Date: 9/19/26 9:09 pm From: Naresh Satyan via groups.io <naresh.satyan...> Subject: [LACoBirds] LA River Fall shorebird survey 2026: Day 3 results
Hi all,
Our third and final day of the annual shorebird survey of the LA river this fall was on Saturday September 19. This is the fourth year of the survey. The results are here: https://ebird.org/tripreport/573388
All three days had more-or-less the same coverage. Today, we had overcast skies under a marine layer, and relatively cool temperatures in the 60s to 70s F.
Much of the interesting stuff was in Long Beach as usual. Jon Fisher had a continuing Dunlin (first for the survey) at Willow and an insane sighting of a Red-footed Booby that seemed to have vanished after he saw it. Lance Benner found a Reddish Egret that moved up and down the river, and most of the surveyors saw the bird. Other firsts for the survey were American White Pelican and Sharp-shinned Hawk (we typically miss the arrivals of these birds). Mark and Janet Scheel found a Semipalmated Sandpiper in Bell. On the other hand, this is the first year that we missed Pectoral Sandpiper, which seems to be late this year.
This season's results are tabulated at the bottom of this email.
It is interesting to compare with the results of previous years' surveys. The results of these annual surveys are on the LA Birders website here: https://www.labirders.org/science_projects/la_river_shorebird_survey.html -- scroll down to the spreadsheet at the bottom of the page. There were more shorebirds this year than the past three years.
Thanks again to the birders who participated today: Jeff Boyd, Jon Fisher, Lance Benner, Mark Wilson, Mark and Janet Scheel.
*[We do these surveys three days a year annually. There is always something interesting to learn about year-to-year changes. The LA river is probably my favorite body of water in LA to look at birds apart from the ocean. If you'd like to help out on next year's survey, please send me an email off-list]*
Regards, Naresh
Date 1-Aug-26 29-Aug-26 19-Sep-26 Conditions 69-90 F, clear skies, mostly calm. Extreme Heat Warning over Southern California. The tide was a relatively low at the river mouth. 73-90 F, clear skies, mostly calm. The last day of an extended heat wave across the area. The tide was rapidly rising (0.1 ft to 4.9 ft) through the morning at the river mouth A relatively cool morning under a marine layer much of the time, with temperature in the 60s rising to mid 70s F, and no wind. The tide was high, over +3.0 ft at the river mouth. Comments Water levels in the river were fairly high throughout the survey area, with strong flow in the central channel. Water levels in the river were fairly high throughout the survey area, with strong flow in the central channel. Water levels in the river continued to be very high. eBird Trip Report https://ebird.org/tripreport/554972 https://ebird.org/tripreport/565419https://ebird.org/tripreport/573388
