Joan, Dean, and Bob

I  met Joan and Dean, with their friend Bob, at the Calipatria Inn early Friday morning. Before we had driven more than a mile north we stopped at a burned over field with a couple dozen Mountain Plover searching for snacks in the charred grass.Then it was north to Niland, in search of the "exotic" Spotted Doves.We drove and walked through several neighborhoods, occasionally even playing the bird's calls.We located Common Ground-Dove, Inca Dove, Mourning Dove, scads of Eurasian Collared-Doves, and two lingering White-winged Doves--but no Spotted Doves.

Not far from the Calipatria State Prison we visited a Barn Owl's home, and Bob got a bird's eye view as it swooped over his head on the way out of the abandoned house. South of the prison we saw dozens of Savannah Sparrows, but missed the Sprague's Pipits. Moving west towards the Sea, we had fine looks at this Burrowing Owl standing at the doorstop of its burrow.

American White Pelicans

Along the Sea wall (levee) we saw lots of Eared Grebes, Ruddy Ducks, Great Egrets, and Double-crested Cormorants, but we missed the Surf Scoters that had been so obvious two weekends prior. In the pond at the corner of Lack and Lindsey we were treated to all three teal: Cinnamon, Green-winged, and Blue-winged.

Obsidian Butte was great with four Yellow-footed Gulls--an excellent number for the winter season. There were a mix of second-year and adult gulls.

Heermann's Gull

A short stop at the refuge headquarters turned up many White-crowned Sparrows and Gambel's Quail. At Red Hill Marina we spotted the best bird of the day, a third-winter Lesser Black-backed Gull. A European stray, it's become much more common along the east coast over the past decade.

Lesser Black-backed Gull (third winter)
 

Innature Ring-billed Gulls