Southeast
Salton Sea +
Yuma Territorial Prison
Dec 24,
2000
0800-1700, Overcast, partly Sunny, 45-70
A fine trip to the Sea with
Al Borgardt; especially good for raptors. The final hour of the day
was in Yuma at the Prison and along the Gila River levee, which yielded
Vermillion Flycatcher and another Merlin.
98 species total
We started out the day looking at the Sandhill Cranes and a flock of
11 White-fronted Geese at McConnell and Harris.
Bluebird Field
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Not too far north we came upon a field of hay
bales that must have hosted 500 Mountain Bluebirds--a truly
incredible sight! |
| On Eddins Road, just west of Calipatria, we saw
a Sharp-shinned & a Cooper's Hawk, as well as this cooperative Merlin.
Also in the neighborhood were a flock of Western Bluebirds. |
Merlin
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At Red Hill Marina, the low clouds provided
ideal lighting, and we watched multitudes of shorebirds. |
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Merlin
At the small park next to the Ranger
Station, we scoped the mouth of the Alamo River and located the
Surf Scoter and two White-winged Scoters. We didn't have any
luck finding the Black Scoter. Our final stop at the Sea was at
Obsidian Butte.
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Merlin scratching his chin
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American Avocets at Red Hill Marina
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