Happy shorebird counting day!

I started a new tradition last years for New Year's day where I go and count shorebirds.  I still don't have a scope, but it didn't matter because it was so foggy!  I don't think I could even see a mile even later in the morning.  I went to the San Diego National Wildlife Refuge in the South Bay which includes the mud-flats.  Here is what the fog looked like at 10:30, but it was way worse when I arrived.

Many of the photos were taken through the fog and a couple were taken through fences, hence the "noisy" photos.

First the ducks:

Green-winged teal and short billed dowitcher

Northern Pintail (looks like Snoogie!)

More pintails

Bufflehead

I was pleasantly surprised to see these guys for the first time.  They're surf scoters!  Here are some females:

The only male was not very co-operative:

Now, for the shorebirds, beginning with some stilts seen through the fog and a fence:

Stilt drinking

Short-billed dowitcher

Best picture I could get of a long-billed dowitcher

Dunlin

Bunch of western sandpipers

Willet, eating

Godwits and dowitchers

Godwits and least sandpipers

Long-billed curlew

The next picture shows a godwit and a willet.  These two are best buddies and followed each other everywhere.  Another willet came by to visit, but went away.  If one got too far away, the other would call for it.

There were also brant, eared grebes, several species of gulls and sparrows, too.

Love is in the air

"Killer", George's son

Today, was a warm day at Lake Murray and everyone had love on their mind, even the hawks were flirting.

Killer was seen with Digger who seems to be in love with him. He still doesn't seem too excited about her, but watches over and protects her.



In the ballfields, the M6 "Beautiful Dad" was doing nest scrapes with the mama of his three chicks, Digger, Shy and Secret. Even though she left him and had another chick (named Surprise) with another male, he still wants her for a mate.



They flirted and danced with each other all morning.






In another ballfield, I found three young killdeer, but they wouldn't turn around and look at me, so I couldn't tell who they are. I suspect that they're Shy, the male that likes her, Surprise and his friend, the Tiny look-a-like.

Also seen:

I also saw some long-billed dowitchers, too.



It looks like there's one adult and one juvenile. You can tell the difference between short-billed and long-billed dowitchers by listening to their voice. Here's the juvenile:



I saw two sandpipers, one came right up to me, the other didn't. But, I got a photo of the one that kept running away:




Ducky, aka the "lost" duckling, turned out to be a boy afterall. He is such a happy young duck, now three months old, and loves to hang around a certain sister-brother group:

"Ducky" is the one in front

I also saw a great egret, too:



And, an eared grebe in winter colors: