Foot styles at Malibu Lagoon, 23 October 2022

[Chuck Almdale]

Surfrider beach has grown quite wide. The plover enclosure virtual fence has been removed in anticipation of winter storms and the disappearance of at least a portion of the beach. (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)

It was a very good day indeed for surfers. The photo above shows mostly birders in a group, as at 11am the surfers remaining are out in the water. Mid-to-high 60°’s, barely a wisp of cloud on the far horizon and a 10-to-20mph wind from offshore. Parking along PCH was jam-packed, leaving little room for birders arriving long after the dawn patrol were already on their boards. Despite the wind, we had a nice selection of 54 species, with 60% of the total birds being coots, gulls, pelicans and cormorants.

Grace Murayama captured a good look at the deep red forehead shield of this coot. Notice the water beading on the bird’s back.

Tidal clock sidewalk (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)
We haven’t had any storms yet, so Malibu Creek hasn’t broken through the beach into the ocean. The surface algae seems greatly reduced from last month, and the lagoon water level is high. The tidal clock sidewalk is covered with mud up to about 7’4″, and the paving around the 7’8.4″ tile below looked damp, but mud-free. I think I’ll take my trowel next month and move the mud from the other tiles.

Tidal clock tile 7’8.4″ looks a bit damp. (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)

Sun rising over the main channel with nary a cloud. (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)

Royal Terns (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)
The front one appears to be checking its left pocket where it’s wallet was supposed to be. By this time of year, the dark eye nearly always stands out from the dark feathering. The eye of the Elegant Tern always remains connected to the black feathering.

Left to right: Mallards, American Wigeons, Killdeer, Coots, Green-winged Teal and another Coot and a Mallard. (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)
The two wigeons are in eclipse plumage; check the lobed toes on the coots (great adaptation for a bird that both walks and swims a lot) and the green speculum in the diminutive teal.

Least Sandpiper (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)
As one might expect, at 6″ this is the smallest sandpiper in the world, but not by much. Note the complete lack of webbing on the toes.

PCH bridge over a calm, algae-free lagoon (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)

Western Snowy Plover landing (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)

Our wintering Western Snowy Plover flock continues to grow, typical for this time of year. On 24 July we had 13 birds, 28 Aug – 20, 25 Sep – 25, 23 Oct – 39. On average the numbers climb until December, then dwindle until March, drop precipitously in April, in May and June there are usually none, and then the whole thing starts over. People always ask if they’re nesting. If it’s late June to March, noooo, they’re roosting, aka sitting around, doing nothing. They like to sit in those little dents in the sand made by your heels when you walk, but they can make their own roosting-dimple in a few seconds if all the good holes are taken. They do a lot of sitting and snoozing when they’re not feeding in the wrack along the high tide line, which implies they prefer to feed a bit after high tide. But if it’s a high high tide, they may wait a bit to make sure they don’t get whacked by a wave. That’s what they were doing today with the 5.33 ft. tide. Unlike Sanderlings and the larger sandpipers, they really don’t want to get into turbulent water; what with their tiny legs and unwebbed toes they could easily be swept away.

Western Snowy Plover Pb:ob (Left – pink above ankle over blue: Right – orange over blue) (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)

The Willet, at 15″ tall (long?) versus the Snowy Plover’s 6.25″ is not afraid of a little water. It’s the best way to find those little sand crabs stirred up by the rushing water.

Willet with Emerita analoga (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)
The above bird is positively beaming with delight.

Willet portrait (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)

The “semipalmated” aspect of the Semipalmated Plover refers to the partial – rather than full – webbing on the toes. Most birds have four toes, and the most common arrangement of four toes in the bird world is anisodactyly, when one toe points backwards and the other three point forward. Their backward toe is equivalent to the human big toe, and is counted as toe #1. The inner forward-pointing toe is #2, with the middle and outer toes as #3 and #4. It’s just like your foot would look if you lopped off your little toe and shifted your big toe around to your heel, which I don’t recommend trying. On Semipalmated Plovers the webbing is only between toes nos. 3 & 4, and not between nos 2 & 3.

An anisodactyl right foot. Kidwings-bird feet
This page has a nice description with diagrams of the various bird foot designs.

This partial webbing arrangement is unusual; when it occurs it may become part of the bird’s name, as with this plover and the Semipalmated Sandpiper. I haven’t seen any explanations why this partial webbing occurs. My guess is that it gives the bird the ability to swim more efficiently than if it had no webs, but walk a little better than if it had three webbed toes on each foot. Full webbing can make a bird waddle like a duck, not good for a bird that finds it’s food while running up and down mud flats and beaches. Look closely at the left foot of the bird below and you’ll see a little webbing between the middle and outer toe.

Semipalmated Plover – check that web (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)

However, I would not hold off on putting this bird on your life list until you see this webbing feature. Such obscure details are far easier to see when you’re in a museum holding the dead bird in your hands. That’s why few (if any) field guides mention this as a field mark. There are loads of such characteristics in bird names which you will rarely, if ever, see in the field. The ring on the Ring-necked Duck or the orange crown on the Orange-crowned Warbler are two local examples. The entire family of Tyrant Flycatchers Tyrannidae is named for the colored crown (with the implication that a crowned “king” is also a tyrant) on many of the family members, which you may see if the bird (perhaps only the males) is angry, courting, or in your hands and you can move the crown feathers around as you wish. When duty calls the feathers are displayed, but otherwise kept out-of-sight. I’ve seen almost 300 species of Tyrannidae and I can’t recall seeing an erect colored crown on any of them (I suppose they didn’t find me exciting to look at), so don’t hold your breath waiting to see it.

Scene from 2nd viewpoint. (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)
The Adamson House is behind the trees, Malibu Pier farther away, the sandy island with nearly all the shorebirds, gulls, pelicans and cormorants a bit closer in the center, and the low stretch of sand is Surfrider Beach, famed from Beach Blanket Bingo movies.

When Grace and Larry visited the lagoon two days earlier, they had a few birds that inconsiderately left before we arrived on Sunday.

Greater White-fronted Geese (Larry Loeher 10/21/22)

White Pelicans (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)
White Pelicans in foreground, Brown Pelicans in the rear, plus a Double-crested Cormorant and a Snowy Egret. (Grace Murayama 10/21/22)

Belted Kingfisher female (cinnamon on sides of breast & underwing) (Grace Murayama 10/21/22) This bird was probably still around, but they often go up the creek and sit in the trees.

Birds new for the season: Northern Pintail, Green-winged Teal, Eared Grebe, Western Grebe, Forster’s Tern, Green Heron, Oak Titmouse, Marsh Wren, White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler.

Malibu Lagoon on eBird as of 10-30-22: 6340 lists, 316 species

Many thanks to photographers: Lillian Johnson, Larry Loeher, Grace Murayama

Just one of many waves rolling in, making surfers very happy. (Lillian Johnson 10/23/22)

Upcoming SMBAS scheduled field trips: Ballona Fresh Water Marsh, Sat. Nov 12  8 am; Malibu Lagoon, Sun Oct. 23  8:30 am; Newport Back Bay, Sat. Dec 10, 8 am. These and any other trip we announce for the foreseeable future will be dependent upon the expected status of the Covid pandemic at trip time. Any trip announced may be canceled shortly before trip date if it seems necessary. By now any other comments should be superfluous.

The next SMBAS program: “Evolution of Feather Color in the Tanagers” with Allison Shultz. In-person Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 1 November 2022, 7:30 p.m. This program will not be on Zoom.

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk is currently under discussion concerning its resumption.

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

Prior checklists:
2021: Jan-July,  July-Dec 2022: Jan-June
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, remain available—despite numerous complaints—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.

Many thanks to Lillian Johnson and others for their contributions to this month’s checklist.

The species are re-sequenced to agree with the California Bird Records Committee Official California Checklist, updated 15 Jan 2022. I generally do this sequence update at the start of each year.
[Chuck Almdale]

	Malibu Census 2022	5/22	6/26	7/24	8/28	9/25	10/23
	Temperature	61-66	65-70	70-73	72-79	72-79	61-73
	Tide Lo/Hi Height	L-0.32	H+3.33	H+3.35	H+4.49	H+5.01	H+5.33
	Tide Time	1029	0943	0909	1102	0949	0839
1	(Black) Brant	6
1	Gadwall	25	15	25	22	26	18
1	American Wigeon	2
1	Mallard	15	35	80	65	28	12
1	Northern Pintail						1
1	Green-winged Teal						2
1	Ruddy Duck					3	35
2	Pied-billed Grebe		1	2	4	6	8
2	Eared Grebe						2
2	Western Grebe						2
7	Feral Pigeon	6	8	17	10	6	15
7	Band-tailed Pigeon		1
7	Mourning Dove		2	2	5		4
8	Anna’s Hummingbird	1				1
8	Allen’s Hummingbird	1	2	3	3
2	Sora					1	1
2	American Coot	4	4	8	12	47	145
5	Black-bellied Plover	1		17	79	67	64
5	Killdeer	3	3	6	5	7	2
5	Semipalmated Plover			1	15	3	2
5	Snowy Plover			13	20	25	39
5	Whimbrel		3	88	37	15	5
5	Long-billed Curlew				1
5	Marbled Godwit			1	6	21	6
5	Ruddy Turnstone			3	4	3	4
5	Black Turnstone				2
5	Sanderling				25	14	33
5	Dunlin					1
5	Least Sandpiper			8	10	23	15
5	Western Sandpiper			1	25	8	4
5	Short-billed Dowitcher				2
5	Long-billed Dowitcher			1
5	Spotted Sandpiper	1			1	1
5	Willet			7	48	73	9
5	Red-necked Phalarope	1			1	2
6	Heermann’s Gull	4	27	5	2	9	8
6	Ring-billed Gull					2	22
6	Western Gull	95	55	145	53	72	64
6	California Gull	33	3	3	21	57	155
6	Glaucous-winged Gull			1
6	Caspian Tern	15	22	18
6	Forster’s Tern			1			1
6	Royal Tern	3	3	25	6	1	12
6	Elegant Tern	24		475	255		15
6	Black Skimmer				3
2	Brandt’s Cormorant	50
2	Pelagic Cormorant	2		2	1		1
2	Double-crested Cormorant	22	46	62	68	56	51
2	Brown Pelican	65	126	85	112	64	65
3	Great Blue Heron	2	3	5	2	3	3
3	Great Egret	2	4	3	3	1	2
3	Snowy Egret	1	2	12	14	9	9
3	Reddish Egret			1
3	Green Heron						1
3	Black-crowned Night-Heron		4	8	2
4	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron				1
4	Turkey Vulture	4	4		1		1
4	Osprey		1	1
4	Red-shouldered Hawk					1
8	Belted Kingfisher					1
4	Peregrine Falcon					1
9	Cassin’s Kingbird					3
9	Black Phoebe	2	5	4	5	5	3
9	Say’s Phoebe					1
9	California Scrub-Jay		1	3	2	2	1
9	American Crow	4	5	1	17	3	8
9	Common Raven	2
9	Oak Titmouse			2			2
9	Violet-green Swallow				1
9	No. Rough-winged Swallow	8		1	4
9	Barn Swallow	15	20	30	28
9	Cliff Swallow	4		3	1
9	Bushtit		8	10	15	8	10
9	Wrentit	2		1		1
9	House Wren		1	1	1	2	1
9	Marsh Wren						1
9	Bewick’s Wren				1	1
9	Northern Mockingbird		1	3		1
9	European Starling	1				8
9	House Finch	12	10	12	8	4	15
9	Lesser Goldfinch		1		3	6	1
9	White-crowned Sparrow						12
9	Song Sparrow	10	4	2	6	3	3
9	California Towhee	2	1		1		3
9	Spotted Towhee					1
9	Red-winged Blackbird			6	25		4
9	Brown-headed Cowbird	1
9	Great-tailed Grackle	1	6	6	4		5
9	Orange-crowned Warbler				1	2
9	Common Yellowthroat			2	4	5	3
9	Yellow-rumped Warbler						4
	Totals by Type	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
1	Waterfowl	48	50	105	87	57	68
2	Water Birds – Other	143	177	159	197	174	275
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	5	13	29	22	13	15
4	Quail & Raptors	4	5	1	1	2	1
5	Shorebirds	6	6	146	281	263	183
6	Gulls & Terns	174	110	673	340	141	277
7	Doves	6	11	19	15	6	19
8	Other Non-Passerines	2	2	3	3	2	0
9	Passerines	64	63	87	127	56	76
	Totals Birds	452	437	1222	1073	714	914
	Total Species	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
1	Waterfowl	4	2	2	2	3	5
2	Water Birds – Other	5	4	5	5	5	8
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	3	4	5	5	3	4
4	Quail & Raptors	1	2	1	1	2	1
5	Shorebirds	4	2	11	16	14	11
6	Gulls & Terns	6	5	8	6	5	7
7	Doves	1	3	2	2	1	2
8	Other Non-Passerines	2	1	1	1	2	0
9	Passerines	13	12	16	18	17	16
	Totals Species – 91	39	35	51	56	52	54