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.
California State Parks Photo Contest closes 9/30/26
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
It’s not too late to enter. I personally know many excellent photographers who have taken incredible photos within a Ca. state park within the past year.
Initial Page including link to entry page.
Just a few of the rules and categories. Read them all.
Contest Categories
You may submit up to three (3) photos per category:
- Scenic Landscapes – Natural beauty across all seasons
- Wildlife & Nature – Flora, fauna, ecosystems, and natural details
- Recreation & Activities – Hiking, camping, swimming, surfing, etc.
- People in Parks – Enjoying parks responsibly and sustainably
- California History – Cultural and historic heritage in state parks
Meet the ‘Grue Jay’ | Science News
This posting is a bit of an experiment.
The magazine Science News has been around for about a century or so, with excellent science stories, short and long, on every field of science. I’ve subscribed to it for 30 or 40 years, yet rarely posted anything from it onto the SMBAS blog because there articles are nearly always behind a paywall. However they recently posted links to every one of their issues all the way back to 1921, and it looks as if anyone can go in and read at least a few articles without hitting a paywall or signing up for anything.
So I’m giving you a link to a particular issue (December 2025) in their archive.
Scroll down a little bit until you see the article “Meet the ‘grue jay,’ a rare hybrid songbird” and click on that.
If you have any problems with paywalls or having to sign up or giving them an email address, please let met know. I don’t want to bother posting links to articles that can’t be accessed freely and easily by anyone reading our blog. After you read this article, poke around some more and see if you can access other interesting articles in this issue, or in other issues in their general archive.
Even if you don’t care about what exactly a Grue Jay is, please follow the link and report your results back to me in the comments. I will be grateful for a long time (not necessarily eternally).
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Always the 4th (not last) Sunday of the month, 8:30am & 10 am
Pacific Coast Highway: All roads are apparently open with no closures or slowdowns reported. If there are any problems, they’re keeping quiet about it.
The migrating shorebirds are picking up in numbers and diversity, as are ducks, gulls, terns, raptors and songbirds, basically anything that migrates. Many may still have their bright breeding plumages. Snowy Plovers are definitely back. You never know what might blow, float or wander in.
Over the past 25 Septembers we’ve average 670 birds and 55 species per visit. Plenty to pick through and choose from.
Weather prediction as of 21 September
Temp: 69-73°F; Wind 2-6 mph from West; Sky Cover: 46 > 27%
Tide: medium, little change: Low: 0.74 ft. @ 3:57am, High: +5.71 ft. @ 10:01am
August 23 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. The Golden Bear pass is good again, from Labor Day to Memorial Day in May. 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 and ill-advised.
[Written & posted by Chuck Almdale]
Important birds of ancient Lake Cahuilla and the Salton Sea, with Kurt Leuschner. Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 6 October, 7:30 p.m.
You are all invited to the next ZOOM meeting
of Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society
|
Important Birds of Ancient Lake Cahuilla and the Salton Sea, with Kurt Leuschner.
Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 6 October, 7:30 p.m.
Before the Salton Sea, there was Ancient Lake Cahuilla. Until several hundred years ago, this giant freshwater lake filled the entire Salton Sink and most of the Coachella Valley. Birds and people depended on this body of water just as they do today. In this program you’ll learn about the special birds associated with this lake that was six times bigger than today’s Salton Sea. You’ll also receive an update on the “10-year plan” and how recent years of global warming and drought have impacted the current situation at the Salton Sea.
Kurt Leuschner is a Professor of Natural Resources at College of the Desert where he teaches courses on Conservation, Entomology, Field Ornithology, Native Plants, and GPS Navigation. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Zoology from U.C. Santa Barbara and a Master’s in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Florida. Kurt has led numerous field trips both locally and as far afield as Africa, New Zealand, and the Galapagos. He is the founder of the Desert Cities Bird Club, on the Board of Directors of Western Field Ornithologists, and is past President of the Natural Science Collaborative. He has studied sound recordings of the various subspecies of North American Scrub-Jays. In 2009 Kurt finished the Palms to Pines Birding and Nature Trail map, a two-year project, which details the ten best birding and hiking locations in and around the Coachella Valley. Kurt also teaches weekend courses and workshops on birdwatching, insects, GPS, and backyard habitats for UCR Extension, the Desert Institute, the Desert Studies Center, and the Living Desert. He also teaches natural history courses for the Bureau of Land Management, UCR Extension, the Desert Institute, California State Parks, Riverside County Parks, and many other conservation organizations.
(If this button isn’t working for you, see detailed zoom invitation below.)
Meeting ID: 878 2458 6495
Passcode: 333015
One Tap Mobile
+16699009128,,87824586495#,,,,*333015# US (San Jose)
+16694449171,,87824586495#,,,,*333015# US
Meeting Chat Link
https://us02web.zoom.us/launch/jc/87824586495
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
Male birds outlive female birds | UCLA Newsroom
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Lu Plauzoles]
Hot off the press! Research from the ornithologists at UCLA.
Female birds have shorter lifespans than male birds, researchers find
UCLA study finds that female birds have 12% lower survival rate past adulthood
by Holly Ober | UCLA Newsroom | July 30, 2026
From the article
Key takeaways
- UCLA ornithologists analyzed over 563,000 records of banded birds in North America over 27 years and found that adult survival was, on average, 12% lower for females than males in 35 species.
- Greater male survival was strongest in long distance migrant birds. The findings supported the general idea that migration takes a heavier toll on females, but it wasn’t clear why female non-migratory birds also tended to have shorter lifespans.
- Habitat loss and climate change are causing bird populations to decline, and the researchers want to learn whether those factors are also affecting the survival of animal sexes differently.
