East County News Service

February 27, 2023 (Ramona) – Looking for wildflowers? You don’t have to go all the way to Anza-Borrego.  Henri Migala took these colorful photos of a hillside abloom in orange and yellow daisies along the Old Julian Highway in Ramona yesterday.

If you’ve found a great place to view wildflowers locally this spring, send your photos and the location to editor@eastcountymagazine.org.

East County News Service 

February 13, 2023 (Lakeside) – Shiloh Ireland Photography sent in this image of a hummingbird nesting on his Lakeside property. 

Hummingbirds build their tiny nests with twigs, moss and spiderwebs.  They can measure as little as an inch in diameter when built, but can stretch to accommodate growing chicks once the eggs hatch.  Because the nests are fragile, hummingbirds typically need to build a new nest each year, though if in a sheltered spot, nests are sometimes revisited year after year.

East County News Service

Photo, left, by Alex Tardy, National Weather Service: car is swept away by floodwaters beneath overpass in Fashion Valley, where the river topped flood stage at 13 feet yesterday morning.

January 17, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Torrential rains that doused our region caused roadway flooding and rockslides, filled reservoirs, and resulted in multiple rescues.  Here are photos, provided by our readers, social media users, and public agencies.

East County News Service

December 26, 2022 (Lakeside) – Scott Lagace snapped these photographs of a Bald Eagle, our national bird, over the holiday weekend at Lake Jennings in Lakeside. Though no longer federally endangered, Bald Eagles are still protected under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act as well as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. They remain rare in San Diego County, however, where there are only a handful of nesting pairs, making such a sighting a special thrill.

December 4, 2022 (San Diego's East County) -- It's a beautiful time of year for a drive through East County's mountain areas.

Our editor, Miriam Raftery, snapped the image in Cuyamaca Rancho State Park (left) and of the town hall in Ramona (right, below), resplendant in fall foliage.

November 22, 2022 (Alpine) -- Josh Stotler snapped this inspirational image of a starburst sun beaming morning rays onto a field in Alpine, California. 

East County News Service

October 4, 2022 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr shot this dramatic photo of a massive flag hanging off El Cajon City Hall in memory of the 911 attacks, against the backdrop of the sunrise.

East County News Service

September 24, 2022 (El Cajon) -- Robert Gehr snapped these photos with his iPhone XR about 30 minutes apart, shows the color change as the sun was rising in the east this morning over El Cajon. The sight transitioned from a vivid orange sunrise to white clouds afloat in an azure blue sky.

East County News Service

September 1, 2022 (Barrett Junction, CA) – Connie Kirkpatrick took these photos of the #Border32Fire last night and early this morning from the parking lot of her business in Barrett Junction.

East County News Service

August 17, 2022 (Lakeside) - This brilliant bloom on a Hong Kong orchid was taken at the Lakeside Ranch home of Shiloh Ireland Photography.

East County News Service

August 3, 2022 (Lakeside) – This beautiful peacock named Picasso resides at the ranch home of the owner of Shiloh Ireland Photography.

East County News Service

July 31, 2022 (El Cajon) – Robert Gehr snapped this dramatic sky image on July 31 from El Cajon, as thunderstorms swept into East County’s mountain areas.

East County News Service

Photos by Shiloh Ireland Photography

July 17, 2022 (Lakeside) – For the past several years, Lakeside residents have held an impromptu Fourth of July parade.  This year’s event honored the memory of the late Betty McMillen, founder of the Maine Avenue Revitalization Association and long-time leader of the Lakeside Historical Society.

Participants meet at the Lakeside Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) building in decorated vehicles, then drive through the town to show their patriotic spirit each Independence Day, followed by lunch with hamburgers and hotdogs at the VFW. This July 4, Shiloh Ireland Photography sent in these photos of the occasion.

Source:  NASA

Image credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI

July 12, 2022 (Washington, D.C.) - NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe so far. Webb’s First Deep Field is galaxy cluster SMACS 0723, and it is teeming with thousands of galaxies – including the faintest objects ever observed in the infrared.

Source:  Helix Water District

June 22, 2022 (Lakeside) - Helix Water District is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Lake Jennings Spring Photo Contest, with this year’s first place in the adult category going to photographer John Wozny of El Cajon for his image titled “Casting a Sunset.”