Day 17 San Diego to Joshua Tree via Salton Sea
A slight change of plan we did drive into Anza Borrega desert NP and on to Joshua Tree but on route decided it was better to do the Salton Sea today rather than drive down there through Joshua Tree NP tomorrow. We stopped just after Julian, I didn’t know until later there is a reserve nearby but as we saw some Wild Turkey in the early morning sunshine it seemed like a good place to turn off, there was some trees alongside the road and a very dry grassy area, whilst I was photographing the Turkeys not a great shot due to the sun and the fact they were now hiding in the trees, we saw a Western Meadowlark and a Scrub Jay but we then got what I didn’t really hold much hope for this early in the year three Mountain Plovers. So a really good start to the day. The next stop was not quite so good when we stopped at Ocotillo Wells where despite a good 30 minute scan in all direction we had absolutely nothing, not a single bird, not a lizard not a scrub rabbit nothing, but the information boards told us what we could have seen – oh well. Onwards then to the Salton Sea before it got too hot. We tried a couple of farm tracks to get to the see the lake but they were blocked off however the second of these about a mile or so North of Poe Road had a very mature looking irrigation pond with quite a bit of reeds we saw Coot, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall and Blue-winged Teal but then out of the reeds came a Yuma Clapper Rail, it didn’t show for long but it gave us a great view. Hopefully this pond will remain but we did see farm hands setting up new pipes along the track. It was now after 9.30 and the temperature was 98 degrees C as we arrived at Poe Road. We were able to drive almost right up to the birds and use the car as a hide and then get out slowly and scan. There were huge numbers of birds here, 1000’s of American Avocet’s, Black-winged Stilts, Double-crested Cormorant, Snowy Plovers, Willet, Marbled Godwits, Western and Least Sandpipers, then as scanned we found two Yellow-footed Gulls, I wasn’t sure how tricky these would be but we actually saw groups in three of our stops. Herring, Franklin and California Gulls were present in greater numbers but I then cried out Blue Footed Booby, the bird was flying straight in front of us but heading South West and into the distance this was first time since the Galapagos that we had seen this bird. Despite trying at all the stops including Obsidian and the Marina where we thought the bird might have headed we didn’t pick it up again. It turned out the reason Sarah was slow getting on the Blue-footed Booby was because she was watching a Wood Stork flying the other way. I never did get the Wood Stork. It was now after 11 and the flies, the smell and the heat were getting to us so after ticking off Caspian Tern, Long-billed Dowitcher and Black-bellied Plover we headed around to Sonny Bono NWR Unit 1. There was absolutely no one around but it looked there was a permitted trail out toward the sea for a way but it was now approaching 110 degrees and Sarah wasn’t keen on a long trek so we agreed just a mile or so out and back but before we had even moved we had the first of hundreds of White-faced Ibis started coming in, there was also huge numbers of Red-winged Blackbirds flying around and on the water Northern Pintail, Mallard, Pied-billed Grebe and Eared Grebe as we got back to the viewing platform we spotted Red-tailed and Ferruginous Hawks and then a Loggerhead Shrike. It was now too hot to do much so we decided to drive to Calipatria where filled up with cheapest fuel of the trip, got more water and soda and then had lunch in a nice newly opened and air-conditioned dinner (it is only one on the High St). Over lunch we decided to do the Finney Ramar Unit, then the main Sonny Bono reserve before trying to find some Lesser Nighthawks near the Wister Unit. Then some stops at the North end of the lake this meant we wouldn’t go down to Brawley.
We went first around the tracks at the Ramer Finney. Birding was mainly driving in the a/c vehicle then getting out for a few minutes as the temperature was 112 in the shade and the thermometer was showing 120 in the direct sunshine. At almost every stop we raised 100’s of Brewers, Red Winged and Yellow Headed Blackbirds. In the reeds were Black-crowned Night Herons and the first Fulvous Whistling ducks, American Wigeon, Shoveler and Gadwall, and on the muddy margin a Spotted Sandpiper still in breeding plumage worryingly there were signs of recent hunting cartridges etc. and loads of signs about the place saying that Dove hunters were welcome. As we arrived at the main Sonny Bono reserve the only birds to be seen were Mourning and Common Ground Doves sitting in the shade. We had a word with the lady reception to ask what was about but it appears almost no-one was birding around here, although she did mention that she had seen a Yellow Legged Gull and did give us a possible place for Burrowing and Great Horned Owl, in keeping with our luck on night birds we didn’t find them. We decided to risk a walk around the Red Rock-trail it was only about 2.5 miles round trip with a few steps off to look for birds but by the time got out to the sea and the managed pool, only birds seen on the way out were Verdin and a load of European Starlings; Sarah was wilting so we decide to just scan from the little bit of shade offered by the seating area. There was plenty on the pool and the sea, most numerous were Avocet, Stilts, Pelicans and Cormorants but there were also a good few terns including Black, Caspian and Forster’s and amongst the gulls we found another four Yellow-footed Gulls and on the mud a few Semi-palmated Plovers were feeding alongside Curlews and Godwits. Sarah just asked where I was up to in this write up, I said I’ve mentioned you are wilting, she said nearly dying more like. Anyway with a lot of water and a few stops along the way she made it back to the trailhead where she spotted an Albert’s Towhee so she wasn’t that out of it. A quick drive to and short walks at Obsidian Butte, Red-hill Marina and then along Garst Track gave us another couple of Yellow-footed Gulls and a huge flock of White-face Ibis and about 200 Cattle Egrets but nothing else new. We then headed up to the spot suggested for Lesser Nighthawks however the whole area around Wister waterfowl management area seems to be having some major alterations with Wister Road and Ruddy road completely closed to traffic coming from the 111 from the map Jos gave me I got as close to the roost site as I could but new gravel had been put down under the trees, so whether on the ground or the lower branches I suspect the birds have been disturbed, disappointing but as these weren’t lifers, we weren’t too upset particularly as we had a show-off Painted Redstart fly out from the trees and display for us. Interestingly there was a Painted Redstart spotted at Big Morongo a day or two later it was mentioned by a volunteer there who told us about it when we mentioned what we saw at Salton Sea. Last stop in the area was in the State Recreation Area, we had a Greater Roadrunner as we entered the car park and then more of the same but in much fewer number than at the south of the lake.
So a pretty good day with only disappointment being that no Sandhill Cranes had made it down to Salton Sea yet
We then drove to Yucca Valley where we checked in and then decided to do another Owling attempt this time at the Joshua Tree NP entrance. However it seemed to get dark earlier here and we just got to the edge of the park, not well signposted from Joshua Tree before it was pitch black, as mentioned earlier we were limited on where we could go and use playback so we had to stay around the car. 1 hour and 6 types of Owl called and nothing !! and to make matters worse when we were heading back I missed my turn to get to a local Chinese restaurant and did a legal U-turn only to get pulled over by a dim young Traffic-Cop who said it could have been dangerous, not as dangerous as him pulling out with no lights on I’m sure, but I decided being nice was way to go and after a little bit of “yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir, he sent me on my way with a drive carefully, but not before Sarah almost got me arrested for driving while unfit when she said we’ve been driving for 17 days without incident, he said 17 days without sleep are you fit to drive. No “17 days without incident and with lots of stops for sleep” – I did say he was dim. We never did get to the Chinese as we said we were going back to the hotel to the cop and he followed us for a bit so it was Mexican again in a place near the hotel.
