results of san elijo monthly bird count 9 mar 2020

Thanks to 13 participants for conducting the 9 March 2020 San Elijo Lagoon monthly bird count: Steve Brad (beach/offshore, west basin, Nature Center site); Steve Perry, Izzy Santarsieri (W central basin pole rd/NW of Rios); Maryanne Bache, Dave Carey, Don Johnson, Jenni Paynter, Kevin Shaw (S central basin Rios to I-5); Kathy Aldern, Patti Koger (S east basin El Camino to Sta Inez); Susie Hedrick, Elizabeth Venrick (Stonebridge mesa); Robert Patton (N east basin, Escondido Cr, Cardiff Cove).

107 species were reported.  Notable species included the continuing 3 greater scaup SSW of Mira Costa College, 2 ring-necked duck in private pond off La Orilla & El Camino Real, Clark's grebe NE of Rios, barn swallow over the eastern mesa, and hooded oriole off La Orilla. 

Species included:  Pacific loon, red-throated loon, pied-billed grebe, western grebe, Clark’s grebe, 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, cinnamon teal, northern shoveler, gadwall, American wigeon, ring-necked duck, lesser scaup, greater scaup, bufflehead, red-breasted merganser, 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, sora, American coot, snowy plover, semipalmated plover, killdeer, black-necked stilt, American avocet, greater yellowlegs, willet, whimbrel, long-billed curlew, marbled godwit, sanderling, western sandpiper, least sandpiper, dowitcher sp., ring-billed gull, California gull, western gull, rock pigeon, Eurasian collared-dove, mourning dove, Anna’s hummingbird, Allen’s hummingbird, rufous/Allen’s hummingbird sp., belted kingfisher, Nuttall’s woodpecker, downy woodpecker, black phoebe, Say’s phoebe, Cassin’s kingbird, tree swallow, northern rough-winged swallow, barn 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, cedar waxwing, European starling, Hutton’s vireo, orange-crowned warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, Townsend’s warbler, common yellowthroat, spotted towhee, California towhee, Belding’s savannah sparrow, migrant savannah sparrow, song sparrow, Lincoln’s sparrow, golden-crowned sparrow, white-crowned sparrow, red-winged blackbird, western meadowlark, great-tailed grackle, hooded oriole, house finch, lesser goldfinch, house sparrow, scaly-breasted munia.

The next San Elijo monthly bird count will be Monday 13 April 2020.  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