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01 Sep Re: Early for Cedar waxwings? ["Jim" ] 01 Sep Early for Cedar waxwings? ["mike" ] 31 Aug Pectorals and Solitary Sand. San Gab. River etc. [] 31 Aug Red-shouldered Hawk @ Arlington Garden in Pasadena? ["Holy Pig" ] 31 Aug LA River at Del Amo, August 31, 2010 [Richard J Norton ] 31 Aug RE: Pelagic birds ["Kimball Garrett" ] 31 Aug Re: Lesser Nighthawks at Malibu Lagoon ["dan_cooper_90042" ] 31 Aug Lesser Nighthawks at Malibu Lagoon ["dant_1999" ] 31 Aug Pelagic birds [] 31 Aug warbler migration ["alcyonaria" ] 30 Aug Possible Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Lake Balboa? ["Kimball Garrett" ] 30 Aug Buff-breasted Sandpiper continues on Lower L A River ["Kimball Garrett" ] 29 Aug Re: Update on nesting skimmers at Malibu Lagoon [Marcia Hanscom ] 30 Aug Malibu Lagoon White-winged Dove ["joyseawaterman" ] 29 Aug Pectoral Sandpiper L.A. River ["donnabray AT charter.net" ] 28 Aug Re: Re: Peafowls LA County List [Steve Sosensky ] 29 Aug Re: BB Sandpiper Directions ["richardbarth38" ] 29 Aug Update on nesting skimmers at Malibu Lagoon ["Kimball Garrett" ] 29 Aug RE: Re: Peafowls LA County List ["Kimball Garrett" ] 29 Aug BB Sandpiper Directions [] 29 Aug RE: Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos ["Jean Brandt" ] 29 Aug Re: Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos [Dany Sloan ] 29 Aug Re: Buff-breasted at LA River [Kevin Larson ] 29 Aug Re: New file uploaded to LACoBirds ["Mitch" ] 28 Aug Re: Peafowls LA County List [Raymond Schep ] 29 Aug New file uploaded to LACoBirds [] 28 Aug Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos [] 29 Aug Buff-breasted Sandpiper still present [] 28 Aug Osprey and Black Skimmer, Ballona 8/28 ["melissah_slp" ] 28 Aug Solitary and Pectoral Sandpipers on LAR [Ron Cyger ] 28 Aug Indigo Bunting and Solitary Sandpipers, San Gabriel River [] 28 Aug Buff-breasted at LA River [Kevin Larson ] 28 Aug Loggerhead Shrike, Osprey, Ballona 8-27-10, 5pm ["jonathan_coffin" ] 28 Aug Malibu Lagoon ["wmszeliga" ] 27 Aug LA Audubon Society monthly meeting, September 8, 2010. [Nick & Mary Freeman ] 27 Aug LA Audubon Society monthly meeting, September 8, 2010. [Nick & Mary Freeman ] 27 Aug LA Audubon Society monthly meeting, September 8, 2010. [Nick & Mary Freeman ] 26 Aug Pectoral n. of Alondra ["richardbarth38" ] 26 Aug Los Angeles RBA - 26 August 2010 [Jon Fisher ] 26 Aug LA County Pelagic Trip Report & Upcoming Trips in LA County ["thunefeld" ] 25 Aug Baird's again s. of Del Amo ["richardbarth38" ] 24 Aug Ballona Creek - Aug 24 [Christopher Taylor ] 24 Aug Band-tailed Piegeon seen in West L.A. [] 24 Aug juv Semipal Sand LAR s. of Rosecrans ["richardbarth38" ] 24 Aug RE: Band-tailed Piegeon seen in La Habra Heights ["Kimball Garrett" ] 24 Aug Band-tailed Piegeon seen in La Habra Heights ["Pat & Jeff Warner" ] 24 Aug Western Screech Owl notes [Nick & Mary Freeman ] 24 Aug Black Tern on LA River [] 23 Aug Palos Verdes Peafowl ["thomasgezamiko" ] 23 Aug Baird's LAR south of Wardlow ["richardbarth38" ] 23 Aug Re: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) [Dany Sloan ] 23 Aug RE: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) ["Kimball Garrett" ] 23 Aug Re: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) ["dan_cooper_90042" ] 23 Aug Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) [Dany Sloan ] 22 Aug Re: La River Semipalmated, Solitary Sandpipers [Steve Sosensky ] 23 Aug The Beginner's Booklet of Common Los Angeles Birds is (Finally) Printed ["walteralamb" ] 22 Aug La River Semipalmated, Solitary Sandpipers ["Lori Conrad" ] 22 Aug Montane Species at Lupine Campground [Lance Benner ] 22 Aug Lancaster sewage ponds [Kumaran Arul ] 21 Aug Canada Goose Movements in Southwest LA County and RFI [Robert van de Hoek ] 21 Aug (unknown) [Mark Scheel ] 21 Aug LAR Aug 21: Semi Sand, Pec, Solitary [Mark Scheel ] 20 Aug juv Semipal Sand @LAR Somerset ["richardbarth38" ] 20 Aug Re: Re: Malibu Lagoon highlights, 15 August [Chuck & Lillian ] 20 Aug Grant and Scholarship Availability Announcement [Ron Cyger ] 19 Aug Osprey at Ballona Creek Estuary [Robert van de Hoek ] 19 Aug Los Angeles RBA - 19 August 2010 [Jon Fisher ] 19 Aug Re: Western Screech Owl occurences [Dany Sloan ] 19 Aug Western Screech Owl occurences [Nick & Mary Freeman ] 18 Aug Tattler ["Brad" ] 18 Aug An addendum to my posting of my Blue Gray Gnatcatcher report, this past Sunday 8-14-10, and somrthing else [john small ] 18 Aug Los Angeles River ["georgebedafort" ] 18 Aug LAR this morning ["richardbarth38" ] 18 Aug Re:Re: Malibu Lagoon highlights, 15 August [] 18 Aug Tattler update - almost certainly Wandering ["Kimball Garrett" ] 18 Aug RE: Western Kingbirds ["Kimball Garrett" ] Subject: Re: Early for Cedar waxwings? From: "Jim" <jpike44 AT earthlink.net> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:23:22 -0000 Mike, I too had some early Cedar Waxwings, with two at Chet Huffman Park in Baker on Aug 30 and another along the Santa Ana River in Norco on Aug 31. Per the bar graphs in Garrett and Dunn (1981) (a book well worth hunting for in used bookstores, even after all these years), waxwings are casual in August and rare throughout the month of September. The more recent "San Diego County Bird Atlas" (2004) (another book well worth owning, although pricey) says that "in some years a few appear in the first week of September." It seems to me that the status of this species is changing, as birds are appearing more regularly in early September, and now even in late August. Jim Pike Hunt Bch/E Mojave --- In LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com, "mike" wrote: > > Just heard a ear-full of Cedar waxwings in Griffith Park early this morning. It is early to see (or hear) them this early in the season? > Mike Clark > Griffith Park (LA Zoo) > Subject: Early for Cedar waxwings? From: "mike" <slipjoneser AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:39:21 -0000 Just heard a ear-full of Cedar waxwings in Griffith Park early this morning. It is early to see (or hear) them this early in the season? Mike Clark Griffith Park (LA Zoo) Subject: Pectorals and Solitary Sand. San Gab. River etc. From: larschmahl AT aol.com Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 22:12:59 EDT Hello all, My son Brian and I took a ride along the bike path within the San Gabriel Coastal Basin Spreading Grounds in Pico Rivera between Whittier and Washington Blvds. Within the San Gabriel Riverbed and opposite the end of Dunlop Crossing Rd. was a small flock of shorebirds that included 2 Pectoral and a Solitary Sandpiper. Closer to Whittier Blvd. were three Red-necked Phaloropes. Within a large mixed flock of blackbirds and cowbirds were three female Yellow-headed Blackbirds. The county has begun disking the basins themselves but the riverbed remains exceptionally good with a steady stream of water extending from Whittier Blvd. to just downstream of Washington Blvd. Larry Schmahl Whittier [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Red-shouldered Hawk @ Arlington Garden in Pasadena? From: "Holy Pig" <rickswartzentrover AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 23:38:14 -0000 I uploaded 3 photos of what I believe is a Red-shouldered Hawk that was AT Arlington Garden in Pasadena. He perched in the Palm Tree right at the SE corner of the garden and then flew to the house on the SW corner across Pasadena Ave. Can someone confirm that it is indeed a Red-shouldered Hawk? Thanks http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/photos/recent/1382660585/view http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/photos/recent/1831129880/view http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/photos/recent/820486828/view Rick Swartzentrover Alhambra Ca. www.holypig.com Subject: LA River at Del Amo, August 31, 2010 From: Richard J Norton <richardjnorton AT dslextreme.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:35:29 -0700 In north Long Beach, from 12:45 until 2:30 PM today, on the way south from Del Amo, along the Los Angeles River, one Baird's Sandpiper was encountered halfway between the Blue Line bridge and the 405 Freeway. No Buff-breasted Sandpipers were noted. On the return trip, a cruising Peregrine Falcon sped up my search by severely reducing the size of the flocks. Went up the river from Del Amo until the shorebird habitat was replaced by an apparent plastic bottle and Styrofoam cup breeding area where no reportable birds or containers were found. Dick Norton Topanga, CA Subject: RE: Pelagic birds From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:18:35 -0700 Knut, Looking through your photos, I see lots of Red-necked Phalaropes (the expected, abundant species) and possibly a couple of "candidates" for Red Phalarope (a species that can be common in August well offshore, often in mixed flocks with Red-neckeds -- they look considerably paler, larger, and broader-winged than a Red-necked when direct comparisons are available). What I don't see are any Wilson's Phalaropes; that species is not expected offshore and would be a real rarity on a pelagic trip; a Wilson's should stand out as plain-winged and white-rumped. I'm curious how far offshore your Long-tailed Jaegers were. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org -----Original Message----- From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of a320rainman AT gmail.com Sent: Monday, August 30, 2010 10:19 PM To: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [LACoBirds] Pelagic birds I took a friend visiting from abroad on a Whale Watching trip this afternoon out of Long Beach Harbor (Near the Aquarium of the Pacific). I expected to see a couple of seabirds as usual. What surprised me was several thousand Phalaropes of at least two or more species (still trying to identify them from photos, but many Red-necked and Wilson's). I believe they were feeding on the same as the whales - lots of Crill. Also got close looks at three Jeagers (skuas); including both Long-tailed and Pomarine Jeager. Knut Hansen Renton, WA & Long Beach, CA http://www.flickr.com/photos/22333182 AT N04/ Subject: Re: Lesser Nighthawks at Malibu Lagoon From: "dan_cooper_90042" <dan_cooper_90042 AT yahoo.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 16:09:45 -0000 Daniel- Keep those records coming! Lesser Nighthawk is considered "accidental" at the lagoon, though I'm not sure how many times it's been birded at dusk in August (one of the two known records is from late August, see: http://www.cooperecological.com/birds_of_malibu_lagoon_8_06.htm). The species needs to get from summering areas in California to wintering areas south of here, so now is a good time to intercept migrants heading down the coast. The nearest nesting area to Malibu is probably the lower Santa Clara River/Oxnard Plain to the north in Ventura Co. Watch for poorwill too - after I put the list together, I had a migrant poorwill come in off the ocean one morning a couple years ago in Oct. Dan Cooper San Gabriel www.cooperecological.com www.cooperecotours.com --- In LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com, "dant_1999" wrote: > > This evening and the prior two Monday evenings during visits to the Malibu Lagoon between 6 and 8 PM I have observed between 1 and 3 lesser nighthawks becoming active just after sunset. I have seen them fly all over the lagoon. I've only been to the lagoon at this time of day during August and my nighthawk observations seem to be the only ones recorded in eBird for this location, so I don't know how regular or expected it is to see them there. In any event, it's been very cool to see these birds at the beach. > > Daniel Tinoco > Van Nuys, CA > Subject: Lesser Nighthawks at Malibu Lagoon From: "dant_1999" <dant1999 AT gmail.com> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 06:22:54 -0000 This evening and the prior two Monday evenings during visits to the Malibu Lagoon between 6 and 8 PM I have observed between 1 and 3 lesser nighthawks becoming active just after sunset. I have seen them fly all over the lagoon. I've only been to the lagoon at this time of day during August and my nighthawk observations seem to be the only ones recorded in eBird for this location, so I don't know how regular or expected it is to see them there. In any event, it's been very cool to see these birds at the beach. Daniel Tinoco Van Nuys, CA Subject: Pelagic birds From: a320rainman AT gmail.com Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:18:49 -0000 I took a friend visiting from abroad on a Whale Watching trip this afternoon out of Long Beach Harbor (Near the Aquarium of the Pacific). I expected to see a couple of seabirds as usual. What surprised me was several thousand Phalaropes of at least two or more species (still trying to identify them from photos, but many Red-necked and Wilson's). I believe they were feeding on the same as the whales - lots of Crill. Also got close looks at three Jeagers (skuas); including both Long-tailed and Pomarine Jeager. In addition to the masses of birds, we did see some mammals; 9 Blue Whales, 2 Bottlenosed Dolphins, and the usual Harbor Seals and Pacific Sea Lions. On the morning sailing they also had Fin Whales. Knut Hansen Renton, WA & Long Beach, CA http://www.flickr.com/photos/22333182 AT N04/ Subject: warbler migration From: "alcyonaria" <mcfadden AT hmc.edu> Date: Tue, 31 Aug 2010 04:46:24 -0000 Today (Mon 8/30) we hiked the Dawson Saddle Tr. from the Angeles Crest Hwy to the summit of Mt. Baden-Powell. Lots of migrant warblers were going through, total of 8 species: Hermit, Orange-crowned and Yellow-rumped Warblers all in the double-digits, smaller numbers of Nashville and Townsend's (6-8 of each), and one each Wilson's, MacGillivray's and Black-throated Gray. One male Red Crossbill was seen about 1/4 mile up the Dawson Saddle Tr. Cathy McFadden & Paul Clarke Claremont Subject: Possible Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Lake Balboa? From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:10:26 -0700 Birders, A sighting of a Yellow-crowned Night-Heron at Lake Balboa on 26 August was reported to eBird. I contacted the observer, Pornpat Nikamanon, and he sent a photo that is highly suggestive of juvenile of this species. It appears to show a thick, mostly black bill, a long neck, reduced spotting on the back and coverts, and long legs. However, the photo is dark and blurry (it was taken with an IPhone through binoculars) and may not be diagnostic. The observer could not relocate the bird on 28 August. This is a heavily-birded area, so please keep your eyes open for this bird (around the shore of Lake Balboa, but potentially at any other pond or channel in the Basin) and report it if you find it. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Buff-breasted Sandpiper continues on Lower L A River From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 11:21:22 -0700 Birders, The juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpiper was present and conspicuous after 10:20 this morning (30 August) about 200 m downstream from Del Amo Blvd. It was keeping to itself on the western part of the river channel. BUT.... lots of eyes covered the channel from just above Del Amo all the way down to the 405 Fwy crossing earlier in the morning, with no sign of the Buff-breast, so it obviously was spending some time elsewhere (perhaps well upriver?). Dick Barth finally spotted it below Del Amo at 10:20 in a stretch that had been well-covered earlier. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Update on nesting skimmers at Malibu Lagoon From: Marcia Hanscom <wetlandact AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 21:13:50 -0700 Thanks for this great report, Kimball. 52 Snowy Plovers on the beach just south of Malibu Lagoon today. All resting comfortably in their little sandy nooks. Is anyone working on Beaches & Harbors roping off part of the beach for these endangered birds? They really don't need much space, and it would be great to give them a place where they are not constantly harassed by people unknowingly walking too close to them. ~~~~ Marcia Hanscom Co-Director Ballona Institute The Voice for Nature on the Los Angeles Coast www.ballonainstitute.org www.celebrateballona.com 322 Culver Blvd., #317 Playa del Rey, CA 90293 (310) 823-7040 (telephone) (310) 448-1219 (facsimile) a biodiversity project of the International Humanities Center visit our: Shallow Water Nature Store & Library Corner (310) 578-5888 in the Matilla Village Center corner/Culver & Vista del Mar Playa del Rey On Aug 29, 2010, at 12:58 PM, Kimball Garrett wrote: > All, > > I visited Malibu Lagoon yesterday (28 August) to check on the > skimmer colony on the island just inland from the beach berm at the > lagoon. I counted 102 adult skimmers. Of these, only 4-6 birds were > sitting in incubation position; the flock flushed several times for > no apparent reason while I watched from a high point on the beach > berm well away from the island -- when this happened I could see at > least three clutches of eggs. There were also at least 3 random, > scattered eggs in the colony that were not being attended. The > skimmers seemed a bit agitated by the 60-70 Elegant Terns > (including many juveniles) that were massing near and even within > the skimmer nesting area. Fortunately, the 110+ Brown Pelicans on > the island were staying near the shoreline and not impacting > skimmer nests (one misplaced totipalmate foot and you have a runny > skimmer omelet). > > Skimmers eggs hatch after about 23 days, so if things go well (very > iffy in such a crowded beach area) there's a chance that hatching > may begin around 10-15 September. I urge birders to keep their eyes > on these birds (from a distance) and be vigilant in keeping people > and dogs away from the island (so far this doesn't seem to be a > problem, but Labor Day weekend is coming up). > > Of interest among the skimmers was an adult with a pink tape- > wrapped band on the R leg -- banded by Charlie Collins in Orange > County (Bolsa Chica?) in 1990. > > A good variety of shorebirds at the lagoon included a juvenile > Short-billed Dowitcher, two adult Long-billed Dowitchers, a juv. > Ruddy Turnstone, 43 Snowy Plovers, etc. (I didn't see the ~6 > Wilson's Phalaropes others saw this weekend). The Yellow-crowned- > ish Night-Heron was on its favorite log east (lagoon-wards) of the > second footbridge. > > Kimball > > Kimball L. Garrett > Section of Ornithology > Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County > 900 Exposition Blvd. > Los Angeles, CA 90007 > 213-763-3368 > kgarrett AT nhm.org > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Malibu Lagoon White-winged Dove From: "joyseawaterman" <joycewaterman AT verizon.net> Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:42:44 -0000 Hi Birders, At about 8:30 this morning, Doug and I spotted a sole White-winged Dove in a tree just beyond the parking lot and just before (and to the right of) the 1st foot bridge. Thought this sighting might be noteworthy here at the Lagoon. Also saw the Wilson's Phalaropes and juvenile Ruddy Turnstones. The baby Coots are quite colorful now (though in a rather unattractive & ghoulish-looking way). Thanks Kimball for your remarks and suggestions re: the nesting Skimmers. We will take note. Joyce Waterman Santa Monica Subject: Pectoral Sandpiper L.A. River From: "donnabray AT charter.net" <donnabray@charter.net> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:45:09 -0700 Birders: On Sunday afternoon there was a Pectoral Sandpiper in the L.A. River just south of the Somerset Blvd. bridge crossing. I had accessed at Rosecrans and walked down, there was plenty of parking on San Juan street. A bonus: The really nice native plant park there next to the river is full of Monarch butterflies. Donna Bray Norwalk Subject: Re: Re: Peafowls LA County List From: Steve Sosensky <mobile AT sosensky.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:11:15 -0700 Ray, I just uploaded the latest LA County checklist to the Files area. Both Ring-necked Pheasant and Peafowl are listed as introduced with [] brackets around the entries. A check of the footnotes shows that species so listed are not accepted by the CBRC as wild and are therefore not counted in the county totals. This would also preclude them from countability on any list submitted to the ABA. At 01:56 PM 8/28/2010, Raymond Schep wrote: >My understanding is that the peafowl of Palos Verdes has always been >listable, Tom, it is listed on the LA County bird list. So add the >lifer to your list jump up and down and turn the AC up a notch cooler. Good birding, Steve Sosensky, SoCA Bird Guides www.sosensky.com/guides Nature Photos www.sosensky.com/nature_photos.htm Optics4Birding www.optics4birding.com Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 949-269-2161 33.56485 N, 117.72205 W Subject: Re: BB Sandpiper Directions From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 23:09:32 -0000 Birders, Sun 29 Aug The juv Buff-breasted Sandpiper apparently did not use yesterday's foraging spot at all this morning. The bird was rediscovered well downstream between the Metro Line and the 405 Fwy (the Metro Line is the SECOND bridge south of Del Amo) where it was working comfortably until it flew back upstream to a point south of Del Amo. It settled in midway between the Del Amo bridge and Compton Creek and was seen by many arriving birders. I understand the bird was still in this spot at about 11:45. A Black Tern was north of Del Amo just after daybreak, standing in the river and also patrolling. Richard Barth West Hollywood --- In LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com, d AT ... wrote: > > In response to JB's request for directions: Take the Del Amo exit off the 710, which is the first exit north of the 405 Freeway. Turn onto Del Amo heading east (ie across the river). Take the first street to the south/right and park. Walk back along Del Amo to the river where there is a bike path. The bike path provides miles of excellent access to the river. > > I understand the bird has been seen both north and south of the Del Amo bridge, and also south of the blue line bridge which is about 1/2 mile south of Del Amo, so you will need to walk and scan. > > Dave Bell > Newport Beach, CA > Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry > Subject: Update on nesting skimmers at Malibu Lagoon From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:58:53 -0700 All, I visited Malibu Lagoon yesterday (28 August) to check on the skimmer colony on the island just inland from the beach berm at the lagoon. I counted 102 adult skimmers. Of these, only 4-6 birds were sitting in incubation position; the flock flushed several times for no apparent reason while I watched from a high point on the beach berm well away from the island -- when this happened I could see at least three clutches of eggs. There were also at least 3 random, scattered eggs in the colony that were not being attended. The skimmers seemed a bit agitated by the 60-70 Elegant Terns (including many juveniles) that were massing near and even within the skimmer nesting area. Fortunately, the 110+ Brown Pelicans on the island were staying near the shoreline and not impacting skimmer nests (one misplaced totipalmate foot and you have a runny skimmer omelet). Skimmers eggs hatch after about 23 days, so if things go well (very iffy in such a crowded beach area) there's a chance that hatching may begin around 10-15 September. I urge birders to keep their eyes on these birds (from a distance) and be vigilant in keeping people and dogs away from the island (so far this doesn't seem to be a problem, but Labor Day weekend is coming up). Of interest among the skimmers was an adult with a pink tape-wrapped band on the R leg -- banded by Charlie Collins in Orange County (Bolsa Chica?) in 1990. A good variety of shorebirds at the lagoon included a juvenile Short-billed Dowitcher, two adult Long-billed Dowitchers, a juv. Ruddy Turnstone, 43 Snowy Plovers, etc. (I didn't see the ~6 Wilson's Phalaropes others saw this weekend). The Yellow-crowned-ish Night-Heron was on its favorite log east (lagoon-wards) of the second footbridge. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Section of Ornithology Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Re: Peafowls LA County List From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:40:06 -0700 All, Re: the "listability" of peafowl on Palos Verdes. Common Peafowl is not on the California state list, even though there are a number of long-established but localized populations (including those on PV), and many more small local feral populations of peafowl throughout the state. The California Bird Records Committee is pretty conservative about adding non-native species onto the "official" state list (often an "exotic de jour" will boom then bust pretty quickly), and there is no move underway to add Common Peafowl to the list. The Los Angeles County bird list that Steve Sosensky posted on the LACoBirds yahoo site is an Exel file that Jean Brandt produced from a Word document I made after the recent AOU taxonomic revisions. I haven't checked the current version of the list on the L A Audubon site, but peafowl should be treated the same way. These lists are meant to include birds that one might encounter in the field in L. A. County, whether officially accepted to the state list or not. On this list, Common Peafowl and other non-accepted exotics should be listed in brackets, indicating they are not on the California state list. I've always maintained that listers can "count" anything they want, from escaped exotics to fossils to dreams. But if one wants one's list to be comparable to lists of others, then peafowl is not "listable" in Los Angeles County or anywhere in California. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Section of Ornithology Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org ________________________________ From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com on behalf of Raymond Schep Sent: Sat 8/28/2010 1:56 PM To: LACobirds Subject: [LACoBirds] Re: Peafowls LA County List My understanding is that the peafowl of Palos Verdes has always been listable, Tom, it is listed on the LA County bird list. So add the lifer to your list jump up and down and turn the AC up a notch cooler. See http://losangelesaudubon.org/images/storiespdf/fieldlistofthebirdsoflosangelescounty.pdf Raymond Schep Beverly Hills CA 90210 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: BB Sandpiper Directions From: d AT vidbell.com Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 19:33:58 +0000 In response to JB's request for directions: Take the Del Amo exit off the 710, which is the first exit north of the 405 Freeway. Turn onto Del Amo heading east (ie across the river). Take the first street to the south/right and park. Walk back along Del Amo to the river where there is a bike path. The bike path provides miles of excellent access to the river. I understand the bird has been seen both north and south of the Del Amo bridge, and also south of the blue line bridge which is about 1/2 mile south of Del Amo, so you will need to walk and scan. Dave Bell Newport Beach, CA Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Subject: RE: Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos From: "Jean Brandt" <jeanbrandt AT sbcglobal.net> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 10:20:55 -0700 Would somebody please tell us where this bird is being found and where to park and how to access the river? Four of us will try for it in the morning. Thanks, Jean -----Original Message----- From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dany Sloan Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 9:06 AM To: Thomasabenson AT aol.com Cc: lacobirds AT yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos The bird is present on the south side of the Del Amo bridge right now at 9 am. Several birders currently present Cheers Dany Sloan LA, CA On Aug 28, 2010, at 8:06 PM, Thomasabenson AT aol.com wrote: > I was able to get a few pics of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the Los Angeles River today (Aug 28) while I watched the bird between 2:30 and 3:45 PM today. A link to the photos is below. > > Tom Benson > San Bernardino, CA > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/40928097 AT N07/4936150077/ > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds Listowners: mailto:LACoBirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-normal AT yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links Subject: Re: Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos From: Dany Sloan <danymsloan AT gmail.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:05:40 -0700 The bird is present on the south side of the Del Amo bridge right now at 9 am. Several birders currently present Cheers Dany Sloan LA, CA On Aug 28, 2010, at 8:06 PM, Thomasabenson AT aol.com wrote: > I was able to get a few pics of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the Los Angeles River today (Aug 28) while I watched the bird between 2:30 and 3:45 PM today. A link to the photos is below. > > Tom Benson > San Bernardino, CA > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/40928097 AT N07/4936150077/ > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Buff-breasted at LA River From: Kevin Larson <cbirdr AT ca.rr.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 08:01:49 -0700 29 Aug I just got a call from Dick Barth. The Buff-breasted has moved south downriver a ways. He and Jim Lomax are looking at it this morning about mid-way between the Metro Blue Line crossing and the 405 freeway. Kevin Larson westchester On 8/28/10 11:35 AM, Kevin Larson wrote: > > Hi all, > > 28 Aug > > I just got a call from Jeff Boyd. He and Steve Morris have a > Buff-breasted Sandpiper along the Los Angeles River in Long Beach about > 150 yards north of Del Amo Blvd. near the concrete bench along the bike > path. > > Good luck! > Kevin Larson > Westchester > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: New file uploaded to LACoBirds From: "Mitch" <mitch AT utopianature.com> Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 09:25:51 -0500 Hi Steve, How ya doin'? Hope its all good! Any way you can e-mail me a copy of this file? LAAS ought to have a place where we can go to download it without being a member, registering, etc.. Thanks in advance if you can. Mitch File : /Checklists/LA County ChecklistAug2010.xls Uploaded by : stevesosensky Description : [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Re: Peafowls LA County List From: Raymond Schep <rayoohoo AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:56:54 -0700 (PDT) My understanding is that the peafowl of Palos Verdes has always been listable, Tom, it is listed on the LA County bird list.  So add the lifer to your list jump up and down and turn the AC up a notch cooler. See http://losangelesaudubon.org/images/storiespdf/fieldlistofthebirdsoflosangelescounty.pdf Raymond Schep Beverly Hills CA 90210 Subject: New file uploaded to LACoBirds From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com Date: 29 Aug 2010 04:54:46 -0000 Hello, This email message is a notification to let you know that a file has been uploaded to the Files area of the LACoBirds group. File : /Checklists/LA County ChecklistAug2010.xls Uploaded by : stevesosensky Description : You can access this file at the URL: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/files/Checklists/LA%20County%20ChecklistAug2010.xls To learn more about file sharing for your group, please visit: http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/groups/original/members/forms/general.htmlfiles Regards, stevesosensky Subject: Buff-breasted Sandpiper photos From: Thomasabenson AT aol.com Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 23:06:19 -0400 I was able to get a few pics of the Buff-breasted Sandpiper at the Los Angeles River today (Aug 28) while I watched the bird between 2:30 and 3:45 PM today. A link to the photos is below. Tom Benson San Bernardino, CA http://www.flickr.com/photos/40928097 AT N07/4936150077/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Buff-breasted Sandpiper still present From: d AT vidbell.com Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2010 00:48:29 +0000 When I arrived at the LA River just above Del Amo, Donna Bray had the bird in her scope. It is present now. Dave Bell Newport Beach, CA Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Subject: Osprey and Black Skimmer, Ballona 8/28 From: "melissah_slp" <melissah_slp AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:48:55 -0000 Earl Racine and I spotted the Osprey at the western end of Ballona Freshwater Marsh along Jefferson at around 10:15 this morning. After a few minutes, it flew towards Ballona Creek and we lost sight of it. Also, along the Ballona Creek bike path, on the north side of the creek, just west of the Marina freeway, a Black Skimmer was resting among the gulls at about 3 pm today. Melissa Haylock Culver City Subject: Solitary and Pectoral Sandpipers on LAR From: Ron Cyger <ron AT cyger.org> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 14:39:06 -0700 Birders, This morning on the LA River I had two Solitary Sandpipers, one about 100 meters south of Somerset, the second just on the south side of the Alondra overpass. The Pectoral Sandpiper was just north of Somerset. Take care, Ron Cyger Pasadena [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Indigo Bunting and Solitary Sandpipers, San Gabriel River From: larschmahl AT aol.com Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:30:24 EDT Hello fellow birders, Saturday morning, 28 August, I found a male Indigo Bunting along the east side of the San Gabriel River north of Whittier Blvd. The bird was in the first willow tree north of Whittier Blvd. It was actually in the exact same place as a few Indigos I found last year. Present also was a male Pin-tailed Whydah. Also, there were 3 Solitary Sandpipers on the same river between Whittier and Washington Blvds. The Solitarys were best observed from the bike path on the west side of the river. The basins are still dry and the county has begun scraping the vegetation. Thanks, Larry Schmahl Whittier [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Buff-breasted at LA River From: Kevin Larson <cbirdr AT ca.rr.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:35:44 -0700 Hi all, 28 Aug I just got a call from Jeff Boyd. He and Steve Morris have a Buff-breasted Sandpiper along the Los Angeles River in Long Beach about 150 yards north of Del Amo Blvd. near the concrete bench along the bike path. Good luck! Kevin Larson Westchester Subject: Loggerhead Shrike, Osprey, Ballona 8-27-10, 5pm From: "jonathan_coffin" <jonathan_coffin AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 07:26:30 -0000 I saw a juvenile Loggerhead Shrike and an Osprey both about at my eye level simultaneously from the gravel road at different distances on the south side of Ballona Creek Channel Estuary west of the Culver Bridge. The Loggerhead Shrike was on Tree Tobacco in a field just on the south side of the chainlink fence and the Osprey was on the concrete foot of what would have been the Red Line Crossing over Ballona Creek back in time. The dull looking Loggerhead Shrike had puffy down feathers where the wingbars would be. Jonathan Coffin Inglewood, Ca. Subject: Malibu Lagoon From: "wmszeliga" <wmszeliga AT hotmail.com> Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2010 03:39:09 -0000 I spent some time watching the great waves and the surfers this morning (8/27) at Malibu Lagoon. Highlights were 1 Brant ~100 Black Skimmer Ruddy Turnstone Willet Whimbrel 1 Dowitcher sp. Least Sandpiper Western Sandpiper Sanderling Snowy Plover ~6 Wilson's Phalarope Savannah Sparrow 1 Caspian Tern Forster's Tern Elegant Tern Royal Tern ~50 Black-bellied Plover I couldn't make any of the Black-bellied Plovers either American or Pacific and I didn't find the hybrid (or just plain ugly) Night-Heron or a Semipalmated Sandpiper. There was quite a crowd at the beach with the high surf, so some things were getting up and shuffling about often. Cheers, Walter Szeliga Santa Clarita, CA Subject: LA Audubon Society monthly meeting, September 8, 2010. From: Nick & Mary Freeman <mnfreeman AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:46:52 -0700 Hi Birders The general meetings for Los Angeles Audubon Society are resuming September 8, 2010 and you are cordially invited to attend, 7:30pm, Wednesday September 8, 2010 in Plummer Park, 7335 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046, room 1 in the West Hollywood Community Hall. Refreshments will be served at the bookstore after the presentation. Parking is available on the Santa Monica Blvd. entrance side to the south and the lot behind LAAS Bookstore on Fountain Ave. to the north. There is abundant on-street parking after 7:00pm on the south side of Santa Monica Blvd., across the street from Plummer Park and the West Hollywood Community Center. Tom Stephenson presents: "How Understanding Sonograms Can Help You Learn Bird Vocalizations" Recent technology has given us the ability to "see" into many heretofore invisible parts of the world. From X-Rays of broken bones, to CAT scans of the brain, modern technology reveals important and useful information about our world. Audio Spectrograms allow birders to "see" into bird songs and calls. Visualizing vocalizations in this way can be a powerful aid to learning difficult songs and calls. Tom Stephenson will present an explanation of Audio Spectrogram technology and show how it can help you learn vocalizations of difficult-to-distinguish species like the western thrashers, warblers and passerine call notes. Tom grew up birding in Ithaca under the tutelage of Arthur A. Allen and Peter Paul Kellogg. He has birded around the world, guided many birding groups, and recently has been invited by the Board of Tourism in Bhutan to train their local bird guides. Tom has written many articles on birding for periodicals including Birding and Bird Watcher’s Digest. He has given lectures and workshops for the Los Angeles Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and other birding organizations. Tom is an excellent speaker and his discussion will be quite enjoyable! Upcoming meetings for 2010: October: Scott Thomas & Pete Bloom “The Swainson’s Hawk Migration in Southern California” November: Bob Barnes "Kern River Valley/Southern Sierra Nevada Birds and Birding" December: Richard Tanner "The California Spotted Owl In the Mountains of Southern California" Upcoming trips are 8/29 Huntington Central Park/Bolsa Chica, 9/12 Ventura County Game Preserve, 9/18&19 Galileo Hills, 9/25 Piute Ponds. All trips are open for non-members and members alike; from beginning to advanced birders and our trips are geared around fun! For details see: http://losangelesaudubon.org/ Happy Birding! Mary Freeman Los Angeles Audubon Society Program Chair and Fieldtrip Leader Glendale, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ To Post a message, send it to: inlandcountybirds AT eGroups.com To Unsubscribe, send a blank message to: inlandcountybirds-unsubscribe AT eGroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inlandcountybirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inlandcountybirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: inlandcountybirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com inlandcountybirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: inlandcountybirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: LA Audubon Society monthly meeting, September 8, 2010. From: Nick & Mary Freeman <mnfreeman AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:46:52 -0700 Hi Birders The general meetings for Los Angeles Audubon Society are resuming September 8, 2010 and you are cordially invited to attend, 7:30pm, Wednesday September 8, 2010 in Plummer Park, 7335 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046, room 1 in the West Hollywood Community Hall. Refreshments will be served at the bookstore after the presentation. Parking is available on the Santa Monica Blvd. entrance side to the south and the lot behind LAAS Bookstore on Fountain Ave. to the north. There is abundant on-street parking after 7:00pm on the south side of Santa Monica Blvd., across the street from Plummer Park and the West Hollywood Community Center. Tom Stephenson presents: "How Understanding Sonograms Can Help You Learn Bird Vocalizations" Recent technology has given us the ability to "see" into many heretofore invisible parts of the world. From X-Rays of broken bones, to CAT scans of the brain, modern technology reveals important and useful information about our world. Audio Spectrograms allow birders to "see" into bird songs and calls. Visualizing vocalizations in this way can be a powerful aid to learning difficult songs and calls. Tom Stephenson will present an explanation of Audio Spectrogram technology and show how it can help you learn vocalizations of difficult-to-distinguish species like the western thrashers, warblers and passerine call notes. Tom grew up birding in Ithaca under the tutelage of Arthur A. Allen and Peter Paul Kellogg. He has birded around the world, guided many birding groups, and recently has been invited by the Board of Tourism in Bhutan to train their local bird guides. Tom has written many articles on birding for periodicals including Birding and Bird Watcher’s Digest. He has given lectures and workshops for the Los Angeles Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and other birding organizations. Tom is an excellent speaker and his discussion will be quite enjoyable! Upcoming meetings for 2010: October: Scott Thomas & Pete Bloom “The Swainson’s Hawk Migration in Southern California” November: Bob Barnes "Kern River Valley/Southern Sierra Nevada Birds and Birding" December: Richard Tanner "The California Spotted Owl In the Mountains of Southern California" Upcoming trips are 8/29 Huntington Central Park/Bolsa Chica, 9/12 Ventura County Game Preserve, 9/18&19 Galileo Hills, 9/25 Piute Ponds. All trips are open for non-members and members alike; from beginning to advanced birders and our trips are geared around fun! For details see: http://losangelesaudubon.org/ Happy Birding! Mary Freeman Los Angeles Audubon Society Program Chair and Fieldtrip Leader Glendale, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:CALBIRDS-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CALBIRDS Listowners: mailto:CALBIRDS-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:CALBIRDS-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:CALBIRDS-normal AT yahoogroups.com Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CALBIRDS/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CALBIRDS/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: CALBIRDS-digest AT yahoogroups.com CALBIRDS-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: CALBIRDS-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: LA Audubon Society monthly meeting, September 8, 2010. From: Nick & Mary Freeman <mnfreeman AT earthlink.net> Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:46:52 -0700 Hi Birders The general meetings for Los Angeles Audubon Society are resuming September 8, 2010 and you are cordially invited to attend, 7:30pm, Wednesday September 8, 2010 in Plummer Park, 7335 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046, room 1 in the West Hollywood Community Hall. Refreshments will be served at the bookstore after the presentation. Parking is available on the Santa Monica Blvd. entrance side to the south and the lot behind LAAS Bookstore on Fountain Ave. to the north. There is abundant on-street parking after 7:00pm on the south side of Santa Monica Blvd., across the street from Plummer Park and the West Hollywood Community Center. Tom Stephenson presents: "How Understanding Sonograms Can Help You Learn Bird Vocalizations" Recent technology has given us the ability to "see" into many heretofore invisible parts of the world. From X-Rays of broken bones, to CAT scans of the brain, modern technology reveals important and useful information about our world. Audio Spectrograms allow birders to "see" into bird songs and calls. Visualizing vocalizations in this way can be a powerful aid to learning difficult songs and calls. Tom Stephenson will present an explanation of Audio Spectrogram technology and show how it can help you learn vocalizations of difficult-to-distinguish species like the western thrashers, warblers and passerine call notes. Tom grew up birding in Ithaca under the tutelage of Arthur A. Allen and Peter Paul Kellogg. He has birded around the world, guided many birding groups, and recently has been invited by the Board of Tourism in Bhutan to train their local bird guides. Tom has written many articles on birding for periodicals including Birding and Bird Watcher’s Digest. He has given lectures and workshops for the Los Angeles Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy and other birding organizations. Tom is an excellent speaker and his discussion will be quite enjoyable! Upcoming meetings for 2010: October: Scott Thomas & Pete Bloom “The Swainson’s Hawk Migration in Southern California” November: Bob Barnes "Kern River Valley/Southern Sierra Nevada Birds and Birding" December: Richard Tanner "The California Spotted Owl In the Mountains of Southern California" Upcoming trips are 8/29 Huntington Central Park/Bolsa Chica, 9/12 Ventura County Game Preserve, 9/18&19 Galileo Hills, 9/25 Piute Ponds. All trips are open for non-members and members alike; from beginning to advanced birders and our trips are geared around fun! For details see: http://losangelesaudubon.org/ Happy Birding! Mary Freeman Los Angeles Audubon Society Program Chair and Fieldtrip Leader Glendale, CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds Listowners: mailto:LACoBirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-normal AT yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: LACoBirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com LACoBirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Pectoral n. of Alondra From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 20:24:28 -0000 Birders, Thurs 26 Aug This morning at the L.A.River there was a juv Pectoral Sandpiper just north of the Alondra Blvd bridge, foraging alone along the west wall. Richard Barth West Hollywood Subject: Los Angeles RBA - 26 August 2010 From: Jon Fisher <JonF60 AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 13:24:12 -0700 - RBA * California * Los Angeles RBA * August 26, 2010 * CALA1008.26 -Birds mentioned Brant Pacific Golden-Plover (Ventura County) Solitary Sandpiper Red Knot Semipalmated Sandpiper Baird’s Sandpiper Pectoral Sandpiper Bonaparte’s Gull Black Tern Black-throated Sparrow California Bird Records Committee: Report sightings on the rare bird report form: http://www.californiabirds.org/ Hotline: Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert Telephone Number: (323) 874-1318 E-mail reports to: Jon Fisher at JonF60 AT hotmail.com Coverage: Los Angeles County, Ventura County -Transcript This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, August 26. SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPERS, BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS and SOLITARY SANDPIPERS are being regularly reported along the lower LA River. Good places to check have been the following areas-- south of Rosecrans, south of Del Amo, and between Willow and Wardlow. Single PECTORAL SANDPIPERS were seen on the river south of Rosecrans and south of Del Amo on August 21. A RED KNOT was at the Lancaster Sewer Ponds on August 22 along with a single BAIRD’S SANDPIPER and three BONAPARTE’S GULLS. The ponds are just east of the 14 Freeway at Avenue D. Be sure to ask permission at the office before birding. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER was at Malibu Lagoon on August 21 and another was briefly along San Jose Creek well upstream from the San Gabriel River (adjacent to the Fry’s Electronics store) on August 22. A BLACK TERN was along the LA River between Willow and Wardlow on August 23 along with a continuing BRANT. An immature BLACK-THROATED SPARROW was at Crescenta Valley Park in La Crescenta on August 23. VENTURA COUNTY— At the Arnold Road sod farms on the Oxnard Plain was a PACIFIC-GOLDEN PLOVER present from August 21-24. This bird was near the end of Arnold Rd. on the right hand side. In the flooded fields at the end of Arnold were a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER on August 21 and a PECTORAL SANDPIPER on August 19. At the Santa Clara River Estuary on August 21, two BAIRD’S SANDPIPERS were present. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER was found near one of the flooded campsites near the day use parking area at McGrath on August 24. This report is sponsored by the Los Angeles Audubon Society. - end transcript Jon L Fisher Glendale, CA JonF60 AT hotmail.com EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds Listowners: mailto:LACoBirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-normal AT yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: LACoBirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com LACoBirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: LA County Pelagic Trip Report & Upcoming Trips in LA County From: "thunefeld" <sdbirdlover AT fastmail.fm> Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:26:50 -0000 Greetings, Participants on last week's sold out 48-hour trip aboard Grande, all of day 2 in the deep waters of L.A. County southwest of San Clemente Island, saw a San Diego Brown Booby at the Nine Mile Bank, Skuas, tropicbirds, Long-tailed Jaegers, Sabine's Gulls, Blue Whales, Pacific White-sided Dolphin, 4 species of Storm-Petrels and 4 amazingly awesome pods of seldom-seen-this-well Baird's Beaked Whales. The trip list and photos are posted at: http://www.socalbirding.com/tripreports/sandiegoaug16182010.html UPCOMING PELAGIC BIRDING ADVENTURES IN LA COUNTY Mon – Friday Sept 6-10. The Mercedes-Benz of Pelagic Trips aboard Searcher. Air-conditioned staterooms, 4 bathrooms, chef-prepared meals, wine, beer and ICE CREAM all included in cost. This trip has it all. Lunch over the Nine Mile Bank, wake up in the Channel Islands, wake up in two-mile deep water, cruise and chum past the San Juan seamount, wake up in the south-western most regions of the ABA. Still some spots available. http://www.socalbirding.com/trips/searchersep6102010.html Oct 2-4. In search of Cook's, Stejneger's, Mottled and Hawaiian Petrels – a 56-hour Deep Water Adventure to the San Juan Seamount and Patton Escarpment aboard Grande. Already half sold out. http://www.socalbirding.com/trips/sandiegooct242010.html W. Terry Hunefeld, Encinitas Life is short. Seabird often. In memory of Luke Cole and Mike San Miguel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aW8-13p-IE "Come on out with us to see what's out there." Southern California Seabirding Trips by: Buena Vista Audubon Society http://www.SoCalBirding.com Los Coronados Islands & Nine Mile Bank all the way to the edge of the Continental Shelf Subject: Baird's again s. of Del Amo From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 20:14:29 -0000 Birders, Wed 25 Aug This morning at LAR there was a juv Baird's Sandpiper in a peep flock south of Del Amo Blvd. One was seen in this spot for short periods on the 17th & 18th, maybe the same individual. BASA activity has been slow at the river thus far. Richard Barth West Hollywood Subject: Ballona Creek - Aug 24 From: Christopher Taylor <calbird AT kiwi.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 20:43:25 -0700 Nothing out of the ordinary to report but I had a flock of 10 Semipalmated Plovers along Ballona Creek. There were a few dozen Black-bellied Plovers roosting on the salt panne of the Wetlands. Lots of Least Sandpipers coming through. Had a lone Spotted Sandpiper with them. Also there were a half dozen Rose-ringed Parakeets in the palm trees above the lot of Del Rey Lagoon. http://www.kiwifoto.com/f/ballona_082410 -- Christopher Taylor Marina del Rey, CA Subject: Band-tailed Piegeon seen in West L.A. From: Birders2 AT aol.com Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 21:30:35 EDT Hi, From my point of view, it is an unusual year for Band-tailed Pigeons. We have had up to four at our feeder at one time over the last three or four weeks in the Beverly-wood area -- Pico-Beverly Drive. We also saw one along Pico around the area of the country club that is near Century City. Also, recently talked with Bob Shanman at his WildBird Store in Torrance ten days ago about our having the BTPI in our yard. He responded that Kimball was receiving reports of the birds in the flats of L.A. My guess is that there must be a food shortage along the Angeles Crest Highway, because of the fires. What ever the reason: It is great having them coming into our feeders. Great birding and find that next lifer, John (One of Birders2) John + Irma = 2, we are birders, too. John C. Le Vine Birders2 AT aol.com --- Los Angeles, CA -*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. ...I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. by Wendell Berry - The Peace of Wild Things -*-*-*-*-*--*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: juv Semipal Sand LAR s. of Rosecrans From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 23:58:25 -0000 Birders, Tues 24 Aug Another Semipal was found early this morning, this one in the flocks south of Rosecrans Ave. Richard Barth West Hollywood Subject: RE: Band-tailed Piegeon seen in La Habra Heights From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:26:17 -0700 Pat, Band-tailed Pigeons are expected almost anywhere these days, as the species continues to expand its breeding range into lowland areas with plantings of tall trees and trees and shrubs that produce seeds/fruits (oaks, ficus, elderberries, etc.). The only place the species remains scarce or absent is along the southern coast of the county, and (of course) on the deserts. A good illustration of the adaptable nature of this species is the presence of a significant resident population in the Los Angeles Civic Center (you almost can't miss them if you stand in front of the Metro station at 7th and Figueroa!). Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org -----Original Message----- From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Pat & Jeff Warner Sent: Tuesday, August 24, 2010 10:19 AM To: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [LACoBirds] Band-tailed Piegeon seen in La Habra Heights I have had a Band-tailed Pigeon at my bird bath several times over the past two weeks. I don't know how unusual it is to have this bird at this altitude, but I have not seen one here for about twenty years. Subject: Band-tailed Piegeon seen in La Habra Heights From: "Pat & Jeff Warner" <PatnJeff AT Keyway.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 10:18:58 -0700 I have had a Band-tailed Pigeon at my bird bath several times over the past two weeks. I don't know how unusual it is to have this bird at this altitude, but I have not seen one here for about twenty years. Pat Warner Pat & Jeff Warner 562-694-1637 La Habra Heights, CA 90631 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Western Screech Owl notes From: Nick & Mary Freeman <mnfreeman AT earthlink.net> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:04:25 -0700 Hi Birders Thanks to those who replied to my inquiry on Western Screech Owl encounters. So far, most of the replies have come in from the foothill communities. It also appears these owls are more common than I expected. Since Nick and I spent most of our time owling the Angeles Forest, we've not made intensive forays away from the mountains. I received replies even as far as the San Bernardino range. Our friend who lives in Studio City reports his Western Screech Owl roosts in a palm tree in the adjoining property and will spend a great deal of time calling from a non-native conifer at night. At times, he and his wife have watched it swoop in close to the ground a few feet from them. When we first experienced the owl in his yard, it was like clockwork - dusk fell and out popped the owl from the palm tree! I hope to continue to receive reports on Western Screech Owl "flatland" encounters, that is, away from the canyons and foothills. I'm also interested in Northern Saw-whet Owl reports on the coastal plain. One report came in from Calabasas about two years ago one December day. It appeared to have been a one day wonder. Garrett & Dunn "Birds of Southern California" list a few reports from the coastal areas and I've received a few reports from our high to low desert areas the past four or so years. We'll continue to survey the burn areas of the Crest and now that Saw-whet breeding is coming to an end, maybe we'll be lucky to locate more encounters within the burn site. It's going on one year since the Station Fire hit the Crest but it's exciting to see the regrowth in the forest. Happy and cool birding! Mary Freeman Glendale, CA Subject: Black Tern on LA River From: d AT vidbell.com Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2010 01:44:06 +0000 Today there was an imm Black Tern on the LAR between Willow and Wardlow. Also: 1 Brant (continuing) and 9 Wilson's Phalaropes. The Marbled Godwit present last week has apparently moved on. Dave Bell Newport Beach, CA Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry Subject: Palos Verdes Peafowl From: "thomasgezamiko" <thomas.miko AT verizon.net> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 22:18:10 -0000 Hi, There was a report on NPR this morning about the peacocks (and peahens) of Palos Verdes: http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPlayer.html?action=1&t=1&islist=false&id=129370699&m=129370717 (if the link doesn't work, copy and paste the parts without any spaces between them) BTW Are they countable, and if not, why not? Wouldn't they fit all of the same requirements for established exotics (self-sustaining, multi-generational etc.)? Tom Miko Claremont (where the AC is going full blast) Subject: Baird's LAR south of Wardlow From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 20:17:21 -0000 Birders, Mon 23 Aug This morning there was a juv. Baird's Sandpiper associating with a scattered flock of 350-400 peeps s. of the Wardlow bridge in Long Beach. Richard Barth West Hollywood Subject: Re: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) From: Dany Sloan <danymsloan AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:41:25 -0700 Kimball, Thanks for picking that out for me - I did mean adult and not male. Good birding Dany Sloan LA, CA On Mon, Aug 23, 2010 at 11:27 AM, Kimball Garrett wrote: > > > Dany, > > Dan Cooper has already weighed in on the unprecedented nature of a > Cactus Wren record at Pt. Dume (I've certainly never seen -- not > expected -- one there in 50+ visits over the last 35 years). But I > wanted to make a much more minor point regarding your Nutmeg Mannikin. > I know of no way of distinguishing males and females of this species in > the field, or even with specimens in hand (without dissection). So I > presume that by "male" you meant "adult" (in full chestnut, black and > white plumage) as opposed to the uniformly tan-colored juveniles. > > Kimball > > Kimball L. Garrett > Ornithology Collections Manager > Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County > 900 Exposition Blvd. > Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA > 213-763-3368 > kgarrett AT nhm.org > > > -----Original Message----- > From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto: > LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com ] On > Behalf Of Dany Sloan > Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 10:28 AM > To: LA County Birds > Subject: [LACoBirds] Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and > Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) > > Also noted one male NUTMEG MANNIKIN. > > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds Listowners: mailto:LACoBirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-normal AT yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: LACoBirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com LACoBirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: RE: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:27:32 -0700 Dany, Dan Cooper has already weighed in on the unprecedented nature of a Cactus Wren record at Pt. Dume (I've certainly never seen -- not expected -- one there in 50+ visits over the last 35 years). But I wanted to make a much more minor point regarding your Nutmeg Mannikin. I know of no way of distinguishing males and females of this species in the field, or even with specimens in hand (without dissection). So I presume that by "male" you meant "adult" (in full chestnut, black and white plumage) as opposed to the uniformly tan-colored juveniles. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org -----Original Message----- From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Dany Sloan Sent: Monday, August 23, 2010 10:28 AM To: LA County Birds Subject: [LACoBirds] Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) Also noted one male NUTMEG MANNIKIN. Subject: Re: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) From: "dan_cooper_90042" <dan_cooper_90042 AT yahoo.com> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:45:49 -0000 Dany- A cactus wren at Pt. Dume is certainly notable! There are no known populations between Pt. Mugu and Palos Verdes along the coast, and although Malibu is listed in the Calif. Partners-in-flight account for the "coastal" cactus wren (and perhaps elsewhere), I haven't been able to confirm the source for this information and it appears to have been included in error by one of the reviewers. Some of you may know that I and a team of volunteers (many of whom post regularly to this group) undertook a major survey for the species in L.A. County in 2009, supported by The Nature Conservancy and other groups. I'm still working (slowly) on the write-up for this effort, but as a future goal, we recommended immediate surveys in Ventura Co. (where virtually no published info exists) and the "upper Malibu coast" (e.g., Leo Carrillo area), since I suspect that this taxon moves along the outer coast during post-breeding dispersal. Your observation, as well as the current/historical distribution of the bird on west-facing, coastal slopes in our area, supports this. Folks - please keep tabs on this bird and let me know if you turn up other Malibu cactus wrens lurking around. Our coastal-slope population is every bit as imperiled as a lot of "officially" endangered species/populations out there, and observations like these are critical. Thanks, Dan Cooper San Gabriel www.cooperecological.com www.cooperecotours.com --- In LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com, Dany Sloan wrote: > > I saw a lot of typical birds, but a few things stand out. > > - SOLITARY SANDPIPER & HOODED ORIOLES (3 of them) AT LA River Del Amo > on Saturday. Also noted one male NUTMEG MANNIKIN. > - Another SOLITARY SANDPIPER at Malibu Lagoon State Beach - this was > near the bridge and the beach where all of the surfers are > > Also, I noted a CACTUS WREN at Point Dume as I was walking up the hill > to the overlook. This is the first time I have ever seen one here > (not that I've ever been more than 3 or 4 times). I know the coastal > populations are becoming more and more localized, so has any one else > noted these guys here? > > Lastly, thanks for all of the W. Screech-Owls tips - much appreciated > > Cheers, > Dany Sloan > Los Angeles, CA > Subject: Birding notes from this past weekend: LA River and Malibu (Cactus Wren, Solitarys) From: Dany Sloan <danymsloan AT gmail.com> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 10:27:46 -0700 I saw a lot of typical birds, but a few things stand out. - SOLITARY SANDPIPER & HOODED ORIOLES (3 of them) AT LA River Del Amo on Saturday. Also noted one male NUTMEG MANNIKIN. - Another SOLITARY SANDPIPER at Malibu Lagoon State Beach - this was near the bridge and the beach where all of the surfers are Also, I noted a CACTUS WREN at Point Dume as I was walking up the hill to the overlook. This is the first time I have ever seen one here (not that I've ever been more than 3 or 4 times). I know the coastal populations are becoming more and more localized, so has any one else noted these guys here? Lastly, thanks for all of the W. Screech-Owls tips - much appreciated Cheers, Dany Sloan Los Angeles, CA Subject: Re: La River Semipalmated, Solitary Sandpipers From: Steve Sosensky <Steve AT Sosensky.com> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 23:57:07 -0700 Sorry for the late update. I missed the Solitary between 8AM and 9:30, but had the Pectoral about 150 yards south of the Somerset bridge. Just north of the bridge for a short time were 14 Lesser Yellowlegs. At 02:22 PM 8/22/2010, Lori Conrad wrote: >Around 1PM, we finally managed to re-locate the Semipalmated Sandpiper on >the L.A. River just north of the Alondra Blvd bridge. Then we refound the >Solitary Sandpiper north of the Somerset bridge, about a third of the way to >Rosecrans. No sign of the Pectoral that was reported yesterday. Good birding, Steve Sosensky, SoCA Bird Guides www.sosensky.com/guides Nature Photos www.sosensky.com/nature_photos.htm Optics4Birding www.optics4birding.com Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 949-269-2161 33.56485 N, 117.72205 W Subject: The Beginner's Booklet of Common Los Angeles Birds is (Finally) Printed From: "walteralamb" <walter.lamb AT earthlink.net> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:53:07 -0000 I am very happy (and greatly relieved) to announce that this booklet is completed and available in print form. You can see an on-line sample here: http://www.birdsoflosangeles.com/ Please note that the web site is not complete but will eventually have a good deal of information on every bird found in the Los Angeles area. Special thanks to Eleanor Osgood for championing this book from start to finish as Chair of the now defunct Outreach Committee of Los Angeles Audubon. Also thanks to Bob Pann for translating the bird descriptions into Spanish, Don Sterba for photos and bird descriptions, Allan Kotin for photos, and Kimball Garrett for reviewing the book for general accuracy (see disclaimer below). Too many other people were helpful in creating this book to mention them all here, but every suggestion or encouraging e-mail was greatly helpful and appreciated. Thanks also to the Ballona Wetlands Land Trust for sponsoring this book at the last minute. The book is designed as an outreach tool for any local organization seeking to generate interest in birds. As such, the website to which the booklet points includes links to all of the local Audubon Societies. It is also permissible to add the website address of your non-profit environmental organization to the booklet via stamp, sticker or hand-writing. I have not yet finalized arrangements with the Land Trust for distributing the booklet to other organizations and to individuals, but it will likely involve a per booklet donation to offset printing and shipping costs (at most $2 per booklet). If you have an event for which you'd like some booklets, please contact me offline so that I can facilitate arrangements. Please note that this booklet is NOT intended to be a full field guide or a scientific document. Some bird descriptions trade accuracy for simplicity and the birds are in an order designed to balance easy to find birds like House Sparrow with "cool" birds like Red-tailed Hawk. The idea is just to get new people (especially inner city kids) interested enough to open their eyes to the presence of birds in their environment that they want to take their interest to the next level. Users of this book may not even own binoculars. The booklet is sized to fit in a standard shirt pocket or back pocket. Again, please contact me with questions or comments offline. Walter Lamb Culver City Subject: La River Semipalmated, Solitary Sandpipers From: "Lori Conrad" <lconrad AT roadrunner.com> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 14:22:48 -0700 Hi all Around 1PM, we finally managed to re-locate the Semipalmated Sandpiper on the L.A. River just north of the Alondra Blvd bridge. Then we refound the Solitary Sandpiper north of the Somerset bridge, about a third of the way to Rosecrans. No sign of the Pectoral that was reported yesterday. Lori & Mark Conrad Hermosa Beach [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Montane Species at Lupine Campground From: Lance Benner <lbenner AT charter.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 11:24:31 -0400 All, On Saturday afternoon Kathi Ellsworth and I spent some time at Lupine Campground in the far eastern edge of LA County. Here's what we found: 1 Red-tailed Hawk 5 Anna's Hummingbird 2 hummingbird sp. 9 Acorn Woodpecker 1 Williamson's Sapsucker 3 Hairy Woodpecker 2 White-headed Woodpecker 3 Northern Flicker 1 Olive-sided Flycatcher 11 Western Wood-Pewee 3 Dusky Flycatcher 3 Cassin's Vireo 5 Steller's Jay 5 Clark's Nutcracker 20 Mountain Chickadee 4 White-breasted Nuthatch 10 Pygmy Nuthatch 4 Brown Creeper 1 House Wren 18 Western Bluebird 3 Chipping Sparrow 1 Brown-headed Cowbird 2 Purple Finch 1 Cassin's Finch The elevation at Lupine Campground is about 6600 feet, and given that all the other Williamson's Sapsucker's and Clark's Nutcrackers we've found this summer were at elevations exceeding 8000 and 7000 feet, respectively, we were surprised to find those species so low. On the other hand, this is the highest elevation where I've found Cassin's vireos this summer. The cowbird was a fledgling that was vigorously begging for food from a much smaller bird that appeared to be a female purple finch. Lupine Campground is south of Wrightwood and about six miles past the Blue Ridge Campground. Regards, Lance Lance Benner Altadena, CA Subject: Lancaster sewage ponds From: Kumaran Arul <kumaranarul AT earthlink.net> Date: Sun, 22 Aug 2010 07:47:12 -0700 I stopped by a few spots in Lancaster yesterday afternoon with the kids. At the Lancaster sewage ponds on Ave. D, there was (1) RED KNOT at the eastern boundary nearby the ~(40) WILSON'S and (8) RED-NECKED PHALAROPES. (1) BAIRD'S SANDPIPER was with WESTERNS along the edge. Also present were (3) BONAPARTE'S GULLS. At Apollo Park in the wind, the tame transplants became the focus as we spent time with a Greater White-fronted Goose and Ross's Goose that were hanging out with the domestics. But the highlight for the kids were the tame White Tailed Antelope Squirrels hanging out in the parking lot. Kumaran Arul Santa Cruz, CA Subject: Canada Goose Movements in Southwest LA County and RFI From: Robert van de Hoek <robertvandehoek AT yahoo.com> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 17:57:24 -0700 (PDT) Greetings Birders, Although not rare, the local movement of a group of Canada Goose in Playa Del Rey and Ballona Wetlands seems worthy to note briefly with RFI. Last night, Friday (8-20-2010) at 7:45 pm after the sun had set, but the nearly full moon was giving light, a gaggle of 19 Canada Goose alighted in the shallow water of Del Rey Lagoon Park in Playa del Rey.  The geese flew in from the southeast, following the edge of the bluffs overlooking the Ballona Wetlands.  They appeared to have come from Earvin Magic Johnson Recreation Area in the Watts/Compton area, where there is a growing population of Canada Goose raising families.  And right now, young geese can fly and follow parents on extended flights to nearby urban lakes and tidal lagoons apparently. Early this morning, Saturday (8-21-2010) at 6:35am, after the sun had just risen over the horizon, all of the 19 Canada Goose departed north out of the Del Rey Lagoon, then suddenly turned easterly along Ballona Creek, disappearing into the low fog near the Culver/Jefferson Boulevard intersection.  They appeared to be heading southeasterly, perhaps going to Earvin Magic Johnson Recreation Area.  It would appear that they would be crossing the flightpath of descending flights of planes into LAX Airport near Inglewood? Just three days ago, on Wednesday (8-18-2010) at approximately 6:40 am, while driving to work on the freeway, I observed a group of 19 Canada Goose flying northbound across the 105 Freeway near Avalon, which is very close to Earvin Magic Johnson Recreation Area.  The northward flight of these geese appeared to be taking them toward the LA River, Echo Park, or perhaps toward the Sepulveda Recreation Area, unless they veered due west toward Ballona Wetlands and Playa Del Rey. I have heard other birders tell me about seeing groups of Canada Goose over the city of Inglewood. Any thoughts or additional observations of flight patterns of Canada Goose in this area would be of interest to me, and perhaps others on the list serve?  And the observations might elucidate further the local movements of the urban Canada Goose in Los Angeles County. "Roy"Robert van de Hoek, Conservation BiologistBallona InstituteLos Angeles (Playa Del Rey), CA [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: (unknown) From: Mark Scheel <scheel AT tapir.caltech.edu> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:21:13 -0700 (PDT) Hello, This morning Aug 21 Darren Dowell, Frank and Susan Gilliland and I went down to the LA River. We found a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper just north of the Alondra bridge. In addition, a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was between Rosecrans and Somerset. We ran into Jon Fisher, who pointed out a Solitary Sandpiper in the same area as the Pectoral. A bit later we found another Pectoral Sandpiper, this one an adult (late?), just south of the Compton Creek inlet, south of Del Amo. Good Birding, Mark Scheel Sierra Madre, CA Subject: LAR Aug 21: Semi Sand, Pec, Solitary From: Mark Scheel <scheel AT tapir.caltech.edu> Date: Sat, 21 Aug 2010 13:39:31 -0700 (PDT) Hello, This morning Aug 21 Darren Dowell, Frank and Susan Gilliland and I went down to the LA River. We found a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper just north of the Alondra bridge. In addition, a juvenile Pectoral Sandpiper was between Rosecrans and Somerset. We ran into Jon Fisher, who pointed out a Solitary Sandpiper in the same area as the Pectoral. A bit later we found another Pectoral Sandpiper, this one an adult (late?), just south of the Compton Creek inlet, south of Del Amo. Good Birding, Mark Scheel Sierra Madre, CA Subject: juv Semipal Sand @LAR Somerset From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 21:40:48 -0000 Birders, Fri 20 Aug The peep numbers seem to be growing now at the river. This morning there were decent flocks in Paramount between Alondra and Somerset and at the Rosecrans pipe bridge; also between Clara and Florence in Cudahy. I saw a juvenile Semipalmated Sandpiper just south of the Somerset bridge. Here are four (poor, typical for me) photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rbarth Richard Barth West Hollywood Subject: Re: Re: Malibu Lagoon highlights, 15 August From: Chuck & Lillian <misclists AT att.net> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 13:12:09 -0700 Santa Monica Bay Audubon Society has sighting records of their monthly Malibu Lagoon walks going back about 30 years (which were made available to Dan for his annotated lagoon checklist). These records don't attempt to document each and every bird ever seen at the lagoon by anyone on any day, nor even every bird present only on the days of the birdwalk. They record only what we saw on our walks from the first footbridge out to the beach and occasionally Adamson House. As such, they provide a pretty good longitudinal study of the same portion of the same area, year-round, over many years. Now that our chapter has a blog-email reporting system rather than a regular monthly newsletter, we offer much more and more timely information to our members and to anyone else who wants to sign up (no cost). Our report and trip list for July 25, 2010 is: http://smbasblog.wordpress.com/2010/07/25/field-trip-report-25-july-2010-malibu-lagoon/ Within the July 2010 report there are links to our Jan-June 2010 and July-Dec 2009 sightings lists. (Structural limitations of the blog prevents getting more than 6 months data into any one table). I plan to continue reporting our findings in this format. I agree that 110 Black Skimmers is an extraordinary number. From Dec. 2002 thru July 2010, we've recorded 96 skimmers total over 11 occasions, as follows: 12/22/02 - 1 02/23/03 - 2 07/25/04 - 2 02/26/06 - 1 03/26/06 - 1 01/31/08 - 8 01/25/09 - 30 01/24/10 - 6 02/28/10 - 5 06/27/10 - 5 07/25/10 - 35 08/15/10 - 110 (K.Garrett) A clear growth in numbers and frequencies there. I hope they're still there this coming Sunday when we do our monthly lagoon birdwalk. The presence of an egg is barely short of astonishing. Only the presence of an island on which people do not walk could permit this to occur, and it's been over 10 years since there has been such an island. Unfortunately, all island(s) and general beach patterns are temporary at Malibu, subject to the next big rainstorm and water coming down the creek, which always "blows out" the beach. Chuck Almdale North Hills, Ca. Prior to Jan 2008 when 8 birds appeared, they were in one's and twos. The next sighting was Jan 2009 - 30 birds. At 02:25 PM 8/15/2010, dan_cooper_90042 wrote: >In 2006 I put together an annotated checklist of bird of the lagoon (http://www.cooperecological.com/birds_of_malibu_lagoon_8_06.htm) based on about a year of regular surveys I did for the pre-restoration monitoring in 2005, drawing from the Kiff and Nakamura list you reference, and from various field notes (incl. yours) and internet posts. Obviously, things change quickly, and lists go out of date, esp. when it comes to expanding species like Black Skimmer. > >Skimmers had a few good years in the 1990s and we've had scattered reports of singles or small pre- and post-breeding flocks at the lagoon since then, but a triple-digit count shatters earlier tallies I'm aware of. The nesting record you describe points out what the addition of a little sandy island can to even for a constrained site like Malibu. > >As for the sparrows, my review (and observations) for the 2006 checklist turned up no supported records of Belding's, but given how few people 1) can confidently identify this taxon away from its breeding areas in summer, and 2) would bother to report it to a county-wide list like this, it may be that it has occurs (or occurred) more regularly. (I think a Large-billed Savannah Sparrow was reported recently from the lagoon - by Jon Fisher? - so this is another possibility for folks to watch for this fall). At Ballona, some post-breeding movement is evident, esp. from July on, and seeing as these birds are probably adapted to exploiting ephemeral pockets of saltmarsh up and down the coast, they might move more than we realize, especially in years with productive local breeding. > >Good birding, > >Dan Cooper >San Gabriel [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Grant and Scholarship Availability Announcement From: Ron Cyger <ron AT cyger.org> Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:22:18 -0700 I apologize for cross-posting. Pasadena Audubon Society (PAS) is a non-profit corporation whose mission is "to bring the excitement of birds to our community through birding, education and conservation" To help us meet this mission statement, PAS is announcing the availability of funds for grants, donations and scholarships to be awarded on December 15, 2010. Three categories of proposals will be considered: 1. Scholarships to help support Pasadena area residents to study ornithology or to attend conferences, classes, or workshops. 2. Research grants for collecting data on birds, birding, habitat conservation, and education. 3. Grants and donations for projects or organizations that have missions similar to those of PAS. Proposals should be emailed to the chair of the grants committee at grants AT pasadenaaudubon.org by October 15, 2010. Awards will be announced on December 15, 2010. Details of proposal requirements/review criteria can be found at www.pasadenaaudubon.org/grants/. Thanks, Ron Cyger - Pasadena Audubon Society [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Osprey at Ballona Creek Estuary From: Robert van de Hoek <robertvandehoek AT yahoo.com> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:43:12 -0700 (PDT) Hi Birders,   An Osprey was observed this morning (August 19 at 11am), in flight, soaring and banking over the Ballona marsh lands, but no dips into the water for fish prey.  The Osprey was flying from Del Rey Lagoon in Playa del Rey, then over Ballona Creek, over the sloughs and salt marsh, there gaining altitude quickly on the hot rising air of our heat wave in Los Angeles County, then toward the edge of salt flats, back to Ballona Creek, then further up the tidal Ballona Creek to Lincoln Boulevard.  Two other Osprey were observed as this Osprey approached the Lincoln Boulevard bridge over Ballona Creek.   There were fish in Ballona Creek, as there were Brown Pelican and Caspian Tern hunting in the urbanized estuary of Ballona Creek, yet I saw no Osprey go into the water.   "Roy" Robert van de Hoek Ballona Institute Los Angeles (Playa del Rey), CA   [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Los Angeles RBA - 19 August 2010 From: Jon Fisher <JonF60 AT hotmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 16:10:48 -0700 - RBA * California * Los Angeles RBA * August 19, 2010 * CALA1008.19 -Birds mentioned Yellow-crowned x Black-crowned Night-Heron Solitary Sandpiper Wandering Tattler Semipalmated Sandpiper Baird’s Sandpiper Ruff (Ventura County) Black Skimmer White-winged Dove (Ventura County) Loggerhead Shrike Plumbeous Vireo Bank Swallow California Gnatcatcher “Belding’s” Savannah Sparrow California Bird Records Committee: Report sightings on the rare bird report form: http://www.californiabirds.org/ Hotline: Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert Telephone Number: (323) 874-1318 E-mail reports to: Jon Fisher at JonF60 AT hotmail.com Coverage: Los Angeles County, Ventura County -Transcript This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for Thursday, August 19. The night-heron at Malibu Lagoon now appears to be a hybrid, looking much like a YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON, but showing a number of intermediate characters. This bird was reported through August 15. A WANDERING TATTLER was found at an odd location, along the LA River south of the Del Amo crossing, from August 17-18. Several SOLITARY SANDPIPERS were reported, with one continuing along the LA River by the Rosecrans pipe bridge through August 14. Another was seen briefly on the Rio Hondo south of the Garvey crossing on August 15 and one was along the LA River south of Del Amo on August 18. A SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was south of the Artesia crossing on the LA River on August 13 and another was south of the Florence crossing on August 16. A continiung SEMIPALMATED SANDPIPER was at Malibu Lagoon through August 15. Also on the LA River was a BAIRD’S SANDPIPER north of the Rosecrans pipe bridge on August 15. It was later seen south of Del Amo on August 18. A LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE (juvenile) near Ballona Creek on August 13 was the first reported on the coastal slope this season. It was seen north of Ballona Creek and west of Lincoln. A PLUMBEOUS VIREO was at Legg Lake in South El Monte on August 15. This bird was singing in sycamores at the northeast corner of north Legg Lake. Along the LA River, a BANK SWALLOW was seen on the power lines below the RR bridge on August 13. This location is south of Del Amo at the Dominguez Gap Wetlands. Wandering from local breeding areas was a CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER near the Whittier Narrows Nature Center on August 15. It was seen near the “Lake Trail” sign about 200 yards southwest of the N.C. Several BELDING’S SAVANNAH SPARROWS were present on the small island at Malibu Lagoon on August 15, indicating some dispersal away from breeding areas. Also of interest at the lagoon was an unattended egg belonging to a BLACK SKIMMER, representing the first nesting attempt by any larid here in many years. VENTURA COUNTY— A juvenile RUFF was reported at the Santa Clara River Estuary on August 16. A SOLITARY SANDPIPER was seen from the end of Arnold Road on August 17 and a WHITE-WINGED DOVE was on the Mugu NAS border fence nearby. This report is sponsored by the Los Angeles Audubon Society. - end transcript Jon L Fisher Glendale, CA JonF60 AT hotmail.com EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at http://www.laaudubon.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds Listowners: mailto:LACoBirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-normal AT yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: LACoBirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com LACoBirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Re: Western Screech Owl occurences From: Dany Sloan <danymsloan AT gmail.com> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:58:08 -0700 Sort of on the same topic here, personally I'd love to know where to find Western Screech-Owls within the county, as it would be a life bird for me. Since my time in Los Angeles and on the west coast will be limited to another year or two, I'd like to try to see some of these western specialties while I am here. Apologies for highjacking this thread, but I feel that my question fits right in with the more specific concern/question that's been previously addressed. Cheers, Dany Sloan Los Angeles, CA On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 10:40 AM, Nick & Mary Freeman < mnfreeman AT earthlink.net> wrote: > > > Hi birders > > My friend who has had the joy of having a Western Screech Owl in his > backyard in Studio City since March, has recently reported his > friend having one in her backyard in Woodland Hills. I'm still > waiting for ours in our lone sycamore tree outside our balcony! Larry > Allen and I had a discussion on this and since a few historic areas > of riparian exist in the "flatlands", how many have been located > outside of canyons and foothills? Nick and I have been taking owl > surveys of the burned area of the Angeles Forest and in late July, we > located numerous screech owls within the burn area. I received a > recent report of a Northern Saw-whet Owl near the Mt. Wilson Road > burned area, good news! But so far, we've come across many Western > Screech. Is this owl species coming down to the flatlands due to last > year's Station Fire? We've noticed a lot of regrowth in the forest > on the Crest though. I'm wondering if anyone has found them away > from riparian areas, perhaps backyard settings in the valley such as > the one in Studio City? > > Mary Freeman > Glendale, CA > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Unsubscribe: mailto:LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com Website: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds Listowners: mailto:LACoBirds-owner AT yahoogroups.com For vacation suspension of mail go to the website. Click on Edit My Membership and set your mail option to No Email. Or, send a blank email to these addresses: Turn off email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-nomail AT yahoogroups.com Resume email delivery: mailto:LACoBirds-normal AT yahoogroups.comYahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LACoBirds/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: LACoBirds-digest AT yahoogroups.com LACoBirds-fullfeatured AT yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: LACoBirds-unsubscribe AT yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/ Subject: Western Screech Owl occurences From: Nick & Mary Freeman <mnfreeman AT earthlink.net> Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:40:33 -0700 Hi birders My friend who has had the joy of having a Western Screech Owl in his backyard in Studio City since March, has recently reported his friend having one in her backyard in Woodland Hills. I'm still waiting for ours in our lone sycamore tree outside our balcony! Larry Allen and I had a discussion on this and since a few historic areas of riparian exist in the "flatlands", how many have been located outside of canyons and foothills? Nick and I have been taking owl surveys of the burned area of the Angeles Forest and in late July, we located numerous screech owls within the burn area. I received a recent report of a Northern Saw-whet Owl near the Mt. Wilson Road burned area, good news! But so far, we've come across many Western Screech. Is this owl species coming down to the flatlands due to last year's Station Fire? We've noticed a lot of regrowth in the forest on the Crest though. I'm wondering if anyone has found them away from riparian areas, perhaps backyard settings in the valley such as the one in Studio City? Mary Freeman Glendale, CA Subject: Tattler From: "Brad" <bcsinger AT gmail.com> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:31:17 -0000 Posted a couple of photos of the Tattler, now identified as a juvenile Wandering. Brad Singer Lake Arrowhead http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/4905291114/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcsinger/4904701321/ Subject: An addendum to my posting of my Blue Gray Gnatcatcher report, this past Sunday 8-14-10, and somrthing else From: john small <joutandabout AT yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:45:33 -0700 (PDT) Good early evening LA Co Birders. In my original posting of the Blue Gray Gnatcatchers. At the tail end of posting, I inadvertently typed in I hope that my posting was a waste of time. What I truly meant to say was I hope that my posting WAS NOT a waste of time. Unfortunately I unintentionally left out (not). On a far more serious note, birders who often bird Henninger Flats, and birders who've never birded there, but who would like to one day in the near future should be seriously advised. The switch back trail which runs between the Mt. Wilson trail down the trail that runs to the waterfall is dangerously eroded in many spots, and should be seriously avoided. One wrong slip and serious injury or worse could occur.  It would not surprise me, if the next big rain hits, the trail would be washed out completely was out, as was the case with at least 2 sections of Mt. Wilson trail over 5 years ago. And look how long it took for the repairs to that to happen. For area birders unfamiliar with Eaton Canyon Nature Center/Henninger Flats area in the Altadena, near Pasadena CA, there is a trail that runs past the nature center to the a bridge near a waterfall. I am currently not sure what general direction the trail runs, but I'm sure some one at the nature center or someone from Pasadena Audubon may be able to assist unfamiliar birders whom wish to one day bird there. Taking this trail will most likely take longer, but it will most likely be a lot safer. I just thought put this in as a safety warning. Thank You Good Birding John Small Torrance, CA P.S: I don't know how long it        will be before I can get to         my personal e-mail, but         birders can respond AT         my work work e-mail         AT john_small AT toyota.com [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Los Angeles River From: "georgebedafort" <Bedafort900 AT aol.com> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 22:24:38 -0000 Birders, I visited the LA River today at about lunch time to see the tattler. Dick Barth and others had the bird "nailed-down" below Del Amo. It was cooperative, unlike yesterday apparently, and we fairly quickly agreed that it was a juvenile Wandering Tattler. I was able to get some good photographs and have deposited them in a new folder labeled Los Angeles River. Enjoy! Brian Daniels Long Beach, Los Orangeless County Subject: LAR this morning From: "richardbarth38" <busyday AT ca.rr.com> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 23:33:04 -0000 Birders, Wed 18 Aug The confusing tattler south of Del Amo has now been judged to be a Wandering. The juv Baird's from yesterday was not seen early this morning but showed up again south of Del Amo just before noon. A juv Solitary Sandpiper was under the freight RR bridge early. Our tattler became very confiding this morning after being restless and virtually unapproachable yesterday (probably it's day of arrival). Today it moved around much less and eventually settled in along the east (near) wall of the river where it foraged and posed for almost two hours. We were able to study the bird extensively. First of all, we could see fresh delicately-fringed feathers on the wing coverts and a soft neat pattern on the upper back, indicating a juvenile and not a basic adult as I reported yesterday. Features like number of primary tips showing past the tertials and the length of the nasal grooves came into play. We even saw a bit of gray forming on the sides at the line of the folded wing (perhaps the slow development of gray on the sides is characteristic of some juveniles). A Wandering Tattler staying on the river for a second day and not proceeding to a rocky shore habitat is of some interest. Noone heard the bird vocalize. Birders on hand to help with the ID this morning were Brad Singer, Steve Turley, Jeff Boyd and Brian Daniels. Richard Barth West Hollywood Subject: Re:Re: Malibu Lagoon highlights, 15 August From: scre AT aol.com Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 18:47:43 -0400 (EDT) I found the recent comments on Beldings Savannah Sparrows at Malibu Lagoon interesting. Ive seen them in Ventura County at the Santa Clara River Mouth in similar habitat (coastal dunes, habitat that seemed better for Large-billed) and assumed they were dispersing birds (early fall, but I cant remember if they were adults or young birds). I have only had them a couple of times and I dont think they have breed at this location either. I have also seen them in non breeding habitat on the Oxnard Plain (but this was within a couple miles of breeding habitat), so I would guess that they do, do some local movements after breeding. It would be interesting to see how much local movements they make, and if they are adults or young, along with if they do it every year or just some years. There is still so much for us to learn. Good birding David Vander Pluym Currently in San Jose Costa Rica [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: Tattler update - almost certainly Wandering From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 11:05:40 -0700 Folks, More people are now looking at the lower L A River tattler and the consensus is emerging that it is a Wandering (long nasal groove, no pale supercilium behind eye, uppertail coverts not paler than back, etc.). The bird has still not called. So I apologize for any false alarms (the bird looked pretty pale to me and others in the posted photos). Although you may well want to bird that stretch of the river and a study juvenile tattler (and other shorebirds), it should no longer be considered a twitch for a potential Gray-tailed. KLG Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Subject: RE: Western Kingbirds From: "Kimball Garrett" <kgarrett AT nhm.org> Date: Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:18:56 -0700 David, Regarding your "summer" Western Kingbirds, it's mainly an issue of semantics. Your birds are fall migrants, and can be rather common and widespread beginning in early August. In fact, the "fall" migration of Western Kingbirds is largely over by the true beginning of fall (~22-23 September). For birds, in other words, the "seasons" as defined by humans based on the relationship of our sun to the Earth's orbit and axis tilt don't correspond very well to our notions of "spring migration" and "fall migration." Shorebirds are a good example: the first "fall migrant" Wilson's Phalaropes can sometimes appear before the summer solstice, and are therefore technically arriving in "spring." Now if you're seeing more "fall migrant" kingbirds this August than in August of other years, there may be other explanations based on kingbird breeding success, local foraging (and perching) opportunities, weather patterns, etc. Kimball Kimball L. Garrett Ornithology Collections Manager Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA 213-763-3368 kgarrett AT nhm.org -----Original Message----- From: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com [mailto:LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of David Ellsworth Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2010 9:02 PM To: LACoBirds AT yahoogroups.com Subject: [LACoBirds] Western Kingbirds Hi Birders, Maybe this is typical in other parts of LA County, but I've never seen so many Western Kingbirds in the summer (i.e. the last four summers, starting in 2006).