WhenToBird

Birding spot · San Diego County, California

Birding at San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Imperial Beach): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at San Diego Bay National Wildlife Refuge (Imperial Beach) are White-crowned Sparrow (75%), Willet (75%), and Snowy Egret (58%). It is busiest in spring, when 81 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in mid February (86 species). 155 species have been reported here across 1,037 complete checklists from 533 birders.

Species by week

020406080100Jan 1-7: 81 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsJan 8-14: 67 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsJan 15-21: 83 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsJan 22-31: 67 species on 5%+ of 22 checklistsFeb 1-7: 67 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsFeb 8-14: 78 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsFeb 15-21: 86 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsFeb 22-28: 73 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsMar 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Mar 8-14: 64 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsMar 15-21: 76 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsMar 22-31: 79 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsApr 1-7: low data (8 checklists)Apr 8-14: 77 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsApr 15-21: 75 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsApr 22-30: 73 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsMay 1-7: 59 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMay 8-14: 60 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsMay 15-21: 50 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsMay 22-31: 62 species on 5%+ of 30 checklistsJun 1-7: 63 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsJun 8-14: low data (5 checklists)Jun 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Jun 22-30: 47 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsJul 1-7: 54 species on 5%+ of 44 checklistsJul 8-14: 65 species on 5%+ of 58 checklistsJul 15-21: 62 species on 5%+ of 76 checklistsJul 22-31: 56 species on 5%+ of 77 checklistsAug 1-7: 57 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsAug 8-14: 58 species on 5%+ of 41 checklistsAug 15-21: 60 species on 5%+ of 50 checklistsAug 22-31: 59 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsSep 1-7: 62 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsSep 8-14: 63 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsSep 15-21: 66 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsSep 22-30: 52 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsOct 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Oct 8-14: 61 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsOct 15-21: 60 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsOct 22-31: 72 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsNov 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Nov 8-14: 70 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsNov 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Nov 22-30: 73 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsDec 1-7: 74 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsDec 8-14: 60 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsDec 15-21: 65 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsDec 22-31: 73 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Number of species reported on at least 5% of complete checklists, by week (4 per month). Grey bars: fewer than 10 checklists, not counted.

In November: what to expect

  1. 1White-crowned Sparrow75%
  2. 2Willet75%
  3. 3Snowy Egret58%
  4. 4Marbled Godwit56%
  5. 5American Wigeon53%
  6. 6Black-necked Stilt53%
  7. 7Song Sparrow47%
  8. 8Western Sandpiper47%
  9. 9Savannah Sparrow44%
  10. 10Great Egret42%
  11. 11Turkey Vulture42%
  12. 12Eared Grebe39%
  13. 13Greater Yellowlegs39%
  14. 14Least Sandpiper39%
  15. 15Royal Tern39%

Share of complete checklists at this spot that reported the bird in November. The sparkline is the whole year, with this month highlighted.

Season by season

Winter 73 species

  1. American Wigeon71%
  2. White-crowned Sparrow66%
  3. Willet66%
  4. Black-necked Stilt65%
  5. American Coot53%

Spring 81 species

  1. Black-necked Stilt94%
  2. Willet81%
  3. American Avocet75%
  4. Song Sparrow65%
  5. Cliff Swallow62%

Summer 59 species

  1. Black-necked Stilt95%
  2. Willet88%
  3. Cliff Swallow78%
  4. Black Skimmer60%
  5. Western Sandpiper57%

Fall 75 species

  1. Willet74%
  2. Marbled Godwit56%
  3. Western Sandpiper56%
  4. Black-necked Stilt53%
  5. Song Sparrow51%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across California.

Nearby spots

Frequency is the share of complete checklists at this location that listed the bird, 2016–2025. Busy places report more of everything, and the weekly chart counts species on at least 5% of checklists so a few stray reports do not inflate it. How to read it.