Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 27 October, 2013
Lucy’s Warbler – a drab warbler occasionally seen in the eastern SoCal deserts, but far more common in Arizona – had been seen the previous day along the colony fence line. We searched all the bushes all around the park, turning up plenty of other warblers in the process but, alas, Lucy-less we remained.
Black-crowned Night-Heron, longer than he usually looks
(Randy Ehler 10/27/13)
And other birds there were, in force: total birds of 1671 is the 3rd-highest October count (top is 1901 on 10/23/05); 75 species tied for 3rd place (behind 78 on 9/26/10 and 76 on 9/26/04, with 75 on 4/21/91). That’s out of 289 visits for which we have records.
Migration always helps, doesn’t it? – thus the high previous numbers for September and April. But perhaps the foggy sky and cool temperature were also a factor. Most of the ducks were back and, as previously mentioned, warblers were relatively numerous. Waves seemed flat and surfers were scant on the dropping tide, but birders were happy.
Black-throated Gray Warbler – note yellow lores
(Randy Ehler 10/27/13)
No one saw all these birds, so if you were there and missed something, so did we all. Those who lead the Parents & Kids walk tend to move quickly to the beach in order to be back at the parking lot by 10am, so they often see birds we slower-moving people miss, just as we’ll see something they missed.
View across lagoon channel island to Malibu – Where did all the algae go? (L. Johnson 10/27/13)
There are some new information signs (see slide show). At the start of the beach path is a 3-D topographical feature showing the entire Malibu Creek watershed. Turn the obscurely located handle to make it rain and watch the water flow out to sea (in miniature).
Western Meadowlark – Six of these Autumn migrant visitors prowled the lagoon channel islands
(Monica Minden 10/17/13)
Birds new for the season were: Green-winged Teal, Lesser Scaup, Ruddy Duck, White-faced Ibis, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Sanderling, Pectoral Sandpiper, Dunlin, Caspian Tern, Northern Flicker, Bewick’s Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, Black-throated Gray & Townsend’s Warblers, White-crowned Sparrow, and Western Meadowlark.
The offshore rocks had been taken over by Brant’s and Pelagic Cormorants. Three falcon species at the lagoon in one day is really unusual: we’ve had many sightings of a single species, Kestrel & Peregrine 3 times, Kestrel & Merlin once, and Merlin & Peregrine once, but all three have occurred only once before, on 1/23/00. The Brant (geese) continue – it’s possible that these birds have been at the lagoon since last April, although not always seen.
Noticeably poorly represented are the small sandpipers (aka ‘peeps’): one each of Least, Pectoral and Dunlin doesn’t amount to much. A small group of Sanderlings were in the low-tide-exposed rocks and running through the kelp wrack with the Snowy Plovers. Stalwart Snowy Plover counter Lu Plauzoles toted 58 birds, a tricky task when they’re scurrying across the sand. Snowy GG:AR was back in the flock: present in July’13 but missing in Aug. and Sept. This bird was banded in Summer 2011 at Oceano Dunes near Pismo Beach, and first showed up at the lagoon on 9/25/11.
Say’s Phoebe, regular winterer (Randy Ehler 10/27/13)
Our next three scheduled field trips: Sepulveda Basin, 9 Nov, 8:30am; Malibu Lagoon, 24 Nov, 8:30 & 10am; Carrizo Plain, 7 Dec, 9am.
Our next program: Tuesday, 5 Nov., 7:30 pm. Carrizo Plain History, Geology & Ecology, presented by Craig Deutsche.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk meets at the shaded viewing area near the parking lot.
Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists: July-Dec’11, Jan-June’11, July-Dec ’10, Jan-June ’10, Jul-Dec ‘09, and Jan-June ‘09.
Comments on Bird Lists Below
Total Birds: October total birds of 1671 are 41% above the 6-year Oct. average, continuing the improvement begun in June’13; most categories saw significant increases except for shorebirds (sandpipers).
Summary of total birds from the 6-year average so far: Jun’12 +36%, Jul’12 -9%, Aug’12 -9%, Sep’12 +12%, Oct’12 +3%, Nov’12 -5%, Dec’12 +30%, Jan’13 -20%, Feb’13 -29%, Mar’13 -30%, Apr’13 -34%, May’13 -37%, Jun’13 -24%, Jul’13 +83%, Aug’13 +37%, Sep’13 +23%, Oct’13 +41%. Up & down, yakatty-yak.
Species Diversity: October 2013 with 75 species was moderately (+19%) above the 6-year average of 63.
Summary of species diversity from the 6-year average so far: Jun’12 -10%, Jul’12 +10%, Aug’12. -6%, Sep’12 -20%, Oct’12 +5%, Nov’12 +2%, Dec’12 -4%, Jan’13 +2%, Feb’13 -8%, Mar’13 +9%, Apr’13 -2%, May’13 +3%, Jun’13 +13%, Jul’13 0%, Aug’13 +11%, Sep’13 -14%, Oct’13 +19%. Up, down, up, down, etc.
10-year comparison summaries are available on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page. [Chuck Almdale]
| Malibu Census | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | |
| October 2008-2013 | 10/26 | 10/25 | 10/24 | 10/23 | 10/28 | 10/27 | |
| Temperature | 60-74 | 60-65 | 59-64 | 72-78 | 55-65 | ||
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | H+5.9 | L+3.5 | H+6.02 | H+5.40 | H+5.93 | L+2.91 | Ave. |
| Tide Time | 0813 | 0941 | 0952 | 0718 | 0845 | 1127 | Birds |
| Brant | 3 | 0.5 | |||||
| Wood Duck | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Gadwall | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 6.3 |
| Eurasian Wigeon | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| American Wigeon | 3 | 10 | 1 | 16 | 10 | 6.7 | |
| Mallard | 8 | 24 | 10 | 25 | 10 | 35 | 18.7 |
| Blue-winged Teal | 4 | 2 | 1.0 | ||||
| Cinnamon Teal | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Northern Shoveler | 15 | 25 | 8 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 18.0 |
| Green-winged Teal | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1.7 | |||
| Lesser Scaup | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Bufflehead | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Red-brestd Merganser | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Ruddy Duck | 8 | 18 | 7 | 4 | 25 | 10.3 | |
| Pacific Loon | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Common Loon | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 1 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 4.7 |
| Horned Grebe | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Eared Grebe | 1 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 10 | 4.8 |
| Western Grebe | 1 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 35 | 12.8 |
| Clark’s Grebe | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Blk-vented Shearwater | 12 | 2.0 | |||||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 1 | 3 | 12 | 2.7 | |||
| Dble-crestd Cormorant | 20 | 25 | 15 | 32 | 45 | 40 | 29.5 |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 1 | 4 | 0.8 | ||||
| Brown Pelican | 55 | 8 | 40 | 12 | 6 | 43 | 27.3 |
| Great Blue Heron | 6 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3.7 |
| Great Egret | 1 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2.3 | |
| Snowy Egret | 16 | 15 | 2 | 26 | 6 | 15 | 13.3 |
| Blck-crowned N-Heron | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2.0 | ||
| White-faced Ibis | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.7 | |||
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Virginia Rail | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Sora | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 | ||
| American Coot | 140 | 266 | 100 | 370 | 250 | 395 | 253.5 |
| Black-bellied Plover | 114 | 100 | 700 | 75 | 85 | 179.0 | |
| Snowy Plover | 58 | 61 | 5 | 62 | 58 | 40.7 | |
| Killdeer | 2 | 5 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 6.7 | |
| Black Oystercatcher | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Spotted Sandpiper | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Willet | 16 | 40 | 26 | 10 | 7 | 28 | 21.2 |
| Whimbrel | 6 | 28 | 2 | 11 | 7.8 | ||
| Marbled Godwit | 12 | 25 | 9 | 7.7 | |||
| Ruddy Turnstone | 12 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 17 | 9.8 | |
| Black Turnstone | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1.2 | |||
| Sanderling | 1 | 145 | 200 | 15 | 60.2 | ||
| Western Sandpiper | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2.0 | |||
| Least Sandpiper | 12 | 16 | 14 | 1 | 7.2 | ||
| Pectoral Sandpiper | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Dunlin | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | ||
| Short-billed Dowitcher | 20 | 3.3 | |||||
| Long-billed Dowitcher | 30 | 2 | 1 | 5.5 | |||
| Wilson’s Snipe | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Heermann’s Gull | 45 | 12 | 41 | 14 | 8 | 40 | 26.7 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 27 | 14 | 97 | 18 | 39 | 12 | 34.5 |
| Western Gull | 65 | 82 | 52 | 80 | 6 | 85 | 61.7 |
| California Gull | 6 | 123 | 8 | 120 | 60 | 290 | 101.2 |
| Herring Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Glaucous-wingd Gull | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Caspian Tern | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Forster’s Tern | 1 | 22 | 10 | 5.5 | |||
| Royal Tern | 1 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 2.7 | ||
| Elegant Tern | 2 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 20 | 6.5 | |
| Rock Pigeon | 3 | 6 | 45 | 4 | 20 | 14 | 15.3 |
| Mourning Dove | 1 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2.8 | |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 3 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3.2 |
| Allen’s Hummingbird | 5 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4.3 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0.8 | ||
| Northern Flicker | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Black Phoebe | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 17 | 8.7 |
| Say’s Phoebe | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1.5 | |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.0 | ||
| American Crow | 8 | 5 | 18 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 8.2 |
| Tree Swallow | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Oak Titmouse | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Bushtit | 15 | 20 | 10 | 7.5 | |||
| Bewick’s Wren | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.5 | ||
| House Wren | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 |
| Marsh Wren | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 2 | 1 | 5 | 1.3 | |||
| Northern Mockingbird | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.7 | |
| European Starling | 35 | 12 | 60 | 10 | 35 | 25.3 | |
| American Pipit | 1 | 25 | 4.3 | ||||
| Orange-crwnd Warbler | 1 | 3 | 0.7 | ||||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 20 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 25 | 35 | 17.7 |
| Blk-throated G. Warbler | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Townsend’s Warbler | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Common Yellowthroat | 3 | 3 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 11 | 6.8 |
| Wilson’s Warbler | 7 | 1.2 | |||||
| Spotted Towhee | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| California Towhee | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1.5 | |||
| Savannah Sparrow | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1.7 | |||
| Song Sparrow | 3 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 13 | 5.0 |
| White-crownd Sparrow | 6 | 4 | 10 | 18 | 4 | 28 | 11.7 |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 5 | 40 | 7.5 | ||||
| Western Meadowlark | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1.5 | ||
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | |||
| Great-tailed Grackle | 4 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 4.5 | ||
| House Finch | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 3.8 | |
| Lesser Goldfinch | 5 | 1 | 4 | 22 | 5.3 | ||
| Totals by Type | 10/26 | 10/25 | 10/24 | 10/23 | 10/28 | 10/27 | Ave. |
| Waterfowl | 46 | 86 | 28 | 48 | 57 | 122 | 65 |
| Water Birds-Other | 231 | 341 | 170 | 440 | 315 | 547 | 341 |
| Herons, Egrets | 26 | 20 | 13 | 31 | 15 | 24 | 22 |
| Raptors | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Shorebirds | 93 | 455 | 164 | 797 | 400 | 237 | 358 |
| Gulls & Terns | 149 | 244 | 203 | 233 | 149 | 461 | 240 |
| Doves | 4 | 16 | 46 | 6 | 20 | 17 | 18 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 9 | 3 | 17 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| Passerines | 119 | 66 | 76 | 157 | 133 | 252 | 134 |
| Totals Birds | 677 | 1233 | 720 | 1723 | 1099 | 1671 | 1187 |
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | ||
| Total Species | 10/26 | 10/25 | 10/24 | 10/23 | 10/28 | 10/27 | Ave. |
| Waterfowl | 8 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6.7 |
| Water Birds-Other | 8 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 8.7 |
| Herons, Egrets | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3.7 |
| Raptors | 0 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Shorebirds | 7 | 14 | 5 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 10.7 |
| Gulls & Terns | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 | 7.2 |
| Doves | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.8 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2.8 |
| Passerines | 21 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 21 | 24 | 19.0 |
| Totals Species – 106 | 61 | 63 | 49 | 65 | 64 | 75 | 62.8 |
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