Malibu Lagoon Field Trip Report: 26 January, 2014
On an overcast day, the assembled birders were treated to a raptor show within the first half hour of our monthly walk at Malibu. A Merlin perched on a sycamore long enough for our expert Jim Kenney to snap his portrait.
Soon after, the Peregrine Falcon, reported earlier by other birders at nearby Legacy Park, scattered the gulls in the lagoon as he made a quick pass at the available food supply. After the group took a long look at the ducks and coots from the east observation deck, we were stopped along the wall to the private golf course by an Osprey and a Red-shouldered Hawk perched only a few feet from each other in one of the tall sycamores. Who needs more excitement? Our only “miss” was the White-tailed Kite. Our two unusual sightings for the day were a male Redhead seen under the bridge and a Hermit Thrush that re-appeared a number of times on one of the Malibu Colony fences.
Birds new for the season were: Black-vented Shearwater; Herring & Glaucous-winged Gulls; Cassin’s Kingbird; Hermit Thrush and (gasp!) House Sparrow. We rarely see House Sparrow at the lagoon although they’re all over the shopping area across the highway.
Our next three scheduled field trips: San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge (Riverside County), 15 Feb, 8:30am; Malibu Lagoon, 23 Feb, 8:30 & 10am; Hiker Lu’s Santa Monica Mountains adventure, 8 Mar, 8:30am.
Our next program: Tuesday, 4 Mar., 7:30 pm. Antarctica: your next shopping destination, presented by Chuck Bragg.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk meets at the shaded viewing area.
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: January total birds of 834 is 62% below the 6-year Jan. average, due primarily to the absence of gulls and terns scattered by the Peregrine Falcon before they were counted.
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%, Nov’13 -58%, Dec’13 -49%, Jan’14 -62%.
Species Diversity: January 2014 with 63 species was slightly below (-2%) the 6-year average of 64.2.
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%, Nov’13 -3%, Dec’13 -6%, Jan’14 -2%.
10-year comparison summaries are available on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page. [Chuck Almdale]
Malibu Census | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
January 2009 – 14 | 1/25 | 1/24 | 1/23 | 1/22 | 1/27 | 1/26 | |
Temperature | 53-57 | 41-65 | 68-75 | 50-59 | 52-62 | 58-68 | |
Tide Lo/Hi Height | H+5.9 | L+0.65 | H+4.94 | H+6.49 | H+5.76 | L-0.17 | Ave. |
Tide Time | 0814 | 1131 | 1117 | 0803 | 0849 | 1224 | Birds |
Brant | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Gadwall | 15 | 20 | 15 | 31 | 34 | 21 | 22.7 |
American Wigeon | 10 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 7.0 | |
Mallard | 18 | 10 | 24 | 23 | 45 | 10 | 21.7 |
Northern Shoveler | 16 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 22 | 15 | 17.8 |
Northern Pintail | 10 | 4 | 2.3 | ||||
Green-winged Teal | 14 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 19 | 17 | 17.7 |
Redhead | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Lesser Scaup | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Surf Scoter | 12 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 12.7 | ||
Long-tailed Duck | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Bufflehead | 11 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 11.3 |
Red-brstd Merganser | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5.2 |
Ruddy Duck | 20 | 30 | 40 | 59 | 55 | 51 | 42.5 |
Red-throated Loon | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
Pacific Loon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1.5 | |
Common Loon | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
Pied-billed Grebe | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 |
Horned Grebe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
Eared Grebe | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3.0 | |
Western Grebe | 23 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 46 | 16.3 | |
Blk-vented Shearwater | 200 | 55 | 42.5 | ||||
Brandt’s Cormorant | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2.5 | |
Dble-crstd Cormorant | 30 | 42 | 57 | 37 | 33 | 50 | 41.5 |
Pelagic Cormorant | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1.3 | ||
Brown Pelican | 256 | 35 | 42 | 48 | 73 | 100 | 92.3 |
Great Blue Heron | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3.3 |
Great Egret | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.7 | |
Snowy Egret | 8 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9.2 |
Blk-crwnd N-Heron | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.7 | ||
Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
Merlin | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Peregrine Falcon | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | ||||
Virginia Rail | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Sora | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1.3 | ||
American Coot | 180 | 284 | 145 | 345 | 270 | 60 | 214 |
Blk-bellied Plover | 38 | 45 | 1 | 65 | 62 | 35.2 | |
Snowy Plover | 42 | 54 | 60 | 81 | 61 | 45 | 57.2 |
Killdeer | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.3 |
Black Oystercatcher | 2 | 5 | 1.2 | ||||
American Avocet | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2.5 | |
Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 |
Willet | 10 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7.7 |
Whimbrel | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.7 |
Marbled Godwit | 12 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 7.0 | ||
Ruddy Turnstone | 9 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 8.0 | |
Sanderling | 60 | 85 | 200 | 17 | 26 | 64.7 | |
Least Sandpiper | 2 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 7.5 | ||
Boneparte’s Gull | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
Heermann’s Gull | 46 | 5 | 62 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 23.8 |
Mew Gull | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
Ring-billed Gull | 180 | 55 | 120 | 150 | 90 | 4 | 99.8 |
Western Gull | 125 | 45 | 100 | 120 | 75 | 46 | 85.2 |
California Gull | 450 | 875 | 2500 | 1900 | 480 | 120 | 1054 |
Herring Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
Glaucous-wingd Gull | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3.8 |
Forster’s Tern | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Royal Tern | 4 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 5.8 | |
Elegant Tern | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Black Skimmer | 30 | 6 | 6.0 | ||||
Rock Pigeon | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6.5 |
Mourning Dove | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.3 | ||
Blk-hooded Parakeet | 6 | 1.0 | |||||
Anna’s Hummingbird | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.8 | |
Allen’s Hummingbird | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3.5 |
Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
Black Phoebe | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4.7 |
Say’s Phoebe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.2 | |
Western Scrub-Jay | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
American Crow | 10 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 6.5 |
Tree Swallow | 8 | 1.3 | |||||
Barn Swallow | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Oak Titmouse | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
Bushtit | 5 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 20 | 10.7 | |
Bewick’s Wren | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | ||
House Wren | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
Marsh Wren | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | |||
Hermit Thrush | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
Northern Mockingbird | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
European Starling | 60 | 35 | 1 | 22 | 19.7 | ||
Ornge-crwnd Warbler | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | ||||
Yellow-rumpd Warbler | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 11.8 |
Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2.8 |
Spotted Towhee | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
California Towhee | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 | ||
Savannah Sparrow | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
Song Sparrow | 6 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 5.0 |
White-crwnd Sparrow | 5 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 7.2 | |
Red-winged Blackbird | 3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||
Great-tailed Grackle | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 3.0 | ||
Brwn-headed Cowbird | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
House Finch | 8 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 9.7 |
Lesser Goldfinch | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2.5 | ||
American Goldfinch | 8 | 1.3 | |||||
House Sparrow | 12 | 2.0 | |||||
Totals by Type | 1/25 | 1/24 | 1/23 | 1/22 | 1/27 | 1/26 | Ave. |
Waterfowl | 120 | 134 | 106 | 255 | 217 | 137 | 162 |
Water Birds-Other | 496 | 386 | 267 | 452 | 649 | 272 | 420 |
Herons, Egrets | 15 | 20 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
Raptors | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
Shorebirds | 181 | 251 | 82 | 388 | 183 | 99 | 197 |
Gulls & Terns | 841 | 1006 | 2785 | 2207 | 663 | 179 | 1280 |
Doves | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
Other Non-Pass. | 12 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
Passerines | 125 | 90 | 70 | 110 | 75 | 122 | 99 |
Totals Birds | 1801 | 1906 | 3340 | 3444 | 1818 | 834 | 2191 |
2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | ||
Total Species | 1/25 | 1/24 | 1/23 | 1/22 | 1/27 | 1/26 | Ave. |
Waterfowl | 9 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9.5 |
Water Birds-Other | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10.5 |
Herons, Egrets | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3.2 |
Raptors | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2.7 |
Shorebirds | 11 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10.0 |
Gulls & Terns | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 |
Doves | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.7 |
Other Non-Pass. | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 |
Passerines | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 16.8 |
Totals Species – 99 | 63 | 70 | 59 | 65 | 65 | 63 | 64 |
Comments are closed.