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Monthly Archives: August 2018

Whale Watch/Pelagic from Mission Bay (8/3/2018)

Hi Birders,

On Friday, August 3, I took the a.m. whale watching boat out of Mission Bay aboard the Privateer and we ventured out approximately 11 miles west of Mission Bay. There were plenty of birds to look through the entire 3-hour trip, with most pelagic diversity being between 6 and 11 miles out. 
Minimum counts of notable species below:
Northern Fulmar (1) perhaps the same bedraggled individual seen by Povey et al. 
Pink-footed Shearwater (25+) individuals and several groups of 5-8 observed
Black-vented Shearwater (15)    
Black Storm-Petrel (120)
*Very White-Rumped* Storm-Petrel (seen flying directly away 11 miles offshore, gleaming white rump. Attempted photos but participants moved in front of me and I lost it. That one hurt). 
Red-necked Phalarope (125)
Sabine's Gull (8)
Minke Whale (2)
Common Dolphin (Lots)

—
Good Birding,
Jimmy McMorran,
Leucadia, CA
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Pacific golden-plover Tijuana Estuary 8-2-18

I apologize for delayed posting, but fighting computer problems…
Yesterday (8-2-18), Lea Squires, Janne Torres, & I observed a Pacific golden-plover foraging along the wrackline about midway south along the beach from Seacoast Dr. to the south end of the barrier dune.  It was initially seen at 1:36 pm just as it flushed and its distinctive high-pitched "twee-weep" call was heard.  As it flew south past us, a few dark spots were visible on underparts but axillaries were clear & gold spangling clearly visible on back & upper wings. It landed on the beach to the west of the south end of the barrier dune and was feeding among a couple of willets.
If searching for this bird, please bear in mind that non-flying snowy plover chicks are still in the area and are frequently on the beach outside of the protected fenced nesting area, so if you notice an alert or displaying adult, please back off along the waterline.
Also in the area were a reddish egret and at least one of the over-summering red-breasted mergansers. Gull-billed tern with fledglings were foraging along the beach as well.
Robert Patton
San Diego, CA
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Vermilion Flycatcher at TRV 8-2-18

I posted earlier today, at 6:47a.m., that the male Vermilion Flycatcher had returned to his usual haunts at teh TRV ballfields.  My post somehow got lost in the cybersphere so I am reposting.  

Some pics will be posted at:  egk.smugumg.com/photography.

thx

Eric Kallen
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

TRV 8-2-18 Community Gardens

At the community gardens this morning there was an ugly juvenile male northern cardinal along with blue grosbeaks, northern chats, a family group of 4 hooded orioles, American goldfinch and 3 yellow warblers.

Eric Kallen
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

NAB – Summer 2018

County Coordinators/Contributors:

The Summer Season (1 June through 31 July 2018) is ended, and we solicit reports for inclusion in the Southern California Region of NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. Reports should be arranged with species in the taxonomic order followed by the American Ornithologists Union (Check-List of North American Birds 1998 and all Supplements) and the American Birding Association (7th edition of the ABA Checklist, 2009 revised through the current report). Reports of species included on the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC) review list

http://www.californiabirds.org

must be accompanied by documentation (written description, photographs, etc.).
Similar documentation should also accompany reports of species unusual for
the location or season. Full names, with all initials, should be used in the
reports (this reduces the potential for different observers having the same
initials, and makes it simpler to acknowledge contributors) – John P. Doe in lieu of John Doe.

Reports should be sent to the appropriate County Coordinators (listed below)
or directly to Guy McCaskie by 22 August 2018. NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS cannot exist without your input.

David Compton (Santa Barbara County)
davcompton60@…  


Tom M. Edell (San Luis Obispo County)
tedell@…  

Kimball L. Garrett (Los Angeles County)
kgarrett@…  

Chet McGaugh (Riverside County)
chetmcgaugh@…  

Kelli K. Heindel (Kern County)
KKHeindel@…

Tom and Jo Heindel (Inyo County)

tjheindel@…  

Adam Searcy (Ventura County)
serpophaga@…

Alexander E. Koonce (San Bernardino County)
sandy_koonce@…  

Guy McCaskie (San Diego and Imperial County)
guymcc@…  

Ryan S. Winkleman (Orange County) 
rswinkleman@…


We thank you in advance for your time and effort.

Guy McCaskie and Kimball L. Garrett.

. 

 

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Saltworks/bike path

I made the same mistake Dan made the other day and stopped by the bike path at the dead end of 13th Street in Imperial Beach. There were thousands of birds!!! But all I had were binoculars. There were 100’s if not a thousand terns, a gaggle of shore birds, and I’m pretty sure I got good looks at the Dunlin…but it’s my first so I have to check a guide book since I also did not have my camera. It was walking the little stream south of the pond just north west of the ped bridge on 13th.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/154417493@N04/42900223055/in/datetaken/

Anthony “TooFly” Fife
La Mesa, Ca
08/02/18 @0600hours
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

Reddish Egret at Penasquitos Lagoon

A Reddish Egret  (looking like an adult) has been dancing around Penasquitos Lagoon mouth recently and was there again today.  It has been a while since I have seen this species here, maybe 3 or 4 years.  Maybe others have seen it, but it has not been reported to ebird other than my reports in recent days.  There was also a surprising Surf Scoter loafing on the sandbar with the gulls and terns (probably sick?), and may be one of the two Surf Scoters  that I have been seeing consistently in the ocean off the river mouth this summer.  I looked for the summering Red-breasted Merganser and did not find. 

   I also did not see a single sandpiper or plover in this area. The disturbances caused by intermittent fresh vs brackish/saltwater flows in the lagoon, the scouring out and disappearance of any viable mudflats that remained, and the continual bulldozing of the river mouth to keep the lagoon drained,  has left this lagoon pretty barren of shorebird life in recent years. But there are good numbers of egrets, and loafing terns and gulls, and occasionally nice surprises like the Reddish Egret.  The pair of Yellow-crowned Night Herons have not been seen since the floats around the RR bridge construction were  removed last year. It was a favorite spot for them.   

Susan Smith

Seiurus Biological  Consulting
Del Mar, CA 


—
Susan Smith
Seiurus Biological Consulting
Del Mar, CA
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports

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