[Chuck Almdale]

Pacific Coast Highway: It’s much harder to confirm a road is open than closed. As far as I can tell, all lanes on all routes into Malibu are open, but speed limits between Santa Monica and Malibu are 25 MPH in certain places and the police ARE issuing speeding tickets in an attention-getting manner.
If you learn differently about closures, let me know.

So… SMBAS lagoon trips (8:30am general and 10am parents & kids) are happening.

As the summer sunbathers leave, lagoon and beach fill with migrants and wintering birds arriving from the north. It may be sunny, it may be cool, it probably won’t rain. Whether you’re experienced or new to our coastal birds, this would be a great day to introduce yourself to them.

Some of the great birds we’ve had in October are:
Snow Goose; Blue-winged Teal, Bufflehead; Common Loon; Horned, Eared & Western Grebes; Brandt’s & Pelagic Cormorants; Osprey; Cooper’s Hawk; Merlin; Peregrine Falcon; Sora; Snowy Plover; Black Oystercatcher; Ruddy & Black Turnstones; Pectoral Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper; Dunlin; Mew Gull; Common, Forster’s, Royal & Elegant Terns; Green & Great Blue Herons; Northern Flicker; Merlin; Nanday Parakeet; Tropical, Cassin’s & Western Kingbirds; Oak Titmouse; Tree & Violet-Green Swallows; Bewick’s, House & Marsh Wrens; American Pipit; Chipping & Golden-crowned Sparrows; Western Meadowlark; Nashville, Yellow, Black-throated Gray, Townsend’s and Wilson’s Warblers; to name a paltry few….

Weather prediction as of 23 October:
Cloudy, mild. Temp: 54-70°, Wind: NNE 5>7 mph, Clouds: 90%>20%, rain: 0%
Tide: Slowly rising all morning: High: 5.02 ft. @ 11:25am Sun.; Low: +2.90 ft. @ 4:24am Sun morn.
A peculiar tidal event Sunday morning: High:+3.00 ft.@1:59am, Low:+2.90 ft.@4:24am, only 145 minutes apart.
Sep 28 trip report link

Adult Walk 8:30 a.m., 4th Sunday of every month.  Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours.  Species range from 35 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter.  We move slowly and check everything as we move along.  When lagoon outlet is closed we may continue east around the lagoon to Adamson House.  We put out special effort to make our monthly Malibu Lagoon walks attractive to first-time and beginning birdwatchers.  So please, if you are at all worried about coming on a trip and embarrassing yourself because of all the experts, we remember our first trips too.  Someone showed us the birds; now it’s our turn. Bring your birding questions.

Children and Parents Walk, 10:00 a.m., 4th Sunday of every month: One hour session, meeting at the metal-shaded viewing area between parking lot and channel. We start at 10:00 for a shorter walk and to allow time for families to get it together on a sleepy Sunday morning.  Our leaders are experienced with kids so please bring them to the beach!  We have an ample supply of binoculars that children can use without striking terror into their parents.  We want to see families enjoying nature. (If you have a Scout Troop or other group of more than seven people, you must call Jean (213-522-0062) to make sure we have enough binoculars, docents and sand.)

[Written & posted by Chuck Almdale]