Hi all,
The full set of pictures from this day can be viewed by clicking HERE
Bill and Nancy Denton, Jim Seal, and I spent the weekend of February 9 -10 birding the Imperial Valley and the Salton Sea.
Horned Lark.
One of the best birds we had over the weekend was the one did NOT even see! We had stopped near Brandt Cattle Company on Brandt Road to view a large flock of Cattle Egrets that were taking a morning break. While viewing our photographs on Monday we noticed this “blue” bird in the mix!! Our best images are not definitive enough to say it is positively a Little Blue Heron but unless it is a Cattle Egret that some comedian dyed blue…… As odd as that sounds, someone had dyed a Cattle Egret bright pink near Ramona, CA a few years ago?!
Cattle Egret and probable Little Blue Heron.
Tens of thousands of Northern Pintail, over 700 Sandhill Crane, numerous Mallard and American Wigeon and a few Canada Goose were gathering in the area near Keystone and Dogwood Roads for most of the winter.
Northern Pintail, Sandhill Crane, Canada Goose.
Near Dogwood and Schartz Roads, many Mountain Plover were in this Bermuda grass field that was already coming on strong after being burned off.
Viewing Mountain Plover.
Mountain Plover, the Prairie Ghost.
Burrowing Owl pair.
We watched this Greater Roadrunner eat a lizard and then sing for us before we moved on!
Greater Roadrunner
Cattle Call Park in Brawley.
Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
There were two males and a female Vermilion Flycatcher on Pound Road east of Davis Road.
Male Vermilion Flycatcher.
Among the critters at the Sonny Bono Salton Sea NWR were this Desert Cottontail and a singing male Gambel’s Quail.
Desert Cottontail rabbit.
Male Gambel’s Quail.
See ya at the sea……………………………………