Distance: 1 mile | Duration: 90 minutes | Habitat: saltwater marsh.
Note: Feeding wildlife is prohibited in the park.
When we arrived right after 9:30 AM, Great-tailed Grackles were eating bread. Red-winged Blackbirds, Song Sparrows and House Sparrows were also present.
A pair a Mallard.
Many Double-crested Cormorants and Mallards were taking it easy on one of the islands while American Coots were on duty.
Brown Pelicans flew above the march then went towards the ocean. On the photo, they are barely noticeable above the Palm trees. Snowy Egrets and Great Egrets were taking a snooze on one of the islands. On the photo, they are the little white dots in the vegetation. Black-crowned Night Herons were also hiding on the island near the water.
Red-necked Phalarope.
American Avocets have an upturned bill, they capture invertebrates in the water by sweeping their bill side to side.
Love the blue legs.
Mallards, American Coots, Black-necked Stilts, Ruddy Ducks, Red-necked Phalarope and Egrets did not mind when the Zoo train passed by.
Killdeer foraging.
Male Ruddy Duck.
Brown Pelican.
Several Northern Shovelers were resting in the company of Snowy Egrets and Black-necked Stilts.
Mystery bird only showing on a single photo, a Long-billed Dowitcher.
Great Egret on the hunt.
Question: How many different leg colors are you able to identify?
Answer: 4. From left to right, Greater Yellowlegs (yellow), American Avocets (blue), Black-necked Stilts (pink) and Northern Shovelers (orange).
This was a productive morning as we observed a total of 34 bird species including Pied-billed Grebes, Rock Pigeons, Anna's Hummingbirds, Least Sandpipers, Western Gulls, Elegant Terns, Great Blue Herons, American Crows, Lesser Goldfinches, California Towhees, as well as a Black Phoebe, a Northern Mockingbird, an Orange-crowned Warbler and a Common Yellowthroat.
Credits and Additional Information
Birding the Andree Clark Refuge was productive! Species spotted were Red-necked Phalaropes, Northern Shovelers and even American Avocets!
