Outdoors
Dense Ground Fogs are a trademark of the onset of autumn along San Diego’s coastal strip. Fog materializes during the night and early morning hours when moist marine air that has settled in valleys and …
San Diego’s Coastal SageScrub Vegetation is now at the very nadir of its growth cycle. But the late-summer rain we had a few weeks ago shattered the usual summer drought, and our “summer-deciduous” vegetation bounced …
As the Beach Season Winds Down, San Diego County’s coastline is padded by what are likely the deepest and widest accumulations of sand we’ll see this year. Many stretches of the coastline are vulnerable to …
Fall Officially Begins at 8:09 pm local time on Wednesday, September 22 — a good excuse to throw an impromptu evening party to celebrate the occasion. At equinox, the sun shines directly on the Earth’s …
The Time of Sunset changes most rapidly this time of the year. This is mainly because the sun is swinging rapidly south along the ecliptic (its apparent path through the background stars). From the latitude …
The Chaparral, the tangled assortment of low-growing, drought-resistant, native shrubs covering most of San Diego County’s lower mountain slopes, has managed to remain fairly attractive this summer. Unlike many of the scrubby natives near the …
Shore Birds migrating southward are beginning to arrive in San Diego County. Through fall and winter, various ducks, sandpipers, and plovers will be spotted in increased numbers in the county’s coastal wetlands. Best bird-watching spots …
Towering Thunderstorms have visited parts of the back country, and prompted flash flood warnings, but gentle showers fell along the coast. Mt. Laguna and Pine Valley both received well over an inch of rain, but …
Sandpipers are now being seen in considerable numbers within San Diego County’s coastal wetland habitats and along the ocean beaches. Some have just arrived from the north; others are juveniles that have bred locally. You’ll …
San Diego’s Warmest Weather, on average, should occur in August through early September, according to statistics compiled from several decades of measurements taken near the San Diego International Airport. In an average year, coastal residents …
Orioles, the bright yellow or yellow-orange-and-black birds sometimes seen flitting among the palm trees, are summer residents of San Diego County’s coastal areas. A century ago, the orioles preferred to nest in sycamore trees, which …