A-Birding on a Bronco

Through a series of detailed field notes, the author invites listeners into a quiet valley at the foot of the Southern California Coast Ranges, just north of San Diego. Collected over the springs of 1889 and 1894, the observations capture daily life among the scrub oak, eucalyptus groves and open grasslands that surround Twin Oaks. The voice is both scientific and personal, offering anecdotes of watching a pair of Brewer’s blackbirds chase insects or a lone road‑runner dart across a dusty trail.

The manuscript records more than fifty species, from the bright black‑headed grosbeak to the elusive burrowing owl, noting plumage, song, and nesting habits. Vivid drawings by Louis Agassiz Fuertes and rare photographs accompany the text, giving listeners a visual sense of each bird’s form and of the valley’s characteristic sycamores and eucalyptus avenues. While some identifications remain tentative, the work paints a lively portrait of a late‑19th‑century western wilderness and its feathered residents.