I did, however, take a look at the Oceanside Harbor and the mouth of the San Luis Rey River. Just like the last time I went there, there was a large group of birds and hanging out together. There were mainly California Gulls and American Coots, but there were quite a few other birds hanging around at the edges of the flock. Below are four photos. The first is of two Black-necked Stilts, a female Blue-winged Teal, and two American Coots. The second is of the large flock of California Gulls. There are American Coots in the background, a Black-necked Stilt near the bottom left, and a group of Double-crested Cormorants in the upper right. Third photo is of the cormorants and a few immature California Gulls. The fourth is of a Black-necked Stilt and a Killdeer.
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| Black-necked Stilts, Blue-winged Teal, and American Coots |
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| California Gulls, American Coots, Double-crested Cormorants, and Black-necked Stilt |
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| Double-crested Cormorants and California Gulls |
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| Black-necked Stilt and Killdeer |
There was a little group of three Black-necked Stilts and a pair of Long-billed Dowitchers off to the side. The stilts were just standing and looking around, while the dowitchers foraged. Then, a Great Blue Heron started walking very slowly in their direction. At first, the birds didn't seem to pay any attention, but when the heron came too close, they scattered in all directions. The heron just continued on walking as if it hadn't noticed. Below are four photos. The first is of the little group of birds (the duck in the background is a female Northern Shoveler). The second is of the birds with the heron coming up behind them, and the third is of the birds all fleeing the heron. The fourth is of the Great Blue Heron by itself after the other birds had left.
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| Black-necked Stilts, Northern Shoveler, and Long-billed Dowitchers |
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| Black-necked Stilts, Long-billed Dowitchers, and Great Blue Heron |
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| Black-necked Stilts, Long-billed Dowitchers, and Great Blue Heron |
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| Great Blue Heron |
The two Long-billed Dowitchers stayed with each other after fleeing the heron and walked and waded around the edge of the water together. Below are three photos of the pair of dowitchers.
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| Long-billed Dowitchers and Great Blue Heron |
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| Long-billed Dowitchers |
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| Long-billed Dowitchers |
There were a few grebes around; Pied-billed and Eared. Below are three photos. The first two are of two different Pied-billed Grebes, and the third is of an Eared Grebe stretching its legs (notice its lobed toes - all grebes have them).
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| Pied-billed Grebe |
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| Eared Grebe |
There were a couple of Willets wandering around. Below is one of them with an immature California Gull.
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| California Gull and Willet |
On Sunday, there were quite a few birds in the harbor. In the early morning, an immature Black-crowned Night-heron was perched on the railing of a walkway. It sat there for a long while, looking around and preening. However, when people came swimming by, it flew away. Below are two photos of it.
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| Black-crowned Night-Heron |
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| Black-crowned Night-Heron |
There were a lot of Brown Pelicans and Double-crested Cormorants, as well as many other birds, hanging around the harbor looking for handouts from the fishermen. When the swimmers came by, the birds just watched from their platforms. Below are six photos. The first and last are of Brown Pelicans. The second is of two Double-crested Cormorants, the third is of a pelican and four Heermann's Gulls, the fourth is of five pelicans and a Great Blue Heron, and the fifth is of two Snowy Egrets and an immature Western Gull.
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| Brown Pelican |
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| Double-crested Cormorants |
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| Brown Pelican and Heermann's Gulls |
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| Brown Pelicans and Great Blue Heron |
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| Snowy Egrets and Western Gull |
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| Brown Pelicans |
There were quite a few Forster's Terns flying around the harbor. Some few in flocks, while others flew by themselves. Below is a Forster's Tern.
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| Forster's Tern |
There was a very nice-looking Belted Kingfisher in the harbor. It was landing on top of the masts of the sailboats and looking around. Below is a photo of it.
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| Belted Kingfisher |
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