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The Royals came to visit and observe the annual fireworks display commemorating the current Queen’s Great-Grandmother Victoria, which added to the usual crowds. It is also likely why things started 15 minutes earlier than usual, which meant I wasn’t fully set up when things started. Still, I managed to get a few decent shots in before it ended.

Victoria Day Fireworks 1

Victoria Day Fireworks 2

Unfortunately I accidentally spooked this bird when he was wading in a marshy pool at Woodbine Park, but he gave me a great view when he flew by to head to the beaches further south of Woodbine Park.

Snowy Egret in Flight

Just before leaving the hotel to head back home, I toured the hotel grounds with camera in hand to see if there was any other birds I could shoot. No Anna’s Hummingbirds in sight this morning, and no other birds (other than sparrows) came into range. And then I saw this little guy singing his heart out on the patio of the hotel. I managed to get a few shots off, and here are the results:

Rock Wren Singing

Rock Wren on Rail

One of the reasons I went to Balboa Park was because I was told that the gardens were a haven for the local bird life. I started out at what’s known as the Old Cactus Garden, and took a number of shots in the morning, and after visiting a number of the “pocket museums” on the grounds, came back in the afternoon. The sun was never fully out, but it cooperated just enough for me to get some great shots, particularly of some of the hummingbirds that loved some of the bright red flowers on one of the tree-like succulents there.

Female Anna's Hummingbird Sipping Rainwater from Ground

Female Anna's Hummingbird Drinking Nectar from Red Flower

Female Anna's Hummingbird Drinking Nectar from Red Flower - Close-up

Female Anna's Hummingbird Drinking Nectar at Base of Red Flower

California Towhee

Female Hooded Oriole

Male Hooded Oriole

I had a package deal that allowed me entry into any five of the museums on the Balboa Park grounds. I decided just for fun to go into the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, which is the largest such museum in North America. I had an electric model train set when I was a boy, but never really caught the “bug” and went beyond that point, but have always been fascinated in the elaborate detail and often humorous touches that go into such large-scale layouts.

Thanks to the lighting and the pervasive glass, I found that it was next to impossible to get good shots of moving trains with the gear I had with me. So I concentrated on some of the miniature details. If I had a tripod with me I could have done better, but I still like some of shots I came away with from that visit.

I noticed that the Wikipedia article on this museum didn’t have any shot of the museum, so I posted the following image to Wikimedia Commons for use on the Wikipedia page:

Facade of the San Diego Model Railroad Museum

Enthusiast Among a Small Scale Layout

A Contented-looking Engineer

Traffic by the Pacific Hotel

The conference concluded mid-day, so I had the rest of the day to explore San Diego. A colleague of mine was interested in seeing the San Diego Zoo, and realizing the photo opportunities, readily agreed to join him.

Such a terrific zoo, and it was a good day to visit it: the sun was out but it never felt too hot. We hopped on the SkyTrain which took us to the other end of the zoo and slowly worked our way back to the entrance.

I had a field day taking shots of just about everything that I could get a good photo of (and a few I couldn’t. 😉 Here are some highlights:

Male Wood Duck Close-up

Sleeping Koala and its Mother

Male Peacock Close-up

Rosy-billed Pochard

Male Hooded Merganser

White-headed Buffalo Weaver

White-faced Whistling Duck

Victoria Crowned Pigeon

Male Fairy Bluebird

Proghorn #1

Pair of Meerkats

Male Black-spotted Barbet

Ivory-billed Aracari

Guanaco

Emerald Dove

Hyrinx

Golden-bellied Mangabey

Dromedary Camel

Female-Fairy Bluebird

California Condor Getting Ready to Fly

California Condor

Black Spur-winged Goose

Black Spur-winged Goose (Look for the Spur by its 'Elbow')

Black-billed Magpie

While wondering around the hotel’s grounds, I discovered that the top branch of a small tree that was just level to the tennis-court terrace was a popular spot with some of the local birds. In particular, a small female Anna’s Hummingbird kept zipping hither and yon but always coming back to that little branch, presumably because it was such a good look-out. With my fast telephoto lens in hand, I managed to take plenty of shot of the little bird:

Female Anna's Hummingbird Close-up

Female Anna's Hummingbird on a Small Branch

Female's Anna's Hummingbird About to Fly

Female Anna's Hummingbird Flying Away