Spotted Sandpiper
A common winter visiter in Southern California, these images show an individual that was actively hunting flies along the coast of La Jolla, California. It would hunch down and slowly approach a fly at fly-level (almost) , and then pounce. After feeding, it rested on the edge of the rocks with a view of the surroundings.
Sanderling
Common on Pacific Coast beaches in winter, Images 1 is from S. La Jolla, and Image 2 is of a flock in flight after a Peregrine Falcon flyover just N. of the Tijuana River mouth, California.
Dowitcher (probably Long-billed)
Photographed near the Salton Sea, California in winter.
Willet
Common winter visitor in southern California. Images below are from Mission Bay, San Diego, California.
Marbled Godwit
A very common shorebird in southern California. Images below from Mission Bay and the San Diego River, San Diego, California.
Whimbrel
Image 1 is from south of Imperial Beach, Image 2 is at the San Diego River, and the last two images were photographed at an extreme low tide in Mission Bay, all in California. The clam being consumed is likely Tagelus subteres.
Long-billed Curlew
Images 1-4 are from south of Imperial Beach, San Diego County, California. Image 5 is from the San Diego River, California. The remaining images are from Mission Bay and were taken at a very low tide in February. Two curlews were happily feeding on Tagelus subteres clams and other inverts exposed by the low tide.
Black Oystercatcher
California
This bird was observed sitting on its pebbly nest in Cayucos, California in June.
Oregon
This pair of birds flew in to the beach below Otter Rock on the central Oregon Coast on a sunny but windy afternoon. They proceeded to bathe in the shallow water near shore, then came out of the water to shake and preen, followed by catching some quick drinks from a small freshwater stream dumping water onto the beach from the nearby cliffs. Since these birds are monogamous, this was likely a mated pair. It was tricky to capture them in decent light as the sun was coming from the west and to the west also lay the ocean!
Snowy Plover
Easy to see in the right places on Southern California beaches. All images here are from either south or just north of Imperial Beach, California. Birds with black facial and body markings (as opposed to brown) are in breeding plumage.
Semipalmated Plover
These birds show up on San Diego Beaches in winter, and are extremely photogenic on certain beaches that have many worms in the sand!
Black-bellied Plover
A regular winter visitor in southern California. These images are from Mission Bay, San Diego, California.
Killdeer
Very common birds! This image is from a small inland pool in Ramona, California.
