Salton Sea, California Desert

 

Heading east out of San Diego we stopped at Anza Borrego Desert State Park on the way 

to the Salton Sea.  Because of the drought and being winter, there were very few birds here.

However we added a beautiful male Costa's Hummingbird and...

 California Gnatcatcher

Desert Hill Trail at Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge's Visitor's Center.

Thousands of Snow Geese winter here and is the major attraction for birders.

The Salton Sea is 220 feet below sea level.

Coyotes constantly stalk and haze the Snow Geese...

This is the result!!

There are over 6,000 Snow Geese and 500 Ross's Geese.

The last goose is the smaller Ross's.

Snow Goose walking to adjacent pond.

Hundreds of White-faced Ibis feed in the shallow ponds of Unit 1

Many Sandhill Cranes also winter here.

Green Heron at attention!

Snowy Egret

Although the ponds are filled with ducks the Mallard is a rarity here.

Verdin 

Greater Roadrunner actually running on the road.

American Kestrels winter here in large numbers

Red-tailed Hawk 

Red-tails take advantage of the abundant prey along agricultural fields

New bird for the year - Abert's Towhee

Another new bird - Gambel's Quail

Since 2011 when we first stayed at Del Yermo RV Park, across the street

a pair of Burrowing Owls has taken up residency in this abandoned loading dock.

The active train track with daily ground shaking and ear splitting horns

passes just feet behind them.

Hoping to find Burrowing Owls in a more quiet setting resulted in locating 20 individuals.

Here are just a FEW.

Don't look so mean!

This one has had enough!

This is a huge Geo-thermo area with many power plants. 

In the forgrough are the natural Mud Volcanoes exhausting steam and mud.

White-faced Ibis descending into deep irrigation canal to feed.

Roosting Cattle Egrets

These Egrets, by the thousands fly out to the grain fields to feed on insects.

Blackbirds, likewise by the thousands come feed on the grain.

Yellow-headed Blackbirds intermix with the Red-wings.

Two Ring-necked Pheasants

Hundreds of Long-billed Curlews join in the feeding frenzy.

Sprinkling systems draw birds

This is the Red Hill Marina, now blocks from the receding sea shore.

We traveled 40 miles north to the Salton Sea State Recreation Area.

We scoped thousands of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls and grebes.

Salt encrusted shoreline.

Blue-winged Teal

American Avocets

And to our delight - Cinnamon Teal

Hundreds of Boneparte's Gulls

Cactus Wren

Phainopepla - our 489th bird for the year.

"On the Road Again" heading toward Arizona we traveled  the 15 mile Box Canyon Road.

Our last sunrise before leaving the Salton Sea.

We are now in the Arizona Desert and it's raining, standing water everywhere.

May God bless you with a happy and healthy New Year.

Love & Prayers,

Ty & Ida Baumann

Mission Bay - San Diego, California

 

On our trip south to San Diego we stopped at Oceanside for an hour.

Locaated a Black-crowned Night-heron streamside.

A Sharp-shinned Hawk at the cemetery who chased away some Red-lored Parrots

before we could grab the camera.

The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve

Cord Grass Marsh at high tide.

Marsh, low tide, view from our RV at Campland on the Bay

Mission Bay has a large concentration of wintering birds.

Flocks of Marbled Godwits, Willets, Whimbrels, Long-billed Curlews, Black-bellied Plovers,

Least and Western Sandpipers, both Yellowlegs, and Black Skimmers.

Great Blue Heron

Little Blue Heron adult and...

Juvenile Litlle Blue Heron

A great variety of waterfowl

Black Brant Geese

Black Brant - morning stretch

Flock of Brant geting grit at the beach and eating eel grass

Pied-billed Grebe

Osprey carrying nesting material to high school athletic field light

This Southeast Asian exotic - Swinhoe's White-eye was a surprise find.

Another Asian exotic, the Scaly-breasted Munia

formerly Nutmeg Mannikin

This Munia is feeding on Great Bullrush seeds.

Because they nest year-round their numbers are 

greatly increasing.

Anna's Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

Black Phoebe

Bushtit

An unusual visitor - Sage Thrasher..

Many birder's came to get this on their list.

Cassin's Kingbird

Red-tailed Hawk eating a shorebird

Another Red-tailed Hawk, disobeys the sign

Red-shouldered Hawk screams to mate perched below..

Tumbleweed - tiny blossoms plus thorns

Tumbleweed blowing across Mission Bay to our beach

One of the variety of Eucalyptus tree blossoms

Point Medanos Jetty at the mouth of Mission Bay

Popular with surfers and birds.

Pelagic Cormorant and Western Gull

Sorry!  No fish to share 

Say's Phoebe hawking insects on the beach

American Pipit also chasing down insects

Large flocks of Surf Scoters at Bahia Point on Mission Bay where we also

scoped out a Red-necked Grebe.

Marbled Godwit searching through Kelp for food

Sanderling trying to outrun his reflection

Flock of Surfbirds resting above the rough surf

Surfbird getting sleepy in the sun

A west coast specialty

Black Turnstone

Black Turnstone

Black Turnstone gets hit by rogue wave

This Peregrine Falcon killed a Coot on the adjacent parking lot.

By the time I arrived a dog walker had flushed the bird.

I picked up the dead coot and tossed it on the beach hoping the bird would return.

The Falcon returned and plucked the bird.

Eating the entire bird

Feathers continue to float in the wind.

Over the half hour time period took over 160 photos.

No, you don't have to see all of them.

With a bulging crop, the Falcon could barely get off the ground.

A very memorable blessing.

Tomorrow we leave San Diego to the desert and the Salton Sea.

Wishing you all a very Merry Chirstmas, and a blessed New Year.

Love ❤️  & Prayers 🙏 

Ty & Ida Baumann