Steve Colwell and I birded the beach at Coal Oil Point Reserve yesterday, starting at the Isla Vista end shortly after sunrise. Activity was good. Suring the month of August, I saw the Black-bellied Plover population drop significantly (less than 20 birds one day) but it has risen again in the last few visits.
We had well over 100 Black-bellies yesterday, the majority in a resting flock of 93 at the Ellwood end of the beach. Because the flock was quiet, we carefully sorted through them one by one but could not turn up a Golden-Plover of either species. However, we found with the flock 3 Short-billed Dowitchers and the same Ruddy Turnstone I'd found in that vicinity the previous day. It was a crazy bird to watch! It turns over and thrashed through pies of kelp like a bull-dozer.*
We had up to 8 Forester's Terns on the beach but no sign of the reported Black Tern. Numerous Elegant terns were feeding in the ocean when we first arrived, but the flock on the beach was not particularly large. We also found two juvenile Red Knots on the Island Vista part of the beach on our return walk.
Some general trends over the several visits during August:1. The number of Whimbrels has gradually decreased.
2. The number of Willets has increased until they are among the most common species after Long-billed Curlews and Black Bellied Plovers.
3. Sanderlings have been very late to appear in any numbers. We had 15 birds yesterday, 9 of them juveniles and I think that's the most so far.
4. I haven't had any obvious Juvenile Black-bellies at COPR, though I found one on the UCSB Beach last week.
5. Elegant Tern numbers have been as high as 53 birds resting on the beach, though not so yesterday.
6. Red-necked Phalarope numbers are very high. We had one on the beach yesterday, and I found 85 of them in Devereux Slough after our walk. A bird we met on the beach had jogged his way from NCOS past the Dune Pond and Devereux and achieved a combined total of over 170 birds.
Florence Sanchez
* Armando Aispuro (Plover docent) told us he'd had a Ruddy Turnstone and a Black Turnstone together but nearer the east end of the beach. I didn't ask to see his photo so I don't know if it was the Same Ruddy or a different one. I suspect the latter.
