results of 10 Dec 2018 San Elijo monthly bird count

Thanks to 13 participants for conducting the 10 December 2018 San Elijo Lagoon monthly bird count: Maryanne Bache (beach), Steve Brad (West Basin, nature center site); Elizabeth Venrick, Alys Arenas (Pole Rd); Jayne Lesley, Gail DeLalla, Dave Carey, Don Johnson (CBS= Rios to freeway); Kathy Aldern, Jeff Clingan (EBS = La Orilla to Sta Inez); Steve Perry, Tom Walker (EBE = Stonebridge Mesa); Robert Patton (EBNW = dike; EBNE = Escondido Cr; Cardiff Cove, I-5 fill).

103 species were reported.  Species of interest included continuing reddish egret, initially between the RR tracks & highway 101, then later to the east of the RR tracks; a male Eurasian wigeon, initially to the SW of the nature center, then later just west of I-5 (too distant to discern if the same or different individuals, or if “pure” or hybrid); and uncommon at this site, a loggerhead shrike to the NW of the overlook NW of Santa Carina, and a rufous-crowned sparrow photographed along the trail east of Rios Ave.

Species included:

Pacific loon, loon sp., pied-billed grebe, western grebe, brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, reddish egret, black-crowned night-heron, green-winged teal, mallard, northern pintail, northern shoveler, gadwall, Eurasian wigeon, American wigeon, bufflehead, red-breasted merganser, ruddy duck, osprey, white-tailed kite, northern harrier, Cooper’s hawk, sharp-shinned hawk, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, peregrine falcon, California quail, Ridgway’s rail, American coot, black-bellied plover, snowy plover, semipalmated plover, killdeer, greater yellowlegs, willet, spotted sandpiper, whimbrel, long-billed curlew, ruddy turnstone, black turnstone, sanderling, western sandpiper, least sandpiper, dowitcher sp., Heermann’s gull, ring-billed gull, California gull, herring gull, western gull, royal tern, rock pigeon, Eurasian collared-dove, mourning dove, Anna’s hummingbird, Allen’s hummingbird, Allen’s/rufous hummingbird sp., belted kingfisher, Nuttall’s woodpecker, downy woodpecker, northern flicker, black phoebe, Say’s phoebe, Cassin’s kingbird, tree swallow, California scrub jay, American crow, common raven, bushtit, Bewick’s wren, house wren, marsh wren, ruby-crowned kinglet, blue-gray gnatcatcher, California gnatcatcher, western bluebird, hermit thrush, wrentit, northern mockingbird, California thrasher, American pipit, cedar waxwing, loggerhead shrike, European starling, Hutton’s vireo, orange-crowned warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, common yellowthroat, spotted towhee, California towhee, rufous-crowned sparrow, Belding’s savannah sparrow, migrant savannah sparrow, song sparrow,  Lincoln’s sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, red-winged blackbird, western meadowlark, great-tailed grackle, house finch, lesser goldfinch, house sparrow, scaly-breasted munia.

The next San Elijo monthly bird count will be Monday 7 January.  Counts are conducted by volunteers on the second Monday of each month, rain or shine.  Please spread the word or join us if you can (no RSVP required).  Meet at 7:30 am at the north end of Rios Ave in Solana Beach (north from Lomas Santa Fe Dr, west of I-5) to divide into groups to cover different subareas.  A compilation generally follows around noon at the nature center on Manchester Ave (bring your own lunch).

R. Patton
San Diego, CA

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports