There is a marshy wetland at the north end of Mission Bay that is a remnant of how the whole bay was before it was dredged and drained. Just another story in the saga of how we’ve decimated most of the coastal wetlands in Southern California.
Sometimes called the Kendall-Frost Marsh, there are lookouts established on the northern perimeter of this wetland, but the views from the north rarely provide satisfying observations of the marsh’s avian inhabitants. My favorite place to view birds here is bayside at the southwestern edge of the marsh, against a chain-link fence that runs along the western boundary from the street and into the bay. The beach inside the marsh often hosts flocks of loafing shorebirds. Black Skimmers haunt the sandy strip when they are not roaming the shallow waters along the coast. The loafing birds sometimes take flight enmasse, performing murmuration sorties over the bay that can be very entertaining.
Other locations nearby like Crown Point, De Anza Cove and the Rose Canyon Inlet can be worth exploring as well.

Black Skimmer(Rynchops niger) |
Description: Loafing on North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:02 9:57 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: jcd0773BlackSkimmer |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Western Sandpiper(Calidris mauri) |
Description: Murmerating flight at North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:02 10:06 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: jcd0818WesternSandpiper |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Black Skimmer(Rynchops niger) |
Description: Taking to wings from North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:02 10:11 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: jcd0881BlackSkimmer |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red Knot(Calidris canutus) |
Description: Taking to wings from North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:07 16:26 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/160 |
File Name: jcd0891RedKnot |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Marbled Godwit(Limosa fedoa) |
Description: High tide is loafing time on North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:07 16:31 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/200 |
File Name: jcd0908MarbledGodwit |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Marbled Godwit(Limosa fedoa) |
Description: High tide is loafing time on North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:02 10:24 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/350 |
File Name: jcd0962MarbledGodwit |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Red Knot(Calidris canutus) |
Description: A fall migrant stretching wings at North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:02 10:44 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: jcd1046RedKnot |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Black-Bellied Plover(Pluvialis squatarola) |
Description: A fall migrant at North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:02 11:11 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/320 |
File Name: jcd1270BlackBelliedPlover |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Short-Billed Dowitcher(Limnodromus griseus) |
Description: Foraging at North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-11-02. |
Date Taken: 2008:11:07 19:55 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 400 mm, f/8.0, 1/250 |
File Name: jcd1280ShortBilledDowitcher |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Black Skimmer(Rynchops niger) |
Description: North Mission Bay by the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve. San Diego County California USA 2008-10-05. |
Date Taken: 2008:10:05 8:54 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: jcd1890BlackSkimmer |
© 2008 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Black-Bellied Plover(Pluvialis squatarola) |
Description: The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is in north Mission Bay near Crwn Point. San Diego County California USA 2009-04-24. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:24 12:56 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1000 |
File Name: JCD6806.BlackBelliedPlover |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Semipalmated Plover(Charadrius semipalmatus) |
Description: The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is in north Mission Bay near Crown Point. San Diego County California USA 2009-04-24. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:24 13:01 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: JCD6814.SemiPalmatedPlover |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |


Semipalmated Plover(Charadrius semipalmatus) |
Description: The Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve is in north Mission Bay near Crwn Point. San Diego County California USA 2009-04-24. |
Date Taken: 2009:04:24 13:02 |
Location:
Kendall-Frost Marsh |
Camera Information: NIKON D2X, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: JCD6820.SemiPalmatedPlover |
© 2009 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |

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