Hi Friends,

On Saturday morning November 23, thirty-three birders enjoyed a beautiful Fall morning at the South Bay Salt Works in National City.  I want to thank everybody who all arrived early and had no problem teaming up so we were able to caravan out on the dikes the with just 9 vehicles.

We found 58 bird species. Lots of Eared Grebes, Brant, American Wigeon, Bufflehead, and Western Sandpipers. Probably the most talked about bird was the American Flamingo.  This bird (which is most likely an escapee) is an annual visitor to the South Bay wetlands. The bird was seen at a long distance below Silver Strand Blvd., requiring a scope to locate.

Here is our list of bird species:

Brant
American Wigeon
Northern Shoveler
Northern Pintail
Redhead
Greater Scaup
Lesser Scaup
Surf Scoter
Bufflehead
Red-breasted Merganser
Ruddy Duck
Horned Grebe
Eared Grebe
Western Grebe
Double-crested Cormorant
American White Pelican
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Turkey Vulture
Osprey
Northern Harrier
Red-tailed Hawk
American Coot
Black-necked Stilt
American Avocet
Black-bellied Plover
Pacific Golden-Plover
Semipalmated Plover
Killdeer
Greater Yellowlegs
Willet
Whimbrel
Long-billed Curlew
Marbled Godwit
Ruddy Turnstone
Black Turnstone
Red Knot
Dunlin
Least Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Short-billed Dowitcher
Wilson’s Phalarope
Bonaparte’s Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
California Gull
Herring Gull
Caspian Tern
Forster’s Tern
Royal Tern
Black Skimmer
Belted Kingfisher
Black Phoebe
Say’s Phoebe
American Crow
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Savannah Sparrow
House Finch

JIM BECKMAN  PAS trip leader,  Many thanks to FWS Ranger Debbie Good who arranged access to the property, and of course, showed us the way.