Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 27 October, 2013

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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.

And other birds there were, in force:  total birds of 1671 is the 3^rd-highest October count (top is 1901 on 10/23/05); 75 species tied for 3^rd 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.

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.

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).

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.

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