Salton Sea

Directions: 7a. Salton Sea State Recreation Area, 100-225 State Park Road, North Shore, 92254. Phone (760) 393-3052. www.parks.ca.gov 7b. Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge, 906 W. Sinclair Road, Calipatria, 92233. Phone (760) 348-7245. www.fws.gov/saltonsea From the Coachella Valley, take Interstate 10 east to the 86S Expressway – go south 12 miles - turn left on Highway 195 (Ave. 66). Turn right on Highway 111 - continue south for 11 miles to the State Recreation Area (on the right). There is a fee for stops of more than 1 hour. To get to the Sonny Bono SSNWR, continue south on 111 for 36 miles - turn right on Sinclair Road and drive 5.5 miles.

About the Site: The Salton Sink has a history dating back millions of years of both saltwater (from the Gulf) and freshwater (from the Colorado River) intrusion. As recently as 400 years ago Lake Cahuilla, a much larger version of the Salton Sea, was filled to capacity. The present day Salton Sea (227 feet below sea level) formed in 1904 when levees could not hold back an overflowing Colorado River. Agricultural runoff has maintained the level of the Sea ever since. Current proposals to divert this crucial inflow threaten the existence of Sea, and could have devastating impacts on millions of birds - including over 420 species!. The Sea is located along the Pacific Flyway and is a major wintering area for Eared Grebes and White Pelicans, who depend on fish and pile worms.

Habitats: Open marine, wetlands, agricultural areas, alkaline flats, mudflats, rocky shoreline, desert scrub. Some places not to miss at the south end include: Davis Road, Red Hill Marina, Refuge Headquarters and Rock Hill, Obsidian Butte, and Unit One.

Birds and Other Wildlife: Signature Species – White-faced Ibis, Yuma Clapper Rail, Western Snowy Plover, Burrowing Owl, Crissal Thrasher, Abert’s Towhee, Large–billed Savannah Sparrow, Yellow-headed Blackbird. Late Summer: Blue-footed Booby, Wood Stork, Laughing Gull, Yellow-footed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Black Skimmer. Winter: Snow and Ross’s Goose, American White Pelican, Osprey, Ferruginous Hawk, Merlin, Peregrine Falcon, Sandhill Crane, Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew, Stilt Sandpiper, Mountain Bluebird, Chestnut-collared and Lapland Longspur. Rarities: Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Eurasian Wigeon, Barrow’s Goldeneye, Magnificent Frigatebird, Neotropic Cormorant, Roseate Spoonbill, Ross’s Gull - farthest south ever recorded , Lesser Black-backed Gull, Sabine’s Gull, Ruddy Ground-Dove, Tropical Kingbird, Sprague’s Pipit, Rufous-backed Robin, McCown’s & Smith’s Longspur.

Best Times to Visit: November-April for large flocks of geese, ducks, and cranes. Late summer (hot!) is a good time to find unusual species wandering up from Mexico.

Additional Notes: The Salton Sea International Bird Festival is held in February www.newriverwetlands.com. Christmas bird counts at the Sea are organized by San Bernardino Valley Audubon www.sbvas.org. The Living Desert offers guided day trips to the Salton Sea every January www.livingdesert.org. The Birds of the Salton Sea by Patten, McCaskie, and Unitt is a valuable reference.