Having spent way too much time of late at the computer rebuilding my website, it was important that I get out to the field. Since Wednesday was a Saltworks day, I requested permission to join the team for a tour. Unlike last month’s tour, on this day the team consisted of three; Brian, Robert and myself. Snowy Plover fuzzballs are still present at several locations, so restricted movements are still precautionary. We toured in Brian’s government issued cruiser and stopped at a couple of locations, all the while keeping an eye out for fuzzballs on the road. We also kept an eye out for migrating shorebirds, as at this time of the year, during fall migration something unusual might show up.
Some days are best to just enjoy the company. The photography this day was not stellar, but the company was.
Images from this day include Black-Bellied Plover, Black-Necked Stilt, Elegant Tern, Greater Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Least Tern, Long-Billed Curlew, Osprey, Red-Necked Phalarope, Snowy Egret, Snowy Plover and Willet.
On 2015-08-10 Robert Patton reported:
Western snowy plover – 89 total nests (record high), 1 active, at least 17-20 broods of chicks present. California least tern – 29 total nests, none active; most have already left the state on southward migration, but a small number of adults & fledglings remain foraging & roosting in South SD Bay. Western gull-billed tern – 33 total nests, none active; most have already left the state on southward migration, but a small number of adults & fledglings continue with sightings in the past week at San Diego River, along Silver Strand, & around South SD Bay. Double-crested cormorant – at least 54 pairs, 61 nests; most have dispersed but 2 broods of chicks still present. Mallard & gadwall – nesting & ducklings documented earlier in season. Killdeer – nesting documented earlier in season, at least 1 brood of chicks still present. Black-necked stilt & American avocet – nesting documented earlier in season, at least 1 stilt nest still active, multiple broods of chicks still present. Caspian tern – at least 221 pairs, 230 nests; have begun dispersing from site but 1 nest still active, at least 2 broods of chicks & 26 fledglings still present. Royal tern – at least 192 pairs, 245 nests; have begun dispersing from site but at least 52 fledglings still present. Elegant tern – at least 23907 pairs, 24783 nests (record high); most have dispersed from the site within the past week, but approximately 200 chicks & 2500 fledglings still present. Forster’s tern – at least 52 pairs, 52 nests (+ 76 pairs, 81 nests at nearby Chula Vista Wildlife Reserve); most have dispersed from the site but 4 fledglings still present. Black skimmer – at least 348 pairs, 446 nests; nests still active on 3 levees, chicks & at least 12 fledglings present. Mourning dove, horned lark, & Belding’s savannah sparrow documented nesting earlier in season.
Images Below

Black-Bellied Plover(Pluvialis squatarola) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:44 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X2832-BlackBelliedPlover |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Elegant Tern(Thalasseus elegans) |
Description: Juvenile bird waiting to be fed on a tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 12:19 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X2906-ElegantTern-Juvenile |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Necked Phalarope(Phalaropus lobatus) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 12:15 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X2903-RedNeckedPhalarope |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Necked Phalarope(Phalaropus lobatus) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 12:14 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X2895-RedNeckedPhalarope |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Least Sandpiper(Calidris minutilla) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 12:04 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2870-LeastSandPiper |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Snowy Egret(Egretta thula) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:55 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/2000 |
File Name: D3X2855-SnowyEgret |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Long-Billed Curlew(Numenius americanus) |
Description: Foraging on the bay shore mud flats on Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:51 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X2850-LongBilledCurlew |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Least Tern(Sternula antillarum) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:49 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X2847-LeastTern |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Osprey(Pandion haliaetus) |
Description: Hunting from the boundary for prey in the bay on Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:46 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2841-Osprey |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Snowy Plover(Charadrius alexandrinus) |
Description: "Fuzzball" chick seen on a tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 10:36 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X2750-SnowyPlover-Chick |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Willet(Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) |
Description: The juvenile bird is adorned with crisper, more well patterned plumage than the adults. Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:40 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X2825-Willet |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red-Necked Phalarope(Phalaropus lobatus) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:32 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/7.1, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X2814-RedNeckedPhalarope |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Elegant Tern(Thalasseus elegans) |
Description: Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:11 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X2794-ElegantTern |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Elegant Tern(Thalasseus elegans) |
Description: Bringing fish prey to feed hungrey chicks. Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 11:09 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X2788-ElegantTern |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Greater Yellowlegs(Tringa melanoleuca) |
Description: Fall migrants seen on Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 10:51 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X2767-GreaterYellowLegs |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Willet(Catoptrophorus semipalmatus) |
Description: This juvenile bird is adorned with crisper, more well patterned plumage than the adults. Tern survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 10:44 |
Location:
Saltworks |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X2763-Willet-Juvenile |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Black-Necked Stilt(Himantopus mexicanus) |
Description: Not quite fledged, this juvenile has not earned its flight feathers. Survey day at the Saltworks, part of the San Diego National Wildlife Complex. Near Imperial Beach, California. |
Date Taken: 2015:08:05 10:40 |
Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X2756-BlackNeckedStilt-Chick |
© 2015 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |

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