Contributors: BB, Bob Beckler; SC, Scott Cox; JI, John Ivanov; JJ, Jerry Johnson; KL, Kevin Larson; DM, David Moody.

Abbreviations: FOF, first of fall; BP, Banning Park, HP, Harbor Park; LAR, Los Angeles River; MM, Madrona Marsh.

Pardon the brevity of this column, but time is short and my editor is breathing down my neck. I'll wrap up a few loose ends from the summer season and take a first look at this year's incredible fall migration.

Interesting, and not reported here before, was a Parula Warbler I found at Vincent Gap on the Angeles Crest Highway, 6/25. Luckily, my wife, JI and KL also got to see it.

The FOF Belted Kingfisher arrived at HP 7/24 along with a Townsend's Warbler. On 8/7, Western Tanager, Black-throated Gray, Wilson's and MacGillivray's Warblers were all there. Then, on 8/19, a Solitary Sandpiper flew over the parched lower wetland and just kept on going. I wonder why we can't cut a low-flow, one-foot wide channel in the dam, with a flood gate for control, so that we can keep a few feet of water in the "marsh." That way, we could maintain at least a small wet spot below the dam for water birds. This would also allow the pouring off of algal blooms before they cause fish kills, such as the disaster this year that left thousands of fish dead around the lake.

There were 3 Cattle Egrets and a Nuttall's Woodpecker on our 8/20 walk to LAR. Then at Point Vicente that afternoon, we saw 3 Pink-footed Shearwaters, 3 Murrelet sp. and, about a mile out, 6 geese going south, and they were NOT Brant! On 8/26, at LAR below the Del Amo crossing, I saw 2 Bobolink, 2 Baird's Sandpipers (plus another at Willow St.).

There was a good fallout of migrants on 8/27. Western Tanager, Black-headed Grosbeak, 2 Wilson's and a Nashville Warbler, Warbling Vireo, 2 Pacific-slope and a Dusky Flycatcher were all at Averill Park. In the afternoon, at Long Point, 3 Long-billed Curlews and 3 Sooty Shearwaters flew by. Then, at sundown, came a Black Swift!

I have already reported the Magnificent Frigatebird off Hermosa Beach 8/31 (KL), but it's worth repeating.

September at BP opened with a bang on 9/2 with a Virginia's Warbler (KL) which stayed until 9/5. On 9/4, I photographed a bird that, when KL saw the pix, got the same reaction from him that the bird got from my wife when she saw it, "There's nothing around the eye."  Well, what do you expect from an adult female Mourning Warbler! An hour after I saw it, JJ was there, but didn't see it. Instead, he discovered a Red-eyed Vireo which I had missed! Also on 9/4, SC spotted a Northern Waterthrush in Torrance, and DM saw a Calliope Hummingbird at MM. At BP the next day, I saw a Dusky Flycatcher. There, on 9/8, BB had what was probably a Northern Waterthrush. KL turned up another Virginia's Warbler at HP on 9/9. That day, at Wilmington Drain north of HP, I found an Indigo with at least 6 Lazuli Buntings, as well as a Blue Grosbeak. Late in the afternoon, KL spotted some dark swifts way up at Friendship Park, 16+ Black with a single White-throated Swift! We also found 2 Pacific Rattlesnakes there!

On a non-avian note, DM reports that bats were in Redondo Beach in August. I had them here (Torrance) also, several times this summer. I've also heard of the first modern Pacific Newt record on the hill this summer.

Well, the fall crescendo is fading fast into Christmas Bird Count season (Dec. 17- see back page). Please leave a message on my voice mail at (310) 538-4803 if you can help out this year. Meanwhile, get out there and cut a slice of the excitement. Stake out those "count birds." Bird till it hurts!

But, as always, think global, bird local!

This page is part of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society website.