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No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
[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]
The recording of this program from 3 February 2026
is now available online.
Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica, with Alvaro Jaramillo.
It may take 30 seconds to boot up. If you want to turn the closed captioning off, click the ‘CC’ button at lower right.
There is no greater wilderness than the Southern Ocean! If you take the globe and look at it from the south pole, there is a huge amount of water there encircling Antarctica, between it and the southern points of the continents and major islands. Seabirds, whales, fish, seals, move through these waters, some like the Wandering Albatross unimpeded by land. The albatross may circle the globe at these latitudes many times in their life. There are islands with hundreds of thousand of penguins, millions of prions (a small seabird) and astounding numbers of fur seals, elephant seals and whales. It is just spellbinding, and these areas are too far away for large cities to have sprung up, at the most some of these islands have a small town or perhaps no one at all on them. The distance you have to travel to get there, the lack of “civilization” and the incredible numbers of birds and other animals is what makes the Southern Ocean so enticing for the naturalist.
Alvaro will talk about some of the wonderful birds and wildlife of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, as well as South America. Places like South Georgia, the Chatham Islands, Macquarie and of course the Antarctic Peninsula. Some of the places and wildlife you see here are life changing, and he hopes to convey the wonder and beauty that the far south has for you to see.
Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of international birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. For some time, Alvaro wrote the Identify Yourself column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. He is author of a major New World sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World (now Birds of the World), and the new ABA Field Guide to Birds of California. He was granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York, which is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.
Alvaro’s Podcast
Along with his birding compatriots-in-binoculars George Armistead and Mollee Brown, Alvaro also hosts the podcast Life List, which they describe as: Birdy. Proudly nerdy. Detailed. Not-so-subtly obsessive. We delve into all things birding and birding culture. Join us for light-hearted conversations on birds, conservation, travel, and more. Available on the link just above, or – as they say – wherever you get your podcasts.
Link to all SMBAS Zoom Recordings
A creepy face from the depths | BBC Discover
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Just go take a look. It really is weird. A good example of Pareidolia.
Article by Stuart Blackman at BBC Discover, 21 Jan 2026.
Article contains links to other interesting articles.
Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica, with Alvaro Jaramillo: Zoom Evening Meeting Reminder, Tuesday, 3 February, 7:30 p.m.
You are all invited to the next ZOOM meeting
of Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society
Birding the Southern Oceans and Antactica, with Alvaro Jaramillo.
Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 3 February, 7:30 p.m.
Zoom waiting room opens 7:15 p.m.
There is no greater wilderness than the Southern Ocean! If you take the globe and look at it from the south pole, there is a huge amount of water there encircling Antarctica, between it and the southern points of the continents and major islands. Seabirds, whales, fish, seals, move through these waters, some like the Wandering Albatross unimpeded by land. The albatross may circle the globe at these latitudes many times in their life. There are islands with hundreds of thousand of penguins, millions of prions (a small seabird) and astounding numbers of fur seals, elephant seals and whales. It is just spellbinding, and these areas are too far away for large cities to have sprung up, at the most some of these islands have a small town or perhaps no one at all on them. The distance you have to travel to get there, the lack of “civilization” and the incredible numbers of birds and other animals is what makes the Southern Ocean so enticing for the naturalist.
I will talk about some of the wonderful birds and wildlife of the subantarctic islands of New Zealand, as well as South America. Places like South Georgia, the Chatham Islands, Macquarie and of course the Antarctic Peninsula. Some of the places and wildlife you see here are life changing, and hopefully I can convey the wonder and beauty that the far south has for you to see.
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Alvaro Jaramillo, owner of international birding tour company Alvaro’s Adventures, was born in Chile but began birding in Toronto, where he lived as a youth. He was trained in ecology and evolution with a particular interest in bird behavior. Research forays and backpacking trips introduced Alvaro to the riches of the Neotropics, where he has traveled extensively. He is the author of the Birds of Chile, an authoritative yet portable field guide to Chile’s birds. For some time, Alvaro wrote the Identify Yourself column in Bird Watcher’s Digest. He is author of a major New World sparrow chapter for the Handbook of Birds of the World (now Birds of the World), and the new ABA Field Guide to Birds of California. He was granted the Eisenmann Medal by the Linnaean Society of New York, which is awarded occasionally for excellence in ornithology and encouragement of the amateur. He organizes and leads international birding tours, as well as a full schedule of pelagic trips in central California. Alvaro lives with his family in Half Moon Bay, California.
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