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No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
Malibu Lagoon Monthly Field Trips: Sunday, 22 September, 8:30 & 10am.
Sanderling emerges from a mussel shell. Perhaps Gooseneck Clams really do turn into Barnacle Geese. (G. Murayama 9-21-18)
Welcome back to the official First Field Trip of our Field Trip Year. Migration will be in full swing so we should see many species. Birds often gather offshore in large feeding flocks.
Some of the great birds we’ve had in September are: Brant, Gadwall, Am. Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed & Eared Grebe, Green Heron, White-faced Ibis, Cooper’s Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Sora, Semipalmated Plover, American Avocet, Dunlin, Whimbrel, Marbled Godwit, Ruddy Turnstone, Long-billed Dowitcher, Red-necked Phalarope, Heerman’s, Western, Ring-billed & California Gulls, Common Tern, Vaux’s Swift, Belted Kingfisher, American Kestrel, Black & Say’s Phoebe, Cassin’s Kingbird, Warbling Vireo, Bushtit, House & Bewick’s Wrens, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Pipit, Orange-crowned, Yellow-rumped, Black-throated Gray, Townsend’s & Wilson’s Warbler, Savannah, Song & White-crowned Sparrow, Red-winged Blackbird, Western Meadowlark.
Adult Walk 8:30 a.m., 4th Sunday of every month. Beginner and experienced, 2-3 hours. Species range from 40 in June to 60-75 during migrations and winter. We meet at the metal-shaded viewing area (see photo below) next to the parking lot and begin walking east towards the lagoon. We always check the offshore rocks and the ocean. When lagoon outlet is closed we 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.
Black Phoebe with spider (G. Murayama 9-08-18)
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 (310-472-7209) to make sure we have enough binoculars and docents.)
Directions: Malibu Lagoon is at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Cross Creek Road, west of Malibu Pier and the bridge. Look around for people wearing binoculars.
Parking: Parking machine recently installed in the lagoon lot: 1 hr $3; 2 hrs $6; 3 hrs $9, all day $12 ($11 seniors); credit cards accepted. Annual passes accepted. You may also park (read the signs carefully) either along PCH west of Cross Creek Road, on Cross Creek Road, or on Civic Center Way north (inland) of the shopping center. Lagoon parking in shopping center lots is not permitted.
Red-necked Phalaropes often show up in September (G. Murayama 9-21-18)
Prior checklists:
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.
[Chuck Almdale]
Coastal Cleanup Day Reminder – 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)
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]
