
Two locations well worth visiting any time I’m in South San Diego Bay region are J-Street by Chula Vista’s Bayfront Park, and Border Field near the Mexican border. I spent several enjoyable hours at both these locations. I also made a stop at the Refuge Headquarters at the Tijuana Slough to visit my friend Brian who manages the refuge systems in this region and I stuck my nose into the sloughs at 7th Street, though I did not chase birds on this last leg of my South Bay visit.
The light is best in the early morning at J-Street when it first crosses the horizon. Later in the day, as the sun drifts west, the glare off the mudflats prevents the possibility of flattering images, no matter how lovely the bird. If the tide is low, there can be a wealth of bird activity on the exposed mudflats. On this morning I met Short-Billed Dowitchers, Western Sandpipers, Semipalmated Plovers, Willets, Black-Crowned Night-Herons, Mallards, and Snowy Egrets, all gathering their breakfasts from where the waters of the bay had retreated. Each species was feeding on organisms they’d evolved to pursue, and all were in a hurry to gather as much food as time permitted, knowing the tidal flow of the bay would soon reclaim ownership of their banquet table.
When I left 7th Street, I drove to Border Field to spend the remainder of the morning along the beaches. On my drive to the beach I met a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk and I could not resist the urge to stop and attempt an image capture. Once I reached the end of the road, I mounted my bike and continued to the seashore where I met a Peregrine Falcon up to no good, Sanderlings dancing with the waves and loafing on the shore, Whimbrels, Brown Pelicans plunge diving in the ocean, Heermann’s Gulls loafing by the border fence, Black-Bellied Plovers, Elegant Terns bringing in the groceries, and Marbled Godwits running with Willets as they love to do.

Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
Description: Juvenile at the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 8:44 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/6400 |
File Name: D3X1590-PeregrineFalcon-Juvenile |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Description: |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 15:48 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: |
File Name: Track-20130823-SouthBay-BorderField |
© 2013 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |


Willet(Tringa semipalmata) |
Description: Mixed flock with Marbled Godwits at the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 10:25 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X1825-Willet-MixedFlock |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Elegant Tern(Thalasseus elegans) |
Description: The beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 10:19 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X1810-ElegantTern |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Black-Bellied Plover(Pluvialis squatarola) |
Description: A fall migrant at the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 10:17 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X1801-BlackBelliedPlover |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Heermann's Gull(Larus heermanni) |
Description: The beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:55 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X1727-HeermannsGull |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Heermann's Gull(Larus heermanni) |
Description: Juvenile at the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:52 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X1721-HeermannsGull |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Heermann's Gull(Larus heermanni) |
Description: The beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:52 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X1719-HeermannsGull |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Brown Pelican(Pelecanus occidentalis) |
Description: Diving for food just off the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:41 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X1690-BrownPelican |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Brown Pelican(Pelecanus occidentalis) |
Description: Diving for food just off the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:39 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/6400 |
File Name: D3X1683-BrownPelican |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Whimbrel(Numenius phaeopus) |
Description: The beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:19 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/8000 |
File Name: D3X1650-Whimbrel |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Sanderling(Calidris alba) |
Description: The beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:18 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/6400 |
File Name: D3X1641-Sanderling |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Sanderling(Calidris alba) |
Description: The flock moves down the beach at Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 9:18 |
Location:
Border Field |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/8000 |
File Name: D3X1632-Sanderling |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Short-Billed Dowitcher(Limnodromus griseus) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:11 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 |
File Name: D3X1454-ShortBilledDowitcher |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Snowy Egret(Egretta thula) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:39 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X1554-SnowyEgret |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Snowy Egret(Egretta thula) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:39 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X1552-SnowyEgret |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Black-Crowned Night-Heron(Nycticorax nycticorax) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:38 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X1534-BlackCrownedNightHeron |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Mallard(Anas platyrhynchos) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:36 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X1532-Mallard |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Black-Crowned Night-Heron(Nycticorax nycticorax) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:33 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X1512-BlackCrownedNightHeron |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Willet(Tringa semipalmata) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:21 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X1499-Willet |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Semipalmated Plover(Charadrius semipalmatus) |
Description: Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:16 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 |
File Name: D3X1478-SemiPalmatedPlover |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Western Sandpiper(Calidris mauri) |
Description: Juvenile at J-Street. Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:14 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X1471-WesternSandpiper |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |


Western Sandpiper(Calidris mauri) |
Description: Juveniles at J-Street. Chula Vista Bayfront Park, Chula Vista, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 6:13 |
Location:
J-Street |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 |
File Name: D3X1465-WesternSandpiper |
© 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |

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