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No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

I’m a big fan of birding guide books. In lieu of a paid guide and a whole lot cheaper, they can get you to the right places to find birds, rather than driving aimlessly around crashing into things while looking around for birds instead of watching the road. Not all good birding spots can be easily found on the web, not all web sites give you succinct directions and descriptions, and not all areas have great web reception. A book in hand is worth two on the web. Or maybe four. Our neighbor chapter Pasadena Audubon Society (PAS) lives in a birdy area where the migrants pass through in aerial rivers, with valleys and rivers and parks and reservoirs and mountain forests and meadows. A book to birding this area would be very useful to residents and visitors alike, and voilà! now one exists.
According to one local birder: “I just bought a copy yesterday at the California Botanical Garden in Claremont and did not realize it was hot off the press. Quite a bit pricier ($35) at the garden than online ($20).”
If you’re a die-hard “if it’s not on the web it doesn’t exist” person, here’s a link to SMBAS’ on-line bird-finding guide for Los Angeles County with 81 sites spread over seven pages. It’s getting a bit out-of-date.
Here’s the PAS message:
Pasadena Audubon is pleased to announce the publication of their all-new Birding Guide to the Greater Pasadena Area. The Guide gives detailed descriptions of 30 of the region’s top birding hotspots, along with background on the area’s ecology, seasonal species distribution charts, birdability access ratings of the locations, profiles of the notable introduced species, and much more.
For more info about the book, as well as a list of stores in the Pasadena/Los Angeles area that stock the book, visit https://www.pasadenaaudubon.org/birding-guide .
The Guide is also available online from Buteo Books, at https://www.buteobooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=15274 .
Rules for Malibu Lagoon trip are
unchanged from last month.
The following rules will be in effect:
- Registration required, max. 30 people. No drop-ins, please.
Register to Chuck: misclists@verizon.net. - Masks are not required but will be appreciated.
- Bring your Covid-19 Vaccination Record Card and a photo ID card. They will be checked. If you do not have two shots and a booster recorded on your card, you must wear a mask while you are with the group.
- If we checked your Covid card In March or April, we won’t check it this month.
- Bring your own binoculars; telescope too if you have one.
- All Field Trips are designed to maximize your safety, while also enjoying birds. CDC Guidelines are followed. Participants are encouraged to observe safe distancing, and face coverings are required for those who are not fully vaccinated (2 shots + booster) for Covid-19.
- Participation in social activities, such as field trips, comes with an inherent risk of exposure to infectious disease. Prospective participants should self-evaluate or discuss with their doctor if their participation merits this risk. If you’re sick or experiencing any symptoms that indicate you might be sick, STAY HOME.
- The 10am Children & Parents Walk is NOT reinstated.
- For general questions or help registering, contact Chuck: misclists@verizon.net
- Additional information on our permanent Covid-19 blog page:

Some of the great birds we’ve had in May are: Brant, Pelagic Cormorant, Green Heron, Whimbrel, Bonaparte’s Gull, Royal, Least, Forster’s, Royal & Elegant Terns, White-throated Swift, Anna’s & Allen’s Hummingbirds, Pacific Slope Flycatcher, Common Raven, Violet-Green, Barn and Cliff Swallows, Bushtit, Bewick’s Wren, Cedar Waxwing, Spotted Towhee, Red-winged Blackbird, Hooded and Bullock’s Orioles.
It will be, as they so often say: “A padelynge of dookysse!”

Adult Walk 8:30 a.m., 4th Sunday of every month. Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours. Species range from 40 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: Still canceled due to Covid-19 pandemic, immunization and masking problems, especially with young children.

Map to Meeting Place
Directions: Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road, west of Malibu Pier and the bridge. Look around for people wearing binoculars.
Parking: Parking machine recently installed in the lagoon lot: 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 signs carefully) on either of 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 (i.e. they tow cars).
Prior checklists:
2021: Jan-July, July-Dec
2020: Jan-July, July-Dec 2019: Jan-June, July-Dec
2018: Jan-June, July-Dec 2017: 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
[Chuck Almdale]
Chapter Elections, June 7th
Yes, on the same day as our California Primaries there will be Voting at our June 7th Evening Meeting. The Nominating Committee has the following slate for the three officer positions open this year:
- Vice-president: Ted Winterer
- Treasurer: Cindy Schotté
- Secretary: Darwin Mendinueto
Voting is limited to SMBAS members in good standing. A member may make a nomination for these positions from the floor on June 7th.
We will also be voting to accept a set of revised chapter bylaws. The last revisions were made in March 2012 and we need to get up-to-date. Again, voting is limited to SMBAS members in good standing. A PDF of the proposed bylaws is available by clicking HERE.
If you have any questions about the elections, please email Chuck Bragg. Click on “Contacts” at the top of this page for the email address.
Reducing lead poisoning in birds. Zoom Evening Meeting reminder, Tuesday, 3 May, 7:30 p.m.
You are all invited to the next ZOOM meeting
of Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society

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Reducing lead poisoning in birds, with Myra Finkelstein.
Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 3 May, 7:30 p.m.
Zoom waiting room opens 7:15 p.m.
Even though lead’s toxicity to humans and wildlife has been known for centuries, lead poisoning is still a significant problem for many avian species. I will talk about the work our research group has done to document the sources and effects of lead poisoning in Laysan Albatross on Midway Atoll and California Condors in California. Our multi-disciplinary approach combines the fields of toxicology and population ecology to understand the impact of lead on the current and future health of these two majestic birds. Overall, I illustrate how science is critical for the conservation of wildlife by identifying effective solutions to inform management and policy decisions.

Myra Finkelstein is an Adjunct Professor in the Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology Department at the University of California Santa Cruz and her research focuses on human impacts to wildlife with an emphasis on contaminant-induced effects.
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