Trip List

 Southern California - November 2003

The following are the species seen by Jim Rose over a total of five days birding.

Pacific Diver	San Diego	3
Pied-billed Grebe	Tijuana Slough, Finney Lake, Salton Sea, Cuyamaca lake	Up to 4 at each site.
Slavonian Grebe	San Diego Harbour	1
Black-necked Grebe	Salton Sea, East side	c50 with 10+ in San Diego Harbour
Clark's Grebe	Finney Lake	1+
Western Grebe	San Diego	c200 on the sea with c20 on Finney lake
Brandt's Cormorant	Sunset Cliffs and Point Loma, San Diego	Up to 10 roosting on tall rock island just offshore.
Double-crested Cormorant		Common on the coast and the Salton Sea
Pelagic Cormorant	Sunset Cliffs, San Diego	Up to 10 roosting on tall rock island just offshore.
American White Pelican	Salton Sea, Finney Lake	Flocks of up to 75 at both sites
Brown Pelican	San Diego area	Common on the coast with several hundred seen. A few on the Salton Sea
Little Blue Heron	San Diego River	2
Snowy Egret	Tijuana Slough, Salton Sea and San Diego	Not uncommon.
Great Blue Heron		Seen daily at all sites.
Great White Egret	Salton Sea	c6 seen daily
Cattle Egret	Salton Sea area.	Large numbers seen daily. Probably in excess of 5,000 seen over 2-3 days!
Black-crowned Night-heron	Finney Lake; Nr Brawley	c6. Also 3 at Cuyamaca Lake
White-faced Ibis	Salton Sea area.	Large numbers seen daily. Probably in excess of 3,000 seen over 2-3 days! A single also at Tijuana Slough.
Ruddy Duck	Salton Sea	Up to 200 seen with another 100 on the salt marsh lagoons at San Diego and 20 at Cuyamaca Lake
Snow Goose	Salton Sea	Several thousand birds seen at both NWR reserves on the S and E shores of the sea. With Ross's Geese.
Ross's Goose	Salton Sea	Several thousand birds seen at both NWR reserves on the S and E shores of the sea. With Ross's Geese.
Canada Goose	Tijuana Slough	5 with 2 at Cuyamaca lake
Black Brant	San Diego area	Up to 100 seen.
American Wigeon	San Diego area	2 flocks of 100+ seen.
Gadwall	Salton Sea	Up to 30 birds seen.
Green-winged Teal	Cuyamaca Lake	c6
Mallard	San Diego and Salton Sea	Not uncommon in small numbers.
Pintail	Salton Sea, Tijuana Slough, Cuyamaca Lake	Common everywhere with over 1500 seen.
Shoveler	Salton Sea, South end	Common with over 700 seen and about 20 on Cuyamaca Lake.
Canvasback	Cuyamaca Lake	c6
Ring-necked Duck	Cuyamaca Lake	c4
Lesser Scaup	Coronado area, San Diego	c20 seen plus 2 on Cuyamaca Lake.
Surf Scoter	Tijuana Slough	c200 in several flocks
Bufflehead	San Diego	Small numbers in several locations, plus c20 on Cuyamaca Lake
Hooded Merganser	Cuyamaca Lake	c6
Red-breasted Merganser	San Diego area	3
Turkey Vulture	Salton Sea, East side	3 over farmland.
Northern Harrier	Tijuana Slough	Very common over coastal marshes and around the Saton Sea. Probbaly over 50 seen during the period.
Sharp-shinned Hawk	Finney Lake; Nr Brawley	1
Red-shouldered Hawk	Laguna Mountains area.	A juvenile of race "elegans".
Red-tailed Hawk	San Diego and Salton Sea	Not uncommon. Seen daily.
Osprey	San Diego and Salton Sea	Singles seen.
American Kestrel	Salton Sea, East side	Very common in the farmland surrounding the Salton Sea. Probably over 100 seen.
Peregrine Falcon	Point Loma, San Diego and Salton Sea	Several sightings.
California Quail	Point Loma, San Diego	2
Gambel's Quail	Brawley and Salton Sea	2 seprate sightings
Clapper Rail	Tijuana Slough	Up to ten seen during a very high tide. A high proportion of the world population of 200 Light-footed sub-species.
Moorhen	Finney Lake; Nr Brawley	3
American Coot	Salton Sea and elsewhere	Very common with several thousand seen.
Sandhill Crane	Salton Sea	3 In flight over NWR reserve.
Black-necked Stilt	Salton Sea	Very common with over 1000 seen.
American Avocet	Salton Sea	Very common with over 500 seen.
Grey Plover	Tijuana Slough	c20. Also a few inland.
Semipalmated Plover	Tijuana Slough and San Diego river	c10
Snowy Plover	Tijuana Slough	1 coloured ringed bird on the beach.
Killdeer	Finney Lake; Nr Brawley	c100. Also a few at Tijuana Slough and Salton Sea
Mountain Plover	Finney Lake; Nr Brawley	In one flock inopen farmland
Snipe	Tijuana Slough	2
Marbled Godwit	Tijuana Slough, San Diego river and Salton Sea	100+ seen overall.
Whimbrel	Tijuana Slough	c10
Long-billed Curlew	Salton Sea, Tijuana Slough	Over 200 total seen.
Greater Yellowlegs	Salton Sea	5
Lesser Yellowlegs	Salton Sea	c20
Spotted Sandpiper	Finney Lake; Nr Brawley	c6. A few also seen elsewhere.
Wandering Tattler	La Jolla	2 on the cliffs.
Willet	Tijuana Slough, Salton Sea, San Diego river	150+ seen total
Turnstone	La Jolla	2
Black Turnstone	La Jolla	1
Long-billed Dowitcher	Salton Sea, East side	Over 1000 seen during the trip.
Sanderling	Tijuana Slough	c20 seen plus c10 on the San Diego river.
Western Sandpiper	Salton Sea, East side	2000+ seen, plus c300 at Tijuana Slough.
Least Sandpiper	Salton Sea, East side	Perhaps up to 1000 seen.
Dunlin	Salton Sea, San Diego	4
Heermann's Gull	Tijuana Slough, San Diego	Common.
Ring-billed Gull	Salton Sea, San Diego area	Very common on the Salton Sea. Probably over 10,000 seen during the week.
California Gull	Salton Sea
Western Gull	Tijuana Slough, San Diego area
American Herring Gull	Tijuana Slough, Salton sea
Bonaparte's Gull	Salton Sea	One flock of c1000 seen on one occasion.
Laughing Gull	Salton Sea	1
Caspian Tern	Salton Sea	2
Royal Tern	San Diego River/Harbour	Several distant sightings thought to be of this species.
Forster's Tern	San Diego River/Harbour, Salton Sea	c20 on the coast. A few inland.
Mourning Dove	Salton Sea, San Diego	Common inland. A few on the coast.
Inca Dove	Brawley	5 at Las Flores Drive, Brawley. A known site.
Greater Roadrunner	Salton Sea	2
Burrowing Owl	Salton Sea, near NWR reserve	About 4 seen with one by an artificial burrow.
Anna's Hummingbird	Point Loma, San Diego, Tijuana Slough	Singles at 3 sites.
Belted Kingfisher	Salton Sea	Several sightings.
Lewis' Woodpecker	Brawley	1 at Las Flores Drive, Brawley.
Acorn Woodpecker	Laguna Mountains	1
Gila Woodpecker	Brawley	At Las Flores Drive and Cattle Call Park, Brawley. Known sites.
Red-shafted Flicker	Brawley	1 at Las Flores Drive, Brawley.
Say's Phoebe	San Diego area, Salton Sea	Widespread
Black Phoebe	San Diego area, Salton Sea	Widespread
American Pipit	Salton Sea, Tijuana Slough	Several small flocks of up to 50 seen.
Phainopepla	Yaqui Well, Anzo Borrego	c20
Cedar Waxwing	Salton Sea, East side	1 at the NWR information centre.
Cactus Wren	Salton Sea, Brawley.	2 including 1 at the NWR information centre.
Rock Wren	Yaqui Well, Anzo Borrego	1
Marsh Wren	Tijuana Slough	Only 1 seen although probably many unseen.
Northern Mockingbird	San Diego area, Salton Sea, Anzo Borrego Desert	Widespread
Hermit Thrush	Tijuana Slough, Point Loma	Singles.
American Robin	Salton Sea	3 at the NWR information centre.
Wrentit	Point Loma, San Diego	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Laguna Mountains, Salton Sea	Singles.
Verdin	Brawley, Salton Sea	2-3 total.
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher	Yaqui Well, Anzo Borrego Desert.	c6 seen. Responded well to "pishing".
Mountain Chickadee	Laguna Mountains	1
Loggerhead Shrike	Salton Sea	2 singles
Scrub Jay	Point Loma, Laguna Mountains	2 singles
American Crow	Brawley	Fairly common
Raven	San Diego area, Salton Sea	Fairly common
Starling	San Diego area, Salton Sea	Common and widespread.
House Sparrow	Tijuana Slough, Salton Sea	A few sen.
Lesser Goldfinch	Laguna Mountains, Salton Sea	c10 total.
House Finch	San Diego area, Salton Sea, Laguna Mountains	c30 seen total.
Orange-crowned Warbler	Point Loma, San Diego	2
Yellow-rumped Warbler	San Diego area, Salton Sea,	very common everywhere.
Townsend's Warbler	San Diego	3
Fox Sparrow	Point Loma, San Diego	1
Lincoln's Sparrow	Salton Sea, East side	A few seen. Perhaps many more unseen in reedbeds.
White-crowned Sparrow	San Diego area, Salton Sea	Most common sparrow.
Golden-crowned Sparrow	Point Loma, San Diego	1
Savannah Sparrow	Tijuana Slough	Several seen.
Black-throated Sparrow	Yaqui Well, Anzo Borrego	1
Spotted Towhee	Laguna Mountains	1
Abert's Towhee	Brawley	c6 at two locations.
California Towhee	Point Loma, San Diego	Common around the information centre.
Red-winged Blackbird	Brawley	c2000 at a cow farm near Brawley were the only ones seen.
Western Meadowlark	Tijuana Slough
Western Meadowlark	Salton Sea	c30 seen with a few at Tijuana Slough.
Great-tailed Grackle	Brawley, salton Sea	Fairly common.
Brewer's Blackbird	San Diego, Brawley	c10 total.
Total - 134

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