September 28, 2021
Picture puffy, white sails gliding by a potpourri of shorebirds and you’ve got Marina del Rey in a nutshell. Rare bird reports from earlier in the week described a Pacific Golden-Plover mingling with a flock of Black-bellied Plovers in the area, so my sister and I hit the road first thing in the morning in hopes of finding the bird of the hour. We parked at Del Rey Lagoon and walked across a bridge to the Ballona Creek bike path where the Pacific Golden-Plover was most recently observed.
My stomach did a swift somersault at the sight of fifty doe-eyed Black-bellied Plovers standing about half a mile down the bike path. The renowned Pacific Golden-Plover was seen associating with this particular flock just days before, so I knew we were getting close. Black-bellied Plovers and Pacific Golden-Plovers are similarly plumed, but the latter is smaller with gold mottling on their backs. With so many birds to sift through, it felt like we were searching for a needle in a haystack.
We stood with binoculars to our eyes for what felt like an hour. No matter how much I tried to trick my eyes into seeing gold back feathers, I knew deep down I hadn’t seen the Pacific Golden-Plover. I was contemplating moving on when my sister saved the day with three glorious words: “There it is!“
In retrospect, the Pacific Golden-Plover sticks out like a sore thumb. The photographs above exhibit its compact size and rich coloration compared to the more muted Black-bellied Plovers.
We took a walk to the beach after I was finally able to tear myself away from the Pacific Golden-Plover. This gave my camera a ten-minute break before my stomach did another somersault.
A flock of pristine pale-gray Sanderlings formed a small patch in the distance. Some of the birds were nuzzled in the sand; some were preening; others were foraging. It was perfect chaos. The colorful assortment of mussel shells scattered amongst the group made the scene even more picturesque.
Not far from the Sanderling flock, a Snowy Plover darted across the sand. These miniature bundles of joy always make me smile.
Our last stop of the day was the Ballona Creek Jetty. Presumably abundant with food sources, the rocky jetty was crawling with Black Turnstones, Surfbirds, Least Sandpipers, and gulls.
This was my first time seeing a Surfbird, so it was a privilege having such up-close views. A flock of about fifteen rummaged around the jetty picking at crevices in rocks with their beaks. Although the photograph above is on the grainy side, it still makes my heart dance a bit.
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Gone Birdin' 