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Madrona Marsh Field Trip reminder: Saturday, 14 February, 8 AM
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Madrona Marsh is very birdy and it’s close to Santa Monica. During Jan 1 – Feb 4, 2026, 69 species were reported including: 10 waterfowl; Wilson’s Snipe (yes! Snipe!); 6 raptors and falcons; 2 parakeets, 4 flycatchers; 2 wrens; 5 warblers; 6 sparrows including Golden-crowned & Lincoln’s; Cedar Waxwing, Scaly-breasted Munia, Swinhoe’s White-eye, plus many of the “usual suspects.” See eBird.
Trip report & list for last year: Madrona Feb’25
(Ray Juncosa 2-8-25)
The ground may be damp. Wear suitable footgear.
We think it won’t be raining. At the rate this winter is going, it could be hot. Dress in easily removable layers.
NOAA forecast for Feb 14 (as of Thurs. 1pm Feb. 4): None yet available.
Madrona Marsh Preserve is located in Torrance. Although it lacks a built-in water source, it has a near-permanent pond and when winter and spring rains fall, water accumulates to sustain a “vernal” marsh and provides a resting spot for migrating birds which is probably why people are finding lots of birds there. It is a remnant of what used to be an extensive system of “back-dune marshes” and vernal pools in this part of Southern California which – until the late 1800’s – was wintering ground for millions – yes, millions!– of wildfowl. That’s the sort of habitat that can occur when you don’t have twenty million people crammed together. It is designated a Significant Ecological Area, and it is an easy, level walk.
Meeting time: 8:00 AM in preserve parking lot.
Leader: Jean Garrett.
Questions: Field Trip Chair – 213-522-0062
Address of Madrona Marsh: 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, 90505
Directions: San Diego Fwy (I-405) south to Crenshaw Blvd. Proceed south to West Carson Ave, turn right on Carson to Maple Ave, left on Maple to Plaza del Amo, right on Plaza Del Amo and then right into parking lot, opposite the park entrance. Meet in the parking lot. Don’t get lost! If you arrive early and the twitching begins in anticipation of hot birding, there are often many birds, including some of the exotics and rarities, in and under the trees right around the entrance gate and parking lot.
Suggestion: Dress in layers, wear hat, bring water and snack.
Friends of Madrona Marsh – includes small map
[Jean Garrett]
Mountain Chickadees as the climate “canary in the coal mine” | Science News Magazine
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
A ‘canary in the coal mine’ for climate change in the Sierra Nevada mountains
Article by Benjamin Sonnenberg, Nevada Today, 30 Jan 2024.
From the article lede
Wet snow pelts my face and pulls against my skis as I climb above 8,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California, tugging a sled loaded with batteries, bolts, wire and 40 pounds of sunflower seeds critical to our mountain chickadee research.
As we reach the remote research site, I duck under a tarp and open a laptop. A chorus of identification numbers are shouted back and forth as fellow behavioral ecologist Vladimir Pravosudov and I program “smart” bird feeders for an upcoming experiment.
I have spent the past six years monitoring a population of mountain chickadees here, tracking their life cycles and, importantly, their memory, working in a system Pravosudov established in 2013. The long, consistent record from this research site has allowed us to observe how chickadees survive in extreme winter snowfall and to identify ecological patterns and changes.
Magpies fortifying their nests with metal “antibird” spikes | Science News Magazine
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
In a ‘perfect comeback,’ some birds use antibird spikes to build their nests.
Article by Luis Melecio-Zambrano at Science News Magazine, 17 July 2023.
Some Eurasian magpies and Carrion Crows may use the spikes as they were originally intended — to ward off other birds. It’s the Mad Max dream of a bird’s nest: A menacing composite of metal, clay, twig and plastic.
Spotted in a sugar maple tree in Antwerp, Belgium, the gnarly architecture brims with at least 1,500 long, sharp antibird spikes pointing out from its center. “That is really like a bunker for birds,” says biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra. “Like this fortress which cannot be taken.”
This article contains links to other interesting articles.
Many other sources carried similar articles.
Science – 12 Jul 2023
The Guardian – 11 Jul 2023
Audubon – 13 Jul 2023
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Sumatran orangutans start crafting their engineering skills as infants
At six months old, human infants are still working on sitting up by themselves. But baby orangutans at that age are already developing their engineering skills. This is not innate, they are taught.
Article by Elizabeth Anne Brown at Science News Magazine, 17 May 2024.
If human children were this smart, maybe they could build their own child-sized furniture from Ikea.
The largest known genome belongs to a tiny fern
The plant can fit in your hand, but its genome is over 50 times the size of the human genome, or 160 billion base pairs compared to 3.2 billion. One wonders what all those genes are up to?
Article by Jake Buehler at Science News Magazine, 31 May 2024.
Both articles contains links to other interesting articles.
Madrona Marsh Field Trip: 14 February, 8 AM
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Madrona Marsh is very birdy and it’s close to Santa Monica. During Jan 1 – Feb 4, 2026, 69 species were reported including: 10 waterfowl; Wilson’s Snipe (yes! Snipe!); 6 raptors and falcons; 2 parakeets, 4 flycatchers; 2 wrens; 5 warblers; 6 sparrows including Golden-crowned & Lincoln’s; Cedar Waxwing, Scaly-breasted Munia, Swinhoe’s White-eye, plus many of the “usual suspects.” See eBird.
Trip report & list for last year: Madrona Feb’25
(Ray Juncosa 2-8-25)
The ground may be damp. Wear suitable footgear.
We think it won’t be raining. At the rate this winter is going, it could be hot. Dress in layers.
NOAA forecast for Feb 14 (as of Thurs. 1pm Feb. 4): None yet available.
Madrona Marsh Preserve is located in Torrance. Although it lacks a built-in water source, it has a near-permanent pond and when winter and spring rains fall, water accumulates to sustain a “vernal” marsh and provides a resting spot for migrating birds which is probably why people are finding lots of birds there. It is a remnant of what used to be an extensive system of “back-dune marshes” and vernal pools in this part of Southern California which – until the late 1800’s – was wintering ground for millions – yes, millions!– of wildfowl. That’s the sort of habitat that can occur when you don’t have twenty million people crammed together. It is designated a Significant Ecological Area, and it is an easy, level walk.
Meeting time: 8:00 AM in preserve parking lot.
Leader: Jean Garrett.
Questions: Field Trip Chair – 213-522-0062
Address of Madrona Marsh: 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, 90505
Directions: San Diego Fwy (I-405) south to Crenshaw Blvd. Proceed south to West Carson Ave, turn right on Carson to Maple Ave, left on Maple to Plaza del Amo, right on Plaza Del Amo and then right into parking lot, opposite the park entrance. Meet in the parking lot. Don’t get lost! If you arrive early and the twitching begins in anticipation of hot birding, there are often many birds, including some of the exotics and rarities, in and under the trees right around the entrance gate and parking lot.
Suggestion: Dress in layers, wear hat, bring water and snack.
Friends of Madrona Marsh – includes small map
[Jean Garrett]
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 