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Surfbirds & Black Turnstones in Los Angeles? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Tiraya
- Start date
birdboybowley
Well-known member.....apparently so ;)
Sorry man, that's the place we had them (93 if I remember correctly) before leaving for the airport. We walked out to nearly the end of the central rocky arm and scanned as we went. Re-finding the long-staying Rock Sand was nice too!! This was in '06 though.....
As for Black Turnstone we only saw them at suitable spots north of LA although they surely must be on any rocky shores?
As for Black Turnstone we only saw them at suitable spots north of LA although they surely must be on any rocky shores?
Click on the "map" links next to each species name on this eBird bar chart to see where people have been seeing them near LA this year.
http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step...counties=US-CA-037&continue.x=13&continue.y=6
Jim
http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step...counties=US-CA-037&continue.x=13&continue.y=6
Jim
Tiraya
San Diego CA
And thats exactly where I've been looking....They just aren't there. They'd have to be a decent size smaller than a Western Sandpiper and invisible at the same time.
Well, you mentioned one location, and there are about 7 on the map--though most are in close proximity. If you did not zoom in that helps to see the multiple locations, and you can click on the balloons to see when people have been seeing them. (Orange balloon indicates within the last 30 days.) Looks like others have been seeing them recently--37 reported on the breakwater only yesterday. "Rockpipers" can be tough to see, and may be sensitive to tides. Near the low point of a receding low tide is often best. You need to look for dark blobs that often blend in very well with their background.
Jim
Last edited:
MariettaBirder
Well-known member
I saw several Black Turnstones on the rocks at La Jolla on January 12th.
davebell27
New member
I'd say try again
Ok, you might not like this answer, but I think you should try Marina del Rey (MDR) again.
There are other places you can check. Checking eBird is a good idea for more ideas. I use an app called BirdsEye (which pulls data from eBird) and it shows recent sightings for MDR/PDR, Cabrillo Beach jetty, King Harbor, Point Vicente. In my opinion, MDR is the most reliable spot.
I lived 100 yards from there for 4 years and have birded that spot almost daily. My experience is that both species are present all day every day, but with the caveat that they can be difficult to see. Both species are roughly the same color as the rock. Sometimes they are flying all over the place, while other times you need a scope and you need to study the base of the outer breakwater for small sandpipers moving slowly among the lowest rocks. I've been there 4 times this year and have seen 25-75 of both species every time.
The best bet is to walk to the end of the middle jetty, which is accessed from Playa del Rey, and look out towards the outer breakwater. You will often hear them before you see them. Plan to spend an hour looking but hopefully you'll have them in much less than that.
Good luck!
Ok, you might not like this answer, but I think you should try Marina del Rey (MDR) again.
There are other places you can check. Checking eBird is a good idea for more ideas. I use an app called BirdsEye (which pulls data from eBird) and it shows recent sightings for MDR/PDR, Cabrillo Beach jetty, King Harbor, Point Vicente. In my opinion, MDR is the most reliable spot.
I lived 100 yards from there for 4 years and have birded that spot almost daily. My experience is that both species are present all day every day, but with the caveat that they can be difficult to see. Both species are roughly the same color as the rock. Sometimes they are flying all over the place, while other times you need a scope and you need to study the base of the outer breakwater for small sandpipers moving slowly among the lowest rocks. I've been there 4 times this year and have seen 25-75 of both species every time.
The best bet is to walk to the end of the middle jetty, which is accessed from Playa del Rey, and look out towards the outer breakwater. You will often hear them before you see them. Plan to spend an hour looking but hopefully you'll have them in much less than that.
Good luck!
