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Windy welcome for the hardy souls who came out on February 24th! We were wondering what birds – if any – might be seen in such a blustery locale, but we were certainly rewarded! It was a significant contrast to earlier expeditions along the narrow temporary path to the beach. What had been the muddy mess was suddenly hardened clay with parched cracks under our footsteps. When we got to the beach little was to be seen except a distant flock of gulls on the exposed beach near The Point. Even the Snowy Plovers were scattered in little groups near tiny windbreaks such as a beached sea urchin; anything to get some relief form the wind.

But as the day wore on, the wind died down and we were able to see a number of our usual species, albeit smaller numbers of shorebirds than usual. Our reward came when we observed a group of Common Mergansers frolicking in the Lagoon while we were finishing our adventure at the Adamson House landing. Even from a distance, it was obvious we had witnessed a special event as this is a rarely-seen LA County species.

Our census of the birds in the channel during the project period this month was: No. Shoveler 2, Bufflehead 1, Pied-billed Grebe 1, Double-crested Cormorant 6, Great Blue Heron 1, Coot 3, Ring-billed Gull 4, Western Gull 2, California Gull 6, Anna’s Hummingbird 1, Tree Swallow 6, Cliff Swallow 3.

Brant – absent in January – returned in force, with 15 individuals beating their prior record of 11 on 6/27/10. The six (4 male, 2 female) Common Mergansers were unusual, as this species prefers fresh water over brackish or salt; in over 30 years we’ve recorded only 7 previous visits to the lagoon. One Raven showed up – they’re always in the general area but we hadn’t recorded one since 11/28/10. The Cliff Swallows are returning migrants – a bit early it seems to me, as we have only 1 previous record for February. Snowy Plover PV:YB was back on the beach among the 36 roosting birds.

Our next three field trips:  Hiker Lu’s Santa Monica Mountains Explorama, 9 Mar, 8:30am;  Malibu Lagoon, 24 Mar, 8:30am; Walker Ranch (Placerita Cyn) 6 Apr, 8:30am.
Our next program:  Tuesday, 2 Apr., 7:30 pm at Cristine Reed Park.   Topic to be announced.  The usual reminders will be emailed from the blog.

NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk will resume on 28 April, 2013.

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:   Feb. total birds of 1104 are 29% below average; low numbers are mainly in the gulls and coots.
Species Diversity:  February 2013 with 52 species was  8% below the 56.3 6-year average, a minor variance.
Summary of species diversity from the 6-year average so far:  June -10%, July +10%, Aug. -6%, Sep. -20%, Oct. +5%, Nov +2%, Dec -4%, Jan +2%, Feb -8%. Still, the only constant is change.
10-year comparison summaries are available on our Lagoon Project Census Summaries Page.
[Lu Plauzoles & Chuck Almdale]

Snowy Plover PV:YB and friend (Cynthia Aylesworth 1/19/13)

We looked for the Arctic Loon reported earlier this month, but the loons were well offshore and towards the sun, so plumage patterns were difficult to see. Chinstraps were visible on the Pacific Loon-looking birds. Oh well.

The early morning rain had ended before we arrived, the sky cleared as the morning progressed, and everything was wet.  Someone had placed boards across the numerous puddles on the beach path, for which we were grateful.  The project permit is extended to mid-March, so – we hope – we’ll finally be able to use the new paths on our 3/24 walk, rather than be channeled like rats in a maze down the current narrow strait. It will be a relief to see the channel clearly rather than peering at it over the fence.

Despite such obstacles, we’ve tried to get a relatively accurate handle on the birds in the channel during the project period.  The channel is now permanently open to the lagoon and the birds paddle in and out at will, so the population fluctuates constantly.  Here’s what we found before 9am today. Most of the ducks were in one large flock on the channel’s north shore, still snoozing.
Ducks: Gadwall 20, Mallard 40, No. Shoveler, 20, No. Pintail 4, Green-winged Teal 20, Bufflehead 6, Ruddy Duck 20.
Others: Great Blue Heron 1, Snowy Egret 2, Coot 65, Black-bellied Plover 6, Killdeer 2, Black Phoebe 1, Allen’s Hummingbird 1, Yellow-rumped Warbler 3, Song Sparrow 3, House Finch 2.

Viewing platform construction north side of channel (L. Johnson 1/27/13)

Progress continues on permanent installations such as paths and viewing platforms.

Viewing platform & path construction southwest side of channel (L. Johnson 1/27/13)

The gull flock has subsided significantly from the horde which covered the beach in December, dropping from about 2600 birds to about 660.  Northern Pintails finally appeared, with two pair crusing around the lagoon and channel. Other new arrivals are: an Osprey (last seen in August), 3 American Avocets still in winter plumage, and 2 Mew Gulls.

Snowy Plover GG:AR who 1st appeared on Surfrider Beach on 9/25/11 (Cynthia Aylesworth 1/6/13)

Snowy Plover PV:YB wasn’t seen among the flock of 61 roosting on the beach, waiting for the tide to begin dropping, but GG:AR and NO:WW were there. GG:AR  (Left: green over green, Right: Aqua over Red) first appeared on Surfrider on 9/25/11 and was seen 11/25/12. NO:WW (Left: tan over orange, Right: white over white) appeared on 10/25/09 and recorded intermittently through 12/25/11.

Our next three field trips:   Ballona Creek Jetty, 9 Feb; 8:00am; Malibu Lagoon, 24 Feb, 8:30am; Hiker Lu’s Santa Monica Mountains Explorama, 9 Mar, 8am.
Our next program:  Tuesday, 5 Feb., 7:30 pm.   Bird Photography, presented by Ralph Clevenger. Note that the meeting place has changed.  The usual reminders will be emailed from the blog.

NOTE: Our 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk will resume on 28 April, 2013.

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 1,818 are 20% below average for the same reason Dec. 2012 birds were 30% above average: large fluctuations in the number of gulls.  Monthly numbers relative to average continue to be up, down, up, down, etc.
Species Diversity:  January 2013 with 65 species was a whopping 2% above the 63.7   6-year average.
Summary of species diversity from the 6-year average so far:  June -10%, July +10%, Aug. -6%, Sep. -20%, Oct. +5%, Nov +2%, Dec -4%, Jan +2%. Still, the only constant is change.
10-year comparison summaries are available on our Lagoon Project Page.
[Chuck Almdale]