Evening Program: Tues. 7 Feb., 7:30 PM – Owls of Southern California, with Lance Benner

Western Roof-Owl in its right-looking behavioral morph

Everything you ever wanted to know about our local owls, and more, presented by local owl specialist, Lance Benner.

Directions: We meet at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street (between Colorado and Broadway), Santa Monica, located on the east side of the street across from Santa Monica Place indoor mall, easily accessible from the 4th Street offramp of the westbound #10 Freeway.

Meetings begin at 7:30 sharp with a little business, and then our main presentation.  Refreshments will be served.  We meet on the first floor – the room number will be posted.

Parking:  Parking under the building has become difficult in recent months. Metered spaces are free after 6:00 p.m., and there are numerous free Visitor Parking spaces on the lower levels.  However, shoppers visiting the mall across the street have begun parking there and it has become very difficult for those actually using the center to park there.  You may have to find street parking or use the city parking structures ($5 flat rate).
Link to real-time Santa Monica Parking map 
Map to Meeting Place
*******************************
[Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Lagoon Field Trips: Sunday, 22 January, 8:30 & 10am

The depths of Winter and loads of birds. It’s frightening how many there are. I don’t even want to think about it! 60 to 75 species likely. A quiet beach on a cool, quiet day. Dress in layers.

Some of the great birds we’ve had in January are: Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Red-throated, Pacific & Common Loons, Horned, Eared & Western Grebes,  Brandt’s & Pelagic Cormorants, Osprey, Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Virginia Rail, Snowy Plover, Black Oystercatcher, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Least Sandpiper, Heermann’s, Herring & Glaucous-winged Gulls, Royal, Elegant & Forster’s Terns, Black Skimmer, Anna’s & Allen’s Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Black & Say’s Phoebes, Bewick’s & House Wrens, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted & California Towhees, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Lesser & American Goldfinches.

Bird Lists for January-June 2011
Bird Lists for January-June 2010
Bird Lists for January-June 2009

Adult Walk 8:30 a.m. – Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours. Species range from 40 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter. Over the bridges, down to the shore, and if the lagoon outlet is closed, around the lagoon to Adamson House. We put out special effort to make our monthly Malibu Lagoon walks attractive to first-time and beginning birdwatchers. So please, if you are at all worried about coming on a trip and embarrassing yourself because of all the experts, we remember our first trips too. Someone had to show us the birds, and it’s our turn now.

Children and Parents Walk 10:00 a.m. – One hour session. We start at 10:00 for a shorter walk and to allow time for families to get it together on a sleepy Sunday morning. We will have kid-experienced leaders so please bring the kids to the beach! We have an ample supply of binoculars that children can use without striking terror into their parents – we want to see families enjoying nature. (If you have a Scout Troop or other large group of kids please call Mary (310-457-2240) to make sure we have enough binoculars.)

Directions: Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. We meet in the traditional place, at the first footbridge on the main trail to the beach. (The bridges will be there for the foreseeable future). Parking in the official lagoon lot is $12+ or by annual pass. You may also park either along PCH north of Cross Creek Road or on Cross Creek Road itself but be careful – some parts of PCH are off-limits (read the signs carefully). Lagoon parking in the shopping center lot is not permitted.
Map to Meeting Place
Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 25 December, 2011

SMBAS Links:    Website     Blog     Facebook

Birders gather on 1st footbridge (C. Almdale 12/25/11)

Many years ago on Christmas Day I woke up with a start, realizing that no one had volunteered to lead that day’s lagoon field trip. So off I went to make sure the trip took place.

Meanwhile, Maja Block awoke, thinking the same thing. She jumped in her car, binos in hand, and we discovered each other at the lagoon. No one else came! So we led each other around the lagoon. It was very cold and clear: ice rimmed the edges of the lagoon, believe it or not. The beach was empty, very peaceful, and loads of birds made the best of the lack of humans.

Today couldn’t have been more different. About 20 people showed up, much to my surprise. Temperatures rose to about 66°, and we had to remove clothing layers. Surfers surfed; walkers walked and resters zoned out on the beach. High tide waves were washing over a stretch of beach into the lagoon. The only similarity was bunches of birds.

Loads of ducks: 10 species in all.

Osprey (C.Bragg)

Only 12 Brown Pelicans, but far out on the sea were hundreds of Black-vented Shearwaters cruising along to the west on stiff wings. One Cattle Egret poked through the pickleweed with a couple of Snowy Egrets – this species usually follow grazing animals (hence the name) around, eating insects stirred by the animals’ hooves, and they’re appear at the lagoon about 1 out of 8 visits, mostly in Nov-Dec. Black-bellied Plovers remain relatively abundant, and the Osprey continues the every-other-month appearance schedule he’s maintained since June.

Species and numbers are probably under-counted, as many birds stayed to the inland side of the sandy island, visible only from inland. At that distance it’s difficult to identify and count them and they can and do move around by the time we get to the beach. So I just don’t count them when I can’t see them.

New arrivals were: 9 Northern Pintail, 1 Lesser Scaup, 1 Red-throated Loon, 200 (at least) Black-vented Shearwaters far out at sea, 1 Cooper’s Hawk, 1 American Avocet, 1 Mew Gull, 1 Marsh Wren, 1 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and 2 Western Meadowlarks.

[/caption]

Pintails don’t show up a lot at the lagoon: only 19 visits out of 180 trips for which we have counts, including 9 visits since December 1998. Western Meadowlarks are even less common: of their 18 visits, 13 have occurred since August 2000. These birds have been hanging out on the beach – not exactly a meadow! – for a couple of weeks not. Apparently they find the wrack left at the high tide line productive for invertebrates.

Mew Gulls don’t show up often. For some reason, they really enjoy sewage plants, and in winter there is nearly always a flock of them out in front of the Hyperion Water Reclamation Plant in El Segundo. The single bird found lurking among the Ring-billed Gulls was  a welcome surprise.

Back in the 1970’s when I first began birding at the lagoon, I could find Marsh Wrens only upstream of the bridge where there was a large bed of reeds. The torrents from a big El Nino winter in the 80’s (I think) washed all those reeds out to sea, but they’ve gradually reappeared, primarily in the 1^st channel and near Adamson House. All of the wren’s 34 lagoon appearances for which we have counts have been after August 1993.

This blog gives us width sufficient only for 6 months of data, but if you check the prior lagoon June & December reports, we now have 3 years of lagoon data on our blogsite.

Our next three field trips: Antelope Valley Raptors – 14 January, 8am;  Malibu Lagoon – 22 January, 8:30am; Salton Sea – 11/12 February, 9am
Our next program: Tuesday, 7 February, 7:30 pm – Owls of Southern California, presented by Lance Benner.
The usual reminders will be emailed from the blog.

As a reminder to those coming to our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk, it meets at the beach trail footbridge closest to the parking lot.

Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists: Jan-June’11, July-Dec ’10, Jan-June ’10, Jul-Dec ‘09, and Jan-June ‘09.
[Chuck Almdale].

Malibu Census 2011	24-Jul	28-Aug	25-Sep	23-Oct	27-Nov	25-Dec
Temperature	65-72	72 – 81	61-69	59-64	70	50-66
Tide Height	+2.61	+5.03	+5.33	+5.40	+6.63	+6.80
Low/High &Time	L:0947	H:0942	H:0830	H:0178	H:0945	H:0850
Canada Goose					9
Gadwall			10	6	4	35
Eurasian Wigeon				1
American Wigeon			3		15	4
Mallard	54	60	48	25	30	8
Blue-winged Teal				2
Northern Shoveler			10	12	10	30
Northern Pintail						7
Green-winged Teal				2	4	40
Lesser Scaup						1
Bufflehead					8	12
Red-brstd Merganser					9	4
Ruddy Duck	2	5	8		3	40
Red-throated Loon						1
Pacific Loon				1
Common Loon				1		1
Pied-billed Grebe	4	15	13	4	1	3
Eared Grebe			5	3	6	3
Western Grebe				10	6	25
Blk-vented Shearwater						200
Brandt’s Cormorant		3	1	3	2	6
Dble-crstd Cormorant	31	48	47	32	31	62
Pelagic Cormorant	1	3	2	1		1
Brown Pelican	407	77	60	12	8	12
Great Blue Heron	6	3	2	3	2	2
Great Egret	4	2	2	2	3
Snowy Egret	11	15	23	26	30	22
Cattle Egret					1	1
Green Heron			1
Blk-crwnd N-Heron	11	4	12			5
Osprey		1		1		1
Cooper’s Hawk						1
Red-tailed Hawk		2		2
American Kestrel					1
Merlin				1
Peregrine Falcon			1	1
Virginia Rail			1	2	1	2
Sora			3	1	3	2
American Coot	20	75	410	370	57	280
Blk-bellied Plover	4	46	40	700	263	140
Snowy Plover	13	36	62	5	52	58
Semipalmated Plover	2	4
Killdeer	2	8	6	15	5	1
Black Oystercatcher				2
Black-necked Stilt			1
American Avocet						1
Spotted Sandpiper		2	2	3	2	2
Wandering Tattler		1
Willet		4	7	10	4	1
Whimbrel		41	26	28		3
Marbled Godwit		2	2			1
Ruddy Turnstone	7	4	7	10	1	2
Black Turnstone	1			3
Sanderling		15	3		308	110
Western Sandpiper	2	11		1
Least Sandpiper	1	6	3	16	15	12
Dunlin				2
Long-billed Dowitcher			2	2
Red-necked Phalarope		7
Heermann’s Gull	41	24	15	14		13
Mew Gull						1
Ring-billed Gull	1		7	18	60	175
Western Gull	107	146	66	80	50	90
California Gull		8	16	120	30	1200
Herring Gull			1
Glaucous-wingd Gull					1
Least Tern	13
Caspian Tern	3	12
Common Tern	1
Forster’s Tern		3			2	3
Royal Tern		18	15	1
Elegant Tern	8	36	4
Black Skimmer	1	1
Rock Pigeon	6	5	5	4		4
Mourning Dove	3	2	2	2		2
Vaux’s Swift			100
Anna’s Hummingbird	3	4	3	2	2	1
Allen’s Hummingbird	3		2	2		2
Belted Kingfisher		2	1	2	1	1
Nuttall’s Woodpecker		1
Western Wood-Pewee			1
Black Phoebe	8	10	6	10	5	3
Say’s Phoebe			1	2		2
Cassin’s Kingbird			1
Western Kingbird	1	4
Western Scrub-Jay				2
American Crow	4	3	2	4	4	4
Rough-wingd Swallow	20	22	1
Barn Swallow	18	45	30
Cliff Swallow	25	2
Oak Titmouse		2
Bushtit	8	6	6	20	30	30
Bewick’s Wren	1	1	1	1	1	2
House Wren			1	1
Marsh Wren						1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet						1
Wrentit	1
Northern Mockingbird	2	3	2	2	1	1
European Starling	38	20	23	60	40	5
Ornge-crwnd Warbler			1			1
Yellow-rumpd Warbler				8	2	8
Common Yellowthroat	1	8	5	9	4	4
Wilson’s Warbler		1	2
California Towhee	3		1
Savannah Sparrow			1			1
Song Sparrow	1	5	3	4	3	4
White-crwnd Sparrow				18	8	15
Bobolink			1
Red-winged Blackbird	17	32	18			15
Western Meadowlark						2
Brewer’s Blackbird				2
Great-tailed Grackle	3	5	12	8	4	2
Brwn-headed Cowbird	6
Hooded Oriole	6
House Finch	4	8	12	5	30	5
Lesser Goldfinch		4	2	1	2	5
Totals by Type	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Waterfowl	56	65	79	48	92	181
Water Birds-Other	463	221	542	440	115	598
Herons, Egrets	32	24	40	31	36	30
Quail & Raptors	0	3	1	5	1	2
Shorebirds	32	187	161	797	650	331
Gulls & Terns	175	248	124	233	143	1482
Doves	9	7	7	6	0	6
Other Non-Pass.	6	7	106	6	3	4
Passerines	167	181	133	157	134	111
Totals Birds	940	943	1193	1723	1174	2745
Total Species	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Waterfowl	2	2	5	6	9	10
Water Birds-Other	5	6	9	12	9	13
Herons, Egrets	4	4	5	3	4	4
Quail & Raptors	0	2	1	4	1	2
Shorebirds	8	14	12	13	8	11
Gulls & Terns	8	8	7	5	5	6
Doves	2	2	2	2	0	2
Other Non-Pass.	2	3	4	3	2	3
Passerines	19	18	23	17	13	20
Totals Species – 116	50	59	68	65	51	71

Carrizo Plains Field Trip 12/10/11

SMBAS Links:    Website     Blog     Facebook
Be sure to visit the blogsite to see the slideshow of all 14 photos.

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Luck was ours, as the cold and windy weather of the week before had disappeared, providing us with an absolutely beautiful day: clear, windless, with temperatures beginning in the 40’s and ending in the high 60’s.  As always, the plains were very quiet and peaceful. Wow!

Soda Lake was dry, at it has been for many years. The staff at the nearby Carrizo Plains Education Center told me that even when water is present, there isn’t much for the Sandhill Cranes to eat as there are no longer crops being grown in the nearby fields. When the crops were harvested, the process left lots of grain on the ground. Food for cranes! Alas, no more. You’ll have to go over the hill to the San Joachin Valley, or down to the Imperial Valley to find cranes these days.

We had a very nice variety of raptors, especially falcons. Eagles were notably missing (although we know they’re there).  As always, there were plenty of ground birds: American Pipit, Horned Lark, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Western Meadowlark, House Finch, and a variety of sparrows, particularly White-crowned Sparrow.  Mountain Bluebirds were present, but not abundant. We never saw any large flocks of them as we often do; instead, they were scattered around in small groups of 1-6 birds.

The Burrowing Owl was at the south end of Soda Lake Rd., standing in his hole among the Ground Squirrels. We hadn’t seen any there in 4-5 years, so it was nice to see one out-and-about. Loggerhead Shrikes– a species increasingly difficult to find anywhere – were common, as is usual in the Carrizo in Winter.

We had a long lunch break at the abandoned farmstead, located a couple of miles north of Soda Lake Rd. down a two-track side road. What with doodling and diddling around, it was almost sunset by the time we got to the San Andreas earthquake fault zone, which always amazes those who think they are standing on solid ground in California.  [Chuck Almdale]

Carrizo Plains 12/10/11	Count
Northern Harrier	1
Red-tailed Hawk	20
Ferruginous Hawk	2
American Kestrel	9
Merlin	1
Prairie Falcon	2
Killdeer	1
Mountain Plover	2
Mourning Dove	6
Great Horned Owl	1
Burrowing Owl	1
Say’s Phoebe	3
Loggerhead Shrike	12
Common Raven	40
Horned Lark	200
Mountain Bluebird	30
Northern Mockingbird	1
Le Conte’s Thrasher	1
European Starling	33
American Pipit	1
Yellow-rumped (Audubon’s) Warbler	100
Brewer’s Sparrow	15
Lark Sparrow	25
Sage Sparrow	25
Savannah Sparrow	55
White-crowned Sparrow	100
Golden-crowned Sparrow	2
Western Meadowlark	27
House Finch	500
Total Species	29

Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 27 November, 2011

SMBAS Links:    Website     Blog     Facebook

Your usual reporter wasn’t present, so this month’s data is supplied by Lucien Plauzoles. Temperatures were warm, about 70°, and there was a 10-15 mph breeze. Human turnout was good with 25 persons.  The avian species count of 51 was a bit low for November, as the average is closer to 62. Nothing particularly unusual showed up, but the 9 Canada Geese were nice to see. The Black-bellied Plover count of 263 was down from last month’s estimate of 700, but that was an estimate of flocks continually coming and going.

The new arrivals were: 9 Canada Geese, 8 Bufflehead, 9 Red-breasted Merganser, 1 Cattle Egret, 1 American Kestrel, and 1 Glaucous-winged Gull.

Two female Buffleheads cruising down the creek (J. Kenney 11/12/11)

Incidentally, on 6 Dec., 9:15am, Chuck & Ellen counted 67 Snowy Plovers gathered around the western life guard station, which appears to be an all-time high. This included two returning banded birds – GG:AR; NO:WW.  GG:AR is a young bird, banded last summer at its nest site at Oceano Dunes (near Pismo Beach), and first showing up at Malibu in September. NO:WW, on the other hand, is an old-timer, first appearing at Malibu in October 2009, after being hatched at Vandenburg Air Force Base that summer. He (or she) apparently likes Malibu, as it was there in Nov. 09 – Feb. 10, Dec. 10 – Feb. 11, and now Nov. 11.

I presume that everyone had a wonderful time as I have heard no complaints. [Let’s keep it that way.]

Long term lagoon resident, Snowy Plover NO:WW, catches a few rays (C.Almdale)

Our next three field trips: Malibu Lagoon – 25 December (yes!, Christmas Day);  Antelope Valley Raptors – 14 January;  Malibu Lagoon – 22 January
Our next program: Tuesday, 7 February, 7:30 pm – Owls of Southern California, presented by Lance Benner.
The usual reminders will be emailed from the blog.

As a reminder to those coming to our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk, it meets at the beach trail footbridge closest to the parking lot.

Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists: Jan-June’11, July-Dec ’10, Jan-June ’10, Jul-Dec ‘09, and Jan-June ‘09.
[Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Census 2011	24-Jul	28-Aug	25-Sep	23-Oct	27-Nov
Temperature	65-72	72 – 81	61-69	59-64	70
Tide Height	+2.61	+5.03	+5.33	+5.40	+6.63
Low/High &Time	L:0947	H:0942	H:0830	H:0178	H:0945
Canada Goose					9
Gadwall			10	6	4
Eurasian Wigeon				1
American Wigeon			3		15
Mallard	54	60	48	25	30
Blue-winged Teal				2
Northern Shoveler			10	12	10
Green-winged Teal				2	4
Bufflehead					8
Red-brstd Merganser					9
Ruddy Duck	2	5	8		3
Pacific Loon				1
Common Loon				1
Pied-billed Grebe	4	15	13	4	1
Eared Grebe			5	3	6
Western Grebe				10	6
Brandt’s Cormorant		3	1	3	2
Dble-crstd Cormorant	31	48	47	32	31
Pelagic Cormorant	1	3	2	1
Brown Pelican	407	77	60	12	8
Great Blue Heron	6	3	2	3	2
Great Egret	4	2	2	2	3
Snowy Egret	11	15	23	26	30
Cattle Egret					1
Green Heron			1
Blk-crwnd N-Heron	11	4	12
Osprey		1		1
Red-tailed Hawk		2		2
American Kestrel					1
Merlin				1
Peregrine Falcon			1	1
Virginia Rail			1	2	1
Sora			3	1	3
American Coot	20	75	410	370	57
Blk-bellied Plover	4	46	40	700	263
Snowy Plover	13	36	62	5	52
Semipalmated Plover	2	4
Killdeer	2	8	6	15	5
Black Oystercatcher				2
Black-necked Stilt			1
Spotted Sandpiper		2	2	3	2
Wandering Tattler		1
Willet		4	7	10	4
Whimbrel		41	26	28
Marbled Godwit		2	2
Ruddy Turnstone	7	4	7	10	1
Black Turnstone	1			3
Sanderling		15	3		308
Western Sandpiper	2	11		1
Least Sandpiper	1	6	3	16	15
Dunlin				2
Long-billed Dowitcher			2	2
Red-necked Phalarope		7
Heermann’s Gull	41	24	15	14
Ring-billed Gull	1		7	18	60
Western Gull	107	146	66	80	50
California Gull		8	16	120	30
Herring Gull			1
Glaucous-wingd Gull					1
Least Tern	13
Caspian Tern	3	12
Common Tern	1
Forster’s Tern		3			2
Royal Tern		18	15	1
Elegant Tern	8	36	4
Black Skimmer	1	1
Rock Pigeon	6	5	5	4
Mourning Dove	3	2	2	2
Vaux’s Swift			100
Anna’s Hummingbird	3	4	3	2	2
Allen’s Hummingbird	3		2	2
Belted Kingfisher		2	1	2	1
Nuttall’s Woodpecker		1
Western Wood-Pewee			1
Black Phoebe	8	10	6	10	5
Say’s Phoebe			1	2
Cassin’s Kingbird			1
Western Kingbird	1	4
Western Scrub-Jay				2
American Crow	4	3	2	4	4
Rough-wingd Swallow	20	22	1
Barn Swallow	18	45	30
Cliff Swallow	25	2
Oak Titmouse		2
Bushtit	8	6	6	20	30
Bewick’s Wren	1	1	1	1	1
House Wren			1	1
Wrentit	1
Northern Mockingbird	2	3	2	2	1
European Starling	38	20	23	60	40
Ornge-crwnd Warbler			1
Yellow-rumpd Warbler				8	2
Common Yellowthroat	1	8	5	9	4
Wilson’s Warbler		1	2
California Towhee	3		1
Savannah Sparrow			1
Song Sparrow	1	5	3	4	3
White-crwnd Sparrow				18	8
Bobolink			1
Red-winged Blackbird	17	32	18
Brewer’s Blackbird				2
Great-tailed Grackle	3	5	12	8	4
Brwn-headed Cowbird	6
Hooded Oriole	6
House Finch	4	8	12	5	30
Lesser Goldfinch		4	2	1	2
Totals by Type	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov
Waterfowl	56	65	79	48	92
Water Birds-Other	463	221	542	440	115
Herons, Egrets	32	24	40	31	36
Quail & Raptors	0	3	1	5	1
Shorebirds	32	187	161	797	650
Gulls & Terns	175	248	124	233	143
Doves	9	7	7	6	0
Other Non-Pass.	6	7	106	6	3
Passerines	167	181	133	157	134
Totals Birds	940	943	1193	1723	1174
Total Species	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov
Waterfowl	2	2	5	6	9
Water Birds-Other	5	6	9	12	9
Herons, Egrets	4	4	5	3	4
Quail & Raptors	0	2	1	4	1
Shorebirds	8	14	12	13	8
Gulls & Terns	8	8	7	5	5
Doves	2	2	2	2	0
Other Non-Pass.	2	3	4	3	2
Passerines	19	18	23	17	13
Totals Species – 106	50	59	68	65	51

Field Trip Report: Malibu Creek State Park; 12 Nov., 2011

SMBAS Links:    Website     Blog     Facebook

Although rain had been predicted, it was cloudy on Saturday morning and we met in the park as planned.  We began by birding some of the shrubbery around the edge of the lower parking lot.  Although there did not appear to be many birds in the area we spotted some Purple Finches, which are always a treat to see.  We left the parking lot, crossed Las Virgenes Creek and followed the Crags Road trail in the direction of the Visitors’ Center.

There were a few periods of light drizzle as we walk toward the Visitors’ Center and we took advantage of the cover provided by some of the large oaks along the trail.  Despite the drizzle, we were able to see White-crowned Sparrows and Dark-eyed Juncos in the Coyotebush and other shrubs near the trail.  We saw a flock of Western Bluebirds, an American Robin and a large number of House Finches in the trees on the top of the ridgeline.  Although better weather would have meant better light for viewing and photography, the cool, damp weather apparently discouraged hikers and cyclists so the park was very quiet.  Because it was quiet, we were able to hear the soft “pew” notes of the Western Bluebirds when they flew over and we heard many Yellow-rumped Warblers calling around us.  We found (and heard) many of the species typical of this habitat, including Acorn Woodpecker, Band-tailed Pigeon, Oak Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Bewick’s Wren.  There were a few species including Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Mallard and Bufflehead on Malibu Creek.

Two female Bufflehead cruising down the creek (J. Kenney 11/12/11)

 

Immature Cooper's Hawk spreads his tail (J. Kenney 11/12/11)

Weather conditions were not ideal for soaring raptors but a perched raptor proved interesting.  Its posture and small size puzzled us at first so we spent some time discussing the equally-wide light and dark bands on the tail, which are typical of Accipiters.  Since we wanted to see its wing-length, we walked a bit farther along the trail to a spot from which we could see that it, indeed, had the short wings of an accipiter.  We did not see it fly since, as raptors often do, it disappeared while we were not looking at it.

In the Chinese Elms near the Visitors’ Center, we found a couple of active Nuttall’s Woodpeckers and two Red-breasted Sapsuckers, one of which was perched in the open so we were able to see it very well.

Red-Breasted Sapsucker in his usual spot near the Visitor Center (J. Kenney 11/12/11)

From there we went back to the parking lot and walked around the lower edge of the campground.  Among the birds we saw were one Allen’s and one Anna’s Hummingbird that were foraging in the oaks near the amphitheatre.  By then it was time for lunch so we decided to try the picnic area near the park entrance.  That proved to be a good choice because there were a lot of birds in the area.  While we ate, we saw 2 Loggerhead Shrikes, several American Kestrels, some Western Bluebirds, Dark-eyed Juncos, and White-tailed Kite that perched nearby and provided an auspicious end the day.   [Cindy S.]

Malibu Creek State Park	Trip List	11/12/11
Codes: F – Female, M – Male,	H – Heard, I – Immature,	[I] – Introduced
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos	20
Bufflehead	Bucephala albeola	F   2
Pied-billed Grebe	Podilymbus podiceps	1
Double-crested Cormorant	Phalocrocorax auritus	1
Great Blue Heron	Ardea herodias	1
White-tailed Kite	Elanus leucurus	2
Cooper’s Hawk	Accipiter cooperii	I    1
Red-shouldered Hawk	Buteo lineatus	3
Red-tailed Hawk	Buteo jamaicensis	4
American Kestrel	Falco sparverius	M   4
American Coot	Fulica americana	20
Band-tailed Pigeon	Columba fasciata	80
Mourning Dove	Zenaida macroura	2
Black-hooded Parakeet  [I]	Nandayus nenday	H
Anna’s Hummingbird	Calypte anna	M   1
Allen’s Hummingbird	Selasphorus sasin	F   1
Acorn Woodpecker	Melanerpes formicivorus	8
Red-breasted Sapsucker	Sphyrapicus varius	2
Nuttall’s Woodpecker	Picoides nuttallii	MF + 2 H
Downy Woodpecker	Picoides pubescens	1
Northern Flicker	Colaptes auratus	(4 H)   5
Black Phoebe	Sayornis nigricans	6
Say’s Phoebe	Sayornis saya	3
Loggerhead Shrike	Lanius ludovicianus	2
Western Scrub-Jay	Aphelocoma californica	2
American Crow	Corvus brachyrhynchos	30
Common Raven	Corvus corax	8
Oak Titmouse	Baeolophus inornatus	(most H)   20
Bushtit	Psaltriparus minimus	15
White-breasted Nuthatch	Sitta carolinensis	6
Bewick’s Wren	Thryomanes bewickii	2
House Wren	Troglodytes aedon	1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	Regulus calendula	4
Western Bluebird	Sialia mexicana	20
American Robin	Turdus migratorius	1
Wrentit	Chamaea fasciata	H   3
Phainopepla	Phainopepla nitens	(1 M+1 H)   2
Yellow-rumped Warbler	Dendroica coronata	(most H)   40
Common Yellowthroat	Geothlypis trichas	H   2
Spotted Towhee	Pipilo maculatus	8
California Towhee	Pipilo crissalis	12
Lark Sparrow	Chondestes grammacus	20
Song Sparrow	Melospiza melodia	(most H)   4
White-crowned Sparrow	Zonotrichia leucophrys	40
Dark-eyed Junco	Junco hyemalis	30
Purple Finch	Carpodacus purpureus	(F/imm)   6
House Finch	Carpodacus mexicanus	30
total = 46 species

Malibu Creek State Park Field Trip: 12 November, 2011

SMBAS Links:    Website     Blog

Acorn Woodpecker at the nest-hole (C.Bragg 5/11)

This is always a lovely walk with one of the best collections of Live Oaks in the area.  We are likely to see resident species such as Western Bluebird, Dark-eyed Junco, Band-tailed Pigeon, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk.  There is a good chance that we will see winter visitors such as Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsucker, as well as Lark, Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrow.  In past years we have had good looks at some uncommon species such as White-tailed Kite, Merlin and Loggerhead Shrike.  Mule Deer are common in the park and we often see Coyotes.
Link to:   November 2010 trip report
Family guide: 2-3 miles walking on pavement and dirt trails. Morning temperatures start cool.
Lunch:  If you would like to join us for lunch after the walk, pack a picnic.

[Directions] Ventura Fwy (#101) to Las Virgenes Rd. South on Las Virgenes Rd, 3 miles to Mulholland Hwy intersection (traffic light). Park entrance is 0.25 mile south of this intersection on Las Virgenes Rd /Malibu Canyon Rd.
Coast Route: From PCH, take Malibu Canyon Road inland. About 3/4 of a mile past the entrance to Tapia Park section of the park, watch for the entrance on your left. Go past the park gate ($12 per vehicle day-use fee without CA State Park pass) to the last (2^nd) parking lot (left turn before the sign reading “Campers only past this point”) and look for us near the building (restrooms).  Either way, allow 45 minutes travel time from Santa Monica.
Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot.
For additional information, e-mail: <smbas [at] verizon.net>
Link to: Meeting Location and possible walking route
Aerial View of the meeting area: http://mapq.st/nhqKAq

SMBAS Calendar: 1 November, 2011 – 7 February, 2012

Evening Meeting – Tuesday, 1 November, 7:30 p.m.
A Century of Change in Bird Life of Los Angeles, with Kimball Garrett

The Loggerhead Shrike population has declined more than 70% within the past 50 years, (K.Garrett Nov'10)

Superimposing some of the most intensive and expansive urbanization on the planet in an area of great bird diversity has resulted in dramatic changes over the last century in bird populations in the Los Angeles region. Some species have disappeared, others have thrived, and still others have moved in from elsewhere (with or without direct help from humans). This talk will look at some of these changes and explore the ways we learn about shifting bird populations, from museum collections to massive databases such as eBird.

Kimball Garrett has been the Ornithology Collections Manager at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County since 1982.  He has been birding in the Los Angeles region for almost half of the last century of change, and is the co-author of “Birds of The Los Angeles Region” and the long out-of-print “Birds of Southern California: Status and Distribution.”

Directions: We meet at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street (between Colorado and Broadway), Santa Monica, located on the east side of the street across from Santa Monica Place indoor mall, easily accessible from the 4th Street offramp of the westbound #10 Freeway.
Meetings begin at 7:30 sharp with a little business, and then our main presentation.  Refreshments will be served.  We meet on the first floor – the room number will be posted.
Parking:  Parking under the building has become difficult in recent months. Metered spaces are free after 6:00 p.m., and there are numerous free Visitor Parking spaces on the lower levels.  However, shoppers visiting the mall across the street have begun parking there and it has become very difficult for those actually using the center to park there.  You may have to find street parking or use the city parking structures ($5 flat rate).
Link to real-time Santa Monica Parking map 
Map to Meeting Place
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Saturday, 12 November. Malibu Creek State Park.

Acorn Woodpecker at the nest-hole (C.Bragg 5/11)

This is always a lovely walk with one of the best collections of Live Oaks in the area.  We are likely to see resident species such as Western Bluebird, Dark-eyed Junco, Band-tailed Pigeon, Acorn Woodpecker, Red-shouldered and Red-tailed Hawk.  There is a good chance that we will see winter visitors such as Red-breasted and Red-naped Sapsucker, as well as Lark, Golden-crowned and White-crowned Sparrow.  In past years we have had good looks at some uncommon species such as White-tailed Kite, Merlin and Loggerhead Shrike.  Mule Deer are common in the park and we often see Coyotes.
Link to:   November 2010 trip report
Family guide: 2-3 miles walking on pavement and dirt trails. Morning temperatures start cool.
Lunch:  If you would like to join us for lunch after the walk, pack a picnic.

[Directions] Ventura Fwy (#101) to Las Virgenes Rd. South on Las Virgenes Rd, 3 miles to Mulholland Hwy intersection (traffic light). Park entrance is 0.25 mile south of this intersection on Las Virgenes Rd /Malibu Canyon Rd.
Coast Route: From PCH, take Malibu Canyon Road inland. About 3/4 of a mile past the entrance to Tapia Park section of the park, watch for the entrance on your left. Go past the park gate ($12 per vehicle day-use fee without CA State Park pass) to the last (2^nd) parking lot (left turn before the sign reading “Campers only past this point”) and look for us near the building (restrooms).  Either way, allow 45 minutes travel time from Santa Monica.
Meet at 8:30 a.m. in the parking lot.
For additional information, e-mail: <smbas [at] verizon.net>
Link to: Meeting Location and possible walking route
Aerial View of the meeting area: http://mapq.st/nhqKAq
*************************

Sunday, 27 November. Malibu Lagoon.
Lots of migrants and wintering birds make it a great day for the lagoon. Usually sunny, sometimes cool. Forget Thanksgiving: see your birds here with us.

Some of the great birds we’ve had in November are: Gadwall, Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Pacific & Common Loons, Horned & Western Grebes,  Brandt’s & Pelagic Cormorants, Osprey, American Kestrel, Merlin, Sora, Virginia Rail, Snowy Plover, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Boneparte’s Gull, Heermann’s Gull, Herring Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Elegant Tern, Allen’s Hummingbird, Belted Kingfisher, Say’s Phoebe, Common Raven, Bushtit, Bewick’s, House & Marsh Wrens, California Towhee, Great-tailed Grackle, Lesser Goldfinch.

Bird Lists for July-December 2010
Bird Lists for July-December 2009

Adult Walk 8:30 a.m. – Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours. Species range from 40 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter. Over the bridges, down to the shore, and if the lagoon outlet is closed, around the lagoon to Adamson House. We put out special effort to make our monthly Malibu Lagoon walks attractive to first-time and beginning birdwatchers. So please, if you are at all worried about coming on a trip and embarrassing yourself because of all the experts, we remember our first trips too. Someone had to show us the birds, and it’s our turn now.

Children and Parents Walk 10:00 a.m. – One hour session. We start at 10:00 for a shorter walk and to allow time for families to get it together on a sleepy Sunday morning. We will have kid-experienced leaders so please bring the kids to the beach! We have an ample supply of binoculars that children can use without striking terror into their parents – we want to see families enjoying nature. (If you have a Scout Troop or other large group of kids please call Mary (310-457-2240) to make sure we have enough binoculars.)

Directions: Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. We meet in the traditional place, at the first footbridge on the main trail to the beach. (The bridges will be there for the foreseeable future). Parking in the official lagoon lot is $12+ or by annual pass. You may also park either along PCH north of Cross Creek Road or on Cross Creek Road itself but be careful – some parts of PCH are off-limits (read the signs carefully). Lagoon parking in the shopping center lot is not permitted.
Map to Meeting Place
*************************

Saturday, 3 December. Carrizo Plains.

Mountain Bluebird (D. Paulson)

The Carrizo Plains is one of our favorite places in Southern California: big, open, quiet, few people, fewer cars, clean air, mountains, valleys, hills and ponds.  It’s also one of the best places in southern California to see a large variety of raptors, including Ferruginous Hawk, Golden Eagle and Prairie Falcon.When there’s water in Soda Lake, the Sandhill Cranes winter here. We often find a flock of Mountain Plovers!   We also look for shrikes, eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, thrashers sparrows, larks, Tricolored Blackbirds, scintillating Mountain Bluebirds, coyote, fox, pronghorn, deer, elk, as well as more open and quiet space than anyone believes can still exist in SoCal.  We usually stop by the San Andreas Fault where it breaks through to the surface to check on how much it’s moved since last year.

Saturday, 10 December. Carrizo Plains rainout date. Everything else is the same.
Map of Route
Family guide: lots of car travel and stationary observation; young non-birders will be bored.
You must call leader to participate. No fee, but this trip is limited to 5 vehicles, with priority given to those who are carpooling. In the event of adverse weather or road conditions, the trip will be cancelled by the leader no later than Friday evening. Sign-up anytime but please contact the leader Chuck Almdale (webinfo49 [AT] att.net) during the week before the trip to re-confirm. The leader contacts the Carrizo Plains Ed Center on Friday afternoon just before the trip to check on weather and road conditions and then will inform all participants if it’s a go or not.

[Directions] Carpools will leave the North Hills (San Fernando Valley) area by 7:15 a.m. so we can be at the Maricopa re-grouping spot by 9 am.  Allow 1/2-hour drive time from Santa Monica to the carpool meeting place. Bring lunch, drinks, additional water and dress for the weather. You should fill up your gas tank in Maricopa as there are NO services in the Carrizo. If you have an FRS radio, bring it along tuned to Channel 11, privacy channel 22.

Information: Call Chuck at 818-894-2541)
Leave North Hills at 7:15 a.m.
Leader: Chuck Almdale (webinfo49 [AT] att.net)
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Evening Meeting – Tuesday, 6 December, 7:30 p.m.
Birds and Conservation in New Zealand, with John Montgomerie

Giant Haast's Eagle attacks New Zealand Moas (Wikipedia)

New Zealand is best known for its flightless birds – the Kiwi, the Takahe gallinule and the Kakapo parrot. How the flightless birds survived has not been well explained, although NZ essentially had no mammalian or reptile predators. After the arrival of humans the survival of flightless birds became precarious. Today NZ is a degraded ecosystem with major loss of forests. The main efforts for restoration in NZ have been on small off-shore islands where introduced species such as goats, feral cats and rats were cleared and native species reintroduced. Mainland ecological conservation areas have also been established, including several “ecological islands,” by means of pest exclusion fences. The use of annual poison bait operations for rats and possums have been very controversial.

John will discuss some of the popular areas birders visit to see other birds of interest such as Wrybill, Spotted Shag, Yellow-eyed Penguin and the Royal Albatross nesting colony near Dunedin.

John Montgomerie is a retired physician who emigrated with Deirdre and family from NZ to Los Angeles in 1969.

Directions: We meet at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street (between Colorado and Broadway), Santa Monica, located on the east side of the street across from Santa Monica Place indoor mall, easily accessible from the 4th Street offramp of the westbound #10 Freeway.
Meetings begin at 7:30 sharp with a little business, and then our main presentation.  Refreshments will be served.  We meet on the first floor – the room number will be posted.
Parking:   Parking under the building has become difficult in recent months. Metered spaces are free after 6:00 p.m., and there are numerous free Visitor Parking spaces on the lower levels.  However, shoppers visiting the mall across the street have begun parking there and it has become very difficult for those actually using the center to park there.  You may have to find street parking or use the city parking structures ($5 flat rate).
Link to real-time Santa Monica Parking map 
Map to Meeting Place
*************************

Saturday, 17 December. Butterbredt Spring Christmas Count.
This is the one trip every year where you can count on meeting real birders, the kind that bring their cross-country skis when the weather turns iffy. No latté-sipping wimps on this trip! All seriousness aside, dress warmly, bring $5 for the compilation fee, pack a lunch and snacks and be ready to spend all daylight time (it gets dark around 4:30 p.m.) in the Butterbredt count circle as we do our part to count all the birds that were too macho to fly south for the winter.

On previous trips we’ve seen: Mountain & California Quail, Western Screech-Owl & Great Horned Owl, Ladderbacked & Nuttall’s Woodpeckers, Loggerhead Shrike, Steller’s, Western Scrub- & Pinyon Jays, Rock Wren, California & LeConte’s Thrashers, Black-throated, Sage & Golden-crowned Sparrows and Pine Siskins.nd 4:30 p.m.) in the Butterbredt count circle as we do our part to count all the birds that were too macho to fly south for the winter.
Family guide:   long car ride, possible cold weather; gotta love the birds
[Directions]  Contact coordinator Chuck Bragg (310-454-9662) for exact instructions (the count circle instructions are different from our regular field trips to Butterbredt). We’ll be happy to arrange carpools if you don’t want to do any driving. If you have an FRS radio, bring it along tuned to Channel 11, privacy channel 22.
Monday, 19 December. Christmas Count rainout date. Everything else is the same as above.
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Sunday, 25 December. Malibu Lagoon.
Here in Deep and Dark December, even (perhaps especially) on Christmas Day, it’s a great day for the lagoon. It’s often sunny, although once there was ice encrusted on the lagoon-edges. A veritable googolplex of species. Dress for cool weather and possible wind or fog.

Some of the great birds we’ve had in December are: Gadwall, Pintail, Cinnamon & Green-winged Teals, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-throated, Pacific & Common Loons, Eared & Western Grebes,  Brandt’s & Pelagic Cormorants, Osprey, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Virginia Rail, Snowy Plover, Black Oystercatcher, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Least Sandpiper, Wilson’s Snipe,  Boneparte’s, Heermann’s, Herring & Glaucous-winged Gulls, Black Skimmer, Anna’s & Allen’s Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Say’s Phoebe, Bewick’s & House Wrens, Spotted & California Towhees, Great-tailed Grackle, American Goldfinch.

Bird Lists for July-December 2010
Bird Lists for July-December 2009

Adult Walk 8:30 a.m. – Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours. Species range from 40 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter. Over the bridges, down to the shore, and if the lagoon outlet is closed, around the lagoon to Adamson House. We put out special effort to make our monthly Malibu Lagoon walks attractive to first-time and beginning birdwatchers. So please, if you are at all worried about coming on a trip and embarrassing yourself because of all the experts, we remember our first trips too. Someone had to show us the birds, and it’s our turn now.

Children and Parents Walk 10:00 a.m. – One hour session. We start at 10:00 for a shorter walk and to allow time for families to get it together on a sleepy Sunday morning. We will have kid-experienced leaders so please bring the kids to the beach! We have an ample supply of binoculars that children can use without striking terror into their parents – we want to see families enjoying nature. (If you have a Scout Troop or other large group of kids please call Mary (310-457-2240) to make sure we have enough binoculars.)

Directions: Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. We meet in the traditional place, at the first footbridge on the main trail to the beach. (The bridges will be there for the foreseeable future). Parking in the official lagoon lot is $12+ or by annual pass. You may also park either along PCH north of Cross Creek Road or on Cross Creek Road itself but be careful – some parts of PCH are off-limits (read the signs carefully). Lagoon parking in the shopping center lot is not permitted.
Map to Meeting Place
*************************

Saturday, 14 January. Antelope Valley Raptor Experience.
This is the trip for the raptor enthusiast. We will be birding primarily the northwest and west end of the Antelope valley. The raptors we are most likely to see are Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, American Kestrel, Merlin, Prairie Falcon, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s Hawk, White-tailed Kite and Golden Eagle. Other possibilities include Rough-legged Hawk, Sharp-shinned Hawk and Long-eared Owl. We hope to find Mountain Plover, Long-billed Curlew and Mountain Bluebird. In addition, we will be looking for other species that are year-round residents or winter visitors.
Link to January, 2011 trip report
Family guide  -  Mostly driving, under ½ mile walking on roadsides. Probably boring for young children. Can be windy or rainy.

[Directions]  Carpools will leave the North Hills (San Fernando Valley) area by 7:15 am so we can be in the Palmdale area by 8 am. Allow 1/2-hour drive time from Santa Monica to the carpool meeting place. For directions to the meeting place or additional information, call Chuck & Lillian Almdale (818-894-2541) BY THURSDAY EVENING. This trip is limited to 5 vehicles, with priority given to those who are carpooling. In the event of adverse weather such as strong Santa Ana winds, the trip will be cancelled by the leader no later than Friday evening. Bring lunch, drinks, additional water and dress for the weather. If you have an FRS radio, bring it along tuned to Channel 11, privacy channel 22.
For additional information, e-mail leader at: <smbas [at] verizon.net>
Saturday, 21 January. Antelope Valley rainout date. Everything else is the same as above.
**************************

Sunday, 22 January. Malibu Lagoon.
The depths of Winter and loads of birds. It’s frightening how many there are. I don’t even want to think about it! 60 to 75 species likely. A quiet beach on a cool, quiet day. Dress in layers.

Some of the great birds we’ve had in January are: Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, No. Shoveler, Green-winged Teals, Lesser Scaup, Surf Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Bufflehead, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, Red-throated, Pacific & Common Loons, Horned, Eared & Western Grebes,  Brandt’s & Pelagic Cormorants, Osprey, Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Virginia Rail, Snowy Plover, Black Oystercatcher, American Avocet, Spotted Sandpiper, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Least Sandpiper, Heermann’s, Herring & Glaucous-winged Gulls, Royal, Elegant & Forster’s Terns, Black Skimmer, Anna’s & Allen’s Hummingbirds, Belted Kingfisher, Black & Say’s Phoebes, Bewick’s & House Wrens, Common Yellowthroat, Spotted & California Towhees, Song Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, Lesser & American Goldfinches.

Bird Lists for January-June 2011
Bird Lists for January-June 2010
Adult Walk 8:30 a.m. – Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours. Species range from 40 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter. Over the bridges, down to the shore, and if the lagoon outlet is closed, around the lagoon to Adamson House. We put out special effort to make our monthly Malibu Lagoon walks attractive to first-time and beginning birdwatchers. So please, if you are at all worried about coming on a trip and embarrassing yourself because of all the experts, we remember our first trips too. Someone had to show us the birds, and it’s our turn now.

Children and Parents Walk 10:00 a.m. – One hour session. We start at 10:00 for a shorter walk and to allow time for families to get it together on a sleepy Sunday morning. We will have kid-experienced leaders so please bring the kids to the beach! We have an ample supply of binoculars that children can use without striking terror into their parents – we want to see families enjoying nature. (If you have a Scout Troop or other large group of kids please call Mary (310-457-2240) to make sure we have enough binoculars.)

Directions: Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road. We meet in the traditional place, at the first footbridge on the main trail to the beach. (The bridges will be there for the foreseeable future). Parking in the official lagoon lot is $12+ or by annual pass. You may also park either along PCH north of Cross Creek Road or on Cross Creek Road itself but be careful – some parts of PCH are off-limits (read the signs carefully). Lagoon parking in the shopping center lot is not permitted.
Map to Meeting Place
*************************

Evening Meeting – Tuesday, 7 February, 7:30 p.m.
Owls of Southern California, with Lance Benner

Western Roof-Owl in its right-looking behavioral morph

Everything you ever wanted to know about our local owls, and more, presented by local owl specialist, Lance Benner.

Directions: We meet at the Ken Edwards Center, 1527 4th Street (between Colorado and Broadway), Santa Monica, located on the east side of the street across from Santa Monica Place indoor mall, easily accessible from the 4th Street offramp of the westbound #10 Freeway.
Meetings begin at 7:30 sharp with a little business, and then our main presentation.  Refreshments will be served.  We meet on the first floor – the room number will be posted.
Parking:  Parking under the building has become difficult in recent months. Metered spaces are free after 6:00 p.m., and there are numerous free Visitor Parking spaces on the lower levels.  However, shoppers visiting the mall across the street have begun parking there and it has become very difficult for those actually using the center to park there.  You may have to find street parking or use the city parking structures ($5 flat rate).
Link to real-time Santa Monica Parking map 
Map to Meeting Place
*******************************
[Chuck Almdale]

“The Big Year” movie

I’m sure that by now everyone has heard of this movie, starring Jack Black, Steve Martin and Owen Wilson.
I was a bit reluctant to see it as I had heard it isn’t really a ‘birding movie’ – whatever that is – but is a relationship movie, which all-too-often means “chick flick,” with lots of soap suds and soggy handkerchiefs.

Lillian and I – with non-birding friend in tow – saw this move a couple of days ago and we all liked it. Yes, human relationships are important to the movie, but it definitely is also a ‘birding movie.’ I detected a number of sight and verbal gags that I think only a birder would get.

I’ve always wondered what Attu looked like, and I assuming that the scenes set there were actually filmed there. But maybe not. It looked spectacular and very much like the descriptions I’ve read about it. Back in my early years of birding I though about going there and picking up some of those great Asian birds blown in on the winds. Once I read about the Quonset hut housing and birding conditions, I decided I’d rather see the birds in Asia, where they belong, and never made it to Attu.  [JoAnne, commenting later on our Facebook page, advises that 'Attu' was really Yukon Territory, as filming in Attu was far too expensive. Ah well.  Still beautiful.]

There were lots of other great shots and scenery, places I’ve been and places I’ve heard about. The Brownsville Dump. Pelagic birding and grinding up ‘chum’ with “Annie Auklet” (aka Debra Shearwater).  The pursuit of the Himilayan Snowcock in the Ruby Mtns. of Nevada was very reminiscent of our trip there just last year, except that our feet always stayed on the ground.

As someone said on BIRDCHAT, “It’s probably not the best film you will see this year, but it definitely is the best birding film you will ever see.”  It’s funny, it’s bittersweet. There were ‘birding moments’ when I thought, “Oh yeah, right! I’ll just bet!” (Such as that particular woodpecker who will remain unnamed.)  There were ‘relationship moments’ when I cringed and thought, “NO! Don’t do that! Big mistake!”  (When it comes to movies, I’ve never been accused of the inability to ‘suspend disbelief.”)

Sad to say, there were only 10 of us in the theater on a Saturday afternoon.  I hope these comments whetted your appetite for the movie. I recommend this film to all birders, novice or experienced, as well as to those who know and love birders but can’t figure out the obsession.  I suggest that you see it soon, before it disappears from the theaters.  [Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 23 October, 2011

SMBAS Links:    Website     Blog     Facebook

Fog and cool temperatures of 59° – 64° didn’t keep the surfers or the birders away. You could tell that that birding movie was now playing in the theaters as several passersby asked if we were working on a “Big Year.” No one was.

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Birds always look a bit strange in the gray light which fog brings, and this had something to do with our difficulty with one duck. It started as a Cinnamon Teal, morphed into an American Wigeon, then morphed again into a Eurasian Wigeon, a rarity at the lagoon. It looked like a rufous morph female to me, according to my handy NGS Field Guide.  A few minutes later, someone said that it had been reported on the web (LACoBirds@yahoogroups.com), and sure enough when I got home, there it was, a female EuWi reported 10/22 as having been seen on 10/21 by Cal Yorke & Guy McCaskie.  My records show 3 previous EuWi at the lagoon, all singletons: a bird that stayed from  1/18/81 to at least 3/8/81, one on 11/24/91 and one on 4/24/94. So far this current bird has been there at least 3 days and chances are (based on this extremely small sample of 3 birds) 33% that it’ll stay around for a while.  [Link to Cal Yorke's 10/21 report, with pictures.]

Eurasian Wigeon - female (Callyn Yorke 10/21/11)

We had a few more new faces: Ken, Dawn, Grace & Daniel, and Femi. Clara, new last month, returned, busily recording her sightings onto a thin rectangular electronic device, which I’ve been told is some sort of telephone.  News to me.  What’s next? Recorded bird calls you can dial up?

Notable among the many birds were the flocks of Black-bellied Plover which kept coming in and flying out. I guesstimated 700 total but it could easily have been well over 1000.  Down on the mud, hiding among the ‘Black-bellies’ were 3 Black Turnstone, which show up just about ½ as often as do Ruddy Turnstone, 10 of which were also present. If you go birding in England, our Ruddy Turnstone is known as “The Turnstone”.  I don’t know who Mr. The was, but there are an awful lot of British birds named after him.  And yes, as we are often asked, Turnstones are aptly named, as they often do flip over pebbles to see if anyone edible hides underneath.  Two Dunlin also showed up, wandering among the plovers and Killdeer.

The recent rain (with perhaps some help from the Surfers’ Midnight Shovel Brigade) opened up a channel through the west end of the beach. The water level was very low and dropping with the tide, so a great deal of mud was exposed throughout the lagoon and channels.  We did manage to find a couple of Virginia Rail and at least one Sora, who was very vocal, calling all morning at regular intervals.  The beach channel prevented us from reaching the Snowy Plover winter roost site and doing a census, but I did manage to find 5 of them at great distance through the telescope.

Malibu winterer Snowy Plover GG:AR (Cal Yorke 10/21/11)

Also notable were raptors: 2 Red-tailed Hawk perched in a dead tree across the road from the Adamson House, 1 Osprey which flew up-canyon, then back down-canyon about ½ hour later, and one each of Peregrine Falcon and Merlin, both of which – at different times – did very fast flybys of the lagoon.  Lagoon birds usually panic into flight when a Peregrine comes by, but they didn’t seem to notice this one.

Our next three field trips: Butterbredt Spring Campout – 29/30 October; Malibu Creek State Park – 12 November, Malibu Lagoon 27 November.
Our next program: Tuesday, 1 November – A Century of Change in Bird Life in Los Angeles, presented by Kimball Garrett.
Reminders will be emailed from the blog.

As a reminder to those coming to our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk, it meets at the beach trail footbridge closest to the parking lot.

Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists: Jan-June’11, July-Dec ’10, Jan-June ’10, Jul-Dec ‘09, and Jan-June ‘09.
[Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Census 2011	24-Jul	28-Aug	25-Sep	23-Oct
Temperature	65-72	72 – 81	61-69	59-64
Tide Height	+2.61	+5.03	+5.33	+5.40
Low/High &Time	L:0947	H:0942	H:0830	H:0178
Gadwall			10	6
Eurasian Wigeon				1
American Wigeon			3
Mallard	54	60	48	25
Blue-winged Teal				2
Northern Shoveler			10	12
Green-winged Teal				2
Ruddy Duck	2	5	8
Pacific Loon				1
Common Loon				1
Pied-billed Grebe	4	15	13	4
Eared Grebe			5	3
Western Grebe				10
Brandt’s Cormorant		3	1	3
Dble-crstd Cormorant	31	48	47	32
Pelagic Cormorant	1	3	2	1
Brown Pelican	407	77	60	12
Great Blue Heron	6	3	2	3
Great Egret	4	2	2	2
Snowy Egret	11	15	23	26
Green Heron			1
Blk-crwnd N-Heron	11	4	12
Osprey		1		1
Red-tailed Hawk		2		2
Merlin				1
Peregrine Falcon			1	1
Virginia Rail			1	2
Sora			3	1
American Coot	20	75	410	370
Blk-bellied Plover	4	46	40	700
Snowy Plover	13	36	62	5
Semipalmated Plover	2	4
Killdeer	2	8	6	15
Black Oystercatcher				2
Black-necked Stilt			1
Spotted Sandpiper		2	2	3
Wandering Tattler		1
Willet		4	7	10
Whimbrel		41	26	28
Marbled Godwit		2	2
Ruddy Turnstone	7	4	7	10
Black Turnstone	1			3
Sanderling		15	3
Western Sandpiper	2	11		1
Least Sandpiper	1	6	3	16
Dunlin				2
Long-billed Dowitcher			2	2
Red-necked Phalarope		7
Heermann’s Gull	41	24	15	14
Ring-billed Gull	1		7	18
Western Gull	107	146	66	80
California Gull		8	16	120
Herring Gull			1
Least Tern	13
Caspian Tern	3	12
Common Tern	1
Forster’s Tern		3
Royal Tern		18	15	1
Elegant Tern	8	36	4
Black Skimmer	1	1
Rock Pigeon	6	5	5	4
Mourning Dove	3	2	2	2
Vaux’s Swift			100
Anna’s Hummingbird	3	4	3	2
Allen’s Hummingbird	3		2	2
Belted Kingfisher		2	1	2
Nuttall’s Woodpecker		1
Western Wood-Pewee			1
Black Phoebe	8	10	6	10
Say’s Phoebe			1	2
Cassin’s Kingbird			1
Western Kingbird	1	4
Western Scrub-Jay				2
American Crow	4	3	2	4
Rough-wingd Swallow	20	22	1
Barn Swallow	18	45	30
Cliff Swallow	25	2
Oak Titmouse		2
Bushtit	8	6	6	20
Bewick’s Wren	1	1	1	1
House Wren			1	1
Wrentit	1
Northern Mockingbird	2	3	2	2
European Starling	38	20	23	60
Ornge-crwnd Warbler			1
Yellow-rumpd Warbler				8
Common Yellowthroat	1	8	5	9
Wilson’s Warbler		1	2
California Towhee	3		1
Savannah Sparrow			1
Song Sparrow	1	5	3	4
White-crwnd Sparrow				18
Bobolink			1
Red-winged Blackbird	17	32	18
Brewer’s Blackbird				2
Great-tailed Grackle	3	5	12	8
Brwn-headed Cowbird	6
Hooded Oriole	6
House Finch	4	8	12	5
Lesser Goldfinch		4	2	1
Totals by Type	July	Aug	Sep	Oct
Waterfowl	56	65	79	48
Water Birds-Other	463	221	542	440
Herons, Egrets	32	24	40	31
Quail & Raptors	0	3	1	5
Shorebirds	32	187	161	797
Gulls & Terns	175	248	124	233
Doves	9	7	7	6
Other Non-Pass.	6	7	106	6
Passerines	167	181	133	157
Totals Birds	940	943	1193	1723
Total Species	July	Aug	Sep	Oct
Waterfowl	2	2	5	6
Water Birds-Other	5	6	9	12
Herons, Egrets	4	4	5	3
Quail & Raptors	0	2	1	4
Shorebirds	8	14	12	13
Gulls & Terns	8	8	7	5
Doves	2	2	2	2
Other Non-Pass.	2	3	4	3
Passerines	19	18	23	17
Totals Species – 100	50	59	68	65