results of 8 april 2019 san elijo lagoon monthly bird count

Thanks to 14 participants for conducting the 8 April 2019 San Elijo Lagoon monthly bird count: Maryanne Bache (south beach); Thomas Myers (north beach); Steve Brad (west basin, nature center site); Alys Arenas, Elizabeth Venrick, Chris Platt (Pole Rd); Jayne Lesley, Don Johnson, Patti Koger (CBS= Rios to freeway); Kathy Aldern, Jane Mygatt (EBS = La Orilla to Sta Inez); Steve Perry, Dave Carey (EBE = Stonebridge Mesa); Robert Patton (EBNW = area of old dike; EBNE = Escondido Cr; Cardiff Cove, I-5 fill).

121 species were reported including lingering winter waterfowl and migrant landbirds.  Thomas Myers reported a first winter laughing gull at the lagoon mouth at 6:55 am and I was lucky enough to arrive & get my binoculars on it just before it took off and disappeared offshore around 7 am.  Maryanne Bache reported a black oystercatcher in south to north transit flight over the surfline around 9 am (heading to Swami’s or Oceanside jetty?).  Other species of interest included one ring-necked duck near the El Camino Real trailhead, three peregrine falcons northwest of Rios, common poorwill along the Sta Carina trail (predawn), a warbling vireo, Nashville warbler, and black-throated gray warbler along the La Oriila trail, and Wilson’s warblers in most subareas.

Species included:

Pacific loon, red-throated loon, common loon, pied-billed grebe, western grebe, black-vented shearwater, brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, Brandt’s cormorant, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, black-crowned night-heron, white-faced ibis, green-winged teal, mallard, northern pintail, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, gadwall, American wigeon, ring-necked duck, surf scoter, bufflehead, ruddy duck, osprey, white-tailed kite, northern harrier, Cooper’s hawk, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, peregrine falcon, California quail, Ridgway’s rail, Virginia rail, sora, American coot, black-bellied plover, snowy plover, semipalmated plover, killdeer, black oystercatcher, black-necked stilt, American avocet, greater yellowlegs, willet, whimbrel, long-billed curlew, marbled godwit, sanderling, western sandpiper, least sandpiper, laughing gull, Heermann’s gull, ring-billed gull, California gull, western gull, Caspian tern, royal tern, elegant tern, Forster’s tern, rock pigeon, Eurasian collared-dove, mourning dove, (barn owl – depredated carcass), common poorwill, Anna’s hummingbird, Allen’s hummingbird, Allen’s/rufous hummingbird sp., belted kingfisher, Nuttall’s woodpecker, downy woodpecker, northern flicker, Pacific-slope flycatcher, black phoebe, Say’s phoebe, Cassin’s kingbird, horned lark, northern rough-winged swallow, cliff swallow, swallow sp., California scrub jay, American crow, common raven, bushtit, Bewick’s wren, house wren, marsh wren, ruby-crowned kinglet, California gnatcatcher, western bluebird, wrentit, northern mockingbird, California thrasher, cedar waxwing, European starling, Hutton’s vireo, warbling vireo, orange-crowned warbler, Nashville warbler, yellow warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, black-throated gray warbler, common yellowthroat, Wilson’s warbler, yellow-breasted chat, spotted towhee, California towhee, Belding’s savannah sparrow, migrant savannah sparrow, song sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, red-winged blackbird, great-tailed grackle, brown-headed cowbird, hooded oriole, Bullock’s oriole, house finch, lesser goldfinch, house sparrow.

The next San Elijo monthly bird count will be Monday 13 May.  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).

Thanks,
R. Patton
San Diego, CA

Source: SanDiegoRegionBirding Latest Reports