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Snowbirds of Santa Monica
Great Blue Heron on turbidity curtain
(Pam Lane – Flickr)
Deep in the heart of winter, January is a time when many casual birders around the country shelve their binoculars and head indoors for the season. In Santa Monica, however, there is no need. Mild weather means flocks of birds. And flocks of birds mean flocks of snowbirds—of both the resident Californian and migratory breeds—will take to the mountains and coastlines to get a jump start on their annual species lists.
It’s no secret that the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding region are a haven for our feathered friends. The Mediterranean climate supports more than 380 species year-round. This represents nearly 50 percent of the North American total. And during the colder months, birders can expect to see plenty of stopovers that have settled in Santa Monica where the food supply is ample.
Snowy Plovers (Chuq Van Rospach – Flickr)
Among the gulls and terns that frequent the shore, expect to see Snowy Plovers darting across the sand. The Pacific Coast’s population of these miniature plovers are designated a Threatened Species under the Endangered Species Act. Other notables to watch for are Peregrine Falcons and the increasingly rare Black-vented Shearwater. Elegant Snowy Egrets have been spotted at Malibu Lagoon as recently as late December. While the showy Surf Scoter was absent during the last lagoon survey, it is worth keeping an eye out for them bobbing on the water’s surface. Newcomers to the coast include the Northern Pintail, Western Sandpiper, and Savannah Sparrow.
Anna’s Hummingbird female (Jim Kenney 8/14/12)
Birders who stick to drier ground, visiting the inland grasslands and mountain ranges, stand a good chance of spotting Ferruginous Hawks, Anna’s Hummingbirds, and Western Bluebirds like fallen pieces of sky. This time of year, the Salton Sea merits a day trip. It boasts every manner of waterfowl and crowds of Sandhill Cranes heralding the day as though with trumpets.
This year, beat the wintertime blues and start your year off right. Get out and explore Santa Monica’s diverse ecosystems and the truly inspiring array of avian species that make their homes there. [Ernie Allison]
The author is a bird watcher with a love of life and nature, passionate about both writing and wildlife conservation. He writes both for pleasure and profit, currently for Bird Feeders.
Bobcats and Lynxes
Bobcat & Lynx facts:
The Middle English name “Lynx” – meaning “light” or “brightness,” in reference to its eyeshine – came from Latin, previously from Greek and originally from Indo-European. There are four species in the Lynx genus:
Eurasian Lynx: Lynx lynx, the most numerous and widespread, found throughout Western Europe and Northern Asia. Weight 40-66 lbs, 32-51″ long & 28″ high.
Iberian Lynx: Lynx pardinus, the rarest, found only in Spain and Portugal. They weigh 21-28 lbs, are 33-43″ long & 24-28″ high.
Canadian Lynx: Lynx canadensis, found in Canada and a few northern U.S. states including Maine, Minnesota, Montana, Wyoming and Washington. They weigh 17.6-24.3 lbs, are 31-41″ long & 19-22″ high.
Bobcat: Lynx rufus, which dominates the North American continent. It tolerates a varied habitat — from marshes and swampy areas in the southern part of the continent, to desert and scrub in the western regions to mountainous, forested areas in the north. The Canadian Lynx prefers forested areas since that’s where its main source of food, the Snowshoe Hare, lives. The only area where the Canadian lynx and bobcat coexist is along the U.S.-Canada border. Bobcats weigh 16-31 lbs, are 28-39″ long & 20-24″ high.
Telling them apart in North America: They are roughly the same size with short (“bobbed”) tails, but the Bobcat seems to have more of an attitude. Canadian Lynx has extra-long tufts on its ear-tips, a shaggy mane of cheek fur, and bigger feet and longer legs adapted to deep snowy habitats. Bobcats look much like an overgrown feral housecat. Both sound much like a crying baby.
When you “whip your weight in wildcats,” it’s Bobcats you’re talking about. Good luck with that, and be sure to notify your next of kin beforehand.
Now that you know there’s a difference, and what it is, here’s a film of two Lynx conversing at night. It takes a while before you can see the dark eartufts on both of them. The above information was cribbed from Wikipedia and HowStuffWorks.
Links to articles about bobcat trapping near Joshua Tree National Park:
Here Kitty Kitty…Bobcat Trapping Endangers Desert Wildlife – SunRunner Dec’12
Bad Science, Dead Bobcats – SunRunner Feb’13
Bobcat Protection Act Passes California State Assembly – SunRunner May’14
[This article was originally part of a program announcement about urban bobcats, but is now re-purposed into a stand-alone piece.]
[Chuck Almdale]
Malibu Lagoon Field Trip Report: 26 January, 2014
On an overcast day, the assembled birders were treated to a raptor show within the first half hour of our monthly walk at Malibu. A Merlin perched on a sycamore long enough for our expert Jim Kenney to snap his portrait.
Merlin (J. Kenney 1/26/14)
Soon after, the Peregrine Falcon, reported earlier by other birders at nearby Legacy Park, scattered the gulls in the lagoon as he made a quick pass at the available food supply. After the group took a long look at the ducks and coots from the east observation deck, we were stopped along the wall to the private golf course by an Osprey and a Red-shouldered Hawk perched only a few feet from each other in one of the tall sycamores. Who needs more excitement? Our only “miss” was the White-tailed Kite. Our two unusual sightings for the day were a male Redhead seen under the bridge and a Hermit Thrush that re-appeared a number of times on one of the Malibu Colony fences.
Birds new for the season were: Black-vented Shearwater; Herring & Glaucous-winged Gulls; Cassin’s Kingbird; Hermit Thrush and (gasp!) House Sparrow. We rarely see House Sparrow at the lagoon although they’re all over the shopping area across the highway.
Our next three scheduled field trips: San Jacinto Wildlife Refuge (Riverside County), 15 Feb, 8:30am; Malibu Lagoon, 23 Feb, 8:30 & 10am; Hiker Lu’s Santa Monica Mountains adventure, 8 Mar, 8:30am.
Our next program: Tuesday, 4 Mar., 7:30 pm. Antarctica: your next shopping destination, presented by Chuck Bragg.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk meets at the shaded viewing area.
Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon from 9/23/02.
Prior checklists: July-Dec’11, Jan-June’11, July-Dec ’10, Jan-June ’10, Jul-Dec ‘09, and Jan-June ‘09.
Comments on Bird Lists Below
Total Birds: January total birds of 834 is 62% below the 6-year Jan. average, due primarily to the absence of gulls and terns scattered by the Peregrine Falcon before they were counted.
Summary of total birds from the 6-year average so far: Jun’12 +36%, Jul’12 -9%, Aug’12 -9%, Sep’12 +12%, Oct’12 +3%, Nov’12 -5%, Dec’12 +30%, Jan’13 -20%, Feb’13 -29%, Mar’13 -30%, Apr’13 -34%, May’13 -37%, Jun’13 -24%, Jul’13 +83%, Aug’13 +37%, Sep’13 +23%, Oct’13 +41%, Nov’13 -58%, Dec’13 -49%, Jan’14 -62%.
Species Diversity: January 2014 with 63 species was slightly below (-2%) the 6-year average of 64.2.
Summary of species diversity from the 6-year average so far: Jun’12 -10%, Jul’12 +10%, Aug’12. -6%, Sep’12 -20%, Oct’12 +5%, Nov’12 +2%, Dec’12 -4%, Jan’13 +2%, Feb’13 -8%, Mar’13 +9%, Apr’13 -2%, May’13 +3%, Jun’13 +13%, Jul’13 0%, Aug’13 +11%, Sep’13 -14%, Oct’13 +19%, Nov’13 -3%, Dec’13 -6%, Jan’14 -2%.
10-year comparison summaries are available on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page. [Chuck Almdale]
| Malibu Census | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | |
| January 2009 – 14 | 1/25 | 1/24 | 1/23 | 1/22 | 1/27 | 1/26 | |
| Temperature | 53-57 | 41-65 | 68-75 | 50-59 | 52-62 | 58-68 | |
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | H+5.9 | L+0.65 | H+4.94 | H+6.49 | H+5.76 | L-0.17 | Ave. |
| Tide Time | 0814 | 1131 | 1117 | 0803 | 0849 | 1224 | Birds |
| Brant | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Gadwall | 15 | 20 | 15 | 31 | 34 | 21 | 22.7 |
| American Wigeon | 10 | 12 | 2 | 7 | 11 | 7.0 | |
| Mallard | 18 | 10 | 24 | 23 | 45 | 10 | 21.7 |
| Northern Shoveler | 16 | 4 | 4 | 46 | 22 | 15 | 17.8 |
| Northern Pintail | 10 | 4 | 2.3 | ||||
| Green-winged Teal | 14 | 7 | 12 | 37 | 19 | 17 | 17.7 |
| Redhead | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Lesser Scaup | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Surf Scoter | 12 | 35 | 14 | 15 | 12.7 | ||
| Long-tailed Duck | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Bufflehead | 11 | 6 | 5 | 26 | 10 | 10 | 11.3 |
| Red-brstd Merganser | 4 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 5.2 |
| Ruddy Duck | 20 | 30 | 40 | 59 | 55 | 51 | 42.5 |
| Red-throated Loon | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
| Pacific Loon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1.5 | |
| Common Loon | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2.0 |
| Horned Grebe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
| Eared Grebe | 3 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 3.0 | |
| Western Grebe | 23 | 15 | 6 | 8 | 46 | 16.3 | |
| Blk-vented Shearwater | 200 | 55 | 42.5 | ||||
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 2 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2.5 | |
| Dble-crstd Cormorant | 30 | 42 | 57 | 37 | 33 | 50 | 41.5 |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1.3 | ||
| Brown Pelican | 256 | 35 | 42 | 48 | 73 | 100 | 92.3 |
| Great Blue Heron | 4 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 3.3 |
| Great Egret | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.7 | |
| Snowy Egret | 8 | 15 | 8 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9.2 |
| Blk-crwnd N-Heron | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
| Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.7 | ||
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
| Merlin | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Peregrine Falcon | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | ||||
| Virginia Rail | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Sora | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1.3 | ||
| American Coot | 180 | 284 | 145 | 345 | 270 | 60 | 214 |
| Blk-bellied Plover | 38 | 45 | 1 | 65 | 62 | 35.2 | |
| Snowy Plover | 42 | 54 | 60 | 81 | 61 | 45 | 57.2 |
| Killdeer | 1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2.3 |
| Black Oystercatcher | 2 | 5 | 1.2 | ||||
| American Avocet | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 2.5 | |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2.5 |
| Willet | 10 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 7.7 |
| Whimbrel | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1.7 |
| Marbled Godwit | 12 | 4 | 15 | 11 | 7.0 | ||
| Ruddy Turnstone | 9 | 13 | 15 | 10 | 1 | 8.0 | |
| Sanderling | 60 | 85 | 200 | 17 | 26 | 64.7 | |
| Least Sandpiper | 2 | 21 | 10 | 12 | 7.5 | ||
| Boneparte’s Gull | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Heermann’s Gull | 46 | 5 | 62 | 16 | 12 | 2 | 23.8 |
| Mew Gull | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Ring-billed Gull | 180 | 55 | 120 | 150 | 90 | 4 | 99.8 |
| Western Gull | 125 | 45 | 100 | 120 | 75 | 46 | 85.2 |
| California Gull | 450 | 875 | 2500 | 1900 | 480 | 120 | 1054 |
| Herring Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Glaucous-wingd Gull | 6 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3.8 |
| Forster’s Tern | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Royal Tern | 4 | 12 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 5.8 | |
| Elegant Tern | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Black Skimmer | 30 | 6 | 6.0 | ||||
| Rock Pigeon | 8 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6.5 |
| Mourning Dove | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.3 | ||
| Blk-hooded Parakeet | 6 | 1.0 | |||||
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.8 | |
| Allen’s Hummingbird | 4 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Black Phoebe | 8 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4.7 |
| Say’s Phoebe | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1.2 | |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| American Crow | 10 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 6.5 |
| Tree Swallow | 8 | 1.3 | |||||
| Barn Swallow | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Oak Titmouse | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Bushtit | 5 | 4 | 9 | 26 | 20 | 10.7 | |
| Bewick’s Wren | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | ||
| House Wren | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Marsh Wren | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1.0 | |||
| Hermit Thrush | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Northern Mockingbird | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1.5 |
| European Starling | 60 | 35 | 1 | 22 | 19.7 | ||
| Ornge-crwnd Warbler | 2 | 1 | 0.5 | ||||
| Yellow-rumpd Warbler | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 14 | 30 | 11.8 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2.8 |
| Spotted Towhee | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.8 | ||
| California Towhee | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 | ||
| Savannah Sparrow | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Song Sparrow | 6 | 3 | 8 | 2 | 8 | 3 | 5.0 |
| White-crwnd Sparrow | 5 | 4 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 7.2 | |
| Red-winged Blackbird | 3 | 1 | 0.7 | ||||
| Great-tailed Grackle | 1 | 1 | 13 | 3 | 3.0 | ||
| Brwn-headed Cowbird | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| House Finch | 8 | 12 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 6 | 9.7 |
| Lesser Goldfinch | 2 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2.5 | ||
| American Goldfinch | 8 | 1.3 | |||||
| House Sparrow | 12 | 2.0 | |||||
| Totals by Type | 1/25 | 1/24 | 1/23 | 1/22 | 1/27 | 1/26 | Ave. |
| Waterfowl | 120 | 134 | 106 | 255 | 217 | 137 | 162 |
| Water Birds-Other | 496 | 386 | 267 | 452 | 649 | 272 | 420 |
| Herons, Egrets | 15 | 20 | 11 | 18 | 13 | 11 | 15 |
| Raptors | 1 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Shorebirds | 181 | 251 | 82 | 388 | 183 | 99 | 197 |
| Gulls & Terns | 841 | 1006 | 2785 | 2207 | 663 | 179 | 1280 |
| Doves | 10 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 5 | 8 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 12 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 2 | 7 |
| Passerines | 125 | 90 | 70 | 110 | 75 | 122 | 99 |
| Totals Birds | 1801 | 1906 | 3340 | 3444 | 1818 | 834 | 2191 |
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | ||
| Total Species | 1/25 | 1/24 | 1/23 | 1/22 | 1/27 | 1/26 | Ave. |
| Waterfowl | 9 | 11 | 7 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 9.5 |
| Water Birds-Other | 10 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 10.5 |
| Herons, Egrets | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 3.2 |
| Raptors | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Shorebirds | 11 | 12 | 8 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 10.0 |
| Gulls & Terns | 7 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7.3 |
| Doves | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1.7 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 |
| Passerines | 16 | 16 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 20 | 16.8 |
| Totals Species – 99 | 63 | 70 | 59 | 65 | 65 | 63 | 64 |
Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society Funds Local Eco-Projects
Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society has funded seven eco-projects that will benefit the local area and beyond. These gifts cover a balanced slate of categories including education, research, habitat restoration, and the arts, and were made possible through a one-time bequest from the estate of Norma Foster, a former chapter member.
The Board of SMBAS discussed how to best use these funds. In the end, it was decided that we were a conduit rather than an end for Ms. Foster’s thoughtfulness. So, rather than keep the gift and use it a little at a time to fund numerous small grants and annual expenses, we decided to fund several large and significant projects which, with our usual income, we could never afford.
Ballona Wetlands Education Project, Abigail King Bus Scholarship — set-aside funds to provide a minimum of ten buses per school year for an estimated 7 to 10 years. Bus funding will not be dependent on annual budget allocations for the term of this grant.
Birds at the Beach Exhibit — set-aside funds for a photography and artwork exhibit proposed for display at the Annenberg Community Beach House in late 2014.
Loyola Marymount University, Seaver College of Science and Engineering — a lifetime endowment gift to provide assistance to faculty and students in Biology or Environmental Science whose study and research further the understanding of ecological, environmental and biological variables on birds and other wildlife. The money will, in part, fund student presentations at student science conferences.
Richard Plumb, Dean, Seaver College of Science and Engineering at Loyola Marymount University accepts SMBAS endowment check from Jane Beseda
Loyola Marymount University, Seaver College of Science and Engineering, Watts Lab — a one-time gift to Watts Lab to help fund the study of birds and the relationship of environmental variation on the behavior of individual birds. The research will shed light on the potential for a species to adapt to environmental changes.
Santa Monica College — a lifetime endowment gift to provide financial aid to a continuing student in the field of Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences or Policy Studies impacting the birds of Los Angeles County.
Student Conservation Association — a one-time grant to provide full funding for one 2-year internship in the Santa Monica Mountains, or partial funding for an intern in the Butterbredt Spring area. SCA will use our gift to secure matching funds.
Walgrove Elementary School Wildlands Project — funding provided for the purchase of plants, signage and seating platforms. Walgrove, a LAUSD elementary school, is converting 25,000 square feet of asphalt into a Wildlands of native plants to attract birds, insects and butterflies.
Lu Plauzoles helps with planting at Walgrove School
A committee of board members Jane Beseda, Lu Plauzoles, Ellen Vahan and chaired by Lillian Almdale spent six months researching potential grant recipients whose use of the funds would have a substantial impact in our local area. After reviewing 24 proposals, 10 were submitted to the board of directors at the annual planning meeting in August, and 7 were selected.
I would like to thank Jane, Lu and Ellen for their passion and the many hours of hard work that went into bringing this process to an exemplary conclusion. I would also like to thank the Board for spending time prior to the meeting doing an in depth review of the final 10 proposals, and for their keen insight and patience as we built consensus at the planning meeting.
Most of all, thank you to our grant recipients who will make the vision a reality. Together, we make a difference!
Lillian Johnson Almdale
Chairperson, Norma Foster Grant Distributions
Full Wolf Moon Update For 15 January, 2014, 8:52 PM PST
Here’s another update from SMBAS Blog on that large, disc-shaped, shining object which has frequently been seen mysteriously hovering in our nighttime sky this year (known to many as the moon).
Jan. 15, 8:52 p.m. PST — Full Wolf Moon. Amid the zero cold and deep snows of midwinter, the wolf packs howled hungrily outside Indian villages. January’s full moon was also known as the Old Moon or the Moon after Yule. In some tribes, this was the Full Snow Moon, but most applied that name to next month’s moon. Since the moon arrives at apogee — its farthest point from Earth — less than three hours earlier, this will also be the smallest full moon of 2014. In terms of apparent size, it will appear 12.2-percent smaller than the full moon of Aug.10, the biggest full moon of the year. [Infographic: Moon Phases & Lunar Cycles]
The next significant full moon will occur on 14 February, 3:53 pm. Keep an eye on this spot for additional breaking news on this unprecedented event.
This information comes to you courtesy of: http://www.space.com/24262-weird-full-moon-names-2014-explained.html
written by Joe Rao. Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York’s Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmer’s Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y.
But that’s waaay too long to type in, and besides, you don’t need to go there because SMBAS has done the work for you!
[Chuck Almdale]
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 