I spent Wednesday 29 March 2023 (6:30 AM to 4:00 PM) looking for birds along part of the shore of the Salton Sea and at a few select locations in the Imperial Valley. I started the day at the IID Wetlands near Niland, then drove the short distance north into Niland. In Niland I birded north along International Avenue, west along 4 th Street and south along Luna Street. From Niland I drove south on Blair Road to the Calipatria State Prison, then southwest into Calipatria. I then looked at the areas along Eddins Road west of town. From there I drove northwestward by way of English and Sinclair Roads to the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ. At the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ I looked at the ponds adjacent to Rock Hill, the shoreline of the Salton Sea from Rock Hill and around the entrance parking area. I then drove southwestward along the shore of the Salton Sea from Obsidian Butte to the west end of Young Road. From Young Road I drove southwestward in to Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, stopping at Wiley Reservoir on the way. After spending time at Unit 1, I drove eastward to Wiest Lake, then southwestward into Brawley. In Brawley I looked briefly at Riverview Cemetery, the hummingbird feeders on Willard Avenue and at Cattle Call Park. From Brawley I drove south to the southeast corner of El Centro, stopping at Fudge Reservoir, the flooded area adjacent to Neckel Road and Evergreen Cemetery on the way. I then drove west to San Diego, stopping to look at Sunbeam Lake and Fig Lagoon on the way. Mostly overcast with a light wind in the early morning that increased during the day and with temperatures ranging from 50 to 75 degrees. Species seen and/or heard Snow Goose (125), Rosss Goose (2), Greater White-fronted Goose (1 one with Snow Geese at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Blue-winged Teal (10 ten together at the north end of Lack Road), Cinnamon Teal (25), Northern Shoveler (150), Gadwall (15), American Wigeon (30), Mallard (10), Northern Pintail (5), Green-winged Teal (200), Redhead (10), Ring-necked Duck (15), Lesser Scaup (10), Bufflehead (6), Ruddy Duck (75), Gambels Quail (10), Pied-billed Grebe (5), Horned Grebe (1 one in mostly alternate-plumage, particularly on the head, at the IID Wetlands near Niland), Eared Grebe (15), Western Grebe (3), Clarks Grebe (2), Rock Pigeon (150), Eurasian Collared-Dove (200), Inca Dove (15), Common Ground-Dove (25), White-winged Dove (10), Mourning Dove (30), Greater Roadrunner (2), Black-chinned Hummingbird (3), Annas Hummingbird (15), Costas Hummingbird (3), Rufous Hummingbird (4), Ridgeways Rail (4), Virginia Rail (1), Common Gallinule (2), American Coot (150), Black-necked Stilt (50), American Avocet (150), Black-bellied Plover (100), Killdeer (15), Semipalmated Plover (1), Snowy Plover (10), Whimbrel (5), Long-billed Curlew (20), Marbled Godwit (5), Stilt Sandpiper (20 about twenty with Long-billed Dowitchers at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Dunlin (5 five at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Least Sandpiper (200), Western Sandpiper (750), Least/Western Sandpiper (1000), Long-billed Dowitcher (250), Spotted Sandpiper (2), Willet (35), Greater Yellowlegs (5), Ring-billed Gull (750), California Gull (150 including three adults at the Rock Hill Ponds that appeared to be establishing nest locations), Herring Gull (2 two adults at the flooded area adjacent to Neckel Road), Gull-billed Tern (15 fifteen scattered throughout the area with few at the two known nesting locations), Caspian Tern (40 including at least thirty at the Rock Hill Ponds that appeared to be establishing nest locations), Double-crested Cormorant (30), Neotropic Cormorant (10), White Pelican (20), Least Bittern (1), Great Blue Heron (10), Great Egret (50), Snowy Egret (20), Cattle Egret (1500), Green Heron (2), Black-crowned Night-Heron (10), White-faced Ibis (500), Turkey Vulture (5), Northern Harrier (5), Coopers Hawk (1 one at Cattle Call Park in Brawley), Red-tailed Hawk (3 including two together at a large nest in a tall eucalyptus tree at the intersection of Baughman and Kalin Roads east of Westmorland that may have been a pair attending a nest there is no documented successful nesting of Red-tailed Hawk in the Imperial Valley), Burrowing Owl (5), Belted Kingfisher (1), Gila Woodpecker (3), Ladder-backed Woodpecker (1), Northern Flicker (2), American Kestrel (20), Western Kingbird (20), Black Phoebe (10), Says Phoebe (1 one at the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ where this species has previously nested), Vermilion Flycatcher (3), Warbling Vireo (2), Common Raven (2), Verdin (10), Tree Swallow (30), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (15), Barn Swallow (5), Cliff Swallow (150), Ruby-crowned Kinglet (1), Blue-gray Gnatcatcher (2), Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (1), Marsh Wren (20), European Starling (150), American Robin (20), House Sparrow (15), American Pipit (5), House Finch (25), Lesser Goldfinch (5), Chipping Sparrow (5), White-crowned Sparrow (75), Savannah Sparrow (25), Song Sparrow (10), Lincolns Sparrow (1), Aberts Towhee (10), Yellow-headed Blackbird (250 at least two-hundred-fifty leaving a roost site at the IID Wetlands near Niland), Western Meadowlark (25), Bullocks Oriole (10), Red-winged Blackbird (2500), Brown-headed Cowbird (35), Brewers Blackbird (75), Great-tailed Grackle (250), Orange-crowned Warbler (2), Common Yellowthroat (5), Yellow-rumped Warbler (50), Black-throated Gray Warbler (2 an adult male at Evergreen Cemetery in El Centro and an adult male near the southeast corner of El Centro are the first that I have encountered locally this year) and Black-headed Grosbeak (2 two near the southeast corner of El Centro are the first that I have encountered locally this year) 119 species. Guy McCaskie |