Free email delivery
Please sign up for email delivery in the subscription area to the right.
No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
(Chris Tosdevin 6-22-25)
Always the 4th (not last) Sunday of the month, 8:30am & 10 am
Pacific Coast Highway: There are reportedly lane closures for fire recovery work this weekend. PCH from Temescal Canyon Rd to Sunset Blvd has a reduced speed limit of 35 mph, and from Sunset Blvd to Carbon Beach Terrace PCH has a 25 mph speed limit. Watch for workers & vehicles. (Active work on Sunday morning at 8am? That’s debatable.)
Special Attractions: Like dinosaurs? Want to see a dinosaur? Then come to Malibu Lagoon. Birds are small dinosaurs, we now know, once rulers of the world, now the last of their kind! Think about that the next time one approaches you, grinning and sparkly-eyed, looking for a handout. At least they lost their pointy teeth somewhere alongside their path of evolution.
Some of the great birds we’ve had in June are:
Brant, Canada Goose, Gadwall, Red-breasted Merganser, Ruddy Duck, White-throated Swift, Anna’s & Allen’s Hummingbirds, Black-necked Stilt, Black-bellied & Snowy Plovers, Killdeer, Hudsonian Whimbrel, Wilson’s Phalarope, Black Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Least & Western Sandpiper, Common Murre, Heermann’s Gull, Least & Caspian Terns, Black-crowned Night Heron, Little Blue Heron, White-tailed Kite, Red-tailed Hawk, Cassin’s Kingbird, Rough-winged, Barn & Cliff Swallows, Mockingbird, House Finch, Song Sparrow, California Towhee, Hooded & Bullock’s Orioles, TRed-winged Blackbird, Great-tailed Grackle, and Common Yellowthroat.
Weather prediction as of 24 June
Temp: 60-63°F; Wind 7-10 mph from South; Sky Cover: 62% > 50%
Tide: Rising from very low: Low: -0.51 ft. @ 3:57am High: +3.35 ft. @ 10:34am
May 24 trip report link
Adult Walk 8:30 a.m., 4th Sunday of every month. Adults, teens and children you deem mature enough to be with adults. Beginners and experienced, 2-3 hours, meeting at the metal-shaded viewing area between parking lot and channel. Species range from 35 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter. We move slowly and check everything as we move along. When lagoon outlet is closed we may continue east 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 showed us the birds; now it’s our turn. Bring your birding questions.
Children and Parents Walk, 10:00 a.m., 4th Sunday of every month: One hour session, meeting at the metal-shaded viewing area between parking lot and channel. We start at 10:00 for a shorter walk and to allow time for families to get it together on a sleepy Sunday morning. Our leaders are experienced with kids so please bring them 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 group of more than seven people, you must call Jean (213-522-0062) to make sure we have enough binoculars, docents and sand.) It’s a good idea to call Jean anyway so she knows to expect you. If you’re late, they’re probably heading towards the beach.
Directions: Malibu Lagoon – street address is 3999 Cross Creek Rd. – is at the stoplighted intersection of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) and Cross Creek Road, just west of Malibu Pier and the bridge, 15 miles west of Santa Monica via PCH. Turn towards the ocean at the stoplight, opposite the Shell station. We gather in the metal-shaded pavilion area near the parking lot. Look around for people wearing binoculars and hats. Do NOT go to 23200 PCH, the address for Adamson House, east of Malibu Creek bridge, and a 5-10 minute walk away, plus 20-40 minutes to get into their surfer-packed parking lot.
Parking: Parking machine in the lagoon lot near our meeting area: 1 hr $3; 2 hrs $6; 3 hrs $9, all day $12 ($11 seniors); credit cards accepted. Annual passes accepted. You may also park (read the signs carefully) either along PCH west of Cross Creek Road, on Cross Creek Road, or on Civic Center Way north (inland) of the shopping center. Lagoon parking in shopping center lots is not permitted.
[Written & posted by Chuck Almdale]
Birders, How to park for free (almost) at Malibu Lagoon
[By Lu Plazoules]
It’s not easy these days to park at State Parks near a big city. Parking can cost $12 or more depending on where you want to go bird-watching. I’m a senior and my cost-of-living increases don’t seem to be keeping up with the price of gas (among other items) this year. So here are my solutions for a an inexpensive time at our local State Parks.
1. Advantages of getting old
If you are 62 or above, you can apply for the “Senior Golden Bear” pass from California State Parks. I have had one of these $20 +/- passes for years and I’ve used all the options for obtaining it. You can download an application, print it out on paper, send it in with a copy of your CA Driver License, and wait…especially if you’ve sent in a check with the application. Or you can get it online with a credit card and a pdf or jpeg of your ID (this never worked for me.) The option to use a credit card may be faster, but two years ago, I waited six weeks and then got billed twice for it, and got two passes from two different State Park offices.
By far the most reliable way to score this gem of a deal is to get it in person from the LA District office at Malibu Creek State Park. Just make sure that you call in advance at 310-457-8144 to ensure they have passes on hand and what hours they will be available. Theoretically the passes are available starting in December of the year preceding, however, there have been glaring exceptions. [This year they did not arrive at MCSP until mid-January.] The pass is valid at most State Parks from January through the Friday of Memorial Day Weekend, then the day after Labor Day through the end of the calendar year. Well worth the drive to the Malibu crest. And you can go birding there with your new pass right away!
The office where you get them is near the front gate: turn left just past the front gate fence, drive about 1/20th mile, if that, and [legally] park. Walk a little bit farther to the office. Give them 20 bucks, sign something-or-other, and you now have your pass. DO NOT, repeat DO NOT walk the mile or so up the creek to the Visitor’s Center to get your pass. Tell the gatekeeper where you’re going and you get in free!
2. California State Library Bonus
What to do in summer when your senior pass is not valid? Or because your license doesn’t show that magic 62? For the past four years, funds from the Federal Libraries and Museums programs have been used by the State’s Librarian to give grants to libraries to purchase State Parks passes that are valid for the entire year and are available to library cardholders without fee for the regular checkout period of a book or other material from their local library. (That can be up to 4 weeks!) During the summer months when my Senior Golden Bear is not valid, I go to my Santa Monica Public Library and get a State Parks Pass. I can even reserve it online! That’s a good reason to make sure your library card is up to date! Just as a bonus, remember that most library systems allow you to get a library card as long as you are a resident of the State (not just the district!) That means that if you live in WLA/Santa Monica you can easily drive to Beverly Hills, Marina del Rey or Overland Ave CC (LA Cty. Libr) Brentwood or WLA/Sawtelle to get a State Parks pass as long as you have their card and supply is available. Time to get multiple library cards! BTW It would be great if you sent an email to your Assembly-member and House representative stating how you love to get this benefit, now that you’re old and your knees and hips are making odd worrisome sounds! The current Administration’s budget proposal once again wants to delete the entire Federal fund from existence.
I hope I’ve made your birding easier and less expensive. See you out there!
Don’t forget: Our Malibu Lagoon monthly walk starts at 8:30 am on the 4th Sunday (not necessarily the last Sunday).
Lu
California Bird Atlas Big Weekend 2026 Results
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
In our continuing mission to post items about the California Bird Atlas project and get as many people as possible interested in and contributing to this project, here’s an announcement from Van Pierszalowski, instigator and director of this 5-year project.
Hi birders,
I’m happy to report that the inaugural California Bird Atlas Big Weekend (June 4-7, 2026) was a tremendous success! Thank you so much to our partners for organizing 54 (!) field trips and events throughout the state in a single weekend. Special thanks as well to our incredible Regional Coordinators and the broader atlasing community.
Amazingly, 47% of the confirmed breeding codes recorded during Big Weekend represented new confirmations (species breeding in atlas blocks where they hadn’t yet been confirmed). This highlights the strategic approach atlasers took throughout the weekend, focusing their efforts on expanding coverage and documenting breeding evidence where it mattered most. Many atlasers reported using Blockboard to help identify these opportunities.
See a recap of Big Weekend statistics below. For a deeper dive (plus some of our favorite photos from the weekend), check out the News post on the CBA eBird platform.
BIG WEEKEND BY THE NUMBERS
- 4,180 Atlas checklists were submitted
- 1,211 atlasers submitted checklists, including 181 first-time atlasers
- 1,575 blocks received data, including 194 blocks that had not previously received Atlas coverage (see the News post for a map)
- 26,809 breeding codes were submitted, including 6,121 confirmed-level codes
- 308 species received breeding codes, including 226 species with Confirmed-level breeding codes
- 4,865 confirmed breeding “block ticks” (each species in each block = one block tick), including 2,287 new confirmed block ticks
DISCOVERIES
- What appears to be the first confirmed breeding record of Canyon Wren in Solano County was reported by Eric Pilotte at Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve on June 7.
- Atlasers added two new species to the Atlas’s list of confirmed breeders: Bufflehead (reported by Sam Eberhard in Lassen County) and Green-winged Teal (reported in three different blocks — two in Plumas County, one in El Dorado County).
We will be organizing CBA Big Weekends every year throughout the Atlas period (2026-2030), and it will be exciting to see how the results evolve from year to year. Thank you again to the incredible birding community, and here’s to another great atlasing weekend starting now.
Happy Atlasing,
Van Pierszalowski
Director, California Bird Atlas
CBA website: www.californiabirdatlas.org
Join the CBA eBird project: www.ebird.org/atlascalifornia
Restore Malibu Creek! | dot Org
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Not just a good idea, but the name of an organization devoted to the idea. Check out their website, gain some perspective and learn some history about our local and oft-beleaguered creek. Particularly the Rindge Dam, now long past it’s tear-down date.
Link: https://restoremalibucreek.org/
The opening aerial view, approaching the lagoon and creek from the ocean at low tide, is stunning. Don’t miss it!
There are lots of interesting articles on their blog page, currently featuring one about Tidewater Gobies.
(Dr. Brenton Spies / Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project)
LA County Bird Atlas Blocks that need attention
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Edna Alvarez]
Just in case you have some time this weekend, or this summer, and want to look for signs of breeding bird activity in areas that have so far gone woefully unexplored, here’s a message from Lance Benner who is keeping his eye on the California Birding Atlas (CBA) sighting reports as they avalanche in. Results are tabulated as they are entered and approved by you, the reporter, unlike our recent state, county and city voting process. Not a criticism though, as all signatures are verified whenever we vote, whereas with eBird, you don’t sign anything, anywhere, ever.
LA County Bird Atlas Blocks that need attention
From: Lance Benner
Date: Sun, 07 Jun 2026 17:32:18 PDT
Hi Everyone,
Here are some more bird atlas blocks in Los Angeles County that need attention. All can be accessed by roads and some have had zero coverage so far.
Acton CW
This block includes part of Soldedad Canyon Road and the community of Ravenna. Currently there are zero hours of effort in this block. The habitat includes a lot of open areas with grasslands, chaparral on trails to the south, and riparian habitat along the Santa Clara River. 61 species were coded in this block during the atlas in the 1990s.
Baldwin Park CW
I mentioned this one in a recent email. Although observers have contributed 5 checklists and 2.9 hours of effort, only one species has been coded with zero confirmed breeding. 28 species were reported here during the atlas in the 1990s, but with some effort, we could probably increase that total to at least 50.
Lake Hughes SW
Lake Hughes Road recently reopened following repairs from winter storm damage so a number of blocks are now accessible by car again. This one has riparian habitat, chaparral, easy access to the Pacific Crest Trail (which crosses the road), and side canyons that can be quite productive. 46 species were coded here during the previous LA County Breeding Bird Atlas.
Mescal Creek CW
Any takers on this one? It’s on the north slope of the San Gabriel Mountains and has juniper-pinyon-Joshua tree woodlands, desert scrub, and Mescal Creek and Canyon. During the atlas in the 1990s, observers coded 57 species in this block, so there is a lot to see. Currently there has been zero effort in this block.
Topanga CW
This block still hasn’t received much attention. It includes the southern end of Topanga Canyon Road, the Getty Villa Museum, chaparral, woodlands along canyons, and, unfortunately, some areas that burned in the Palisades Fire. 60 species were coded in this block during the LA County atlas in the 1990s.
If you can cover any of these blocks, we’d love to have your help!
Regards,
Lance
Lance Benner
Pasadena, CA
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 