January 2, 2013 (Santee) – Laurie Baker sent in this photo of a Red Tail Hawk eating an American Coot, also known as a mud hen. 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Baker says of the raptor, photographed at Santee Lakes.

November 12, 2013 (Poway) -- Scott Dixon with the San Diego Astronomy Association (SDAA) shot this fiery image showing the head of the Pelican Nebula. The photo was taken in Poway in August.

To view more dramatic astronomical images, visit the SDAA website gallery at http://aisig.sdaa.org/objects.asp.

October 28, 2013 (San Diego) -- Photographer Debbie Ekhaml sent this haunting image -- along with a description--and a follow-up shot.

"The fog (and flash) made for a spooky Halloween photo of a coyote out in the SD Wildlife Refuge," she wrote. "The flash did not seem to bother her, as I took more after the initial one."

Click "read more" and scroll down to see a second image of the coyote in brighter lighting.

September 11, 2013 (Boulevard) -- Melody Ponchot found beauty after the recent storms on September 2 and September 7 at the ranch where she lives in Boulevard, from golden rays to rainbows. For those who ask why people want to leave way out in rural East County, here are a few inspiring reasons!  Click "read more" and scroll down to view more.

September 2, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- Brian Duke Fast Forward Productions has sent in two dramatic photos of stormcells taken today.

The first shot is taken near the Golden Acorn Casino and shows the incongruous combination of a brush fire (right) in the La Posta area beside the looming stormcell bringing heavy showers to the area.  The second (below) is a panorama of multiple cells over the Campo/Boulevard communities, along with the fire. 

More thundershowers are possible through Friday, the National Weather Service predicts, so expect more wet and wild weather in coming days.

August 29, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Lee and Nancy Hauser sent in this photo of their “hummingbird haven,” a backyard paradise for birds. “The potato tree behind the waterfall has gotten very large and always seems to be full of hummers, finches, etc.,” they write.  “Lots of entertainment in a small space.”

August 6, 2013 (Jamul) – Debra Ekhaml spotted this Barn Owl in the Rancho Jamul Ecological Preserve. “Although the light was flat from clouds and I only had my small camera, you can clearly see he is a rust brown color, and not the usual white for around here,” she writes. “John Martin (F&W Biologist) said this is not unheard of, but very unusual. I thought it was different enough to send in. He was a very stunning bird-his color was just beautiful!”

July 22, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – Bird Talk columnist Greg Dunne shared these images. He writes, “Out at my six-mile walk around Lake Murray Thursday towards the dam, I was treated to five fledgling Cooper's Hawks. I was able to observe them for quite a while.” The darker-backed Cooper's Hawks are the adults, he noted. “I could also tell the fledglings by their behavior, hopping around from branch to branch, making noise with their screeching, and just seeming unsure what to do next, while there was one that seemed a bit annoyed at all this commotion, and was a bit darker on the back side, and was a bit more poised than the young ones. A bit far away for good photos, but I really had a good time watching them.”

July 5, 2013 (San Diego’s East County) – ECM has received an eyewitness account  from a former East County resident, Pamela Lopez-Davies, of the early hours of the Doce Fire, which claimed the lives of 19 firefighters in Yarnell, Arizona, including 18 from the Granite Mountain Fire Department’s hotshot team.  The fire began on June 18 and as of today has scorched 8,277 acres. The blaze is 80% contained.

 “While driving to Chino Valley, AZ at about 11:30 am on Tuesday June 18, I noticed a small plume of smoke in the vicinity of Granite Mountain,” said Lopez-Davies, who snapped these photos near her home in Prescott, Arizona.

June 28, 2013 (San Diego's East County) - Lighting can transform a scene into a magical display.  Milt Cyphert captured one of those golden magic moments with this photo, taken at a Laguna Mountain meadow.

June 21, 2013 (Campo)--Mary Clark and her son, Jimmie, 3, enjoy an idyllic moment in the summer sun amid wildflowers next to their family's vineyard.  Miriam Raftery captured the moment on a visit to the Campo Creek Winery earlier this month. The photograph illustrates the joy of rural living--a lifestyle treasured by many people in East County.

May 24, 2013 (Mountain Springs) - Photographers Jim Pelley and Parke Ewing spotted a herd of endangered Peninsular Bighorn sheep preparing to cross I-8 in Mountain Springs, at the county line separating San Diego and Imperial Valley counties. 

Residents report that wildlife is returning to the area over the past week, since wind turbines at the adjacent Ocotillo area have been silenced during the investigation into a blade that fell from a wind turbine.

How many sheep can you find ih the photo below? (click "read more" to view.)  We don't know the answer, but Pelley says spotting the well-camouflaged sheep reminds him of playing "Where's Waldo."

April 24, 2013 (San Diego's East County) -- A sure sign of spring in East County is when you see wild lilacs (ceanothus) blooming, covering fields and hillsides in a tapestry of lavender and purple. ECM editor Miriam Raftery captured these beautiful blooms in Deerhorn Valley. 

April 7, 2013 (Julian) – This photo taken by Nadin Abbott in Julian stumped our staff initially when we were asked to identify the bird with dramatic black and white markings.

Fortunately, our “Bird Talk” columnist Greg Dunne checked with experts and confirmed that this beautiful bird in flight is Acorn Woodpecker.

By Miriam Raftery

March 24, 2013 (Jacumba Hot Springs) --I spotted this beautiful crested bird, a cedar waxwing, on a visit to Jacumba Hot Springs last week.  Lake Jacumba, once virtually dry, is now refilled and is a magnet for a wide variety of bird species.

Cedar waxwings are most often found in the northern United States, but can be seen in wooded areas of San Diego County during their spring migration.  They often travel in flocks and are known as the "party animals" of the bird world, since they have been known to feast on fruits and berries until they become intoxicated!