WhenToBird

Birding spot · Imperial County, California

Birding at Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge (Rock Hill): What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge (Rock Hill) are Northern Shoveler (90%), Snow Goose (89%), and Black Phoebe (82%). It is busiest in fall, when 106 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in late September (113 species). 197 species have been reported here across 1,349 complete checklists from 1,044 birders.

Species by week

0255075100125Jan 1-7: 104 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsJan 8-14: 90 species on 5%+ of 53 checklistsJan 15-21: 93 species on 5%+ of 57 checklistsJan 22-31: 95 species on 5%+ of 60 checklistsFeb 1-7: 85 species on 5%+ of 46 checklistsFeb 8-14: 97 species on 5%+ of 38 checklistsFeb 15-21: 77 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsFeb 22-28: 85 species on 5%+ of 49 checklistsMar 1-7: 85 species on 5%+ of 45 checklistsMar 8-14: 99 species on 5%+ of 36 checklistsMar 15-21: 75 species on 5%+ of 43 checklistsMar 22-31: 80 species on 5%+ of 61 checklistsApr 1-7: 100 species on 5%+ of 40 checklistsApr 8-14: 107 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsApr 15-21: 97 species on 5%+ of 25 checklistsApr 22-30: 104 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsMay 1-7: 93 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsMay 8-14: 85 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMay 15-21: 109 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsMay 22-31: 91 species on 5%+ of 19 checklistsJun 1-7: 92 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsJun 8-14: 85 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsJun 15-21: 88 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsJun 22-30: 76 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsJul 1-7: 72 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJul 8-14: low data (6 checklists)Jul 15-21: 88 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJul 22-31: 99 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsAug 1-7: low data (9 checklists)Aug 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Aug 15-21: low data (7 checklists)Aug 22-31: low data (9 checklists)Sep 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Sep 8-14: 109 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsSep 15-21: low data (8 checklists)Sep 22-30: 113 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsOct 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Oct 8-14: 109 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsOct 15-21: 91 species on 5%+ of 23 checklistsOct 22-31: 113 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsNov 1-7: 94 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsNov 8-14: 105 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsNov 15-21: 94 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsNov 22-30: 89 species on 5%+ of 42 checklistsDec 1-7: 80 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsDec 8-14: 89 species on 5%+ of 31 checklistsDec 15-21: 106 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsDec 22-31: 97 species on 5%+ of 90 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. 1Northern Shoveler90%
  2. 2Snow Goose89%
  3. 3Black Phoebe82%
  4. 4American Coot81%
  5. 5American White Pelican81%
  6. 6Yellow-rumped Warbler80%
  7. 7Gambel's Quail75%
  8. 8White-crowned Sparrow72%
  9. 9Double-crested Cormorant70%
  10. 10American Kestrel70%
  11. 11Northern Harrier70%
  12. 12Verdin69%
  13. 13Great Egret67%
  14. 14Ruddy Duck65%
  15. 15Snowy Egret65%

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 91 species

  1. Northern Shoveler89%
  2. Snow Goose83%
  3. Black Phoebe83%
  4. American Coot78%
  5. Abert's Towhee75%

Spring 101 species

  1. Mourning Dove81%
  2. Verdin80%
  3. American Coot79%
  4. Gambel's Quail79%
  5. Northern Shoveler76%

Summer 89 species

  1. Mourning Dove86%
  2. Black-necked Stilt81%
  3. Ruddy Duck80%
  4. Great Blue Heron79%
  5. Caspian Tern78%

Fall 106 species

  1. Northern Shoveler88%
  2. Black Phoebe79%
  3. American White Pelican79%
  4. American Coot78%
  5. Gambel's Quail77%

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.