The recent drift off course by the Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) for the Palos Verdes Peninsula appears to have been checked. In a meeting with the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, the agencies (Cal. Fish and Game, US Fish and Wildlife) expressed concern that the latest habitat reserve design would not be workable, and the City representatives who have been leading the design effort now appear to agree. Simultaneously, there are developments proposed in Rolling Hills Estates which may serve to bring that city into the NCCP process, too. These recent events give hope that the NCCP can  succeed in preserving a viable portion of our coastal sage scrub habitat for the future.

The agencies summarized their concerns in a letter which echoes those published in the last issue of Hummin' and in extensive comments to the NCCP design submitted by the California Native Plant Society and the Endangered Habitats League. The most heartening aspect of the agencies' letter was the stress laid on one NCCP fundamental: designing development around crucial habitat areas, rather than trying to squeeze bits of habitat into the layout of hypothetical development schemes. The agencies found puzzling the willingness of the City, as indicated in the last proposed NCCP design alternative, to leave significant areas under public ownership out of the design. Another factor pressed by the agencies is the development risk inherent in landslide areas which can be minimized by dedicating them to passive uses, such as the NCCP. Also noted was the lack of entitlement on virtually all of the properties that the "environmentally preferred" alternative includes, but the City's "preferred alternative" excluded.

The NCCP offers the peninsula hope for a vital habitat reserve which cannot be achieved through other means. If all participating parties hold a broad vision for the future, the resources can be assembled to make the NCCP a success.

This is the time of year when anti-environment legislators in Washington are intensifying their assault on America' natural heritage by surreptitiously tacking on ecologically harmful riders to appropriations bills. Such riders are subjected to little Congressional scrutiny and limited public comment so that they bypass the normal legislative process. The President is forced to make the tough decision whether to veto a bill that funds important government programs just to stop one or more provisions that are attached to it.

The latest round of riders attacks almost every form of environmental protection, and is so egregious that anyone with a green conscience must contact President Clinton as soon as possible. Tell him that he must stop these "stealth attacks" on hard-won environmental protections by vetoing all appropriations bills that have anti-environmental riders attached to them.

One rider that is particularly obnoxious prohibits the use of federal funds to reduce carbon dioxide and other pollutants that contribute to global warming until Senate approval of the Kyoto Protocol. Of course, such approval is nowhere in sight! Related to this is a rider that hinders efforts to evaluate the effects of climate change by limiting independent research.

As in the past, there are many riders that promote timber harvesting at the expense of wildlife habitat. Section 329, introduced by Senator Slade Gorton (R-WA), would remove the requirement that the Forest Service conduct wildlife surveys prior to approving logging activities. Senator Robb (D-VA) had introduced an amendment to strike Section 329, but the Senate voted it down. "The Senate chose ignorance over science-based management," said Dan Beard, Audubon's Senior Vice President for Public Policy. He added, "Ignorance is bliss if it facilitates logging." A second disappointment was the failure of the Bryan amendment, which would have redistributed funds from the Forest Service Timber Sale program to its environmental one. Other timber industry riders in the Dept. of Interior Appropriations bill (S 1292 and HR 2466) would:

u Halt the revision process for future national forest planning by limiting funding, possibly pressuring the Forest Service to formulate new regulations without careful scientific review.

v Allow funds intended for roads and trails to be used to "improve forest health conditions." This is a euphemism for promoting logging that the timber industry has been pushing.

w Provide economic incentives for logging ancient red cedar in the southern Tongass National Forest in Alaska. Such timber harvesting will threaten brown bear and wolf habitat in the largest wilderness area left in the US on public lands.

The Transportation Bill (HR 2084) includes a rider that would ban the Dept. of Transportation from updating the Corporate Average Fuel Economy Standards, which have not been adjusted since 1985. Improving fuel economy is badly needed to reduce fuel consumption as well as the emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

There is even a rider targeting wetlands in the Energy and Water Appropriations Bill (HR 2605). This would indefinitely extend the existence of Nationwide Permit 26, which allows development on wetlands. Environmentalists, and even the Army Corps of Engineers, are currently trying to replace NWP 26 with one that better protects the environment. Another rider would set up a bureaucratic roadblock to limiting wetlands development by instituting a new and expensive appeals process for the Corps.

Please contact President Clinton to express your concerns about the damage that these hostile attacks could do to our forests, wetlands, rivers, reserves and wildlife. They undermine essential safeguards for public health and for the natural resources we all share. Urge President Clinton to hold firm and to veto any bill with anti-environment riders attached.

President William Clinton

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

Washington, DC 20500

(202) 456-1111

president@whitehouse, gov

Bob Brister, Outreach Coordinator for the Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign, brings his slide show, "Saving Sierra Forests," to our November 30th meeting at SCBG. The show portrays the Sierra Nevada forest ecosystem and recommends new management practices to protect the ancient forests, forested watersheds, and biologically sensitive areas of the Sierra Nevada. This is especially timely in light of the Forest Service regional Sierra Nevada management plan revision process currently underway. This process will affect logging and forest protection in the Sierra Nevada for years to come.

Bob Brister, takes the slide show to environmental and campus groups around California and western Nevada. He previously served in Texas as regional organizer for the National Wildlife Federation on endangered species legislation. He has also been regional organizer for the Western Ancient Forest Campaign (now American Lands) to cut funding for new logging roads, and Arizona outreach coordinator for the Southwest Forest Alliance.

The Sierra Nevada Forest Protection Campaign is a coalition of 66 local, regional, and national groups working to permanently protect the remaining ancient forests, wild lands, wild rivers, and other biologically important areas of the Sierra Nevada. For information on how to help out if you can't attend the meeting, e-mail sierra_outreach@friendsoftheriver.org or call (559) 641-7427.

This Audubon chapter's award-winning youth environmental service program, Audubon YES!, is now in its sixth year. YES! gives students the chance to put their energy and idealism to work improving environmental conditions where they live by making them aware of the many opportunities which exist in the South Bay region. In exchange for their hard work, the program teaches students about wild places and their natural heritage. Students who do exceptional work receive the Audubon YES! Award by way of thanks. Two young people who have now completed their requirements, Judy Oh (South HS) and Chaz Stucken (Chadwick), will receive their awards at the October chapter meeting.

One of the highlights of this coming YES! year will be attendance at the biennial Audubon Convention at Asilomar, next April. We will be sponsoring a group of outstanding students at the event, where they will do a workshop promoting the YES! Program to other Audubon chapters. As leaders of their generation, they will have an unparalleled chance to exchange ideas with some of the most effective environmental leaders from across the nation.

Over the last few years, YES! has established working relationships with many area schools. The program's emphasis has always been on high school students, but all young people are invited to take part. Exceptional young people and student groups have come to YES! from CAMS, Carson, Chadwick, Hawthorne, Leuzinger, Mira Costa, Narbonne, North, Peninsula, Redondo Union, San Pedro, South, Torrance and West High Schools. This year, not only do we expect to continue work with these schools, but we would like to increase our ability to cover all of the schools in our newly expanded chapter area which now extends from PV to Hermosa Beach, Gardena and Compton.

If you would enjoy taking part in an exciting and innovative program for motivated young people, this is your chance to do so. YES! needs volunteers who can give about five hours per month and who have the flexibility to schedule in-school visits once every month or two. Teachers in any school are encouraged to find out how to bring YES! into their classrooms. For information, please call Jess Morton at 832-5601.

If you can't take part as a volunteer, you can help out by making a donation to the YES! Program to sponsor a student at Asilomar. Send your tax-deductible check to Audubon YES!, 787 West 4th St., San Pedro, CA 90731. YES! and our other education programs also can use donations of binoculars, field guides and other items about natural history, which will be used in the classroom and on field trips for young people.

CBC 99! Our date with destiny is set for Sunday, Dec. 26, 1999. Come help make history with the Palos Verdes Peninsula CBC. Nationally, it is the 100th CBC, while, for us, it's number 34!

Once again, Ross Landry and Dave Bradley will handle the managerial duties and, as usual, in their efficient and practiced manner. To register to take part, call Ross (714-524-7701) or Dave (562-498-0370). If you have access to e-mail, you can reach them at: rosscoz@earthlink.net (Ross) or dbradley@csulb.edu (Dave). Or you can forward a message via birdfish@earthlink.net (where you should be sending your rare bird reports for inclusion in Hummin'!).

In terms of the number of species seen, our count is usually in the top 25 in the nation, and we are almost always the top count in LA County. The PV CBC is well respected for the standards of excellence it has set in both reporting and documenting data. The results form the single largest running data base of PV Birds available. They are invaluable for documenting local population trends and fluctuations, sometimes even local extinctions, such as Burrowing Owl and Roadrunner. Will Rock Wren or Western Meadowlark be next in that category? On the other hand, who knows what great rarities will be discovered this year? We don't know which, only that some will be!

On October 26th, at our regular monthly meeting at the South Coast Botanic Garden, Dr. Robin Silver and Sandy Anderson will present "Threatened Oasis," a look at the San Pedro River, one of the world's great wildlife areas. The San Pedro River in Southeast Arizona has been designated as the first Globally Important Bird Area by the American Bird Conservancy. More than half of the 800 known North American bird species have been documented there. The San Pedro River also supports the second highest number of mammal species in the world, second only to the montane forests of Costa Rica.

Bird and other wildlife images of the San Pedro will be included in the slide show and talk by the two repre­sentatives of the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity Conservation. The Southwest Center is responsible for the protection of more than 100 threatened and endangered species throughout the West. The Center's aggressive use of science and the courts continues to result in unprece­dented pressure for the preservation of imperiled species and threatened habitat. Efforts to save the San Pedro River, as well as other issues throughout the West, will be addressed.

Sandy Anderson, a professional naturalist and guide, lives on the San Pedro River, outside of Sierra Vista, in Southeast Arizona. Ms. Anderson is Education Chair and Board Member of Huachuca Audubon. As an environmental ed­ucator, she leads hundreds of chil­dren on nature walks along the San Pedro each year.

Dr. Robin Silver, an Emergency Room physician and professional photographer, lives in Phoenix. Dr. Silver is co-founder of the Southwest Center, the Center's Board Chairman and Conservation Chair. He is also Vice-president of Maricopa Audubon. His photography has appeared in many national magazines and newspapers.

This summer was incredibly cool, averaging more than 3 degrees below normal. Offshore water temps were cooler, too, and probably a major reason for the 'big chill'. The coastal eddies regularly brought us that nice air-cleansing and cooling marine layer during what seemed to be half the days of July and August, in addition to the June period when it's presence is expected. What a treat, I must say I love it! I resent the news media representing this climatic phenomenon as negative 'gloom.' It's great for air quality, comfortable temps, and birds!

We've now finished up another breeding season, and hopefully you acquired some data for the Atlas project. Certainly the five years of collective efforts of everyone has added greatly to our local knowledge of breeding birds. Among the most exciting finds was the Pier 400 ternery, which added several LA Co. nesting species records. That's temporary, of course, and these species will be forced elsewhere as soon as the project progresses much further. It illustrates how needed a piece of natural habitat is in the harbor area, though. Hundreds of birds nested immediately upon the availability of habitat. I can hardly consider the 3 acre mitigation site at Cabrillo Beach mitigation since it's infested with cats, just like Pt. Fermin. How does a cat colony fit in the mitigation plans and requirements anyway? Do they not mitigate the mitigation?

OK, off my soapbox, and on with the bird word......

Far afield, and asea, in northern California, a COUPLE of Short-tailed Albatrosses were seen in Monterey Bay, and even rarer in the U.S. (not worldwide, though) was the state's first (lower 48's third) Shy Albatross, making for a good summer of seabirds up north. Here, the usual Pink-footed and Sooty Shearwaters were visible from Point Vicente (PtV) throughout June, July and August. The LA Audubon trip to the San Nicholas Is. area 8/21 located at least 5, perhaps as many as 7, Red-billed Tropicbirds, plus a couple of  pairs of Craveri's Murrelets far offshore. If we could just get one of those hurricanes to come up the coast here......

David Moody (DM) reports Gadwall nesting at Madrona Marsh (MM). They've summered at Harbor Park (HP) and on the LA River (LAR) recently, but no confirmed brood of ducklings has been seen, though attempted nesting is a near certainty. In the early part of the century, they nested locally. Returning migrant Pintail (a dozen) and Shovellers (a few) were back at LAR 9/4. The Playa del Rey Harlequin Duck remains, as was predicted here. It is now in eclipse plumage and unable to fly. By October it should be in its best attire. Three Surf Scoters, probably summering, were off PtV 8/15.

Ospreys were evident from July on, as usual, with one treating Holly Gray, Debbie Baker and the Summer Education class at HP to great views on 7/21. Others were at LAR, off Bluff Cove, and elsewhere along local coast. On August 18, I had my first of fall (FOF) Peregrine, over the house (!), and 9/4 the FOF Merlin at HP. Several juvenile Cooper's Hawks were around from July on, probably from local nestings.

Of course the 'summer doldrums' are rescued by fall shorebird migration in July. Unfortunately, one of the greatest former deltas in CA is now Terminal Island and LA Harbor, so we and the birds are relegated to the concrete LA River as the only habitat left. Pathetic vision on the part of the developers who did not save an acre of mudflat, nor see fit to properly mitigate habitat locally. Mike San Miguel saw a Semipalmated Sandpiper at the LAR 8/5, right on schedule, and another 8/7. Dick Barth (DB) saw a Baird's there 8/11 and Kevin Larson (KL) had 6 Baird's there on 8/28. DB had a Solitary Sandpiper there 8/21, and another flew over my house calling at 11:14 p.m. on 8/23! Wilson's Phalaropes were regular with 36 at LAR on 8/28 (KL) a good local count. A few Red-necked were also seen there. KL had the FOF Snipe there 9/5. Further afield, Dr. Barney Schlinger had an American Oystercatcher on Santa Cruz Is., where it is probably resident. I saw 19 species of shorebirds at the LAR 9/11. The FOF Pectorals were present that date too, with 4-6 birds (KL, MH).

In late August, on the way to Catalina, John and Ilona Ivanov spotted two South Polar Skuas in the San Pedro channel. Jerry Johnson (JJ) found a Black Tern at HP 9/4. With it was a possible White-winged Black Tern, but unfortunately they departed before anyone could get there for confirmation. A positive White-winged Black Tern was in Monterey 9/4-7 however. A juvenile Pigeon Guillemot was in King Harbor 9/6 (MH), the 3rd juv. in the decade along the coast here. All were present between Aug.10 and Sept 10. On 9/5, a White-winged Dove flew across Hawthorne Blvd., right in front of me, just south of Sepulveda. Chimney Swifts were evident this summer, with one at HP 7/11 (MH), one at MM 8/9 (DM), and two at MM 8/15 (DB). Migrant Vaux's showed up on schedule at HP 9/2 and LAR 9/4. June-Aug Chaetura swifts here are usually Chimney, not Vaux's. During the first week of September, migrant Black-chinned Hummingbirds were at virtually every patch of greenery I visited, as well as my feeders at home. Listen for their soft bew, bew, bew notes, as opposed to the sharp metallic chips of other hummers.

Flycatchers arrive in numbers by early Sept., with, for example, 3 Olive-sided at Banning Park (BP) 9/2 and 2 at Malaga Cove (MC) 9/5. Western Pewees were even more numerous. A Dusky Flycatcher was at BP, also 9/2, and was independently identified as such by KL and MH. A second was there 9/7 (MH). A Willow (Flycatcher, not tree) was on the east side of Machado Lake at HP 9/2-4. Kingbirds, however, arrive slightly earlier, in August. Five Cassin's were at the Forrestal Quarries 8/15. They may have nested, as they were there all summer. Western Kingbird also was present there 8/15. An odd Kingbird along the flood control channel at my place here in Torrance 8/10-14 appeared to me to be a Tropical Kingbird. Western Kingbirds (13) were found along the bluffs from MC to PV Pt., 9/5.

Two Bank Swallows were reported at HP by Tom Miko 8/30, and Bob Beckler (BB) had another there 9/5. The same day, one was at the LAR (KL). Bob Shanman (BS) had a Steller's Jay in his Manhattan Beach yard 9/8, a very rare coastal lowland record. A juvenile Robin at BP 8/28 was a late date for a just-fledged young. So was the just-fledged Marsh Wren at HP 9/9. Was the Hutton's Vireo KL had at Sand Dune Park (SDP) 9/6 a returnee? Last year's winterer? Perhaps it will stay.

In mid to late August, the first passerine migrants, such as grosbeaks, tanagers, warblers, and gnatcatchers (Blue-gray), are detected. By 9/2, for example, at BP, there were two each Nashville, Yellow, and Wilson's, plus 4 Orange-crowned Warblers. A Black-throated Gray was there 8/28. On lucky Friday the 13th (in August), DM opened up vagrant season early at MM with a singing male American Redstart. The Yellow-breasted Chats at HP, mentioned last column singing on 7/11, and paired together 7/13, were still present, with the male singing, on 7/27! They were present for at least 17 days in a place where they nested in decades gone by! With proper native habitat restoration, this species. could probably be enticed to re-claim it's former haunts and breed here again!

At HP on 9/11, BB was treated to a male Rose-breasted Grosbeak. KL had the FOF Brewer's Sparrow at SDP 9/6. A Lark Sparrow was at HP 9/9. An incredible report comes from Carol Reynolds, where she has been monitoring the cowbird traps at Ocean Trails used to protect the California Gnatcatcher from being parasitized. Several times, from late May through June, a White-crowned Sparrow was repeatedly caught in the traps. I know of no previous summer record of the species here on the peninsula. I'd surely pay at least a dollar to know what subspecies it was! There's always something new to discover if we just go look! Thanks Carol!

A Yellow-headed Blackbird was at HP on Martin Byhower's 8/8 walk, and BB had a pair of them there on 9/5. Astounding to me is the near complete, if not total loss, of Western Meadowlark in this decade as a local nesting species. I knew six fields with nesting birds in the early part of this decade. I now know of none! The horrific truth is that it was not due to Red Fox, rats, cowbirds, or Crows. Nor even habitat loss, as the fields remain. It was the most destructive of alien invaders, man, which has caused the local demise of this, one of America's greatest songsters. All in the name of 'fire suppression.' Your tax dollars did it. Any field or native habitat that resembles chaparral or sage scrub is called brush, which of course must be removed. The required cutting of the fields, even the unused ones away from habitation, prior to 'x' date--during the nesting season for these birds, of course--is the culprit. Waiting another 3-4 weeks to clear these fields would have caused no damage. Cutting them did. It would be against the law for you or me to disturb these protected migratory birds at their nests. Bulldozing them for fire control is acceptable though? Ah, I've digressed to my soapbox.....apologies again....

Around my place, I have about 16 species of nesting birds, of which several are only here because of the water in the adjacent flood control channel. By comparison, HP has about 45 species nesting, plus 5 that feed there while nesting nearby, but 'off premises'. That's 50 species which are entirely dependent on this relict patch of highly disturbed habitat. Consider that documented evidence suggests an additional 25+ species nested here earlier in the century. They no longer do, only due to habitat destruction. There are few smaller places that support more species in the entire county. Yet, on a daily basis, the habitat is degraded by homeless sleeping in the willows, by the poaching of fish or use of gambusia for bait, and by unleashed dogs, to name just a few causes. There is a nearly complete lack of enforcement for any laws whatsoever. To me, It is a crime to have such a gold mine of a piece of 'yesteryear' getting left to those who don't care about it. I can think of no place with the diversity of bird species (over 320) this site has, which does not enjoy the full protection of state or national park or wildlife refuge status. That's why our Audubon chapter is working to establish an Audubon Center in this park. Soapbox, soapbox, soapbox...

The next couple of month's birding is allotted to vagrant hunting--that chance for at least a few of those 15 minutes of fame Andy Warhol promised us all. Do be sure to record the first and last dates of each and every species you see as it passes through, as well as peak numbers. Of course you have to record everything you see every day to be able to look back and know 'x' was the highest count, and 'y' was the last date. But you're all doing that, just like me anyway, right? The last ten days of September, and the first ten of October are usually about the peak migrant period, though rarities will be occurring through November. It's just easier picking them out before all the Audubon's Warblers get back for the winter. Be sure to send your reports to me if you want to see them here. Use either the PV Audubon snail mail, P.O. Box 2582, PVP 90274, addressed to Bird Records, or e-mail: birdfish@earthlink.net

Don't miss the monthly walks at HP. Many more birds will be around now that the summer months are over. Also, don't forget to report unusual sightings to 'Wild Bird Bob' for inclusion on his bird tape.

Think global, bird local.

Errata: In the last column, all sightings but one initialed BS should be attributed to Bob Shanman, not Barney Schlinger. The only Schlinger sighting was the Yellow-billed Cuckoo at Gorman. We have Bob Shanman (BS), and Barney Schlinger, who has a Ph.D. in BS, which makes him (DrBS).

An insectivorous plant seeks prey. Some of those plants, especially ones which are in areas not frequently inhabited by prey insects, exert energy in frequently developing characteristics which attract insects to come to them. They develop features such as pigments that are attractive to insects, and when insects come to those attractions, the plant traps and digests them. Other insectivorous plants, especially those in insect habitats, are of a type that develop no special insect-attracting characteristics. However, these types do have some natural attractive features, and they also have bodily features that trap and digest the insects. Many insectivorous plants grow in habitats where certain plant nutrients are at very low quantities, thus in poor supply. So, the digestion of insects provides nitrogen and phosphorus, two important chemicals for the growth and health of the plants.

Termites are prey to a variety of other organisms. So, they need defense for their nests. People are known to use naphthalene to protect against clothes moths and carpet beetles, for example. Some of the world's termites have been found to generate naphthalene in their housing nests, thus creating a chemical for rejection of many types of predatory organisms, including microbial ones, plus some mammals, birds, and other insects. It is still not known how those termites generate the naphthalene and survive in a naphthalene-containing environment. Another interesting fact about the termites' naphthalene is that before this discovery was made, nature's only known sources of that chemical were coal, petroleum, and a few other non-organic items. However, now that further studies of that chemical have been made, it has been found in magnolia flowers, and in the forehead region of male white-tailed deer, with no knowledge yet of how and why.

Some bats use echolocating techniques to perceive the distance, direction and shape of living beings and non-living items which are either potential prey, predators, or flight blockage items. Of course, a baseball player's bat seeks the pitched ball as its victim, but doesn't use echolocation as the means of attacking and striking the oncoming baseball. In studying the way that mammal bats can interpret the echoes, the scientists have found that the bat brains have neurons which convert the echoes in sequential time, thus identifying the distance of each echo-creating object.

Also, the brain treats the echoes in a way that is somewhat similar to the way some creatures' brains treat visual images, namely in telling the creature the size and shape of what was seen. The seeing creatures have visual images, and the bats have what can now be called acoustic images.

Having just mentioned neurons, I'll tell you what happened a few days ago. It was cool that morning when my wife and I went shopping, so I wore a sweater. A bit later, it got warm enough for me to put the sweater into our car. When we got home, I forgot to bring the sweater into the house, so I said to my wife, "Because I forgot, it's apparent that my brain's neurons are becoming oldrons."

By the way, the idea of predator and prey brings to mind animal conflicts. That made me think of one such conflict reminding me of a well-known historic conflict; namely that a conflict among male adult pigs is a boar war.

Cabrillo Beach, a book of poems by Jess Morton, is  the perfect gift to fill little holes in your shopping list. Bound in yellow leather-finish stock, and printed on marbleized paper, this 24-page book makes a handsome gift for those who enjoy poetry and/or the natural world. Many of these poems  have appeared in Hummin' over the last few years. The cost is $6 each, ($7, including tax and mailing), and all proceeds go to support Audubon YES!

AUDUBON IN THE PARK T-SHIRTS are now available from Wild Birds Unlimited in Rolling Hills Plaza. Holly Gray's drawing of a white egret flying over marshlands is set against a green background,  making an attractive symbol for our educational efforts at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. Each shirt is $12 ($15 for XXL), and all proceeds will go to support next year's outdoor summer classroom in the park.

Ross Landry and Dave Bradley are looking for an assistant to learn the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) ropes. They need someone who can be a local contact for birders on the Peninsula. Since neither lives close by, a local person is needed as a phone contact, especially for last minute changes, and to help arrange, organize and scout territories. This is a great chance for you to put your birding and organizational skills together in support of one of Audubon's premier programs. Call Ross (714-524-7701) or Dave (562-498-0370) for more information. If you have access to e-mail, you can reach them at: rosscoz@earthlink.net (Ross) or dbradley@csulb.edu (Dave).

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