Winter Southern California - January 2026
Dates: January 13 - 19, 2026
Leaders: Brennan Mulrooney, Kevin Burke
E-bird
Total Species: 198 birds
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Overall Summary
Sunny and 75 degrees . . . just like the San Diego Tourism Authority advertises. While this winter in California has been wet enough to get the entire state out of drought conditions for the first time in decades, our tour coincided with a persistent high-pressure system that gave us amazingly warm and pleasant weather. No snow in the mountains, no rain on the coast, warm daily high temperatures, and nearly 200 species of birds!
We started our birding in the coastal sage scrub of San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve. The native vegetation here is home to many California specialty bird species, many of which are named for the state. Birds were quiet to start, but soon we were rapidly tallying specialties like California Towhee and California Thrasher, Bushtit, and Wrentit, as well as Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds. Our main quarry was the rare and threatened California Gnatcatcher. We spent quite a bit of time looking before one popped up right next to us, so close that we had to whisper to keep from spooking it! California Scrub-Jays, Golden-crowned Sparrow, and a Nuttall’s Woodpecker added to the west coast flavor.
After a sun-drenched lunch overlooking the Pacific, we visited Mission Bay where we found a wonderful diversity of waterbirds including California Gulls; Clark’s, Western, and Eared grebes; a Common Loon (surprisingly in breeding plumage); and a number of different ducks and shorebirds. A short drive to one of the islands in the bay put us face to face with a flock of roosting Black Skimmers. We had great views of their amazing and unique bills as they loafed on the beach right in front of us.
We ended our day birding the marshes and mudflats at the mouth of the San Diego River. We found a tremendous number and diversity of waterbirds here with ducks of all description, gulls, terns, herons, and an assortment of shorebirds to sort through. A Ridgway’s Rail gave us great views as it darted between clumps of Spiny Rush. A male Eurasian Wigeon was foraging among a large flock of its American cousins, and Little Blue Herons and Reddish Egrets, rare in California, provided excellent views.
Our second day started at a charming little park in Chula Vista, where we found a nice assortment of wintering birds that included some uncommon species like Cassin’s Vireo, Plumbeous Vireo, and Tricolored Blackbird. Along the south edge of San Diego Bay, we found a large roosting flock of shorebirds that included Red Knot and a Pacific Golden-Plover, a species we don’t usually see on this tour. A swing through the Tijuana River Valley produced Black Phoebes and Cassin’s Kingbirds, a couple of Lincoln’s Sparrows, and the diminutive Common Ground Dove.
After lunch we strolled out the Imperial Beach Pier, getting great looks at Surf Scoter and Pelagic Cormorant, before we headed east to the inland valleys of San Diego County. Our first stop was along the San Diego River at Old Mission Dam where we found a surprise pair of Hooded Mergansers swimming in the river. A stop at Santee Lakes was super productive, and we enjoyed point-blank views of a wide variety of waterfowl (coot feet!) and found a very cooperative Merlin. A pair of escaped Mandarin Ducks added some exotic flair and seemed to be the talk of the town. We ended our day with a spectacular flock of parrots coming to roost in downtown El Cajon. There were well over 100 birds in the flock, which was made up mostly of Red-crowned Amazons, but we were able to pick out several Lilac-crowned Amazons as well.
On day three, before heading into the mountains, we stopped by South Mission Beach where we found a roosting flock of Snowy Plovers and watched Surfbirds and Black Turnstones foraging on the jetty. The ocean view was enchanting, but soon we were headed for the mountains, starting on a trek that would take us from the beach to over 5,000 ft elevation and down to over 200 ft below sea level by day’s end. Roadside birding in Alpine produced White-throated Swift, Oak Titmouse, Bewick’s Wren, and Band-tailed Pigeon. Walking around Paso Picacho Campground, we saw large numbers of Acorn Woodpeckers and their amazing granary trees. Mountain Chickadees led mixed flocks that contained Steller’s Jay and both White-breasted and Pygmy nuthatches. And a trail through some high chaparral produced “Thick-billed” Fox Sparrow, the race that breeds in the mountains of the west coast.
Dropping out of the mountains, we stopped in Anza Borrego Desert State Park where we were treated to stunning views of a roosting Long-eared Owl. This species is always present in this area, but finding roosting birds is often difficult, as they sit quietly in dense trees, allowing their brilliant camouflage to keep them hidden. We had some good intel, and it paid off big time. We enjoyed scope-filling views as the bird rested peacefully in a tamarisk tree. It was terribly difficult to tear ourselves away, but there was still so much more to see this day.
We ended the day at Unit 1 of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. We found fields with Sandhill Cranes, as well as flocks of Snow and Ross’s geese. Western Meadowlarks serenaded us as we scanned through huge numbers of waterbirds on a series of impoundments. As the sun started to set, we headed for our hotel, our heads filled with memories of a day full of sights, sounds, and too many highlights to list.
Our full day in the Imperial Valley was no less memorable. We saw endless expanses of agricultural lands covered in massive flocks of birds like White-faced Ibis, Western Cattle Egret, Long-billed Curlew, and Ring-billed Gull. We marched through a Bermuda grass field and managed to find a needle in a haystack, a Sprague’s Pipit—only the second time we’ve had one on this tour! We drove along the edge of the Salton Sea and saw hundreds of birds dotting the surface as it stretched out for miles to the horizon. At Obsidian Butte, we found chunks of obsidian and pumice in the soil, a testament to the area’s volcanic history, and we marveled at the stretches of “barnacle beach.” In a city park we located Abert’s Towhees, Verdin, Ladder-backed Woodpecker, Red-naped Sapsucker, Vermilion Flycatcher, and a roosting Great Horned Owl. In a bare dirt field we found a small group of very cryptic Mountain Plovers. They almost evaded detection as they dropped down into furrows in the field, but every now and then one would sit up for us to get a good look. An afternoon walk through a small mesquite woodland produced a Black-tailed Gnatcatcher. But the coup de grâce was a massive, mesmerizing, murmurating (?) mixed flock of blackbirds. The flock measured in the thousands, hundreds of which were gorgeous Yellow-headed Blackbirds. One of the yellow-heads was almost entirely white! We watched in stunned silence as the flock rose and fell, swirling in circles, raising a dust cloud with their rushing wing beats. This experience got Yellow-headed Blackbird voted favorite bird of the tour, and rightfully so. It was truly a spectacular finish to a day already filled with superlatives.
In all, we tallied 196 species in 5 days of birding in mid-winter—not too shabby! We saw an amazing diversity of habitats and enjoyed wonderful weather. I can’t wait to see what next year has in store for us.
Day-by-Day Summary
January 13 - Arrival in San Diego.
January 14 – San Elijo Lagoon Ecological Reserve, La Jolla Cove, Mission Bay at Crown Point, De Anza Cove, San Diego River along Sea World Drive and at Robb Field.
January 15 – Heritage Park in Chula Vista, South San Diego Bay, Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, Imperial Beach Pier, Old Mission Dam in Mission Trails Regional Park, Santee Lakes, El Cajon Courthouse Parrot Roost.
January 16 – South Mission Beach, Alpine roadside birding, Pine Valley County Park, Cuyamaca Rancho State Park at Paso Picacho Campground, Yaqui Well and Tamarisk Grove Campground in Anza Borrego Desert State Park, Unit 1 of the Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge (SBSSNWR).
January 17 – Neckel Rd Ponds, Cattle Call Park, Calipatria: pipit field, algae farm ponds, and prison pond, Southeastern Shoreline of the Salton Sea south of Obsidian Butte, SBSSNWR Headquarters (Rock Hill Trail), Hwy 111 blackbird bonanza.
January 18 – Borrego Springs at Christmas Circle, Water Treatment Plant ponds, Old Springs Rd landfill, Lake Henshaw and grasslands, Santa Ysabel, Ramona Grasslands at Rangeland Rd.
January 19 – Departures for home.