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August Algae at Malibu Lagoon, 25 August, 2019
Short-billed Dowitchers – note the rufous inner markings on the scapular feathers
(G. Murayama 8/23/19)
The morning was a bit overcast but quite warm at Malibu Lagoon as we observed return-trippers from the north.
Ruddy Turnstone strolls the lagoon shore (G. Murayama 8/9/19)
Few surprises, no ducks to speak of, and a considerable amount of surface algae – the largest amount this observer has seen since the 2012-13 reconfiguration of the lagoon. This is probably because the outflow has stopped and there has been very little offshore wind.
Red-necked Phalarope in the algae (G. Murayama 8/16/19)
Our flock of Snowy Plovers is still low at 14.
Western Snowy Plover banded bb:go (G Murayama 8/16/19)
There were migrant visitors of note: a Long-billed Curlew and a small group of Red-necked Phalarope. Our attendance was down slightly also because of numerous regulars on vacation birding elsewhere in the world. [Lucien Plauzoles]
Male Ruddy Ducks getting feisty (L. Loeher 8/9/19)
A little later in the month…
Not a volcano in Malibu but a brush fire (G. Murayama 8/30/19)
There was a fire at Malibu, up the slope and east of the lagoon. Fire season in the Los Angeles area usually starts a bit later.
Water drop on the fire (L. Loeher 8/30/19)
Birds new for the season: Ruddy Turnstone, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Elegant Tern, Bewick’s Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler.
Many thanks to our photographers: Larry Loeher & Grace Murayama.
White-faced Ibis in a glossy glow
(G. Murayama 8/16/19)
Our next three scheduled field trips: Coastal Cleanup Day at Malibu Lagoon 9am – Noon, Sat. 21 September; Malibu Lagoon 8:30 & 10am, 22 September; Huntington Beach Central Park 8am, Sat 12 October.
Our next program: Birds, Bees and Butterflies: Native Planting in Your Yard, presented by Connie Day & Lili Singer. Tuesday, 1 October, 7:30 p.m., Chris Reed Park, 1133 7th St., NE corner of 7th and Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk meets at the shaded viewpoint just south (towards the water) of the parking area. Watch for Willie the Weasel. He’ll be watching for you and your big floppy feet.
Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon recently updated with new photos
9/23/02 Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon
Prior checklists:
2019: Jan-June
2017: Jan-June, July-Dec 2018: Jan-June, July-Dec
2016: Jan-June, July-Dec 2015: Jan-May, July-Dec
2014: Jan-July, July-Dec 2013: Jan-June, July-Dec
2012: Jan-June, July -Dec 2011: Jan-June, July-Dec
2010: Jan-June, July-Dec 2009: Jan-June, July-Dec.
The 10-year comparison summaries created during the Lagoon Reconfiguration Project period, despite numerous complaints, remain available on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page. Very briefly summarized, the results unexpectedly indicate that avian species diversification and numbers improved slightly during the restoration period June’12-June’14.
| Malibu Census 2019 | 3/24 | 4/28 | 5/26 | 6/23 | 7/28 | 8/28 |
| Temperature | 55-64 | 62-66 | 57-59 | 63-68 | 62-66 | 72-78 |
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | L-0.05 | H+3.86 | L+0.66 | L+0.55 | H+3.46 | H+3.39 |
| Tide Time | 0638 | 0546 | 1040 | 0835 | 0817 | 0725 |
| Canada Goose | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| Cinnamon Teal | 2 | |||||
| Northern Shoveler | 1 | |||||
| Gadwall | 18 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 18 | |
| American Wigeon | 15 | |||||
| Mallard | 14 | 30 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Red-breasted Merganser | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Eared Grebe | 1 | |||||
| Rock Pigeon | 15 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 5 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 2 | 4 | ||||
| Mourning Dove | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Allen’s Hummingbird | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| American Coot | 55 | 5 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Black-necked Stilt | 2 | |||||
| Black-bellied Plover | 14 | 36 | 72 | |||
| Snowy Plover | 14 | 2 | 11 | 14 | ||
| Semipalmated Plover | 9 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Killdeer | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Whimbrel | 55 | 4 | 85 | 15 | ||
| Long-billed Curlew | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Marbled Godwit | 15 | 20 | 1 | 17 | ||
| Ruddy Turnstone | 2 | |||||
| Sanderling | 4 | |||||
| Least Sandpiper | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Western Sandpiper | 4 | 1 | 17 | |||
| Short-billed Dowitcher | 3 | |||||
| Spotted Sandpiper | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Willet | 9 | 4 | 15 | 16 | ||
| Red-necked Phalarope | 5 | |||||
| Common Murre | 2 | |||||
| Bonaparte’s Gull | 1 | |||||
| Heermann’s Gull | 2 | 2 | 15 | 2 | ||
| Ring-billed Gull | 25 | 10 | 15 | 8 | ||
| Western Gull | 30 | 95 | 125 | 70 | 80 | 18 |
| California Gull | 22 | 45 | 7 | 2 | ||
| Herring Gull | 1 | |||||
| Glaucous-winged Gull | 1 | |||||
| Least Tern | 2 | 12 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Caspian Tern | 2 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Royal Tern | 65 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Elegant Tern | 43 | 230 | 165 | 64 | ||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Double-crested Cormorant | 60 | 23 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Brown Pelican | 65 | 58 | 108 | 74 | 34 | 6 |
| Great Blue Heron | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Great Egret | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Snowy Egret | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 11 |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Nuttall’s Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | ||||
| American Kestrel | 1 | |||||
| Peregrine Falcon | 2 | |||||
| Nanday Parakeet | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Black Phoebe | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| California Scrub-Jay | 1 | 1 | ||||
| American Crow | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Violet-green Swallow | 1 | |||||
| Rough-winged Swallow | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
| Cliff Swallow | 1 | 6 | 8 | 11 | ||
| Barn Swallow | 3 | 15 | 14 | 30 | 21 | 7 |
| Bushtit | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 20 |
| Marsh Wren | 1 | |||||
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | |||||
| Wrentit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| American Robin | 1 | |||||
| Northern Mockingbird | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| European Starling | 15 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 8 | |
| House Finch | 8 | 18 | 8 | 22 | 25 | 3 |
| California Towhee | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Song Sparrow | 10 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 9 | |||||
| Hooded Oriole | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 2 | 15 | ||||
| Great-tailed Grackle | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Yellow-rumped(Aud) Warbler | 2 | |||||
| Totals by Type | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Waterfowl | 53 | 40 | 41 | 44 | 42 | 18 |
| Water Birds – Other | 184 | 83 | 138 | 103 | 61 | 32 |
| Herons, Egrets & Ibis | 9 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 27 | 21 |
| Quail & Raptors | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Shorebirds | 122 | 56 | 4 | 6 | 162 | 172 |
| Gulls & Terns | 189 | 400 | 334 | 87 | 111 | 107 |
| Doves | 21 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 7 |
| Other Non-Passerines | 7 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 2 |
| Passerines | 63 | 88 | 63 | 107 | 130 | 84 |
| Totals Birds | 650 | 703 | 617 | 398 | 570 | 444 |
| Total Species | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Waterfowl | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Water Birds – Other | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Herons, Egrets & Ibis | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Quail & Raptors | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Shorebirds | 8 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 14 |
| Gulls & Terns | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Doves | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Other Non-Passerines | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Passerines | 17 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 17 |
| Totals Species | 55 | 54 | 33 | 41 | 46 | 52 |
How Lice Turn Your Hair Into Their Jungle Gym | Deep Look Video
Why are itchy lice so tough to get rid of and how do they spread like wildfire? They have huge claws that hook on hair perfectly, as they crawl quickly from head to head.
This is another installment of the PBS Deep Look series; this installment is adapted from the “It’s OK to be Smart” series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
Birds, Bees and Butterflies: Native Planting in Your Yard with Connie Day & Lili Singer – Evening Meeting: Tuesday, 1 October, 7:30 p.m.
Cloudless Sulfur Chrysalis and Caterpillar on Cassia (Connie Day 9-28-15)
Birds thrive where they find native plants and the nectar, seeds, and insects that feed on those plants. Native plants have their needs too. In our area October is the prime time to think about putting them in our yards. This talk offers steps for planning and using natives that attract wildlife, support pollinators, and provide garden interest throughout the year.
Connie Day has been rearing butterflies and gardening with California native plants for 25 years. Mentored by our own Margaret Huffman, she has been a Native Plant Garden Tour host for the past three years.
Lili Singer is an award-winning horticulturist, educator, and garden writer, and is the Theodore Payne Foundation’s Director of Special Projects. A Los Angeles native, she published and edited two periodicals, The Southern California Gardener and The Gardener’s Companion, and for more than a decade hosted The Garden Show, a live call-in radio program on KCRW-FM. In 1997 Lili was named Horticulturist of the Year by the Southern California Horticultural Society, an honor bestowed upon Theodore Payne in 1952.
Front Yard Swale (Connie Day 4-15-13)
Our meetings are at Christine Emerson Reed Park, 1133 7th Street. (between 7th St. & Lincoln Blvd., California Ave. & Wilshire Blvd.), Santa Monica. Previously known as Lincoln Park. If coming from outside Santa Monica, exit the #10 Fwy at Lincoln Blvd., turn north and drive 5 blocks north to Wilshire Blvd.
Meeting Room: Mid-park in Joslyn Hall, accessible from Lincoln Blvd, California Ave. and 7th St. Its glass wall faces north towards St. Monica Church on California St. If you’re walking from Lincoln Blvd., it’s located directly behind (west) of the large Miles Playhouse building. Not accessible directly from Wilshire Blvd.
Meetings begin at 7:30 sharp with a little business, and then our main presentation. Refreshments are served afterward. Please leave your coyote at home, however much they whine to come.
Parking: The entire block between Wilshire Blvd. and California Ave, 7th St. and Lincoln Blvd., on the sides closest to the park, is metered. $2/hour meter enforcement (except on Wilshire) ends at 6PM, so free parking for the meeting! However, the local natives are engaged in a survival-of-the-fittest scramble for free parking, so the after-6pm free parking spaces disappear quickly. We suggest that you arrive no later than 7:15 pm.
If all those spaces are filled, we found free parking as follows:
California Ave. between 6th and 7th
9th St. north of Wilshire Blvd.
10th St. north of California Ave.
Washington Ave. (next street north of and parallel to California)
If that fails, go south of Wilshire, not north of the park, as resident-only permit parking zones abound to the north. The east side of Lincoln Blvd. across from the park is by permit parking only. Spaces are more available on 7th St. or Lincoln south of Wilshire. Some of those are “until 9PM” meters also. You may need a flashlight to read & operate the meter. Wherever you park, please read parking signs carefully and avoid a big fat $40+ parking ticket. [Chuck Almdale]
American Lady Adult on Red Buckwheat (Connie Day 12-11-16)
