[Chuck Almdale]

As we noted a few days earlier, there was a Lesser Black-backed Gull (a European-West Asian species) reported from Malibu Lagoon on Dec. 17 & 20, and of course we hoped it will still be there. I arrived about quarter-to-eight planning to do a preliminary search, but the lagoon was incredibly full of water from the +6.53 ft. high tide about six minutes earlier, so of course all the birds except for ducks and coots were gathered on what little beach remained, all the way across the lagoon and directly towards the sun. We’d have to wait until we got to the beach to search for it, but with such a high tide it would be several hours before there was a beach. Meanwhile the lagoon past the PCH bridge had a passel of Bufflehead and Ruddy Ducks and the lagoon was full (well…not really full) of coots and various ducks, including Northern Shovelers. Back at the gathering place, I briefed the birders on the LBB Gull, showed them the picture in the NGS field guide and put them on alert. As the tide dropped we slowly made our way to the beach.

The egrets were forced to stay in what shallows there were. Some were near the winter tidal clock sidewalk.

One Snowy Egret on his way to the water…

Stepping over that stick…

A little lift from his right hind toe on the stick…

Finally in the water. Bring on the fish.

Of all the birds in the trees and brush – 3 woodpeckers (3 species) and 119 passerines (17 species) – the only one photographed was probably the plainest Yellow-rumped Warbler in existence. The two Wrentits posing on a chainlink fence got away before the cameras arrived.

By the time we reached the lagoon entrance, the water level had dropped considerably.

We began searching through the gulls. As usual this time of year most of them were California Gull, but there were typical numbers of Western, Ring-billed and Heermann’s. Sometimes it’s hard to tell these birds apart even though they differ significantly in size. Ring-billed (17 ½”) often look the same size as California (21″), which in turn often looks the same size as Western (25″), but Ring-billed always look smaller than Western. Go Figure. in the photo below, a Ring-billed is between a couple of California and a Western.

After a couple of false alerts, after which we decided we were doing something wrong, three birders – Chris, Femi and Marie – independently spotted the bird about the same time, among the other species at the other side of one of the lagoon’s sand islands revealed by the dropping tide.

It then wandered off into the water, farther away.

The slenderness of the bill shows up well in the photo below.

I found it a difficult bird – first to locate, then to differentiate. A number of other 1st-winter gulls also had “smudginess” around the eye. The bill was all black and more slender with less of a gonydeal bump on the lower mandible. The upper neck and nape were a bit brighter. The wing primaries were all black. It also seemed to have a bolder black-&-white pattern on the undertail coverts, almost a herringbone. The black bills of all the other 1st-winter birds were thicker with a more pronounced gonydeal bump and varying amounts of pinkishness around the base of the bill.

Heermann’s Gulls were present as well.

We even had three Bonaparte’s Gulls (yes, named after a naturalist nephew of that Bonaparte who had moved to Philadelphia after his uncle’s disastrous defeat at Waterloo). It’s hard to believe but this gull used to appear in the hundreds at the lagoon. My record high was over 40 years ago, about 1600 birds on 3 Mar. 1980. Next highest was 1095 on 12 Dec. 1982. Between 1 Dec. 1979 and 8 Jan. 1983 I had 12 counts in the hundreds. But since 27 Aug. 2000, out of 265 census visits, they have been present only 68 times, totaling a mere 198 birds, averaging 3 birds per appearance. In only four of those 68 appearances did they number into double digits; The highest count was 26 birds on 27 May 2007.

According to Birds of the World the world population of Bonaparte’s Gull is not globally threatened. Estimated world population 85,000–175,000 pairs, but that may be conservative. No declines noticed in Florida, New Jersey, Niagara (winter), northern California, Alaska, Quebec or Ontario. So the drop in the wintering and migrant population at Malibu Lagoon may not be representative of anywhere else, not even SoCal. Maybe it’s the smell of sun tan lotion in the water and air that drove them away.

Brown Pelicans, some of whom nest on Anacapa Island not far away, have made a marvelous recovery since DDT was banned. They are at the lagoon 100% of the time.

By now the egrets had moved all around the lagoon.

We hadn’t seen the Osprey all morning, but on the way back found him on his phone pole at the corner of Malibu Colony, looking very quizzical. But if you’re not a fish, a crow or another Osprey, he’s really not all that interested in you.

Malibu Lagoon on eBird as of 12-29-23: 7333 lists, 320 species
Most recent species added: Red-breasted Nuthatch (31 October 2023, Kyle Te Poel).

Birds new for the season:  Canada Goose, Horned Grebe, Eared Grebe, Black Oystercatcher, Bonaparte’s Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Red-shouldered Hawk, Downy Woodpecker, Nuttall’s Woodpecker, Hairy Woodpecker, California Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Dark-eyed Junco.

Many, many thanks to photographers Femi Faminu, Ray Juncosa

Upcoming SMBAS scheduled field trips; no reservations or covid card necessary unless specifically mentioned:

• Antelope Valley Raptor Search, Sat. Jan 13, meet at 7:00 am. Reservations. May be canceled.
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun. Jan 28, 8:30 (adults) & 10 am (parents & kids)
• Madrona Marsh Sat Feb 10, 8 am.
• These and any other trips we announce for the foreseeable future will depend upon expected status of the Covid/flu/etc. 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.
• Link to Programs & Field Trip schedule.

The next SMBAS Zoom program: “Aeroacoustics Lab at UCR” with Dr. Chris J. Clark, Evening Meeting, Tuesday, Feb 6, 2023, 7:30 p.m.

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk restarted April 23. Reservations for groups (scouts, etc.) necessary; not necessary for families.

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

Prior checklists:
2023: Jan-June
2021: Jan-July,  July-Dec 2022: Jan-June, July-Dec
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 Femi Faminu, Ray Juncosa, Chris Lord, Marie Nosurname and others for their contributions to this month’s checklist.

The species lists below is irregularly re-sequenced to agree with the California Bird Records Committee Official California Checklist. If part of the chart’s right side is hidden, there’s a slider button inconveniently located at the bottom of the list.

The numbers 1-9 left of the species names are keyed to the nine categories of birds at the bottom.
[Chuck Almdale]

	Malibu Census 2023	7/23	8/27	9/24	10/22	11/26	12/24
	Temperature	66-70	69-73	56-74	62-70	62-68	53-64
	Tide Lo/Hi Height	L+0.81	H+3.68	H+3.77	L+3.34	H+6.53	H+6.20
	Tide Time	0730	0832	0739	1029	0740	0644
1	Canada Goose	4					21
1	Cinnamon Teal					3	1
1	Northern Shoveler				1		13
1	Gadwall	90	45	40	23	30	27
1	American Wigeon					5	14
1	Mallard	77	20	12		9	8
1	Green-winged Teal			1		31	8
1	Lesser Scaup					1
1	Surf Scoter				15	8	3
1	Bufflehead					5	18
1	Red-breasted Merganser					20	5
1	Ruddy Duck				12	22	37
2	Pied-billed Grebe		2	1	4	6	2
2	Horned Grebe						1
2	Eared Grebe						1
2	Western Grebe				28	13	18
7	Feral Pigeon		3	4	3	4	4
7	Mourning Dove	2	2	5	1
8	Anna’s Hummingbird	1		2	2		2
8	Allen’s Hummingbird	4		1	4	1	3
2	Sora			1
2	American Coot		6	49	157	230	280
5	Black Oystercatcher						1
5	Black-bellied Plover	6	39	82	79	7	52
5	Killdeer	8	13	6	1	5	20
5	Semipalmated Plover	1	7	3
5	Snowy Plover	7	13	22	18	1
5	Whimbrel	32	38	32	23	4	8
5	Long-billed Curlew		4	3
5	Marbled Godwit		1	48	45	5	11
5	Short-billed Dowitcher		1	2
5	Wilson’s Phalarope	1
5	Red-necked Phalarope		2
5	Spotted Sandpiper		3	3
5	Willet	5	9	29	56	12	22
5	Ruddy Turnstone		2	4	10	1	10
5	Sanderling		2	32	27	69	10
5	Least Sandpiper	4	8	18	6	35	28
5	Western Sandpiper	6	3	15
6	Bonaparte’s Gull						3
6	Heermann’s Gull	89	90	51	55	71	22
6	Ring-billed Gull	1			4	42	34
6	Western Gull	150	85	65	45	68	64
6	Herring Gull		1			1	1
7	Lesser Black-backed Gull						1
6	California Gull	2	3	7	7	220	425
6	Glaucous-winged Gull					1	5
6	Caspian Tern		1
6	Forster’s Tern			1
6	Elegant Tern	2	40	24	2	1
6	Royal Tern		10	4	5	12	7
2	Pacific Loon					1
2	Common Loon				1
2	Black-vented Shearwater			20	28
2	Brandt’s Cormorant					1
2	Pelagic Cormorant			1	2		5
2	Double-crested Cormorant	42	23	30	48	37	47
2	Brown Pelican	174	56	27	12	26	72
3	Black-crowned Night-Heron	2	5	2			1
3	Snowy Egret	4	8	5	2	20	18
3	Green Heron		1	3	1
3	Great Egret	3	5		6	4	2
3	Great Blue Heron	4	5	3	2	4	2
4	Turkey Vulture				1	2	2
4	Osprey		1	1	1	2	1
4	Cooper’s Hawk	1
4	Red-shouldered Hawk			1			1
4	Red-tailed Hawk		1	1	2
8	Belted Kingfisher			2	1		1
8	Downy Woodpecker						1
8	Nuttall’s Woodpecker			1			1
8	Hairy Woodpecker						1
8	Northern Flicker				1
4	American Kestrel			1
4	Peregrine Falcon					1
8	Nanday Parakeet				2
9	Black Phoebe	6	2	4	4	2	4
9	Say’s Phoebe					1
9	California Scrub-Jay	1		2			1
9	American Crow	20	9	6	44	3	5
9	Common Raven	2	1	2			1
9	Oak Titmouse			3	1		1
9	No. Rough-winged Swallow			2
9	Barn Swallow	12	35	4
9	Bushtit	22		8	22	50
9	Wrentit		1	4	1	4	3
9	Ruby-crowned Kinglet					1
9	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher					2
9	House Wren			2	2	3	2
9	Marsh Wren					1
9	Bewick’s Wren			1		1
9	European Starling			15	12	22	28
9	Northern Mockingbird	1
9	House Finch	15	5	6	5	6	9
9	Lesser Goldfinch					2
9	Dark-eyed Junco	1					2
9	White-crowned Sparrow				10	20	27
9	Savannah Sparrow			1
9	Song Sparrow	5	4	5	5	6	7
9	California Towhee	3		3	1	2	1
9	Hooded Oriole	1
9	Red-winged Blackbird	6		7	15		16
9	Brown-headed Cowbird	1
9	Great-tailed Grackle		1	1	20		1
9	Orange-crowned Warbler			1	2
9	Common Yellowthroat			2	4	8	5
9	Yellow Warbler		1
9	Yellow-rumped Warbler (Aud)				5	12	6
9	Townsend’s Warbler				1
9	Wilson’s Warbler			1
9	Western Tanager			1
9	Black-headed Grosbeak			1
0	Totals by Type	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1	Waterfowl	171	65	53	51	134	155
2	Water Birds – Other	216	87	129	280	314	426
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	13	24	13	11	28	23
4	Quail & Raptors	1	2	4	4	5	4
5	Shorebirds	70	145	299	265	139	162
6	Gulls & Terns	244	230	152	118	416	562
7	Doves	2	5	9	4	4	4
8	Other Non-Passerines	5	0	6	10	1	9
9	Passerines	96	59	82	154	146	119
	Totals Birds	818	617	747	897	1187	1464
	Total Species	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
1	Waterfowl	3	2	3	4	10	11
2	Water Birds – Other	2	4	7	8	7	8
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	4	5	4	4	3	4
4	Quail & Raptors	1	2	4	3	3	3
5	Shorebirds	9	15	14	9	9	9
6	Gulls & Terns	5	7	6	6	8	9
7	Doves	1	2	2	2	1	1
8	Other Non-Passerines	2	0	4	5	1	6
9	Passerines	14	9	23	17	18	17
	Totals Species – 112	41	46	67	58	60	68

*Gulled pun intended