Update on the Theory of "Here Today, Gone Tomorrow"

Devereux Slough November 8, 2007. The fall rains have filled the Slough to about 80% capacity. The Slough will 'break through' during the occasional heavy winter rain as high water builds up against the back of the Pacific shore and dunes. This break through will allow the Slough to become tidal for a period until a another storm moves enough beach sand to re-create another 'plug'.


I've found birding to be so unpredictable - which adds to the charm, adventure and amusement. Even with today's cell phones, Yahoo Groups (that can be instantly checked while in the field with your connected cellphone) and Google Earth, the birds just may not be there when you are.

Earlier this summer I was birding at Devereux Slough - a remarkable piece of coastal estuary - altered by many years of development and still functioning reasonably well. Owned by UCSB and protected, it is also under 'renovation' by many local groups, including the Santa Barbara Chapter of the Audubon Society. Agricultural run-off and expedited siltation are the major culprits, and new native plantings plus eradication of non-natives will go a long way to relieving both run-off and siltation.

This rich environment attracts many shorebirds, ducks, geese, swallows, kingfishers, pelicans, cormorants plus herons and egrets. In fact the most dependable 'good bird' of the summer was a juvenile Reddish Egret. This bird was seen more often than not for the months of July and August, 2008.

Reddish Egret in a calm moment.

The feeding/hunting habits of the Reddish Egret involve much activity, bouncing around the shallows as if fueled with amphetamines and having a serious case of 'ants in the pants'.

This hunting behavior is very engaging to witness and can be quite amusing to watch.

The sudden movements and flapping of wings as it chases fish make it identifiable at a distance from other more sedate herons and egrets.

In speaking with a friend this summer, she stated that "finding this rare bird (only the fourth Reddish Egret recorded in Santa Barbara County) was just too easy!"

Usually birds - and the egrets and herons below are a great example - can be "here" one moment and "somewhere else" the next. I was birding with a small group of similarly afflicted friends in the morning of 12Aug08, hoping to see something unusual at Devereux. What we saw was quite amazing. The normal summer dry period had begun to seriously dry up the Slough, creating smaller and smaller areas for fish to hide. The herons appeared to be pretty good at finding those places and gathered in numbers totalling nearly a hundred.

Mixed group of Great Egrets (larger w/yellow bills); Snowy Egrets (smaller w/black bills); and a single Great Blue Heron (at far left) at 9:30am.

Same spot of Devereux Slough as above, 11:00am.

Another earlier view in a nearby location within the Slough - 9:30am.

Again, the same view as above, just an hour and a half later, 11:00am.

So, when your buddy calls and says, "A White-bellied Fish Eagle has been seen at Devereux" you either need to know he is foolin' you - or get down the Slough PRONTO!