SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Audubon Society says that yellow-crowned night herons are not rare in San Diego County. But they are hard to spot.
"We were like woah, look at that bird! It had yellow stripes here and a big long tail coming over its head and I mean, it’s just something that I’ve never seen before," said San Diegan Kathy Coalter.
Coalter was out on a bike ride near the SeaWorld jetty when she came across a unique bird.
“And then three days later my husband and I are walking around DeAnza Cove and there it was again and I’m assuming it was the same bird cause it was so rare," she said.
Yellow-crowned night herons are more commonly found in some parts of the southeast region of the country.
“It’s just overall fun to see a bird that not a lot of people get to see," said Lesley Handa, lead ornithologist at the San Diego Audubon Society.
Handa says yellow-crowned night herons are typically out of sight which makes sighting special.
“Everyone gets excited about different kinds of birds and a yellow-crowned night heron is definitely a bird to get excited about because it’s a little bit unusual looking compared to some of the other herons and other wading birds," she added.
Night herons are usually quieter during day because they’re nocturnal.
Bird watchers can catch a glimpse of the birds along the coast and wetlands, including near the Tijuana Estuary in Imperial Beach, the San Diego River and further up the coast by the San Dieguito Lagoon.
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