Date: 2/14/25 8:32 am From: Guy McCaskie via groups.io <guymcc...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Salton Sea (south) 12 Feb 2025
I spent Wednesday, 12 February 2025 (6:15 AM to 3:45 PM) with Therese R.
Clawson looking for birds at a few select locations in the Imperial Valley
and along part of the south shore of the Salton Sea. We started the day at
Fig Lagoon then drove north to Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife
Refuge, stopping at Sheldon Reservoir on the way. From Unit 1 we drove
northeastward to Obsidian Butte and the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
HQ, stopping at the area north of the west end of Young Road and the north
end of Lack Road on the way. We then drove east to the Calipatria State
Prison. We then headed southward through Calipatria into Brawley. In Brawley
we only looked briefly at Riverview Cemetery. We then drove southward to the
southeast corner of El Centro, stopping at the flooded area adjacent to
Neckel Road and in Evergreen Cemetery on the way. After spending time near
the southeast corner of El Centro, we drove west to San Diego, stopping at
Fig Lagoon before leaving the Imperial Valley.
Mostly cloudy with 8-10 mph wind from the northwest, and with cold
temperatures ranging from 50 to 70 degrees.
A cold and windy day with a noticeable lack of land-birds.
Species seen and/or heard - Snow Goose (5000), Ross's Goose (50),
Blue-winged Teal (15), Cinnamon Teal (10), Northern Shoveler (5000), Gadwall
(5), American Wigeon (5), Mallard (75), Northern Pintail (10), Green-winged
Teal (250), Canvasback (15), Redhead (25), Ring-necked Duck (125 - including
about one-hundred on Fig Lagoon), Lesser Scaup (5), Hooded Merganser (2 - a
pair together at the Calipatria State Prison), Ruddy Duck (20), Pied-billed
Grebe (5), Eared Grebe (15), Rock Pigeon (75), Eurasian Collared-Dove (150),
Inca Dove (15), Common Ground-Dove (5), Mourning Dove (150), Anna's
Hummingbird (2), Common Gallinule (1), American Coot (150), Sandhill Crane
(200 - about one-hundred twenty-five at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National
Wildlife Refuge and seventy-five at the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
HQ), Black-necked Stilt (150), American Avocet (350), Black-bellied Plover
(1), Killdeer (10), Long-billed Curlew (250), Least Sandpiper (500),
Long-billed Dowitcher (100), Lesser Yellowlegs (1), Willet (3), Greater
Yellowlegs (25), Ring-billed Gull (1500), California Gull (150), Herring
Gull (25), Caspian Tern (1), Double-crested Cormorant (15), Neotropic
Cormorant (3), American White Pelican (75), Great Blue Heron (5), Great
Egret (15), Snowy Egret (15), Cattle Egret (1500), Green Heron (1),
Black-crowned Night-Heron (10), White-faced Ibis (500), Turkey Vulture (5),
Northern Harrier (10), Cooper's Hawk (1), Swainson's Hawk (1 - one
dark-morph in a field south of Brawley), Red-tailed Hawk (10), Great Horned
Owl (1), Burrowing Owl (2), Gila Woodpecker (1), American Kestrel (25),
Black Phoebe (5), Say's Phoebe (5), Vermilion Flycatcher (2), Loggerhead
Shrike (5), Common Raven (3), Verdin (2), Horned Lark (25), Tree Swallow
(500), Violet-green Swallow (1 - one with Tree Swallows at Sheldon
Reservoir), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1), Marsh Wren (3), Northern Mockingbird
(5), European Starling (150), House Sparrow (5), American Pipit (250), House
Finch (10), Lesser Goldfinch (6), Chipping Sparrow (2), Clay-colored Sparrow
(1 - one near the southeast corner of El Centro known present since 14
January), Fox Sparrow (1 - one "Red Fox Sparrow" possibly P. i. iliaca near
the southeast corner of El Centro known present since 10 January),
White-crowned Sparrow (25), Savannah Sparrow (5), Song Sparrow (5), Abert's
Towhee (2), Western Meadowlark (25), Red-winged Blackbird (500),
Brown-headed Cowbird (25), Brewer's Blackbird (5), Great-tailed Grackle
(150), Orange-crowned Warbler (3), Common Yellowthroat (1) and Yellow-rumped
Warbler (20) - 92 species.
The Fox Sparrow was larger than the accompanying White-crowned Sparrows,
appearing to be the same size and shape as the Fox Sparrows normally seen in
Southern California. However, The top of the head and nape were pale gray,
merging into a mixture of pale gray and rufous on the mantle, then bright
rufous on the rump and tail. Obvious rufous cheeks. The upper-side of the
folded wings were mostly rufous with some pale gray, and with narrow white
tips on the median and greater coverts. The under-side was white with short
broad rufous streaks, and prominent dark rufous malars. The upper mandible
was mostly dark and the lower mandible was bright yellow, the eyes were
black, and the legs and feet were pale pink. The above listed features all
indicate that this Fox Sparrow is of the nominate subspecies illaca that
breeds in northeastern Canada.
