Date: 8/18/26 1:27 pm From: Florence Sanchez via groups.io <sanchezucsb11...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Coal Oil Point Reserve August 18 and Area K August 17
Last evening, I checked out the dwindling Area K. Because of the shrinking size, it was actually a little easier to see most of the birds. I found 2 Greater Yellowlegs and 1 Lesser Yellowlegs, about 15 Kildeer and an equal amount of Semi-palmated Plovers, 6 Dowitchers, and both Western and Least Sandpipers in abundance. I couldn't pull out any rarities among the Sandpipers. The pond at the most easterly edge of the wetland still has a lot of water, but it isn't attracting any birds. The big pond closer to the runway has lots of Phalaropes, which I was not able to identify at that distance.
This morning I walked the beaches at COPR and found essentially the same birds as I have been seeing over the past few days. One exception was the first juvenile Sanderling I've had at this location this season. The probably Common Tern that I saw yesterday was not present today.
A brief stop at Devereux afterwards found a nice flock of small shorebirds on the small mudflat just upstream of the broken bridge parking lot, but nothing new was in it. The White-faced Ibis I saw here yesterday was not present.
FYI: I discovered yesterday that the Atascadero Creek channel at Goleta Beach is now open to the sea. That should improve birding at this location.
