WhenToBird

Birding spot · San Diego County, California

Birding at South Bay Marine Biological Study Area: What You'll See Each Week

In November, the birds most often reported at South Bay Marine Biological Study Area are Brant (89%), American Wigeon (82%), and Great Egret (75%). It is busiest in winter, when 70 species turn up on at least 1 in 20 checklists, and species counts peak in the second week of December (80 species). 129 species have been reported here across 881 complete checklists from 533 birders.

Species by week

020406080Jan 1-7: 67 species on 5%+ of 10 checklistsJan 8-14: 77 species on 5%+ of 20 checklistsJan 15-21: 67 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsJan 22-31: 65 species on 5%+ of 29 checklistsFeb 1-7: 60 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsFeb 8-14: 70 species on 5%+ of 14 checklistsFeb 15-21: 79 species on 5%+ of 18 checklistsFeb 22-28: 76 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsMar 1-7: 61 species on 5%+ of 21 checklistsMar 8-14: 75 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsMar 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Mar 22-31: low data (8 checklists)Apr 1-7: low data (5 checklists)Apr 8-14: low data (9 checklists)Apr 15-21: low data (6 checklists)Apr 22-30: 61 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsMay 1-7: low data (3 checklists)May 8-14: low data (2 checklists)May 15-21: 44 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsMay 22-31: low data (9 checklists)Jun 1-7: low data (9 checklists)Jun 8-14: 40 species on 5%+ of 11 checklistsJun 15-21: 48 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsJun 22-30: 46 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsJul 1-7: 41 species on 5%+ of 28 checklistsJul 8-14: 53 species on 5%+ of 59 checklistsJul 15-21: 51 species on 5%+ of 34 checklistsJul 22-31: 44 species on 5%+ of 73 checklistsAug 1-7: 50 species on 5%+ of 76 checklistsAug 8-14: 44 species on 5%+ of 72 checklistsAug 15-21: 52 species on 5%+ of 33 checklistsAug 22-31: 46 species on 5%+ of 17 checklistsSep 1-7: low data (7 checklists)Sep 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Sep 15-21: low data (3 checklists)Sep 22-30: low data (3 checklists)Oct 1-7: low data (6 checklists)Oct 8-14: low data (7 checklists)Oct 15-21: low data (5 checklists)Oct 22-31: 49 species on 5%+ of 12 checklistsNov 1-7: 69 species on 5%+ of 13 checklistsNov 8-14: low data (8 checklists)Nov 15-21: low data (9 checklists)Nov 22-30: 62 species on 5%+ of 27 checklistsDec 1-7: 65 species on 5%+ of 15 checklistsDec 8-14: 80 species on 5%+ of 16 checklistsDec 15-21: 76 species on 5%+ of 24 checklistsDec 22-31: 65 species on 5%+ of 26 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. 1Brant89%
  2. 2American Wigeon82%
  3. 3Great Egret75%
  4. 4Snowy Egret68%
  5. 5Willet68%
  6. 6Marbled Godwit67%
  7. 7Long-billed Curlew65%
  8. 8Brown Pelican63%
  9. 9Great Blue Heron58%
  10. 10Western Gull56%
  11. 11Northern Pintail51%
  12. 12Osprey49%
  13. 13Bufflehead46%
  14. 14Royal Tern44%
  15. 15Savannah Sparrow44%

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 70 species

  1. Brant87%
  2. Great Egret79%
  3. American Wigeon78%
  4. Marbled Godwit72%
  5. Willet71%

Spring 65 species

  1. Snowy Egret64%
  2. Forster's Tern58%
  3. Marbled Godwit52%
  4. Great Egret51%
  5. Royal Tern51%

Summer 49 species

  1. Elegant Tern85%
  2. Brown Pelican83%
  3. Snowy Egret81%
  4. Willet80%
  5. Savannah Sparrow76%

Fall 63 species

  1. Great Egret79%
  2. Willet73%
  3. Snowy Egret70%
  4. Marbled Godwit69%
  5. Long-billed Curlew64%

Specialties

Birds reported far more often here than across California.

  • White-winged Tern10% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 2079.2×
  • American Flamingo16% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 1736.1×
  • Gull-billed Tern16% of checklists here vs 0.1% statewide: 167.2×
  • Red Knot19% of checklists here vs 0.3% statewide: 71.0×
  • Black Skimmer34% of checklists here vs 0.8% statewide: 40.6×
  • Least Tern23% of checklists here vs 0.6% statewide: 38.8×
  • Royal Tern55% of checklists here vs 1.4% statewide: 38.0×
  • Brant34% of checklists here vs 0.9% statewide: 38.0×

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.