2013 My San Diego County Big Year - Week 13

March 30

Snowy Plover

I spent the day birding with my wife looking for some newly arrived breeding species after making a long-shot attempt at a reported rare bird.  We started this morning by walking the beach about a mile to the Tijuana River mouth.  While spending some time there fruitlessly looking for plover Dave P called out,  “Booby in the feeding flock.” Quickly turning my scope in that direction I was able to get onto the bird as it made a pass through the other birds.  I snapped a few low quality photos for ID purposes and we all talked about how great it was to see this species from shore.  My wife and I then headed to a few other spots before coming home for a little bit of rest.

Western Screech-Owl

This evening I went out to find some owls with Shannon W and had Western Screech-Owls, Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls.  Of the Great Horned Owls we had a pair calling back and forth to each which was neat to listen to since we were able to hear the differences between the male and female.

Grasshopper Sparrow

Tijuana River mouth, Dairy Mart Pond, Mission Trails Regional Park

Brown Booby, Snowy Plover, Gull-billed Tern, Bell’s Vireo, Cliff Swallow, Grasshopper Sparrow

Species to Date – 278

March 31

Sandwich-ish Tern among Elegant Terns

A rare gull was found and word went out too late for me to chase it yesterday so I headed over to the location first thing today.  After not finding it I headed out east to meet a friend and learn a bit of botany while looking for more easterly (county-wise) migrants and arriving breeders.  While there I received a text alerting me to the presence of another rare gull near the one that was found yesterday afternoon.  Upon arriving I was able to see it flying away.  The problem with this bird is that it doesn’t look right for a pure Sandwich Tern.  There is too much yellow on the bill tip and in fact it went all along the culmen.  But what is it mixed with?  If determined to be mixed with a Cayenne Tern (still treated as a subspecies of Sandwich Tern) then it could be counted on my Big Year List.  But it could have been partly Elegant Tern, a pairing that has happened here in Southern   Another thing about the bird is that the one found in the morning has much less yellow on the bill so there may be a second bird.  I spent the next 6 hours going back and forth between the two spots where yesterday’s bird was found and the location of today’s bird.  I was joined by Doug A and Eitan A at one point and Eitan hollered, “there it is.”  And this one didn’t have all the excessive yellow as the one from the afternoon.  Yes, maybe a pure Sandwich Tern.  I took a bunch of photos and added those to the debate of “what type of bird is this?” that is currently going on with many of us in the San Diego birding community.  Though there was much less yellow on this bird’s bill, it was still a bit too much for a classic Sandwich Tern.  But is it within reason for variability as some are thinking? 

Laughing Gull

California.

Making one last stop to look for yesterday’s bird paid off when I spotted it sitting on a mudflat.  I was able to take Jay K away from where he was searching onto the Laughing Gull and we watched it triumphantly for a while before I headed home.

Crestridge Ecological Reserve, San Diego River, Robb Field

Ash-throated Flycatcher, Laughing Gull

Species to Date - 280

For a full list of species seen to date click here

Snowy Owls

I spent the weekend of February 25 & 26 chasing after some Snowy Owls in Ocean Shores, Washington. After two flights to get to Portland, followed by 3.5 hours of driving through rain, sleet, hail and snow, I arrived in Ocean Shores. Once there, the conditions were even worse, with all of the above plus winds of up to 60 mph.


Click the photo above to see video of hail storm.

I met Jennifer R and Peggy M, friends who had been in Ocean Shores for the day, and they assured me that my desired Snowy Owls were still there and unfazed by the weather. That wasn't much of a surprise as they came in from the tundra, but one never knows.

It was too late in the day to have much of a chance to photograph the Snowy Owls. Other rare birds were in the area and so my friends guided me right to the Emperor Goose that was sharing a golf course green with close to 100 Canada Geese. A Black-legged Kittiwake made a pass directly over the car as we were driving then another flew in for a look while we were at the jetty. Gulls, gulls, and more gulls, plus gull hybrids, were everywhere.

Sunday morning weather was much better than I had feared. I trekked out to where the owls had been reported and was rewarded with at least 5 Snowy Owls (what I think was the 6th may have been one of the 5).


Click the photo above to see more photos of the Snowy Owls.

I watched as one took flight and pounced on breakfast behind a fallen tree. Others sat still and simply watched what was going on around them. An adult Bald Eagle flew around at the southern end of the peninsula. I can't remember the last time I didn't get excited at seeing a Bald Eagle but the owls were just that overpowering.

I had only a short amount to spend with the owls as I had to return to Portland to catch my flight home. On the way back to the rental car I found a reported rarity I missed the day before - a female King Eider.


Click the photo above to see additional photos.

Driving to the airport I came across 20+ Trumpeter Swans in a river easily seen from the roadway. It felt very odd to have the Trumpeter Swan as the default swan species of the area. I passed a few other small bevies along the way. The rain, sleet, hail and snow continued on and off the entire 4-hour drive back to the Portland airport.


Click the photo above to see video of snow storm.

All in all, a great trip, especially considering how I spent only 5 hours birding over the entire weekend birding. But those few hours were filled with awesome birds and fantastic friends.