Ballona Birding trip report Nov. 21,2015

Brandt’s Cormorant                 J. Waterman          Marina del Rey   11/21/15

The Santa Ana winds, typical of this season, had just started sweeping into the region and we enjoyed warm, dry weather on the coast. However, this was not ideal birding weather. Our low-tide planning and the two rarities (Long-tailed Duck and Common Murre) did not make an appearance, but we still reach the 60-species mark with a short walk at the Freshwater Marsh where two atypical species (Fox Sparrow and Common Gallinule) were present on the busy Lincoln Blvd. side of the marsh. Surprising bird of the day: a Canada Goose seen in the distance off Dockweiler Beach, well beyond the surf. Also a not-so-typical dominance of Brandt’s Cormorants over the usually more numerous Double-crested.

Royal Tern                                 J. Waterman 11/21/15                            Ballona Creek

Canada Goose            10
Gadwall                       6
American Wigeon      8
Mallard                       40
Cinnamon Teal          2
Northern Shoveler    13
Lesser Scaup              4
Surf Scoter                 35
Bufflehead                 8
Red-breasted Merganser     1
Ruddy Duck                5
Common Loon           3
Pied-billed Grebe      5
Horned Grebe            2
Eared Grebe               7
Western Grebe          20
Brandt’s Cormorant  350
Double-crested Cormorant  20
Pelagic Cormorant    2
Brown Pelican           40
Great Egret                1
Snowy Egret              4
Osprey                        1
Red-tailed Hawk        1
Common Gallinule     1
American Coot           40
Black-bellied Plover  12
Killdeer                        1
Black Oystercatcher  1
Willet                          3
Whimbrel                   1
Marbled Godwit        3
Ruddy Turnstone      2
Black Turnstone        3
Surfbird                     2
Sanderling                 25
Least Sandpiper        7
Bonaparte’s Gull        1
Heermann’s Gull       3
Ring-billed Gull          1
Western Gull              8
Herring Gull               1
Royal Tern                 2
Rock Pigeon               18
Mourning Dove         1
Allen’s Hummingbird        1
Anna’s Hummingbird        2
Belted Kingfisher      1
Black Phoebe             1
Say’s Phoebe             1
Cassin’s Kingbird      2
American Crow          4
Bushtit                        20
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher          3
Northern Mockingbird         1
American Pipit                       1
Orange-crowned Warbler    3
Common Yellowthroat          1
Yellow-rumped Warbler      30
Savannah Sparrow                1
Fox Sparrow                           1
White-crowned Sparrow      22
House Finch                           2

Iridescent male Bufflehead                      J. Waterman 11/21/15                       del Rey Lagoon