[By Chuck Almdale; photos by Lillian Johnson, Armando Martinez, Emily Roth & Chris Tosdevin]

Weather was even cloudier and cooler than predicted and never got above 65°F, and although the fog dissipated somewhat, it remained overcast all morning. There were zero surfer’s cars parked on PCH, and the wind was nil. Despite that, large, unruffled well-formed waves rolled in with some frequency, and the two surfers aboard had them all to themselves. The atmospheric river that hit us on Oct. 15th – torrential downpours were predicted; 2.2″ at our house qualifies as torrential in these parts – broke through the beach and the lagoon was largely empty, although slowly filling as the tide rose towards it’s 11:25am 5.02′ high.

To forestall any questions, no, the photographer didn’t know for certain why they’re leaning. I suspect the retreating wave water was pulling on their feet, as the same thing used to happen to me while body surfing. But maybe they just saw something attractive or frightening…

Black Oystercatchers are uncommon at the lagoon, and appear at lower tides when waves aren’t crashing over the offshore rocks or – even better – when the inshore rocky beds are fully exposed, giving them plenty to sort through.

Seven of the last nine Belted Kingfishers at the lagoon were females (with cinnamon belly bands). I don’t know if that signifies anything.

You can just barely make out the Pepperdine bell tower in the distance in the picture below, a vertical white line above the tree at the left end of the south channel. Small ripples are from the incoming tidal flow.

This is how the heron reached the snag in the top photo.

Eared Grebes in their winter drabs showed up in force. They’ve visited the lagoon 118 times since 1979 (probably more when we’re not there), most often in October, but there are only 12 times there have been more that today’s total of six birds. They closely resemble the Horned Grebe, but have less white on the chin and front of the throat, and their rear end tends to be blunt, whereas the Horned rear end drops gradually to the water. Both can sink straight down into the water when they want to, by expelling air from their bodies, I suppose.

Killdeer have nested at the lagoon for more decades than anyone knows and they’re always around, even when we don’t see them. (And how can either of these statements be proven?)

I swear I know this guy (the Whimbrel below) from somewhere.

The Dunlin below may well be one of the two we saw last month, still loitering on the beach. Of course, they are quite hard to tell apart. The one below has erected its crown feathers slightly, giving it a slightly bumpy head.

Least Sandpipers, like this winter-gray adult below, are the most minute of the world’s sandpipers. Hence the name, Calidris minutilla.

Adult Heermann’s Gulls can lose nearly all the white plumage from their heads and necks in the winter.

A perennial problem in identification is telling the Royal & Elegant Terns apart. With 3″ in total length difference, you’d think overall size would help, but it rarely does. When they’re crouched on the sand, or even when standing with necks retracted, it’s amazing how similar in size they appear. The best field marks are the eye and the bill.

For most of the year and except when breeding, the Royal’s dark head feathers look like this bird below; almost reaching the dark eye, and often with more separation. The bill is thicker than is the Elegant’s, with the upper mandible curving down to the tip, and the lower mandible’ bottom edge almost straight, sometimes very slightly curved downward at the tip, and a noticeable “bump” (gonys, gonydeal expansion or gonydeal angle) on the lower mandible a little closer to the bill tip than to the base. The bump is nowhere near as large as on many of the gulls (see the Western and Heermann’s Gulls above), but it’s there.

The black feathering on the Elegant (see below) always remains in contact with the dark eye, or “the eye is in the dark” we sometimes say. The bill is more slender, more curved and seems longer than the Royal’s bill, which may be an illusion as the Royal is a larger bird. However, the Elegant’s bill is longer relative to it’s total length than is the Royal’s. The upper mandible curves downward to the tip, and the lower mandible also curves downward along it’s lower edge, unlike the Royal’s bill which seems mostly straight. Any gonys it might have is undetectable in the field. Bill color doesn’t help (as it will with the Caspian Tern) as the bills of both birds can vary from almost-yellow to almost-red. The Elegant’s bill below shows almost the entire gamut of color possible for these birds.

Below, the more avid lister-counters of the group compare lists. Chris Tosdevin takes charge when it’s discovered to their collective horror that Chuck Almdale’s checklist has grebes between ducks and pigeons, rather than between terns and loons, as eBurd has it (this week, anyway), which threw everyone into a tizzy. “Collect him, collect him!” cried the crowd. Malibu pier in the background.

Malibu Lagoon on eBird as of 10-28-25: 8898 lists, 2856 eBirders, 321 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: Western Grebe, Black Oystercatcher, Marbled Godwit, Common Raven, Northern Mockingbird, Western Bluebird, 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 photographers Lillian Johnson, Armando Martinez, Emily Roth & Chris Tosdevin.

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

• Malibu Creek State Park Sat, Nov. 8, 8:00 Leader: Jean Garrett
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun. Nov. 23, 8:30 (adults) & 10 am (parents & kids)
• Back Bay Newport, Sat. Dec. 13, 8am. Reservations
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun. Dec. 28, 8:30 (adults) & 10 am (parents & kids)
• 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, 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: November 4, 7:30pm; Bats! Using Genomics to Understand Patterns of Landscape-level Connectivity and Gene Flow in Yuma Myotis Bats (Myotis yumanensis), with Joseph Curti, PhD.

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk has again resumed. Reservations not necessary for families, but for groups (scouts, etc.), 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-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 Marie Barnidge-McIntyre, Femi Faminu, Lillian Johnson, Chris Lord, Armando Martinez, Chris & Ruth Tosdevin and others for contributions made to this month’s census counts.

The species list below was re-sequenced as of 12/31/24 to agree with the California Bird Records Committee Official California Checklist, mostly. 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	5/25	6/22	7/27	8/24	9/28	10/26
	Temperature	63-68	66-73	64-70	68-75	65-69	58-65
	Tide Lo/Hi Height	H+3.78	H+3.31	L-0.46	H+4.74	H+4.54	H+5.02
	Tide Time	0909	0824	0605	1102	1244	1125
1	Brant (Black)		1
1	Canada Goose	1	5	1
1	Gadwall	24	25	20	19	6
1	Mallard	26	20	40	14	7	26
1	Ring-necked Duck					1
1	Surf Scoter					10	2
1	Red-breasted Merganser			1
1	Ruddy Duck	4	3	19		1
2	Pied-billed Grebe	4	4	3	4	6	2
2	Eared Grebe					1	6
2	Western Grebe	4	2				30
7	Feral Pigeon	6	5	5	4	6
7	Mourning Dove	2	1	2	2	3	1
8	Anna’s Hummingbird	1	1		1	1	2
8	Allen’s Hummingbird	2	2	4	4	4	5
2	Sora					1
2	American Coot	4	1	6	4	31	4
5	Black Oystercatcher						1
5	Black-bellied Plover			21	49	55	88
5	Killdeer	2	5	4	9	1	8
5	Semipalmated Plover			4	1
5	Snowy Plover			13	17	35	40
5	Whimbrel			1	12	3	14
5	Marbled Godwit						21
5	Ruddy Turnstone			3	1	3	6
5	Sanderling					1	13
5	Dunlin					2	1
5	Least Sandpiper			10	4	6	12
5	Western Sandpiper			4		14	1
5	Willet		1			10	14
5	Wilson’s Phalarope			1
6	Sabine’s Gull					1
6	Heermann’s Gull		13	36	10	38	2
6	Ring-billed Gull	3	5	2	4	1	7
6	Western Gull	70	79	52	115	61	35
6	California Gull	82	5	1	4	10	116
6	Caspian Tern	6	4	4	2
6	Forster’s Tern				1
6	Royal Tern			21	135	12	2
6	Elegant Tern				70	4	2
2	Brandt’s Cormorant			1	1		5
2	Pelagic Cormorant			1	2	1	3
2	Double-crested Cormorant	7	18	98	74	49	28
2	Brown Pelican	157	138	118	32	45	138
3	Snowy Egret	2	1	10	10	5	34
4	Yellow-crowned Night-Heron				1
3	Black-crowned Night-Heron		4	1	1	2	1
3	Green Heron			1	2	1	2
3	Great Egret	1	3	4	2	3	4
3	Great Blue Heron	1	9	5	5	4	6
3	White-faced Ibis				1
4	Osprey	1		1		1	1
4	Cooper’s Hawk					1
4	Red-shouldered Hawk	1		1	1	2
4	Red-tailed Hawk	1			1	1	1
8	Belted Kingfisher			1		1	1
8	Nuttall’s Woodpecker			1	1
4	Peregrine Falcon		1
8	Nanday Parakeet	2				20	9
9	Cassin’s Kingbird	1
9	Black Phoebe	2	2	2	2	4	2
9	California Scrub-Jay	1			1	1	2
9	American Crow	6	6	9	8	6	10
9	Common Raven	1					1
9	Oak Titmouse					2	2
9	Tree Swallow	1
9	No. Rough-winged Swallow	7	1	5	2
9	Barn Swallow	18	22	20	40	4
9	Cliff Swallow	24	24	12
9	Bushtit	3	12	20	20	9	35
9	Wrentit	2	2	2	1	2	2
9	Swinhoe’s White-eye				1	1
9	Bewick’s Wren					2
9	Northern House Wren				1		2
9	Marsh Wren					1	1
9	Northern Mockingbird	1					1
9	European Starling	10	6	25	35	2	6
9	Western Bluebird						2
9	House Finch	5	4	5	12	3	2
9	Lesser Goldfinch	2	2
9	Dark-eyed Junco		2	1	6	2
9	White-crowned Sparrow					2	10
9	Savannah Sparrow				1
9	Song Sparrow	6	5	3	6	5	4
9	California Towhee	2	1	1		2	1
9	Spotted Towhee	2
9	Hooded Oriole	1	1	2
9	Great-tailed Grackle	6	8	1		23	6
9	Orange-crowned Warbler	2		1	1	2	1
9	Common Yellowthroat		5	1	4	7	6
9	Yellow-rumped Warbler					2	25
9	Black-throated Gray Warbler						1
	Totals Birds by Type	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
1	Waterfowl	55	54	81	33	25	28
2	Water Birds – Other	176	163	227	117	134	216
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	4	17	21	22	15	47
4	Quail & Raptors	3	1	2	2	5	2
5	Shorebirds	2	6	61	93	130	219
6	Gulls & Terns	161	106	116	341	127	164
7	Doves	8	6	7	6	9	1
8	Other Non-Passerines	5	3	6	6	26	17
9	Passerines	103	103	110	141	82	122
	Totals Birds	517	459	631	761	553	816
	Total Species by Group	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct
1	Waterfowl	4	5	5	2	5	2
2	Water Birds – Other	5	5	6	6	7	8
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	3	4	5	7	5	5
4	Quail & Raptors	3	1	2	2	4	2
5	Shorebirds	1	2	9	7	10	12
6	Gulls & Terns	4	5	6	8	7	6
7	Doves	2	2	2	2	2	1
8	Other Non-Passerines	3	2	3	3	4	4
9	Passerines	21	16	16	16	20	21
	Totals Species – 92	46	42	54	53	64	61