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Poisonous Plants
Poisonous plants are in!….Very in! Alnwick Castle in Northumberland (used as Hogwarts in the first two Harry Potter movies) now has a two-acre poison garden…everything in it is poisonous. 
As an aside, I pronounced every letter in Alnwick, but was corrected by those who “Brit-speak”… seems it is pronounced Ann-ic (rhymes with panic) and has silent L, W, and K. Back to the Castle…the poisonous plants are used as a educational and suggestion-making resource for visitors and some of the plants have a license from the Home Office to be “in public.”
There are many web sites – Witches’ gardens, (U.S. & Australia), Live Science’s Top 10 Poisonous Plants (their #1 is Narcissus, #10 is Wisteria), University of California’s
Narcissus – #1 on LiveScience (LiveScience.com
Safe and Poisonous Garden Plants (common name order & scientific name order)… what fun… Univ. of Cal. rates the plants 1 to 4 with 4 being rashes and 1 being serious illness or death – toast! – our beloved coral trees on San Vicente Boulevard rate as a 1….and there are 3 Deadly Nightshade genera and a Death Camas on the list (which are all 1’s).
My favorite site is GreenBuzzz’s Nine Most Toxic Plants for Humans.
For example: #1 is The Calamitous Castor Bean Plant which can be seen in an occasional garden and in Malibu Creek State Park; #4 is The popular, poisonous Oleander plant, found all over Los Angeles and on freeway dividers; #6 is The not-so-jolly Jimson weed plant, also know as the Devil’s Trumpet found in many gardens….. you get the idea…
Oleander – Just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s safe to eat
(GreenBuzzz)
So… take this number 1-800-222-1222 – the National Poison Control Center, keep an eye on pets, friends, and grandchildren and think twice about some of those “pretty plants” in your house and garden. [Ellen Vahan]
Antelope Valley Raptor Search Report: 10 January, 2015
Driving in the Antelope Valley can be hairy: drivers who know where they’re going rocket up behind us as we poop along, scanning for perched raptors and Mountain Plovers standing motionless in barren fields. Pulling off onto a dirt shoulder – if any – can be risky; rain turns the soil into glue which clogs your tire treads, your tires become slicks, and suddenly you’re bogged. We were lucky as the soil was nearly dry after the prior week’s rains.
Cactus Wren pair in a Joshua Tree (C. Bragg 1/10/15)
It was still cool and quiet at our first stop just south of Palmdale Airport (birthplace of many UFO’s) at 10th St. East and Blackbird Lane. [I think the blackbirds referred to are not the feathered sort.] We found a few Sparrows including a singing Black-throated and Golden-crowned, a Northern Flicker, some House Finches, the first of many families of Ravens, and a cooperative family of Cactus Wrens, but no LeConte’s Thrashers. The leafless trees of Desert Aire Golf Course were barren of birds as well, and the settling ponds on 40th St. E. were tumbleweed dry. Not an auspicious beginning.
Savannah Sparrow (note yellow lores) on a rolling irrigator (C. Bragg 1/10/15)
As an aside, my recollection is that Crows are nearly non-existent in the valley, but we did see a few hanging around the McDonald’s parking lot were we got coffee (aka rest stop).
Mountain Bluebird in hot pursuit of an insect (C. Bragg 1/10/15)
Rounding the bend from 40th onto Ave. N, things picked up. We spotted the first of several sightings of Mountain Bluebirds, then flocks of Horned Larks and Savannah Sparrows in the short grass. We couldn’t find any Mountain Plovers around 50th & Ave. L, where they’d been reported – in fact we never did find any anywere. We walked along the edge of Little Rock Wash just south of its intersection with Ave. K, but apparently the pair of LeConte’s Thrashers that used to nest there have moved. The vegetation looked thirsty.
Dark phase Ferruginous Hawk flew directly overhead (J. Waterman 1/10/15)
Dark phase Ferruginous Hawk (C. Bragg 1/10/15)
We hit pay dirt out at 110th St. E and Ave. J, as the reported Ferruginous Hawks were in relative abundance, with a dozen in the air, on the ground, on the irrigation equipment, on phone poles. The reason? Voles! They were picking off any vole who foolishly showed its head. I watched one dark morph Ferruginous Hawk rise from its perch on a rolling irrigator wheel, glide out 75 yards, snatch a vole in its talons and glide back to its wheel. An added treat were more Horned Larks, Savannah Sparrows, a few Red-tailed Hawks, a Northern Harrier and over 100 pensive-looking Killdeer.
A Stunning Light Phase Ferruginous Hawk
(C. Bragg 1/10/15)
By the time we reached Apollo Lake for lunch, it had started to rain. A covered picnic area gave us shelter and a good spot to scan the lake, where we picked up most of the trip’s water birds, including Double-crested Cormorant, 4 species of goose, 7 of duck, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Ring-billed & California Gulls, a hungry flock of Dark-eyed Junco and the usual Great-tailed Grackles whistling from the lakeside trees. Those who needed to return to L.A. headed home, while the rest of us headed off towards the Poppy Preserve in search of Rough-legged Hawk.
Alas, none were found, but we did see a very nice Prairie Falcon and a few more American Kestrels. Continuing to Holiday Lake we crossed the California Aqueduct and spotted some Common Goldeneyes (Barrow’s Goldeneye are occasionally found among them, or so I’ve heard) and Ring-billed – I mean Ring-necked Ducks. [See the picture below.]
Ring-necked Duck: Did you see the ring? Look more closely. At the neck!
(J. Waterman 1/10/15)
Holiday Lake proved to be a desert mirage; I kept thinking I’d found it when it would disappear and reappear elsewhere, always a quarter-mile away. Just when some people were starting to complain – Oh ye of little faith! – I found it. A lot of reeds and not much water, another near-victim of the drought. Many flocks of Blackbirds, mostly Red-winged and a few Tricolored, kept falling and rising in and out of the golden reeds, rustling in the wind. What little water there was held a few ducks. The trees held no owls, although we did find pellets containing tiny skulls and bones.
Common Goldeneyes like the California aqueduct (J. Waterman 1/10/15)
Re-crossing the aqueduct yielded more buffleheads, goldeneyes and Ring-necked Ducks plus an unexpected Common Loon. We continued down to Quail Lake and from an overlook scanned the outlet stream. No Barrow’s Goldeneyes, but lots of ducks trying to go to sleep. We headed home. [Chuck Almdale]
Prior Trip Reports: Jan 2014 Jan 2013 Jan 2012 Jan 2011 Jan 2010
Link to Antelope Valley Birding Locations
| Antelope Valley |
Raptor | Search | Trip | Lists | ||
| Species | 1/10/15 | 1/11/14 | 1/12/13 | 1/14/12 | 1/8/11 | 1/9/10 |
| Tundra Bean-Goose | 2 | |||||
| Gr. White-fronted Goose | 1 | |||||
| Snow Goose | 1 | 2 | ||||
| Ross’s Goose | 2 | 2 | 2 | X | ||
| Canada Goose | 20 | 15 | 10 | 10 | 6 | X |
| Gadwall | 1 | X | X | |||
| American Wigeon | X | |||||
| Mallard | 40 | 10 | 30 | 30 | X | X |
| Northern Shoveler | 20 | 30 | 10 | 6 | X | X |
| Green-winged Teal | 20 | X | X | |||
| Redhead | 1 | |||||
| Ring-necked Duck | 40 | |||||
| Greater Scaup | 1 | |||||
| Lesser Scaup | 30 | 1 | 30 | 3 | X | |
| White-winged Scoter | 1 | |||||
| Bufflehead | 30 | 20+ | 2 | 80 | 3 | X |
| Common Goldeneye | 50 | 2 | 20 | 1 | ||
| Hooded Merganser | 6 | |||||
| Common Merganser | 4 | |||||
| Red-breasted Merganser | 10+ | |||||
| Ruddy Duck | 8 | 40+ | 2 | 30 | X | X |
| California Quail | 9 | 110 | ||||
| Common Loon | 1 | |||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 2 | 1 | 10 | X | X | |
| Horned Grebe | 1 | |||||
| Eared Grebe | 3 | 5 | X | |||
| Western Grebe | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Dble-crested Cormorant | 80 | 25 | 6 | 2 | X | |
| American White Pelican | 1 | 8 | ||||
| Great Blue Heron | 1 | 2 | X | |||
| Great Egret | X | |||||
| Black-crwnd Night-Heron | 1 | X | ||||
| Turkey Vulture | X | |||||
| Golden Eagle | 1 | |||||
| Northern Harrier | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | X |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | X | 2 |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | X | |||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 30 | 30+ | 50+ | 50+ | 12 | X |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 15 | 14 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 1 | |||||
| Sora | 1H | |||||
| American Coot | 200 | 25 | 40 | 40 | X | X |
| Killdeer | 100 | 50 | 100 | 100 | 75+ | X |
| Mountain Plover | 10+ | 70 | 90 | X | ||
| Greater Yellowlegs | 1 | |||||
| Long-billed Curlew | 17 | X | ||||
| Ring-billed Gull | 100 | 5 | 10 | 30 | X | X |
| California Gull | 200 | 35 | 225 | 30 | X | X |
| Rock Pigeon | 300 | 35 | 35 | 80 | X | X |
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 | X | |
| Mourning Dove | 50 | 1 | 6 | 4 | X | X |
| Great Horned Owl | 1 | |||||
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 2 | 2 | ||||
| Allen’s Hummingbird | X | |||||
| Red-breasted Sapsucker | X | |||||
| Downy Woodpecker | X | |||||
| Northern Flicker | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1H | ||
| American Kestrel | 4 | 4 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 6 |
| Merlin | 3 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Prairie Falcon | 1 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | |
| Black Phoebe | 1 | X | X | |||
| Say’s Phoebe | 5 | 8 | 12 | 12 | 3 | X |
| Cassin’s Kingbird | X | |||||
| Loggerhead Shrike | 6 | 2 | 15 | 15 | 2 | 6 |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 2 | X | ||||
| American Crow | 5 | 4 | 5 | |||
| Common Raven | 100 | 100+ | 100+ | 150+ | 5 | X |
| Horned Lark | 300 | 600+ | 1500+ | 1500+ | 1400+ | X |
| Rock Wren | X | |||||
| Marsh Wren | X | |||||
| Bewick’s Wren | 1H | X | ||||
| Cactus Wren | 6 | 2 | 8 | X | ||
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher | 1 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | X | |||||
| Mountain Bluebird | 40 | 500+ | 1 | 20 | 18 | 100+ |
| Le Conte’s Thrasher | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Sage Thrasher | 4 | |||||
| Northern Mockingbird | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | ||
| European Starling | 500 | 25 | 25 | 45 | flocks | X |
| American Pipit | 150 | 150 | 30 | 120+ | ||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 4 | 12 | 16 | X | ||
| Spotted Towhee | 1 | |||||
| California Towhee | X | |||||
| Brewer’s Sparrow | 2 | |||||
| Lark Sparrow | X | X | ||||
| Black-throated Sparrow | 2 | |||||
| Bell’s Sparrow | 2 | 2 | 20 | 2 | ||
| Savannah Sparrow | 10 | 75 | 75 | 50 | 26 | X |
| Song Sparrow | 4 | 1 | 1 | X | ||
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 1 | |||||
| White-crowned Sparrow | 200 | 100 | 100 | 300+ | 6 | X |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Dark-eyed Junco | 50 | 14 | X | |||
| Red-winged Blackbird | 200 | 60 | X | X | ||
| Tricolored Blackbird | 10 | 500 | X | |||
| Western Meadowlark | 100 | 100+ | 100 | 80 | flocks | X |
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 1000 | 150 | 150 | 60 | 20 | X |
| Great-tailed Grackle | 4 | X | ||||
| House Finch | 1000 | 200 | 200 | 300+ | 3 | X |
| Lesser Goldfinch | 1 | X | ||||
| American Goldfinch | 4 | X | ||||
| House Sparrow | 20 | 60 | 60 | 30 | X | X |
| Total Species 102 | 58 | 41 | 46 | 60 | 67 | 56 |
| X = Present, not counted | ||||||
| + = more than | ||||||
| flocks = large numbers, not counted |
Water-conserving rain barrels, nearly free!
If you have a garden in which you’ve been trying to save water, this is the great deal that comes up every once in a while. You buy rain barrels at a reduced rate, you install them at your house. Often a local official comes to check that you have installed them. In some towns such as Santa Monica, you have to confirm your continued use of the barrels annually.
The really good part is that a week or two after you have installed the barrels, you get reimbursed for your expense! I installed three barrels three years ago and I haven’t used the municipal water for my numerous potted plants since. It also provides enough water for my compost box most years.
You will probably have to do a little modification on some of your roof /gutter downspouts, but I bet you’ll be surprised how much fog drip you will also collect in the non-rainy season.
Here is the link to follow: Note you must pre-order and pre-pay no later than the Wednesday prior to the event you’d like to attend. If they have extra barrels on hand, they bring them to the event. http://www.rainbarrelsintl.com/events-order.asp?id=76
Thank you to Grace M. for the alert
Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 28 Dec. 2014 & July-Dec 2014 trip lists
Chilly, but nice. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it! Actually, it was better than nice. Loads of birds, low tide, little wind, beautiful clouds in the sky, and two banded Snowy Plovers. Over thirty birders showed up: I suspect some had found new binoculars under their Christmas tree.
Lesser Goldfinch (Ray Juncosa 12/28/14)
Duck species doubled from November’s four, including four beautiful Hooded Mergansers, a species recorded 17 times previously (of 301 lagoon field trips), but last seen 12/24/95. They spent two winters, 1981 and 1990, paddling around with the Ruddy Ducks under the PCH bridge from January through March.
We had a near record number of 6 Spotted Sandpipers, a species that does not congregate with other sandpipers in the winter, preferring to wander the lagoon edges alone. We’ve seen eight ‘spotties’ twice before, both times in August.
Greater Yellowlegs (Ray Juncosa 12/28/14)
Willet (Ray Juncosa 12/28/14)
I must have walked right past the Greater Yellowlegs, as I glimpsed him behind me out of the corner of my eye. They show up on only 16% of visits, most often in December and never in May. A nearby Willet provided a good comparison: The Yellowlegs is 1” smaller, slimmer with a longer, slightly upcurved bill, more white & black & speckled than plain gray-brown, and a more active feeder.
A record number of cormorants were present: well over 200 adorned the offshore rocks with dozens more floating in the sea, for lack of rock-perching room. Oddly, there was not a single Pelagic Cormorant among them; even more oddly, the 130 Brandt’s outnumbered the Double-crested, which we’ve never seen before. Brandt’s are present only 50% of the time, whereas the Double-crested are very rarely absent. Factoid: Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorant’s really dislike being far from the sea; even the lagoon is too far inland for them, and we rarely see them there, whereas we regularly find them paddling around in the nearshore waters or resting on the rocks.
Lots of loons in the surf zone, most disguising themselves as Red-breasted Mergansers, trolling for fish with their heads submerged, and lots of grebes in the lagoon. But the gulls had really massed (see list below). Not a great variety – six gull species plus Royal Terns – but large numbers. Even five raptors species appeared, albeit only one of each: Osprey, White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks, and a Peregrine Falcon resting on the east end of the beach. Back home, I was surprised to learn that Kites appeared only ten times previously, including three months in a row in April-June 2013.
Snowy Plover relaxing in a footprint (Ray Juncosa 12/28/14)
I counted only 25 Snowy Plovers on the beach – there may have been more across the breach channel – but they included two ringed birds: GA:OY and GG:AR. GA:OY was ringed this summer at Oceano Dunes; GG:AR is an old friend with many lagoon appearances, ringed in Summer’11, also at Oceano Dunes.
Birds new for the season were: Gadwall, American Wigeon, Northern Shoveler, Bufflehead, Hooded Merganser, Red-throated, Pacific & Common Loons, White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, Greater Yellowlegs, California Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Royal Tern, Savannah Sparrow.
Our next three scheduled field trips: Antelope Valley Raptors, 10 Jan, 8am-2pm; Malibu Lagoon, 25 Jan, 8:30 & 10am; Salton Sea weekend, Feb 7-8, 9am.
Our next program: Tuesday, 3 Feb., 7:30 pm. The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, presented by Melina Watts. PLEASE NOTE THAT OUR MONTHLY MEETING PLACE HAS CHANGED; INFORMATION TO COME.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk meets at the shaded viewing area. Watch for Willie the Weasel.
Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists:
2014: Jan-July
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 project period 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 period Jun’12-June’14. [Chuck Almdale]
| Malibu Census 2014 | 7/27 | 8/25 | 9/28 | 10/26 | 11/23 | 12/28 |
| Temperature | 66-72 | 72-80 | 68-75 | 62-72 | 60-70 | 39-61 |
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | H+4.21 | H+4.52 | H+5.35 | H+5.93 | H+6.41 | L+1.70 |
| Tide Time | 1100 | 0954 | 1149 | 1044 | 0849 | 0903 |
| Gadwall | 2 | 3 | 26 | |||
| American Wigeon | 10 | |||||
| Mallard | 55 | 12 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Northern Shoveler | 4 | |||||
| Green-winged Teal | 1 | 12 | ||||
| Bufflehead | 8 | |||||
| Hooded Merganser | 4 | |||||
| Red-breasted Merganser | 3 | 2 | 25 | 25 | ||
| Ruddy Duck | 2 | 36 | 42 | |||
| Red-throated Loon | 3 | |||||
| Pacific Loon | 6 | |||||
| Common Loon | 1 | |||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 6 | 6 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| Horned Grebe | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
| Eared Grebe | 6 | 18 | 8 | 12 | ||
| Western Grebe | 1 | 6 | 12 | 2 | ||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 130 | |
| Double-crested Cormorant | 35 | 58 | 45 | 26 | 9 | 120 |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Brown Pelican | 78 | 29 | 42 | 26 | 32 | 95 |
| Great Blue Heron | 4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Great Egret | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Snowy Egret | 22 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 18 |
| Little Blue Egret | 1 | |||||
| Black-crowned Night-Heron | 1 | 4 | 1 | |||
| Turkey Vulture | 1 | |||||
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| White-tailed Kite | 1 | |||||
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 1 | |||||
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | |||||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 1 | 1 | |||
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | |||||
| American Coot | 14 | 9 | 85 | 20 | 100 | 135 |
| Blk-bellied Plover | 25 | 93 | 95 | 40 | 45 | 38 |
| Snowy Plover | 16 | 39 | 40 | 34 | 40 | 25 |
| Semipalmated Plover | 1 | 3 | ||||
| Killdeer | 8 | 5 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 17 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 1 | |||||
| Willet | 5 | 14 | 45 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
| Whimbrel | 28 | 17 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Marbled Godwit | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 12 | |
| Ruddy Turnstone | 2 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Black Turnstone | 3 | |||||
| Sanderling | 2 | 10 | 32 | 32 | 28 | |
| Western Sandpiper | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Least Sandpiper | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | ||
| Boneparte’s Gull | 2 | 2 | 1 | |||
| Heermann’s Gull | 8 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 18 |
| Ring-billed Gull | 3 | 60 | 65 | |||
| Western Gull | 71 | 89 | 95 | 40 | 81 | 230 |
| California Gull | 1 | 1500 | ||||
| Glaucous-winged Gull | 3 | |||||
| Least Tern | 3 | 2 | ||||
| Forster’s Tern | 2 | 3 | ||||
| Royal Tern | 11 | 6 | 8 | 22 | ||
| Elegant Tern | 127 | 4 | 18 | 17 | 4 | |
| Rock Pigeon | 16 | 5 | 15 | 6 | 6 | |
| Mourning Dove | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Yel-chevroned Parakeet | 2 | |||||
| Vaux’s Swift | 3 | |||||
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 2 | 1 | 1 | |||
| Allen’s Hummingbird | 3 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 4 | |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | |||||
| Nuttall’s Woodpecker | 1 | |||||
| Willow Flycatcher | 1 | |||||
| Pac.Slope Flycatcher | 1 | |||||
| Black Phoebe | 11 | 9 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Say’s Phoebe | 3 | 2 | 2 | |||
| Cassin’s Kingbird | 1 | |||||
| Warbling Vireo | 2 | |||||
| Western Scrub-Jay | 1 | |||||
| American Crow | 4 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| Rough-winged Swallow | 7 | 15 | 3 | |||
| Barn Swallow | 35 | 45 | 1 | |||
| Cliff Swallow | 7 | 3 | ||||
| Bushtit | 7 | |||||
| House Wren | 1 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 2 | ||||
| American Robin | 2 | |||||
| Wrentit | 1 | |||||
| Northern Mockingbird | 6 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2 | |
| European Starling | 22 | 55 | 115 | 60 | 60 | 25 |
| Cedar Waxwing | 2 | |||||
| Orange-crowned Warbler | 3 | |||||
| Nashville Warbler | 2 | |||||
| Yellow Warbler | 3 | 1 | ||||
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 40 | 2 | 15 | |||
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Spotted Towhee | 2 | 1 | ||||
| California Towhee | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | ||
| Savannah Sparrow | 3 | |||||
| Song Sparrow | 11 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 3 | |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 15 | 15 | 35 | |||
| Bobolink | 1 | |||||
| Red-winged Blackbird | 8 | |||||
| Western Meadowlark | 6 | 6 | 7 | 14 | ||
| Great-tailed Grackle | 16 | 6 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Hooded Oriole | 1 | |||||
| House Finch | 14 | 8 | 22 | |||
| Lesser Goldfinch | 4 | 6 | 15 | 3 | 1 | |
| Totals by Type | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Waterfowl | 58 | 16 | 26 | 5 | 64 | 141 |
| Water Birds-Other | 138 | 106 | 193 | 102 | 166 | 516 |
| Herons, Egrets | 32 | 23 | 20 | 26 | 28 | 25 |
| Raptors | 1 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Shorebirds | 90 | 198 | 240 | 127 | 135 | 144 |
| Gulls & Terns | 221 | 111 | 128 | 66 | 151 | 1839 |
| Doves | 18 | 6 | 15 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Other Non-Passerine | 5 | 5 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Passerines | 161 | 172 | 241 | 150 | 76 | 114 |
| Totals Birds | 724 | 638 | 883 | 489 | 623 | 2794 |
| Total Species | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Waterfowl | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| Water Birds-Other | 6 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| Herons, Egrets | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Raptors | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Shorebirds | 10 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 |
| Gulls & Terns | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Doves | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Passerines | 18 | 13 | 26 | 15 | 8 | 12 |
| Totals Species – 103 | 52 | 50 | 65 | 48 | 42 | 59 |
Carrizo Plain Trip Report: 20 December, 2014
The Carrizo Plain has certainly not escaped California’s drought of recent years. Other than grass, the southern plain south of Soda Lake is almost devoid of plants, and we saw very few birds south of KCL Campground. Some Russian Thistle (aka tumbleweed) has returned, scattered amid the sage.
Carrizo blue mountains (Joyce Waterman 12/20/14)
A Golden Eagle, perched far away in the company of two Common Ravens, was a significant exception. Almost 3″ of rain earlier in the week made driving a bit ‘iffy’ on the side roads, but it didn’t make new plants spring forth from the ground.
Golden Eagle at great distance, sub-adult (J. Waterman 12/20/14)
The ground squirrel colony near the south end of Soda Lake Rd. had neither Burrowing Owls nor squirrels, as far as we could tell. As we drove north we found several Loggerhead Shrikes perched on barb wire fences,a few Western Meadowlarks in song, Say’s Phoebes flycatching from the fenceposts and the usual House Finches near anything vaguely house-like. Beyond that, birding was sparse.
The Carrizo Plain
Van Metre Ranch, unmarked on most maps, is about 2 miles NNW of Traver Ranch. About 1 mile E of Traver Ranch a small road cuts off to the north, loops past Van Metre (3 miles), and loops back to Soda Lake Rd. about 1 mile NW of Traver Ranch.
The day stayed cool and quiet. The 3 miles of side road to Van Metre Ranch were fine, save one muddy spot, and we explored the various buildings and ancient equipment at the ranch.
View to south across Van Metre Ranch Ranch (C. Almdale 12/20/14)
Just past the ranch was a large muddy spot: I knew the muddiest area was still a mile away, so we retraced our route back to Soda Lake Rd. We then proceeded to Traver Ranch and its interesting display of farm equipment next to a bathroom, and – after watching a flock of bright blue Mountain Bluebirds flycatching – onward to KCL Campground where we had a very nice lunch with lots of cookies. Thanks Grace!
Lark Sparrows (Ray Juncosa 12/20/14)
One car headed back home after lunch, and the birding picked up (no connection, I’m sure), starting with a large flock of Mountain Plovers, which we very cleverly discovered by nearly plowing into them when they wheeled across the road.
Mountain Plover near Panorama & Soda Lake Rds. (J. Waterman 12/20/14)
Nearby, a flock of Long-billed Curlews wheeled around and around. I decided to skip both Panorama Rd., which cuts north across the plain, and Simmler Rd. at the south end of the lake. It was a Very Good Thing we did, as I learned shortly thereafter at the Goodwin Education Center: a young man, far too confident of his SUV and his driving prowess, had become seriously bogged on Simmler the previous day. Long after dark, after hours of walking and waiting and fretting, his vehicle was finally extracted from the mud, to the tune of $700. “There but for fortune, go you or I…” goes the song.
Near the Center, grazing on a rare patch of relative lush grass, was a scattered herd of about 150 Tule Elk. Alas, they were too far to photograph. Soda Lake held a lot of soda, as usual, and a bit of water, not so usual, but no Sandhill Cranes. Between the rarity of water in the lake and the absence of grain to glean in nearby fields, there has been little to attract or hold cranes in recent years. Tule Lake, beyond the Temblor Range to the north and into the southern San Joachin Valley, has become a far more reliable nighttime roost for the cranes.
The Temblor Range (J. Waterman 12/20/14)
We found the unpaved roads within the small community of California Valley to be safe to drive, and the vegetation attracted birds, including a large roost of Eurasian Collared-Doves and a Merlin. The latter pretended to be a Prairie Falcon for a few moments, but getting a better, closer look and then watching him fly revealed his true colors.
Merlin in flight (J. Waterman 12/20/14)
The road to the San Andreas Earthquake Fault observation site was likely to be boggy, and none of us like the twisty and vomitous Hwy 58 route to McKittrick, so we headed home back down Soda Lake Rd. About half-way back to Hwy 166, we dimly saw two roadside figures, frantically waving their arms in our headlights. Skidding to a halt, we discovered them to be two young men whose car had died up a side road, well into the hills. Fortunately for them we had both room in our cars and inclination – despite their admitted hobby of hunting quail and dove – to give them a ride into Maricopa. Otherwise, they faced a 25-mile walk in pitch darkness and freezing temperatures. At Apu’s Kwiki-Mart they phoned their father, who volunteered – quite delighted, I’m sure – to drive over from Carpinteria, haul them home, and return the next day to fix their car.
In the Carrizo, every day is an adventure.
Soda Lake with water (R. Juncosa, date ukn)
For those wishing to explore the Carrizo Plains, Morro Coast County Audubon now has an excellent 20-page birding guide.
The Goodwin Education Center is open Thurs – Sun, Dec. 1 to May 31, 9am – 4pm. I highly recommend calling them to inquire about road conditions, birding highlights, permits to visit Painted Rock, and guided tours. 805-475-2131
http://www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo/bakersfield/Programs/carrizo/goodwin.html
[Chuck Almdale]
| Carrizo Plains Trips | Date | Date | Date |
| Name | 12/20/14 | 12/8/12 | 12/10/11 |
| Northern Harrier | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 3 | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 2 | 2 | |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 3 | ||
| Golden Eagle | 1 | ||
| Killdeer | 1 | ||
| Mountain Plover | 70 | 2 | |
| Long-billed Curlew | 32 | ||
| Eurasian Collared-Dove | 50 | ||
| Mourning Dove | 4 | 6 | |
| Great Horned Owl | 1 | ||
| Burrowing Owl | 1 | ||
| Swift species | 6 | ||
| American Kestrel | 2 | 9 | 9 |
| Merlin | 1 | 1 | |
| Prairie Falcon | 5 | 2 | |
| Black Phoebe | 2 | ||
| Say’s Phoebe | 10 | 8 | 3 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | 5 | 13 | 12 |
| American Crow | 3 | ||
| Common Raven | 40 | 20 | 40 |
| Horned Lark | 260 | 240 | 200 |
| Rock Wren | 2 | ||
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | ||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 3 | 2 | |
| Mountain Bluebird | 25 | 56 | 30 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 1 | ||
| California Thrasher | 1 | ||
| Le Conte’s Thrasher | 4 | 1 | |
| European Starling | 15 | 33 | |
| American Pipit | 1 | 1 | |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 3 | 6 | 100 |
| California Towhee | 3 | ||
| Brewer’s Sparrow | 15 | ||
| Vesper Sparrow | 2 | ||
| Lark Sparrow | 62 | 120 | 25 |
| Sage Sparrow | 40 | 25 | |
| Savannah Sparrow | 1 | 20 | 55 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 180 | 350 | 100 |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 2 | ||
| Western Meadowlark | 10 | 25 | 27 |
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 30 | ||
| House Finch | 150 | 140 | 500 |
| Total Species – 43 | 25 | 27 | 29 |
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