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Carrizo Plains Trip Report: 8 Dec. 2012
Quiet. One of the first things noticed. No cars, rumbling trucks, radios, noisy neighbors, practicing garage bands; not even an airplane. Out of the silence the small sounds of birds emerge: a passing Sage Sparrow, Horned Larks in the grass, White-crowned Sparrows wheezing in the sage, one Kestrel calling to another, the bubbling song of a Western Meadowlark. Small sounds, ones often drowned out by the city’s buzz.
Soda Lake Rd. paved near SW end (L. Johnson 12/8/12)
An incredibly blue sky, no wind, dry roads, temperatures in the 60’s, wide open spaces and lots of interesting birds made this a wonderful trip to one of my favorite locales in Southern California. We started at the southeast end of Soda Lake Rd., as always, searching the ground squirrel burrows for a Burrowing Owl, but no luck this year. Slowly driving and birding, we found many small flocks of House Finches, Vesper, Savannah & White-crowned Sparrows, various raptors perched on poles and on the wing.
Van Metre ranch house (C. Almdale)
After checking out the buildings and equipment at Van Metre Ranch, we walked up a gentle barren slope to the northern fence line. Just beyond the barb wire rises the wrinkled hills of the Temblor Range, marking the San Andreas Fault. Sage bushes here are favored by the LeConte’s Thrasher, and we quickly glimpsed one who just as quickly disappeared. Fortunately we found 3 more later on, as well as a California Thrasher.
Savannah Sparrow on fence (C. Almdale)
KCL campground always provides a nice table for lunch. The Great-horned Owl was absent but the trees and brush held Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Yellow-rumped Warblers, various sparrows and towhees as well as one more Say’s Phoebe and a few more Loggerhead Shrikes.
Raptors were everywhere and we had an unusually high number of Rough-legged Hawks and Prairie Falcons, two birds we always hope to find but often don’t.
Prairie Falcon on fence (L. Johnson 12/8/12)
Mountain Bluebirds were scattered all over the plains; we often found them kiting 20-40 ft. high in order to scan for ground insects.
Mountain Bluebird female (L. Johnson)
We did a little exploring this year and took Simmler Rd. north to Elkhorn Rd., passing between the SE end of Soda Lake and the series of dry “ponds.” From a distance, the white soda covering the lake bed looked like snow, or small wind-tossed whitecaps, frozen in time. Heaps of dead Russian Thistle (aka tumbleweed) bordered the road, with the road itself covered at least axle-deep by shredded thistle brush, the residue left by earlier travelers. It looked so much like shredded wheat that we created a marketing campaign for a new breakfast cereal, Sagebrush Sugar Bombs – Sweet and crunchy with that delicious nutlike flavor of the old west.
We hadn’t been down Elkhorn Grade Road in about 20 years, when the downhill grade was so poor that driving uphill would have been impossible, had we tried to turn around. The surface is now better, but much longer than we remembered, partially because its twists and bumps prevent speeding. We stopped often to scan the numerous barren flats for Mountain Plover; none were seen, but flocks of sparrows and the ubiquitous Horned Larks were plentiful.
Horned Lark (C. Almdale)
For those wishing to explore the Carrizo Plains by themselves, San Luis Obispo County Audubon now has an excellent 20-page birding guide. which you can download and print.
Goodwin Ed Center just south of Soda Lake is open Thurs – Sun, Dec. 1 to May 31, 9am – 4am. I highly recommend calling them to inquire about road conditions, birding highlights, permits to visit Painted Rock, and guided tours. 805-475-2131
Note the similarities and differences between the two trips listed below.
[Chuck Almdale]
| Carrizo Plains Trips | Date | Date |
| Name | 12/8/12 | 12/10/11 |
| Northern Harrier | 1 | 1 |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 15 | 20 |
| Ferruginous Hawk | 2 | 2 |
| Rough-legged Hawk | 3 | |
| Killdeer | 1 | |
| Mountain Plover | 2 | |
| Mourning Dove | 4 | 6 |
| Great Horned Owl | 1 | |
| Burrowing Owl | 1 | |
| American Kestrel | 9 | 9 |
| Merlin | 1 | |
| Prairie Falcon | 5 | 2 |
| Say’s Phoebe | 8 | 3 |
| Loggerhead Shrike | 13 | 12 |
| Common Raven | 20 | 40 |
| Horned Lark | 240 | 200 |
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | |
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 2 | |
| Mountain Bluebird | 56 | 30 |
| Northern Mockingbird | 1 | |
| California Thrasher | 1 | |
| Le Conte’s Thrasher | 4 | 1 |
| European Starling | 33 | |
| American Pipit | 1 | 1 |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler | 6 | 100 |
| California Towhee | 3 | |
| Brewer’s Sparrow | 15 | |
| Vesper Sparrow | 2 | |
| Lark Sparrow | 120 | 25 |
| Sage Sparrow | 40 | 25 |
| Savannah Sparrow | 20 | 55 |
| White-crowned Sparrow | 350 | 100 |
| Golden-crowned Sparrow | 2 | |
| Western Meadowlark | 25 | 27 |
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 30 | |
| House Finch | 140 | 500 |
| Total Species – 36 | 27 | 29 |
Lagoon Breach Photos & News Roundup
View of Malibu Lagoon and channel area from east side of the breach.
Rain causes Surfrider Beach to breach (J. Kenney 12/3/12)
- The usual suspects are at the scene but, as usual, “no one saw nothin’!”
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Two articles from GrrlScientist at TheGuardian
Polly gets his own cracker: clever cockatoo manufactures, uses tools
Not known to manufacture or use tools in the wild, a captive cockatoo demonstrates that parrots can make tools to suit their needs. A captive Goffin’s Cockatoo named Figaro who has impressed scientists by spontaneously making and using tools to fetch cashew nuts. The story includes lots of photos and a video of the ten trials this bird “passed.”
Sing for Your Supper: Fairy-Wren Chicks Must Sing Vocal Password for Food
Female Superb Fairy-Wrens teach their chicks a vocal password before they hatch to distinguish them from brood parasitic Bronze-Cuckoo chicks. The authors show that superb fairy-wren chicks learn “song” whilst still embryos! Their mother sings a special incubation call to her eggs only before they hatch. After hatching, these chicks must sing this “auditory password” as their begging call in order for the parents to feed them. Since this species is host for the brood-parasite Horsfield’s bronze-cuckoo, this vocal password allows the parents to distinguish their chicks from the parasitic chicks and take evasive action.
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And…
To Birds, Storm Survival is Only Natural
Biologists studying the hurricane’s aftermath say there is remarkably little evidence that birds, or any other countable, charismatic fauna for that matter, have suffered the sort of mass casualties seen in environmental disasters like the BP oil spill of 2010.
New York Times 11/12/12 – Natalie Angier
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And three articles from Rick Wright at Birding New Jersey
Birds, Mirrors & 16th Pisa
Birders have probably been watching birds watch themselves in mirrors for about as long as there have been mirrors and bird watchers.
Birding New Jersey 11/17/12 – Rick Wright
Bioluminescent Bitterns
Whether for the birder on your shopping list or for yourself, a bedside table or backyard could use one of these.
Birding New Jersey 11/21/12 – Rick Wright
Spare Parts, Strange Bedfellows
The Mexican headdress in Vienna’s Museum for Ethnology.
You may know about the hundreds of Resplendent Quetzals, Lovely Cotingas, Squirrel Cuckoos, and Roseate Spoonbills that had surrendered their plumes to this spectacular object, but what you might not know is that a couple of dozen White-throated (Smyrna) Kingfishers also made the ultimate sacrifice–nearly four hundred years later.
Birding New Jersey 11/17/12 – Rick Wright
We now have a permanent link to Rick’s website “Birding New Jersey & the World” in the right margin under “Bird Links.”
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[Chuck Almdale]
Bird Photo & News
Great Photo from SMBAS member James Kenney!
Northern Flicker – Red-shafted x Yellow-shafted hybrid or intergrade
Taken at King Gillette S.P, 11/26/12
Compare it to your field guide pictures.
Northern Flicker Red-shafted x Yellow-shafted (J. Kenney 11/26/12)
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New Link to Ornithologist Roger Lederer’s Ornithology.com
Loads of fascinating information
Now located permanently in our right margin under “Bird Links”
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Malibu Lagoon Project Page
We’ve added two new films this week (nos. 13 & 14), about 20 new pictures, and summary data for October & November.
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California Audubon’s Page on Protecting the Snowy Plover
A nestful of information.
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Prehistoric Flamingo Nests Discovered in Spain
Huffington Post 10/20/12 – Megan Gannon
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First Ever Family Tree for all Living Birds reveals Evolution and Divirsification
University of Sheffield News 10/30/12
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[Chuck Almdale]
Malibu Lagoon Trip Report: 25 November, 2012
Don’t forget to visit our page devoted to the Malibu Lagoon 2012 Project, frequently updated with new photos. We recently added a new interview with Suzanne Goode, Also look for the link to the plant revegetation list.
Foggy and cool. We could barely see across the lagoon and by noon the temperature had climbed all the way from 60° to 62°. The photos tell the tale.
Foggy channel (L. Johnson 11/25/12)
Surf was so flat that only 2 surfers and 2 kayaks bothered to show. The birds were good though, and we almost had the beach to ourselves. The Revegetation continues, the grading appears complete and the channel is fully open to the lagoon. The paths, swale and various structures are still under construction. The path to the beach – like the proverbial path to heaven – is “strait and narrow.” Walking it is reminiscent of a trip to the funhouse.
Brant keeps the Snow Goose company (C. Bragg 11/25/12)
Migrants continue to arrive, including: Snow Goose, Brant, Green-winged Teal, Bufflehead, Red-throated & Pacific Loons, Cooper’s Hawk, Boneparte’s Gull, and a Tree Swallow (a late migrant). We didn’t see any of last month’s Horned & Clark’s Grebes, Black Turnstone or Dunlin. The Red-tailed Hawk was probably snoozing, waiting for the sun to appear.
Snowy Plover PV:YB – winter beach resident (C. Bragg 11/25/12)
Snowy Plover PV:YB (bird’s left leg Pink above Violet: right leg Yellow above Blue), present on Surfrider Beach since Sept., was joined by his comrade-in-wings GG:AR (green/green:aqua/red), who was with us last December & January (and probably longer). The total Snowy Plover of 61 is an all-time high for November.
Snowy Plover PV:YB – closeup of legs (C. Bragg 11/25/12)
Our next three field trips: Carrizo Plains, 8 Dec., 9:00am; Butterbredt Christmas Count, 15 Dec., 8:00am., Malibu Lagoon, 23 Dec, 8:30am.
Our next program: Tuesday, 4 December, 7:30 pm. Anticoagulant Poisons and So. Californian Bobcats – Laurel Klein Serieys. The usual reminders will be emailed from the blog.
NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk remains canceled until the parking lot is again fully available.
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: Nov. total birds of 1300 are 5% below average (Oct was up 3%), an insignificant amount. Brown Pelican numbers are finally average after being down since July. Willets and Marbled Godwits were well above average, but Sanderlings were nearly absent. European Starlings and Red-winged Blackbirds either decided to sleep in or we just couldn’t see them through the fog. Monthly total bird numbers have been up & down, up & down since the project began last June.
Species Diversity: Of 96 total species appearing in November for 2007-12, no more than about 5/8ths of them appear on any single day. October 2012 with 62 species was average, as were all 9 categories of birds.
Summary of species diversity from the 6-year average so far: May +4%, June -10%, July +10%, Aug. -6%, Sep. -20%, Oct. +5%, Nov +2%. Still, the only constant is change. [Chuck Almdale]
| Malibu Census | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | |
| November 2007-12 | 11/25 | 11/23 | 11/22 | 11/28 | 11/27 | 11/25 | |
| Temperature | 60-72 | 55-65 | 70 | 60-62 | |||
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | H +7.2 | H +5.8 | H +4.6 | L +2.59 | H +6.63 | H +5.83 | Ave. |
| Tide Time | 0839 | 0608 | 1137 | 0842 | 0945 | 0647 | Birds |
| Snow Goose | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Brant | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Canada Goose | 9 | 1.5 | |||||
| Gadwall | 10 | 35 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 12.3 |
| American Wigeon | 2 | 15 | 6 | 14 | 15 | 9 | 10.2 |
| Mallard | 30 | 22 | 15 | 18 | 30 | 18 | 22.2 |
| Northern Shoveler | 16 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 11.8 |
| Green-winged Teal | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 4.0 | |
| Lesser Scaup | 8 | 1 | 1.5 | ||||
| Surf Scoter | 2 | 24 | 15 | 6.8 | |||
| Bufflehead | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 5.0 | |
| Red-brstd Merganser | 3 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4.5 |
| Ruddy Duck | 4 | 25 | 20 | 26 | 3 | 48 | 21.0 |
| Red-throated Loon | 7 | 1.2 | |||||
| Pacific Loon | 1 | 1 | 10 | 2.0 | |||
| Common Loon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Pied-billed Grebe | 10 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Horned Grebe | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Red-necked Grebe | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Eared Grebe | 2 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 3.0 | ||
| Western Grebe | 8 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 6 | 27 | 15.3 |
| Brandt’s Cormorant | 10 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 3.3 | ||
| Dble-crstd Cormorant | 13 | 25 | 29 | 37 | 31 | 24 | 26.5 |
| Pelagic Cormorant | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.8 | |
| Brown Pelican | 92 | 18 | 12 | 40 | 8 | 32 | 33.7 |
| Great Blue Heron | 5 | 6 | 3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4.2 |
| Great Egret | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2.3 |
| Snowy Egret | 15 | 4 | 8 | 31 | 30 | 10 | 16.3 |
| Cattle Egret | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Green Heron | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Blk-crwnd N-Heron | 4 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 3.2 | |
| Osprey | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Red-tailed Hawk | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0.8 | |||
| American Kestrel | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Merlin | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Peregrine Falcon | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Virginia Rail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Sora | 2 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 3.0 | ||
| American Coot | 320 | 85 | 295 | 206 | 57 | 194 | 192.8 |
| Blk-bellied Plover | 39 | 24 | 89 | 110 | 263 | 217 | 123.7 |
| Snowy Plover | 3 | 54 | 48 | 58 | 52 | 61 | 46.0 |
| Killdeer | 9 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 6.2 |
| Spotted Sandpiper | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1.8 |
| Greater Yellowlegs | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Willet | 11 | 12 | 18 | 2 | 4 | 34 | 13.5 |
| Whimbrel | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1.8 | ||
| Marbled Godwit | 4 | 8 | 14 | 31 | 9.5 | ||
| Ruddy Turnstone | 3 | 32 | 13 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 11.2 |
| Black Turnstone | 1 | 8 | 1 | 1.7 | |||
| Sanderling | 60 | 58 | 155 | 290 | 308 | 11 | 147.0 |
| Least Sandpiper | 1 | 7 | 15 | 21 | 7.3 | ||
| Boneparte’s Gull | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1.5 | ||
| Heermann’s Gull | 52 | 35 | 13 | 37 | 21 | 26.3 | |
| Mew Gull | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Ring-billed Gull | 42 | 18 | 50 | 800 | 60 | 25 | 165.8 |
| Western Gull | 150 | 68 | 67 | 130 | 50 | 55 | 86.7 |
| California Gull | 95 | 63 | 58 | 500 | 30 | 215 | 160.2 |
| Herring Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Glaucous-wingd Gull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Forster’s Tern | 2 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 3.8 | ||
| Royal Tern | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1.3 | ||
| Elegant Tern | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Rock Pigeon | 6 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 38 | 10.2 | |
| Mourning Dove | 2 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2.2 | ||
| Anna’s Hummingbird | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2.3 | |
| Allen’s Hummingbird | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2.0 | |
| Belted Kingfisher | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.2 |
| Black Phoebe | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5.7 |
| Say’s Phoebe | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.2 | |
| Western Scrub-Jay | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| American Crow | 2 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4.3 |
| Common Raven | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Tree Swallow | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| Bushtit | 40 | 22 | 40 | 30 | 30 | 27.0 | |
| Bewick’s Wren | 1 | 1 | 0.3 | ||||
| House Wren | 1 | 2 | 0.5 | ||||
| Marsh Wren | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0.5 | |||
| Ruby-crowned Kinglet | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Northern Mockingbird | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1.5 |
| European Starling | 125 | 5 | 6 | 40 | 29.3 | ||
| Ornge-crwnd Warbler | 1 | 3 | 0.7 | ||||
| Yellow-rumpd Warbler | 10 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 12 | 8.3 |
| Common Yellowthroat | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4.2 |
| Spotted Towhee | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| California Towhee | 5 | 2 | 1.2 | ||||
| Song Sparrow | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3.3 |
| Lincoln’s Sparrow | 3 | 0.5 | |||||
| White-crwnd Sparrow | 18 | 4 | 8 | 5.0 | |||
| Red-winged Blackbird | 2 | 0.3 | |||||
| Western Meadowlark | 1 | 0.2 | |||||
| Brewer’s Blackbird | 6 | 1.0 | |||||
| Great-tailed Grackle | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 3.2 | |
| House Finch | 5 | 6 | 4 | 30 | 5 | 8.3 | |
| Lesser Goldfinch | 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1.8 | ||
| Totals by Type | 11/25 | 11/23 | 11/22 | 11/28 | 11/27 | 11/25 | Ave. |
| Waterfowl | 71 | 151 | 65 | 108 | 92 | 120 | 101 |
| Water Birds-Other | 446 | 170 | 367 | 319 | 115 | 309 | 288 |
| Herons, Egrets | 28 | 16 | 13 | 51 | 36 | 14 | 26 |
| Raptors | 4 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Shorebirds | 133 | 205 | 347 | 490 | 650 | 394 | 370 |
| Gulls & Terns | 342 | 191 | 190 | 1481 | 143 | 335 | 447 |
| Doves | 8 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 38 | 12 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 10 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Passerines | 242 | 67 | 92 | 37 | 134 | 84 | 109 |
| Totals Birds | 1284 | 815 | 1093 | 2502 | 1174 | 1300 | 1361 |
| Total Species | 11/25 | 11/23 | 11/22 | 11/28 | 11/27 | 11/25 | Ave. |
| Waterfowl | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 9.0 |
| Water Birds-Other | 7 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 10 | 9.8 |
| Herons, Egrets | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4.2 |
| Raptors | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.8 |
| Shorebirds | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 9.7 |
| Gulls & Terns | 7 | 8 | 6 | 9 | 5 | 8 | 7.2 |
| Doves | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 |
| Other Non-Pass. | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2.7 |
| Passerines | 19 | 13 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 14.7 |
| Totals Species | 63 | 61 | 59 | 67 | 51 | 62 | 60.5 |
Full Beaver Moon 11/28/12 6:46 a.m. PST
Here’s another update from SMBAS Blog on that large, disc-like, shining object which has frequently and mysteriously appeared in our nighttime sky this year (country folk call it the moon).
Nov. 28, 6:46 a.m. PST — Full Beaver Moon. Now it is time to set beaver traps before the swamps freeze to ensure a supply of warm winter furs. Another interpretation suggests that the name Beaver Full Moon comes from the fact that the beavers are now active in their preparation for winter. This full moon is also called the Frosty Moon. Since the moon arrives at apogee less than six hours later, this will also be the smallest full moon of 2012. In terms of apparent size, it will appear 12 percent smaller than the full moon of May 5. There is also a penumbral lunar eclipse with this full moon; observers in the western parts of the U.S. and Canada might notice the upper part of the moon appearing slightly darker as 92 percent of the moon’s diameter becomes immersed in the fainter penumbral shadow of Earth.
The next significant full moon will occur on Dec. 28, 2:21 a.m. PST. Keep an eye on this spot for additional breaking news on this unprecedented event.
This information comes to you courtesy of:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45911225/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/how-s-full-moons-got-their-strange-names/#.T16CDHlIXUx
But that’s way 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 