Heerman's Gulls at La Jolla

   
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San Diego to the Colorado River ABA Tour
Jan 8-12, 2003, Outstanding weather!
- narrated by Henry Detwiler

Bob and I took 16 fellow bird enthusiasts birding for 4 days to San Diego, the Laguna Mts., and the Colorado River.  
183 species total

Click on thumbnail pictures for full-sized shots.

Day 1 - Wednesday Afternoon

  
Day 2 - Thursday

Our morning began at San Elijo Lagoon, where we set out to find the California Gnatcatcher and other chaparral birds.  Before heading down the hillside though, we scoped the lagoon and picked up a fine number of wetlands birds: Royal Tern, shorebirds, waders, all the teal, and many other ducks.

Black-bellied Plover

We started down the hill trail to the accompaniment of Wrentit calls, sparrow chirps, and wren songs.  Two California Thrashers popped out for scope views and Anna's Hummingbirds defended their favorite perches.  As we got closer to the lagoon shoreline we examined Black-bellied Plovers, and Cinnamon and Green-winged Teal.  I heard a few gnatcatcher calls in the distance but we never found them; finally at the end of the trail Jim spotted a cooperative one, and we had them within two feet of the path!

Burrowing Owl

From San Elijo Lagoon we drove south to the San Diego flood control channel, where we watched saw some fine gulls: California, Mew, Ring-billed, and Bonaparte's.  And we also saw this fine-looking Burrowing Owl watching us from the channel levee.  Farther south below the bridge we found a Horned Grebe and Snowy Plovers!