Birding at the Pump-house Trail, Part 1

I have been wanting to get a closer look at the White-faced Ibis for awhile. A few of my birding photographer friends have suggested that I look over by the Pump-house Trail in Del Mar, often called that because of the sewage pump station that is located there. It is on the east side of the Torrey Pines State Park where the Peregrine Falcons nest and the name given on the hotspot list on e-bird is Sorrento Valley Ponds. It is located on the old abandoned Sorrento Valley Road just south of Del Mar. I asked Eve if she knew how to get there and she said she would investigate the location beforehand so that we would have no problem finding the trail for our birding day-trip.

The parking area for the Pump-house Trail is the "park and ride" lot off the Carmel Valley Road off-ramp. There is quite a bit of parking on the street if the parking lot is full. The noise from the freeway is quite distracting at first but as you walk south, the retaining wall buffers out the noise and you can start to enjoy your birding experience. The view is nice as you are looking west into the lagoon area and can see the famous Torrey Pine State Beach Park with Torrey Pines covering the large bluff by the beach. Here is a shot of the pump-house trail that Eve took with her phone.

Here's Eve checking out a bird with her binoculars. A good time to show everyone a diagram of the clothes and accessories that we recommend when birding in Southern California. Reminder... we do have mosquitoes that carry the West Nile virus so we recommend that you wear proper clothing to protect your exposed skin and may want to apply bug repellents. The long pants will also help if you have an encounter with rattlesnakes or that nasty poison oak or other things that may cause you much discomfort, not to mention limiting sun exposure. 

It wasn't long before Eve spotted several White-faced Ibis flying by. This was an exciting sight and we quickened our pace towards the pump-house.

About a half mile or less from the start of the trail-head, you will come upon a nice pond located next to the trail and the pond has several raised mounds that are a perfect resting area for the White-faced Ibis and other birds in the area. 

A pair of White-faced Ibis on a little island in the pond. The male and female look exactly alike. These two are both in breeding plumage.  Notice the white border around the reddish pink face, only seen in breeding plumage.

 White-faced Ibis, Plegadis Chihi measures 23 inches long with a wingspan of 36 inches.

These birds appear to be quite shy of humans and I try to stay still and quiet but the Ibis hears my camera clicking away. Thankfully, he stays put and I get a few more shots. 

 A lonely Northern Shoveler swims by. I did not see any other shovelers in the area. 

One of the Ibis picks up a twig. I wonder if he is in the "nesting mode".

The two in this photo are adults, the one to the front left of the photo is in full breeding plumage showing the white border around the reddish face. Notice the reddish legs too.

He shows that he is relaxed around us by preening. The sun reflects off his feathers as he fluffs and preens and we can see different shades of metallic rainbow colors. greens, yellows, purple, reds and blues. They are fabulous birds to see.

 A youngster flies off. His coloring shows that this is probably a first summer adult. 

To our delight, a male Cinnamon Teal lands in the pond. 

What a great place to bird watch and take photographs. We have the two Ibis posing and the Cinnamon swimming past. We even saw a Least Bittern but no shots.

The male Cinnamon Teal is joined by a female. They are absolutely adorable to watch!

There were lots of American Coots swimming in this pond and one got into this shot of the Ibis posing and preening.

As he takes a drink of water, I am mesmerized by the rainbow color of this beautiful bird. 

A wonderful pose showing off the white face of this Ibis. 

He pauses for a quick preening. He is reaching for an itchy spot on his back. 

Close-up to show his gray beak and his white face that borders this reddish face and look at those red eyes!

Suddenly,  both Ibis are in the air, I scramble for a shot and this is all I got!

Now the whole area is full of Ibis in flight. Many are gathering north of where we are standing. Time to go see what they are doing.

Whoops, couldn't resist one shot of the male Cinnamon Teal as he displays his beautiful wings with the powder blue coloring. 

We walk quickly north and find a large number of White-faced Ibis foraging in the pickleweed. 

 

Their diet can include various aquatic prey that they probe for in the mud with their down turned long bills. They also eat aquatic insects, mollusks, crustaceans, small fish, and amphibians as well as grains and other plant matter. All info from "The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior". 

This guy has himself a huge "Crawdad"! Some people call it Crayfish. They look much like a lobster and taste a lot like them too. 

Look how big this crawdad is!

No need to flick off the punchers, just swallow the whole thing in one big gulp.

Going on to look for more. 

A good look at how he carries himself , a very graceful exotic-looking bird. 

 Look at the multi-colored wing feathers. Beautiful metallic reflections like a rainbow. 

This one has a crawdad too. This field is loaded with these crayfish and the 50 or more Ibis are working the field for these tasty treats. 

You can see the delight in this Ibis's face as he grabs one. He has probed in the mud with his long bill and feels and pokes around until he finds one by touch. 

He quickly walks away as he is afraid I might steal his prize. LOL, yes, they are delicious!

 One swift gulp and the "crawdad" disappears down the hatch.

 

As one walks away, Eve lets me know that she needs to head home too.

 

What a fantastic morning this has been for observing the White-faced Ibis. It's time to go but we decide to come back again tomorrow! One last shot of a beautiful White-faced Ibis in full breeding plumage as we leave them foraging in the large open field and head for home. Check back for Part 2 of "Birding at the Pump-house".

 Have a super week everyone!