Birders,
We managed to escape torrential rains while birding the Slough area. We weren’t so lucky at the 7th St. mud flats which were full of shore birds. As soon as we set up the scope we got drenched so no report from that site.
Highlights included the dramatic lighting strikes to the west over the ocean, the non-stop flyovers of Elegant Terns and Black Skimmers with fish in their bills, all going north, and the up close and personal views of the Gull-billed Tern, a great way to study its hunting strategy. Of course, the Ridgeway’s Rail and the Yellow-crowned Night Herons did not disappoint.
I am sending three ebird reports, one for the visitor center, one for McCoy Trail North, and one for McCoy Trail South. I wasn’t sure of the boundaries, so …
30 birders found 53 species. Thank you for your eyes and ears. If I omitted something, let me know. If anyone saw the second Red-breasted Merganser, also let me know where you spotted it.
Happy birding,
Sally Sanderson
Tijuana Slough NWR–North McCoy Trail, San Diego, California, US
Jul 18, 2015 8:15 AM – 9:45 AM
Protocol: Traveling 1.0 mile(s)
Comments: This was a Palomar Audubon sponsored bird walk. The purpose of the walk was not to do a
bird count.
31 species (+1 other taxa)
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) 3
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator) 1
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) X
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) X
Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias) 1
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 2
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 4
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1
Yellow-crowned Night-Heron (Nyctanassa violacea) 2 We can provide
pictures. One adult feeding in marsh, one juvenile perched near apartments.
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus) 6
Willet (Tringa semipalmata) X
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) X
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) X
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) X
Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) X
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) X
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) X
Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus sasin) 1
Amazona sp. (Amazona sp.) 1
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) X
Say’s Phoebe (Sayornis saya) 1
Cassin’s Kingbird (Tyrannus vociferans) 2
Northern Rough-winged Swallow (Stelgidopteryx serripennis) X
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) X
House Wren (Troglodytes aedon) X
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) X
Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) X
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) X
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) X
Tijuana Slough NWR–South McCoy Trail area, San Diego, California, US
Jul 18, 2015 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM
Protocol: Traveling 2.0 mile(s)
Comments: This was a Palomar Audubon sponsored bird walk. The purpose of the walk was not to
count birds. We included birds we spotted along the trail to McCoy Trail South.
35 species (+1 other taxa)
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) X
Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) X
Great Egret (Ardea alba) 6
Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) 10
Reddish Egret (Egretta rufescens) 1
Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) 1
Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) 1
Ridgway’s Rail (Rallus obsoletus) 1
Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus) 2
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola) 1
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus) 1
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) 1
Willet (Tringa semipalmata) X
Long-billed Curlew (Numenius americanus) X
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa) 1
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla) X
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri) X
Short-billed/Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus
griseus/scolopaceus) X
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis) X
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) X
Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) 1
Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica) 1
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia) X
Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) X
Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) X
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) X
Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) X
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) X
Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans) X
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) X
Bushtit (Psaltriparus minimus) X
Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) X
Song Sparrow (Melospiza melodia) 1
Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) 1
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) X
Lesser Goldfinch (Spinus psaltria) X
Tijuana Slough NWR–Visitor Center, San Diego, California, US
Jul 18, 2015 8:00 AM – 8:15 AM
Protocol: Stationary
Comments: This was a Palomar Audubon sponsored bird walk. The purpose of the walk was not to do a bird count.
13 species
Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) X
Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) 1 Juvenile bird perched near the
parking lot.
Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) 1
Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) 1 The bird called as it flew over the parking lot. We listened to
a tape to verify that it was a Whimbrel.
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis) X
Elegant Tern (Thalasseus elegans) X
Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger) 1
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) (Columba livia (Feral Pigeon)) X
Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) X
Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) X
California Towhee (Melozone crissalis) X
House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus) X
House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) X
