Early fall at Malibu Lagoon: 24 September, 2020

Small, controlled field trips in open spaces seem feasible.

Social distanced birding seems to work in small groups – ours have been seven – the area is open and the paths are wide enough to pass. The main path around the lagoon and down to the beach is about 12 feet wide, wide enough for the beachworker vans to pass and wide enough for the unmasked to get by. No scope sharing, no group lunch afterwards.

The diversity bumped up a bit from August’s 48 to 51 species, but the numbers dropped from 790 to 619. As the Elegant Terns had dropped from the crowd of 221 in August to 1 lonely bird among the dozen Royal Terns, the other species were better represented this month.

The two most interesting (to me) species were the first and last seen. First was a small flock of 15 Lawrence’s Finches, containing adults and young birds in all stages of plumage. They are quite beautiful with that lovely chartreuse in their wings and a purer yellow on the adult’s breast. They landed in a large bush and twittered for a few minutes.

The last bird was a Loggerhead Shrike, sitting on a bare branch on the easternmost sand & brush island. It spotted something on the ground and disappeared for a while into the brush, then returned to his or her branch. This increasingly uncommon bird is known as the “butcherbird” for its habit of impaling small birds and lizards and large insects on thorns and barbed wire, creating a “meat larder.” Their numbers have dropped by about 85% in the past few decades. We’ve recorded only 20 birds in 17 visits at the lagoon. The most recent visits were 16 years ago, Sep. 26 and Oct. 24, 2004. Like I said, increasingly uncommon.

We had eight Semipalmated Plovers. If you’ve been birding for a while, you’ve noticed that some birds are named for obscure, difficult-to-see characteristics. The Ring-necked Duck is very commonly miscalled the Ring-billed Duck, as that ring is easily seen and is one of the most used field I.D. characteristics, whereas the iridescent violet neck ring is rarely seen, unless you’re in a museum staring down at a skin. Then it’s quite easy. The recently-renamed Thick-billed Longspur (formerly McCown’s Longspur) is another such bird, and one British wit suggested the name was chosen for it’s high point value on the “obscure characteristic scale.” The incomplete webbing on toes of the Semipalmated Plover (and also on Semipalmated Sandpiper and Western Sandpiper) is another such characteristic. But you can sometimes see that webbing, perhaps most easily in a good photograph (or on a dead museum bird).

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Other notable sightings was a pair (male & female) of Belted Kingfishers who rattled away at each other as they chased back and forth across the lagoon and channel. I didn’t see either of them dive on any fish – they seemed far more interested in each other.

There was also a small overflight of Vaux’s Swifts high over the cypress trees in the Malibu Colony. I spotted them only because I was checking the treetops from across the lagoon, looking for resting raptors, and one swift flew by beyond the trees. To the naked eye they were invisible. These small, dingy light & dark brown flying cigars are only 4 ¾ inches long. Birders have gone back and forth on the name pronunciation – either rhyming with “toes” as the French might have it, or with hawks. Google – which I just now googled (can you google Google?) – said “he pronounced his name like ‘Fox,’” so the bird’s name should be said like “foxes.” There you have it.

As with last month, when we got to “Crocford Creek” – the lagoon outlet stream – I waded across alone to hunt the wily Western Snowy Plovers. I found them – 27 strong – resting in their little beachsand-dimples adjacent to the SE corner of the lagoon. Among them was g:y/g, the only banded bird.

I went on to the Adamson House to search for more passerines. There was a handy low gate near a homeless person’s shelter, begging to be stepped over, so I accommodated it, as it was a much shorter distance than going around to the front gate on PCH. However, once on the property, I found out it was closed for the day when three park rangers spotted me skulking about, staring at the trees, and yelled, “Hey you, what are you doing here!”

“Looking for birds, like I’ve been doing here for the past 40 years,” I replied, telescope on my shoulder, binos hanging from my neck, bird book in pouch suspended from my other shoulder. After grilling me about some sightings they’d recently had – mostly raptors – they relieved me of some of my tiny lagoon bird checklists and suggested I leave the premises, which I did through a handy hole in the fence.

Birds new for the season: Northern Pintail, Vaux’s Swift, Marbled Godwit, Sanderling, Spotted Sandpiper, Say’s Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Marsh Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Lesser Goldfinch, Lawrence’s Goldfinch, California Towhee, Orange-crowned Warbler, Yellow Warbler.

Many thanks to photographers: Lillian Johnson, Ray Juncosa, Grace Murayama and Chris Tosdevin.

The next three SMBAS scheduled field trips: Who knows? Not I.
The next SMBAS program: TONIGHT!, October 6, Tropical Birds with Benny Jacob-Schwartz, on ZOOM, 7PM.
The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk is canceled until further notice due to the near-impossibility of maintained proper masked social distancing with parents and small children.

Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
9/23/02 Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon

Prior checklists:
2019: Jan-June, July-Dec  2020: Jan-July,    
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.

The 10-year comparison summaries created during the Lagoon Reconfiguration Project period, despite numerous complaints, remain available on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page. Very briefly summarized, the results unexpectedly indicate that avian species diversification and numbers improved slightly during the restoration period June’12-June’14.
[Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Census 2020	2/23	5/22	6/25	7/22	8/26	9/24
Temperature	56-62	68-73	64-70	60-66	70-77	66-77
Tide Lo/Hi Height	H+5.70	H+3.53	L-0.52	L+0.71	L+2.52	L+3.05
Tide Time	0934	1031	0733	0819	0958	1004
Canada Goose		14	8	8
Cinnamon Teal	19
Northern Shoveler	12
Gadwall	39	34	31	40	5	2
American Wigeon	7
Mallard	10	12	23	27	16	14
Northern Pintail	1					2
Green-winged Teal	35				1
Surf Scoter	5
White-winged Scoter	1
Bufflehead	4
Red-breasted Merganser	6
Ruddy Duck	35
Pied-billed Grebe	1			3	3	2
Western Grebe	6	1
Rock Pigeon	15		7	10	4	6
Mourning Dove	4		4	3	5	4
Vaux’s Swift						8
Anna’s Hummingbird	1			1
Allen’s Hummingbird	3	4	3	3		1
American Coot	40	4		2		48
Black-bellied Plover	57	14	10	15	66	102
Snowy Plover	4			8	26	27
Semipalmated Plover					4	8
Killdeer	12	2	6	2	7	12
Whimbrel	3	18	5	15	14	1
Marbled Godwit	52	4	1			3
Ruddy Turnstone	8			2	2	1
Sanderling	14					39
Least Sandpiper				2	21	12
Western Sandpiper	5		2	1	8	1
Short-billed Dowitcher					2
Long-billed Dowitcher				4
Spotted Sandpiper						2
Wandering Tattler				1
Willet	6	1	6	8	47	40
Heermann’s Gull	3	4	9	65	10	14
Ring-billed Gull	44
Western Gull	82	210	120	90	98	90
California Gull	215			4	17	12
Glaucous-winged Gull	3	3
Least Tern		2			2
Caspian Tern		60	15	4	1
Forster’s Tern					4
Royal Tern	6	55			11	12
Elegant Tern				195	221	1
Brandt’s Cormorant			1
Double-crested Cormorant	35	14	15	16	18	43
Pelagic Cormorant			1		1	1
Brown Pelican	38	94	30	19	8	5
Great Blue Heron	2		3	2	4	3
Great Egret			1	3	4	20
Snowy Egret	6	3	2	8	4	2
Black-crowned Night-Heron		1			2
Turkey Vulture	5
Osprey		1			1
Cooper’s Hawk		1
Red-tailed Hawk	3
Belted Kingfisher	1				1	2
Nuttall’s Woodpecker	1
Nanday Parakeet	7
Black Phoebe	4		1	5	5	4
Say’s Phoebe	2					1
Loggerhead Shrike						1
California Scrub-Jay	1			1	1	2
American Crow	6	2	2	4	3	3
Tree Swallow	2
Rough-winged Swallow					1
Cliff Swallow			1
Barn Swallow		10	18	22	20
Oak Titmouse	1
Bushtit	20	6	22	16	50	16
House Wren	2				1
Marsh Wren	2					5
Bewick’s Wren	2
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher	2					5
Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1
Wrentit	1			1		1
Western Bluebird					4
Hermit Thrush	1
Northern Mockingbird	2	2	2	2	1
European Starling	3	9	60	12	27	2
House Finch	8	16	24	5	4	8
Lesser Goldfinch	3					2
Lawrence’s Goldfinch						15
California Towhee	1	1				1
Song Sparrow	16	12	3	3	4	3
White-crowned Sparrow	6
Western Meadowlark	1				25
Hooded Oriole				7
Red-winged Blackbird	6			1
Great-tailed Grackle		4	3	20	2
Orange-crowned Warbler						4
Common Yellowthroat	3		1		4	4
Yellow Warbler						2
Yellow-rumped(Aud) Warbler	6
Totals by Type	Feb	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep
Waterfowl	174	60	62	75	22	18
Water Birds – Other	120	113	47	40	30	99
Herons, Egrets & Ibis	8	4	6	13	14	25
Quail & Raptors	8	2	0	0	1	0
Shorebirds	161	39	30	58	197	248
Gulls & Terns	353	334	144	358	364	129
Doves	19	0	11	13	9	10
Other Non-Passerines	13	4	3	4	1	11
Passerines	102	62	137	99	152	79
Totals Birds	958	618	440	660	790	619
Total Species	Feb	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep
Waterfowl	12	3	3	3	3	3
Water Birds – Other	5	4	4	4	4	5
Herons, Egrets & Ibis	2	2	3	3	4	3
Quail & Raptors	2	2	0	0	1	0
Shorebirds	9	5	6	10	10	12
Gulls & Terns	6	6	3	5	8	5
Doves	2	0	2	2	2	2
Other Non-Passerines	5	1	1	2	1	3
Passerines	25	9	11	13	15	18
Totals Species – 96	68	32	33	42	48	51