Los Angeles Audubon Society

WESTERNTANAGER

Volume 73 Number 4 March/April 2007

by Thomas Ryan

Our Beach Nesting Birds:The Snowy Plover and Least Tern on Los Angeles County Beaches

Though they are very differ-ent birds, Snowy Ploversand Least Terns have a

shared vulnerability, the need tonest on sandy beaches. In the faceof development and recreation, thishas led to steep declines in nestingpopulations in coastal areas of Cal-ifornia. This decline led to thetern's being listed as FederallyEndangered in 1977; and theplover's being listed as Threatenedin 1993. The situation is especiallygrave in Los Angeles Countywhere the tern now nests in onlytwo protected areas; the plover hasnot been documented nesting heresince 1947. Historically, bothspecies were relativelywidespread nesters in LosAngeles County.

Egg records kept by theWestern Foundation of Ver-tebrate Zoology (WFVZ)indicate that the Least Ternhistorically nested on thepeninsula at the mouth ofthe Ballona Estuary and inMalibu. Nesting recordsdate back to 1894. The Bal-lona Estuary was once amuch more extensive estu-

ary, likely providing an extensivefish nursery and many small fishfor the terns to forage on. Howev-er, ornithologists of the day com-mented on the high degree of dis-turbance from dogs and childrenplaying on the beach. Apparently,in response to these disturbances,and the development of one of thestate's largest oil fields in present-day Marina del Rey, the colonymoved among several sites withinthe estuary. Venice Beach was alsoquickly developing and becoming apopular beach destination andtourist attraction, attracting asmany as 20,000 people on openingday in 1905, and an estimated

350,000 visitors during a heatwave in 1931. Despite thesethreats, the colony persisted and in1977 moved to its current locationin Venice Beach, just north of theBallona Channel. Here, the Cali-fornia Department of Fish andGame has built an enclosure thatprotects their nesting activities. Inaddition, in the early 1970's LeastTerns began breeding at the Port ofLos Angeles and have occupiedseveral locations within the port.Since the creation of a nesting areaat Terminal 400, their numbershave risen dramatically.

Today, both the Venice Beach andPort of Los Angelescolonies are the only activecolonies in the county. ThePort of Los Angeles colonyis the largest in California.Both colonies are managedand protected by the Cali-fornia Department of Fishand Game in order toreduce human-influencedthreats from the surround-ing developed areas. TheVenice Colony faces heavyannual predation from

American Crows. This pre-

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Least Tern

dation resulted in all eggs beingdestroyed before hatching in 2004and 2005 and failure in four of thepast seven years. Through theefforts of biologists and communi-ty volunteers, and the expansion ofthe colony fence, the colonyrebounded in 2006 and had one ofits most productive years ever.

Historically, Snowy Plovers nestedthroughout Santa Monica Bay. Eggrecords from the WFVZ and otherrecords assembled by Larry Allenfor the upcoming Breeding BirdAtlas has them nesting at Redondo,Ballona Beach (Venice/Marina DelRey), Los Angeles (unspecifiedlocation), and Malibu Beaches. InLos Angeles County, the ploverswere unable to persist in isolatedrefuges as the terns were. Theysuccumbed to the development,disturbance, and regular beachgrooming. These threatsincreased to an unacceptablelevel following the large migra-tion of people to southern Cali-fornia following WWII. The lastactive nest of a Snowy Ploveron Los Angeles County Beacheswas reported by the late HowardCogswell at Manhattan Beach in1947. Since then, SnowyPlovers have continued tooverwinter on Los Angelesbeaches. Recent winter surveysconducted by the Santa MonicaBay Audubon Chapter and othershave detected 179-260 winteringplovers. There are occasionalsightings of plovers during theirnesting season (March - September[peak mid-April - mid June]). Thishas led to speculation that theplovers may still be attempting tonest here, but the daily beachgrooming quickly destroys thenests and any plovers that mayattempt to nest quickly abandontheir efforts.

Today, the Snowy Plover faces alarge number of threats on Los

Angeles County beaches. Probablythe greatest is the regular beachgrooming that impacts nearly100% of the sandy beaches. Thelarge mechanical groomers removeall foreign objects from the sand inan attempt to keep the beachesclean and safe for beachgoers. Anunintended result is that thegroomers would also remove anybird egg on the beach. In mostareas, this activity occurs dailyduring the plover nesting season.Other potential threats to ploversinclude trampling by unawarebeach-goers, removal of the wrack(seaweed and other detritusdeposited by the tide) that containsvaluable food items for theplovers, off-leash dogs, and preda-tors attracted by trash such as rac-

coons, crows, and gulls.

In 2006, the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService (USFWS) issued a pro-posed change in the managementof the Snowy Plover (Federal Reg-ister Vol. 71, No. 77: 20625-20636). The new proposed rulewould put more responsibility forthe protection of the plover on thecoastal counties. Each countywould be responsible for creating amanagement plan that would takeinto account protection of theplover, but then would also allowfor regular maintenance and recre-ation activities within the plover'shabitat according to provision of

the plan. Unfortunately, the goalfor breeding Snowy Plovers forLos Angeles County is zero, butprotection for wintering popula-tions is a requirement. The LosAngeles Audubon Chapter hascommented to the USFWS abouttheir disappointment in this plan,requesting protection for breedingbirds as well.

Currently, the Los Angeles andSanta Monica Bay Chapters arecollaborating to conduct surveys insupport of range-wide window sur-veys coordinated by the USFWS.The most recent has involved over25 volunteers and was held fromJanuary 7-12, 2006. The breedingsurveys will take place this spring.In addition to the official survey

window, we will also be con-ducting three other surveys of allsandy beaches in Los AngelesCounty. These will attempt todocument the presence of theSnowy Plover during the nestingseason and provide their loca-tions to USFWS for further pro-tection and possible considera-tion for the final new proposedrule. Given the amount ofgrooming, we are very unlikelyto find nests, but documentingtheir presence during the nestingseason would force the USFWS

to reconsider whether a viable pop-ulation of nesting Snowy Ploverscould exist in Los Angeles Countyin the future. We would then workwith local agencies to protect sucha population. The goal of thesenew efforts is optimistic, and willhopefully result in bringing nestingsnowy plovers back to thebeaches of Los Angeles.

By Thomas Ryan,Senior Biologist,

SWCA Environmental Consultants,625 Fair Oaks Avenue,

South Pasadena, CA 91030

2 Western Tanager

Snowy Plover Adult & Chick

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March/April 2007 3

MY PATCHTuna Canyon: Our Local Patch

by Dexter Kelly

In these days of rising fuel cost andclimate change, the wisest among ushave counseled birders to cut back on

lengthy car trips in pursuit of rare birds.We have been advised to bird closer tohome, and select a favorite neighborhoodbirding site as our "local patch." Weshould concentrate our birding time onthis local area and get to know it better.This will help us learn to appreciate ourvery rich Los Angeles area birding habi-tats, and to protect them when they arethreatened.

If we (my wife Elizabeth and I) havea local patch to call our own, it would beTuna Canyon in Malibu, just west ofTopanga Canyon. A road runs throughit, but its lower two thirds are free fromdevelopment, still wild. Tuna Canyonused to be a favorite destination for hik-ers and nature buffs, and could becrowded on weekends. For birders, itwas a vagrant trap; many rarities werespotted on its lower reaches. But nowa-days it receives few casual visitors, per-haps because direct access from PacificCoast Highway has been banned. Its roadis now one way in the direction of thecoast.

Year after year rockslides keptknocking out parts of theroad during the rainy sea-son. This occurred mostfrequently in mid canyon,where the road is especial-ly narrow, carved into thesides of steep cliffs. Thelower reaches of the roadwere undermined by heavyspring flooding. So back inthe '90s, the county gaveup trying to maintain TunaCanyon Road as a two-lane highway. This movehas prevented develop-ment, and has made TunaCanyon a remote refuge inthe midst of an increasing-ly urbanized Malibu coast.

About twenty yearsago, I was lucky enoughto get Tuna Canyon

assigned to me as my block in the Mal-ibu Christmas Count, and have hung onto it ever since. It's close to home dis-tance wise, but takes at least half an hourto reach from our house in the West Val-ley. We have to enter it from the top.After driving into Topanga Canyon, Iturn uphill on to Fernwood Pacific Drive,and endure its twists and turns for twentyminutes at least. Near the top, its nameinexplicably changes to Tuna CanyonRoad. At the intersection with SaddlePeak Road, Tuna Canyon Road headsdownhill into the head of the canyon.This is where our Christmas Countbegins.

We stop on the saddle to admire theviews: San Gabriels to the northeast,Pacific Ocean to the Southwest. We pickup a few basics here: California Towhee,House Finch, wintering White-crownedand Golden-crowned Sparrows, Western-Scrub Jay, and of course Yellow-rumpedWarbler. Then we go to our first majorstop, at the end of Las Flores HeightsRoad. From there, we walk down a pri-vate driveway that leads along the northrim of Little Canyon, which is a tributaryof Las Flores Canyon. The dirt road cutsthrough dense chapparal and a small

grove of taller trees around a spring.Here I usually pick up a couple of Her-mit Thrushes and, if I'm lucky, Fox Spar-rows can be heard and spotted under theshrubbery. I found Hutton's Vireos nearthe spring during the Breeding Bird Sur-vey. In all seasons, the area yields Cali-fornia and Spotted Towhees, Western-Scrub Jays, Flickers, and myriad Wren-tits singing from all directions.

In late fall and winter, the most abun-dant bird by far is the Yellow-rumpedWarbler. There must be thousands ofthese birds wintering in the canyon in allhabitats. We occasionally pick out a fewMyrtles, but it's impossible to closelyinspect them all.

When we look up, we may spot aCommon Raven or two, and a Red-tailedHawk. Looking across the canyon, wecan see white stains on a sandstone cliffedge, marking a red-tail nesting site.(Another pair has nested in a tree rightnext to a house in the upper canyon.) Weare usually distracted by the view of theMalibu Coast, stretching from PointDume to the Malibu Pier. Offshore, on aclear day we can see as far as Santa Bar-bara Island and even San Nicolas, aswell as Catalina's west end.

This drivewayleads to one of themore remote houses inMalibu, perched at thehead of Las FloresCanyon. The owneroccasionally drives by,with a greeting or afriendly wave. Hishospitality should berespected by all whoventure on to his prop-erty.

Back on TunaCanyon Road, we headsouth along the ridge-line that separates the"headwaters" of LasFlores and TunaCanyons. Here thereare houses and powerlines, where we are

Miniature Savanna near Upper Canyon

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most likely to see Starlings, HouseFinches, and Mourning Doves. Nomockingbirds; I've never found them inTuna Canyon, not even up here.

After about a half a mile, the roadturns due east, and on the right (south),the state park land begins. Marked "TunaCanyon Park" on the Thomas maps, it isnow administered by the Santa MonicaMountains Conservancy. This relativelylevel area was never developed becauseit previously belonged to the Los Ange-les Fire Department, which used it as ahelicopter landing site and a fire succes-sion study area. The traces of a catch-basin reservoir can be seen in its morelevel areas.

We pull over to the right and park bya large tube gate, and follow the trail to alarge open area with grass, low bushes,and an isolated live oak - a miniaturesavanna. Working the canyon for theBreeding Bird Atlas, I discovered a pop-ulation of Lark Sparrows here. At Christ-mas it is the most likely spot to findKestrels and Meadowlarks. A NorthernHarrier once flew over. The view of thesea from here is even more distracting,and the area attracts many local dog

walkers. From the oak tree, a trail leadssouthwest through coastal sage scrubdown the west flank of La Pena Canyon,Tuna's western neighbor. La Pena is evenwilder, totally roadless and almost track-less. I've not yet tried to venture very farinto it.

To the left (southeast), a track leadsup along the ridgeline separating Tunaand La Pena Canyons. It cuts through anoak woodland with an understory ofbushes and brush piles, with a few openrocky slopes. Here we find Nuttall'sWoodpecker, Oak Titmouse, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, and Sharp-shinnedHawk in winter. California Quail swarmthrough the bushes, and Bewick's Wrensscold from the brush piles. In the springwe hear Black-headed Grosbeaks singingfrom down the hill, and, at night, fromthe open areas above, many Poorwillscalling. I once flushed a Poorwill fromthe trail while walking along the ridge-line. Rufous-crowned Sparrows can beseen on the open slopes, and we foundan Anna's Hummingbird nest on a dried-up stalk. We have spotted Bobcats onthis trail; they display little fear of peo-ple.

The Oak woodland gets denserdown-slope, and extends about a quartermile east down Tuna Canyon Road.These woods host at least two pairs ofWestern Screech-Owls, which may beheard more easily when the local pair ofGreat Horned Owls are not hooting andflying about.

A quarter mile east on Tuna CanyonRoad, we come to the gate that marks thebeginning of the one-way stretch to thecoast. There are no more houses beyondhere, and the oak woodland gives way tochapparal and coastal sage scrub on theridge summits. The canyon turns south-east, and becomes narrower and steeper.I don't usually stop until we reach a spotwhere the road turns right, drops down tothe bottom of a spur canyon, and hair-pins back to the left. The turnout on theoutside of the hairpin is wide enough topull completely off the road. On onerainy Christmas count we heard a Poor-will calling from up on a rocky slope; it'sthe only one I have ever found here inwinter. Rufous-crowned Sparrows andCanyon Wrens can also be heard andseen on the slopes above the road. Wehave heard Lark Sparrows singing from

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Oak Woodland Along Road

March/April 2007 5

the ridge up above.To the left of the road just after the

hairpin turn, there is a level swale in thecanyon with tall trees. The road runsalong it at treetop level for a few hun-dred yards, and we can look into the topsof the trees. I have heard Olive-sidedFlycatchers here in migration, and aPainted Redstart was found her in May1969. This area deserves better coveragethan I have given it, as does the entirelower canyon. I should get there earlierin the morning!

Below the swale, the canyon dropsoff steeply. The road becomes a virtualgoat track, hugging the side of thecanyon. There is virtually no shoulder onthis stretch, and I've never dared walk it.Most of the rockslides have occurredhere. The county has also dumped a lotof rock into the canyon to keep it open,and cars fall off the road occasionally. Atthe bottom of this grade the shoulder iswide enough to stop near a trailhead. Theuphill slope here is covered with a mix-ture of live oak, sage scrub, and variousalien tall grasses, vines and bushes.Across the road, the slope drops offsteeply to riparian woodland. This is agood place to listen for Great HornedOwls at night, although their hoots haveto compete with the boom boxes of thehomeless people camped out on the

canyon floor. I have also heard Screech-Owls here. In the daytime in spring, wehave found Hutton's Vireos on theslopes, and Common Yellowthroat in thedamper reedy areas. Most of the chappa-ral species are common here as well.

Along this lower section, we begin tonotice how the canyon has been abused.A decade or so ago, someone dumped ahuge load of tires off the road near thefoot of the grade, and others have lefttheir cars in the canyon. Just before thebottom, the road switchbacks left, thenright as it crosses the stream. Recently,some fool in a Mercedes flew off theroad at the top of the switchback. Pullingthe car out scarred both slopes, and leftbehind a lot of metal debris.

Still, this part of the canyon is stillwild. Elizabeth saw a Bobcat from thecar last year while I was snooping up thestreambed. In spring we have foundLesser Goldfinches nesting on a thistlestalk, Black-chinned Hummingbirdsnesting in sycamores, Orange-crownedWarblers calling in the bushes near thestream, and, in all seasons, homelesshumans on the ground. As of lastDecember, there were half a dozen well-graded encampments on the slope justabove the creek. Most appeared neat, butsome trash was dumped near the culvertthat guides the stream under the road.

A bit further down the road there is awide spot by a grove of eucalyptus, witha trail leading up the east flank of thecanyon. House Wrens nest in the trees,and it is possible to get a treetop-levelview from up the trail. I've seen Allen'sHummingbirds feeding among theAnnas' in the flowers on the eucalypts,but haven't spotted any Allens' nests. Inthe winter, a Sharp-shinned Hawk patrolsthe area, and finds plenty of sparrows,goldfinches, and Yellow-rumped War-blers to feed on.

By the time we usually reach thisbottom end of the canyon, darkness isfalling and the birds are harder to see. Ifwe could start the day down here, wemight find more birds. In late summerand early fall, vagrants might turn up.We would have to visit Tuna Canyonmore frequently than two or three timesa year, and drive past the beautiful uppersections, and that might be more difficultif we move out of town this year asplanned. Tuna Canyon deserves bettercoverage than we have given it, andneeds more attention from lovers ofurban wildlands.

We invite you to "poach" on our localpatch. Tuna Canyon belongs to all of us.

What Keeps Tuna Canyon Wild

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Our mission includes conserva-tion along with recreation, edu-cation and restoration. As I look

back on our achievements over the lastfew years, I can say with pride that asof 2007, LA Audubon remains engagedin conservation efforts for endangeredor threatened species in Los AngelesCounty. This has been a goal of theBoard for the last few years, and as theBoard and I have worked on variousconservation challenges, we've seenfirsthand how few powerful advocatesthese birds have. Our role in the LosAngeles and Southern California envi-ronmental community is of crucialimportance.

Thanks to Audubon network efforts andothers, the Endangered Species Act sur-vived attempts by a Republican con-gress to weaken the protections affordedby that law, especially to endangeredspecies. Hopefully the new Congresswill not only defend but strengthen thisimportant piece of national legislation.

As we renew our efforts in 2007 to leadLos Angeles County in environmentaland conservation efforts, I wanted tolook at where we stand with each of theendangered and threatened species in"our patch," as Kimball Garrett callslocal birding areas. We look eagerly tothe publication of LA Audubon's Breed-ing Bird Atlas for an important snapshotof the status of all bird species in LACounty as of 2000. Initial reviews ofsome of the species data and accountsby Larry Allen promise a thorough lookat the breeding status of our birds,including the threatened and endan-gered ones.

The endangered or threatened birdsinclude:

California Gnatcatcher(Polioptila californica)

Small populations still survive in LACounty, most notably on the PalosVerdes Peninsula and Bonelli RegionalPark. Dexter Kelly and I spoke beforethe City Council of the City of Walnutas part of our efforts to protect the birdsthere from development. Our efforts toeducate the Council on the status andprotection of California Gnatcatcher ledto a lawsuit by the City Council that hasdelayed the development and broughtattention to the Gnatcatchers in the area.Any effort to restore coastal sage scrubcould help this bird.

Tricolored Blackbird(Agelaius tricolor)

LA Audubon is helping fund geneticstudies by UCLA's Center for TropicalResearch that might help determinewhether the Southern populations ofthis bird are genetically distinct fromthe Central Valley and Northern popula-tions. If so, they would truly be candi-dates for an urgent management andconservation campaign, as the Southernpopulation is much smaller than theNorthern.

California Least Tern(Sterna antillarum)

The only two breeding populations inLA County are at Venice Beach and LAHarbor, as mentioned in Tom's article(see front page article). With grantswritten and received by LA Audubon

for a two year partnership with SantaMonica Bay Audubon, and the commit-ment of Volunteer Coordinator JennyJones, a biologist as well as new mem-ber of the LA Audubon Board of Direc-tors, LA Audubon has re-engaged itsefforts to protect this species' habitatbut also to educate the communities thatsurround and threaten these birds.

Western Snowy Plover(Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus)

They need protection on LA Countybeaches from beach grooming, vehiclesand dogs. On our winter window surveyof Zuma Beach, Mary Prismon,Margery Nicolson, Lisa Fimiani and Ifound a still warm dead bird smashed ina tire track. It now resides in the refrig-erator at LA County Museum of NaturalHistory. This find strengthened ourefforts to educate not only the public,but also Los Angeles County whichmanages the beaches and may soonmanage the Western Snowy Plovers aswell if U.S. Fish & Wildlife evokes the4d rule. But are they still breeding inLA County? LA Audubon has part-nered with Santa Monica Bay Audubonto help conduct winter and breedingsurveys for the Plover as well as to pro-tect the Least Tern thanks to a grantfrom the Packard Foundation throughAudubon, and to a grant from the Col-laborative Funding program of AudubonCalifornia.

Note: We have not yet made our finan-cial goal even with the grants. Dona-tions can be made to LA Audubon forthe Snowy Plover and California LeastTern conservation program.Xantus' Murrelet

by Garry GeorgeCONSERVATION CONVERSATION

Los Angeles Audubon and Endangered Species in LA County

(Synthliboramphus hypoleucus)

Although this bird is rarely seen in LACounty waters, LA Audubon joined inprotest against the planned constructionof a liquefied natural gas (LNG) plantnext to the Coronados Islands thatwould threaten the biggest breedingpopulation of these birds, endangered inMexico. Board Director Pat Heirs tookan Los Angeles Times reporter on achartered boat out to the Island to expe-rience the biological significance of thathabitat, and our support of legal actionled to an historic ruling by the NAFTAEnvironmental Commission thatdemanded that the Mexican governmentexplain its approval of inadequate envi-ronmental reports before the projectproceeds.

Southwest Willow Flycatcher(Empidonax traillii extimus)

If we win the appeal of the lawsuitagainst the LADWP on the Pine Treewind farm, this could help protect thisbird during migration. LA Audubon alsosupports the conservation programs ofAudubon California at the Kern RiverPreserve. We support the preserve notonly with Nick and Mary Freeman'sfield trips for members to experiencethe birds and the programs, but last yearwe also offered financial support for

habitat acquisition as well. The preserveis also breeding habitat for Yellow-billed Cuckoo, another threatened bird.

Least Bell's Vireo(Vireo bellii pusillus)

Los Angeles Audubon has partneredwith Friends of Santa Clara River, TheNature Conservancy, Audubon Califor-nia, San Fernando Valley Audubon andVentura Audubon to write comments onthe EIR for the Landmark phase of theNewhall Ranch development of 10,000new homes near Magic Mountain. Wecommissioned a detailed letter of com-ment by former Audubon Californiabiologist Dan Cooper to write the com-ments, and Least Bell's Vireo is a cen-terpiece of these comments, which werefiled January 22, 2007.

These species, of course, tell only partof the story of LA Audubon's involve-ment in the conservation of birds. Thereare other species of concern in LACounty that could soon become endan-gered. As we go forward, let's keeppositioning LA Audubon as a leader inconservation of birds.

WESTERN TANAGERPublished by

Los Angeles Audubon Society,a chapter of

National Audubon Society.

EDITOR: Garry George and Ben LoehnenLAYOUT: Susan Castor

CONSERVATION: Garry GeorgeFIELD TRIPS: Nick FreemanPELAGIC TRIPS: Phil SayrePROGRAMS: Mary Freeman

ORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT:Kimball Garrett

PRINTING: G2 Graphics Services, Inc.

Opinions expressed in articles or lettersherein do not necessarily express the

position of this publication or ofLos Angeles Audubon Society.

PRESIDENT:Dexter Kelly

1st VICE PRESIDENT:Pat Heirs

2nd VICE PRESIDENT:Jason Stuck

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY:Jenny Jones

RECORDING SECRETARY:Eleanor OsgoodTREASURER:

Lisa FimianiEXECUTIVE PAST PRESIDENT:

Ray SchepEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:

Garry George

Membership in Los Angeles Audubon Soci-ety is $25 Individual, $35 Couple, $50 Fam-ily, $100 Donor or $250 Donor per year.Members receive the Western Tanagernewsletter and other benefits. Donationsand memberships can be made online atwww.laaudubon.org

Make check payable to Los AngelesAudubon Society.

Los Angeles Audubon SocietyHeadquarters, Library

and Bookstore are open to the publicMonday – Thursday9:30 AM – 4:00 PM

Plummer Park7377 Santa Monica Boulevard

West Hollywood, CA 90046-6694

(323) 876-0202 – office(323) 876-7609 – fax

(323) 874-1318 – bird tape

WesternTanager@LAAudubon.org – e-mailLAAS@LAAudubon.org – e-mailwww.LAAudubon.org – website

Printed on Recycled Paper

March/April 2007 7

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Snowy Plover Winter Survey

8 Western Tanager

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our 2006 year-end membership drivewas a success! From our three-monthdrive alone, we welcome 12 new mem-bers. Those who got credit for referralsbetween October 1 and December 31 areLarry Allen (1), Olga Clarke (1), LisaFimiani (2), Nick Freeman (1), GarryGeorge (6), and Jason Stuck (1).

A Tanager point was awarded foreach referral. A $25 gift certificate to thebookstore was awarded to the most Tan-ager points, which was Garry Georgewith 6. Garry, however, passed on hisprize to the person with the next highestpoints, who happened to be Lisa Fimianiwith 2. A drawing was also held, withone ticket given for each Tanager point,excluding those who'd already won.Larry Allen's name was drawn, and healso receives a $25 gift certificate to thebookstore. Congratulations to both Lisaand Larry!

Thank you to all who participated bytelling people what we do and by hand-ing out remit envelopes. Your referralsmake a big difference, even thoughsomeone may not join right away. Andthough this membership drive is over,don't let it stop you from continuing tospread the word by letting people knowwho we are and what we do. The peopleinterested in birding might surpriseyou.

If you are a new member, wel-come to the Los Angeles AudubonSociety and thanks for your sup-port! We hope you can join us inour monthly meetings and won-derful field trips, as well as otherongoing programs and projects.They are all a lot of fun and veryeducational. And if you want to con-tribute your talents, contact us. We'realways looking for volunteers.

With all your generous support, youallow us to fulfill our mission of recre-ation, education, conservation andrestoration. I hope you all have a happy2007 and add lots of great birds to yourlists!

Welcome and thank you tonew and renewed members

and donors!

Oscar BenitezLance A. M. Benner

Abe BloomJudy Boster-Mark

Peter J. and Tracy C. BunettaRichard Congersky

Julian P. and Kathy DonahuePeter DulleaJon L. Dunn

Judy and Arnold FishmanMary A. Flicker

Joan FrancoAlbert and Elizabeth Ann Garrison

Frank and Susan GillilandMarion Hack

Dr. Gerry HaighFred Heath

Curtis O. JohnsonAndrea KampicJoyce A. Kidd

Kathleen Komar and Ross ShidelerPearl Koran

Susan M. LaphamDr. Emil M. and Mrs. Barbara Lichina

Ann S. MargucciAntonio PaizRobert Perry

Ms. Jean PickusRoy PoucherLeslie Riley

Martin SchlageterAmy T. Schwartz

Melvin M. SigmanDavid Sims

Mark StamblerGregory B. StewartChristopher TenneyJudith Vogensang

BOLSA CHICA

The Western Alliance for Nature,together with the Amigos de BolsaChica and the Bolsa Chica Land Trustare hosting a weekend conference onSaturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25,on Bolsa Chica to launch a capital cam-paign for funding an endowment of theproposed stewardship program to man-age and maintain one of Southern Cali-fornia's greatest wetlands.

Tickets are $150 for the weekend,which includes a bird walk with Nickand Mary Freeman and Larry Allen onSaturday, March 24.

Los Angeles Audubon is supportingthis effort as a sponsor, and has a fewtickets available at $75 for members.

For more information on this week-end event visit:www.wanconservancy.com or call theConservancy at (310) 456-0611.

THANK YOU!

Anonymous DonorGeorge and Amanda Ball

Arnold KassoyE. H. Ken Kendig, Jr.

Judith S. RothmanGreg Stewart

MEMBERSHIP REPORTJason Stuck,

Membership Committee Chair

New at the BookstoreSPECIAL SATURDAY SCHEDULE

Saturday, March 3, 2007 open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PMSaturday, April 7, 2007 open from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM

REGULAR SCHEDULEOpen: Monday through Thursday 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM

Closed: Friday, Saturday (except special Saturdays noted above), and Sunday

NEW TITLESDK Eyewitness: Bird (DVD)

This DVD answers question such as: What do birds' songs mean? And how does anowl catch its prey in the dark? Take an up-close look at the range of sizes, shapesand habitats of birds. Perfect DVD for family and children. Run time 62 min.

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Princeton Field Guides:Whales, Dolphins, and Other Marine Mammals of the World

A guide to all of the world's marine mammals. Contains key field marks and sum-maries of behavior. Includes 450 color photos, 500 illustrations and 124 colormaps.

Hadoram Shirihai and Brett Jarrett, 2006N12295 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $24.95

March/April 2007 9

Plastic Book CoversWe have a large variety of sizes of plastic book covers for all the books you use inthe field.Priced from: $0.79-$1.99

b i r d s o f t h e s e a s o nby Jon Fisher

November and December contin-ued to be a lively couple ofmonths in the county. With little

rain and typically mild weather, there wasplenty of time to be in the field. With sev-eral extraordinary passerines and a shore-bird unrecorded in the county for fourdecades found during the period, LACounty birders proved that life after fallmigration is anything but dull. Severallocal Christmas Bird Counts in the latterhalf of December also added some goodbirds to the mix.

A handful of expected but irregularspecies were either more widespread or ingreater than normal numbers. Theseincluded Hooded Merganser, MountainChickadee, Mountain Bluebird, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Varied Thrush andBrown Creeper.

Small numbers of Greater White-fronted Geese were in the area with thefirst report being six at Bonelli ParkNovember 12 and remaining through theperiod (Catherine McFadden). Anotherhalf dozen were at the Angeles NationalGolf Club December 3 (Kimball Garrett).Finally, a single bird was at Legg Lake onDecember 16 (Mark & Janet Scheel).Several others present since last winterappear to have taken up residence at SantaFe Dam in Irwindale along with an“Aleutian” Cackling Goose.

Likewise, a few Snow Geese werereported on the coastal slope with a singlebird at Madrona Marsh on November 19(Martin Byhower), two flying over PeckPit on December 2 (Ed Stonick) andanother at Legg Lake on December 16(Mark & Janet Scheel). Two more were atMalibu Lagoon throughout the period,accompanied by a smaller bird showing

characters intermediate between Snowand Ross’s but possibly a “pure” Ross’s(fide Kimball Garrett).

Female Eurasian Wigeon areundoubtedly overlooked in the region,and one at the Angeles National GolfClub December 3 (Kimball Garrett)reminds us to be on the lookout for them.On the other hand, males are hard to miss.A returning bird was at Almansor ParkDecember 5 (Bernardo Alps) while anoth-er was present for most of the period at ElDorado Park in Long Beach.

The first report of Common Golden-eye was one at Ballona Lagoon Novem-ber 23 (David Bell). Two were on the LARiver at Fletcher Drive on December 8(Richard Barth). Four more stoppedapparently just briefly at Peck Pit onDecember 9 (Rich Sonnenberg) andanother four were along the LA River onDecember 30 (Kevin Larson, CarolSelvey).

The waters off Dockweiler StateBeach in El Segundo have been good forscoters in past winters, and this year didnot disappoint. The first report was of twoBlack Scoters there on November 13,followed by three White-winged Scoterson November 22 (both Richard Barth). ALong-tailed Duck turned up off there onDecember 2 (Kevin Larson). Two White-winged Scoters and another Long-tailedDuck were seen from Pt. Vicente onDecember 16 (Kevin Larson). These weremixed in with substantial movement of6,000 Surf Scoters heading south. The lastreport was of three Black Scoters and twoWhite-winged Scoters seen from theVenice Pier on January 1 (Nick and MaryFreeman).

A Red-billed Tropicbird five plus

miles off Long Beach on December 17(Gary Peebles) was well out of season ifcorrectly identified.

The only inland Pacific Loon was oneat Apollo Lake near Lancaster fromNovember 5-23 (Kimball Garrett).

Up to five Horned Grebes, a speciesfound regularly on some of our deep-water reservoirs, were at Bonelli Park inSan Dimas on December 5 (Rod Higbie).Nine were on Castaic Lagoon on Decem-ber 27 (Kimball Garrett).

Ferruginous Hawks aren’t difficultto find in the Antelope Valley in winter.Dark morph birds however, which makeup a fraction of the population, are unusu-al. Thus two such birds in the AntelopeValley on December 30 were noteworthy(Larry Schmahl). Overall, numbers ofFerruginous Hawks in the Antelope Val-ley seemed to be above normal.

Two Golden Eagles were discoveredin mid-December feeding on coots atSanta Fe Dam in Irwindale (fide MickeyLong). What was likely the same pairwere reported at Bonelli Park in SanDimas later in the month working on low-ering the coot population there as well. Inaddition to the goldens, an immature BaldEagle was flying over El Dorado ParkNovember 30 (Karen Gilbert, Jeff Boyd).

Rare away from the deserts and trueinterior was a Prairie Falcon at BrackettField in La Verne on January 1 (CatherineMcFadden, Paul Clarke).

There are but a handful of reliablewintering areas for Mountain Plover insouthern California. One such favoredlocation is the Antelope Valley, where animpressive flock of 176 was in the agri-cultural fields at 110th Street East andAvenue J on December 4 (Mike San

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Miguel, Jon Feenstra). At least a few con-tinued at this spot through late December.

A true highlight was the county’s firstRock Sandpiper in nearly forty years.The bird was found at Marina del Rey onNovember 22 (Barbara Johnson, JonFisher) and was present through the endof the period. It turned out to be a niceThanksgiving surprise for many areabirders. It’s not surprising that the lastrecord during the winter of 1967-68 wasalso from Marina del Rey, as were sever-al records prior to that. The locationoffers ideal habitat for rock pipers and isalso well covered.

Unusual shorebirds have largelydeparted by late October, but one excep-tion was a previously discovered Ruffthat lingered on the LA River north ofWillow Street through November 25(Andrew Lee).

Major news for California birders wasthe discovery of the state’s first Ross’sGull at SESS on November 17 (GuyMcCaskie). Birders from hundreds ofmiles away rushed to the scene at RedHill Marina with some of the earliestarrivals showing up after dark and watch-ing the bird with the aid of headlights.The bird stayed through the next day, butvanished early on the 19th. Ross’s Gullwas to be expected in the state with atleast one Oregon record on the books. Butit was the northern coast that would havebeen the odds on favorite as the likelylocation, not the Salton Sea.

A second year Glaucous Gull on theLA River on December 21 (KarenGilbert, Jeff Boyd) was later seen at sev-eral locations along the river through theend of December. Two Glaucous-wingedGulls, while regular well inland in the LABasin, were a first record for the Lancast-er CBC on December 17 (Nick & MaryFreeman). The only reported Black-legged Kittiwake was one at Pt. Vicenteon December 16 (Kevin Larson).

Rare coastally was a Burrowing Owlfound at Ballona Marsh on November 16(Chuck Almdale) and remaining throughthe end of December. Another was inAlhambra on December 12 (fide DanCooper). Even more unusual on thecoastal plain was a Long-eared Owl inPortuguese Bend on Palos Verdes CBCon December 23 (Holly Gray). Theseowls are very difficult to locate unless

calling, but this record and others indicatethat small numbers may well be regularon the coastal slope in fall and winter.Also notable on the Palos Verdes CBCwere two Western Screech-Owls (DavidMoody, Tracy Drake), a species not pre-viously known to be resident on thePeninsula.

A Greater Roadrunner near the LARiver in Vernon on November 8 (LindaLewis) was a hard one to explain. Thenearest populations are in the MontebelloHills and Whittier Narrows area. It’s pos-sible that a railway corridor provided thisindividual with a convenient route fromone location to the other.

The county’s first Ruddy Ground-Dove, recorded on October 10, remainedin La Canada throughout the period(Mark Hunter). Another unusual dovewas a Common Ground-Dove at Haha-mongna Watershed Park in Pasadena onDecember 16 (Lance Benner). While notdifficult to find in Orange and VenturaCounties, this species is rare in LA Coun-ty.

Eurasian Collared-Doves are to bewatched for in the county as they expandtheir range. Reports for the period includ-ed one in Highland Park on December 16(Dan Cooper) and three near HollydalePark in South Gate on December 30(Richard Barth). As Spotted Doves haverapidly disappeared from most of thecounty, Eurasian Collared-Doves areslowly increasing. One wonders what fac-tors allow one of these closely relatedspecies to survive and cause the other tobe nearly extirpated. Cooper’s Hawks arethought to be largely responsible for theSpotted Dove decline, and it remains tobe seen what impact they may have onCollared-Dove expansion.

Several Yellow-bellied Sapsuckerswere noted in the area. A juvenile was atHoly Cross Cemetery on November 17(Don Sterba) and an adult was at ForestLawn in Glendale on December 13(Richard Barth). Another immature wasat Cal Poly Pomona on December 17(Andrew Lee). A female Williamson’sSapsucker, quite rare in the lowlands,was discovered at Vina Vieja Park inPasadena on December 13 (Dan Cooper).

The only Lewis’s Woodpeckerreported was one at Jackson Lake nearWrightwood on November 11 (Mark

Scheel). Other woodpeckers of noteincluded a Hairy Woodpecker at Bonel-li Park in San Dimas on November 6(Rod Higbie), and a White-headedWoodpecker at Veteran’s Park SylmarNovember 2 (Doug Martin).

It wasn’t a surprise that last winter’sThick-billed Kingbird returned to Ban-ning Park in Wilmington. Vagrants arewell known to return to the same locationfor many winters. The first report was onNovember 4 (Kevin Larson) and the birdwas seen periodically throughout the peri-od.

Western Kingbirds, at one time prac-tically unheard of in winter in southernCalifornia, are now very rare but regular.One was at Legg Lake in South El Monteon December 24 (Larry Schmahl), anoth-er was on the Palos Verdes CBC onDecember 23 (Ann & Eric Brooks), and athird was at El Dorado Park in LongBeach on January 1 (Karen Gilbert).More expected are Tropical Kingbirds,with two recorded thus far. One was atLincoln Park in Lincoln Heights onDecember 15 (Tom Miko) and a secondwas in Long Beach near Heartwell Parkon January 1 (Karen Gilbert).

A few Empidonax flycatchers werefound, but they were in smaller thanexpected numbers. Gray Flycatchers inparticular were much scarcer than usualwith but a single individual reported at ElDorado Park in Long Beach on Novem-ber 28 (Karen Gilbert, Jeff Boyd). A“Western’ Flycatcher” was on PalosVerdes CBC on count week (Kevin Lar-son) and another was at DeForest Park onDecember 30 (Kevin Larson). A DuskyFlycatcher was a first for the PalosVerdes CBC on December 23 (CurtisJohnson, Jerry Tolman, Jim Pike). AHammond’s Flycatcher was on the LosAngeles Country Club on January 1(Kimball Garrett).

A stunning male Vermilion Flycatch-er, back for its second winter at the westend of Rush Street in South El Monte,was reported throughout the period.

An amazing bird was a nominate“Eastern” Bell’s Vireo found in Pasade-na on November 4 and present thoughmost of December (John Garrett). Thebird was well documented with pho-tographs and is a first record for the coun-ty. Returning for a second winter was a

March/April 2007 11

more expected but still very rare “Least”Bell’s Vireo at DeForest Park on Decem-ber 30 (Kevin Larson). In addition, ninePlumbeous Vireos were found during theperiod, but only one Cassin’s Vireo wasreported. This predominance ofPlumbeous over Cassin’s has been typicalof recent winters.

The only Winter Wren reported wasat Palos Verdes Golf Club on December23 (Jim Pike), whereas there was a mini-invasion last winter.

Two Sage Thrashers wintering in theAntelope Valley were found on December30 (Larry Schmahl). A Brown Thrasher,very rare in winter, was found at HarborPark in Long Beach on November 12(Kevin Larson) and was present throughDecember.

A number of Varied Thrushes werereported making this one of the betterrecent years for this species. The firstreport was one in Ladera Heights onNovember 21 (Richard Barth), with twothere on December 2. Another was at ElDorado Park on November 28 (KarenGilbert, Jeff Boyd) and three were atSouth Coast Botanic Gardens on Decem-ber 9 (Kevin Larson, Carol Selvey). Othersightings were at Polliwog Park in Man-hattan Beach December 18 (RichardBarth) and in Bouquet Canyon on Decem-ber 27 (Ron Milne, Tracy Drake). The lastreport was from Sand Dune Park in Man-hattan Beach on January 4 (RichardBarth).

Mountain Bluebirds were widelyreported on the coastal slope this winter.They first turned up in ones and twos, andthen flocks of between ten and thirty werefound at various locations includingIrwindale, South El Monte, Pomona andLa Verne.

Wood-Warblers were well represent-ed, and in fact November and Decemberproved to be better for them than Septem-ber and October. There was a TennesseeWarbler at Alondra Park on November19 (Martin Byhower) and another atHartwell Park in Long Beach on Decem-ber 19 along with a Nashville Warbler(Karen Gilbert). Charles Wilson Park inTorrance had a Northern Parula onDecember 7 (Kevin Larson). Lastly forthe Vermivora was a Virginia’s Warblerat Rose Hills Whittier on December 10(Larry Schmahl).

Palm Warblers included one at Aval-on on Catalina Island November 11 (MikeTyner) and another at Peck Road WaterConservation Park in Arcadia on Decem-ber 2 (Ed Stonick). Two more were atMadrona Marsh on December 23 (TracyDrake). A Pine Warbler is always a goodfind in the county. One late fall bird wasdiscovered at John Anson Ford Park inBell Gardens November 17 (Jon Feen-stra).

Very unusual was a female Black-throated Blue Warbler at a residence insouthwest Pasadena from December 10through 16 (Susan Frank). Rare in thecounty even at the height of vagrant sea-son, a mid-December record is remark-able. It obligingly stayed just long enoughto be included on the Pasadena CBC, buthas not been seen since.

A single American Redstart at Ward-low Park in Long Beach on December 19(Karen Gilbert) was the only one report-ed. Painted Redstarts made anotherstrong showing this season, with mostfrom last winter returning and a new onefound at the Bette Davis Picnic Area inGlendale November 9 (Doug Martin).Birds that came back for a second winterincluded the Bonelli Park bird, one of lastyear’s two at Elysian Park, and singlebirds at Monrovia Canyon and at Big Dal-ton Canyon in Glendora.

Summer Tanagers were at El DoradoPark November 30 (Karen Gilbert, JeffBoyd) and at the South Coast BotanicGardens on December 9 (Kevin Larson,Carol Selvey, Martin Byhower). A maleand a female Summer Tanager werefound separately in Elysian Park onDecember 26 (Mike San Miguel) and thelast report was of one at DeForest Park inLong Beach on December 30 (Kevin Lar-son).

Black-headed Grosbeaks were at thePalos Verdes Golf Club on December 23(Jim Pike) and at Elysian Park on Decem-ber 26 (Mike San Miguel).

A few Vesper Sparrows were on thecoastal slope with two in South El Monteon December 10 (Jon Fisher), two more atSanta Fe Dam December 16 (AndrewLee), and another at Hansen Dam thesame day (Richard Barth). Eleven White-throated Sparrows were reported in thecounty during the period with a highcount of three visiting a yard in Arcadia

(Mike San Miguel). A Harris’s Sparrow,very rare in the county, was found at ElDorado Park in Long Beach on December30 (Tom Wurster).

Swamp Sparrows included birds atBonelli Park in San Dimas on November12 (Catherine McFadden), in Malibu onDecember 17 (Nick & Mary Freeman)and at Castaic Lagoon on December 27(Kimball Garrett). The only Clay-coloredSparrow reported was at Bonelli Park inSan Dimas on November 12 (CatherineMcFadden). The only report of a Gray-headed Junco was one at Elysian ParkNovember 9 (Sue Horton).

Three Baltimore Orioles includedbirds at Woodlawn Cemetery November 6(Richard Barth), at Banning Park inWilmington on December 4 (JohnAdfem), and at the South Coast BotanicGarden on December 23 (Kevin Larson).An Orchard Oriole was at the SouthCoast Botanic Gardens from December 9-23 (Kevin Larson, Carol Selvey).

Many good birds have already beenfound in the county this winter. Don’t for-get to document those sightings and sendthem to Kimball Garrett, county compilerfor North American Birds.

As I write we’re in the second week ofJanuary and for some birds spring migra-tion is about to begin. March and April arenot far behind, bringing with them anexplosion of breeding and migrationactivity. For now, there are still unusualwintering birds waiting to be discoveredand it’s also a great time to work on thosetroublesome immature gulls. The night-time temps in the San Gabriel Mountainsleave something to be desired, but someof our owls are best found there in latewinter when calling consistently.

For me, the enjoyment of birding insouthern California involves more thanthe pleasantly mild weather and constant-ly changing birdlife. It’s also about theplaces we travel and the people we meetalong the way who share our interest. Stillanother aspect is promoting interest inbirds, birding and conservation to begin-ning or non-birders. This takes just a littleeffort and can be both personally reward-ing and beneficial to our shared goal ofpreserving birds and their habitats.

Here’s to lots of good ‘birding’in 2007.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 21A deep water trip toward the San JuanSeamount. This trip departs from theSanta Barbara Harbor on the fast catama-ran Condor Express at 7:00 a.m. and willreturn approximately by 8:00 p.m. This isa One Day Murphy Petrel Search! We willcruise along the deep water shelf by theSan Juan Seamount. Birds previouslyseen: Laysan and Black-footed albatross;Northern Fulmar; Sooty and Pink-footedshearwaters: Parasitic, Pomarine andLong-tailed jaegers; Leach's and Fork-tailed storm-petrels; Cassins Auklet, Xan-tus Murrelet and Tufted Puffin. Rare pos-sibilities are Cook's Petrel and Red-billedTropicbird.Leaders: Dave Compton, Jon Feenstra,Todd McGrath, David Pereksta and WesFritz. $198 There is a complete galleythat serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

SATURDAY, JUNE 9Land on Santa Cruz Island for theIsland Scrub Jay, and then out to sea.This 8 hour trip departs from the IslandPacker dock in the Oxnard Harbor at 8:00a.m. on the m/v Vanguard. We will land atPrisoner's Cove where the endemic IslandScrub-Jay is easily seen. Then we willcruise out to sea for pelagic birding,returning by Anacapa Island. Birds seenon prior trips: Northern Fulmar; Sootyand Pink-footed shearwaters; South PolarSkua; Parasitic and Pomarine jaegers;Sabine's Gull; rocky shorebirds (up to 5);Pigeon Guillemot; Xantus Murrelet. Rari-ties: Flesh-footed Shearwater. A TuftedPuffin was seen in 2002.Leaders: Jon Feenstra, Todd McGrathand David Pereksta. $96 A box lunchand breakfast can be ordered from theadjoining dock-side deli, or bring a picniclunch and drinks.

SATURDAY, JULY 21A deep water trip towards the San JuanSeamount. This trip departs from theSanta Barbara Harbor on the fast catama-ran Condor Express at 7:00 a.m. and willreturn approximately by 8:00 p.m. Wewill cruise along the deep water shelf bythe San Juan Seamount. This time of yearCook's Petrels and Red-billed Tropicbirdsare seen in this area, and this is an idealtime to look for mega-rarities such asDark-rumped and Stejneger's petrels; aswell as Wedge-rumped Storm-petrel.Birds expected: Pink-footed and Sootyshearwaters; Leach's, Ashy and Blackstorm-petrels; Cormorants (3); Red-necked and Red phalaropes; South PolarSkua; Pomarine Jaeger; Pigeon Guille-mot; Common Murre; Xantus andCraveri's murrelets; Cassin's Auklet.Leaders: Dave Compton, Jon Feenstra,Kimball Garrett, Todd McGrath, DavidPereksta and Wes Fritz. $198 If there isinsufficient response 35 days prior to thedeparture, the trip will be cancelled.There is a complete galley that servesbreakfast, lunch and dinner.SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 8A deep water trip to Cherry, Tannerand Cortez Banks. This trip departsfrom the Santa Barbara Harbor at 7:00a.m. on the fast catamaran CondorExpress, and returns approximately at8:00 p.m. This is our Red-billed Trop-icbird trip. We are far offshore in 3 coun-ties: Santa Barbara, Ventura and LosAngeles. Birds expected: Black, Least,Ashy and Leach's storm-petrels; SouthPolar Skua; Parasitic, Pomarine andLong-tailed jaegers; Sabine's Gull; ArcticTern. Rarities: Black-footed Albatross;Buller's Shearwater; Craveri's Murrelet.Blue, Fin and Minke whales as well asseveral species of dolphins are usuallyseen. Leaders: Jon Feenstra, KimballGarrett, Todd McGrath, David Perekstaand Wes Fritz. $198 The trip will be can-celled if there is insufficient response 35days prior to departure. There is a com-

plete galley that serves breakfast, lunchand dinner.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20A trip around the Northern ChannelIslands Monument. This 8 hour tripdeparts from the Island Packer's dock inthe Ventura Harbor at 8:00 a.m. on the fastcatamaran Islander. After dropping offcampers on Santa Cruz Island, we willhave the boat to ourselves and cruisearound Santa Cruz Island to the SantaCruz passage by Santa Rosa Island andalong the Santa Rosa Flats to the deeperwater near San Nicolas Island. We willreturn by Arch Rock at Anacapa Island.Birds seen on prior trips: Northern Ful-mar; Sooty, Pink-footed and Black-ventedshearwaters; Leach's, Least and Ashystorm-petrels; cormorants (3); Parasiticand Pomarine jaegers; Sabine's Gull;rocky shorebirds (up to 5); CommonMurre, Xantus Murrelet; Cassin's Auklet.Rarities: Buller's and Flesh-footed shear-waters; South Polar Skua; Long-tailedJaeger. In 2002 a Streaked Shearwater,and in 2003 a Brown Booby and 2 ManxShearwaters were seen. Blue, Fin andHumpback whales have been seen on thistrip.Leaders: Jon Feenstra, Todd McGrathand David Pereksta. $120 There is asnack galley with beverages, bring yourown lunch.

REFUND POLICY FORPELAGIC TRIPS

If a participant cancels 31 days or more prior to de-parture, a $4 service charge will be deducted fromthe refund. There is no participant refund if re-quested fewer than 30 days before departure, unlessthere is a paid replacement available. Call LAASfor a possible replacement. Please do not offer thetrip to a friend as it would be unfair to those on thewaiting list.

All pelagic trips must be filled 35 days prior to sailing.

Please reserve early.

NOTE: Destinations may be changed in order to maxi-mize bird sightings, or minimize rough seas. In order tomeet unexpected increases in fuel costs, there can be a$5 to $10 energy surcharge per person.

p e l a g i c t r i p S 2 0 0 7

Save $5.00 with an early sign-up60 days prior to the trip departure.

March/April 2007 13

14 Western Tanager

Christmas bird count highlights

LOS ANGELES COUNTYby Ray Schep

As opposed to last year when thecount occurred during gale and rain-storm conditions and we had a muchlower species count, the Los AngelesChristmas Bird Count took place inideal weather this year. A total of 157species were found.

The definite bird of the count wasthe rarity Rock Sandpiper seen by AlanDemartini, a Northern California vol-unteer, and also by many others outsideof count day. A bird that breeds in theAleutians, it was seen on the rocks atBallona Creek at the entrance to theMarina.

Other birds not on the usual listwere Hammond’s Flycatcher, Vermil-lion Flycatcher, Black and White War-bler, Varied Thrush, Hooded Oriole,Nashville Warbler, Ross's Goose, Red-head, Elegant Tern, Virginia Rail,Black Scoter and Eurasian Collared-Dove.

Owls were good with Great-horned,Western Screech and Burrowing, butBarn Owl was not reported.

Glaringly absent from this list wasSpotted Dove. The population of thisintroduced species has crashed due tounknown reasons, and of course BrownCowbird, hardly missed. And nobodyreported Coopers Hawk, althoughSharp-shinned was in evidence. ThePeregrines at Westwood were also notseen.

LANCASTER COUNTYby Nick and Mary Freeman

Despite the impending storm, the Lan-caster Christmas Bird Count held onDecember 16, 2006 was blessed withgood weather, and nary a hitch. It didstart drizzling at the dinner meeting,and snowing on the way back over thehill, for those who stuck it out to theend.

Highlights of the count were twoGlaucous-winged Gulls (new for thecount), nine Phainopeplas (seen onlyonce before), and Osprey (seen twice),as well as the return of Short-earedOwl to the count (none in the last 6years). We were skunked on BurrowingOwl, which is a bird of special concernfor the region. While we average twoBurrowing Owls each year, we havemissed this species eight years over thecount so we are optimistic that this birdwill be seen again on a future count.

We had 29 participants out thisyear—right between the mean and thehigh. The total species count was114— also between the mean of 108and the record of 120.

The next Lancaster CBC isDecember 15, 2007; so mark your cal-endars! If you wish to be contacted fornext year's count (and are not alreadyaffiliated), email the Freemans atmnfreeman@earthlink.net.

MALIBUby Larry Allen

There was a cool dawn on December17, 2006 as 61 observers in 32 partiesfanned out to find as many birds aspossible in the circa 177 square-mileMalibu Christmas Bird Count circle. Atthe end of the day, 162 species hadbeen reported, totaling roughly 24,000individual birds.

The most exciting reports of theday involved sparrows: a Swamp Spar-row was found at a small drainagefeeding into Las Virgenes Creek andfive Grasshopper Sparrows were foundat Chesboro Canyon. Rare for thecount circle (if not elsewhere in thecounty) were reports of Redhead,Osprey, Black Oystercatcher, Short-billed Dowitcher, Burrowing Owl, Red-naped Sapsucker, Steller's Jay, andLawrence's Goldfinch. Seasonallyunusual birds included a male Black-chinned Hummingbird in the vicinityof Piuma Road (the acceptability ofwhich is still being evaluated) andthree Barn Swallows flying over Mal-ibu Lagoon. Winter invasive specieswere generally scarce, but Golden-crowned Kinglet, Mountain Chickadee,and Varied Thrush made appearances.

As not infrequently happens, somecount-circle residents (Greater Road-runner, Sage Sparrow) and some of theusual wintering species (CinnamonTeal, Lewis's Woodpecker) were notreported. But you can help find thesenext time!

The next Malibu Count will be onDecember 16, 2007, and we can useyour assistance. So mark your calen-dars, and give me a call(626-288-2701) or send me an e-mail(larryallen@earlymusicla.org)to participate.

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Long-eared Owl

Field Trips & bird walksSaturday, March 3Bonelli Regional Park. Leader: Rod Higbie.

Bonelli Regional Park is a remark-able island of habitat. It has lake, coastalsage, mixed woodland, park and riparianhabitats. Birds regularly seen in the pastinclude California Gnatcatcher, CactusWren, dancing grebes, and occasionallyGolden Eagle. Two hundred otherspecies throughout the year.

From LA, take the 10 or 210 Fwyeast towards San Dimas to the topstretch of the 57 Fwy. Proceed N fromthe 10, or S from the 210 on the 57 Fwyto the Via Verde exit just N of the 10/57interchange (at the bottom of KelloggHill). If coming from the N, turn leftonto Via Verde, and left into the "Parkand Ride" lot. If coming from the S, bealert that the off ramp comes up fast.Proceed right off the ramp onto ViaVerde to the "Park and Ride" lot.

We will meet here at 7:30 AM to car-pool since there is a $7.00/car parkentrance fee.

Rod will continue after lunch, ifthere is interest. There are picnic tablesand facilities. Bring lunch, if you plan tobird past noon.

No limit or reservation.

Saturday, March 3Debs ParkAudubon CenterBirdwalk.

Join Dexter Kelly for a leisurelymorning walk through the diverse natur-al areas that surround the Audubon Cen-ter at Debs Park. A wide variety of birdsof riparian, walnut woodland, and chap-paral habitats can be found, includingraptors. Meet at 9:00 AM.

The Center is located on GriffinAvenue on the west side of the park.

From the south, take the PasadenaFwy north to the Avenue 43 exit. Bearright on Ave. 43 up the hill to GriffinAve. Turn left on Griffin Ave., and goabout a quarter mile to the Center's dri-veway, which goes steeply uphill on theright.

From the north, exit the PasadenaFreeway southbound at Avenue 52. Turnleft on Ave. 52, and follow it across thefreeway to where it becomes GriffinAve. The driveway is a quarter mile onthe left.

Sunday, March 4Topanga State Park Birdwalk.

Ken Wheeland & Chris Tosdevinwill lead participants through this beau-tiful and diverse coastal mountain area.An ideal trip for a beginning birder or

someone new in the area.

From Ventura Blvd., takeTopanga Canyon Blvd. 7miles S, turn E uphill onEntrada Rd. Follow the signsand turn left into TrippetRanch parking lot. From PCH,take Topanga Cyn. Blvd. 5miles to Entrada Rd. Parking$5.

Meet at 8:00 AM.

Saturday, March 10Upper Franklin CanyonBirdwalk.

Docent Paul Cooley will be escort-ing us around this local bird haven, withstunning and photogenic Wood Ducks,resident chaparral species, and a fewmigrating songbirds expected.

Franklin Canyon is located betweenSherman Oaks and Beverly Hills. Meetin the parking lot at 8:00 AM, and birdfor a few hours.

From the 101 Fwy, take ColdwaterCyn. Ave. S into the hills. Immediatelyafter Mulholland Dr. merges from the Wwith Coldwater Cyn. Ave., make a 90-degree right turn onto Franklin Cyn. Dr.and continue west to the Sooky Gold-berg Nature Center. The parking lot is tothe left at the first stop sign.

Sunday, March 11Ventura CountyGame Preserve.Leader: Irwin Woldman.

This private duck hunting club main-tains habitat for thousands of winteringand migrating ducks, shorebirds, song-birds and raptors; and harvests sustain-able numbers as dictated by CaliforniaDFG. Clubs and military bases such asPt. Mugu NWS next door, make upmuch of the remaining marsh habitat inthe state. The larger birds may be thin-ning out, but there should be plenty tosee. Birds that have been seen hereinclude Sora and Virginia rails, Ameri-can Bittern, Eurasian Wigeon, darkmorph Red-tail Hawks, Golden Eagles,and one Lesser Sand Plover!

Get to the preserve by taking the 101Fwy W to Rice Avenue S to the end andthen take Hueneme Rd. W. Take the firstleft at Casper Rd., continue past theturn, and leave your car across the streetfrom the barn. Meet by the road at 8:00AM, and bird until noonish.

Free. No sign-up required. We willwalk the property, so good hiking/mudshoes with energetic legs inside a plus.Scopes & FRS radios helpful.

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Lincoln’s Sparrow

16 Western Tanager

Saturday and Sunday,March 17 and 18Anza Borrego:Birds, Butterflies andBeyond.Leader: Fred Heath.

High points over the years: Swainson'sHawks, blooming desert evening-prim-rose and indigo bush, chuckwalla, desertbighorn (annual), LeConte's Thrasher,Long-eared Owl (likely).

Suggested accommodations: TamariskGrove Campground (reserve throughwww.reserveamerica.com), or StanlundMotel in Borrego Springs ((760) 767-5501). Anticipate a busy weekend, andreserve camping and motels very early.

Limit 20 people. Send SASE withphone number, e-mail and $5 fee toLAAS, PO Box 931057, Los Angeles,CA 90093-1057, to learn 7:00 AMmeeting place and more details.

Pleasant to warm days, cool to coldnights.

Saturday, March 17Kenneth HahnState Recreation AreaBirdwalk. Leader: Eleanor Osgood.

This trip covers landscaped parklandand natural coastal scrub habitats, and ispaced for beginning birders and mem-bers of the Baldwin Hills community.

The park entrance is off of La CienegaBlvd. Between Rodeo Rd. and StockerSt. After passing the entrance kiosk ($4parking fee), turn left (leading to the"Olympic Forest") and park in the firstavailable spaces. Meet at 8:00 AM.

Sunday, March 18Ballona WetlandsBirdwalk.

Bob Shanman leads this trip to ournearest wetland and adjacent rocky jetty.Shorebirds and gulls should be well-entrenched for the Winter.

Meet at the Del Rey Lagoon parking lot.Take the Marina Fwy (90 W) to CulverBlvd. and turn left for a mile, turn right

on Pacific Ave. The lot ison the right. Lot or streetparking is usually not aproblem. Three-hour walk.'Scopes helpful. Meet at8:00 AM.

Saturday, March 24Whittier NarrowsBirdwalk.Leader: Ray Jillson.

View colorful resident and migratingbirds, possibly including the introducedNorthern Cardinal.

Take Peck Dr. off the 60 Fwy in SouthEl Monte (just west of the 605 Fwy).Take the off ramp onto Durfee Ave.heading W (right) and turn left into theNature Center, 1000 Durfee Ave. Meetat 8:15 AM.

Saturday, March 31Point Dume SeabirdWatch.

Learn from Jon Feenstra how to makespecks into ticks. Let the birds come toyou, as Jon shows how to make sense ofthose far off (and nearby) bobbing andflying seabirds such as loons, scoters,shearwaters, and possible jeagers.

Take PCH west from Malibu past KananDume Road, and turn left at the bottomof the hill onto Westward Beach Road.Park along the road, walk past the bath-rooms, and meet at the Zuma CreekLagoon at 8:00 AM, where we will whetour seabird appetites on gulls. We willcaravan or carpool to the overlook. Notmuch fun without a spotting scope. Endsnoonish.

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Field Trips & bird walks

Sunday, April 1Topanga State Park Birdwalk. Leaders: Ken Wheeland &Chris Tosdevin.

Meet at 8:00 AM. See March 4 listingfor details.

Saturday, April 7Debs Park Audubon CenterBirdwalk.Join Dexter Kelly for a leisurely morn-ing walk through the diverse naturalareas that surround the Audubon Centerat Debs Park.

Meet at 9:00 AM. For details, see March4 listing.

Saturday and Sunday,April 14 and 15Owens Valley Grouse Trip.Mary Freeman leads.

Sage Grouse on the lek, Sooty Grouse intrees, breathtaking scenery, raptor-richvalleys, shorebirds heading north. Meetearly Saturday morning in Bishop.

Limited to 20. To sign up, send $20 anda SASE to LAAS, PO Box 931057, LosAngeles, CA 90093-1057. More detailsin mailer.

Reserve rooms and trip early for thisimmensely popular trip. Motel 6, Moun-tain View Inn, Bishop Elms are some ofmany hotels in Bishop.

Sunday, April 15 Ballona WetlandsBirdwalk.Leader Bob Shanman.

Meet at 8:00 AM. See March 18 listingfor details.

Saturday, April 21Kenneth HahnState Recreation AreaBirdwalk.Leader: Karen Johnson.

Meet at 8:00 AM. $4 entry fee. SeeMarch 17 listing for details.

Friday through Monday,April 27-30Kern River ValleySpring Nature Fest.200+ spp./festival. Trips to ButterbredtSpring, Kern NWR, Kern R. Preserve,Mojave Desert, Sequoia NF.

Contact bird trips organizerBob Barnes at:bbarnes@lightspeed.net, or checkhttp://kern.audubon.org/bioregion.htm.

Saturday, April 28Rancho Sierra Vista.Biologist, birder and ex-docent ScottHarris will be traipsing through the tus-socks in search of the elusive Grasshop-per Sparrow, Blue Grosbeak, LazuliBunting as well as other foothill andgrassland species.

This is one of the few spots in theSouthland that reports GrasshopperSparrow on an annual basis. A visit tothe Satwiwa Indian Cultural Center willfollow, if it is open.

Take the 101 Fwy west past ThousandOaks just into Ventura County, exitsouth on Lyn Road for 5.2 miles, turnleft on Via Goleta, and proceed to thelast parking lot where the group will bemeeting.

Meet at 8:00 AM, and bird until noon.Sunscreen and water essential.

Saturday, April 28Whittier Narrows. Leader: Ray Jillson.Meet at 8:15 AM. See March 24 listingfor details.

Saturday, May 5 Santa Anita Canyon.Leader: Mary Freeman.

Take the 210 Fwy toward Arcadia, andtake Santa Anita Avenue N to the park-ing lot at the very end of the road. Meetat the trailhead at the bottom of the lot.Four mile round-trip moderately strenu-ous walk through oak and chaparralcanyons. Good selection of breedingand migrating birds including warblers,Olive-sided Flycatcher, Band-tailedPigeon, three hummers and AmericanDipper possible.

Pack in a lunch and water. Meeting time7:30 A.M.

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Saturday, May 5Debs ParkAudubon CenterBirdwalk.

Join Jenny Jones for a leisurely morn-ing walk through the diverse naturalareas that surround the Audubon Centerat Debs Park. Meet at 9:00 AM. Fordetails, see March 4 listing.

Sunday, May 6Big MorongoWildlife Preserve. Leader Dexter Kelly.

Breeding desert and oasis birds such asBrown-crested and Vermilion Flycatch-ers, Summer Tanager, Scott's and Hood-ed Orioles, Yellow-breasted Chat andmigrating Empidonax flycatchers.

Meet at 8:00 AM. in the parking lot. Toget there, take the 10 Fwy E about 17miles past Banning to Hwy 62 N. Passthrough the town of Morongo Valley,take a right on East Dr., then a left intothe preserve. Bring lunch, water and sunblock. Desert Hot Springs offers thenearest accommodations, or camp atJoshua Tree NP. No sign up.

Sunday, May 6Topanga State ParkBirdwalk.Leaders: Ken Wheeland & Chris Tos-devin. Meet at 8:00 AM. See March 4listing for details.

Saturday, May 12Galileo Hills andButterbredt Springs. Leader: Nick Freeman.

These are two of the best spring migranttraps in the state. Western warblers andflycatchers should headline. Reptilesmay be encountered!

Take Hwy 14 about 4 miles past Mojave,then turn right on California City Blvd.Drive through town about a mile pastthe shops, turn left past the golf courseon Randsburg-Mojave Rd., and veerright on 20 Mule Team Rd. Turn left atthe Galileo Hills sign before the hill,take your first paved right, your firstright again, into the Silver Saddle Coun-try Club, followed by two paved leftsinto the lot. Park by the first pond.About 2 hrs driving time from L.A.

LAAS phone sign-up mandatory (323-876-0202). 12 max. Bring lunch, sunblock. Meet at 7:00 AM; finish up 4ish.

Sunday, June 3 Eastern San Bernardinos. Leaders: Sandra Remleyand Mary Freeman.

Meet in the parking area outside of HartBar Campground at 9AM, and bird allday.

Local birder Sandy Remley will be guid-ing us around on this, our first trip toAspen Grove, Mission Springs, and theS. Fork of the Santa Ana River. Moredetails next newsletter.No sign-up, no fee.

Friday through Monday,June 22-25Southern SierrasExtended Weekend. Leader: Bob Barnes.

High deserts to High Sierra. The mostdiverse, species-rich region in the state.Likely: Goshawk, Yellow-billed Cuck-oo, Pileated Woodpecker and owls. 150species likely in 4 days.

Participation limited. To reserve, andreceive trip information, send SASEwith e-mail, phone number and $15for each day attended ($60 for 4 days),mail to: LAAS, PO Box 931057, LosAngeles, CA 90093-1057. Dawn todusk (and more) birding ideal for enthu-siastic beginning to advanced birders.Reserve rooms in Kernville early (listedin flyer). Lots of driving, so bring afriend.

RESERVATION AND

FEE EVENTS(Limited Participation)Policy and Procedure

Reservations will be accepted ONLY if ALLthe following information is supplied:

1) Trip desired2) Names of people in your party3) Phone numbers:

(a) usual and(b) evening before event,(in

case of cancellation)(c) email address (if used)

4) Separate check (no cash please) to LAAS for exact amount for each trip

5) Self-addressed stamped envelope forconfirmation and associated trip informationSend to:

LAAS ReservationsP.O. Box 931057

Los Angeles, CA 90093-1057

If there is insufficient response, the trip willbe cancelled two Wednesdays prior to thescheduled date (four weeks for pelagics). Youwill be so notified and your fee returned.Your cancellation after that time will bring arefund only if there is a paid replacement.Millie Newton is available at Audubon Houseon Wednesdays from noon to 4:00 PM to answerquestions about field trips. Our office staff isalso available Monday through Thursday formost reservation services.

Field Trips & bird walks

March/April 2007 19

THE BEST OF COSTA RICAFebruary 5-17, 2008

Costa Rica, with its well deserved reputation as a country sincerely interested in conserving its natural resources,is one that is invariably on all birder's lists to visit. Its tropical forests harbor howlermonkeys, Resplendent Quetzals, poison-dart frogs, giant morpho butterflies, over830 species of birds, and the beauty of thousands of plant species. We will visit sixof the major locations that are distinctive, each offering a marvelous profusion oftropical birds.

Habitats encountered will range from semiarid ranch land, to misty cloud forest,the transition zone between the dry and moist forests of the Pacific lowlands, thetreeless paramo, and what may well be the highlight of our trip, a visit to La Selva,a lowland rainforest where nearly 400 birds have been recorded. As part of a smallgroup, enjoy some of the best tropical birding in Costa Rica., where you will beaccompanied by outstanding leaders throughout. Space is limited.

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KENYA BIRDING & WILDLIFE SAFARI November 2-14, 2007

Post-Extension Eastern Kenya:November 13-21, 2007

Kenya, one of the great birding and wildlife destinations in the world,offers an opportunity for you to experience much of East Africa within ashort period of time. Over 1,100 bird species have been recorded inKenya, and many are easily seen. Besides its incredible birdlife, Kenyahas become synonymous with the historic great wildlife of Africa, andKenya may be the very best place to see large numbers of wildlife, name-ly the "Big Five", elephant, rhinoceros, leopard, lion and buffalo. In addi-tion, the variety of wildlife, often at the same time you are viewing fasci-nating birds, is difficult to believe. From Nairobi to Samburu, the slopesof Mt. Kenya, Lake Nakuru, and the great plains of the Masai Mara, thisis sure to be your African trip of a lifetime.

On the extension, we plan to travel from Nairobi to the Tsavo West Nation-al Park and Mzima Springs, with views of Mount Kilimanjaro. Then we are on to Shimba Hills National Reserve,just a short distance from the Indian Ocean, and the last remaining breeding population in Kenya of the indige-nous Sable Antelope. Birding stops will be made along the way. Experience for yourself the wonders of EastAfrica on this Los Angeles Audubon Safari. Space is limited.

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For information and itinerary, contact:Olga Clarke - Travel DirectorLos Angeles Audubon Society

2027 El Arbolita Dr.Glendale, CA 91208

Ph/Fax: 818-249-9511e-mail: oclarketravel@earthlink.net

international birding tours

Meet at 7:30 at Audubon House in Plummer Park7377 Santa Monica Blvd (at Martel between La Brea and Fairfax)

323-876-0202

Los Angeles Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 931057Los Angeles, CA 90093-1057

DATED MATERIALPlease Expedite

programs & evening meetings

Wednesday, April 11, 2007Tom Stephenson returns to LAAS to present:The Birds and Wildlife of Madagascar, Island of Endemism.

Madagascar, the world's fourth largest island, has the highest rate of endemism in theworld. Come see Tom's excellent photos of birds from endemic bird families including theCouas, Vangas and Mesites. The unique Lemurs are also endemic to the island. Driven toextinction in Africa by the apes and chimpanzees, these prosimian primates managed toescape to Madagascar. And they are very photogenic! Birds and primates aren't the onlyunique creatures in Madagascar, and we'll see pictures of some unique reptiles and ecosys-tems such as the Spiny Forest complete with endemic Long-tailed Groundrollers. We'll alsodiscuss the future prospects of this unique and wonderful island, where 50% of the popu-lation is under the age of 15.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007Tom Ryan presents:Snowy Plovers on Los Angeles Beaches

Historically Snowy Plovers nested on the beaches of Los Angeles County. Asthe human population of Los Angeles County surged following WWII andbeachgoers and development impacted habitat, the last nest was found in1947. Snowy Plovers can still be found wintering on our beaches, and eachyear volunteers count their winter numbers as part of a range-wide surveyeffort. Mr. Ryan will talk about the history of the plovers on LA beaches,threats faced by the plovers and possible reasons behind their decline, whyLA beaches are important for the birds, what is being done to protect theplovers on LA beaches and current efforts to survey their winter and look forsigns of nesting populations. He will also discuss what you can do to helpthese efforts.

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