Date: 8/24/25 3:48 pm From: Florence Sanchez via groups.io <sanchezucsb11...> Subject: [sbcobirding] Coal Oil point Beach, August 24
I walked a portion of the beach this morning at low tide, covering the area from Isla Vista to a little way past the Dune Pond trail marker. I did not check the westernmost portion of the beach nor the Dune Pond.
Biggest change since my last visit two weeks ago was a significant reduction in the number of Long-billed Curlews present. Black-bellied Plovers still abound, with over 120 counted on the portions of the beach I covered. New additions were lots of fresh-plumaged Western Sandpipers on the Island Vista portion of the beach. They outnumbered Least Sandpipers today. I also had at least 8 Dowitchers on the beaches today, most appearing to be molting adult Short-bills.
Only a few terns were around this morning. I had a fly-by of 2 Royal Terns and a group of 5 Elegant Terns briefly on the beach. It was really too early in the morning for the Tern flock to start to gather. Around 10 a.m. is better for that.
After leaving the beach, I checked out the north pond at NCOS, but it was devoid of all shorebirds while I was there. I think it is important to keep checking the few areas of wet mud* at this time as they are the most likely places for certain migrant shorebirds that occur in small number each year: Semipalmated Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Baird's Sandpiper to name the most likely to appear.
Florence Sanchez *Besides NCOS, the Dune Pond, the Bird Refuge, and maybe Lake Jocelyn are the most likely spots this year.
