A few of us made a limited foray into the refuge yesterday late morning to check for the flamingo (no) and to walk out past Tower Pond to the south end of Mounds #3, partly to see how the closure affects viewing.
Despite a whiff on the flamingo, East River Pool is always worth a stop. The Vermilion was present as was the Wilson's Snipe that frequents a spot near the base of the fishing pier, south side. No Sora today, but it is still a high percentage probability here. Black-necked Stilts, White Pelican, and a few species of duck were present, but quite distant. A scope is close to necessary for the distant stuff.
Tower Pond was empty of birds, as expected, due to low tide in the bay. Walking to the "closed to all public entry" sign on the outer levee, we were happy to find that, despite the closure, good numbers of birds were in unobstructed view from the limits of access. Doing a couple of casual scans through the waterfowl, had 11 species, including at least 10 Black Ducks, and probably could have wrung out a couple more species with a bit more work (e.g., Gr. Scaup, Bufflehead, Hooded Merg.). Also present were large numbers of shorebirds - overwhelmingly Dunlin - but with a smattering of a few other common species plus 15-20 Avocets. A scope is helpful, especially for the shorebirds, but the waterfowl are close enough that bins will be adequate.
Matt