Brown-headed Cowbird (the bird formerly known as Buffalo Bird)(C.Bragg 2011)

The lagoon outlet is closed and the water was quite high. It looks like it might overflow the beach any day, but I doubt that it will. Evaporation from heat is usually quite significant in the summer, and water always percolates through the narrow beach into the ocean. So it may continue at a high level for several months, perhaps until our first storm.

The Usual Suspects rounded up yet again (C.Almdale 7/11)

Our local breeding birds were out in force, especially the various Swallows and the Black Phoebes. At one point there were 18 Barn Swallows resting on the reed stalks for a few minutes before they launched themselves again into the air. Brown Pelican nesting season is apparently over as more than 400 rested on the narrow sand island, with more arriving all morning long. Among other returning post-breeders were seven Ruddy Turnstones in beautiful plumage, accompanied by a single Black Turnstone, as well as four Black-bellied Plovers, still with black bellies. Egrets and herons were everywhere, 32 in total. A beautiful pair of Ruddy Ducks were afloat, the male all chestnut and black with a baby-blue bill.   The Elegant Terns were still…well, elegant is the best description. A small flock of Least Terns sat with the Snowy Plovers on the beach berm, uneasily, as the beach was crowded with people who rarely notice these diminutive and cryptic endangered and threatened (respectively) species.

Snowy Egret (C.Bragg 2011)

A family of Hooded Orioles – two adults and four young – worked over the Anise heads and flowers at the east edge of Maliby Colony. Later on I heard the song and finally saw a Wrentit not far from this spot. We’ve previously recorded Wrentit 11 times, but I suspect most of them were up the creek, the other side of the highway bridge, when that area was a bit safer to walk in. [Chuck Almdale]

Our next two field trips are: Malibu Lagoon 28 August; Lower L.A. River 10 September.

As a reminder to those coming to our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids birdwalk, it meets at the beach trail footbridge closest to the parking lot.

Killdeer - a lagoon resident (C.Bragg 2011)

Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon.
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists: Jan-June’11, July-Dec ’10, Jan-June ’10, Jul-Dec ‘09, and Jan-June ‘09.