[By Chuck Almdale]

Almost ready for choir practice (Ray Juncosa 5/28/23)

I thought it time to dust off and trot out the annual “June Gloom” epithet, but the Los Angeles Times had a new one the other day — “May Gray” — so I’ll borrow that one, returning it when finished of course.

More terns, probably all Elegant (Ray Juncosa 5/28/23)

Elegant Terns bickering (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

You may notice that the lighting on all these photos is a bit…underwhelming. It’s May Gray! I commented to someone that it’s often warmer in the depths of winter than the 61-62°F we had today. If you look at the bird checklist below you’ll see that both April 23 and Christmas Day of all days were both warmer than today’s “May Gray” day. [Say that rapidly six times.] Another “The sun always shines in sunny sunny sunny California” myth lies twitching in the dust.

New Elegant Terns kept dropping in (Ray Juncosa 5/28/23)

I think it must have been the Memorial Day weekend that brought so many birders out, about twice as many as I expected: faces new and faces unseen for many a month. All were welcome. Too bad the species count was a bit impoverished, as is typical for May, when most of the wintering birds are gone and the migrants have already passed through. Here’s the numbers for the past ten Mays, working backwards starting from 5/28/23: 44, 39, 44, 32, 33, 41, 30, 41, 48 and 55 on 5/25/14, for an average of 41 species. So today was slightly better than average for May.

It’s possible the two upper left terns are Royal as their bills seem a little thick. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

What we did have was a sufficiency of terns. That’s a new “collective noun of the venery” I just made up. The “official” phrase is “A committee of terns,” first used quite recently in 2014. See our blog from 4/1/22 “A Cornucopia of Collective Nouns of the Venery,” which contains links to two lists; one of them has all 934 avian collective nouns, doubly alphabetized, the other has only the really old ones. You can print them off, then whip them out at the next party you attend and cite from them ad nauseam — it’s guaranteed to win you friends and influence people.

The same Royal Tern a split-second apart. Does the bill seem thicker that those of the birds in the photo above? The dark eye and nape fringe are definitely Royal. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

Elegant Terns are just so…elegant!

— Abigail King, SMBAS founding member

This pair can’t even wait until they get to their nesting grounds. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

Finally, something that not an Elegant Tern; at 13.5″ long it’s the smallest gull we get at Malibu Lagoon. This gull is named not for Bonaparte the Emperor of France, but for his nephew Charles Lucien Jules Laurent Bonaparte, naturalist and resident of the United States, considered the father of American systematic ornithology.

Bonaparte’s Gull stops by on its way to breed in Alaska or Canada, not quite into breeding (alternate) plumage. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

The Double-crested Cormorants and a few egrets are breeding across the street in the shopping center. This Double-crested Cormorant below is pretty young; note the pale brown colors on breast and belly.

Double-crested Cormorant (Ray Juncosa 5/28/23)

The Great Egret below is currently breeding, as the facial skin is green.

Great Egret, breeding (Ray Juncosa 5/28/23)

Great Blue Heron, getting ready to leap into the air (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

Four of the five Canada Geese present. They’ve been breeding at the lagoon on the sandy brushy islands for at least the past three years. One pair this year, but there were three pairs one year. (Left: Ray Juncosa; Right: Chris Tosdevin, 5/28)

Quiz time! What species are the two birds below, both seen today at the lagoon? They may be same or different species. Answer below the trip list.

Chris Tosdevin both photos, 5/28/23

Our one and only shorebird species today, the Killdeer, which breeds at the lagoon. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

Birds new for the Season: Eurasian Collared-Dove, Bonaparte’s Gull, Dark-eyed Junco, Wilson’s Warbler.

Male Allen’s Hummingbird. When the light isn’t at the proper angle, the structural colors of the gorget disappear. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

Malibu Lagoon on eBird as of 6-03-23: 6895 lists, 319 species

Many thanks to photographers: Ray Juncosa & Chris Tosdevin

Young Heermann’s Gulls were the third most common species at the lagoon today.
(Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

Upcoming SMBAS scheduled field trips:

• Mt. Piños Birds & Butterflies; Uncertain, Sat Jun 17, 8am. Call/email if coming.
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun Jun 25, 8:30 am. No reservations or Covid card required.
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun Jul 23, 8:30 am. No reservations or Covid card required.
• Malibu Lagoon, Sun Aug 27, 8:30 am. No reservations or Covid card required.
• 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.

It may look like a weird Red-winged Blackbird, but it’s a juvenile Black Phoebe. (Chris Tosdevin 5/28/23)

The next SMBAS Zoom program: TBA. Tuesday, 3 Oct. 2023, 7:30 p.m.

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk restarted April 23. Reservations for groups (scouts, etc.) necessary, but not for families.

Links: Unusual birds at Malibu Lagoon
9/23/02 Aerial photo of Malibu Lagoon
More recent aerial photo

Prior checklists:
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 Femi Faminu, Chris Lord, Ruth & Chris 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 as updated 4 Feb 2023. If part of the chart’s right side is hidden, there’s a slider button at the bottom of the list.
[Chuck Almdale]

	Malibu Census 2022-23	12/25	1/22	2/26	3/26	4/23	5/28
	Temperature	65-72	49-57	53-55	57-60	57-66	61-62
	Tide Lo/Hi Height	H+6.59	H+6.81	L+0.81	L+0.28	L-.041	L+0.81
	Tide Time	0950	0858	0911	0800	0637	1131
1	Canada Goose		4	2	6	4	5
1	Cinnamon Teal			1
1	Northern Shoveler			7
1	Gadwall	16	26	58	42	24	17
1	American Wigeon	8		4
1	Mallard	6	20	32	12	15	12
1	Green-winged Teal	38	15	26	5
1	Redhead				3
1	Surf Scoter	3	1	6	22	3	2
1	Bufflehead	11	10	5
1	Common Goldeneye		2
1	Hooded Merganser	5	1
1	Red-breasted Merganser	7	6	3	2
1	Ruddy Duck	42		8
2	Pied-billed Grebe	5	2	1	1	2
2	Horned Grebe	1
2	Eared Grebe	5
2	Western Grebe	1	8	40	80	6
7	Feral Pigeon	6	16	5	6	1	8
7	Eurasian Collared-Dove						2
7	Mourning Dove			2	1	2	2
8	White-throated Swift				5
8	Anna’s Hummingbird	2	1			1
8	Allen’s Hummingbird		2	3	3	2	1
2	American Coot	130	38	73	37	6
5	Black-bellied Plover	51	43	62	3
5	Killdeer	11	4	12	5	4	4
5	Semipalmated Plover					14
5	Snowy Plover		16	16		1
5	Whimbrel	9	7	2	25	16
5	Marbled Godwit	23	18	17	2
5	Ruddy Turnstone	2	6	3
5	Sanderling	27	35	32	2
5	Dunlin					2
5	Least Sandpiper	19	22	27		19
5	Western Sandpiper	4				30
5	Willet	15	15	9	7	2
6	Bonaparte’s Gull						3
6	Heermann’s Gull	85	27	3	3	80	152
6	Short-billed Gull			1
6	Ring-billed Gull	55	36	40	46	120	12
6	Western Gull	68	49	38	26	50	72
6	California Gull	450	1330	237	95	60
6	Herring Gull		2	1	2
6	Glaucous-winged Gull		7	4
6	Caspian Tern				2		2
6	Royal Tern		2	14	13		3
6	Elegant Tern				90	630	305
6	Black Skimmer			3
2	Red-throated Loon		1		1
2	Pacific Loon				1	1
2	Common Loon				2	1
2	Brandt’s Cormorant			1		12	8
2	Pelagic Cormorant	1	6	1	2	3	3
2	Double-crested Cormorant	62	36	67	26	53	74
2	American White Pelican			1
2	Brown Pelican	158	343	159	62	655	168
3	Great Blue Heron	5	2		2		1
3	Great Egret	3	2	2	2	1	2
3	Snowy Egret	35	16	6	2	1	3
3	Black-crowned Night-Heron	1
3	White-faced Ibis			1
4	Turkey Vulture	1	1	5	5	1
4	Osprey				1	1	1
4	Cooper’s Hawk			1
4	Red-tailed Hawk	3		1	2	2
8	Belted Kingfisher		1
8	Nuttall’s Woodpecker		1
4	American Kestrel	1
4	Merlin	1
4	Peregrine Falcon					1
9	Cassin’s Kingbird	1		1	1
9	Pacific-slope Flycatcher					1
9	Black Phoebe	2	3	3	2	1	6
9	Say’s Phoebe			1
9	California Scrub-Jay	1	1
9	American Crow	3	11	27	6	4	3
9	Common Raven		2	1	2		2
9	Northern Rough-winged Swallow			2	6	6	5
9	Barn Swallow				14	15	30
9	Cliff Swallow			24	3	25	4
9	Bushtit	15	14	3	3	2	8
9	Wrentit	2	1			1	1
9	Ruby-crowned Kinglet	1	2	1
9	Cedar Waxwing				12
9	Blue-gray Gnatcatcher		1
9	House Wren		1			2
9	Marsh Wren		1
9	Bewick’s Wren				1
9	Northern Mockingbird					1
9	European Starling		6	9		2	3
9	Hermit Thrush		1
9	House Finch	16	9	6	5	7	13
9	Lesser Goldfinch		4	10	5	2	5
9	Dark-eyed Junco						1
9	White-crowned Sparrow	16	12	25	12
9	Song Sparrow		4	5	5	7	10
9	California Towhee	1	3	3	1	5	3
9	Hooded Oriole					1	1
9	Red-winged Blackbird	8	12		2		4
9	Brown-headed Cowbird					1	3
9	Great-tailed Grackle				6	4	2
9	Orange-crowned Warbler	1		1	3	1	1
9	Common Yellowthroat	1	2	4	3	1
9	Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s)	15	6	2	7
9	Townsend’s Warbler	1
9	Wilson’s Warbler						1
	Totals by Type	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
1	Waterfowl	136	85	152	92	46	36
2	Water Birds – Other	363	434	343	212	739	253
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	44	20	9	6	2	6
4	Quail & Raptors	6	1	7	8	5	1
5	Shorebirds	161	166	180	44	88	4
6	Gulls & Terns	658	1453	341	277	940	549
7	Doves	6	16	7	7	3	12
8	Other Non-Passerines	2	5	3	8	3	1
9	Passerines	84	96	128	99	89	106
	Totals Birds	1460	2276	1170	753	1915	968
	Total Species	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
1	Waterfowl	9	9	11	7	4	4
2	Water Birds – Other	8	7	8	9	9	4
3	Herons, Egrets & Ibis	4	3	3	3	2	3
4	Quail & Raptors	4	1	3	3	4	1
5	Shorebirds	9	9	9	6	8	1
6	Gulls & Terns	4	7	9	8	5	7
7	Doves	1	1	2	2	2	3
8	Other Non-Passerines	1	4	1	2	2	1
9	Passerines	15	20	18	20	20	20
	Totals Species – 107	55	61	64	60	56	44

Photo Quiz Answer: Left – Black Phoebe, Right – Northern Rough-winged Swallow.
Among other differences, the swallow’s wings are nearly as long at the tail; not so with the phoebe.