Free email delivery
Please sign up for email delivery in the subscription area to the right.
No salesman will call, at least not from us. Maybe from someone else.
Ballona Fresh Water Marsh field trip, 11/11/23
[Text by Jean Garrett & Chuck Almdale, posted by Chuck Almdale]
Black Phoebe flycatching from a conveniently bent reed (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
After a slow start, the birds began appearing and we finally were glad the wind earlier in the week did not chase all the birds away. Our first hawk was quite distant and we thought it was a red-tailed but Ann Flower blew up her picture and it was a Red-shouldered Hawk.
Red-shouldered Hawk (Ann Flower 11-11-23)
The bushes have grown a little too thick on the East side so we walked quickly to find breaks in the landscape. In a clearing there was a large collection of Coots but with continued searching we found some Gadwalls, Cinnamon Teals, and American Wigeons.
Teal female (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
The above female teal was seen at a distance and was not associating closely with males of Green-winged, Blue-winged or Cinnamon, all of which were in the vicinity on the pond. Green-winged, although that’s the most common teal in the area (Blue-winged is the least common) seems unlikely, so we’re focusing on the other two. We don’t agree on which of the two it is, or if it’s a hybrid Blue-winged x Cinnamon. We sort out the characteristics as follows:
Blue-winged: head shape (rounded), bill-shape (slight upper curve), larger bill nail, bill-color (no yellow edge), white at base of bill, dark line thru eye (disagreement), mantle & scapulars (not warmish)
Cinnamon: longer bill, nail (smaller), tertials (larger dark area), dark line thru eye (less bold)
With the above in mind, the order of likelihood seems to be: Blue-winged, hybrid, Cinnamon. Feel free to send in comments, but please explain your choice.
The Yellow-rumped Warblers were busy feeding and we could hear and finally see White-crowned Sparrows on the pathway.
Yellow-rumped Warbler in basic (winter) plumage (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
Lurking in the trees was a Downy Woodpecker and a noisy Marsh Wren was in the bushes. The best leafbird I have ever seen had us looking at several angles until we all agreed it was…a leaf. One of the most exciting birds was the male Blue-winged Teal. They are so uncommon now days.
Great-tailed Grackles are considered to be one of the most successful avian invaders (or range extenders) in the U.S. Historically, they’ve been in Mexico for ages, showed up in Central Texas in the 1890’s and southwestern Louisiana between 1938 and 1959. They’re now found across the central and eastern north from South Dakota to Nova Scotia. Out west, they came from Mexico into New Mexico in 1913 and Arizona in 1935. They were first recorded in California in 1964, and for many years were difficult to find in California outside of the Imperial Valley and (for some odd reason) the city park in California City, Kern County. They’ve since spread — a lot. On 11 April 2023 one showed up in Vancouver, B.C., the 311th for that city and the 418th for British Columbia. In SoCal they’re likely to be resident and breeding in nearly any park that has water and reeds.
Adult Great-tailed Grackles have a yellow eye. This one looks quite fierce. (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
Juvenile Great-tailed Grackles have a dark eye. The hair-like feathers on the sides of the breast look a bit odd. (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
Then we ended the marsh walk with another controversy.
Some sort of raptor in the tree. What is it? A falcon? Where’s the vertical dark cheek stripe? (Ann Flower 11-11-23)
The falcon was backlit but I thought I saw 2 parallel black stripes on one side of the head.
Looks like a falcon. Is that 2 vertical cheek stripes or one? They’re very short stripes. But the white eyebrow streak is very Merlinish. (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
Then when we came back to one tree away from the original spotting, there was a Merlin. Now was it the same bird? This second bird was sitting in good lighting.
Now we can see the white eyebrow streak and the vertical dark cheek stripe. Definitely a Merlin. Were these two the same individual bird? Go back and look at the first two photos. In the top photo the head is twisted sharply to its right which distorts the cheek stripe diagonally backwards. In the second photo, the bird is looking down which also distorts the cheek stripe by “shortening” it. (Ann Flower 11-11-23)
Red-winged Blackbird females often elicit the question “What sparrow is that?” (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
A well protected sign (Ray Juncosa 11-11-23)
For those who kept wanting to bird, we went over to Del Rey Lagoon and along the Ballona Creek jetty. It was not crowded with birds but we did pick up a Bonaparte’s Gull along with a Heermann’s, California, and Western Gull. We also got to see several Willets, some Wimbrels, Buffleheads, an Eared Grebe and of course one Double-crested Cormorant.
| Ballona Fresh Water Marsh 11/11/23 |
| 55 species |
| Canada Goose |
| Gadwall |
| American Wigeon |
| Mallard |
| Cinnamon Teal |
| Northern Shoveler |
| Blue-winged Teal |
| Green-winged Teal |
| Lesser Scaup |
| Bufflehead |
| Ruddy Duck |
| Pied-billed Grebe |
| Eared Grebe |
| Double-crested Cormorant |
| Brown Pelican |
| Snowy Egret |
| Great Egret |
| Northern Harrier |
| Cooper’s Hawk |
| Red-shouldered Hawk |
| Red-tailed Hawk |
| American Kestrel |
| Merlin |
| Sora |
| American Coot |
| Black-bellied Plover |
| Killdeer |
| Willet |
| Greater Yellowlegs |
| Whimbrel |
| Least Sandpiper |
| Long-billed Dowitcher |
| Bonaparte’s Gull |
| Heermann’s Gull |
| Calif. Gull |
| Western Gull |
| Mourning Dove |
| Allen’s Hummingbird |
| Downy Woodpecker |
| Black Phoebe |
| Cassin’s Kingbird |
| American Crow |
| Common Raven |
| Bushtit |
| Marsh Wren |
| Blue-gray Gnatcatcher |
| Northern Mockingbird |
| Yellow-rumped Warbler |
| Common Yellowthroat |
| Song Sparrow |
| White-crowned Sparrow |
| Common Grackle |
| Red-winged Blackbird |
| House Finch |
Gray Vireos in Baja, with Dr. Phil Unitt. Zoom Evening Meeting reminder, Tuesday, 7 November, 7:30 p.m.
You are all invited to the next ZOOM meeting
of Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society
Gray Vireo (photo supplied by Dr. Phil Unitt)
|
Gray Vireos in Baja with Dr. Phil Unitt
Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 7 November, 7:30 p.m.
Zoom waiting room opens 7:15 p.m.
Gray Vireo on nest (photo supplied by Dr. Phil Unitt)
Most of the breeding range of the Gray Vireo lies within the southwestern United States, where the population is sparse, patchy, and declining. But the species also breeds in Baja California, where its status had not been assessed until 2021 and 2022 when we surveyed four mountain ranges where it was known or might be expected. In the sierras Juárez and Sierra San Pedro Mártir we found the Gray Vireo strikingly more common than just across the border in Upper California. Most territories were treeless chaparral dominated by chamise and redshank. Isolated stands of chaparral grow south of the Gray Vireo’s previously reported breeding range, on the Sierra La Asamblea, but our reconnaissance there revealed no Gray Vireos. In the Sierra San Francisco in the center of the peninsula, the Gray Vireo is a winter visitor only. Although Baja California represents only a small part of the Gray Vireo’s breeding range spatially, it contributes disproportionately to the species’ population and therefore conservation.
Gray Vireo eggs in nest (photo supplied by Dr. Phil Unitt)
Dr. Philip Unitt, native of San Diego County, has spent his entire career at San Diego Museum of Natural History where he is the Dennis and Carol Wilson Endowed Chair of Ornithology and Curator of Birds and Mammals. He studies the distribution, ecology, history, identification, and conservation of California birds. He is a specialist in subspecies identification, distribution, and history of distributional change of California birds. He has led extensive survey projects, organizing hundreds of volunteers; analyzing very large data sets; and has prepared more than 4,000 bird specimens for the museum reference collections. He is the lead author of the San Diego Bird Atlas and a major contributor to Birds of San Diego County and the coauthor of the Birds of the Salton Sea. Dr. Unitt is also the editor of Western Birds, the regional journal of ornithology for western North America.
Gray Vireo habitat (photo supplied by Dr. Phil Unitt)
|
(If this button isn’t working for you, see detailed zoom invitation below.)
Meeting ID: 813 4824 7304
Passcode: 030207
One tap mobile
+16694449171,,81348247304#,,,,*030207# US
+16699009128,,81348247304#,,,,*030207# US (San Jose)
Dial by your location
+1 669 444 9171 US
+1 669 900 9128 US (San Jose)
+1 253 205 0468 US
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 719 359 4580 US
+1 507 473 4847 US
+1 564 217 2000 US
+1 646 558 8656 US (New York)
+1 646 931 3860 US
+1 689 278 1000 US
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 305 224 1968 US
+1 309 205 3325 US
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 360 209 5623 US
+1 386 347 5053 US
Meeting ID: 813 4824 7304
Passcode: 030207
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kOtV2H4tw
2023 Photo Contest Winners || California Coastal Commission
[Posted by Chuck Almdale]
The more photo contests the better, I say, as there are a lot of people out there snapping away with their cameras and phones. Most of the results should never go any further than SnapChat where the postings disappear and are forever erased after about 30 seconds (or so I hear). I’d never heard of this particular contest before, but they let me know they were there.
The results are a great group of photos. I take lousy photos, unsuitable even for SnapChat, but in the process of editing this blog I’ve received at least 10,000 photos, and I’m getting better at spotting the good ones. I will add, however, I think many of the photos sent to me for our blog are as good as these. Anyone aspiring to produce admirable photographs should study as many prize-winning photos as possible, and get a good feeling for the elements of a top-notch photo. So follow the link below to some examples.
2023 California Ocean & Coastal Amateur Photography Contest
California Coastal Commission
Peeps on parade, Malibu Lagoon, 22 Oct. 2023
[By Chuck Almdale]
The only Northern Shoveler in the lagoon, a female, looks a little grumpy (Chris Tosdevin 10/24/23)
West end of north channel, picnic corner and Malibu Colony in the background (Ray Juncosa 10/22/23)
There was a bit of excitement at the cypress trees behind Malibu Colony. A crow took exception to a Red-tailed Hawk sitting on a limb.
The American Crow comes for the Red-tailed Hawk (Chris Tosdevin 10/24/23)
The Red-tailed Hawk flies off, the crow making sure he keeps moving (Ray Juncosa 10/24/23)
We had a good array of shorebirds from the smallest to nearly the largest. These are all in the order Charadriiformes, and except for two they are all in the family Scolopacidae. Figure out which two. All sizes are per National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America.
Least Sandpiper in his winter drabs, the smallest “peep” in the world at 6″. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Western Snowy Plover, this one a juvenile, resting in his sand-pocket; 6.25″. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Sanderlings in their winter white & blacks; 8″ long. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Ruddy Turnstone winter plumage can be quite “messy”; 9.25″. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Black-bellied Plover, chunky with a short bill, lose their black bellies in the winter, for which reason the Europeans call them Gray Plover; 11.5″. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
The gray Willet (L) and the mottled-brown Whimbrel (R), nearly the same size, both still sandpipers; 15″ and 17.5″, respectively. (Ray Juncosa 10/22/23)
Marbled Godwit, warm brown plumage and a two-toned upturned bill, 18″ long and every inch a sandpiper. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
The next two birds are also in the order Charadriiformes, but are in the family Laridae (aka Larids).
Heermann’s Gulls, a 4-year gull, nest on Isla Rasa in the Sea of Cortez. Named for Adolphus Heermann (1818-1865) collector and surgeon-naturalist for the Pacific Railroad surveys in 1853-1854 and coiner of the term “oology.” 19″ long. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
This Royal Tern still retains a bit of it’s crown and the dark eye can stand out a bit more. This bill is on the reddish end of orange, but color can be dull yellow as well; 20″ long. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
High water in the south channel, looking north-northwest towards the pass. (Ray Juncosa 10/22/23)
This Pied-billed Grebe looks positively thrilled to be here. They look tiny in the water, but at 13.5″ long they are larger than most sandpipers. Their feet are well to their rear which helps them swim and dive but makes walking on land very difficult, so they build floating nests of reeds. If you see a grebe on land, it’s probably sick or wounded. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23
Belted Kingfisher, female (cinnamon on the breast), one of the few species where the female is more colorful than the male. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Great Egret snags a fish (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Red-winged Blackbirds juvenile male with rusty feather edges. (Chris Tosdevin 10/22/23)
Birds new for the Season: Northern Shoveler, Surf Scoter, Ruddy Duck, Western Grebe, Ring-billed Gull, Common Loon, Turkey Vulture, Northern Flicker, Nanday Parakeet, White-crowned Sparrow, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Townsend’s Warbler.
Double-crested Cormorants, now without their crests, juvenile and adult. Orange flesh above the eye rules out Neotropic Cormorant which are becoming more common in SoCal. (Ray Juncosa 10/22/23)
Malibu Lagoon on eBird as of 10-25-23: 7174 lists, 319 species
Most recent species added: Lilac-crowned Parrot (13 May 2023, Nick Diaco).
Many, many thanks to photographers: Ray Juncosa, Chris Tosdevin
Upcoming SMBAS scheduled field trips; no reservations or covid card necessary unless specifically mentioned:
- Ballona Fresh Water Marsh, Sat. Nov. 11, 8am. Please reserve with leader when announced.
- Malibu Lagoon, Sun. Nov 26, 8:30 & 10 am.
- Newport Back Bay Sat. Dec 09 8.00 am. Please reserve with leader when announced.
- Malibu Lagoon, Sun. Dec 24, 8:30 & 10 am.
- These and any other trips we announce for the foreseeable future will depend upon expected status of the Covid/flu/etc. pandemic at trip time. Any trip announced may be canceled shortly before trip date if it seems necessary. By now any other comments should be superfluous.
- Link to Programs & Field Trip schedule.
The next SMBAS Zoom program: ““Gray Vireos in Baja” with Dr. Phil Unitt, Tuesday, 7 Nov. 2023, 7:30 p.m. A recording of our 3 Oct. program, “Birds of Cuba” with Alvaro Jaramillo, is now on the blog.
The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk restarted April 23. Reservations for groups (scouts, etc.) necessary; not necessary for families.
Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
9/23/02 Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon
More recent aerial photo
Prior checklists:
2023: Jan-June
2021: Jan-July, July-Dec 2022: Jan-June, July-Dec
2020: Jan-July, July-Dec 2019: Jan-June, July-Dec
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
The 10-year comparison summaries created during the Lagoon Reconfiguration Project period, remain available—despite numerous complaints—on our Lagoon Project Bird Census Page. Very briefly summarized, the results unexpectedly indicate that avian species diversification and numbers improved slightly during the restoration period June’12-June’14.
Many thanks to Chris Tosdevin (list compiler), Femi Faminu, Ray Juncosa, Chris Lord, Ruth Tosdevin and others for their contributions to this month’s checklist.
The species lists below is irregularly re-sequenced to agree with the California Bird Records Committee Official California Checklist. If part of the chart’s right side is hidden, there’s a slider button inconveniently located at the bottom of the list.
[Chuck Almdale]
| Malibu Census 2023 | 5/28 | 6/25 | 7/23 | 8/27 | 9/24 | 10/22 | |
| Temperature | 61-62 | 59-71 | 66-70 | 69-73 | 56-74 | 62-70 | |
| Tide Lo/Hi Height | L+0.81 | L+0.89 | L+0.81 | H+3.68 | H+3.77 | L+3.34 | |
| Tide Time | 1131 | 0919 | 0730 | 0832 | 0739 | 1029 | |
| 1 | Canada Goose | 5 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 1 | Northern Shoveler | 1 | |||||
| 1 | Gadwall | 17 | 45 | 90 | 45 | 40 | 23 |
| 1 | Mallard | 12 | 33 | 77 | 20 | 12 | |
| 1 | Green-winged Teal | 1 | |||||
| 1 | Surf Scoter | 2 | 15 | ||||
| 1 | Ruddy Duck | 12 | |||||
| 2 | Pied-billed Grebe | 2 | 1 | 4 | |||
| 2 | Western Grebe | 28 | |||||
| 7 | Feral Pigeon | 8 | 3 | 4 | 3 | ||
| 7 | Eurasian Collared-Dove | 2 | |||||
| 7 | Mourning Dove | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 1 |
| 8 | Anna’s Hummingbird | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 8 | Allen’s Hummingbird | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2 | Sora | 1 | |||||
| 2 | American Coot | 5 | 6 | 49 | 157 | ||
| 5 | Black-bellied Plover | 6 | 39 | 82 | 79 | ||
| 5 | Killdeer | 4 | 8 | 8 | 13 | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Semipalmated Plover | 1 | 7 | 3 | |||
| 5 | Snowy Plover | 7 | 13 | 22 | 18 | ||
| 5 | Whimbrel | 11 | 32 | 38 | 32 | 23 | |
| 5 | Long-billed Curlew | 4 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | Marbled Godwit | 1 | 48 | 45 | |||
| 5 | Ruddy Turnstone | 2 | 4 | 10 | |||
| 5 | Sanderling | 2 | 32 | 27 | |||
| 5 | Least Sandpiper | 4 | 8 | 18 | 6 | ||
| 5 | Western Sandpiper | 6 | 3 | 15 | |||
| 5 | Short-billed Dowitcher | 1 | 2 | ||||
| 5 | Spotted Sandpiper | 3 | 3 | ||||
| 5 | Willet | 7 | 5 | 9 | 29 | 56 | |
| 5 | Wilson’s Phalarope | 1 | |||||
| 5 | Red-necked Phalarope | 2 | |||||
| 6 | Bonaparte’s Gull | 3 | |||||
| 6 | Heermann’s Gull | 152 | 94 | 89 | 90 | 51 | 55 |
| 6 | Ring-billed Gull | 12 | 5 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 6 | Western Gull | 72 | 105 | 150 | 85 | 65 | 45 |
| 6 | California Gull | 2 | 3 | 7 | 7 | ||
| 6 | Herring Gull | 1 | |||||
| 6 | Caspian Tern | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 6 | Forster’s Tern | 1 | |||||
| 6 | Royal Tern | 3 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 5 | |
| 6 | Elegant Tern | 305 | 150 | 2 | 40 | 24 | 2 |
| 6 | Black Skimmer | 2 | |||||
| 2 | Common Loon | 1 | |||||
| 2 | Black-vented Shearwater | 20 | 28 | ||||
| 2 | Brandt’s Cormorant | 8 | 2 | ||||
| 2 | Pelagic Cormorant | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2 | Double-crested Cormorant | 74 | 75 | 42 | 23 | 30 | 48 |
| 2 | Brown Pelican | 168 | 162 | 174 | 56 | 27 | 12 |
| 3 | Great Blue Heron | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Great Egret | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 | |
| 3 | Snowy Egret | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| 3 | Green Heron | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 3 | Black-crowned Night-Heron | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 4 | Turkey Vulture | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 4 | Osprey | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| 4 | Cooper’s Hawk | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 4 | Red-shouldered Hawk | 1 | |||||
| 4 | Red-tailed Hawk | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 8 | Belted Kingfisher | 2 | 1 | ||||
| 8 | Nuttall’s Woodpecker | 1 | |||||
| 8 | Northern Flicker | 1 | |||||
| 4 | American Kestrel | 1 | |||||
| 8 | Nanday Parakeet | 2 | |||||
| 9 | Black Phoebe | 6 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 9 | California Scrub-Jay | 2 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 9 | American Crow | 3 | 9 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 44 |
| 9 | Common Raven | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 9 | Oak Titmouse | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 9 | No. Rough-winged Swallow | 5 | 15 | 2 | |||
| 9 | Barn Swallow | 30 | 35 | 12 | 35 | 4 | |
| 9 | Cliff Swallow | 4 | 30 | ||||
| 9 | Bushtit | 8 | 4 | 22 | 8 | 22 | |
| 9 | Wrentit | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 9 | House Wren | 2 | 2 | ||||
| 9 | Bewick’s Wren | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 9 | Northern Mockingbird | 1 | |||||
| 9 | European Starling | 3 | 6 | 15 | 12 | ||
| 9 | House Finch | 13 | 8 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 9 | Lesser Goldfinch | 5 | 1 | ||||
| 9 | Dark-eyed Junco | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 9 | White-crowned Sparrow | 10 | |||||
| 9 | Savannah Sparrow | 1 | |||||
| 9 | Song Sparrow | 10 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
| 9 | California Towhee | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | |
| 9 | Hooded Oriole | 1 | 3 | 1 | |||
| 9 | Red-winged Blackbird | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 15 | |
| 9 | Brown-headed Cowbird | 3 | 1 | ||||
| 9 | Great-tailed Grackle | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 20 | |
| 9 | Orange-crowned Warbler | 1 | 1 | 2 | |||
| 9 | Common Yellowthroat | 2 | 4 | ||||
| 9 | Yellow Warbler | 1 | |||||
| 9 | Yellow-rumped Warbler (Aud) | 5 | |||||
| 9 | Townsend’s Warbler | 1 | |||||
| 9 | Wilson’s Warbler | 1 | 1 | ||||
| 9 | Western Tanager | 1 | |||||
| 9 | Black-headed Grosbeak | 1 | |||||
| Totals by Type | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | |
| 1 | Waterfowl | 36 | 82 | 171 | 65 | 53 | 51 |
| 2 | Water Birds – Other | 253 | 245 | 216 | 87 | 129 | 280 |
| 3 | Herons, Egrets & Ibis | 6 | 12 | 13 | 24 | 13 | 11 |
| 4 | Quail & Raptors | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Shorebirds | 4 | 26 | 70 | 145 | 299 | 265 |
| 6 | Gulls & Terns | 549 | 376 | 244 | 230 | 152 | 118 |
| 7 | Doves | 12 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 9 | 4 |
| 8 | Other Non-Passerines | 1 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 6 | 10 |
| 9 | Passerines | 106 | 129 | 96 | 59 | 82 | 154 |
| Totals Birds | 968 | 878 | 818 | 617 | 747 | 897 | |
| Total Species | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | |
| 1 | Waterfowl | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Water Birds – Other | 4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 8 |
| 3 | Herons, Egrets & Ibis | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 4 | Quail & Raptors | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Shorebirds | 1 | 3 | 9 | 15 | 14 | 9 |
| 6 | Gulls & Terns | 7 | 6 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Doves | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 8 | Other Non-Passerines | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 5 |
| 9 | Passerines | 20 | 17 | 14 | 9 | 23 | 17 |
| Totals Species – 97 | 44 | 43 | 41 | 46 | 67 | 58 |
Protect California beaches from rising seas — stop messing with them | Los Angeles Times
[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Larry Loeher]
Opinion: Here’s one way to protect California’s beaches from rising seas: Stop messing with them
Los Angeles Times | Karina Johnson | 20 Oct 2023
Karina Johnston is a doctoral student at UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and the Marine Science Institute.
From the article:
Protecting our coasts from sea level rise is increasingly urgent, especially for densely populated coastal communities such as Southern California’s. Coastal flooding and beach erosion from rising seas and storms are far more than a threat; they’re already happening in many places in California and beyond. But new research suggests one relatively simple means of shoring up our beaches: leaving them alone.
The native coastal foredune plant species we seeded the site with, such as red sand verbena (Abronia maritima) and beach bur (Ambrosia chamissonis), are specialists at trapping and holding sand in place. As these plants grow, they act as living ecosystem engineers that trap small mounds of sand, grow on top of them, trap more sand and so forth. Over time, with sufficient sand and beach width, they promote the formation of dunes.
By the sixth year of the study, the new dunes had risen to a height of more than 3 feet in many places. Overall, the site had accumulated more than 2,200 cubic yards of sand — enough to fill more than 200 large dump trucks. The dunes grew at more than 10 times the rate of sea level rise during the years of our study.
SANTA MONICA BAY AUDUBON SOCIETY BLOG 