The Salton Sea

      Today marks the end of the Salton Sea adventures.  I think the pic above captures the image of humanity and birds living together.  Is it as beautiful as the Egret suggests?  Probably not.  But I think what I loved most about the whole experience was that it was different from other birding adventures I've recently taken. Some places recharge the birding battery and this was one of them.  

Lesser Nighthawk

We never know who to expect at each of these places.  I prayed to the bird gods and they answered by sending me a Lesser Nighthawk perched!  Never in my life had I expected such a clear and wonderful shot of this bird during daytime hours.  And the trickiest part?  Spotting the bird on the branch.  Look at how camouflage plays an important role.

American Kestrel

An American Kestrel flies from the phone lines as we walk back to our cars at the Sonny Bono center.

American Avocet

We find all kinds of sea birds feeding from the water along the shore.  I have to watch my salt intake, but apparently, they do not:)

Eared Grebe

Eared Grebes numbered in the hundreds here on this day.  I finally got to see one in full regalia!!!!  Exciting!

California Gull

California Gulls, Long-billed Dowitchers.......easy views with great observation time for each of these birds.

Long-billed Dowitcher

Terns were such a nice change of scenery for me.  I love my desert/mountain birds, but it's nice to switch it up every now and again.

Caspian Terns

Willets stood calmly along the water edge.

Willet

The whole experience is something I'd recommend for the adventurous birder not minding a little dirt with some fish bones in their shoes.

There is a documentary out there called "Bombay Beach" that addressed many of our questions while we birded there like......"Who lives here?"  We were interested in discovering what it's like living along the Salton Sea as the movie follows 3 individuals and their lives.  It is on our Netflix account and we were fascinated by it all. All I will say is that California is a diverse state that offers MANY varieties of landscape.

Caspian Tern

Apparently there is a horror flick out there with Val Kilmer called, "The Salton Sea."  We did not watch that one:)

Long-billed Curlew

The best part about exploring is understanding the culture and people surrounding the birds.  I walked into a nearby gas station for some drinks.  The lady behind the counter asked if she could help me.  It took me a second to respond because the people were so strange and interesting.  One man purchased, in Spanish, two gallons of milk with a pack of Marlboros. The Saltonian clerk responded flawlessly with a tad bit of a gringo accent in Spanish.  NOW that made me absolutely happy! Spanish teacher moment:)  But I kept my secret powers hidden and didn't let on that I could understand a single word.  The woman then turned to me and said that I looked lost.  She followed up with, "What brings you out here?" 
"Birds",  I responded.
"Are you one of them orni...ornitheologists?"
Not quite but I said, "Yes." without a blink.  I wasn't lying because I do believe in the power of birds and how they will change a person's life. Instead of a church, synagogue, temple or mosque, I worship the Audubon Society.  A secret society of bird nerds dedicated to saving our birds.
Her tone changed to a formal register and told me, "God bless you." I didn't know how to respond to that but the Cheesehead in me responded with, "Thank you.  Enjoy your day."  I'm not into the religious stuff at all but I understood her intent.
Her positive thoughts were lovely and she sent me with a smile as I left the building into the wave of heat.   I'm just hoping that that guy doesn't smoke while drinking his whole milk. That's not healthy. 
More from Las Aventuras soon.