I stayed at Prado Regional Park in Chino for three days to wait out some rain and wind alerts before heading north. Went to visit some peacocks that stay around their office area and one male put on a show. With feathers extended in full showgirl mode, he would try to envelop any of three females that walked by. At the same time, he’d do a shimmy of sorts. The females were just looking for food and seemed puzzled by his behaviour. To add insult to injury, sparrows were landing on his feathers.

When I was leaving the park, noticed a man taking pictures of a hawk that was very close to him. Think he was feeding it. First time I’ve seen anything like it.

Moved from Rancho Jurupa Park to Prado Regional Park because I had used up Jurupa’s 14 day limit and needed to stay in the area a little longer. Prado is in Chino, 15 or 20 miles from Rancho Jurupa. It is on land leased from the Army Corps of Engineers…2,000 acres of parkland and a 60 acre lake. Found it to be a birder’s paradise. It’s rare to see so many different birds in one place. About 70% of the lake is lined with willows and other marsh plants, so there are lots of places for birds to nest and hide. There are also woods next to the lake that herons and other birds often fly to and probably nest in.

Prado Park also includes Prado Dog Park, for training work and hunting dogs; a shooting range (used in the 1984 Olympics); a radio controlled air park; an equestrian center; and a golf course.

Adult black-crowned night heron. Have never seen so many.

Juvenile black-crowned night heron.

Commorant

An osprey. Note the powerful legs and feet.

It was so good to see and hear a Western grebe again. There were a number of pairs of them. They tend to stay in the middle part of the lake, so it’s hard to get a good picture.

Geese and ducks of course.

Birds seen but not pictured: black-necked stilt, black phoebe, common tern, common moorhen, egret, turkey vulture, coot.

Campground at Prado. If you squint, you can see my rv in the center.