted after Bailey died. The beautiful growth that can come out of pain doesn’t take away the pain or justify it, but both can exist and there is something to learn from the contrast. I’m being challenged to grow now and I hope to see something beautiful from that.

Photo Post

2026-04-02T04:15:55Z

Gonna keep rolling with the beach photos because I know “May gray” is just a month away. Gonna take all I can get for now.

Photo Post

2026-03-27T08:12:59Z

It was nice to hang out with friends on the beach this week. I’m loving the sunsets this time of year. The sky has been clear and I’m noticing a lot more stars and planets. With the warm weather, it seems like everyone else has been enjoying being outside too.

Photo Post

2026-03-17T05:50:43Z

Love this cuddle buddy.

Short Note

2026-03-16T05:43:40Z

I’ve got a new page on my site! Just for fun! Hats!