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Biden administration makes it harder to kill birds

February 14, 2022
by

[Posted by Chuck Almdale, submitted by Lucien Plauzoles]

FromBethLevin Vanity Fair quoting the WAPO

In break with Donald Trump, Biden administration will make it harder to kill birds

If you weren’t aware, Trump had made it easier to kill defenseless animals. Per The Washington Post 29 Sep 2021:

The Biden administration finalized a rule Wednesday revoking a Trump administration policy that eased penalties for killing birds, restoring federal protections that had been in place for a century. The Trump administration’s reinterpretation of the 1918 Migratory Bird Treaty Act ranked as one of its most contentious wildlife policies. It relaxed legal penalties for energy companies, construction firms, and land developers that unintentionally killed birds through activities such as construction and oil drilling.

The new U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule would restore protections under the bedrock environmental law, which prohibits the “take” of migratory bird species�regulatory-speak for hunting, killing, capturing, selling, or otherwise hurting them.Under President Donald Trump, officials had sought to exclude accidental deaths from the “take” definition,a move backed bythe oil and gas industry.

Naturally, companies in the business of killing birds were upset about the reversal. Mallori Miller, vice president of government relations at the Independent Petroleum Association of America, said the group was “disappointed” in the White House’s decision. “Repealing this provision will not have the desired outcome of additional conservation but will, in fact, financially harm businesses who have an incidental take through no fault of their own,” Miller said in an email to the Post. “This is not a case of punishing ‘bad actors’ but rather a situation where companies are set up for failure.”
 

Extreme Birds | Book recommendation

February 12, 2022

[By Chuck Almdale]

I know we did a ‘stocking stuffer’ posting on this particular book last November, and we never revisit book suggestions/recommendations. But I’ve now personally read it, recommend it and am excerpting its write-ups on two birds that I think particularly interesting to local birders.

As previously mentioned, it’s a coffee-table sized (4.2 pounds, 10 x 11 inches), it’s difficult to “curl up with,” but sitting in bed, knees bent up for book support (universally acknowledged as the worlds best reading position), it works just fine.


Most Prolific Breeder
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaoto
Location Europe east to southeast Asia
Ability Attempting to raise the highest number of broods in a year

A collard dove feeds its youngsters, provisioning them with a unique type of “milk” synthesized in its crop and then regurgitated. Pigeons are among the very few birds in the world (along with flamingos and the emperor penguin) to feed their young on such a product. Supremely nutritious (containing 19 percent protein and 13 percent fat), the milk helps the youngster to grow quickly and move along the collared dove’s impressive production line.

Everything about a collared dove’s breeding seems to be dedicated to churning out young. For one thing the eggs are not incubated for long – only 13-18 days, which is short for the size of bird. Secondly the milk enables the chicks to grow so fast that, within a couple of weeks, they are able to fly. In this culture of haste the youngsters are turned out of the nest well before then attain anything close to the weight of the adults. A third shortcut is to overlap the breeding cycle, so that, when the father may still be feeding fledged young, the female will already be incubating the next batch of two eggs.

Many people who live in temperate parts of the world are surprised when they see nests of pigeons or doves in the middle of winter. However, this is yet another unusual feature of the breeding pattern of these birds. In contrast to the majority of birds, most pigeons and doves do not exhibit a “refractory period,” a kind of post-breeding hiatus in which the relevant organs regress to prevent inappropriate procreation. So there is nothing to stop them producing young all year round. Currently the collared dove holds the record for the most broods attempted in a year – nine. This is an impressive testament to the resilience and productivity of pigeons and doves as a whole.

[Ed. Note] This goes a long way to explain how the Eurasian Collared-Dove has been able to spread so rapidly across the U.S.]


Largest food store
Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus
Location Western North America south to Colombia
Behavior Hoarding tens of thousands of acorns

It’s one thing to make holes in trees, but this woodpecker seems to be overdoing things a bit. The species in this picture, however, is an acorn Woodpecker, a bird renowned for its unusual hoarding behavior. In the northern part of its range it depends heavily on acorn” these may constitute 50-60 percent of its annual diet, and a much higher proportion in winter.

Acorns, of course, are a highly seasonal crop, so the woodpecker harvests them in fall and stores them away. The holes in this tree, as you can see, are used as small deposit boxes. The nuts, which may also include almonds, walnuts and pecans, are firmly wedged in to keep out thieves, those with strong bills, who might be tempted to help themselves when the woodpecker isn’t looking.

The so-called “granaries,” which may contain 50,000 holes drilled over the generations, are, however, a considerable draw to rivals. So, in order to protect a large and vital resource, acorn woodpeckers form groups that live together on a permanent basis, sharing the granary stores. During the breeding season, the groups, which may contain up to 12 adults, also nest collectively. Every member of the group helps to incubate the eggs and feed the young in the nest.

Most acorn woodpeckers use trees for their stores, but other wooden structures, including telegraph poles, may be used instead. This can be something of a headache for telephone companies, but for the woodpeckers the strong, smooth wood is deal for their needs.



If you are looking for light reading, this book might not be for you (bad joke, this book weighs in at 4.2 pounds), but if you want weird and wonderful facts and gorgeous pictures, enjoy this!

Fischer’s Turaco (Tauraco fischeri) of East Africa

The following is from the previous blog, written by Ellen Vahan.

The sub-title is “The World’s Most Extraordinary and Bizarre Birds” and each set of pages features a great picture, a name, location, an attribute and a few paragraphs describing the attribute. Such as…

  • Widest wingspan: Wandering Albatross – Southern Oceans and it uses “dynamic soaring”
  • Biggest Belly: Hoatzin – Northern South America and attribute is “vastly expanded foregut”
  • Classiest colors: Fischer’s Turaco – coastal East Africa, astoundingly rare pigments in its plumage
  • Best Karaoke: Purple Sandpiper – tundra of Eurasia and North America, pretending to be a rodent
  • Best flock coordination: European Starling – much of the Northern Hemisphere. Aerial maneuvers of enormous flocks
  • Longest penis: Lake Duck – Southern South America, largest penis for the size of the bird and you have to read about this!
  • Bravest chick: Common Murre – circumpolar northern waters, jumping off a cliff!
  • Best drummer: Palm Cockatoo – northern Australia and New Guinea, using a stick as a musical instrument
  • …and many more.

This is a fascinating book – just right for those staying at home and dreaming about what they could see.

Extreme Birds. The World’s Most Extraordinary and Bizarre Birds
Dominic Couzens | A Firefly Book | New York. 1984 | 284 pages | 150 birds

A smug-looking male Lake Duck (Oxyura vitata) of Argentina,
close relative of our Ruddy Duck (Wikipedia)

From the publisher’s blurb:

Extreme Birds is a photographic showcase of 150 birds at the extremes of nature. It reveals nature’s ingenuity and sometimes its sense of humor. The species in this book were chosen for their extraordinary characteristics and for behaviors far beyond the typical. They are the biggest, the fastest, the meanest, the smartest. They build the most intricate nests, they have the most peculiar mating rituals, they dive the deepest and they fly the highest. These are the overachievers of the avian world.

Amazon: Hard $52.92, Paper $23.48
Target: Paper $23.49
Barnes & Noble: Paper $24.95
Abe Books: Used copies from $21.74

The Wandering Steller’s Sea-Eagle

February 10, 2022
by

[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

A single Steller’s Sea-Eagle has been making history for 16 months across the United States and Canada. This is its story, so far—and it’s up to YOU to write the next chapter. Where do you think America’s Rarest Eagle will turn up next?
UPDATE: The Steller’s Sea-Eagle was in Georgetown, Maine from 30 Dec 2021-2 January 2022, when it vanished once more.

Two articles on the subject:

Rare Stellar’s sea eagle, native to northeastern Asia, baffles scientists and bird lovers with continued stay in Maine
MassLive | Assoc. Press | 25 Jan 2022 | 3 minute Read

Rare eagle hasn’t been spotted in Maine in last two weeks
13 WGME – Portland, Maine | 8 Feb 2022 | 2 minute read + video

Turkey Vultures with Frozen Wings

February 7, 2022

My sister lives near Lexington KY and sent me this interesting news. The East has been suffering through a lot of very cold weather and rain/sleet/snow storms. The Animal Control people are on the job in Lexington!

https://www.lex18.com/news/lexington-animal-control-officers-help-warm-up-vultures-whose-wings-were-too-frozen-to-fly

Black-vented Shearwaters at Malibu Lagoon, 23 January 2022

January 28, 2022

[Posted by Chuck Almdale]

When did this place get so crowded? (Ray Juncosa 01-23-22)

The lagoon was still open to the ocean, the tide was at a typical waning-quarter-of-the-moon intermediate level with no great fluctuation, and water flowed neither in nor out.

Lagoon low water (Lillian Johnson 1-23-22)

From the first viewpoint near the Pacific Coast Highway bridge we could see, far out over the ocean, a steady stream of seabirds flowing by from east to west. [The coast at Malibu faces south, not west.] They could be nothing other than shearwaters.

Male Hummingbirds, Allan’s and Anna’s (Chris Tosdevin 1-23-22)
In profile the bright structural colors of their gorgets don’t show

At this distance, they were little more than tiny dots in the telescope. But shearwaters fly in a very distinguishable manner, described by their name – Shearwater. They fly very low, often barely skimming the surface of the water. Usually they’re actually in the troughs between waves, barrelling along what to them looks like a long narrow valley, often out-of-sight of land-based birders. Every so often they rise up, only to quickly drop out of sight.

Green-winged Teal pair (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)
The green in their wings is usually hidden when wings are folded

When there is a bit of wind, as there was this morning, they don’t need to flap much to stay aloft. The differential of wind speed at the surface, and 10-30 feet above the surface, plus the updrafts created by the wind bouncing off the wave peaks, create enough speed and uplift for them to cruise – to shear – the water.

Tidal clock walk well above water (L. Johnson 1-23-22)
They must have steam cleaned the slime off

There’s little else that flies that way – albatross are famous for it, but I’ve never seen an albatross off Malibu, and besides they’re huge compared to shearwaters and usually fly in a forward moving spiral called dynamic soaring.

Black-vented Shearwaters (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)

Ten species of shearwater and petrel show up off our SoCal coast; as usual, some are a lot more frequent than others. I’ve seen only half of them, and all but one of those five were seen only from boats out around the Channel Islands. They generally stay well offshore, except for a few areas like Monterey Bay which has a deep water canyon.

Black-vented Shearwaters (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)

The sole species I’ve recognizably seen from land is the relatively small Black-vented Shearwater. They nest on islands off the west coast of Baja California, and are often seen from SoCal shores, especially in the winter, when large numbers of them get up and move around.

Black-vented Shearwaters (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)

When we see a large mass of similarly-sized shearwaters, Black-vented is almost certainly the species. But we had to get down to the beach to get as close as possible for a better look. Meanwhile there were plenty of other birds around, although the coots had mostly disappeared. They’d ranged from 130 to 360 in number for the past four months, but there were only 49 of them today. The lagoon looked almost bare.

Lagoon low-to-no water, bereft of birdlife (L. Johnson 1-23-22)
Osprey (R. Juncosa 01-23-22)
Guess who was in the other guy’s photo

Despite the relative barrenness of the lagoon, we had a lot of species and a lot of birds: 72 species and 2,767 birds. That second number contains a very large estimate of 1,000 Black-vented Shearwater. None of them were actually in the lagoon – no self-respecting shearwater would be caught dead that far inland, except when breeding – but there could easily have been three times that amount. I counted 925 California Gulls and there were a lot more shearwaters that that. Most of the gulls, cormorants and pelicans were standing on the exposed offshore rocks, but the gulls particularly moved around a lot.

Red-tailed Hawk sub-adult (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)

Today was a good raptor day: Osprey, Cooper’s, Red-shouldered & Red-tailed Hawks, and a Merlin. The Merlin rocketed through, as falcons often do, so…no photo.

Red-shouldered Hawk (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)
Cormorants and pelicans on offshore rock (R. Juncosa 01-23-22)
There was a Harbor Seal sleeping on the rock next door

There were a lot of cormorants today, probably because of all the fish. All three species. Twelve Pelagic Cormorants was a lot – we’ve averaged two per appearance over the past 40-odd years.

Lagoon breach now doubled (L. Johnson 1-23-22)

As always, the lagoon outlet moves eastward over time. Occasionally it doubles itself, as seen here. The eastern edge of the outlet will continue to erode and the western edge – or in this case, edges – will continue to fill in, so the outlet seems to move. Eventually the whole thing fills in and usually stays closed for 4-6 months during the summer. It may come up against the riprap rocks edging Adamson House, if we get more rain and stays open long enough. If no more rain the outlet usually fills in as more sand arrives.

Western Scrub-Jay (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)
Scrub-Jays are always around, but we don’t always see them
Black-vented Shearwater (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)

It was the Pelagic Cormorants that alerted me to the fact that the school of fish that attracted all the birds had moved right up next to the beach. Three Pelagics popped out of the front of a cresting wave almost simultaneously, each with a big fish sticking out of their bill. The other birds on the water also spotted this event and quickly moved in, either to steal someone’s fish or find their own. This activity brought the shearwaters close enough to photograph. They had been slowly moving closer over the past half-hour or so, but were still at least several hundred yards away, too far for decent photos. But we got lucky, and Chris Tosdevin snapped a sequence of (mostly) the same bird flying left, wheeling, then flying right.

A few birders, some masked, on the beach (L. Johnson 1-23-22)
They’re certainly not focused on any particular bird

We couldn’t find any Snowy Plovers. They were most likely on the far side of the wide outlet(s), just over the edge of the beach berm where we couldn’t seen them without trooping all the way around via the PCH bridge. By that time no one felt up to it.

Among the few peeps present, most were Least Sandpiper (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)

Malibu Lagoon on eBird: 1/25/22 – 5569 lists, 312 species

Birds new for the season: Surf Scoter, Western Grebe, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Royal Tern, Pacific Loon, Common Loon, Black-vented Shearwater, Belted Kingfisher, Merlin, Common Raven, Tree Swallow, Oak Titmouse.

South channel to the lagoon (L. Johnson 1-23-22)

Many thanks to photographers: Lillian Johnson, Ray Juncosa & Chris Tosdevin.

The next three SMBAS scheduled field trips?: Excellent question. We’ll have to get back to you on that. (read: haven’t the foggiest)

The next SMBAS program: Important Birds of Ancient Lake Cahuilla and the Salton Sea, with Kurt Leuschner, Zoom Evening Meeting, Tuesday, 1 February 2022, 7:30 p.m.

The SMBAS 10 a.m. Parent’s & Kids Birdwalk remains canceled until further notice due to the near-impossibility of maintained proper masked social distancing with parents and small children.

Osprey (C. Tosdevin 01-23-22)
That’s “Mr. Claws,” to you.

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
2020: Jan-JulyJuly-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 Adrian Douglas, Esme Douglas, Femi Faminu, Lillian Johnson, Chris Lord and others for their contributions to this month’s checklist.

The appearance of the list below has changed slightly. I’ve added a column on the left side with numbers 1-9, keyed to the nine categories of birds at the bottom. The species are re-sequenced to agree to the California Bird Records Committee Official California Checklist, updated 15 Jan 2022. I generally do this at the start of each year.
[Chuck Almdale]

Malibu Census 2021-228/229/2610/2411/2812/261/23
Temperature68-7363-7054-6357-7054-6261-73
Tide Lo/Hi HeightH+4.55L+2.52H+5.23L+2.35L+2.58L+2.04
 Tide Time103405561105110409000645
1Canada Goose   1042
1Northern Shoveler  2   
1Gadwall12 422029
1American Wigeon 742104
1Mallard918321220
1Northern Pintail   211
1Green-winged Teal 1551511
1Surf Scoter     10
1Bufflehead   1102
1Hooded Merganser    13 
1Red-breasted Merganser1  17159
1Ruddy Duck215813 
2Pied-billed Grebe135353
2Horned Grebe    1 
2Eared Grebe  11  
2Western Grebe  12  30
7Feral Pigeon68652320
7Eurasian Collared-Dove     1
7Mourning Dove3 511 
8Anna’s Hummingbird1  122
8Allen’s Hummingbird313143
2American Coot213024024536049
5Black-bellied Plover901038716610458
5Snowy Plover2934344034 
5Semipalmated Plover432   
5Killdeer20102320102
5Whimbrel17841298
5Long-billed Curlew 1    
5Marbled Godwit4303497132
5Ruddy Turnstone836 16
5Red-necked Stint1     
5Sanderling122010422221
5Dunlin2 2   
5Baird’s Sandpiper5     
5Least Sandpiper3512933512
5Western Sandpiper65221 1
5Short-billed Dowitcher3     
5Long-billed Dowitcher 1    
5Spotted Sandpiper21    
5Willet401425341315
5Red-necked Phalarope4     
6Bonaparte’s Gull    21
6Heermann’s Gull112532645
6Ring-billed Gull 122817040
6Western Gull551063928595
6California Gull4 9515370925
6Herring Gull   1 2
6Glaucous-winged Gull1 1 25
6Least Tern1     
6Caspian Tern2     
6Royal Tern 132  5
6Elegant Tern1     
2Red-throated Loon    11
2Pacific Loon     1
2Common Loon     2
2Black-vented Shearwater     1000
2Brandt’s Cormorant  21016
2Double-crested Cormorant273567523945
2Pelagic Cormorant1214112
2Brown Pelican3011219944110
3Great Blue Heron433344
3Great Egret413172
3Snowy Egret2414114246
3Green Heron    21
3Black-crowned Night-Heron331 15
4Turkey Vulture    1 
4Osprey 2 111
4Cooper’s Hawk1  121
4Red-shouldered Hawk1   11
4Red-tailed Hawk   111
8Belted Kingfisher1    1
8Nuttall’s Woodpecker    1 
8Downy Woodpecker    1 
8Hairy Woodpecker   1  
4Merlin 1   1
4Peregrine Falcon 1    
9Black Phoebe455444
9Say’s Phoebe 11   
9California Scrub-Jay1 1 22
9American Crow446174
9Common Raven     1
9Tree Swallow     2
9No. Rough-winged Swallow2     
9Cliff Swallow4     
9Barn Swallow253  2 
9Oak Titmouse2    1
9Bushtit20  48 12
9House Wren 121  
9Marsh Wren  2   
9Bewick’s Wren  1 4 
9Blue-gray Gnatcatcher  441 
9Ruby-crowned Kinglet  11  
9Wrentit1   1 
9Hermit Thrush    11
9Northern Mockingbird1 2 11
9European Starling3040 31915
9American Pipit 1    
9House Finch18741888
9Lesser Goldfinch2 1224
9Dark-eyed Junco    24
9White-crowned Sparrow  5151735
9Savannah Sparrow    1 
9Song Sparrow354786
9California Towhee1 2242
9Spotted Towhee1     
9Western Meadowlark 11   
9Great-tailed Grackle514371
9Orange-crowned Warbler 1 2 1
9Common Yellowthroat254563
9Yellow-rumped Warbler  6192010
Totals by TypeAugSepOctNovDecJan
1Waterfowl2427234911388
2Water Birds – Other611813494144521259
3Herons, Egrets & Ibis35211883818
4Quail & Raptors240365
5Shorebirds341242332307299135
6Gulls & Terns6525796896551118
7Doves981153421
8Other Non-Passerines513386
9Passerines1267556163107117
 Totals Birds668584871168916822767
        
 Total SpeciesAugSepOctNovDecJan
1Waterfowl4469109
2Water Birds – Other5587811
3Herons, Egrets & Ibis444355
4Quail & Raptors230355
5Shorebirds171412999
6Gulls & Terns746568
7Doves212222
8Other Non-Passerines311343
9Passerines181319162020
Totals Species – 110624958576972