Date: 3/31/26 8:56 am From: <lehman.paul...> via groups.io <lehman.paul...> Subject: [SanDiegoRegionBirding] Coastal seabird numbers and mortality
There has been a fair amount of online discussion and websites discussing increasing seabird mortality, with beached birds being found in larger numbers, not only the usual suspects like pelicans and cormorants, but also some murres and rhinos. The water is warmer than normal and there may be a food source issue developing, although as recently as late February fishing captains were telling me that there were plenty of bait fish around.
Sometimes under these conditions the best fishing is right near the shore, and I just finished spending 2 hours looking off the end of Seacoast Drive near the Tijuana River mouth and near the imperial Beach Pier and tallied a record total of 430 Red-throated Loons, a species that annually stages along this section of coast in March and early April but not normally in nearly these numbers. Also about 100 Pacific Loons, 1800 Western Grebes, and four Cocos Boobies.
Paul Lehman, San Diego
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