Fish 1, Cormorant 0

I was birding at Sweetwater Reservoir early this morning while still cool and overcast and there were ca. 1000+ swallows feeding over the water, about 2/3 Tree and 1/3 Barn, plus a few Violet-greens; plus about 800 Western/Clark's Grebes, with lots of 'dancing' display going on. But the most interesting sighting was coming across a D-c Cormorant which had partially swallowed a very large fish, and it was struggling to get it down…and struggling,,,and struggling…and then it went into convulsions and died on the spot. Suffocated? Part of fish severed something internally?

At Lower Otay Lake there were 5 Glaucous-winged, 1 G-w X Herring hybrid, but only 1 "Thayer's" Gull. Also a bit odd was the calling Great Horned Owl there at 11AM.

Recently, there was a new Plumbeous Vireo a bit south of SDSU and a new Summer Tanager a bit east of Greenwood Cemetery. Total of 4 B-t Gray Warblers in ea. San Diego/Lemon Grove.

–Paul Lehman, San Diego
Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports