Date: 4/4/24 5:42 am From: Guy McCaskie <guymcc...> Subject: [inlandcountybirds] Salton Sea (south) 3 April 2024
I spent Wednesday 3 April 2024 (6:15 AM to 4:30 PM) at a few select
locations in the Imperial Valley and along part of the south shore of the
Salton Sea. I started the day at the IID Wetlands near Niland, the moved
north into Niland. In Niland I birded north along International Avenue, west
to the west end of 4th Street and south along Luna Street. I then drove
northwestward to the Wister Unit HQ. At the Wister Unit I looked at the area
around the headquarters and at the new fishing pond. From the Wister Unit HQ
I drove southwestward to the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ,
stopping to look at Morton Bay and the north end of Garst Road on the way.
At the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ I looked around the Visitor
Center and at the ponds adjacent to Rock Hill. I then drove west to Obsidian
Butte and birded southwestward along the seawall to the west end of Young
Road. I then drove southwestward to Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National
Wildlife Refuge. After looking at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife
Refuge, I headed southeastward through Westmorland into Brawley. In Brawley
I looked at Riverview Cemetery and Cattle Call Park. I then drove south to
near the southeast corner of El Centro, stopping at the flooded area
adjacent to Neckel Road on the way on the way. After spending time near the
southeast corner of El Centro, I drove west to San Diego, stopping at Rio
Bend Golfcourse, Sunbeam Lake and Fig Lagoon before leaving the Imperial
Valley.
Mostly Clear with no wind, and with temperatures ranging from 45 to 90
degrees.
Species seen and/or heard - Snow Goose (65 - sixty-five together at Unit 1
of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Blue-winged Teal (25 - a flock
of twenty-five at the north end of Lack Road), Cinnamon Teal (25), Northern
Shoveler (100), Gadwall (6), American Wigeon (4), Mallard (15), Northern
Pintail (5), Green-winged Teal (20), Ring-necked Duck (7 - seven on Fig
Lagoon), Red-breasted Merganser (2 - two adult males together near the west
end of Young Road), Ruddy Duck (150), Gambell's Quail (10), Pied-billed
Grebe (6), Eared Grebe (150), Western Grebe (5), Clark's Grebe (1), Rock
Pigeon (75), Eurasian Collared-Dove (150), Inca Dove (10), Common
Ground-Dove (15), White-winged Dove (1 - one at Cattle Call Park in
Brawley), Mourning Dove (30), Greater Roadrunner (6), Anna's Hummingbird
(10), Costa's Hummingbird (3), Ridgeway's Rail (5), Virginia Rail (1), Sora
(1), Common Gallinule (2), American Coot (35), Black-necked Stilt (35),
American Avocet (25), Black-bellied Plover (250 - an impressive flock of at
least two-hundred-fifty near the west end of Young Road), Killdeer (10),
Snowy Plover (10), Whimbrel (35), Long-billed Curlew (5), Marbled Godwit
(20), Stilt Sandpiper (2 - two with Long-billed Dowitchers at Unit 1 of the
Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Dunlin (10 - ten, all acquiring
various amounts of black on the belly, at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National
Wildlife Refuge), Least Sandpiper (50), Western Sandpiper (1500 - most in
alternate-plumage), Long-billed Dowitcher (750), Spotted Sandpiper (1),
Willet (2), Greater Yellowlegs (10), Ring-billed Gull (350), California Gull
(30), Herring Gull (1 - one near adult at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National
Wildlife Refuge), Gull-billed Tern (35 - about thirty-five at the recently
formed islands near the west end of Young Road - no indication of nesting),
Caspian Tern (1), Double-crested Cormorant (30), Neotropic Cormorant (5),
American White Pelican (50), American Bittern (1 - one well seen both on the
ground and in flight at the Wister Unit), Least Bittern (1), Great Blue
Heron (15), Great Egret (30), Snowy Egret (35), Reddish Egret (1 - one
sub-adult near the west end of Young Road appeared to be the same bird first
seen here on 14 July by Curtis A. Marantz but unreported since 28 January),
Cattle Egret (750), Green Heron (1), Black-crowned Night-Heron (5),
White-faced Ibis (1000), Turkey Vulture (5), Northern Harrier (3), Cooper's
Hawk (1), Red-tailed Hawk (1), Great Horned Owl (1 - one adult at the Wister
Unit HQ), Burrowing Owl (10), Gila Woodpecker (5), Ladder-backed Woodpecker
(3), American Kestrel (10), Peregrine Falcon (2), Western Kingbird (25),
Black Phoebe (10), Say's Phoebe (1 - one at the Salton Sea National Wildlife
HQ), Vermilion Flycatcher (5), Plumbeous Vireo (1 - one at the Wister Unit
HQ was most likely the same bird first seen here on 5 March by Tim
Rodenkirk), Common Raven (6), Verdin (5), Tree Swallow (250), Northern
Rough-winged Swallow (5), Barn Swallow (50), Cliff Swallow (150),
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (2), Marsh Wren (30), Northern Mockingbird (5),
European Starling (350), House Sparrow (25), House Finch (20), Chipping
Sparrow (15), White-crowned Sparrow (25), Savannah Sparrow (2), Song Sparrow
(15), Abert's Towhee (10), Yellow-headed Blackbird (25), Western Meadowlark
(25), Bullock's Oriole (2). Red-winged Blackbird (350), Brown-headed Cowbird
(25), Brewer's Blackbird (25), Great-tailed Grackle (200), Orange-crowned
Warbler (5), Nashville Warbler (1 - one male near the southeast corner of El
Centro was the first that I have encountered this spring), Common
Yellowthroat (10), Northern Parula (1 - one male in alternate-plumage at the
Wister Unit HQ was the same bird first seen here on 24 February by Chris
Dean), Yellow-rumped Warbler (35) and Wilson's Warbler (1 - one male near
the southeast corner of El Centro was the first that I have encountered this
spring) - 107 species.
