American oystercatcher, continuing South San Diego Bay rarities, etc 8-21-23
6:52 am
Sorry for the delay in posting.
Yesterday morning (21 Aug), visibility from Tijuana Estuary off Seacoast Dr was limited by fog and mist, but even after it lifted, I was unable to pick up any pelagics passing offshore. However, at 8:10, I observed an American-appearing oystercatcher flying low from north to south along the waterline. I was unable to refind it later so presumably it continued south (or SW toward the Coronados). Among gulls roosting at the rivermouth was an adult glaucous-winged gull, and along the channel were at least 2 yellow-crowned night-herons and a reddish egret, and 4 red-necked phalaropes in the rivermouth.
In closed portions of the South San Diego Bay saltworks (but possibly viewed from the bikepath if they shift around), 5 juv Baird’s sandpipers continued in SE pond 21, and a juv semipalmated sandpiper was in SE pond 20. The over-summering brant continued on the north shore. At 12:45, Lea Squires spotted the first of at least 4 least storm-petrels which were visible to us for the next hour as they shifted back and forth over the bay between the mouth of the Otay River and Coronado Cays, Emory Cove and the SW jetty of Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, with up to 2 at times between the N shore of saltworks and S shore of CVWR.
Robert Patton
San Diego, CA
Yesterday morning (21 Aug), visibility from Tijuana Estuary off Seacoast Dr was limited by fog and mist, but even after it lifted, I was unable to pick up any pelagics passing offshore. However, at 8:10, I observed an American-appearing oystercatcher flying low from north to south along the waterline. I was unable to refind it later so presumably it continued south (or SW toward the Coronados). Among gulls roosting at the rivermouth was an adult glaucous-winged gull, and along the channel were at least 2 yellow-crowned night-herons and a reddish egret, and 4 red-necked phalaropes in the rivermouth.
In closed portions of the South San Diego Bay saltworks (but possibly viewed from the bikepath if they shift around), 5 juv Baird’s sandpipers continued in SE pond 21, and a juv semipalmated sandpiper was in SE pond 20. The over-summering brant continued on the north shore. At 12:45, Lea Squires spotted the first of at least 4 least storm-petrels which were visible to us for the next hour as they shifted back and forth over the bay between the mouth of the Otay River and Coronado Cays, Emory Cove and the SW jetty of Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve, with up to 2 at times between the N shore of saltworks and S shore of CVWR.
Robert Patton
San Diego, CA