[By Chuck Almdale; photos by Ray Juncosa]

I could not make it to today’s lagoon walk. Chris & Ruth Tosdevin kindly agreed to lead the trip and sent me a trip list, while Ray sent me some photos. It looked like a lovely day.

Canada Geese have nested on the brushy sand islands in the lagoon since 2019, sometimes one pair, sometimes two, although they were a bit hard to find in 2022.

Red-breasted Mergansers show up every winter, nearly always in single digits. The most we’ve ever had was 25 on 11-23-14, 12-28-24, and 11-27-22. Most look like this bird below as juveniles look much like the adult females. About 1 in 10 look like adult males with a real red breast and dark green head.

Low tide (+1.31 ft) at 8:46 am. In the winter when the outlet to the sea is open, much of the channels consists of mud.

From the the 3rd lookout point near the beach, one can see a large patch of Giant Coreopsis blooming on Boot-heel Island. Pacific Coast Hwy. bridge is behind, then two fruiting palm trees and the coastal range in the distance. Sometimes the fruit from the various palm species introduced to SoCal is unbelievably delicious, if you like squishy fruit. Some people don’t.

Down on Surfrider’s Beach, many of the shorebirds were resting. ZZZzzzzz. Only one of these Sanderlings on the high tide berm seems alert.

This Royal Tern’s bill-edge seems to have fluff attached, and it’s wing coverts appear chaffed. Is this part of the molting process, or is it just being overly-diligent when preening, or was it attacking another bird? Avian mysteries abound.

Black Oystercatchers have shown up three out of the last four months, most likely because these rocks become exposed only during low tides and our walks have coincided with low tide. I once saw a Black Oystercatcher on a sandy beach, not rocks, near Ballona Creek (never at Malibu Lagoon), making that one for the record books.

The group got lucky and spotted a Hutton’s Vireo. According to eBird they’ve been previously spotted at the lagoon nine times, the first time by Katheryn and David Barton on 9-23-84; this was the first time on our monthly field trips. This west coast bird is not abundant anywhere, but they’re far more common in oak woodlands such as in Malibu Creek State Park, a few miles inland, than they are down at the beach.

Another uncommon bird, sighted for the second time in four months on our field trip, but only the 10th time in 46 years, is the Black-throated Gray Warbler. Again, far more common in woodlands. The first one I ever saw was in Yosemite, north of Tuolumne Meadows and deep in the conifer forest, in the summer. Definitely not at the beach.

In the above chart we have 2,660 American Wood Warblers in 564 sightings, completely dominated by two species: Yellow-rumped Warbler, which winters at the lagoon, claims 59% of individual warblers and 26% of sightings; Common Yellowthroat has 31% of individuals, but is more frequently sighted (45%). The Yellowthroat breeds at the lagoon, so it’s actual presence should be at or close to 100%, but it’s a fairly skulky bird, usually hidden in reeds or thick brush, and many of our ‘sightings’ are actually ‘heard-only birds.’ If they’re not singing (wichity-wichity-wichity) it’s hard to know they’re there. You can see their relative seasonality and abundance in the numbers above.

The Ospreys lost their favorite roosting and dining pole last summer when it was taken down during construction of a new house in the back row at Malibu Colony. They still use a particular water-edge cypress tree, but they have also begun using one of the poles near the Pacific Coast Highway bridge. Less convenient and definitely noisier, in my estimation.

Malibu Lagoon on eBird as of 1-27-26: 9140 lists, 2957 eBirders, 322 species
Most recent new species seen: Nelson’s Sparrow, 11/29/24 by Femi Faminu (SMBAS member). When the newest species added to the list was seen on a date prior to the most recently seen new species, there is no way I can find to easily determine what that bird is. Another minor nit to pick about eBird.

Birds new for the season: Nanday Parakeet, Hutton’s Vireo, Black-throated Gray Warbler.  “New for the season” means it has been three or more months since last recorded on our trips.

Many, many thanks to photographer Ray Juncosa.

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

• Madrona Marsh, Sat. Feb 14, time to be arranged, check blog
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun. Feb. 22, 8:30 (adults) & 10 am (parents & kids)
• Sepulveda Basin, Sat. Mar 10, 8:00
• These and any other trips we announce for the foreseeable future will depend upon expected status of the Covid/flu/etc. pandemic, not to mention landslides, fires, local flooding and atmospheric rivers 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: Tuesday, February 3, 7:30pm; Birding the Southern Oceans and Antarctica, with Alvaro Jaramillo..

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk has again resumed, with ten guests on 25 Jan 2026. Reservations not necessary for families, but for groups (scouts, etc.), please call Jean (213-522-0062).

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

Prior checklists:
2025: Jan-June
2023: Jan-June, July-Dec 2024: Jan-June, July-Dec
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-Dec2011: 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 Marie Barnidge-McIntyre, Femi Faminu, Lu Plauzoles, Chris & Ruth Tosdevin and others for contributions made to this month’s census counts.

The species list below was re-sequenced as of 12/31/25 to agree with the eBird sequence. If part of the right side of the chart below is hidden, there’s a slider button inconveniently located at the bottom end of the list. The numbers 1-9 left of the species names are keyed to the nine categories of birds at the bottom. Updated lagoon bird check lists can be downloaded here.
[Chuck Almdale]

	Malibu Census 2025-26	8/24	9/28	10/26	11/23	12/28	1/25
	Temperature	68-75	65-69	58-65	59-65	60-69	47-55
	Tide Lo/Hi Height	H+4.74	H+4.54	H+5.02	H+5.46	L+1.35	L+1.31
	Tide Time	1102	1244	1125	0939	1047	0846
1	Brant (Black)				1	1	1
1	Canada Goose				12	14	3
1	Northern Shoveler					4
1	Gadwall	19	6		14	20	34
1	American Wigeon					15	4
1	Mallard	14	7	26	1	12	5
1	Green-winged Teal					5	11
1	Ring-necked Duck		1
1	Surf Scoter		10	2	22	4	3
1	Bufflehead				4	4
1	Red-breasted Merganser				2	5	6
1	Ruddy Duck		1		5	11
2	Feral Pigeon	4	6			5
2	Mourning Dove	2	3	1		1
2	Anna’s Hummingbird	1	1	2	3
2	Allen’s Hummingbird	4	4	5	4	3	3
3	Sora		1		1
3	American Coot	4	31	4	25	25	50
4	Black Oystercatcher			1		1	3
4	Black-bellied Plover	49	55	88	64	62	34
4	Killdeer	9	1	8	10	4	4
4	Semipalmated Plover	1
4	Snowy Plover	17	35	40	40	7	17
4	Hudsonian Whimbrel	12	3	14	8	4	3
4	Marbled Godwit			21	8	10	3
4	Spotted Sandpiper					1
4	Willet		10	14	20	7	7
4	Ruddy Turnstone	1	3	6	4	3	2
4	Sanderling		1	13	23	14	35
4	Dunlin		2	1
4	Least Sandpiper	4	6	12	6	10	20
4	Western Sandpiper		14	1	2
5	Sabine’s Gull		1
5	Bonaparte’s Gull				1
5	Heermann’s Gull	10	38	2	49	10
5	Short-billed Gull					1
5	Ring-billed Gull	4	1	7	6	5	17
5	Western Gull	115	61	35	55	85	45
5	American Herring Gull				1	1
5	California Gull	4	10	116	410	650	275
5	Caspian Tern	2
5	Forster’s Tern	1
5	Elegant Tern	70	4	2	3
5	Royal Tern	135	12	2	22	25	12
6	Pied-billed Grebe	4	6	2	3	6	2
6	Horned Grebe					1
6	Eared Grebe		1	6	3	1
6	Western Grebe			30	8	10	45
6	Clark’s Grebe				2
6	Red-throated Loon				2		2
6	Pacific Loon				1
6	Brandt’s Cormorant	1		5	2	1	35
6	Pelagic Cormorant	2	1	3	2	3
6	Double-crested Cormorant	74	49	28	38	17	28
6	White-faced Ibis	1
6	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron	1
6	Black-crowned Night-Heron	1	2	1
6	Snowy Egret	10	5	34	30	11	3
6	Green Heron	2	1	2	1
6	Great Egret	2	3	4	2	1	1
6	Great Blue Heron	5	4	6	4	5	5
6	Brown Pelican	32	45	138	13	3	13
7	Turkey Vulture				1	2	2
7	Osprey		1	1	1	1	2
7	Cooper’s Hawk		1
7	Red-shouldered Hawk	1	2		1
7	Red-tailed Hawk	1	1	1		2	1
8	Belted Kingfisher		1	1	2	1	1
8	Nuttall’s Woodpecker	1			1
8	Nanday Parakeet		20	9			2
9	Black Phoebe	2	4	2	3	1	3
9	Say’s Phoebe				1
9	Hutton’s Vireo						1
9	California Scrub-Jay	1	1	2		1
9	American Crow	8	6	10	7	6	11
9	Common Raven			1
9	Oak Titmouse		2	2	1	1
9	No. Rough-winged Swallow	2
9	Barn Swallow	40	4
9	Bushtit	20	9	35	4	19	20
9	Wrentit	1	2	2	4	1	2
9	Swinhoe’s White-eye	1	1
9	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher				2
9	Northern House Wren	1		2	1	1	1
9	Marsh Wren		1	1
9	Bewick’s Wren		2
9	European Starling	35	2	6	30		1
9	Northern Mockingbird			1		1
9	Western Bluebird			2		1
9	Hermit Thrush				2
9	Scaly-breasted Munia				7
9	House Finch	12	3	2	5	15	7
9	Lesser Goldfinch				2	2	7
9	American Goldfinch					4
9	Dark-eyed Junco	6	2		3	1
9	White-crowned Sparrow		2	10	12	18	6
9	Savannah Sparrow	1				1
9	Song Sparrow	6	5	4	4	3	5
9	California Towhee		2	1	2	2	3
9	Western Meadowlark				2
9	Great-tailed Grackle		23	6	16	3	10
9	Orange-crowned Warbler	1	2	1	2	1	1
9	Common Yellowthroat	4	7	6	2	1	1
9	Yellow-rumped Warbler		2	25	10	8	6
9	Black-throated Gray Warbler			1			1
	Totals Birds by Type	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan
1	Waterfowl & Quail	33	25	28	61	95	67
2	Doves, Swifts & Hummers	11	14	8	7	9	3
3	Rails & Coots	4	32	4	26	25	50
4	Shorebirds	93	130	219	185	123	128
5	Gulls & Terns	341	127	164	547	777	349
6	Grebe, Loon, Heron, Pelican	135	117	259	111	59	134
7	Hawks & Falcons	2	5	2	3	5	5
8	Kingfisher, Peckers & Parrots	1	21	10	3	1	3
9	Passerines	141	82	122	122	91	86
	Totals Birds	761	553	816	1065	1185	825
	Total Species by Group	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan
1	Waterfowl & Quail	2	5	2	8	11	8
2	Doves, Swifts & Hummers	4	4	3	2	3	1
3	Rails & Coots	1	2	1	2	1	1
4	Shorebirds	7	10	12	10	11	10
5	Gulls & Terns	8	7	6	8	7	4
6	Grebe, Loon, Heron, Pelican	12	10	12	14	11	9
7	Hawks & Falcons	2	4	2	3	3	3
8	Kingfisher, Peckers & Parrots	1	2	2	2	1	2
9	Passerines	16	20	21	22	21	17
	Totals Species – 105	53	64	61	71	69	55