Date: 8/11/25 11:25 am From: Florence Sanchez via groups.io <sanchezucsb11...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Foggy morning at COP, August 11
The heading pretty much says it all. I walked the full beach anyway but skipped the Dune Pond. As has been the case recently, the dominant species were Long-billed Curlew and Black-bellied Plover. I had very few small Sandpipers today: 1 Western Sandpiper, 1 Spotted Sandpiper, 2 Sanderlings, and 10 Least Sandpipers. Semi-palmated Plovers continue to split into two groups: one on the Isla Vista portion of the beach and the other near the western end.
The tern flock increased as the morning went on and was dominated by Elegant Terns. It was up to 42 Elegants by the time I left, with more birds coming in.
The highlight of the morning was seeing a very large Peregrine Falcon sitting on a post of the plover nesting boundary fence. Interesting timing as the docent had just arrived with two cages of fostered chicks ready to be released! Eventually, the Falcon flew off and the docents could complete their task.
Florence Sanchez
