71 replies to this topic

[Liam]

Hey guys,

so there is a remote chance that I might be able to visit San Diego next month. I'd be staying at my great aunt's place.
I'd like to know the best places for birding. I don't have any particular target species, since pretty much everything other than mockingbirds and house sparrows would be new for me. I'd be grateful if you could share some species for each location, so I'll know what to expect.
I think I'll be staying for four days.

TIA,
Liam

[creeker]

What part of San Diego does your great aunt live in? Are you going to have transportation? I can write you a detailed list of areas and birds if your trip materializes. I would expect you could get 40+ lifers pretty easy here in that many days.

[Liam]

Near Scripps Ranch. I'm pretty sure my aunt plans to take me birding.

[creeker]

Near Scripps Ranch. I'm pretty sure my aunt plans to take me birding.

Cool. Pretty centrally located.

[ginspin16]

well if you go to coronado they have heermans gulls, surfbirds, black turnstones. i don't know if that's all year though. there's a nice trail in escondido across from the mall that goes to the san dieguito river, i've seen whitetailed kites there, and clark's grebes, and whitefaced ibis. there's san elijo lagoon it's kind of by carlsbad but it's hit or miss, sometimes there's whimbrels and different ducks, sometimes it's absolutely birdless. the laguna mtns by julian has acorn woodpeckers and scrubjays. la jolla cove has hundreds of pelicans and cormorants.

i would like to know more places to go in san diego too! especially wherever creeker sees all his raptors.

[creeker]

I don't have any particular target species, since pretty much everything other than mockingbirds and house sparrows would be new for me.

TIA,
Liam

Good to know. I have some hotspots for House Finches and Rock Pigeons.

[Liam]

I seem to have been mistaken. I am leaving next Wednesday (note use of word "am"), and staying until August 1 or August 4. I may be staying with different relatives. Maybe even as far north as Orange County.

well if you go to coronado they have heermans gulls, surfbirds, black turnstones. i don't know if that's all year though. there's a nice trail in escondido across from the mall that goes to the san dieguito river, i've seen whitetailed kites there, and clark's grebes, and whitefaced ibis. there's san elijo lagoon it's kind of by carlsbad but it's hit or miss, sometimes there's whimbrels and different ducks, sometimes it's absolutely birdless. the laguna mtns by julian has acorn woodpeckers and scrubjays. la jolla cove has hundreds of pelicans and cormorants.

i would like to know more places to go in san diego too! especially wherever creeker sees all his raptors.

Thanks Gin! Is Coronado that whole island strip in the Southwest area?
Across the street from the Escondido mall on Google Maps there is a Kit Carson Park, I assume that's the one you're talking about, that sounds like a neat place! The checklists on eBird are promising!
San Elijio Lagoon looks like a neat place, I suspect the fluctuation of bird activity is due to tidal changes. Here on the Atlantic, you are most likely to find all the birds foraging during low tide.
I have heard about La Jolla. There are some great pelagic reports from there.

Good to know. I have some hotspots for House Finches and Rock Pigeons.

Do tell, I just love city apartments.

[Pat B.]

Liam, if you do get to Orange County, try to get to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. I used to live in the neighborhood and when I was there there 3 endangered birds: Light-footed Clapper Rail, Belding's Savannah Sparrow, and Least Tern. A more recent birder there can correct me on this. Lots of other good stuff there, also. Anyway, it's a great spot and directly across Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from a good surfing beach if you want to expand your horizons.

In either SD or OC, you might think about trying a pelagic trip.

[Liam]

Thanks for the reply, Pat. Bolsa Chica sounds great!
Also, I'm curious, how tame are the birds in California. I'm debating whether or not I should rent a longer lens.

[creeker]

The longer lens would be especially helpful along the coast. The marsh areas extend a ways out, and sometimes the birds are a fair distance away. Also would be helpful with all the smaller birds inland. Here's a bird list for the Tijuana Estuary Nature preserve. It's easy access with a wide path leading through it.

http://trnerr.org/wp...02/birdlist.pdf

Also nearby is Tijuana River Valley. More of a riparian type habitat with freshwater ponds, wooded areas, and open fields. You would go here the same day you went to the preserve. They are in close proximity to each other. This list includes the above area as well.

http://www.npwrc.usg.../r1/tslough.htm


Very recent list of one day at San Elijo Lagoon....

species were recorded at San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve & Cardiff State Beach on the July 9th monthly bird count. The next count will be Monday August 13th.


For mid-summer with migrants off to breed farther north & heat keeping many birds quiet & hunkered down, diversity was expectedly reduced. However, sooty shearwaters & black skimmers offshore & a least bittern photographed at the nature center made for fun sightings, the first of the "fall" migrant shorebirds have begun to arrive, & a male rufous hummingbird was spotted passing through.

Species included:
pied-billed grebe, sooty shearwater, brown pelican, double-crested cormorant, least bittern, great blue heron, great egret, snowy egret, black-crowned night-heron, white-faced ibis, mallard, cinnamon teal, gadwall, osprey, white-tailed kite, northern harrier, Cooper's hawk, red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel, clapper rail, common gallinule, killdeer, black-necked stilt, American avocet, willet, whimbrel, long-billed curlew, marbled godwit, western sandpiper, sandpiper sp., dowitcher sp., Heermann's gull, western gull, gull sp., Caspian tern, royal tern, elegant tern, Forster's tern, least tern, black skimmer, rock pigeon, mourning dove, white-throated swift, black-chinned hummingbird, Anna's hummingbird, rufous hummingbird, Allen's hummingbird, Nuttall's woodpecker, downy woodpecker, Pacific-slope flycatcher, black phoebe, Say's phoebe, Cassin's kingbird, northern rough-winged swallow, cliff swallow, western scrub jay, American crow, common raven, bushtit, Bewick's wren, house wren, California gnatcatcher, wrentit, northern mockingbird, California thrasher, European starling, Hutton's vireo, common yellowthroat, black-headed grosbeak, spotted towhee, California towhee, Belding's savannah sparrow, song sparrow, red-winged blackbird, brown-headed cowbird, house finch, lesser goldfinch, house sparrow.

Mission Bay, Flood Control Channel, Fiesta Island...

http://www.miriameag...sion%20Bay.html

San Diego Audubon Society birding areas............

http://www.sandiegoa...l-birding-sites

[Liam]

That's great, Creeker! Which is your favorite birding location in SD?

[creeker]

That's great, Creeker! Which is your favorite birding location in SD?

I'll have to think about that. Different places at different times of year. I am partial to the mountain areas in the Summer. Cuyamaca State Park, Laguna Mountain, Pine Creek, Noble Canyon, and Mt. Palomar, to name a few.

[Liam]

And how about the wetlands? Your favorite birding spot along the coast?

[guy_incognito]

Liam, if you do get to Orange County, try to get to the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. I used to live in the neighborhood and when I was there there 3 endangered birds: Light-footed Clapper Rail, Belding's Savannah Sparrow, and Least Tern. A more recent birder there can correct me on this.

Bolsa Chica is a great spot in Orange County. I've been a handful of times. The Belding's are easy to come by, and there is a good chance for Least Tern in the summer. I've never seen a Clapper Rail at Bolsa Chica, but have heard that the relatively nearby Newport back bay can be good for them, especially at high tide. I was just at the Tijuana River estuary in SD, and saw several Clapper Rails, so that is probably the easiest place to get that species. A great spot for the Least Terns is at the very south end of Huntington Beach where there is a nesting preserve. The nesting is now over, but there were a lot of Least Terns flying around the area recently.

Some of the species we think of as good targets may not necessarily be targets for you, such as Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Little Blue Heron, and Reddish Egret.

I will second that the San Diego Audubon has a very nice site with birding locales (creeker provided the link above).

[Pat B.]

I've never seen a Clapper Rail at Bolsa Chica, but have heard that the relatively nearby Newport back bay can be good for them, especially at high tide.

You know, you could be right about the Clapper Rail. I lived above the Newport Back Bay for a couple of years also, and that may have been where I saw them. Another bird I know I saw at Bolsa Chica was the Black Skimmer, which is such an odd, but cool bird.

[creeker]

And how about the wetlands? Your favorite birding spot along the coast?

Sorry for the late answer Liam, I had to go to work. There's so many places to choose from. I do like the Tijuana Estuary. In Winter, the Mission Bay flood control channel is my favorite. Got three lifers there one day (Red-breasted Merganser, Eurasian Wigeon, Reddish Egret.) I have seen a Clapper Rail every time I've gone to the Estuary. Also Elegant Tern is present this time of year, as is Least Tern, Whimbrel, YCNH, etc. You're going to love coming here! So many possible new birds for you.

[ginspin16]

don't forget to look for california towhees!

[creeker]

don't forget to look for california towhees!

LOL! Be careful not to trip over one walking off the plane. They are everywhere here.

[Liam]

Sorry for the late answer Liam, I had to go to work. There's so many places to choose from. I do like the Tijuana Estuary. In Winter, the Mission Bay flood control channel is my favorite. Got three lifers there one day (Red-breasted Merganser, Eurasian Wigeon, Reddish Egret.) I have seen a Clapper Rail every time I've gone to the Estuary. Also Elegant Tern is present this time of year, as is Least Tern, Whimbrel, YCNH, etc. You're going to love coming here! So many possible new birds for you.

That's nearly in Mexico. Sounds good!

don't forget to look for california towhees!

LOL! Be careful not to trip over one walking off the plane. They are everywhere here.

I'll probably miss that one. I need to teach myself California bird songs.

[creeker]

That's nearly in Mexico. Sounds good!





I'll probably miss that one. I need to teach myself California bird songs.

OK Liam. First bird call: California Towhee.....CHINK!......CHINK!.....CHINK!......repeat forever. Absolutely no way you are going to miss this one! It will be a yardbird for your aunt.