Date: 6/4/26 10:43 am From: henry detwiler via groups.io <henry_detwiler...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Salton Sea birding
Greetings Birders,
If you've been to the Salton Sea lately, you know that in most places the Sea has receded greatly, leaving up to a quarter mile of muddy and dried-out shore. Birding isn't what it once was. Fortunately, there are remediation projects in the works, and at the southeast end of the Salton Sea contractors working with the California Department of Water Resources have already constructed some 7000 acres of ponds out of a planned 10,000, and built a number of shallow islands for breeding birds.
While most of this area is closed off to the public due to construction, you can see and scope some really prime areas at the west end of Bowles Road. Bob Miller and I birded this area again on the morning of 3 June 2026, and compiled a list of 53 species. Two of the islands have colonies of over a hundred nesting Black Skimmers. Several islands host graceful nesting Gull-billed Terns. One distant island has a large flock of Caspian Terns, and another has Forster's Terns. Scattered among most of these islands are nesting Black-necked Stilts. A large rookery right off the shore has hundreds of Western Cattle Egrets, Snowy Egrets, and both Neotropic and Double-crested Cormorants. Most of the egrets have fledged, but there are still plenty to watch. We had a good selection of gulls: Laughing gulls in basic plumage, California, Ring-billed, and a couple of Bonaparte's. We watched a pair of Western Grebes courting, and plenty of Clark's Grebes swimming about.
In the pools and marshes on the south side of Bowles, look for breeding Black-necked Stilts and Amercan Avocets. Common Gallinules, Redheads, and Cinnamon Teal are common, as is the resident flock of White-faced Ibis. We also had a pair of Green-winged and one Blue-winged Teal. We've had our eyes on a pair of Blue Grosbeaks for two weeks, but haven't spotted any breeding behavior. A colony of Yellow-headed Blackbirds and a Virginia Rail added to the bird symphony. We had an early (or late) flock of Long-billed Dowitchers on the 3rd, and as the season progresses, this will be a great spot for all kinds of shorebirds. Around the corner and to the south is a family of Burrowing Owls.
If you have already joined the California Breeding Bird Atlas Project, we thank you! If you think you might be interested in assisting, we'd love to have you--please visit https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/home eBird report from 3 June with photos:https://ebird.org/atlascalifornia/checklist/S351865991
Good Birding!Henry D. <Detwilerhenry_detwiler...>, AZ
