At a recent Audubon Southern California Council meeting, Audubon-California staff, consultants and chapter members presented their views on the deteriorating status of the Salton Sea, on solutions being proposed by regional federal agencies, and on Audubon-California's draft plan for a Salton Sea Campaign. The campaign has been prompted by the various agencies' focus on stabilizing salinity and water level. With limited, and in Audubon's view, inadequate emphasis on addressing the plight of the area's wildlife, some species of fish and birds are experiencing severe episodic disease and mortality. The reasons for the latter are only partly understood.

The Salton Sea is slowly losing its capacity to support a diverse, abundant population of wildlife. Additionally, fluctuations in water level and a constantly increasing salinity are an obstacle to the region's economic vitality. Experts who have studied the situation say we have only a small amount of time to act before the salinity will be so high it will result in biological impoverishment of the Sea. In response to this perception, Audubon-California has decided to start a formal campaign that will attempt to ensure the inclusion of wildlife protection in the forthcoming agency action plan.

During the meeting, presentations were made by John McCaull and Jill Shirley, Audubon staff; Mary Raftery and Bill Yeates, consultants to Audubon; and Fred Cagle and Phil Pryde, San Diego Audubon chapter members specializing on the Sea. The speakers showed slides of the area, presented a historical perspective of how the area has changed over time, discussed various agency proposals, and outlined Audubon's draft plan, explaining some of the legal and strategy-related complexities of the campaign. It became apparent during the day-long session that recovery of the Salton Sea will be a long-term, complex and expensive project. It will involve various scientific and engineering disciplines and the cooperation of many regional and federal agencies.

Among the immediate challenges facing Audubon is to identify the lead agencies that will ultimately be responsible for mitigation. Audubon must also decided whether to join a like-minded coalition. A vital step will be to read and interpret the EIR released this fall. In it will be rigidly set deadlines for public comment. Meanwhile, Audubon will begin seeking chapter response to the draft plan and chapter help in funding the campaign.

Audubon professionals claim this campaign will be demanding and the results uncertain. They are looking to the ultimately-successful Mono Lake Campaign as a source of inspiration. It seems nothing really worthwhile comes easily! [For a copy of the Audubon Draft Plan, contact Bob Carr at 310 325-4402.]

Have a wonderful holiday and a very happy New Millennium year. You may relax and enjoy yourselves unencumbered by worries about your legislators attacking our forests or wetlands or environmental protection. Congress and your state legislators are all on vacation until January 6th.

In January we must continue our determined opposition to the Congressional assault on our national forests. As soon as the Senate reconvenes, it will be considering the Craig/Wyden Bill, S1608.

For many years the federal government has given counties money from timber sales to help pay for schools and roads. Linking logging with county budgets has fostered over-cutting, and has increased environmental degradation. Counties are pressured to become lobbyists for the timber industry in order to increase their budgets. A built-in incentive encourages counties to do commercial timber sales rather than forest restoration-they get to split any receipts with the agency inacvolved.

A system of stable payments not dependent on timber sales is already in place and working successfully in the Pacific Northwest. A payment system based on historic payments was set up in the early 1990s to cushion counties from the impact of reduced logging necessary to protect the Northern Spotted Owl. Many county officials favor making this system permanent, and the Administration has proposed a mandatory annual payment to counties that would not be tied to timber sales or paid from Forest Service income. It would be made from the U S General Treasury.

S 1608, the Craig/Wyden Bill continues "Clear-cuts for Kids", and continues funding education through logging. It provides new incentives to increase logging to support county budgets. It punishes the Forest Service if the lumber market is weak by raiding fish, wildlife, or other non-timber budgets.

In order to save the last remaining remnants of our national forests, it is very important to write to Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer. Senator Boxer has indicated her opposition to S1608, but Senator Feinstein has not. Writing might encourage one of them to cosponsor a

bill mandating predictable, stable payments to counties for schools and roads. Tell them that the United States should not have to plunder our children's natural heritage in order to pay for their education. Urge them to stabilize county education and road budgets and isolate them from forest management debates by supporting the Administration's decoupling proposal.

Please write to:

Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer

Senate Office Building

Washington, D C, 20510

CBC DECEMBER 26TH

Come join more than 50,000 citizen scientists in Audubon's 100th annual Christmas Bird Count! You can make your contribution to the nation's oldest and most broad-based wildlife survey by taking part in our portion, the 34th annual Palos Verdes Peninsula Christmas Bird Count. Call Ross Landry at 818 524-7701 or Dave Bradley at 562 498-0370 to sign up. Whether you are a counter or not, you are cordially invited to the count tally potluck at SCBG, starting at 5:30, where we will assess the day's activities and see if we reached 200 species.

BACKYARD BIRD COUNT 2000

Last year, more than 42,000 people across the country took part in Audubon's 2nd annual Internet-based survey of winter bird populations, the Great Backyard Bird Count! Unlike the CBC, which focuses on bird diversity, the GBBC examines the health of bird populations. Its aim is to measure abundances of common birds, while they are still common, so that steps can be taken to prevent future disastrous declines. Dates are Feb. 18-21. Check the next issue of Hummin' for details on how to participate, or visit <http://birdsource.org/gbbc>

All summer, Jeanne Bellemin, Margo Steinman and their volunteers have been busy with the Alondra Island Native Plant Garden, watering and enlarging fences to keep out rabbits. They report that 31 plants have survived the summer, and thus the first year of the project. Planting of new material is now in progress.

Jeanne and Margo went to the native plant sale at the South Coast Botanic Garden recently, where they came into a real windfall. They were looking to spend their own money for the park,  but when the good people at the California Native Plant Society booth heard what they doing on Alondra Island, they donated 20 plants!!! Many, many thanks to the South Coast Chapter of CNPS for this great gift.

The Alondra team expects it will take a while to dig 20 new holes in the island's clay to accommodate those plants. There will be other planting, too, and regular maintenance, as well. So there will be plenty of chances for those who would like to help out on the project. To volunteer, call Prof. Jeanne Bellemin at El Camino College, (310) 660-3354.

Beginning in early 2000, the monthly meetings of the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society will begin a circuit of the many communities it serves. The regular meeting rooms at the South Coast Botanic Garden, which have served us so well over the last 22 years, are being remodeled. As a result, Audubon is on the move.

Over the next year, meetings will be held in new venues throughout the area we serve. This will give us a chance to welcome new faces at chapter meetings, and a chance to explore parts of the region we serve that we have not been able to visit before. Of course, the programs we present will still exhibit the wonders of the natural world and our place in it, but we can also address some of the local issues that we have not addressed at past meetings--especially in many of the communities new to our chapter, such as the beach cities, Carson, Compton, and Gardena.

To make this Audubon On Tour program a success, we need your participation. We would like you to suggest places for us to meet, and help us bring your fellow Auduboners and other community residents out to our meetings. To lend a hand, please call Membership Chair Annette Currence at 539-2864. We'd love to hear from you!

Yes, the rumors are true, the Western Regional Conference will be the site for the NAS convention in 2000. Because it will be a national convention (and just because) it will be significantly different, and even better than past conferences. It will be held April 15-18, at the Asilomar Conference Center, near Monterey.

Plan now to attend this important event, where you will join Audubon leaders from around the nation to chart Audubon's course in the next century. If you cannot attend, please consider making a contribution to the chapter to let us bring one of our YES! student activists instead. We would like to have a dozen kids with us!

Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park (KMHRP) is a wildlife sanctuary, nature preserve, and official LA County Significant Ecological Area that has historically been host to well over 300 species of native and migratory birds, as well as other wildlife. Unfortunately, people abandon unwanted domestic geese and ducks at the park, while other well-meaning individuals take it upon themselves to feed them. The city of Los Angeles also feeds the birds supplemental grain, which is more appropriate, but this policy is under review and will likely be discontinued, as it has been in most other parks whose priorities include ecological health, diversity, abundance, and balance.

There are several seriously harmful ecological and, ultimately, inhumane consequences of feeding feral waterfowl. This is particularly true when feeding them bread, especially large quantities of indiscriminately dumped bread, as has been the case at KMHRP. Although as a food source bread is incomplete and unbalanced, CERTAIN species can thrive on it as a major component of their diet. Most of these species are not indigenous to the park. Consequently, native birds are driven out to die by starvation or predation, due to loss of their historical migratory and wintering habitats. Though some places, like Machado Lake in KMHRP, remain, most have fallen to development and other human activities.

Machado/Harbor Lake is an eutrophic body of water. In other words, because it receives limited water flow, especially in the warmer, drier months, and since most of that water is polluted with high concentrations of wastes and fertilizers, algae blooms are common. These blooms severely reduce oxygen levels in the lake, which can kill ALL of the fish and other aquatic animals in the water upon which the native birds, turtles, mammals, and other creatures depend.

Great harm can occur with the addition of large quantities of bread to the lake, either directly when uneaten bread enters the water, or indirectly, through feces from a large population of non-native waterfowl consuming the bread. Not only is the likelihood and potential severity of an oxygen-depleting eutrophic event increased, but the bread sinks to the bottom and becomes host to the bacteria that cause botulism, the most toxic organic substance known to man. Native diving birds as well as domestic fowl that feed off the bottom are often killed in this manner.

The decomposing bread and high concentrations of contaminants due to the increased fecal loading by the non-native population of waterfowl can also play host to pathogenic bacteria that threaten human uses of the lake, such as canoeing and fishing. In a recent study by students at Chadwick School, concentrations of disease-causing bacteria, as well as chemical pollutants, had increased in areas nearest concentrations of waterfowl and dumped bread to levels higher than those from storm drain effluent entering the lake!

The dumped bread also attracts rats and other scavengers, as well as pernicious birds, such as Great-tailed Grackles, which were unknown to the park 10 years ago, but are now abundant breeders. These nest-predators take a tremendous toll on rare, sensitive, and localized marsh and reed-breeding species, some of which use Machado Lake as their last refuge in Southern Los Angeles County. Other birds that are attracted to bread include overabundant ones like coots, aggressive gulls, crows, pigeons, starlings, house sparrows, and cowbirds, all of which pose a threat in one way or another to native species, and in some cases, to human health. Overgrazing of the lawn areas by several of these species, as well as by the feral ducks and geese, has created muddy empty spaces, and is becoming a serious problem on the lake shore.

Ultimately, the vast majority of waterfowl dumped in the lake are likely to succumb to pollution problems, lack of experience with survival in the wild, predation by other animals, or maiming or killing by humans. Because of steady and ongoing dumping of new animals, these cruelly devastating losses go unnoticed. Recently, some park birds, including migratory ducks (!), have had their wings permanently altered in order to keep them from leaving.

The best option available to those who truly care about the feral geese and ducks, to say nothing of the native species now losing out at the park, is to support their humane capture and removal. This will allow a native flora and fauna to regenerate, and, in the long term, prevent the suffering and death of a greater number of animals. All feeding of bread should be terminated, and the feeding of grain by park staff, which is probably sufficient to support the population of feral waterfowl that are unable to leave the lake, should be phased out.

Wild bird and animal predation by outdoor cats is a serious problem, as has been noted in Hummin' before (July/Aug 1992). Now, under a new Montgomery County, MD, law, owners of all types of pets, including domestic cats, may not allow their pet to enter other private property without the property owner's permission. Besides authorizing fines against negligent pet owners, private, the law gives property owners the right to humanely trap or capture trespassing animals and bring them to the County's animal shelter. Additionally, all dogs and unaltered cats must be leashed when off their own property.

Linda Winter, director of American Bird Conser­vancy's (ABC) Cats Indoors! Campaign stated, "People write or call me every day wondering what they can do about their neighbor's cats in their yard. They are sick and tired of watching other people's cats kill birds at their feeders or bird baths, defecate in their gardens, or create a health risk in their children's sandboxes. If owners of outdoor cats respected other people's property rights, this legislation would not be needed.

"ABC's Cats Indoors! Campaign seeks to educate cat owners and the general public that the nation's estimated 100 million free-roaming cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year in the U.S.," said ABC president Dr. George Fenwick. "Outdoor cats often suffer and die prematurely, and can transmit diseases and parasites to people, such as cat-scratch fever, toxoplas­mosis, and rabies. Montgomery County has set an excellent standard to promote responsible pet owner­ship that will help protect cats, wildlife and people. We encourage other counties and municipalities to follow their example," said Fenwick. Campaign materials include a four-color brochure and poster, Keeping Cats Indoors Isn't Just For The Birds, an education kit with 13 fact sheets, and a new teacher's activity guide for grades K- 6. One of the fact sheets is titled, What Can You Do About Your Neighbor's Cats In Your Yard? Campaign materials are also available on ABC's Web site at: <http://www.abcbirds.org>

"We encourage people to politely ask the cat's owner to control their cat. Besides just keeping the cat indoors, they can train the cat to go out on a leash, or build an outdoor enclosure or cat run. Cat-proof fencing is also available. We also have a fact sheet on how to make an outdoor cat a contented indoor pet," said Winter.

For a free brochure and an order form, call (202) 778-9666, or write: American Bird Conservancy, Cats Indoors! 1250 24th Street, NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037.

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).

As human children grow up, they learn more and more about the local language. Also, if a person migrates to another country the person's language usage changes. Different people, of course, have different sounding voices; and under significantly different circumstances an individual person's voice usually has a different sound. Similar facts exist with various species of birds. Individual herring gulls, for example, do not all sound exactly the same, because their personal vocal characteristics differ; and the sounds of herring gulls are different in different countries where they live, such as Canada and Holland. In addition, it has been found that a herring gull will make eight assorted sounds, each sound depending on the circumstances of the time. Among those sounds are: a call telling other gulls of its personal arrival to be with them; an alarm call when a predator is seen; in the nesting season, a call to attract a mate, plus a call to warn mating competitors not to come close; after the birth of a nestling, a friendly call is made to express a good attitude towards the mate, the nestling, and the local environment. As with humans, other gulls in the area understand what a herring gull "said". The nestling, for instance, responds to a parent's call, and expresses either satisfaction, hunger, or body chill requiring brooding. If the call was to announce the seeing of a predator, other herring gulls pass on that message with their own voice after hearing it.

Frequently, a person changes one or more of facial expression, posture, and body movements when vocalizing a message under varying circumstances. That has also been found to occur with herring gulls, especially changes in posture. A challenge call is usually made with the gull standing upright, with its eyes wide open, and with its face pointed forward and its beak open in a threatening way. The friendly call of the gull is made with the gull bowing forward and its eyelids a bit down. Those postures and facial expressions are correctly interpreted by other gulls of that species. If a gull is using a threatening vocalization and posture, it may then approach the bird that it is threatening and violently tear off some grass or pieces of weed or shrub, thus telling the threatened bird that a beak attack may come next if that bird doesn't fly away. A person may give such a message by shaking a fist or making another aggressive physical gesture at a threatened other person. So, apparently herring gulls communicate equally effectively under a diversity of situations, and those communications are well understood by the listening and observing other herring gulls. This may imply that gulls have some human capabilities, and that humans are "gullible".

In thinking about bird sounds, it occurred to me that if a person asks a friend who's an Audubon member and thus is knowledgeable about bird calls, "Which bird made that loud call?", the friend could answer, "Crows cause caws."

Come to our next general membership meeting, January 25th, at 7:30 p.m. at the South Coast Botanic Garden, to hear about one of the most important bird conservation issues in California and what Audubon is doing about it. Jill Shirley is the Director of Chapter Outreach for Audubon-California and is coordinating their Salton Sea Campaign. She has extensive experience in environmental campaigns and was involved in Audubon's successful effort to conserve and restore Mono Lake.

The Salton Sea is one of the most critical wildlife habitats in the nation. An enormous inland ocean that straddles the Riverside - Imperial County line in southeastern California, it is home to five endangered species, numerous sensitive species, and literally millions of migrating and wintering waterfowl and shorebirds.

Yet, the Salton Sea is dying. Increased salinity and toxins flowing to the Sea have transformed it into a toxic soup lethal to fish and wildlife. Over the last four years, the Sea has experienced at least three massive die-offs, involving over 175,000 birds. Fish die-offs are even greater.  Without a solution, the Salton Sea may perish in less than ten years. With the loss of over 90 percent of our wetlands in Southern California, and the near total loss of wetlands in he Colorado River delta, sizable percentages of North America's remaining ducks, pelicans, grebes, shorebirds and other waterbirds, would have nowhere else to go.

To me it's the great passage of millions of birds, which, with a little luck, lots of work, and perhaps most importantly, some weather to knock 'em down, one can peek in at one of the great spectacles of the natural world. Unfortunately, this fall we were shut out by high pressure systems. Fair weather allowed migratory birds to go through largely undetected. Sure, there were some great days and vagrants, but overall I'd characterize it as the worst showing of the decade, hands down. As always, during 'peak periods' I was out checking two, three, or more 'green-spots' 4 or 5 days a week, for 10 consecutive weeks, beginning late August. This year's passage will be remembered for how little was seen, how few vagrants and major fallout days there were, and for what was not seen. Things like Broad-winged Hawk, Blackpoll, Clay-colored Sparrow, and others of our more regular vagrants, were nearly or totally absent! We ended our 6th longest ever dry-spell in early November--about 5 months without measurable precipitation.

What birds we had though, took advantage of the recent Red Gum Psyllid infestation of Eucalyptus trees, red gums in particular. The larval stage, encased in the leaves (like a wasp gall) and called lerps, seemed to be relished by nearly every species that came in contact with them. Interesting, since this is the first explosion of this invader! Though the birds had never seen or had experience with them before, it wasn't long before the lerp infested trees had nearly all the birds in any given park. Wilderness, Banning, it didn't matter. Clearly this new food source was the major attractant for the migrants as they passed through. I assume this will be repeated with wintering birds, but we should watch and note what happens. From Bushtits to Starlings, warblers, tanagers, and grosbeaks, virtually everything feasted on them! OK, now the bird word.

The first big loon flight, all Pacific Loons, preceded the front which arrived on 11/14. Hundreds and hundreds were just offshore at Cabrillo Beach (CB). A real conundrum is the absence, so far, of Black-vented Shearwaters. They usually arrive in the tens of thousands by Oct. However, only 4 were seen on the 11/13 LAAS pelagic trip just off the peninsula. Where are they? Did they fail in their first nesting attempt, and stay late to try again? Perhaps the rarest bird this fall was a Buller's Shearwater found on 10/14 by Bernardo Alps (BA), 9 mi. south of Point Fermin, at the edge of what I consider 'our area'. The Horseshoe, as it is known by local skippers, is located at the mouth of the San Pedro sea valley and is always a productive area. We have no PV record for the species. It is extremely rare inside the channel islands and is a bird of more 'outer waters' habitat. On a LAAS Oct. pelagic, Kevin Larson (KL) found one near Catalina--in the channel, as well.

On an 11/13 CSULB class trip, Dr. Charlie Collins, et. al., found a sub-adult Masked Booby fishing at the harbor entrance at Angels Gate. The LAAS trip, just off PV at the time, was radioed by the skipper. They found the bird that afternoon, roosting on the breakwater, where it was photographed (BA, et. al.). Attempts to relocate it on the 14th failed. It may still be around, but if it's on the middle section of the breakwater, we'll need a boat! This is the second occurrence in the circle this decade.

Amazingly, only ONE Cattle Egret was this fall, at Harbor Park (HP) on 9/22 (BA). KL and Carol Selvey (CS) saw 10 White-faced Ibis at the LA River (LAR) on 10/2. Probably the rarest bird in the 'count circle' was the Snow Goose seen flying north past PV Pt. on 10/30, for the first record of the decade (wife and I). Compare that to three prior Little Gulls this decade! A few groups of 20-30 Brant (Black) were offshore, seen along with the loons passing CB on 11/14 (MH). A hybrid Eurasian X American Wigeon was at LAR 10/29 (MH). Ring-necked Ducks showed well, with about 30 at Alondra Park (AP), from late Oct. on (KL). A male Hooded Merganser was at HP 10/31, the second there (and in the count circle) this decade. What a fancy duck!

An incredibly rare find was a Black Turnstone, up the LAR 9/25 (CS and KL). Solitary Sandpipers were at HP on 9/19 (MH), and on 9/23 (JI=John Ivanov). This site had been checked each day in the interim, so I believe two birds were present. One Baird's Sandpiper was at HP, also on 9/19. Pectorals were there too, on 9/24 (MH), and on 9/27 (Bob Beckler). These three sandpipers were regular, sometimes even common, until the early eighties, when the last mudflat/delta and in-lake islands were lost. There is no longer a 'safe refuge' resting spot. An island is currently the most direly needed type of habitat at HP.

KL, CS, and Kimball Garrett (KG) saw a couple of Parasitic Jaegers from CB's pier on 11/14. A South Polar Skua was 9 mi. south of Pt. Vicente (Pt.V) on 10/14 (BA). On my umpteenth trip to HP on 10/17, my brother Mike and I were stunned to watch an adult Little Gull depart the lake, chased off by illegally flown remote control airplanes over the lake! It was with great restraint I decided not to commit a crime, just managing to keep my unblemished record (except with the bird record committee). Amazing, too, was that this bird was nearly 2 weeks ahead of the first Bonaparte's Gull, seen 10/30. It was the 4th of this decade in the circle! What seems to be the first of many, seen since offshore, was a Common Murre 1 mi. off PF on 10/10 (BA). Perhaps we'll have a good Murre year. KL and KG also had a distant murrelet, believed to be Xantu's, IN the harbor, seen from the CB pier on 11/14.

A White-winged Dove was at HP on 9/18 (MH), the second this fall. Mind-blowing was the Long-eared Owl found and photographed by KL and CS at Entradero Park, on 10/17, the second modern (& decade) record for the circle! They nested here early in the century (old egg set from Wilmington {HP}; KG pers. comm.). A Poorwill was found dead in Friendship Park, 10/12, fide Eric and Ann Brooks.

A female Broad-tailed Hummingbird was flycatching along the lower creek in Malaga Cove (MC) on 9/25, just a few feet from me. A nearly-perfect Yellow-shafted Flicker was in BP 10/22. However it had a red rather than black mustache, a mark of the Red-shafted Flicker, and was, therefore, a hybrid.

On the flycatcher front, it is interesting to compare overall numbers of Empidonax species seen. I recorded: 138 Pacific-slope (Western), 6 Dusky, 5 Willow (low), 2 Gray, 1 Least and no Hammond's! Others recorded a couple more Willows, at least one more Dusky and certainly many more Pacific-slope. The Least was at MC 9/25. The Grays were at SDP 9/20+, and MM 10/18 (both MH). A female Vermilion Flycatcher was at Vista de Vizcaino, at CB, on 10/15 (MH). The previous 3 this decade were all wintering birds, so this is the first fall migrant of the decade. A Great-crested Flycatcher was at HP on 10/11 (MH), but after seeing how the committee wrestled with my last one at BP (which KG and 30 other experts agreed with), I've learned my lesson. This time I kept my mouth shut, so as not to confuse them any further. Interesting is the probably-wintering Cassin's Kingbird KL has had for a couple of weeks, starting in Nov., at Alondra Park.

A week apart, in Oct., KL and I each saw a lone Horned Lark at LAR. Don't bother going to the former stubble and dirt fields at CSUDH, where you used to be able to find them and other field species--unless you like pansies, impatiens, and other garden flowers. Two Purple Martins were over HP 9/18 (MH). A final Bank Swallow was there 9/19, the fifth of the fall. A few Barn Swallows were still at HP in early Nov., quite late.

Absolutely astounding was Martin Byhower's (MB) discovery of a flock of 5 Western Bluebirds at HP on the second Sunday walk, 11/14. Only the second record ever for the area, and a HP first. The day before, I stood right where he found them! Just proves you have to keep going out to look, because every day is different! The other record is from earlier in this decade, a flock of about 9 that wintered near Marineland, which we recorded on the CBC. Interesting! Two occurrences--two flocks. Well, for a single day, we had more records of Masked Booby than of Western Bluebird!

Thrushes were scarce. I saw about 5 Swainson's all fall, one of which appeared not to be the Red-backed ustulatus race. Aside from the common Warbling Vireo, vireos were scarce. I expect at least one rare vireo per fall. Not this year. A Hutton's, at HP 10/11 (MH), was still present a week later (KL). This may be a returnee, for there has been one present during the last couple of winters.

Warblers were particularly scarce, too, and being such noticeable and attractive birds, their absence was most frustrating. The normal plethora of exciting birds simply did not show. Even regulars vagrants, such as Palm, Black & White, Blackpoll, Redstart and Tennessee, were down in numbers! I saw no Hermit this fall! The three Tennessee Warblers reported were: at BP on 9/24 (JI), at SCBG on 10/16 (KL & CS), and I had one at Wilmington Drain (WD). JI had the only Magnolia, at HP on 10/6. A Hermit X Townsend's hybrid was at MM 9/14, the closest to a Hermit I saw all fall--half of one. The 5 Palms were: at MM 10/7 (JI), two at WD 10/16 (wife & I), at WP 10/17-18 (KL-MH), and at HP 10/23-25 (KL-MH). Blackpoll were at PP briefly 9/22 (MH), WP 9/30 (JI), and HP 10/6 (JI). An imm. male Black and White Warbler, first seen at BP 9/22 (JI), has remained and is surely wintering. Another was at PP 10/20 (MH & BA).

An American Redstart was at HP 10/2 (JI & MH). A Northern Waterthrush was heard at MM 9/24 (Ron Melin-fide David Moody (DM)), and KL and CS had one at SCBG 10/13. Good ones that got away before confirmation, and so can only make the hypothetical list were: Connecticut (MH), Mourning (JI), and Virginia's (MH). Also, some unknown observers reported a Red-eyed Vireo to Walt Wright at MM, but to my knowledge, no details are available. Remember my maxim: the best bird of the day always gets away!

A female Summer Tanager was at BP bathing in the puddles on 10/22. I saw another at Recreation Park, Long Beach, 10/29. On 9/18, I got a glimpse of an immature female Painted Bunting, which defied relocation over the next several hours by several observers. However, when I returned at 5 p.m., there it was in the same bush! I got great looks, and studied it at close range. The rare birds committee rejected the one Kathy and I identified at CB a few years ago. I guess the five years I spent living with them in Texas must not have been enough to learn them. At least for some folks.

A Clay-colored Sparrow was at MM 9/16+ (early), seen by DM, Dick Barth, and JI, who also saw 2 at HP on 10/3. A White-throated Sparrow was at MM 10/15 (MH) and a day or so later (KL). Another was found in the WD 11/6 (KL). Yellow-headed Blackbirds were at MM 9/16 (DM), a female at HP, 9/19 (MH) and 9/26 (Dave Bradley), and a male was there 10/31. Fantastic, were 2 female Orchard Orioles, the first at WD 9/24 (MH), and the second at PP 9/26. My brother Mike and wife Kathy will corroborate me when I say we got five minutes of 'crippling views' (Brit terminology).

A few interesting FOF (first of fall) dates were: Eared Grebe 9/19; Western Grebe 9/20; Canvasback 9/13 - real early; Dunlin 10/2; Horned Lark 10/2; Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9/26; Hermit Thrush 10/6; White-crowned Sparrow 9/14- early. Just ESE of us, in Orange County, I saw a few others on 9/16: 2 Cedar Waxwings, an Audubon's Warbler, and a Lincoln's Sparrow, all of them a tad early.

So there you have it, a fall where non-passerine vagrants outdid passerines--an odd and rare situation in fall around here. Thanks everyone who communicated their sightings to me and made this column what it is. E-me your sightings at: birdfish@earthlink.net so they can be included too!

Now is the time to start scouting for the Christmas Bird Count on 12/26. Contact Ross Landry, Dave Bradley, or myself if you can help. Or call (562) 498-0370. Most passerines you find now are wintering birds which will be present for the next several months. The Yellow and Black-throated Gray Warblers at HP, for instance, are in for the winter. So it's not too soon to start checking your green-spots for winterers. Particularly, hang around lerp-infested Eucs to see what's coming in to use them. Every patch needs to be checked--it just might have the bird of the season!

Think global, bird local!

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