I spent the morning of 29 April 2023 (6:00 AM to 1:45 PM) looking for birds along part of the south shore of the Salton Sea and at a few select locations in the Imperial Valley. I started the day at Fig Lagoon and Sunbeam Lake then drove west to near the southeast corner of El Centro. After spending time near the southeast corner of El Centro unsuccessfully looking for a Brown Thrasher photographed there on 27 April, I drove north to the east end of Morton Bay. After spending time at the east end of Morton Bay, I drove southwestward to the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ. At the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge HQ I only looked around the entrance parking area. I then drove southwestward along the seawall to the west end of Young Road. From the west end of Young Road I drove southwestward into Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. After spending time at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, I drove southward through Calipatria and along Forrester Road and I-8 to the Rio Bend Golf Course, stopping at Sheldon Reservoir on the way. I then drove west to San Diego, stopping to look at Sunbeam Lake and Fig Lagoon on the way. Mostly clear with no wind, and with temperatures ranging from 65 to 100 degrees. Species seen and/or heard Snow Goose (8 eight cripples together at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Blue-winged Teal (10 eight counted at the east end of Morton Bay and two together near the west end of Young Road), Cinnamon Teal (30), Northern Shoveler (100), Gadwall (6), American Wigeon (8), Mallard (10 a female on Fig Lagoon was accompanied by at least ten recently hatched ducklings), Northern Pintail (3), Green-winged Teal (6), Redhead (6), Ring-necked Duck (1 one male on Fig Lagoon), Lesser Scaup (5), Ruddy Duck (50), Gambels Quail (5), Pied-billed Grebe (3), Eared Grebe (150), Western Grebe (1), Rock Pigeon (30), Eurasian Collared-Dove (150), Inca Dove (20), Common Ground-Dove (15), White-winged Dove (15), Mourning Dove (20), Greater Roadrunner (3), Lesser Nighthawk (2 two together in flight at dawn), Black-chinned Hummingbird (10), Annas Hummingbird (3), Costas Hummingbird (1), Ridgeways Rail (1), Common Gallinule (2), American Coot (150), Black-necked Stilt (100), American Avocet (75), Black-bellied Plover (10), Killdeer (10), Semipalmated Plover (1), Snowy Plover (3), Whimbrel (3), Ruddy Turnstone (3 three in alternate-plumage near the north end of Lack Road), Red Knot (25 a flock of twenty-five, most in alternate-plumage, along shore of the Salton Sea moved from near the north end of Lack Road to the west end of Young Road), Stilt Sandpiper (1 one in alternate-plumage at the east end of Morton Bay), Least Sandpiper (1 one at Fig Lagoon most appear to have departed northward), Western Sandpiper (75), Long-billed Dowitcher (50), Spotted Sandpiper (10), Willet (3), Greater Yellowlegs (1 one at Fig Lagoon), Wilsons Phalarope (30), Red-necked Phalarope (150), Bonapartes Gull (1 one first-summer bird at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Ring-billed Gull (3), California Gull (1), Least Tern (2 two adults at the east end of Morton Bay), Gull-billed Tern (85 including about sixty-five at Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge were on nests), Caspian Tern (10), Black Tern (15 fifteen at the east end of Morton Bay), Forsters Tern (6), Black Skimmer (1 one with Gull-billed Terns near the west end of Young Road), Common Loon (2 one adult in alternate-plumage and one in basic-plumage together on Sheldon Reservoir), Double-crested Cormorant (15), Neotropic Cormorant (6), White Pelican (75 an apparent migrant flock of about seventy-five flying northward over Morton Bay), Great Blue Heron (5), Great Egret (6), Snowy Egret (5), Cattle Egret (500), White-faced Ibis (250), Turkey Vulture (3), Northern Harrier (1), Red-tailed Hawk (1), Great Horned Owl (1 one along the Even Hewes Highway at dawn), Burrowing Owl (5), Belted Kingfisher (1 one somewhat late individual at Sheldon Reservoir), Gila Woodpecker (5), Ladder-backed Woodpecker (1), American Kestrel (6), Western Kingbird (10), Hammonds Flycatcher (1), Black Phoebe (6), Vermilion Flycatcher (3 a pair feeding a recently fledged juvenile at the Rio Bend Golf Course), Warbling Vireo (3), Loggerhead Shrike (1 one near Unit 1 of the Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge), Common Raven (2), Verdin (10), Northern Rough-winged Swallow (1), Barn Swallow (20), Cliff Swallow (150), Phainopepla (1 one adult male at Fig Lagoon), Black-tailed Gnatcatcher (1), Marsh Wren (20), Northern Mockingbird (5), European Starling (75), House Sparrow (25), House Finch (50), Lesser Goldfinch (1 one near the southeast corner of El Centro), Song Sparrow (5), Aberts Towhee (10), Western Meadowlark (15), Red-winged Blackbird (250), Bronzed Cowbird (1 one adult male at Sunbeam Lake was believed to be the same bird first seen here on 15 April), Brown-headed Cowbird (10), Brewers Blackbird (50), Great-tailed Grackle (150), Orange-crowned Warbler (1), MacGillivrays Warbler (1 one female near the southeast corner of El Centro), Common Yellowthroat (15), Townsends Warbler (1), Wilsons Warbler (10) and Western Tanager (1) 109 species. Guy McCaskie |