Heermann’s Gulls at Malibu Lagoon, 16 May 2021

[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

Lagoon & algae, Heermann’s Gulls, cormorants & pelicans, Surfrider Beach & the hills above Malibu (Ray Juncosa, 5-16-21)

The lagoon outlet is closed and the lagoon water level is high—7.0 ft above sea level on the tidal sidewalk. Recent warm weather (over 90° across the southland) warmed the water and algae now covers much of the surface. Algae usually is not this abundant until well into summer.

Yes, that’s water, all the way up to 7 feet above sea level (Lillian Johnson 5-15-21)

Weather was cloudy and cool with temperatures in the 59°-68° range in the morning. Tide was rising from the +1.57 ft. low at 7:36am. Very little wind and an ocean swell coming from somewhere far, far away brought really nicely shaped surf. A great many surfers dotted the waves all morning long.

A cloud-shrouded lagoon (L. Johnson 5-16-21)

Except for Mallard, Gadwall and Canada Goose, many of whom remain to nest, the ducks have all left. Only six coots and a single Pied-billed Grebe kept them company, so the lagoon surface was nearly empty.

The reed beds are still quite flattened from the storm over a month ago. One Green Heron found it a convenient spot to rest. These birds are regular visitors, but for some reason we’ve consistently missed them since November 2019.

Green Herons are olive-green on their back (R. Juncosa 5-16-21)

Brown Pelicans, Double-crested Cormorants, Elegant Terns, and Heermann’s Gulls were in relatively large numbers, most of them crowded onto one of the low and narrow sand islands near the lagoon’s southern edge.

We had 280 Heermann’s Gulls, all but two were sub-adult. Lu Plauzoles counted 36 juveniles. This struck all of us as an extraordinary number of Heermann’s, especially for May, when most of them are still down in Baja, finishing up their breeding season. So I did a little research and found:

Heermann’s Gulls at Malibu Lagoon

• Average May count for period 2011-2020: 11.2 birds.
• Years 2011-2020 with none present in May: 2011, 2017
• Previous high count in May: 61 on 5-27-07
• Sightings >100 birds: 9 out of 263 times they were present: 350 on 4-26-15, 280 5-16-21, 155 3-23-14, 142 1-23-05, 139 11-6-82, 127 1-28-07, 125 7-25-10, 120 10-23-05, 112 11-2-80.

So 280 birds on 5-16-21 was our highest May count by far, and the second highest count of all time. The most obvious assumption is that they finished nesting early and dispersed from Isla Rasa, where about 95% of them nest, along with most of the world’s Elegant Terns.

Brown Pelicans and (mostly) Elegant Terns. (R. Juncosa 5-16-21)

There were also 235 Brown Pelicans, another high number. Our all-time high for them is 1490 birds on 4-26-15, with an additional scattering of sightings in the mid-to-high hundreds. 107 Elegant Terns, 13 Caspian Terns and only 46 other gulls rounded out the gull/tern group.

Elegant Terns spooked easily, frequently taking flight for no apparent reason (R. Juncosa 5-16-21)

Shorebirds were almost entirely absent: 31 total sandpipers and plovers including 19 Marbled Godwit. Unusual among them was a lone male Red-necked Phalarope. This is one of the few North American species in which the female is more brightly plumaged than the male. Such sexual dimorphism reversal generally (if not always) signals polyandry, and all three of our phalarope species are indeed polyandrous, with the male performing most of the nesting duties including watching over the young.

Male Red-necked Phalarope paddling through the algae. The female is even more colorful. (R. Juncosa 5-16-21)

The ducks have already started breeding. Watching from the newly rebuilt observation deck atop the Adamson boathouse, we saw below us a pair of Mallards leading 4 downy ducklings from the brush into the small pool below. The puffball-ducklings were so buoyant they could hardly swim. Whatever they were pecking at on the water surface was too small to be seen by us. Perhaps they weren’t pecking at anything, but just imitating their parents feeding behavior. That’s how we all learn, isn’t it?

While walking back from Adamson House across the PCH bridge we spotted two Red-shouldered Hawks, flying overhead, heading west, one in sub-adult plumage and missing at least one flight feather, the other a very brightly plumaged adult. The last time we spotted this species, which has long nested not far upstream, was back in November 2018.

The swallows kept us very busy, constantly shooting above, by and between us, some high, some low. Most were bright rusty-brown and shiny-blue Barn Swallows, but Cliff Swallows, three Rough-winged and two Violet-green were also in the mix. The Violet-greens (or Violent Greens as they’re sometimes called) nests in our local mountains and farther north, but we see them nearly every year at the lagoon during migration.

Male House Finch keeps a close eye on those berries to his right (R. Juncosa 5-16-21)

Last but not least was a bright and colorful pair of Yellow Warblers, the male’s breast covered with red streaks, working the beach-edge bushes near Malibu Colony’s west-end fence.

Birds new for the season: Great Blue Heron, Green Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Western Kingbird,, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Oak Titmouse, Yellow Warbler.

Many thanks to photographers: Lillian Johnson & Ray Juncosa

The next SMBAS scheduled field trips: Maybe in September. We’ll see.

The next SMBAS program: We may have a June Zoom meeting. Watch for announcements.

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk remains 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:
2020: Jan-July, July-Dec  2019: Jan-June, July-Dec  
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 2020-21	12/22	1/22	2/22	3/22	4/25	5/22
Temperature	57-64	60-61	65-74	60-61	58-63	59-68
Tide Lo/Hi Height	L+2.15	L+0.86	L-0.13	L+0.86	H+4.83	L+1.57
Tide Time	1052	1223	1314	1223	0843	0736
Snow Goose	2
(Black) Brant					1
Canada Goose		8	8	6	8	6
Cinnamon Teal			4	7
Northern Shoveler				8
Gadwall	6	8	12	16	25	18
American Wigeon	26	8	12	8
Mallard	14	8	10	16	18	22
Northern Pintail	1	2	2
Green-winged Teal	8	6	11	25
Surf Scoter	13		15	2
Bufflehead	5	6	4
Red-breasted Merganser	12	1	12	12	3
Ruddy Duck	19	6	25
Pied-billed Grebe	3	2	6	6	1	1
Eared Grebe	5		1	2
Western Grebe	2		4	11	4
Rock Pigeon	14	3	4	6	9	15
Mourning Dove	2		1	6
Anna’s Hummingbird	2		2	3	1	1
Allen’s Hummingbird	2		2	2	4	2
Sora	1
American Coot	445	110	210	235	75	6
Black Oystercatcher	4	2	4	4
Black-bellied Plover	10	25	25	31	22	5
Snowy Plover	22	21	27	23	0
Semipalmated Plover	4	1			29
Killdeer	14	20	4	7	1	6
Whimbrel	8	8	3	6	3	19
Marbled Godwit	8	10	11	10
Ruddy Turnstone	6	1		5
Sanderling	25	8	50	160
Dunlin					1
Least Sandpiper	13	6	4	8	1
Western Sandpiper			1	4	20
Spotted Sandpiper	2		1		1
Willet	10	12	11	6	2	1
Greater Yellowlegs	1
Heermann’s Gull	43	16	2	42	28	280
Ring-billed Gull	65	15	38	12	6
Western Gull	34	30	80	65	40	35
California Gull	485	50	235	130	35	10
Herring Gull	1			1
Glaucous-winged Gull	3	3	1	1	1	1
Caspian Tern				4	20	13
Royal Tern	3	5	6	24	6
Elegant Tern					395	107
Pacific Loon	1		1
Brandt’s Cormorant			5
Double-crested Cormorant	28	85	52	25	12	26
Pelagic Cormorant	1		1		1
Brown Pelican	32	162	12	27	105	235
Great Blue Heron	3	1	3			3
Great Egret	1	2	2	2	1	1
Snowy Egret	23	10	9	3	2	1
Green Heron						1
Black-crowned Night-Heron			1
Turkey Vulture	2	1		1		1
Osprey	1	1		2	2	1
Cooper’s Hawk		1
Red-shouldered Hawk						2
Belted Kingfisher	1	1
Nuttall’s Woodpecker		1
Downy Woodpecker	1
Peregrine Falcon					1
Black Phoebe	6	1	2	2	8	6
Say’s Phoebe	5	1
Western Kingbird						1
California Scrub-Jay			1	2
American Crow	14	6	2	5	4	4
Common Raven				1
Violet-green Swallow						2
Rough-winged Swallow				6	2	3
Cliff Swallow						8
Barn Swallow				10	25	30
Oak Titmouse						2
Bushtit	30	30	8	20	1	8
Western Bluebird				2
Northern Mockingbird	1			2	4	5
European Starling	30	10		75	5
House Finch	6	4	4	10	6	6
Lesser Goldfinch	5	6	4	16	2
Spotted Towhee					1
California Towhee			1	4		3
Song Sparrow	3	3	4	7	7	8
White-crowned Sparrow		4	5	6	2
Dark-eyed Junco	1
Hooded Oriole					1	1
Red-winged Blackbird				2	2	4
Brown-headed Cowbird				2	1
Great-tailed Grackle	3		1	8	6	6
Orange-crowned Warbler	1
Common Yellowthroat	5	1		3
Yellow Warbler						2
Yellow-rumped Warbler	16	6	14	15	1
Totals by Type	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
Waterfowl	106	53	115	100	55	46
Water Birds – Other	518	359	292	306	198	268
Herons, Egrets & Ibis	27	13	15	5	3	6
Quail & Raptors	3	3	0	3	3	4
Shorebirds	127	114	141	264	80	31
Gulls & Terns	634	119	362	279	531	446
Doves	16	3	5	12	9	15
Other Non-Passerines	6	2	4	5	5	3
Passerines	126	72	46	198	78	99
Totals Birds	1563	738	980	1172	962	918
Total Species	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
Waterfowl	10	9	11	9	5	3
Water Birds – Other	9	4	9	6	6	4
Herons, Egrets & Ibis	3	3	4	2	2	4
Quail & Raptors	2	3	0	2	2	3
Shorebirds	13	11	11	11	10	4
Gulls & Terns	7	6	6	8	8	6
Doves	2	1	2	2	1	1
Other Non-Passerines	4	2	2	2	2	2
Passerines	14	11	11	20	17	17
Totals Species – 95	64	50	56	62	53	44