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How Computers Work: Binary & Data | Video
You’ve heard that everything’s “1s and 0s” in a computer, but what does that mean? Find out how computers represent numbers, words, images, and sound.
Part IV (6 minutes) of the video series produced by Code.com explaining computers in terms anyone can understand. I know it’s not about birds, and this is supposed to be a website devoted to birds, but as computers in their numerous forms now inhabit 95% – perhaps more – of our waking life, it would be handy for us to know something about them beyond how to start your car, download a book or movie, post sightings to eBird, google migration data or I.D. a bird by recording its song. Like…how the things actually work. We’ll post a new installment approximately every ten days until we run out.
If you like this series and want to go through it at your own rate, the 17 videos listed HERE include the 12 which I have scheduled so far. Having some familiarity with the topics, I watched the first 12 in about an hour. It’s time well spent.
[Chuck Almdale]
Coastal Cleanup Day – Sat. Sept. 21 – 9am to noon – Malibu Lagoon
Saturday, Sept. 21, 2019: Annual International Coastal Cleanup Day, from 9:00 A.M. to Noon at the Malibu Lagoon. Help us clear the trash around the lagoon! Last year, over 500,000 people participated world-wide on a single day, and in three hours picked up over 400 tons of trash from California’s coast and inland waterways. In Los Angeles County 13,464 individuals picked up over 29.8 tons of trash from 78 cleanup sites in 3 hours. Ninety percent of all floating marine debris is plastic. As we know, bright colored plastics or small micro-plastics can be confused for food. A 2012 study by the Convention on Biological Diversity found that 663 marine species have been impacted by plastic litter through ingestion or entanglement. It is important that we clean the lagoon area before the first rains come and carry everything out to the ocean.
Chris deals with weighty matters (L.Johnson 9/20/14)
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. We encourage you to get waivers and registration forms on-line at http://healthebay.org/event/coastal-cleanup-day-2019/ (click the “Register” button, then and choose the “English Waiver” or “Spanish Waiver”), print it and fill it out before you come. Waivers will be also be available at the site. Our chapter concentrates its efforts at Malibu Lagoon, but you can call 1-800-HEALBAY for information and other places to volunteer. Parking will probably be free at the lagoon on this day – it has been before. If possible, bring your own gloves, bucket for trash, and sunscreen. Don’t worry if you forget because from 9:00 a.m. until noon, volunteers will be given supplies and instructions on how to carry out a beach cleanup.
Family Guide: Suitable for everyone but toddlers. Small children, already close to the ground, are great at picking up those tiny pieces of plastic.
Information Contact: Ellen Vahan (310-476-3359)
[Directions] Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road in Malibu. Parking in the official lagoon lot is $12+ or by annual pass. You may also park either along PCH north of Cross Creek Road or on Cross Creek Road itself but be careful – some parts of PCH are off-limits (read the signs carefully.) Lagoon parking in the shopping center lot is not permitted.
Hey! Look guys! You can see the bottom! (J Kenney)
Will You Still Eat Raw Fish After Watching This Video? | PBS Science Video
Have you ever noticed that warning about raw or undercooked seafood at the bottom of restaurant menus? Ever wondered why it’s there? Because fish carry a ton of parasites, and if they aren’t prepared correctly then those parasites can make it into your body. But it turns out, this fishy intersection with the wild world of parasites can teach us a lot about how these moochers help keep ecosystems healthy, and why we should protect them.
This is an installment of the PBS – It’s OK to be Smart series. If no film or link appears in this email, go to the blog to view it by clicking on the blog title above. If the film stops & starts in an annoying manner, press pause (lower left double bars ||) to let it buffer and get ahead of you. [Chuck Almdale]
How Computers Work: Circuits and Logic | Video
Computers process information in the blink of an eye. It’s not magic though, it’s just millions of tiny circuits!
Now you can learn what you didn’t learn in school because computers didn’t exist back then, your school couldn’t afford them, you cut class to steal hubcaps, or you were already living in La La Land.
Part III (5 minutes) of the video series produced by Code.com explaining computers in terms anyone can understand. I know it’s not about birds, and this is supposed to be a website devoted to birds, but as computers in their numerous forms now inhabit 95% – perhaps more – of our waking life, it would be handy for us to know something about them beyond how to start your car, download a book or movie, post sightings to eBird, google migration data or I.D. a bird by recording its song. Like…how the things actually work. We’ll post a new installment approximately every ten days until we run out.
If you like this series and want to go through it at your own rate, the 17 videos listed HERE include the 12 which I have scheduled so far. Having some familiarity with the topics, I watched the first 12 in about an hour. It’s time well spent.
[Chuck Almdale]
August Algae at Malibu Lagoon, 25 August, 2019
Short-billed Dowitchers – note the rufous inner markings on the scapular feathers
(G. Murayama 8/23/19)
The morning was a bit overcast but quite warm at Malibu Lagoon as we observed return-trippers from the north.
Ruddy Turnstone strolls the lagoon shore (G. Murayama 8/9/19)
Few surprises, no ducks to speak of, and a considerable amount of surface algae – the largest amount this observer has seen since the 2012-13 reconfiguration of the lagoon. This is probably because the outflow has stopped and there has been very little offshore wind.
Red-necked Phalarope in the algae (G. Murayama 8/16/19)
Our flock of Snowy Plovers is still low at 14.
Western Snowy Plover banded bb:go (G Murayama 8/16/19)
There were migrant visitors of note: a Long-billed Curlew and a small group of Red-necked Phalarope. Our attendance was down slightly also because of numerous regulars on vacation birding elsewhere in the world. [Lucien Plauzoles]
Male Ruddy Ducks getting feisty (L. Loeher 8/9/19)
A little later in the month…
Not a volcano in Malibu but a brush fire (G. Murayama 8/30/19)
There was a fire at Malibu, up the slope and east of the lagoon. Fire season in the Los Angeles area usually starts a bit later.
Water drop on the fire (L. Loeher 8/30/19)
Birds new for the season: Ruddy Turnstone, Least Sandpiper, Short-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Elegant Tern, Bewick’s Wren, Orange-crowned Warbler.
Many thanks to our photographers: Larry Loeher & Grace Murayama.
White-faced Ibis in a glossy glow
(G. Murayama 8/16/19)
Our next three scheduled field trips: Coastal Cleanup Day at Malibu Lagoon 9am – Noon, Sat. 21 September; Malibu Lagoon 8:30 & 10am, 22 September; Huntington Beach Central Park 8am, Sat 12 October.
Our next program: Birds, Bees and Butterflies: Native Planting in Your Yard, presented by Connie Day & Lili Singer. Tuesday, 1 October, 7:30 p.m., Chris Reed Park, 1133 7th St., NE corner of 7th and Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk meets at the shaded viewpoint just south (towards the water) of the parking area. Watch for Willie the Weasel. He’ll be watching for you and your big floppy feet.
Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon recently updated with new photos
9/23/02 Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon
Prior checklists:
2019: Jan-June
2017: Jan-June, July-Dec 2018: 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, despite numerous complaints, remain available 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.
| Malibu Census 2019 | 3/24 | 4/28 | 5/26 | 6/23 | 7/28 | 8/25 |
| Temperature | 55-64 | 62-66 | 57-59 | 63-68 | 62-66 | 72-78 |
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | L-0.05 | H+3.86 | L+0.66 | L+0.55 | H+3.46 | H+3.39 |
| Tide Time | 0638 | 0546 | 1040 | 0835 | 0817 | 0725 |
| Canada Goose | 2 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| Cinnamon Teal | 2 | |||||
| Northern Shoveler | 1 | |||||
| Gadwall | 18 | 8 | 13 | 20 | 18 | |
| American Wigeon | 15 | |||||
| Mallard | 14 | 30 | 22 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Red-breasted Merganser | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Eared Grebe | 1 | |||||
| Rock Pigeon | 15 | 15 | 18 | 15 | 18 | 5 |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 2 | 4 | ||||
| Mourning Dove | 6 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 2 |
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Allen’s Hummingbird | 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 1 |
| American Coot | 55 | 5 | 4 | 4 | ||
| Black-necked Stilt | 2 | |||||
| Black-bellied Plover | 14 | 36 | 72 | |||
| Snowy Plover | 14 | 2 | 11 | 14 | ||
| Semipalmated Plover | 9 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Killdeer | 10 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 4 |
| Whimbrel | 55 | 4 | 85 | 15 | ||
| Long-billed Curlew | 1 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Marbled Godwit | 15 | 20 | 1 | 17 | ||
| Ruddy Turnstone | 2 | |||||
| Sanderling | 4 | |||||
| Least Sandpiper | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Western Sandpiper | 4 | 1 | 17 | |||
| Short-billed Dowitcher | 3 | |||||
| Spotted Sandpiper | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Willet | 9 | 4 | 15 | 16 | ||
| Red-necked Phalarope | 5 | |||||
| Common Murre | 2 | |||||
| Bonaparte’s Gull | 1 | |||||
| Heermann’s Gull | 2 | 2 | 15 | 2 | ||
| Ring-billed Gull | 25 | 10 | 15 | 8 | ||
| Western Gull | 30 | 95 | 125 | 70 | 80 | 18 |
| California Gull | 22 | 45 | 7 | 2 | ||
| Herring Gull | 1 | |||||
| Glaucous-winged Gull | 1 | |||||
| Least Tern | 2 | 12 | 2 | 5 | ||
| Caspian Tern | 2 | 12 | 13 | 5 | 3 | 12 |
| Royal Tern | 65 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Elegant Tern | 43 | 230 | 165 | 64 | ||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Double-crested Cormorant | 60 | 23 | 27 | 24 | 22 | 20 |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Brown Pelican | 65 | 58 | 108 | 74 | 34 | 6 |
| Great Blue Heron | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | ||
| Great Egret | 5 | 3 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Snowy Egret | 2 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 19 | 11 |
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Nuttall’s Woodpecker | 1 | 1 | ||||
| American Kestrel | 1 | |||||
| Peregrine Falcon | 2 | |||||
| Nanday Parakeet | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
| Black Phoebe | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| California Scrub-Jay | 1 | 1 | ||||
| American Crow | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Violet-green Swallow | 1 | |||||
| Rough-winged Swallow | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
| Cliff Swallow | 1 | 6 | 8 | 11 | ||
| Barn Swallow | 3 | 15 | 14 | 30 | 21 | 7 |
| Bushtit | 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 30 | 20 |
| Marsh Wren | 1 | |||||
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | |||||
| Wrentit | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| American Robin | 1 | |||||
| Northern Mockingbird | 3 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
| European Starling | 15 | 12 | 8 | 25 | 8 | |
| House Finch | 8 | 18 | 8 | 22 | 25 | 3 |
| California Towhee | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| Song Sparrow | 10 | 12 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 9 | |||||
| Hooded Oriole | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| Brown-headed Cowbird | 2 | 15 | ||||
| Great-tailed Grackle | 3 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Yellow-rumped(Aud) Warbler | 2 | |||||
| Totals by Type | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Waterfowl | 53 | 40 | 41 | 44 | 42 | 18 |
| Water Birds – Other | 184 | 83 | 138 | 103 | 61 | 32 |
| Herons, Egrets & Ibis | 9 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 27 | 21 |
| Quail & Raptors | 2 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Shorebirds | 122 | 56 | 4 | 6 | 162 | 172 |
| Gulls & Terns | 189 | 400 | 334 | 87 | 111 | 107 |
| Doves | 21 | 20 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 7 |
| Other Non-Passerines | 7 | 7 | 6 | 11 | 11 | 2 |
| Passerines | 63 | 88 | 63 | 107 | 130 | 84 |
| Totals Birds | 650 | 703 | 617 | 398 | 570 | 444 |
| Total Species | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
| Waterfowl | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Water Birds – Other | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Herons, Egrets & Ibis | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Quail & Raptors | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Shorebirds | 8 | 10 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 14 |
| Gulls & Terns | 8 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| Doves | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Other Non-Passerines | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Passerines | 17 | 18 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 17 |
| Totals Species | 55 | 54 | 33 | 41 | 46 | 52 |
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 