Bald Eagle, Heron Among Recently Spotted Birds

A Bald Eagle, Black-Crowned Night Heron and Yellow-Headed Blackbird are among notable bird sightings reported in Imperial Beach in the last month, according to the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center.

Endangered Light-footed Clapper Rails and Western Snowy Plovers have also been seen regularly in the area, according to bird docent Winand Hess. 

Birds, particularly those who rely on the estuary to move from one region to another, will be celebrated Saturday during an International Migratory Bird Day celebration from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tijuana Estuary Visitor Center.

International Migratory Bird Day events will be held in more than 400 locations from Argentina to Alaska this weekend, according to Environment for the Americas.

The day begins with a guided bird tour and includes workshops, arts and crafts and other activities.

See the attached PDF for the full schedule.

Every year millions of birds move between Mexico and Canada, Alaska and northeast Asia on the Pacific Flyway.

Imperial Beach's Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve is the largest uninterrupted coastal wetland in Southern California and a crucial stop on the Pacific Flyway.

In 2006 the Ramsar Convention of Wetlands named the Tijuana Estuary one of 35 wetlands of international importance in the United States. More than 370 species of birds and about 30 fish species can be found in the estuary, according to the California Department of Fish and Game. 

The nearby San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge is the third largest bay estuary in California.