It has been months since the Natural Communities Conservation Plan (NCCP) working group has met. One can be excused for assuming that nothing has been going on. However, judging from recent actions more or less out of public view, inaction does not seem to be the story. Unfortunately, it appears to be a story of backsliding.

Audubon has believed as have others in the local environmental community, that the NCCP could be a huge boon to our community and to local natural values by creating a preserve of around 1,000 acres on the south side of the PV Peninsula. The preserve would be designed so that rare species like the California gnatcatcher, Cactus Wren, and plants specifically adapted to the hill can continue to be part of our heritage. However, for that to happen, there must be continued vigilance on the part of the environmental community, steadfast commitment to sound planning principles by local governments and agencies, and a good-faith willingness of local landowners to consider the needs of the community as a whole. Recent actions cast doubt on the government's commitment to sound planning and the conscientiousness of some landowners.

Recent observations west of Narcissa Drive have revealed a substantial loss of coastal sage scrub, including the complete obliteration of the best of the two stands of matchweed, a plant almost unknown from coastal localities. Included in the habitat losses are significant amounts of native needle grass, bush sunflower, and sagebrush. Also lost is some Astragalus, the host food plant for the endangered Palos Verdes blue butterfly. At the same time, irrigation lines and extensive plantings of non-native rye grass jeopardize any remaining native vegetation in this area. Surely, the City cannot countenance irrigation here when it so vigorously forbids irrigation in Shoreline Park, where it could do a great deal of good. Discussion is also underway regarding construction of a mansion at the end of Coolheights Drive that would obliterate a good deal of native habitat above the quarry bowl. This building, which would be out of character with the neighborhood, is to be built on a parcel surreptitiously carved from the Forrestal Tract when it was purchased by Rancho PV. Forrestal, as we have pointed out before, is the anchoring parcel to the eventual NCCP preserve. As such, its habitat values must be saved. If these issues are troubling, reports of the City proposing to use $4 million in Prop. K funds to buy a 100-acre parcel on the western portion of the eventual NCCP preserve are far more so. It is not that this parcel is not desirable. Rather, this rugged hillside acreage appears to be greatly overpriced at $4 million. That is nearly the same cost per acre as was the Forrestal Tract, for which a construction project, with all necessary permits, had been approved. It is hard to see how this new parcel can compare in value with Forrestal for either price or habitat values.

As we were going to press, Jess Morton reported that protests by Tony Baker had paid off and the City of Rancho Palos Verdes had issued a stop order, halting the removal of coastal sage scrub by developer Jim York's company. Property owners have been under orders to notify the City in advance about any planned clearing of brush, to insure the protection of sensitive areas. York's company did not notify the City, and when the City learned of the removal it put a halt to the work.

On November 17, the Daily Breeze quoted City Planning Director Joel Rojas as saying that removal of the sage scrub habitat "goes against everything we've been trying to achieve."

The removal took place on the Upper Filiorum parcel in Barkentine Canyon. The area has figured in the Natural Community Conservation Plan that various interests have been developing.

In our recently completed strategic planing sessions, chapter leaders identified a half dozen core topics for planning. Three of them, Birds and Habitat, Community Relations and Education, were considered in my last column. In this column, I want to outline our plans with respect to the other three: Finance, Harbor Park, and Membership.

Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, the focus of Audubon activism over the last two years, will draw even more of our attention and resources during the next few years. Our work with the City of Los Angeles to create a nature center has only begun. Currently, Audubon members are active with the park's Public Advisory Board and are working with several agencies on environmental mitigation projects at the park. Audubon is deeply involved in the allocation of funds from a million dollar grant, earmarked for park habitats, and is working to establish a South Bay watershed management group to provide long-range solutions to some of the park's most intractable problems. Yet, as plans evolve, we will have to increase our competence in such diverse fields as fund raising, partnership building, wetlands management, public education, and volunteer training and supervision.

We have already begun to establish some of the new education programs at the park which were noted in the last issue of Hummin'. Children from Normont Elementary School, in Harbor City, visited the park in October to learn about its mammals, birds and plants from Audubon educators. It was an eye-opening experience for them -laterally. For almost all of them, this was their first introduction to binoculars. All of the children live within blocks of the park, and all want to enroll in next summer's education program at the park. However, that program is already at capacity, and we will be bringing more children to the park from other nearby schools during the coming months.

Also under way are two other programs. A monthly habitat restoration program, inaugurated in October, is clearly going to be a great draw for park activism. Then, adding to the second-Sunday nature walk run by Martin Byhower at 8:00 a.m., Debbie Baker's monthly beginner's bird walk is now held on the first Saturday of each month, at 9 a.m. These walks are aimed at bringing local residents and their families into the park specifically to learn about its wildlife. Many more such programs are in the offing

It is clear that this Audubon commitment to Harbor Park will require far more from us than we are currently equipped to handle. We will certainly have to greatly increase our volunteer forces to bring this extensive park program on line. But it is far too much to expect of volunteers alone. Thus, we plan to build on our current part-time education staff to create a fully staffed Audubon chapter headquarters.

Just as clearly, then, the character of Audubon is going to have to change. We will continue to serve current members much as in the past- with walks, meetings, youth programs and so on. But we will be broadening our membership base beyond that which now exists to include the far more diverse population that uses places like Harbor Park. Our work to build a nature center, to fund a year-round education program and to work effectively with regional programs, such as a South Bay watershed management partnership, means that chapter fund raising, political competence and membership recruitment will all have to increase dramatically.

In the funding department, our chapter budget is running at about $50, 000 annually. Because of our commitment to establishing a full-time staffperson, we expect this to rise to $100, 000 within the next two years. Much of this will have to come from grants, as we do not yet have an endowment for chapter operations. However, the balance will have to come from within the chapter. This means that we will be asking you, as Audubon supporters, to help us achieve our objectives by increasing your generosity. But the vision we have of Audubon and environmental conscientiousness as an integral part of everyday South Bay living, though breathtaking, is crucial to a healthy future for ourselves and our children, and a vision we believe you support wholeheartedly.

On February 16-19, the fourth annual Great Backyard Bird Count or GBBC will give everyone a chance to help monitor bird populations. In the GBBC, families, individuals, classrooms, and community groups count the numbers and kinds of birds that visit their feeders, local parks, schoolyards, and other areas during any or all four days of the count. Participants then enter their observations on the Birdsource web page at www.birdsource.org. Results from around the country are updated hourly in the form of animated maps and colorful graphs. Findings from previous years are also available at the site, which was developed by the National Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

Instructions for participating in the GBBC can be found at the web site by clicking on "Great Backyard Bird Count." The web site also includes a vocabulary section, bird-watching and bird-feeding tips, bird vocalizations, and tips for planning your spring bird garden.

If you don't have ready access to the Web at home or at your local library, you can get details and drop off reports with our own Bob Shanman at Wild Birds Unlimited at 2575 Pacific Coast Highway, near the northeast corner of Crenshaw Boulevard and Pacific Coast Hwy.

CBC Y2K! Our date with destiny is set for Saturday, Dec. 23, 2000. Come help make history with the Palos Verdes Peninsula CBC. Nationally, it is the 101 ST CBC, while for us, it's number 35!

Once again, Ross Landry will handle the managerial duties and, as usual, in an efficient and practiced manner. To register to take part, call Ross (714524-7701). If you have access to e-mail, you can reach him at: rosscoz@earthlink.net.

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 the 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!

At our January 30, 2001, meeting, you'll have a chance to participate in a grand tour of Alaska in the comfort of the Peck Park Community Center. Then, Chuck Bragg will regale us with a photo-tour of Alaska's great places. For those of you who are thinking about visiting Alaska next Summer, Chuck will also offer tips on how to get there, what to visit, what to expect, what to pack.

Chuck was raised in Los Angeles and after a stint in Canada, returned in 1967. A class with the legendary Arnold Small in 1976 turned Chuck into an avid birder. Since the age of 10, Chuck has been fascinated with photography as well. An active member of several local organizations, Chuck edits the chapter newsletter for Santa Monica Audubon, and was recently re-elected to the National Audubon Society Board of Directors as the representative of western region chapters.

Give me a low pressure fall, every fall. It seems to me we have more high pressure falls these days than the 'old days'. Clear weather allows unhampered passage of migrants overhead, so we see less of what's actually going by. This fall we were treated to coastal eddies, inside sliders, and cut-off lows, all bringing the adverse conditions required to ground migrants, rendering them detectable. Of course our efforts are concentrated at city parks and green spots, where birds are easier to come by because they have nowhere else to go. Most of these places are found along the base of the peninsula or on the immediate coast. This fall we were blessed with fairly thorough coverage, as a near-constant visual blanket was cast across our hot spots. Sadly one of our best places, the north-end willows at Harbor Regional Park, is virtually unbirded now. No one can stand the filth present where the homeless have taken over and are destroying the habitat in the process. The City of Los Angeles is derelict in its duty to protect this area, where reports ranged from gross to sickening, and all ask why????

Since there were sooooo many rarities reported, I'll mostly concentrate on them and just hope there's room for 'em all! Besides, we all know about gnatcatchers, Allen's Hummers, and Black-vented Shearwaters, don't we?

A great find by John Ivanov (JI) was a Red-necked Grebe near the Aquarium in Long Beach, tying our earliest ever fall arrival date, 10/2. I quite enjoyed a Flesh-footed Shearwater just off White Pt., moving slowly NW along the coast, perhaps only 300 yards offshore, on 10/27. Bob Shanman reported a grounded Brown Pelican at Madrona Marsh (MM) 9/26! Two White-faced Ibis flew over Cabrillo Beach 10/7 (Mitch Heindel-MH). An early Wood Duck was at MM 9/22 (MH). A male Blue-winged Teal flew through Banning Park (BP) below tree-top level on 10/8 (MH) ! A Greater Scaup was at Harbor Park (HP) on 10/19 (MH) , and Dan Cooper (DC) saw one a few days earlier on the LA River (LAR) at Willow St.

Astounding was an immature Bald Eagle at HP on 11/6, seen by Bob Beckler (BB). A surprising sighting was of a Harris's Hawk near El Camino, on 10/26 by JI. This species has been regular in winter in the SoCal deserts the last few years, presumably from the expanding Baja population, and this could have been a wild individual. However, their popularity as a falconer's bird requires caution, despite its not having bent, or worn feathers, or jesses. David Moody (DM) found a Virginia Rail at MM 9/19 which has been seen ever since. In the incredible but true department, was a sighting of TWO Sandhill Cranes at the Navy Fuel Depot in San Pedro (SP) by Jeremiah George on 10/19. This is probably the first modern multiple individual record locally. Wish they'd have called as they went over my house :)!

At the LAR, on 10/7, DC found a Ruff (or Reeve if a female), the first since the early '90's locally, for our token rare shorebird of the fall. Jerry Johnson saw an adult Sabine's Gull fly past Pt. Fermin 9/23.

In early Oct., JI saw a Band-tailed Pigeon at Sand Dune Park (SDP), Manhattan Beach. I saw a Eurasian Collared Dove here in Torrance on 9/22. I will swear on all that is holy (Audubon, Muir, Lane and Wells) I heard a Black-billed Cuckoo call 5 times at Peck Park (PP) on 9/21, but could not find the bird. That's to be expected, if you know the species. JI found a Poorwill at SDP on 10/8, perhaps the easiest place and time to get one locally. KL saw it 10/10.

KL found an imm. male Yellow-bellied Sapsucker at the South Coast Botanic Garden (SCBG) on 10/15, and I found a different individual at Leland Park (LP) in SP on 10/18. Neither stuck around. KL then found a Red-naped Sapsucker at SCBG 10/ 21.... he's still looking for a Red-breasted. KL also found a Nuttall's Woodpecker on Sycamore-lined Anza Blvd. in Torrance in late Sept., which has worked the area for over a month, and is now CBC fodder. Every street should be lined with natives.

Only one Tropical Kingbird was found this fall, by Dick Barth (DB) at MM on 10/5. It stayed to at least 10/7. KL had a Hammond's Flycatcher at SCBG 10/15. A Hutton's Vireo, which showed up at PP 9/15, continues there and is wintering. I had a brief view of a probable Hutton's at BP, where it is our most overdue Vireo species (we have Gray, Yellow-green, White-eyed, Red-eyed, there). Of the Solitary Vireo complex, about 2-3 Cassin's and 3-4 Plumbeous were reported. I found a bird that I'm certain was a Blue-headed Vireo on 10/5 at Wilderness Park (WP) in Redondo Beach. Another probable was seen the next day at BP. There is no accepted county record, so without photos, I'll let someone else report them to the record cops. Neither bird was present the next day.

A massive movement of montane species is apparent this year, with many species being reported from many lowland and desert locales. Again, I think a million acres of burnt land should be considered as a possible cause, or at least a contributing factor. This influx should make for an exciting CBC this year! One of the most amazing finds this fall was of a Pinyon Jay in RPV at Margaret Hoggan's (MaHo) feeders on 10/29, which luckily she photographed. I think the only other peninsula occurrence was in '72, and this is probably the first photo documentation of the species from 'the hill'. Great job Margaret! Red-breasted Nuthatches are apparent in good numbers, being reported everywhere with pines. I thought I heard a Brown Creeper in RPV on 10/31, and Jim and Michele Gabelich had one in their PVE yard about the same time. Golden-crowned Kinglets also seem to be arriving in good numbers. JI had the first one at SDP on 10/16, KL had one at HP 10/29, and I saw 6 on Via Subita in RPV on 10/31. All of these montane species are more CBC fodder, as they should remain for the winter

Perhaps two dozen Violet-green Swallows were part of the large flock of swallows flying over the lake at HP on 10/11. JI saw 2 Purple Martins there 9/20. DM found a Mountain Bluebird at MM on 11/7, always a great find locally. I saw a thrush, with nary a rust or buff feather on it, fairly well at BP on 10/17, which had to have been a Gray-cheeked Thrush. A report of a Sage Thrasher at MM in late Sept. was probably valid (fide DM). I saw one at HP 10/8. My wife Kathy found a Phainopepla while walking the dogs down the ditch, 10/1-5. On 10/8 KL had one in BP and Neil Multack and I had one in the Wilmington Drain.

And now for the oh-so-cherished and pursued wood-warblers, those favorites of migrant/vagrant hunters. From 8/29 to 10/21, 24 species were seen locally, not counting Myrtle, Orangecrowned, and the one that got away! The only local Tennessees were at BP 9/27 and PP 9/30 (MH), though KL found one near our area, in Marina del Rey (MdR) 10/6. A Lucy's Warbler was found at MM by KL 9/17, which was likely the gray warbler that got away from DM on 9/12. It was still being heard or seen nearly to the end of Sept. A Northern Parula was found at BP 10/7 (JI), which many saw 10/8. What a beautiful warbler! The only Chestnut-sided were found nearby: KL's at MdR 10/6 and DB's in Baldwin Hills earlier the same week. JI, the local king of Magnolia Warblers, found one at SDP 10/4 and one at BP 10/5. And KL was baron of Blackburnians with TWO: one at SCBG 10/21, and one at BP 10/28. I saw a Bay-breasted at WP on 9/28. Blackpolls were too numerous to detail with about 7 (a good year) being found between 9/22 and 10/8.

Black and Whites were evident, with one probably in for the winter at SDP, there since 10/3 (KL). KL found another at SCBG 10/8. American Redstart showed with one at MM 9/16-22 (Ron Melin). KL found one at the SCBG 9/24, and JI found a stunning male at SDP 10/4, present to 10/8 at least. Absolutely amazing was TWO Prothonotary Warblers being found this fall, both males. The first was at BP 9/20. found by Rob Hamilton and Mike San Miguel, and present to 9/22, at least (JI and MH). The second, which I photographed, was at Sur La Brea Park in SE Torrance on 10/3, and was present to 10/8! The second Northern Waterthrush of the fall was at MM 9/19 (DM), and present to 9/ 22+. Two Yellowbreasted Chats constitute a good showing locally: JI had one at SDP 9/22 and I saw one at PP 9/30. In the ones-that-got-away category was the juv. female Cerulean I saw briefly at BP 10/21. She was the second locally to give me a quick (15 seconds) close view, then shoot off into oblivion. Let it go Louie.

While I didn't hear a single report of a Summer Tanager, I found FOUR Scarlet Tanagers locally this fall! Three were at BP and 3 were males! The first was a first-year male at LP on 10/7, which due to it's unique plumage, I can affirm was the same bird I found up-canyon at PP on 10/9, 7/10 of a mile from the original discovery site. The funny part is: On 10/8, I phoned KL and told him that since it hadn't been seen that day in LP, I was going to look for it at PP. Shocking is the only way to describe finding another male at BP 10/13, WITH a female! I got pictures of this male, and many observers saw it through 10/15, but the female was only seen the next day by Bob Beckler, who saw both birds, but not thereafter. Then I found and photo'd a fourth bird (the third male), at BP 10/26, which many others saw through 10/29. Two of the four were photo'd, and three of the four seen by other observers. That only leaves the one I found twice as uncorroborated and potential rejection material. 'Twas a Scarlet fall if there ever was one.

I found a Green-tailed Towhee at HP on 9/30. A migrant Spotted Towhee was at SDP 9/29+, and Neil Multack had the first ever in his RPV yard, from 10/28 on. I wonder where these fall migrant and lowland wintering individuals are from? They're not local PV birds, which belong to a genetically and geographically isolated population that probably merits subspecific status. A Clay-colored Sparrow was at Angel's Gate on 10/7, and another was at Friendship Park, in SP 10/31. I hit the jackpot at MM on the afternoon of 9/27, with 2 Vesper Sparrows, a Lark Sparrow, and the marsh's first Lark Bunting (photo, too!) which many saw to 9/29. A Large-billed (Savannah) Sparrow was on the Navy mole on Terminal Island on 10/1 (MH). A red Fox Sparrow was at BP 10/17, probably of the zaboria ('Western Red' --Canadian Rockies) type (MH). It is accidental locally. A Chestnut-collared Longspur was at Pt. Vicente and Long Pt., with 3 Horned Larks on 10/27 (MH).

Rose-breasted Grosbeak were scarce this fall: KL found the only one 9/20 at BP, which remained to 9/22, at least. Very late Blackheadeds were at Alondra Park (MH), and in Torrance (KL) on 10/30. Two Bobolinks flushed out of HP 9/30 (MH), and DM had a tardy one at MM 10/18. Outstanding was KL finding surely our earliest ever Rusty Blackbird (photos) at SCBG on 10/28. Unbelievable were TWO Orchard Orioles I found together at BP 9/29! JI saw one of them 9/30 and KL saw one 10/1. They were with 2 Hooded and an odd Bullock's. Mark and Lori Conrad found a first fall male Baltimore Oriole at BP 10/7, which I photo'd 10/8.

Fall finching was good too. KL found the first (6) Pine Siskins at HP 10/8, and scattered reports are coming in from around the area. Guess we'll get them on the count this year? JI saw a Lawrence's Goldfinch at HP on 10/10, quite rare locally (less than annual). The real highlight was MaHo finding and getting pictures of an Evening Grosbeak at her feeders in RPV on 10/27! Again, probably the first photos of the species locally, though it has occurred about once per decade, the last four decades.

This was certainly one of the best falls of the last decade as you can see from the avalanche of reports. Thank you all for keeping me posted, letting others know, and sharing your finds. Having others enjoy them is surely the best enjoyment you can get out of the discovery of a 'good' bird. And, keeping a reasonably complete record of them here in Hummin' adds tremendously to our local pool of knowledge and resources.

Based on what we've seen so far, the winter will hold many exciting discoveries for us. They're out there, waiting for someone with binocs and camera to find them! Bodes well for an exciting Christmas Bird Count, too! Mark your calendars for Saturday, 12/23. We will need ALL the HELP we can get. Last year, a few areas had coverage that was, well, let's call it poor at best. Please help us overcome this man/woman power deficiency. Send an 'E': rosscoz@earthlink.net to help or say you're in.

Due to extreme space overrun, I've deleted names and places, but here are, mostly exactly on schedule, some FOF (first of fall) reports: 9/14 Swainson's Thrush; 9/16 Audubon's Warbler, orestera Orange-crowned Warbler; 9/22 Say's Phoebe (2); 9/24 Cedar Waxwing, White-crowned Sparrow; 9/28 Fox Sparrow; 9/29 Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush; 9/30 Western Grebe, Lincoln's Sparrow (3); 10/1 Dunlin; 10/2 Sharp-shinned Hawk; 10/3 Junco; 10/7 Ring-necked Duck. You can help here! If you don't write down your birds/dates, how will you know when to look? Books by those who did? Are you/we missing FOF dates because you didn't take notes? Guilt eating you now?

Send me reports at: birdfish@earthlink.net Think globally, bird locally.

Because I was busy politicking for pro-environmental candidates, I delayed writing this column until after election day. Here it is two days after that cliffhanger of an election, and I find it hard to believe that we still don't know who will be our next President. I do know that we will have more legislators who will be more responsive to our pleas for action to protect the environment.

The increasing urgency of putting global climate change at the top of the political agenda when Congress reconvenes was emphasized in an early November Los Angeles Times article. The article stated that scientists now predict that the world's temperature is likely to increase by 11° Fahrenheit before the end of this century. Previous projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change had projected a rise of 1.8° to 6.3° Fahrenheit in the same period. Such an alarming increase would have devastating consequences for people and wildlife in many parts of the world. Sea level rise from melting glaciers would inundate heavily populated coastal areas; extreme weather events like hurricanes and droughts would become more severe and more frequent; warmer temperatures would change important agricultural areas into deserts; and tropical diseases like malaria would move northward and southward. These are just a few of the effects that scientists are expecting.

What can be done to bring the Earth's climate system back into balance? We will have to pressure Congress to ratify the Kyoto Treaty that mandates a reduction in the production of greenhouse gases. We are the largest carbon emitter in the world, so we are responsible for much of the global warming. Fearing that such a change would affect their profits, energy companies and automobile manufacturers opposed the Kyoto protocol. If these industries were to become world leaders in developing new technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, they could make tremendous profits. They cold also reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.

These corporations can't do it alone. They need our cooperation as consumers. In September, the California Air Resources Board unanimously upheld the mandate that car manufacturers produce a substantial number of zero-emission vehicles or ZEVs for sale in California beginning with the 2003 model year. Our state lawmakers enacted a direct grant program, signed into law by Governor Davis at the end of September, that provides consumers up to $3, 000 per year for three years to offset the cost of leasing or buying an electric vehicle. Additional subsidies of up to $5, 000 for a three-year lease are already available in the Los Angeles basin under a program of the regional air quality agency. These measures should make it much easier to purchase electric cars when they are available.

Incidentally, front-page articles in the Highway 1 section of the Los Angeles Times on October 18 and 25 gave a very positive assessment of driving an electric car as well as a lot of information about them.

In the meantime, you can drive over to South Bay Toyota, and purchase a Prius in your choice of several colors for about $20, 000. This is a hybrid vehicle that has both an electric and a gasoline engine. It seats five and gets 52 miles per gallon in the city, but only 45 miles per gallon on the highway at higher speeds when the gasoline engine kicks in. It recharges itself as you drive.

Scott Robinson has a red and a silver Insight, another hybrid, for sale for $25, 000. It seats two and gets about 70 miles per gallon. After these two are sold, you may have to wait six months or more to buy one. Low consumer interest is discouraging production. How can we boost consumer demand? How can we get people out of SUVs and into cars that will cut pollution and maintain the climate for our children and our grandchildren? Will you help spread the word?

"When I would come home, there would be mud between my toes, and my grandmother would know that I had been down at the willows," Sherry Roberts told us at the October 31 chapter meeting. "My grandmother really didn't want me going into the willows because she said a lot of bad things happened down there. But whenever I had a chance, I would sneak away and go down to the Willows."

The Willows that Sherry Roberts talked about are a 7-acre remnant of the 18, 000 acres of willow bottom that once stretched over much of the South Bay. Within a few decades after World War II, when the southern California economy boomed, most of these willows and wetlands were converted to shopping centers and residential developments. Even this tiny patch might have been sacrificed, if Sherry, Jeremiah George, and Frank O'Brien had not convinced the City of Gardena that this island of wildness needed protection.

As in so many wildlife-rich areas, water makes the difference. Unfortunately, as the City has accelerated drainage through the willows over the years, animals such as freshwater clams have disappeared. Water cress now covers the surface of the water, which flows through the area from 170th street, under South Park, and out of the willows at Vermont. (According to Sherry, the fine roots of the watercress are so effective at cleansing the water of oil, gasoline, and other pollutants that the water flowing out of the willows is potable!)

Much of Sherry's presentation was an introduction to the area's plants and wildlife. Like Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park and Madrona Marsh, the Gardena Willows is a hotspot for wildlife in the South Bay. Many of the Arroyo Willows are more than 100 years old, and host birds, lizards, insects, and a large variety of fungi. In low areas, cattails and bulrushes grow.

Besides Swallowtail, Buckeye, and Checkered Skipper butterflies, dozens of species of birds take advantage of this little oasis just 200 yards from the end of Interstate 91. Barn owls, Cooper's hawks and red-shouldered hawks, kestrels, and white-tailed kites forage about the perimeter of the willows. Ash-throated flycatchers, lesser goldfinches, pintails, and cinnamon teal can regularly be found in the willows. Until two decades ago, ring-necked pheasants were often sighted.

It is the remarkable power of wildness that the Gardena Willows can carry us back to a time when Gabrielino Indians foraged in the wetlands that once were much of the South Bay. Like many similar areas, the Gardena Willows need care. In September, volunteers cleaned trash from the area with the generous help of the City of Gardena. Plans are on the drawing board for starting a restoration program there.

Thanks, Sherry, for reminding us about this wonderful piece of the wild in our neighborhood.

The Gardena Willows, which are located at Vermont and Artesia, are accessible only with permission from the Gardena Parks and Recreation Department. You will soon be able to skip the paperwork, when Bob Shanman begins his monthly bird walks there. The chapter hopes to expand this activity into a larger cooperative program with the City of Gardena.

Cabrillo Beach, a collection of 17 nature poems by Jess Morton, is now available from PV/South Bay Audubon as a fundraiser for the Audubon YES! Program. 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. The cost is $7.00, including tax and postage. Contact Jess Morton at 832-5601 if you would like to purchase a copy.

Wish List for PV/SB Audubon's Outdoor Classroom at Harbor Park: Card table and binoculars. Call Debbie at 722-7777 if you can help with these items.

Estate planning helps PV/South Bay's future. You can make a lasting contribution to protecting birds and habitat in our communities by making a bequest to Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon. You should consult with your attorney, but here is an example of language you might use in making a bequest. If you have questions, contact Jess Morton at 832-5601.

"I give $_____(or a percentage of the estate) to Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society, a non-profit corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State of California, with a current address of P. O. Box 2582, Palos Verdes, CA 90274."

Debbie Baker, the chapter's Education Director, reported a busy autumn of activities at Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. On October 21, 28 students from local schools launched a new project suggested by the YES! Council. After clearing weeds from about 5, 600 square feet of bank, the students planted 25 native plants. And more plantings are in the works.

The next day, 142 employees from EDS cleared castor bean, mustard, and nictinia from a 200-foot swath of ground in the park. Now, this area is ready for planting, too.

Yet another program was launched on October 25, when Tony and Debbie Baker, Holly Gray, and Karen Czuleger hosted 42 students from nearby Normount Elementary School. At three separate stations, students learned about the park's mammals, birds, and plants. They also picked up useful skills, such as using binoculars and planting seedlings. The school was so pleased with the program that it has asked for five more sessions this school year.

Three days later, Bob Carr gave a lesson on bats to a group of 10 children and 12 docents from Sharing Nature with Children.

Exhausted yet?

On November 4, Debbie and Holly held the first monthly birding class for total beginners. The class has generated a lot of excitement in the community.

Finally, Debbie gratefully received the help of Christy Nelson, an El Camino student. Christy helped move boxes out of the storage area at the park, clean the area, assemble and install shelves, and move the chapter's education materials back in. Great work, Christy!

Let's hope Debbie will take a breather!

The chapter's education programs have benefitted from the generous donations of chapter members. Betty Buzzini donated magazines, books, and a file cabinet. Kathy Burkholder (of Kathy's Kritters) donated a table, a magazine rack, and a file cabinet. Bob Carr gave the program books and field guides. John Small also made a generous donation to the Audubon YES! Program. Thanks to all of you!

Some people who emigrate fly away from where they were living, but all birds that migrate do fly away from where they were living. An emigrant often considers the change in location an advantage. For a migrant bird it is an advantage because ecologically the new site provides improved weather and food resources because just about all bird migrations are seasonal.

When flying, an emigrant doesn't have to navigate; but when migrating, a bird does have to do that. A young bird born north of the equator in a temperate zone has to know how and when to migrate south. In going from central Europe to the western portion of Africa about halfway down, for example, a migrating bird usually flies southwest across Iberia, then turns to go southeast in Africa, a route that can thus be referred-to as a dog-leg route because the sharp turn between Iberia and Africa comes before and after straight-line flights The selection of that route is probably influenced by a bird's desire to avoid flying over the Alps, the wide part of the Mediterranean, and the dry Sahara. That migratory flying is most frequently, or sometimes only, at night. During nights when there are clouds blocking views of the stars and haze blocking views of the ground, a bird's cranial magnet must guide the navigation. If it thought like a person, it would appreciate the existence of Earth's magnetic field for navigation guidance. On a clear night, many a bird can navigate by celestial means, recognizing that north is the sky direction around which the stars seem to move through the night, and we know that it's where the north star is seen.

If a bird is bred in a high northern latitude, it must adjust to the fact that the true north and the magnetic north are not in the same direction from there. Thus, those baby birds must learn how to navigate south. Tests have shown that many a bird from such an area uses celestial information to adjust its magnetic directional sensitivity and accuracy. If that's not done by a bird, then the bird flies directly south, navigating solely by celestial means; but many such birds do adapt their magnetic sensitivity as they fly south through changing aspects of Earth's magnetic field. Thus, those adapting birds can use magnetic navigation when returning north and in future southward migratory flights.

During its first migratory flight south, a bird encounters large magnetic changes that it has never sensed plus star patterns that it has never seen. When crossing our planet's magnetic equator, the magnetic field lines are horizontal, and south of it the bird must reverse its directional response to the magnetic field so as to continue flying to the south. On cloudy days, an adult bird can usually sense polarized light, and use that to aid in its navigation. So, the birds use some of the same but some very different ways of navigation than human pilots do.

Our human bodies do not have wings, but to end this article I can tell you that in a human body a funny bone is the humerus one.

I expect few members of the Palos Verdes/ South Bay Audubon Society realize that Jess Morton has edited Hummin' for the last 15 years. The oversight is understandable. It's easy to become distracted by all the other ways that Jess contributes to the chapter and to the life of the South Bay. And Hummin' just seems to appear, every other month, with Mitch's bird observations, and Lillian's urgings for conservation, with poems (often by Jess), with Joe Slap's amusing musings about birds and other wild things, with reports on the battles to be fought and the battles that have been won, with calendars of events carefully parsed and presented.

This is the first issue of Hummin' that I have assembled. In the short time that I have been editor, I have come to appreciate what Jess has done for so long. Jess, I sing your praise!

I hope to have mastered the basics of Hummin' sometime soon. In the meantime, I ask that you forgive the lateness of this issue, and that you smile knowingly at whatever mis-steps I stumble upon in the next several issues. --Mike Weber

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