[Text & 6/14/25 trip list by Jean Garrett, photos by Jay Juncosa, posted by Chuck Almdale]

It was a lovely day with a surprising amount of birds considering (in some areas) the sparsity possibly caused by the fires. Over by the parking lot, the meadow was filled with Western Bluebirds, Lazuli Buntings, and some Blue Grosbeaks and California Scrub-Jays. 

The lighting perfectly enhanced the colors giving us a vibrant range of blue. Best of all, the month of June still has the sounds of Spring. The occasional Allen’s Hummingbird, and later on several Anna’s Hummingbirds had plenty of flowers for nourishment. Of course there was the sound of the Common Yellowthroat teasing us before we could actually see one. Also, along the meadow were the swallows, mostly Violet-green and Tree but sometimes a Cliff, and with a careful look a White-throated Swift.

Across the street, the huge, ancient Valley Oak had the clamor of chattering Acorn Woodpeckers and the occasional Nuttall’s. In the mountains surrounding the meadow, a young Red-shouldered Hawk sat on a nest. As we walked towards the trees, Hooded and Bullock’s Orioles were showing up. It seems we would always see the female first but there were some mature males that had a lot of orange-yellow. Overhead, Nanday Parakeets would flicker and squawk every once in a while. Chris was pointing out the Spanish clover showing how much it attracts the Acmon Blue Butterfly. 

As we walked towards the forest, Spotted Towhees were singing. In an opening of the trees a House Wren was on a snag, giving us a recital and letting us see him. Then on the cliff overhanging the river we could hear two Yellow-breasted Chats. With patience and with the sound fading then getting louder, we finally saw the bird and it was a lifer for one person. 

The river gave us a chance to see the Great Egret and the Great Blue Heron and a good look at some Turkey Vultures and a Kestrel blending so well against the snag he was perched on. Even a few Northern Rough-winged Swallows were circling around. When coming out of the forest, that clucking sound of the California Quail could be heard. Of course we got the usual Red-tailed Hawks, Crows and Ravens but also a Band-tailed Pigeon. All in all, we got 48 species — no record but we had such great views. The sun was just right, you could see the colors well and the birds still singing.  

The list below is the only record we have for our Malibu Creek SP bird walks. The total for all four trips is now 80 species. Today’s trip turned up 15 species not seen on the three prior trips. Lots of sharp eyes. You never know what you’ll get.