Salton Sea, California

The Salton Sea, 35 miles long, 15 miles wide, and 227 feet below sea level, was my next destination. I made plans to meet with the Pomona Valley Audubon Society members for a birding extravaganza.  400 species of migrating birds visit these waters so there were good possibilities of seeing birds I had never viewed before. Such as this White-faced Ibis.

Salton Sea is in the Imperial Valley where much of our food is grown and there are lots of fields where shore birds love to feed. Here is a group below.  Do you see the Black Crowned Night Heron?

Snow Geese were everywhere and when we looked closely we usually found Ross Geese among them.

One thing I had not anticipated was a stop at mud pots near the Geo-thermo power plant.  The best part about them was hearing the burps and gurgles they made. 

 

One of our stops was located next to a cattle lot which seemed to go on forever.  It was a little depressing to see but I’m not one to shy away from the reality of our lives.

We found a little Verdin, my new favorite bird.

And a honey bee hive.

I had an excellent camping site with a view of the sea where I was able to take some postcard views of the setting sun and a Great Blue Heron settling down for the evening.

“Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present, you will never find it.” –Thomas Merton, monk

 

Be sure to stop by Camera Critters. Click HERE.