Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge

Wildlife Sanctuary · United States

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Photo © Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US

Photo © Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US — CC0 1.0 — Source: Wikimedia Commons

Across the floor of California's inland desert, where summer temperatures soar and rainfall is measured in tenths of inches, lies an improbable oasis of shallow water and salt-rimmed shores. The Salton Sea, a vast landlocked body of water created accidentally in the early 1900s, dominates the landscape of Imperial County with its stark, mineral-rich waters and sparse vegetation adapted to extreme aridity and heat. This wildlife sanctuary encompasses wetland margins, salt marshes, and open water that have become a critical refuge for species that thrive in desert climates—wading birds that probe the shallows for food, waterfowl that congregate in immense flocks during winter months, and birds of prey that hunt across the barren uplands surrounding the refuge. The geological and hydrological reality of this place is unforgiving: high salinity, alkaline substrate, and relentless solar radiation define the conditions, yet life persists with remarkable abundance, shaped entirely by adaptation to one of North America's harshest inland environments.

For the wildlife photographer and serious birder, the Salton Sea sanctuary offers a singular experience—the chance to witness desert-adapted waterbirds in numbers that rival more celebrated wetland destinations, but with a rawer, more austere character entirely its own. Winter months bring peak concentrations of migratory species seeking open water and food resources, while the ethereal quality of light across the salt flats and shallow bays creates photographic conditions of striking drama. Access to key viewing areas is straightforward, and the refuge's configuration allows observers to scan vast stretches of water and shoreline from accessible vantage points. This is not a destination for those seeking lush, manicured landscapes; instead, it rewards those who understand that some of the most important wildlife havens on Earth wear their harshness openly, and that the species which flourish here represent an extraordinary chapter in the story of desert ecology and avian migration.

Haliaeetus leucocephalus

Branta canadensis

Branta hutchinsii

Greater White-fronted Goose

Anser albifrons

Cygnus columbianus

Spatula cyanoptera

Blue-winged Teal

Spatula discors

Northern Shoveler

Spatula clypeata

Mareca strepera

American Wigeon

Mareca americana

Anas platyrhynchos

Northern Pintail

Aythya valisineria

Aythya americana

Ring-necked Duck

Aythya collaris

Melanitta perspicillata

Bucephala albeola

Common Goldeneye

Bucephala clangula

Hooded Merganser

Lophodytes cucullatus

Common Merganser

Mergus merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

Mergus serrator

Oxyura jamaicensis

Callipepla gambelii

Common Pheasant

Phasianus colchicus

Lesser Nighthawk

Chordeiles acutipennis

White-throated Swift

Aeronautes saxatalis

Anna's Hummingbird

Calliope Hummingbird

Selasphorus calliope

Rufous Hummingbird

Selasphorus rufus

Greater Roadrunner

Geococcyx californianus

Eurasian Collared Dove

Streptopelia decaocto

Common Ground Dove

Columbina passerina

Zenaida macroura

White-winged Dove

Zenaida asiatica

Rallus obsoletus

Porzana carolina

Common Gallinule

Gallinula galeata

Fulica americana

Pied-billed Grebe

Podilymbus podiceps

Red-necked Grebe

Podiceps grisegena

Podiceps auritus

Black-necked Grebe

Podiceps nigricollis

Aechmophorus occidentalis

Aechmophorus clarkii

Black-necked Stilt

Himantopus mexicanus

American Avocet

Recurvirostra americana

Pluvialis squatarola

Semipalmated Plover

Charadrius semipalmatus

Hudsonian Whimbrel

Numenius hudsonicus

Long-billed Curlew

Numenius americanus

Hudsonian Godwit

Limosa haemastica

Long-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus scolopaceus

Short-billed Dowitcher

Limnodromus griseus

Gallinago delicata

Wilson's Phalarope

Phalaropus tricolor

Red-necked Phalarope

Phalaropus lobatus

Spotted Sandpiper

Actitis macularius

Solitary Sandpiper

Tringa solitaria

Lesser Yellowlegs

Tringa flavipes

Tringa semipalmata

Greater Yellowlegs

Tringa melanoleuca

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpres

Black Turnstone

Arenaria melanocephala

Calidris canutus

Calidris pugnax

Stilt Sandpiper

Calidris himantopus

Calidris alpina

Baird's Sandpiper

Calidris bairdii

Least Sandpiper

Calidris minutilla

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotos

Western Sandpiper

Gull-billed Tern

Gelochelidon nilotica

Hydroprogne caspia

Chlidonias niger

Sterna forsteri

Bonaparte's Gull

Chroicocephalus philadelphia

Leucophaeus atricilla

Franklin's Gull

Leucophaeus pipixcan

Heermann's Gull

Larus heermanni

Ring-billed Gull

Larus delawarensis

Yellow-footed Gull

Larus occidentalis

Larus hyperboreus

Lesser Black-backed Gull

California Gull

Larus californicus

American Herring Gull

Larus smithsonianus

Glaucous-winged Gull

Larus glaucescens

Parasitic Jaeger

Stercorarius parasiticus

Mycteria americana

Neotropic Cormorant

Nannopterum brasilianum

White-faced Ibis

Roseate Spoonbill

American Bittern

Botaurus lentiginosus

Tricolored Heron

Egretta tricolor

Egretta rufescens

Butorides virescens

Great Blue Heron

American White Pelican

Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Pelecanus occidentalis

Pandion haliaetus

White-tailed Kite

Elanus leucurus

Sharp-shinned Hawk

Accipiter striatus

Northern Harrier

Circus hudsonius

Red-shouldered Hawk

Swainson's Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

Red-tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Ferruginous Hawk

American Barn Owl

Athene cunicularia

Great Horned Owl

Bubo virginianus

Belted Kingfisher

Megaceryle alcyon

Gila Woodpecker

Melanerpes uropygialis

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Dryobates scalaris

Northern Flicker

Colaptes auratus

Crested Caracara

Caracara plancus

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Falco columbarius

Falco mexicanus

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Sayornis nigricans

Western Wood Pewee

Contopus sordidulus

Willow Flycatcher

Empidonax traillii

Western Flycatcher

Empidonax difficilis

Vermilion Flycatcher

Pyrocephalus rubinus

Tropical Kingbird

Tyrannus melancholicus

Cassin's Kingbird

Tyrannus vociferans

Western Kingbird

Tyrannus verticalis

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher

Tyrannus forficatus

Ash-throated Flycatcher

Myiarchus cinerascens

Loggerhead Shrike

Lanius ludovicianus

Bombycilla cedrorum

Phainopepla nitens

Auriparus flaviceps

Eremophila alpestris

Riparia riparia

Tachycineta bicolor

Northern Rough-winged Swallow

Stelgidopteryx serripennis

Hirundo rustica

American Cliff Swallow

Petrochelidon pyrrhonota

Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus

Salpinctes obsoletus

Cistothorus palustris

Thryomanes bewickii

Blue-grey Gnatcatcher

Polioptila caerulea

Black-tailed Gnatcatcher

Polioptila melanura

Red-breasted Nuthatch

Sitta canadensis

Northern Mockingbird

Mimus polyglottos

Oreoscoptes montanus

Common Starling

Sturnus vulgaris

Western Bluebird

Sialia mexicana

Ixoreus naevius

Catharus guttatus

Turdus migratorius

Passer domesticus

Anthus rubescens

Haemorhous mexicanus

Lesser Goldfinch

Spinus psaltria

Black-throated Sparrow

Amphispiza bilineata

Chondestes grammacus

Brewer's Sparrow

Spizella breweri

Dark-eyed Junco

White-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia leucophrys

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Zonotrichia atricapilla

Harris's Sparrow

Zonotrichia querula

Pooecetes gramineus

Savannah Sparrow

Passerculus sandwichensis

Melospiza melodia

Lincoln's Sparrow

Melospiza lincolnii

Melospiza georgiana

Melozone aberti

Green-tailed Towhee

Pipilo chlorurus

Pipilo maculatus

Yellow-headed Blackbird

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Western Meadowlark

Sturnella neglecta

Red-winged Blackbird

Agelaius phoeniceus

Brown-headed Cowbird

Great-tailed Grackle

Quiscalus mexicanus

Orange-crowned Warbler

Leiothlypis celata

Nashville Warbler

Leiothlypis ruficapilla

Common Yellowthroat

Geothlypis trichas

American Redstart

Setophaga ruticilla

Magnolia Warbler

Setophaga magnolia

American Yellow Warbler

Setophaga aestiva

Setophaga coronata

Black-throated Grey Warbler

Setophaga nigrescens

Setophaga occidentalis

Wilson's Warbler

Cardellina pusilla

Western Tanager

Piranga ludoviciana

Black-headed Grosbeak

Pheucticus melanocephalus

Passerina caerulea

Passerina amoena

Fulvous Whistling Duck

Dendrocygna bicolor

Cygnus buccinator

Eurasian Wigeon

Mareca penelope

White-winged Scoter

Melanitta deglandi

Melanitta americana

Long-tailed Duck

Clangula hyemalis

Common Poorwill

Phalaenoptilus nuttallii

Black-chinned Hummingbird

Archilochus alexandri

Costa's Hummingbird

Rallus limicola

Pacific Golden Plover

Pluvialis fulva

American Golden Plover

Pluvialis dominica

Phalaropus fulicarius

White-rumped Sandpiper

Calidris fuscicollis

Semipalmated Sandpiper

Calidris pusilla

Sternula antillarum

Thalasseus elegans

Hydrocoloeus minutus

Black-legged Kittiwake

Rissa tridactyla

Short-billed Gull

Larus brachyrhynchus

Larus glaucoides

Least Storm Petrel

Hydrobates microsoma

Magnificent Frigatebird

Fregata magnificens

Blue-footed Booby

Little Blue Heron

Egretta caerulea

Short-eared Owl

Western Screech Owl

Megascops kennicottii

Lewis's Woodpecker

Melanerpes lewis

Red-naped Sapsucker

Sphyrapicus nuchalis

Myiopsitta monachus

Sayornis phoebe

Olive-sided Flycatcher

Contopus cooperi

Hammond's Flycatcher

Empidonax hammondii

American Dusky Flycatcher

Empidonax oberholseri

American Grey Flycatcher

Empidonax wrightii

Violet-green Swallow

Tachycineta thalassina

Petrochelidon fulva

Golden-crowned Kinglet

Regulus satrapa

Northern House Wren

Troglodytes aedon

Certhia americana

Curve-billed Thrasher

Toxostoma curvirostre

Crissal Thrasher

Toxostoma crissale

Mountain Bluebird

Sialia currucoides

Townsend's Solitaire

Myadestes townsendi

Swainson's Thrush

Catharus ustulatus

Haemorhous cassinii

Lawrence's Goldfinch

Spinus lawrencei

American Goldfinch

Lapland Longspur

Calcarius lapponicus

Chestnut-collared Longspur

Calcarius ornatus

Grasshopper Sparrow

Ammodramus savannarum

Chipping Sparrow

Spizella passerina

Red Fox Sparrow

Passerella iliaca

White-throated Sparrow

Zonotrichia albicollis

Artemisiospiza belli

Yellow-breasted Chat

Icterus parisorum

Icterus cucullatus

Bronzed Cowbird

Molothrus aeneus

Brewer's Blackbird

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Seiurus aurocapilla

Northern Waterthrush

Parkesia noveboracensis

Black-and-white Warbler

Mniotilta varia

Tennessee Warbler

Leiothlypis peregrina

Leiothlypis luciae

MacGillivray's Warbler

Geothlypis tolmiei

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Setophaga pensylvanica

Setophaga palmarum

Townsend's Warbler

Setophaga townsendi

Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Pheucticus ludovicianus

Spiza americana

Passerina cyanea

Eurasian Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopus

Eastern Warbling Vireo

Mangrove Warbler

Setophaga petechia

Desert Cottontail

Sylvilagus audubonii

Round-tailed Ground Squirrel

Xerospermophilus tereticaudus

Ondatra zibethicus

Northern Raccoon

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