Sunday August 12 Robb Field and Dog Beach (no Booby)

I scoped the tidal flats at low and incoming tide (Robb Field) and there were two COMMON TERNs   in with over 1000 mid and large-sized terns (most Elegants, some Royals and a dozen or so Caspians.  One Common Tern looked like it was still in complete breeding plumage, the other was still mostly in breeding plumage but the red bill was darker and it had the beginnings of a carpal bar forming.  At about 10 am,  after the huge tern flocks had exploded up, swirled and resettled quite a few times with the incoming tide,  I could no longer find either COTE again (perhaps they went fishing).  Yesterday,  I noted 9 Common Terns at the J St Marina in Chula Vista at about 3 pm.  So as Paul L says, this is a good time to check them out.

 

I then went to the Dog Beach parking lot around 10:15 or so (entrance to lot  near corner of W. Point Loma Blvd and Voltaire), and like the day before, though the place was busy,  I almost immediately found parking in the paved dog beach lot  not far from Lifeguard tower #5 (there is a big turnover, and dog people and their dogs  leaving all the time). The three cars ahead of me also quickly found spaces, as people were backing up to leave.  After parking, you just head  toward the nearby white lifeguard tower #5 and the mini jetty just beyond it,  to scope the Mission bay entrance jetties. This is not a slog– and you don't have to walk through heavy sand to get there–the spot is less than 200ft feet west from where I parked.  That said, no RF Booby seen between about 10:20  and 10:30 today. But then there were fisherman on the jetty, and one right next to the boobies perch next to the ladder and slab of the jetty light at the end. 

 

Susan Smith