Field Notes: Outdoor News
Sure, our seasons are mild and the days are short. But there is still so much happening—our wildlife remains active year-round. To learn more about the changes our region undergoes for winter, check out the video above.

Get on Board
Kids cruise free in December and January.

'Tis the season for that timeless San Diego tradition: whale watching. Now through April, gray whales pass through our waters on their way to and from breeding grounds. Join our naturalist whalers and City Cruises anchored by Hornblower to spot gray whales off the San Diego coast.

Bonus: Kids go free on cruises in December and January with code WHALEYFUN.

Book now

Great Holiday Hikes
See where we're hiking next.

Find some nature this holiday season. Meet new people and enjoy those (mostly) cloudless winter skies. Head on over to our website to see where we’ll be trekking in December and January. A few highlights:

- Saturday, December 23: We're heading to the Middle Espinosa Trail in Cleveland National Forest (4- and 5-mile hike options offered). 

- Saturday, December 30: Coyote Mountain Wind Caves on BLM land.

- Sunday, January 7: Kick off the new year with an easy Del Mar hike that offers a view of the racetrack.

- Saturday, January 13: You can't beat the desert in winter. Join us as we hike The Slot in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. 

These hikes are free but advance online reservations are required. 

Hike it with us

The Mistletoe You Didn't Know
If you think bird poop and parasites are romantic, then mistletoe is right for you.

San Diego County has six species of mistletoe, and the Baja California Peninsula has seven. All of them grow on trees and shrubs, from which they steal nutrients through their specialized roots. Yes, mistletoe is a parasite!

Some mistletoe species are reliant on the phainopepla, a bird that consumes the plant's berries, then poops the seeds out onto new host trees. The sticky dung holds the seeds on the twigs, allowing them to burrow their roots into the host plant's branches. Doesn't that make you want to kiss someone?

This mutually beneficial relationship with birds likely inspired Mistletoe's name, which comes from the Old English words "Mistel" meaning dung, and "tan" meaning twig. You can find "dung-on-a-twig" in deserts, montane forests, and scrublands throughout the county.

More holiday plant facts