Volume 75, Number 2 November/December 2008

WESTERN
TANAGER
a publication of Los Angeles Audubon www.laaudubon.org

Cactus Wrens in Central & Coastal Orange County:

How Will a Worst-Case Scenario Play Out Under the NCCP?
—by Robert A. Hamilton
A friend who reviewed a draft of the following essay suggested that some readers might interpret my comments
mainly as a plea to feather the nests of Cactus Wren biologists, myself included. Such a critique may seem reasonable,
but it is my experience that biological consultants most concerned about money typically seek to arouse as little public
notice as possible. This is especially true of consultants who frequently work on projects and initiatives with potential for
public controversy. The problem, of course, is that this practice tends to stifle public airing of important policy issues that
could benefit from judicious exposure to light. I have prepared the following essay in the belief that members of Los
Angeles Audubon and others who read the Western Tanager would appreciate an update on the Cactus Wren’s
precarious situation in Orange County as well as an evaluation of possible implications for the NCCP process.
or the past dozen years I The NCCP/HCP identifies the of these species and many other

F have spent most of my

springs and summers
monitoring Cactus Wren populations in
Cactus Wren, California
Gnatcatcher, and Orange-throated
Whiptail lizard as its “target
“Identified Species,” with the
understanding that the three target
species would serve as “surrogates”
the Nature Reserve of Orange County species.” The reserve was designed for the broader suite of organisms
(NROC). Operating under a Board of to meet the ecological requirements that depend upon coastal sage scrub
Directors that consists of
representatives from public and quasi-
public agencies, conservation groups,
and The Irvine Company, the NROC is
a nonprofit corporation responsible for
managing roughly 37,000 acres of
public and private land set aside in
1996 under terms of the Natural
Community Conservation Plan/Habitat
Conservation Plan (NCCP/HCP) for
Central and Coastal Orange County. In
exchange for setting aside the land—
roughly 17,000 acres in the coastal
reserve and 20,000 acres in the central
reserve—and funding an endowment
to pay for its long-term stewardship,
Figure 1. Photo taken on 19 July 2006 of a young Cactus Wren in California Buckwheat
the participating land owners received (Eriogonum fasciculatum) at the UC Irvine open space, Nature Reserve of Orange County.
a streamlined development process for This fragment of cactus scrub and ruderal (weedy) habitats, located along the NROC's northwestern
parcels within the central and coastal edge, covers approximately 70 acres and typically supports roughly five pairs of Cactus Wrens.
planning areas that supported more Amazingly, this may be the largest concentration of Cactus Wrens remaining in the NROC's coastal
than 7,000 acres of coastal sage scrub. reserve. Photo by Robert A. Hamilton
for their continued survival in the
central and coastal Orange County
NCCP planning area. The
NCCP/HCP specifies that the
populations of the target species
shall be subject to long-term
monitoring and that these taxa shall
be treated as if they were listed
under the California Endangered
Species Act and the Federal
Endangered Species Act (the
gnatcatcher is, of course, federally
listed as threatened).
From 1999 to 2003 the NROC
contracted with the Institute for Bird
Populations to conduct constant-effort
mist netting at several sites within the
central and coastal reserves. This
effort demonstrated broad-based
declines in the populations of several
bird species dependent upon coastal
sage scrub (annual percentage change
in population size of -8.1% for all bird
species pooled)1 . In general, the
declines appeared to be related to
drought conditions that prevailed
during the years in question, but the
overall conclusion of DeSante et al.
was that “several more years of data
will likely be required to confirm that
the overall declines in landbird
breeding populations now observed at
NROC are real, and determine if there
is an actual trend to productivity.”
From 1999 to 2004 I monitored
Cactus Wren and California
Gnatcatcher populations at 40 sites
scattered across the NROC. During
this six-year period, detections of
territories per site declined by 33%
for California Gnatcatchers in the
central reserve, 17% for California
Gnatcatchers in the coastal reserve,
26% for Cactus Wrens in the central
reserve, and 68% for Cactus Wrens
in the coastal reserve2 . Extrapolating
these results yielded a population
estimate of 55±40 Cactus Wren
territories in the coastal reserve in
2004. The first three declines were in
line with the broad-based, short-term
declines that DeSante et al. (2003)
documented for several scrub-
dependent bird populations in the
NROC. It seemed likely that these
moderate short-term declines
represented part of a long-term cycle
of boom and bust in response to
weather patterns, particularly the
amount and timing of precipitation.
The much larger drop in detections
per site for Cactus Wrens in the
coastal reserve, however, provided
obvious cause for concern,
especially since the detection rate
declined by 25% between 2003 and
2004, a period when detection rates
for Cactus Wrens in the central
reserve and California Gnatcatchers
in both reserves increased in
response to a good rainy season.
The coastal reserve’s Cactus
Wren population had been of
heightened conservation interest ever
since the Laguna Beach Fire of
October 1993 burned approximately
13,000 acres—nearly 75% of the
reserve area. As reported by
Bontrager et al.3, pre-fire surveys
yielded an estimate of 282 Cactus
Wrens within the fire’s perimeter,
and surveys conducted in spring
1994 documented 79 pairs remaining
in partially burned scrub within the
burn perimeter. But cactus grows
very slowly, and the wrens need
extensive patches of meter-tall
cactus in order to successfully breed.
By 2001, Cactus Wrens could be
found at only 31 sites within the
burn perimeter4. In order to get a
better handle on the situation
throughout the coastal reserve, the
NROC contracted with me to map
and classify all of the reserve’s
cactus resources in 2006 and to
simultaneously conduct focused
surveys; I found finding 46 Cactus
Wren territories. I repeated these
surveys in 2007 and could find only
23 territories in the entire coastal
reserve. Not only were the birds
doing poorly within the burn
perimeter, but for reasons not truly
understood they were blinking out of
areas like the Sycamore Hills (east of
Laguna Canyon Road and north of
El Toro Road), where wrens were
thick only a few years ago and where
the cactus scrub never looked better.
Page II-37 of the EIR/EIS prepared
for the Central and Coastal Orange
County NCCP/HCP reports that 421
“sites” were known to be occupied
by Cactus Wrens within the NCCP
coastal planning area during the
early 1990s. Thus my 2007 count
represents about 5% of the pre-
NCCP total.
Page II-37 of the NCCP/HCP
EIR/EIS reports that 612 “sites”
were known to be occupied by
Cactus Wrens within the NCCP
central planning area during the
early 1990s, and my final reserve-
wide sampling effort in 2004 yielded
an estimate of 374±113 territories in
the central reserve. Although
reduced from the earlier reported
level, the Cactus Wren population in
the NROC’s central reserve was
generally regarded as reasonably
stable and secure until 2007, when
the Windy Ridge and Santiago fires
consumed more than 28,000 acres in
the Lomas de Santiago and the Santa
Ana Mountains, including 16,000
acres within the central reserve. The
NROC responded in early 2008 by
contracting with a team of biologists
to map and survey all of the cactus
resources in the central reserve. One
of them, Brian Leatherman (pers.
comm.), estimates that roughly 67
Cactus Wren territories now exist in
the entire central reserve, a decline
of 89% from the pre-NCCP figure.
This bad situation would, of course,
become dire if the central reserve’s
E2 Western Tanager
wren population undergoes a post-
fire decline similar to that
documented in the coastal reserve
during the past 15 years.
The NROC’s stated mission is:
“To ensure the persistence of the
Reserve’s natural communities,
including the full spectrum of native
plant and animal species, through the
protection, study and restoration of
native habitats and natural processes.”5
The terms “study” and “restoration”
both fall under the NCCP’s adaptive
management provisions. As set forth
in the NCCP/HCP’s Implementation
Agreement: “Adaptive
Management” shall mean a flexible,
iterative approach to long-term
management of biotic resources that
is directed over time by the results of
ongoing monitoring activities and
other information. Biological
management techniques and specific
objectives are regularly evaluated in
light of monitoring results and other
new information. These periodic
evaluations are used over time to
adapt both the management
objectives and techniques to better
achieve overall management goals.”6
The U.S. Department of the
Interior has put together a worthwhile,
seven-part technical guide to adaptive
management that includes the
following introductory language: “It is
thought by many that merely by
monitoring activities and occasionally
changing them, one is doing adaptive
management. Contrary to this
commonly held belief, adaptive
management is much more than
simply tracking and changing
management direction in the face of
failed policies, and, in fact, such a
tactic could actually be maladaptive.”7
Among numerous published
definitions for the general concept of
November/December 2008
adaptive management, Wikipedia’s is
reasonably complete and concise:
“Adaptive management (AM), also
known as adaptive resource management
(ARM), is a structured, iterative process
of optimal decision making in the face of
uncertainty, with an aim to reducing
PROOFREADERS: Hanna Hayman, Marilyn Morgan
uncertainty over time via system
monitoring. In this way, decision making
simultaneously maximizes one or more
resource objectives and, either passively
or actively, accrues information needed to
improve future management. AM is often
characterized as “learning by doing.”8
The article further explains that
active adaptive management involves
testing various specific hypotheses to
determine which management
approach works best, as when a
manager tests and compares various
restoration techniques on a single
weedy hillside. Monitoring and
managing bird populations across
expansive landscapes would generally
use a passive approach, described as
follows: “Passive adaptive
management begins by using
predictive modeling based on present
knowledge to inform management
decisions. As new knowledge is
gained, the models are updated and
management decisions adapted
accordingly [Emphasis added].”
It is notable that the
NCCP/HCP’s definition of adaptive
management does not mention
modeling, and that modeling played
no role setting reserve boundaries.
Instead, the reserve design process
largely consisted of biologists,
planners, and other representatives
of various public agencies and
private interests poring over the
1991-92 distributions of coastal sage
scrub and the three target species
and reaching a compact under which
most—but not all—of the most
important populations of target
species would be preserved in a two-
E3
WESTERN TANAGER
Published by
Los Angeles Audubon Society,
a chapter of
National Audubon Society.
EDITOR: Linda Oberholtzer
LAYOUT EDITOR: Susan Castor
CONSERVATION: Garry George
FIELD TRIPS: Nick Freeman
PELAGIC TRIPS: Phil Sayre
PROGRAMS: Mary Freeman
ORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT:
Kimball Garrett
PRINTING: G2 Graphics Services, Inc.
Opinions expressed in articles or letters
herein do not necessarily express the
position of this publication or of
Los Angeles Audubon Society.
PRESIDENT:
Mary Freeman
1st VICE PRESIDENT:
David De Lange
2nd VICE PRESIDENT:
Paul Fox
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY:
Linda Oberholtzer
RECORDING SECRETARY:
Eleanor Osgood
TREASURER:
Lisa Fimiani
EXECUTIVE PAST PRESIDENT:
Dexter Kelly
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR:
Mary Loquvam
Membership in Los Angeles Audubon is $10
Student, $25 Individual, $35 Couple, $50
Family, $100 & $250 Donor per year, and
$1,000 Lifetime. Members receive the
Western Tanager newsletter and other
benefits. Donations and memberships can be
made online at www.laaudubon.org
Make check payable to Los Angeles Audubon.
Los Angeles Audubon Headquarters, Library
and Nature Store are open to the public
Monday – Thursday
9:30 AM – 4:00 PM
Plummer Park
7377 Santa Monica Boulevard
West Hollywood, CA 90046-6694
(323) 876-0202 – office
(323) 876-7609 – fax
(323) 874-1318 – bird tape
WesternTanager@LAAudubon.org – e-mail
LAAS@LAAudubon.org – e-mail
www.LAAudubon.org – website
Printed on Recycled Paper
 maintains “net long-term habitat
value” in the subregion in two ways:
• first, creation of the Reserve
System will provide the essential
habitat necessary to sustain the
“target and Identified Species”
within the subregion. [. . .]
• second, significant opportunities
for restoration and enhancement
have been identified and are created
within the Reserve System. [. . .]”

To be fair, the EIR/EIS goes on to

acknowledge that “a habitat area’s
future suitability may be affected by a
number of factors,” including
successional dynamics, widespread
catastrophic events, and changes in
competing organisms. Nevertheless,
the language quoted above connotes a
level of certainty about the
Figure 2. Photo taken on 15 September 2006 showing cactus scrub at the UC Irvine open NCCP/HCP’s ability to sustain
space. The view is to the west. Evident in the photo are Coast Prickly-Pear (Opuntia
biodiversity that seems naïve 12 years
littoralis), California Buckwheat (Eriogonum fasciculatum), Chalk Dudleya (Dudleya
pulverulenta), and California Sagebrush (Artemisia californica). Also conspicuous are a big later, as one of the plan’s three target
new parking lot, the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road, Bonita Creek (on the far side of the toll species flirts with extirpation in both
road), exotic landscaping, and suburban residences. Cactus Wrens thrive at this location yet the central and coastal reserves.
show no ability to colonize seemingly attractive cactus scrub at Upper Newport Bay, two
miles to the west. This suggests very poor dispersal abilities, at least across a landscape Rather than going into details of
intensely modified by humans. Photo by Robert A. Hamilton. Photo by Robert A. Hamilton
the monitoring program outlined on
Page II-298 to II-302 of the EIR/EIS,
part habitat reserve (central and ecosystem which minimizes the let me simply note that the
coastal) that represented a need for active intervention to NCCP/HCP’s prescribed monitoring
compromise acceptable to all support viable populations of the approach did not lend itself toward
parties. The reserve designers “Target Species.” However, some gathering the depth or breadth of
possessed relevant information on ongoing active management will be ongoing field data required to develop
the locations of “hot spots” for the necessary (e.g., for pest control and predictive models or otherwise
three target species and for various fire management).” provide for legitimate adaptive
other sensitive species, but they management. Instead, the approach
lacked long-term monitoring data Thus, the central and overriding seemed geared toward providing
for the target species that might prediction of the EIR/EIS enough ongoing data to show that the
have, for example, tracked cyclical preparers—sometimes stated as a fait NCCP/HCP was meeting its
population fluctuations in response accompli—was that the agreed-upon conservation goals. Once biologists
to short-term weather patterns, reserve system would, with proper started implementing this limited
identified locations of “source” and adaptive management, be adequate monitoring approach and trying to
“sink” populations, or observed the to ensure the persistence of the draw inferences about population
long-term responses of populations Reserve’s natural communities and trends that could be extrapolated to
to large-scale fires. As stated on associated native species over the the two reserves at large, or cull
Page II-298 of the EIR/EIS that long term. See, for example, Pages information that could prove useful in
covered establishment of the II-295 and II-296 of the EIR/EIS: an adaptive management framework,
reserve: “The overall strategy of the “Implementation of the subregional the monitoring scheme’s inadequacy
NCCP/HCP is to provide a viable adaptive management program was manifest.

E4 Western Tanager
 Under the guidance of Trish
Smith of The Nature Conservancy,
the program underwent a thorough
re-evaluation and overhaul before
the 1999 field season. It is not clear
to me that even the retooled and
vastly improved monitoring
approach would be adequate for use
in developing a reliable predictive
model for the three target species,
but the results obtained between
1999 and 2004 did establish
convincingly that Cactus Wrens in
the coastal reserve were declining on
a scale and following a pattern
unlike that shown by Cactus Wrens
in the central reserve or by
California Gnatcatchers anywhere in
the NROC. With an even larger
percentage of the central reserve
having burned in 2007 than burned
in the coastal reserve in 1993, and
with the combined number of Cactus
Wren pairs in both reserves having
perhaps fallen into double digits, it is
fair to suggest that wren populations
in central and coastal Orange County
have entered a period of crisis.
The worst-case scenario that I
have described requires
consideration of two controversial
aspects of the NCCP/HCP that its
architects must have hoped would
never be invoked. First is the federal
government’s Habitat Conservation
Plan Assurances (‘‘No Surprises’’)
Rule, which was set forth by the
Secretary of the Interior on 11
August 1994 and ultimately codified,
after additional public review and
input, on 23 February 19989. Boiled
down to its essence, “No Surprises”
means the following: “Once an HCP
permit has been issued and its terms
and conditions are being fully
complied with, the permittee may
remain secure regarding the agreed
upon cost of conservation and
mitigation. If the status of a species
addressed under an HCP unexpectedly
November/December 2008 E5
worsens because of unforeseen
circumstances, the primary obligation
for implementing additional
conservation measures would be the
responsibility of the Federal
government, other government
agencies, or other non-Federal
landowners who have not yet
developed an HCP.10
...
If additional conservation and
mitigation measures are deemed
necessary to respond to unforeseen
circumstances, the Services may
require additional measures of the
permittee where the conservation plan
is being properly implemented, but
only if such measures are limited to
modifications within conserved habitat
areas, if any, or to the conservation
plan’s operating conservation program
for the affected species, and maintain
the original terms of the conservation
plan to the maximum extent possible.
Additional conservation and mitigation
measures will not involve the
commitment of additional land, water
or financial compensation or
restrictions on the use of land, water
(including quantity and timing of
delivery), or other natural resources
otherwise available for development or
use under the original terms of the
conservation plan, without the consent
of the permittee.”
Section 8.9 of the NCCP/HCP
Implementing Agreement is long and
legalistic, but the gist is that the U.S.
Fish & Wildlife Service (USFWS)
may reach a finding of Extraordinary
Circumstances (now referred to as
“Unforeseen Circumstances”) if it
identifies a “significant and
substantial adverse change in the
population of an Identified Species
[such as the Cactus Wren] within the
Central/Coastal Subregion, which
was not contemplated by the
NCCP/HCP.” Before making such a
finding, the USFWS must consider
several specified factors, consult
with the California Department of
Fish & Game, and “consider any
responses submitted by any other
Parties.” If, after completing many
steps, the Director of the USFWS
determines that a finding of
Unforeseen Circumstances is
warranted, the terms of the
NCCP/HCP may be modified in an
effort to provide for recovery of the
population(s) in question, and the No
Surprises rule is invoked.
Before I am accused of crystal
clear hindsight, or of failing to
recognize the many valid reasons
why this NCCP/HCP turned out the
way it did, let me provide the
following context for my criticisms.
First, I believe that nearly all
who have participated in developing
the NCCP/HCP for central and
coastal Orange County, and my
colleagues who have also
participated in its implementation,
have done so honestly, thoughtfully,
and constructively. At the time the
NCCP/HCP was finalized in 1996, I
myself would have thought it
extremely unlikely that the NROC’s
Cactus Wren populations could or
would collapse as precipitously as
they have. I am unaware of any
expert on the species or on reserve
design who warned that such a rapid
collapse was anything but a
theoretical possibility.
With regard to predictive modeling, I
quote from the Scientific Review Panel
assembled by the California Department
of Fish & Game to review the Western
Riverside County Multiple Species
Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP),
which was adopted in 2003: “The plan is
constrained by data limitations and the
need to protect appropriate habitats
before they disappear. Many of the most
useful models of habitat connectedness,
viability analyses based on
metapopulation dynamics, and multiple-
species approaches to planning have
come only from the theoretical literature
and are very recent. Most tests of those
ideas are only beginning and largely
being undertaken in areas exclusively
within federal lands that can be surveyed.
Thus, even the concept of “Best
Available Science” is difficult to assess.
The “best available data” was integrated.
The “best available models” could not
adequately be parameterized.”11
That such a statement was issued
seven years after adoption of the
NCCP/HCP suggests that, as a
practical matter, predictive modeling
probably could not have been
“adequately parameterized” for use
in designing the reserve system for
central and coastal Orange County.
I regard the NCCP/HCP’s land
set-asides, conservation plans, and
operating endowment as better
conservation outcomes than would
have been likely to be attained
through the project-by-project
approach to coastal sage scrub
conservation planning that was the
previous norm in central and coastal
Orange County, and that is still
practiced in many jurisdictions in
southern California. Because the
wren populations in question are
classified as part of
Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
anthonyi, the widespread subspecies
found in California’s deserts and
surrounding areas, these populations
are not, at this time, regarded even as
California Species of Special
Concern, let alone listed as
threatened or endangered. With the
“coastal” Cactus Wren’s recognition
as target species of the NCCP/HCP
and consequent monitoring, we
undoubtedly know much more about
this bird’s changing status and
distribution in Orange County than
we would have otherwise.
Furthermore, the NCCP/HCP
established a conservation structure
that can jump-start the process of
population recovery.
Typically, cactus plantings take
many years to become usable by
Cactus Wrens. Whereas an intensive
program of cactus scrub restoration
undertaken early in the NROC’s
existence might have put managers
in a better position to start seeing the
wren population recover several
years from now, such a program
probably would not have helped to
stem the decline that has taken place
over the past dozen years.
Finally, Cactus Wrens appear to
be in decline all along the coastal
slope of southern California, from
Ventura County southward. These
populations were the subject of a
regional symposium held by the
NROC in April 2008, and since that
time a coastal Cactus Wren working
group has been convening to start
developing a coordinated approach
to conserving these populations.
Since this is a regional issue, and
since Cactus Wrens appear to be
doing poorly even in parts of the
NROC not obviously impacted by
wildfires or other disturbances, it is
unclear that even 100% preservation
of the habitat that existed in 1992
would have fundamentally improved
the current situation.
In light of all that, you may well
be asking yourself, “Okay then,
what’s this guy’s beef?” My first
concern is that the EIR/EIS for the
NCCP/HCP for central and coastal
Orange County generally seemed to
assume that a worst-case scenario for
any Identified Species was very
unlikely to happen, and yet we all
knew (a) that Cactus Wrens were
likely to suffer serious adverse effects
from major wildfires, and (b) that such
fires become more frequent as human
populations increase. In hindsight, it
might have been wise to specify some
level of contingency funding for
stepped-up fire management practices
and intensive supplemental cactus
restoration projects in case the
problems associated with increased
frequency and/or extent of wildfire
turned out to be more serious than
reserve planners hoped and assumed
they would.
Another concern is that the bare-
bones monitoring program outlined
in the NCCP/HCP was inconsistent
with the plan’s explicit reliance on
“adaptive management” as an
important guarantor of coastal sage
scrub ecosystem health and
functions. The architects of the
NCCP/HCP did not realistically
determine the breadth and depth of
monitoring data that would be
necessary to create and sustain a
viable adaptive management
program, and as a result the NROC’s
monitoring budget is chronically
underfunded. For example, the
NROC stopped funding the reserve-
wide, constant-effort mist netting
venture after collecting five years of
data. With each passing year of
operation this long-term data set was
becoming a more valuable adaptive
management tool, and because the
program was being run by part-time
interns the costs were relatively low.
The NROC may not be “flying
blind” in the absence of its long-term
banding program, but a potentially
valuable piece of navigation
equipment has been mothballed for
lack of funds.
Finally, one must question whether
the Cactus Wren is truly being treated
as if it was a listed species in the central
and coastal Orange County NCCP
planning area. Has the time come for
E6 Western Tanager

the USFWS to seriously consider
whether a finding of Unforeseen
Circumstances might be warranted for
the Cactus Wren in the coastal and/or
central reserves? While it is true that
such a finding would trigger the No
Surprises rule, the Federal Register
article suggests possible opportunities
for the federal government to share the
increased costs that would be
associated with intensifying Cactus
Wren recovery efforts: “Also, nothing
in this final rule prevents the
Services from asking a permittee to
voluntarily undertake additional
mitigation on behalf of affected
species. While an HCP permittee
who has been implementing the HCP
and permit terms and conditions in
good faith would not be obligated to
provide additional mitigation, the
Services believe that many
landowners would be willing to
consider additional conservation
assistance on a voluntary basis if a
compelling argument for assistance
could be made.”12
Tacitly acknowledged in the
above-quoted passage is the notion
that the federal government is
seldom the only entity with a vital
interest in the success of a given
HCP. This is the first opportunity for
the NROC and its Board of Directors
to prove that the NCCP/HCP for
central and coastal Orange County
can achieve its central conservation
goals even when populations of an
Identified Species fail to thrive
according to plan. Many people and
institutions have worked long and
hard to bring this plan to fruition;
nobody wants to see it fail.
My final point is cautionary. As
new conservation accords are
contemplated, such as the one that
Audubon California and other groups
recently signed at Tejon Ranch, it will
be important for the negotiating
November/December 2008 E7
8
parties to avoid the temptation to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ada
downplay the chances for worst-case ptive_management
9
scenarios and to realistically calculate Federal Register 63:8859–8873.
10
the costs of operating a Federal Register 63:8867.
11
comprehensive monitoring program http://repositories.cdlib.org/ccb/
capable of (a) identifying potentially WRC-MSHCP/
12
serious problems promptly and (b) Federal Register 63:8869.
collecting the depth and breadth of
information required to avoid or
remedy serious problems through true
adaptive management.
1 ROBB HAMILTON is a consulting
DeSante, D. F., Pyle, P., and
Kaschube. D. 2003. The 2003 Annual biologist who has worked in and
Report of the Monitoring Avian around Orange County for 20 years.
Productivity and Survivorship He was a member of the Nature
(MAPS) Program at the Nature Reserve of Orange County's original
Reserve Of Orange County. Report Technical Advisory Committee and
dated 30 September 2003 prepared for has worked as a consultant to the
Nature Reserve of Orange County. Reserve on various aspects of bird
2 monitoring. He has co-authored two
Hamilton, R. A. 2004. Target
Bird Monitoring Study, Nature books: Birds of Orange County:
Reserve of Orange County, 2004. Status and Distribution and Rare
Report dated 3 November 2004 Birds of California.
prepared for Nature Reserve of
Orange County. Statistical analysis by
Martha White, Ph. D., and Karen
Messer, Ph. D.
3
Bontrager, D. R., Erickson, R. A.,
and Hamilton, R. A. 1995. Impacts of
the October 1993 Laguna Fire on
California Gnatcatchers and Cactus
Wrens. Pp. 69–76 in Brushfires in
California Wildlands: Ecology and
Resource Management. J. E. Keeley and
T. Scott (eds). International Association
Wildland Fire, Fairfield, WA.
4
Harmsworth Associates. 2002.
Final California Gnatcatcher and
coastal Cactus Wren monitoring
report for the San Joaquin Hills burn
area 2001. Report dated January 2002
prepared for Nature Reserve of
Orange County.
5
http://www.naturereserveoc.org/
6
http://www.naturereserveoc.org/
NCCP%20Parts%20I%20&%20II%2
0-%20Plan.pdf
7
http://www.doi.gov/initiatives/A
daptiveManagement/documents.html

The Birds of Villa Venetia in Marina del Rey
Great Blue Herons of Villa Venetia in Marina del Rey,
Photos by Leah Walton
magine Great Blue Herons
I
nesting in palm trees just
beyond your bedroom
windows. Picture Black-crowned
Night-Heron adults and their young
foraging in your yard beside a
swimming pool. And a Barn
Swallow swooping down to skim
water from the pool’s surface before
disappearing toward nearby ocean
waters. Imagine hearing a husky
warbler chip just seconds before a
Common Yellowthroat drops from
the olive tree near your bedroom
window to the ground, not 15 feet
from the night-herons.
Welcome to my yard at the Villa
Venetia Apartments in Marina del Rey
where I have lived the last nineteen
years. The four bird species just
described, along with several others,
have all appeared in my yard over
recent weeks, sometimes
simultaneously. Also, for the first
time this breeding season, Double-
crested Cormorants, four pairs of
them, nested in the same Monterey
Cypress trees that support other Great
Blue Heron nests at the Villa Venetia
Apartments. Over the years, Red-
tailed Hawks, when circling these
same trees, have found themselves
My Patch
facing off with a dozen or more
agitated adult herons protecting their
unhatched eggs and hatchlings.
Set at the seaward-most extent of
Fiji Way, at the end of a peninsula
separating Ballona Creek from the
dredged Marina del Rey channel, my
apartment complex is located less
than three hundred yards from the
open waters of the Pacific. The
complex sits on filled wetlands and
is separated from other still
(partially) functioning wetlands by a
bike path on one side and by Ballona
Creek on another side. Within the
Ballona Valley, the Villa Venetia
grounds are geospatially unique.
Partly as a result of the features just
described that make its location so
unusual, there are few other places in
the entire Ballona Valley watershed
that attract such a broad diversity of
avian species.
White-tailed Kites nested in a pine
tree at the Villa Venetia Apartments in
2002. The pine tree stands in the
shadow of the Great Blue
Heron/cormorant nesting trees. The
adult Kites raised three young that
year. I rescued one of the young from
a neighboring apartment patio where
Great Blue Herons Nest Building,
Photo by Leah Walton
it had fallen unfledged from its nest. I
captured the young bird from behind
after cornering it by placing one hand
around the nape of its neck and the
other around its unforgettably
powerful legs. The experience left a
deep, lasting impression.
I have occasionally seen
Cooper’s Hawk in my yard. Twice a
Sharp-shinned Hawk has appeared,
in both instances alighting atop a
swimming pool umbrella, from
where it surveyed the yard. My yard
is typically teeming with sparrows
and finches when these accipiters
show up probably looking for a meal.
Not surprisingly, having a
swimming pool in such a setting is
asking for trouble. Female Mallards
have regularly led their chicks from
nests in the nearby wetlands to the
pool. There they have taught their
young pool exit strategies and how
to dive. In most Mallard families of
any size, there is typically one
duckling that refuses to dive.
Predictably the mother eventually
gets on top of her difficult charge
and forces the youngster under water
by pressing it downward with her
neck and bill.
E8 Western Tanager
 The swimming pool is often
filled with guano not only from the
annual Mallard female with chicks
occupying it but also, in the months
preceding her appearance, from a
gaggle of bad boy male Mallards
who hang together at and near the
pool while the females are tending
their nests. Various gull species also
appreciate the fresh water drink the
pool provides and love to float on its
surface while taking bathroom
breaks. No pool side gathering of
avian miscreants however would
seem quite complete without Brown
Pelicans, who intermittently appear
at the pool’s edge, staring toward its
waters, with no apparent reason for
being there.
Migration usually brings surprises
to my yard. Five years ago, a
Summer Tanager appeared in one of
the (Washingtonian) palm trees near
the poolside. Spring of 2007, brought
a Wilson’s Warbler to the edge of my
porch overlooking the pool, not seven
White-tailed Kite, “Arnold Small Photographic Collection,
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County”
feet from where I now write. A few
springs past, a Lazuli Bunting passed
through the yard.
Until recent years, a Black Scoter
or two would sit in the marina channel
less than fifty feet from the Villa
Venetia swimming pool. Western and
Clarks Grebes have replaced the
wintering scoters now, along with an
occasional Red-breasted Merganser. I
have also recently photographed as
many as 14 Great and Snowy Egrets
loafing together on the jetty rocks just
ashore of where this marina channel
connects with the Villa Venetia grounds.
In January, 2008, the California
Coastal Commission made a finding
that the tree stands supporting heron
nesting and roosting at the Villa
Venetia Apartments (and at other
marina localities) are an
Environmentally Sensitive Habitat
Area or (ESHA). The Coastal
Commission based their finding
mainly on the occurrence of Heron
(and elsewhere, in the marina,
Snowy Egret and Black-crowned
Night-Heron) nesting. Over time, I
hope to further convince the Coastal
Commissioners that the overall
geospatial uniqueness and
remarkable biodiversity of the Villa
Venetia location should become the
basis of their ESHA designation, and
that all of the Villa Venetia grounds
therefore, and not just the heron nest
supporting trees, should be declared
an ESHA.
There are, however, significant
Los Angeles County and developer
pressures to scrape the Villa Venetia
premises clean and to replace the
existing 3-story apartment buildings
with a 13- story condominium
complex. These pressures, which
have been successfully opposed for a
decade, have nevertheless resulted in
repeated removal and degradation of
nesting and roosting habitat at Villa
Venetia, mainly involving excessive
tree trimming and nest destruction.
But the birds in general have rebuilt
their nests in the degraded trees and
are not budging. Furthermore, birds
have on the whole increased their use
of the Villa Venetia habitat over
recent years. The avian diversity and
most species counts especially have
increased over the last 10 years. So
the very best to the birds of Villa
Venetia, my back yard birds. For their
habitat to survive, they will need all
the help from us they can get.
—by David De Lange, PhD
Vice President
Los Angeles Audubon
November/December 2008 E9
I n t e r p r e t i n g
Students in the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Internship Program
remove ice plant from a hillside at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park.
his summer, 12 students
T
from Dorsey High School
participated in restoration
ecology training programs in the
Baldwin Hills, a joint project
between Los Angeles Audubon and
Earthworks Restoration (funded by
the Baldwin Hills Conservancy and a
grant from National Audubon’s
“TogetherGreen” program).
After an intensive application
process last May, we selected five
students to participate in the Baldwin
Hills Greenhouse Internship Program,
and seven for the Restoration
Leadership Program. In August and
September these students learned
about coastal sage scrub ecology, bird
identification, invasive plant species,
and orienteering with map, compass,
and GPS. Throughout the duration of
the school year, students will conduct
research at the Baldwin Hills
greenhouse, help remove invasive
plants and replace them with natives,
and serve as leaders in their school
and community. We are excited about
involved in our programs in the
Baldwin Hills…
the upcoming role they will play in
the restoration of the Baldwin Hills
and the positive impact they will have
on the surrounding community.
In the last issue we heard from
Rosemary Virula, a Dorsey graduate
now attending CSU Northridge and
currently our Interpretation Intern.
This issue we’ll hear from Chris
Simmons, a student participating in
the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse
Internship Program. Now in his
senior year at Dorsey High School
and looking toward college, Chris is
a scholar-athlete: he is currently
captain of the wrestling team, a
participant in Dorsey’s Film
Production Program, and is a UC
Berkeley Incentive Awards Program
Scholar. What follows is Chris’s
perspective on how he would like to
integrate his diverse interests in a
way that aids the cause of
conservation. Again, we hope this
student’s essay helps you to
understand the inner-city experience
and that it inspires you to get
E10
N a t u r e
—Stacey Vigallon,
Director of Interpretation
Though seemingly unrelated, I hope
my passions for both film and
environmental science mix in an effort to
break the cycle of misinformation
regarding the environment. I plan to act
as a vanguard of environmental
awareness and empathy. One day I intend
to motivate the general public into
mobilizing and reversing our negative
effect on this planet. Through both film
and the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse
Program I intend to increase
environmental awareness within my local
community and eventually the world.
Growing up in inner city Oakland,
California, my experience with nature
was limited to the sidewalk weeds until
my fifth grade teacher, Mr. Abar, took
our entire class camping in the
Redwood Regional Forest. We hiked
about 10 miles wearing 30 lb packs. I
was mesmerized. We saw a banana
slug, deer, snakes, streams, and even a
fleeting glimpse of a mountain lion.
This personal interaction with nature
continued through middle school and I
enjoyed more hikes into the Redwood
Forest where I learned about the water
cycle and to how read pH levels. And
the older I became, the more I engaged
with nature, from canoeing in the San
Francisco Estuary to spending a
weekend at a conservation retreat
learning how wildlife has adapted to the
San Francisco Peninsula after
“demilitarization.” These transformative
events guided me towards
environmental conservation.
Since the ninth grade at Susan
Miller Dorsey High, I have been a part
of many programs. In my junior year I
joined Dorsey’s Global Warriors Eco-
Western Tanager
 Club, and through it I was introduced
to the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse
Internship. Since the internship’s
Greenhouse Boot Camp I learned the
negative effect that invasive species,
such as ice plant, can have on an
ecosystem and how to deal with it. In
addition to learning about local
wildlife, both native and introduced, I
learned about the local ecology and the
roles various organisms, from people to
plants to animals, play within their
community. I believe that because we
interns have learned so much about the
environment we will play an integral
part in the fight to save it. Not only
that, but myself and the other interns
have gained real world experiences in
conservation ecology and science that
almost none of our peers have had. In
comparatively short time we have
learned how to do environmental
research, cultivate plants, cast tracks,
and even recognize birds simply by
their calls.
One wonders how film and the
environment are interrelated, but it’s as
simple as finding a piece of the
environment and filming it. As part of
the Dorsey Film Production Program
for what will be my second year, I am
committed to making well-crafted
films. that educate and motivate
viewers to take action. I am proud to
say that our film program has already
taken a step in that direction with our
project, “Sharing the Beach with
Western Snowy Plovers.” We worked
with Los Angeles Audubon to create a
public service announcement regarding
the Western Snowy Plover, a once
plentiful species that is now federally
threatened as a result of human activity.
Creating this film was a team effort,
and we were very excited to be
recognized for our efforts by the
California State Assembly in July 2008
at Audubon Film Fridays. Our film
November/December 2008 E11
serves as a great example of
community service by students, and
represents a prime example of what
film can do to expose people to the
world around them.
Film can challenge how people
think. Consider Al Gore’s An
Inconvenient Truth and its influence
on the general public and
environmental policy. Though it
wasn’t the first film about
environmental awareness, people
related to its urgency and began
making changes. People generally do
not react to something unless it is
personal. Showing environmental
catastrophes in our backyards
amplified the message of awareness
and action. Film is a unique apparatus
in that it reaches a broad audience
through a blend of images, sounds,
and words. A film can reach the shores
of distant nations, and so will the
message of that director. Through my
knowledge of film and the
environment I hope to emphasize
action to restore our planet and build
Students in the Restoration Leadership Program learn how to use a compass and get a
great view of the city from the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook Park.
on the work of ecologists, filmmakers,
and environmental pioneers around
the world.
In 10 years, I see the Baldwin Hills
becoming a model of environmental
awareness and ecological sensitivity
within the city of Los Angeles and even
the world. I see it repopulated with
native plants and animal species like
costal sage shrub, prickly pear cactus,
California Gnatcatchers, and the
Cactus Wren. While film can initiate
this change for many, so can the work
of people within the community.
Neighbors can become
conservationists and we can perpetuate
the transition into a more ecologically
aware community.
—Chris Simmons,
Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Intern

Volunteer Corner
SNOWY PLOVER DOCENTS NEEDED!
s we have mentioned in past issues, we are
A developing a Snowy Plover Docent Program.
We need enthusiastic volunteers willing to help
educate beach-goers of all ages about plover conservation and
sandy beach ecology. Docents will lead groups on tours of
Snowy Plover roosting sites and take detailed behavioral data
on plovers during the fall and winter months. If you are
interested in participating, please contact Stacey Vigallon.
tern@laaudubon.org, (323) 481-4037
In this and subsequent “Volunteer Corner” features,
we plan to let our volunteers do some of the talking.
Learn first-hand what sparked their interest and what
their volunteer experience has been like. First up is
Georgianna Dryer, who has been a dedicated volunteer
for both Snowy Plover and Least Tern monitoring
programs this past year…
Illustration by Stacey Vigallon
—by Stacey Vigallon and
Eleanor Osgood
I love the outdoors, nature and all of the creatures that
share this planet with us, well almost all. I could do with
out centipedes (although, chickens wouldn't agree with
me - to them, they are their equivalent to our Häagan
Dazs Ice Cream). Well, when I remarried and sold my
house on 19 acres in the lush subtropical jungle of Maui,
Hawaii and moved to Los Angeles, I felt like a fish out
of water. That is until I started looking for the nature that
surrounds us even in the cement jungles of the big city. I
joined Los Angeles Audubon and started discovering the
local parks, deserts and mountains that are full of flowers,
wild life and birds.
I was asked if I would be interested in monitoring the
Snowy Plovers on the Dockweiler Beach and jumped at
the chance to become involved. And I am so happy that
I did! I fell in love with those cute little birds, which
unless I was out there with my binoculars looking for
them, I would have walked right over them just like I
have observed so many other beach goers doing. It
amazes me that people walking or jogging the beach
will go right through a group of Snowy Plovers and not
even see them. I want to shout..."Look, look, see how
cute. See what your are missing. See what we might all
miss if we don't protect them!" —Georgianna Dryer
E12 Western Tanager
 Schreiber Grant Recipients
RESEARCH: NEIGHBOR-STRANGER
RECOGNITION IN ANNA’S AND COSTA’S
HUMMINGBIRDS
Hummingbirds, like songbirds,
learn and sing complex songs.
Whether they also use song to
recognize individuals, like songbirds
do, has not been studied. Our
research investigates the role of
hummingbird song in individual and
species recognition using a pair of
sister species: the Anna’s
hummingbird (Calypte anna) and the
Costa’s hummingbird (Calypte
costae).
The two species within the
Calypte genus have songs that are
quite different from each other. The
whistled song of the male Costa’s
hummingbird is relatively simple
compared to the multi-syllabic,
broadband male Anna’s
hummingbird song (see attached
spectrographs). We wondered if
these structural differences mirrored
functional differences in the song of
these two species.
The traditional approach to
studying individual recognition in
songbirds is a “neighbor-stranger”
playback experiment. This type of
experiment operates on the
assumption that a territorial bird will
November/December 2008 E13
react more aggressively towards a
singing stranger than towards a
singing neighbor. Since a territorial
bird hears its neighbor singing from
the adjacent territory on a regular
basis, it would be energetically
wasteful to continually attack the
singing neighbor. However, an
unfamiliar bird poses more of a
threat, as it may be attempting to
take over the male’s territory.
We set out to simulate the
intrusions of neighbor and stranger
males onto the territories of Anna’s
and Costa’s males, so that we could
measure the males’ responses to
these different stimuli. We worked
mainly in desert scrub habitat in both
Anza Borrego State Park, CA, and
the Boyd Deep Canyon Research
Center near Palm Desert, CA. We
also worked with Anna’s
hummingbirds at the San Joaquin
Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine, CA.
For each territorial male, we played
back previously recorded songs of a
neighbor, a stranger, a competitor of
a different species (either Costa’s or
Anna’s hummingbird) and a non-
competitor of a different species
(House Finch). We measured the
males’ aggressive responses to the
playback, such as amount of time
spent singing and closest approach to
the playback speakers.
Anna’s hummingbird males
differentiate between conspecific and
heterospecific birds; they respond
more aggressively towards songs of
their own species. To date, our
results are inconclusive as to
whether Anna’s males distinguish
neighbors from strangers, but
analysis is ongoing. Our preliminary
results indicate that individual
Costa’s males vary greatly in their
level of response to playback, but do
not appear to distinguish between
individuals or species. Costa’s males,
therefore, do not appear to be using
song as a signal for species or
individual recognition. The
differences we are finding in the way
that Costa’s and Anna’s
hummingbirds respond to territorial
intrusions indicate that song may
indeed function differently in these
two sister species.
—by Schreiber Grant Recipients:
Carina Castro & Bethany Williams,
Houtman Lab,
Department of Biological Sciences,
California State University
Fullerton
 birds of the season
Autumn does not officially arrive
until September 22, but fortunately,
southbound ‘fall’ migrants
completely disregard that fact.
Otherwise, it would be a long, hot
and rather uneventful summer… at
least for birders. To the average
resident of Los Angeles County
migration is all but invisible; but for
the dedicated observers who were
out looking, there were plenty of
birds on the move and enough
vagrants to make things interesting.
Shorebirds were much in
evidence as usual, with numbers of
expected species and a few of the
‘rare but regular’ also found-- the
majority of them in the county’s two
great shorebird magnets.
With virtually all of our coastal
wetlands obliterated by human
development, the concrete lined
lower LA River has become--
improbable, as it might seem-- the
one coastal location that offers
southbound shorebirds an extensive
and valuable habitat. On almost any
day from July through September,
thousands of birds use the river as a
resting and feeding stopover. As a
bonus, it’s very accessible from a
birding perspective.
The desert has its own man-
made wetland. The Piute Ponds on
Edwards Air Force Base were
initially created almost 50 years ago
in an effort to prevent treated
wastewater from entering Rosamond
Dry Lake. For some time now, these
ponds have been a rich wetland
habitat. The ponds are not only for
finding shorebirds: waterfowl and
waders thrive here as well and the
area attracts migrant passerines in
spring and fall. Since it takes more
effort to travel to and gain access to
these ponds, they are not as well
covered as the LA River. One
wonders what they would produce if
subjected to the same intense and
near daily coverage.
Though these two locations
together produce the largest
concentrations of shorebirds and are
consistent in producing rarities, there
are many other places to look. The
LA River stretches for miles and there
are many other spots along its path
that attract birds. Any drainage
channel of significant size and most of
our flood control basins also hold
shorebirds given the right conditions.
Old favorites the Ballona Wetlands
and Malibu Lagoon always have
potential as do portions of the San
Gabriel River and the Lancaster
Sewer Ponds—home of southern
California’s only record of Gray-tailed
Tattler in 1981. I suspect only birders
could swoon over sewer ponds.
While shorebirds are most of the
story from July through early
September, there were also small
—by Jon Fisher
numbers of passerines passing
through the county starting right
after July. Even a few low-end
vagrants had turned up by early
August. As expected, things started
to heat up as we approached the
middle of September, with a sudden
spike in vagrants and an increasing
flow of regular southbound migrants.
As is typical, there was quite a
bit of variety from mid-July to mid-
September…
Interesting waterfowl were
virtually non-existent, but an out of
season Lesser Scaup at Colorado
Lagoon in Long Beach on August 12
was notable (Robb Hamilton).
Very rare, and earlier than the few
previous records would lead us to
expect, was a Manx Shearwater that
was seen from Pt. Vicente on August 4
(Mike San Miguel).
A few Brown Pelicans wandered
away from the coast. A juvenile was at
Sepulveda Basin from August 9-16
(Jon Fisher) and another was at Bonelli
Park in San Dimas from August 17-
September 13 (Andrew Lee). Two
others were at Harbor Regional Park in
Wilmington in mid-August-- much
closer to the coast but still away from
where they are expected.
Raptors included an early
Northern Harrier in the Ballona area
E14 Western Tanager
on August 17-18 (Roy van de Hoek). one reported there was on August 23 Gulls and terns included a
Meanwhile, there were two reports of (Richard Barth). The first at the Piute Sabine’s Gull-- a rare transient
single early Swainson’s Hawks Ponds were two juveniles on August inland-- at the Lancaster Sewer Ponds
passing through in August with one at 11 (Jon Feenstra, Janet Cupples, Liga on August 30 (Susan Steele). A
Eaton Canyon in Pasadena on August Auzins). A good find was a Common Tern was at Ballona on
17 (Hill Penfold) and another over Semipalmated on the LA River in July 24-25 (Jonathan Coffin) and
Claremont the following day (Tom Glendale-- away from the typical another was well inland at Bonelli
Miko). Unexpected, and a real rarity shorebird hotspots-- on September 10 Regional Park on September 9
in the county, was a Broad-winged (Jim Hardesty) (Andrew Lee). A lone Black Tern on
Hawk flying over Bonelli Regional the lower LA River on July 20
Park in San Dimas on September 13 The first Baird’s Sandpiper (Richard Barth) was the only report
(Andrew Lee). reported was at the Piute Ponds on away from the deserts.
August 3, followed by two there on
The fall's first Merlin was along August 11 (both Jon Feenstra). The There were only a few reports of
the San Gabriel River in Duarte on first lower LA River birds were two or alcids. A Pigeon Guillemot was at
September 13 (Ron Cyger). three on August 17 (Jon Fisher, Mark Pt. Dume on August 17 (Kimball
Scheel, Tom Wurster). Multiple Garrett) and Common Murres were
Waders of note included a Baird’s were being seen regularly on in the Ballona Channel in Playa del
continuing Little Blue Heron at the river from mid-August through the Rey on September 9 (Christopher
Ballona, which was seen through July end of the period. Elsewhere, the Taylor) and at Pt. Vicente on
21, and a Cattle Egret at Malibu Lancaster Sewer Ponds hosted two September 13 (Mike San Miguel).
Lagoon on August 8 (Michael Zarky). Baird’s on August 21 (Tom Miko) and
six of them on August 30 (Susan A few dispersing Lesser
The first Solitary Sandpiper of the Steele). Also of note were single Nighthawks were reported with the
fall was on the lower LA River on July Baird’s at Pepperdine University most noteworthy being one on the
28 (Richard Barth). A half dozen more Ponds from August 25-27 (Heather UCLA Campus on August 4 (Linda
were found there between August 14 and Medvitz), on the Rio Hondo in El Navroth). Another was on the move
September 10. Away from the river, Monte on August 31 (Larry Schmahl) over Altadena-- closer to known
Solitaries were on the Rio Hondo in El and at Malibu Lagoon on September 7 breeding sites-- on August 18 (Will
Monte on August 13 and at Bonelli Park (James Kenney). Fulmer), while a third was over
in San Dimas on August 17 (both Benedict Canyon in Beverly Hills on
Andrew Lee) while two others were The season’s first Pectoral September 5 (Raymond Schep).
along Ballona Creek on September 7 Sandpiper was found at Malibu
(Michael Zarky, Ron Batie). Lagoon on September 5 (James Rare in summer was a single
Kenney). Right on its heels was one Chimney Swift seen multiple times
A Stilt Sandpiper on the LA on the LA River in Paramount on along the lower LA River between July
River on July 12 (Karen Gilbert, Jeff September 9 (Richard Barth), with the 17 and August 23 (Jeff Boyd, Kevin
Boyd) was followed by a second on same or a third one there on the Larson); another was recorded at
July 26-27 (Tom Wurster). Despite September 11. Harbor Regional Park in Wilmington
this promising start, there was nothing on September 12 (Brian Daniels).
to match the peak of the invasion last Good numbers of phalaropes-- 400
fall when a dozen were found in a Wilson’s Phalaropes and 75 Red-necked Two separate reports of a White-
single day in early September. Phalaropes-- were at the Lancaster Sewer winged Dove at Pt. Dume on August 3
Ponds on August 3. A week later, the sewer and August 17 were likely of the same
The season’s first Semipalmated ponds hosted over 1000 Wilson’s individual (Ken Corey, Kimball Garrett).
Sandpiper was on the lower LA Phalaropes (Jon Feenstra). Also of interest The only other report was of two at Pt.
River on July 31 (Richard Barth) and was a concentration of over 30 Red-necked Vicente on September 13 (Bill Cullen).
two were present in the same area on Phalaropes on Ballona Creek from
August 2 (Kimball Garrett). The last September 6-8 (Roy van de Hoek).

November/December 2008 E15

A Gray Flycatcher at Bonelli Park
on August 24 and seen through
September 13 was almost certainly a
returning bird that spent last winter
here (Andrew Lee). Two more Grays
turned up on September 13 with one
in Duarte (Ron Cyger) and the other
at the Eaton Canyon Flood Basin in
Pasadena (Linda Navroth).
A juvenile Vermilion Flycatcher
was at Madrona Marsh in Torrance on
September 4 indicating possible
breeding locally (Dave Moody).
A Bell’s Vireo pair was along the
San Gabriel River near San Jose Creek,
in appropriate habitat but away from
known breeding sites, on August 6
(Mike San Miguel). Migrant Bell’s
Vireos are rarely recorded, but single
birds were found at DeForest Park in
Long Beach on August 9 (Karen
Gilbert, Jeff Boyd) and at the Eaton
Canyon flood basin in Pasadena on
August 24 (Tom Wurster, Liga Auzins).
One of the best finds so far this
fall, was the county's sixth confirmed
Yellow-green Vireo at DeForest Park
on September 11-12 (Karen Gilbert,
Jeff Boyd). It was seen by many
birders over its brief two-day stay, but
then apparently moved on.
A female Purple Martin on the
LA River near DeForest Park in Long
Beach on September 12 (Richard
Barth) was the only one reported.
Single Bank Swallows were
found on the lower LA River on
August 2 (Kimball Garrett) with
another seen there on August 23 (Ed
Stonick). Two more were at Piute
Ponds on August 11 (Jon Feenstra,
Janet Cupples, Liga Auzins).
A Horned Lark, quite rare coastally,
was seen near Pepperdine University in
Malibu on August 27 (Dan Cooper).
Unusual parulids were few in
number but included two Lucy’s
Warblers; one at DeForest Park in
Long Beach on August 9 (Karen
Gilbert, Jeff Boyd) and another at the
Eaton Canyon flood basin in Pasadena
on August 24 (Tom Wurster, Liga
Auzins). A Virginia’s Warbler was
also at DeForest Park in Long Beach
on September 4 (Karen Gilbert, Jeff
Boyd) and another was at Banning
Park in Wilmington on September 12
(Brian Daniels). Also of note were a
Black-and-white Warbler at Harbor
Regional Park on September 12 (Brian
Daniels) and an American Redstart
found at Legg Lake in South El Monte
on September 13 (Jon Feenstra).
The Summer Tanager pair
present since May 25 at the Rancho
Santa Ana Botanic Garden in
Claremont eventually produced an
unusual breeding record when they
were observed feeding two juveniles
on July 27 (Tom Miko). More
expected were two migrant Summer
Tanagers that turned up in early
September. One was at Kenneth Hahn
Park on September 6 (Ann Brooks)
and the other was at the Village Green
Condominiums in Los Angeles on
September 8 (Don Sterba).
A Northern Cardinal was at
Hansen Dam on July 12 (Kimball
Garrett). With small-established
populations in the Whittier Narrows
area and now one at the Sepulveda
Basin, determining the origin of these
birds is somewhat problematic,
though it is virtually certain that these
wanderers are escapees.
An early arrival was an adult male
Indigo Bunting at Bonelli Park in
San Dimas seen from August 2-9
(Andrew Lee). An adult Bobolink at
Piute Ponds on August 11 was also
quite early (Jon Feenstra, Janet
Cupples, Liga Auzins). A Yellow-
headed Blackbird along the lower
LA River on September 13 constituted
the only report thus far (Dany Sloan).
After mid September, the game
will be on in earnest, with greater
numbers of land bird migrants and
newly arriving wintering birds
making for even greater diversity.
While it has obviously already
begun, vagrant season too will reach
its peak. With any luck, what we
have seen thus far is just a teaser for
what’s to come in the latter half of
September through October. Just as
I am finishing this column, there is a
report of a Bluethroat found on San
Clemente Island. When it comes to
vagrants, the possibilities are always
wide open and intriguing.
All too soon most of our
migrants will have gone and it will be
time to start thinking about Christmas
Counts, putting on a jacket for those
early morning birding trips and
searching out whatever unusual
lingering birds autumn migration left
behind. No matter what the season,
there are always new birds right
around the corner.
Errata
In the Western Tanager, Vol. 75,
Number 1, September/October 2008
article "The Quaking Aspen Owl
Prowl, July 3-6, 2008"; it should be
corrected in paragraph 1, that
Quaking Aspen Campground is east
of Porterville (not west). In paragraph
8, the description of the Spotted Owl's
call should be changed to "Woh Woh-
Woh WOOOo". This is based upon
evaluating a number of taped calls and
from my personal experience.
Apparently, "Who cooks for you" has
been used by some to describe a
Barred Owl's call. —Mary Freeman
E16 Western Tanager
 C O N S E R VAT I O N C O N V E R S AT I O N
WESTERN SNOWY PLOVERS ON
DOCKWEILER BEACH GET PROTECTION
FROM LA COUNTY!
Los Angeles County Beaches &
Harbors have agreed to protect
Western Snowy Plovers on
Dockweiler State Beach! The
decision was made after a four-hour
meeting arranged by the County
agency with Los Angeles Audubon,
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Los
Angeles Planning Commission, Los
Angeles Fire Department Lifeguards,
Commissioners Sara Wan and
William Burke of the California
Coastal Commission and Tom Ryan
of Ryan Ecological Consulting.
The agreement is a result of two
years of monitoring of Western
Snowy Plovers on Los Angeles
County beaches by volunteers from
three Audubon chapters – Los
Angeles, Santa Monica Bay and Palos
Verdes/South Bay. The monitoring
project, which continues yearly
thanks to grant funding by U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service and California
Fish & Game Office of Spill
Prevention and Response, is led by
biologist Tom Ryan of Ryan
Ecological Consulting, with Volunteer
Coordination by Los Angeles
Audubon’s Director of Interpretation
Stacey Vigallon. Observations made
November/December 2008 E17
by Audubon volunteers include a
freshly killed female in a tire track, a
steep decline in the wintering
populations in LA County, and
evidence of “scrapes” as the first
possible breeding attempts since
1949. In their 2007 annual report,
Audubon and Ryan Ecological
Consulting have recommended that
Los Angeles County provide fencing
protections for the plovers due to
disturbance from beach grooming,
beach vehicles, recreation, dog
walking and other human activities.
The 2007 report with maps and
information on the Snowy Plover
Project are available on
www.losangelesaudubon.org under
Endangered Species on the Main
Menu.
The coastal population of Western
Snowy Plover was listed as a
federally threatened species under the
Endangered Species Act in 1993. The
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
designated portions of Dockweiler
State Beach as critical habitat for the
recovery of the Snowy Plover. The
fencing will be placed inside that
critical habitat zone.
The fencing at Dockweiler State
Beach will be three sided and open to
the ocean so that the plovers can have
easy access to feed on the insects and
—by Garry George
invertebrates that inhabit the wrack
(seaweed) that is left on the beach.
The longest side, parallel to the
ocean, will be 300 feet long, with
sides of 100 feet at each end. The
fence will be monitored by biologists
from Ryan Ecological Consulting as
well as volunteers from Audubon, and
Los Angeles Audubon with help from
a grant from USFWS to assist this
outreach program that will include
docents to interact with beachgoers
and explain the need for the
protections, and to educate the public
on Western Snowy Plover. Stacey
Vigallon will create and administer
the outreach program for Los Angeles
Audubon with our partners Santa
Monica Bay and Palos Verdes/South
Bay Audubons.
Additionally, Dockweiler State
Beach has been included in the
mapped area of the Ballona Valley
Important Bird Area by Audubon
California, which also includes the
Least Tern colony on Venice Beach,
and now qualifies for increased
protections from the state office of
National Audubon.
Thanks to Stacey, Tom, and all
the volunteers for the Snowy Plover
project who made this important
conservation milestone happen.
 The Membership Department wishes to thank all of our members and donors,
thank You! both new and renewed! Your memberships help us to fulfill our mission...

The mission of Los Angeles Audubon is to promote the enjoyment and protection of birds and other wildlife
through recreation, education, conservation and restoration.”
Sandra Albers Jennifer Jones Gary Wallen
Yvonne C. Arias Marion L. Joy George R. White DDS
Nicholas Armstrong Paul & Virginia Kubic John Willis
Karl Bouvier Arthur Langton Irwin Woldman
Louis Brinker Anna Marie Bovill Lea
Ed & Marnell Bruce Kasi McMurray Lifetime Members
Eileen Burton Hope Nathan Mary Semski
Ann Cavalieri Paul Nelson
Dixie L. Cleary Sydney Newell Breeding Bird Atlas Donors
Buford Crites Drew Pallette Mary & Nick Freeman
Joanne Glazer Joan L. Roach
Ola Jane Gow Judy & Robert Scharff We thank the following who made
Dr. Charles R. Hamilton Julie and Gabe Sende heartfelt donations in honor of
David K. Hensley Suzanne Siegel loved ones:
Michael Hersh and Deborah Myers Catriona J Simms
Jeri & Richard Hughes Jason A. Stuck In Memory of Herb Clarke
Mr. William Johnston Tanis Sugden & Lisa Mark Mary Semski

Headquarters and Nature Store

NATURE STORE HOURS

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER, 2008
JANUARY, 2009

Our regular Headquarters and Nature

Store hours are:
Monday through Thursday
9:30 AM to 4:00 PM.

We will be OPEN the following

Saturdays between 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM.
November 1, 2008
December 6, 2008
December 13, 2008
December 20, 2008
January 3, 2009
We will be CLOSED the following days:
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, January 1, 2009
N10446 $26.00
This new book combines the Peterson Field
Guide to Eastern Birds and the Peterson
Field Guide to Western Birds in one volume,
filled with accessible, concise information
and including almost three hours of video
podcasts to make bird watching even easier.
● 40 new paintings
● Digital updates to Peterson’s original
paintings
● All new maps for the most up-to-date
range information available
● Text rewritten to cover the United States
and Canada in one guide
● Range maps on every spread
N12489 $29.95
Birdwatcher is a comprehensive,
illustrated biography of Roger Tory
Peterson—a hero in the conservation
world—including interviews with friends,
family, and protégés.
“A wonderful biography, bold and
surprising and lively, crackling with the
adventures of the man who did more than
anyone else to create the modern
popularity of birdwatching.” -Kenn
Kaufman, author of The Kaufman Field
Guide to Birds of North America

18 Western Tanager
 Bird Walks —November/December
Bird Walks are geared for the
beginner/intermediate looking for
an introduction to local birds or
a less strenuous excursion.
Appropriate for young bird
watchers age 8 years and older.
Binoculars are provided on some
walks as noted below.
1st Sunday of every month
Sunday, November 2
Sunday, December 14
Topanga State Park Birdwalk
Leaders: Ken Wheeland and Chris
Tosdevin
Time: 8:00 a.m.
Ken and Chris will lead participants
through this beautiful and diverse
coastal mountain area. An ideal trip
for a beginning birder or someone
new to the area. From Ventura Blvd,
take Topanga Canyon Blvd 7 miles
S. Turn E uphill on Entrada Rd.
Follow the signs and turn left into
Trippet Ranch parking lot. From
Pacific Coast Hwy, take Topanga
Canyon Blvd. 5 miles to Entrada Rd.
Parking fee.
Contacts: Ken: (310) 455-1401,
ksafarri@aol.com;
Chris: (310) 455-1270
Please watch our website for our
upcoming 2009 Pelagic schedule.
The first trip will be on Saturday,
February 28th. Going to the Palos
Verdes Escarpment on the boat
“Pacific Adventure”. The trip departs
from Ports-of-Call in San Pedro. $70
November/December 2008 E19
Sunday, November 9
Upper Franklin Canyon
(Sooky Goldberg Nature Center),
Beverly Hills
Time: 9:00 a.m.
Leader: Eleanor Osgood
Join us as we walk around the ponds
in this urban oak woodland nature
preserve. We are guaranteed to see
the resident Wood Ducks and
chaparral bird species such as
California Quail, Spotted and
California Towhees, California
Thrasher. Also, expect to see some
migrating songbirds and flycatchers.
This canyon is a hidden treasure
where the surrounding urban
residences of Sherman Oaks and
Beverly Hills disappear from view.
Meet in the parking lot of the Sooky
Goldberg Nature Center and bird for
a few hours in the cool of native trees
and ponds.
Directions: From the 101 Freeway,
take Coldwater Canyon Blvd. south
to the intersection of Coldwater
Canyon and Mulholland Drive. Make
a 90 degree right turn onto Franklin
Canyon Drive. There is no sign
indicating the entrance to the park.
The turn at Franklin Canyon Road
reads “Road Closed 800 Feet” and
“Sunrise to Sunset.” This is the park
entrance. Do not make a U-turn-- as
this will take you onto Mulholland
Drive instead of Franklin Canyon.
Stay on paved roads to reach the
Sooky Goldberg Nature Center. From
Sunset: take Coldwater Canyon to
Mulholland Dr. Turn right on
Mulholland. Make right turn onto
Franklin Canyon Dr. (refer to
directions from 101 Freeway).
Binoculars provided.
3rd Saturday of the month
Saturday, November 15
Leaders: Eric and Ann Brooks
Saturday, December 20
Leader - TBA
Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area
Time: 8:00 a.m.
This trip covers landscaped
parkland, a lake and natural coastal
scrub habitats and is paced for
beginning birders and members of
the Baldwin Hills community. Come
look for migrating warblers and
returning sparrows and ducks along
with the resident birds. The park
entrance is off of La Cienega Blvd.
between Rodeo Rd. and Stocker St.
After passing the entrance kiosk
($4.00 parking fee) turn left (leading
to the “Olympic Forest”) and park in
the first available spaces.
Binoculars provided.
3rd Sunday of the month,
August through May
Sunday, November 16
Sunday, December 21
Ballona Wetlands Bird Walk
Leaders: Bob Shanman and Friends
Time: 8:00 a.m.
Join us for a walk through L.A.’s only
remaining saltwater marsh and the
adjacent rocky jetty. Wintering
shorebirds and terns should be present,
plus the resident Black Oystercatchers
frequenting the rocky shores of Ballona
Creek. Meet at the Del Rey Lagoon
parking lot. Take the Marina Fwy (90)
to Culver Blvd and turn left for a mile.
Turn right on Pacific Ave. The lot is on
the right. Lot or street parking is
usually not a problem. Three hour
walk. Scopes helpful.
Contact: Bob (310) 326-2473;
wildbirdbob@cs.com

fie ld t ri p s & C h r i s tm a s B i r d Co u nts
FIELD TRIPS often require more time or effort than Bird Walks, and delve
more deeply into identification, natural histories and interactions observed in
the field. All are welcome on either type of trip. Reserve per directions in the
gray boxon the next page. No pets or small children, please.
Saturday, November 1
Oxnard Plain
Leader: Larry Allen
Meet at the Hueneme sod fields at
8:00 a.m. to look over the American
Pipits for the Red-throated variety, as
well as longspurs. Golden-Plovers are
also possible. There may be eastern
vagrants to chase. Mugu estuary,
Sycamore Canyon, and local tamarisk
stands are also possibilities. From the
101 N, drive S on Las Posas Rd., then
turn Rt. onto Hueneme Rd. Meet on
the N side of Hueneme Rd. about 1
mile W of PCH, and just before
Casper Rd. Bring lunch, scopes
helpful. Bird 'till we drop. Nominal
donation suggested.
Sunday, November 23
Lake Perris Area
Leader: Howard King
The Little Gulls, Ruddy Ground Dove,
and Least and Vermilion flycatchers of
past years may not be back, but surely
something will take their places! Take
the 10 or 60 Fwy E to the 215 Fwy S,
exit E onto Ramona Expressway,
continue E just past Perrris Blvd., and
meet at the Farmer Boys Restaurant on
the S side of the road. Leave from here
at 8:00 a.m.. Bring lunch, warm
clothing and footwear for possible
mud. Possible entrance fee. Nominal
donation suggested.
Sunday, November 30 –
West Antelope Valley Raptors and
Other Wintering Birds.
Leader Jean Brandt, will lead us
from Quail Lake east across the
Antelope Valley. Ferruginous Hawk
and Prairie Falcon likely. Wear warm
clothing, bring lunch, and have a full
tank of gas. Meet at Denny’s at 6:45
AM to carpool. Take 405N to
Roxford in Sylmar. Turn right, then
right into the Denny’s parking lot.
Trip leaves at 7:00 a.m. sharp. Rain
cancels. Scopes and FRS radios
helpful. Nominal donation suggested.
Saturday, December 13
Newport Back Bay
Leader: Mary Freeman
Meet on the boardwalk along the NW
bay at the “Sharp-tailed Sparrow
Spot” accessible from the end of
University Drive (small street) at
8:00 a.m. for the 7.1’ high tide, and a
full day of birding in the area. High
tide at the mouth is 8:37 a.m., but
may not peak in the Back Bay until
after 9:00 a.m.. Three rails, Nelson’s
Sharp-tailed Sparrow and Short-
eared Owl (both rare) will be target
birds. Eurasian Wigeon, Blue-winged
Teal, California Gnatcatcher, and
Bittern expected. Take the 405 Fwy S
to the 73 Toll Road (free this far) to
the Campus Dr. exit, which becomes
Bristol St. Turn right on Irvine Ave.,
drive 1.4 miles, then turn left on a
small street called University Drive.
Park at the end, walk down the hill,
over the bridge, and to the end of the
boardwalk. Bring lunch. Scopes
helpful. Nominal donation suggested
E20
Sunday, December 14
Malibu Christmas Bird Count
Contact compiler Larry Allen
(626) 288-2701 or email
larryallen@earlymusicla.org to participate.
Saturday, December 20
Lancaster Christmas Bird Count
Contact compiler Nick Freeman
(818) 247-6172 or email
mnfreeman@earthlink.net
to be placed on a team or be given an area.
LOS ANGELES BASIN
CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNT
Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009
Meeting place (optional): 7:00 a.m. and 1
p.m., Rancho Park, north entrance on Motor
just south of Pico.
Compilation dinner: TBD
Participation fee:
$5.00 (to National Audubon Society.)
I am going to be compiling the Los Angeles
Basin Christmas Bird Count (formerly simply
"Los Angeles" CBC) for LAAS this year, and
want to start by recognizing the hard work of
the previous organizers, Eleanor Osgood,
Barbara Courtois and Cindy Hardin,
particularly in boosting participation and
keeping interest in this count high - thanks!
I don't anticipate making any major changes; I'd
like to maintain the original subregions which
have been used for years, as well as the
subregional leaders.
As in past years, we'll have a centralized
meeting place (Rancho Park, near Pico/Motor)
where we can gather the morning of the count
to split into teams, and meet back there around
1 pm to see what species are still missing. We
will also have a compilation dinner that night
(location TBD).
While I pull together this information from
Eleanor, please drop me a line if you'd like to
participate in any capacity, from being sent out
alone to look for target species, to joining a
slow-paced group for a few hours, to helping
organize the compilation dinner.
"Feederwatchers" are also encouraged to
participate.
And, if you have a traditional area that you and
your friends have done before, and that you
would like to cover again this year, let me know.
All ages and abilities are welcome!
Dan Cooper
cell: (323) 397-3562
email: dan@cooperecological.com
Western Tanager

LOS ANGELES AUDUBON'S RALPH M. SCHREIBER RESEARCH GRANT FUND.
GRANTS FOR AVIAN RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE GIVEN TO STUDENTS AND NON-PROFESSIONALS
HAVING LIMITED ACCESS TO RESEARCH FUNDING.
$ = Fee Event
 = SASE
 SASE, Free, Limit 24
Sunday, January 11 –
Seal Beach
Naval Weapons Station Wetlands.
John Nieto, Nick Freeman and a base
biologist will drive up to 24 lucky
Los Angeles Audubon and Palos
Verdes Audubon participants around
this prime wetlands site. Wintering
Pacific Golden-Plover, Mountain
Plover, Nelson’s Sharp-tailed
Sparrow, Sage Thrasher and
numerous raptors have been sighted.
6.9’ high tide at 8:42 a.m.. Mail SASE
to Los Angeles Audubon with e-mail
and phone number (phone #
required) by December 30, so act
now! Only SASE-confirmed U.S.
citizens with photo ID will be
allowed on base. No cameras or
weapons! Meet at the main public lot
at 800 Seal Beach Blvd. at 7:30 a.m.,
and bird until noon. Take Seal Beach
Blvd. S from the 405 Fwy, pass
Westminster Blvd., turn left onto the
base at the Forrestal Lane light, and
left again into the lot. No fee.
First 24 signed-up with SASE’s
Field Trip Reservations
1) Mail separate checks for the exact
amount for each trip along with a SASE
(for confirmation & info. flyer).
2) State the date and trip name of desired trip.
3) Provide the name(s), phone number(s),
(a) usual daytime (b) evening before
event, (in case of cancellation.)
4) Provide an email address if you prefer
electronic confirmation.
November/December 2008
FIELD TRIP FEES BENEFIT
$40,  SASE, No limit
Saturday & Sunday,
January 17 & 18 – Salton Sea
Leaders: Nick and Mary Freeman.
Yellow-footed Gull, Snow & Ross'
geese, Sandhill Cranes, Stilt
Sandpiper, and Gila Woodpecker all
hopeful to certain. Fee: $40.
No Limit, but sign up with SASE,
phone, and e-mail info for more
details. Meet at 7:00 a.m. Saturday at
the Wister Unit parking lot by the
portapottys. This is 5 miles north of
Niland where Davis joins Hwy 111.
Calipatria Inn (800) 830-1113
(leader’s preference) and Brawley Inn
(760) 344-1199 are recommended.
FRS radios & 'scopes helpful. Arrive
fed and gassed up, bring lunches,
those who wish will dine together at
Calipatria Inn Steak House.
Saturday, January 24 –
East Antelope Valley
Leaders: Stan Gray and Todd Battey.
Beyond 50th Street East is neglected
territory for many birders. However,
Mountain Plover, raptors, LeConte’s
Thrasher and other AV specialties are
sometimes easiest to find in the far
eastern reaches of the Valley. Take
Hwy 14 N to Avenue S (next to Lake
Please advise if it is ok to share your
contact info. with other trip
participants for carpool purposes.
OUR MAILING ADDRESS:
LOS ANGELES AUDUBON - RESERVATIONS
P.O. BOX 931057
LOS ANGELES, CA 90093-1057
If there is insufficient response, the trip will
be cancelled two Wednesdays prior to the
scheduled date. You will be so notified and
21
Palmdale). Drive into the Park-and-
Ride just to the east of the offramp.
Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the W end of the
lot. Bring lunch and a full tank of gas
for a full day of splendor in the
alfalfa. No reservation, no fee, no
SASE. Scopes and FRS radios
helpful. Nominal donation suggested.
$40,  SASE, Limit 14
Saturday and Sunday,
January 31 and February 1 –
Carrizo Plain
Leaders: Larry Allen & Mary Freeman.
Meet at 8 a.m. in Maricopa. Spectacular
scenery. We will see Ferruginous Hawks,
Prairie Falcons, Golden Eagles,
LeConte’s Thrasher, Merlin and
pronghorn; with likely Rough-legged
Hawk, Mountain Plover and Sandhill
Crane. We will meet in Maricopa, drive
around the Plain all weekend, then leave
the Plain heading north via Bitterwater
Road on Sunday before we away to LA.
If possible, please carpool or avail your
vehicle to others when you reserve. Your
phone number will be released for
carpooling unless you request otherwise.
Send name, phone number, e-mail, $40
per person, and SASE to sign-up with
Audubon House for exact directions and
further information. Reserve your own
room in Buttonwillow for Saturday
night. Motel 6 is one option here. FRS
radios & scopes helpful. Limit: 14.
your fee returned. Your cancellation after
that time will bring a refund only if there is a
paid replacement.
Before setting out on any LAAS trip,
please call (323) 874-1318, #4. For a
recorded announcement of last moment
changes! Other trip questions may be
directed to our staff, M-Th 9:30am -
4:00pm at (323) 876-0202, or email
fldtrip@laaudubon.org
 The Best of Costa Rica
Escorted by Olga Clarke
March 6-18, 2009

For information and

itinerary, contact:

Olga Clarke
Los Angeles Audubon
Travel Director
2027 El Arbolita Dr.
Glendale, CA 91208-1805

Ph/Fax: 818-249-9511
oclarketravel@earthlink.net

Keel-billed Toucan, Photo by Herb Clarke

If you have been considering visiting and birding in Costa

Rica, wait no longer! We have an itinerary that offers six
of the major locations that are distinctive, each offering a
marvelous profusion of tropical birds. Costa Rica has a
well deserved reputation as a tiny country sincerely
interested in conserving its natural resources, and one that
is invariably on all birder's wish lists. Tropical forests
harbor howler monkeys, Resplendent Quetzals, poison-
dart frogs, giant morpho butterflies, over 830 species of
birds, and the beauty of thousands of plant species.

Habitats encountered will range from semiarid ranch land,

to misty cloud forest, the transition zone between the dry
and moist forests of the Pacific lowlands, the treeless
paramo, and what may well be the highlight of our trip, a
visit to La Selva, a lowland rainforest where nearly 400
birds have been recorded. As part of our small group,
enjoy some of the best tropical birding in Costa Rica,
where you will be accompanied by outstanding leaders
throughout. Space is limited.

Long-tailed Manakin, Photo by Herb Clarke

22 Western Tanager
WESTERN TANAGER EDITORS
Linda Oberholtzer is the new
editor of the Western Tanager and
Susan Castor continues in her position
as layout editor.
Linda also serves as the Executive
Secretary on the Los Angeles
Audubon Board. She has always
enjoyed writing and has a degree in
English with writing emphasis. Linda
worked briefly as a journalist and
writes freelance non-fiction articles
about bird watching.
She is the co-area leader of the
Peters Canyon portion of the Sea and
Sage Audubon Northeastern Inland
Christmas Bird Count for the last
several years and served as an
assistant field trip leader at the Kern
River Valley Spring Festival 2007.
Linda volunteers in the bird-banding
program at the Audubon California
Starr Ranch Sanctuary.
Susan Castor has been a staff
member of Los Angeles Audubon
Society since February, 2000. She
is one of the voices at Audubon
House answering telephone
questions and concerns from
Audubon members, Nature Store
customers, and Website users.
Two years ago, a new Layout
Editor was needed for the continued
publishing of the Western Tanager
newsletter. She stepped into learning
about publishing for print as well as
website authoring.
She also was the coordinator of
the recent project to digitize 74 years
of Western Tanagers newsletters. The
printed newsletters, first published in
the year 1934, have been converted
into fully text searchable, PDF files.
These files are now available to
members by scheduling computer
time with the staff at Audubon House.

As mentioned in a previous issue, we now have two new types of memberships in Los Angeles Audubon
Society, Inc. Lifetime Memberships for $1,000, and Student Memberships for $10 per year.
At this gift-giving time of year, please consider gifting your favorite students and nature enthusiast with the
GIFT OF MEMBERSHIP IN LOS ANGELES AUDUBON.
Some of the benefits of being a local chapter member in Los Angeles Audubon are the included subscription to
the bi-monthly issue of the Western Tanager, and access to our research and lending library located in the
Los Angeles Audubon Headquarter’s in Plummer Park, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., W. Hollywood, CA 90046.

 
LOS ANGELES AUDUBON - STUDENT MEMBER FORM

Name(s): $10 Student: X ____ years = $

Name of Educational Institution?
Address:
____________________________________
Phone: $ Other Donation ______
Email:

□ This is a Gift Student Membership from: Los Angeles Audubon is a 501 (c) (3) Non-Profit Organization.
Your donation is tax-deductible.
Name(s) ___________________________________ Tel: _____________
Check one:

□ I prefer to download my Western Tanager from the website, DO NOT MAIL.

□ Check enclosed. (Make check payable to Los Angeles Audubon)
□ Visa/MC/Discover:__________________________________
Exp. Date: ______Mo. ______ Yr. V-CODE(_ _ _)
Mail to:
Los Angeles Audubon- Membership
PO Box 931057 Signature: __________________________________________
Los Angeles, CA 90093-1057

November/December 2008 23
 mONTHLY pROGRAMS
Meet at 7:30 PM in the Community Building in Plummer Park
7377 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Andrea Jones, Important Bird Areas Program Director for Audubon California presents:
The Important Bird Areas Program and YOU
The Important Bird Areas Program is a global effort to identify and conserve habitat vital
to birds and other biodiversity. This program identifies critical sites that provide essential
habitat for one or more species of bird. In California , such sites must be less than 100,000
acres in size, possess a bird community distinct from the surrounding region, and meet
other criteria. A site’s designation as an Important Bird Area is a powerful distinction which
can be utilized to leverage conservation efforts.

Andrea Jones, Audubon California’s Director of the Important Bird Areas Program, will
speak in depth about the Important Bird Areas program and highlight some of Los Angeles
County’s designated Important Bird Areas as well as other areas in southern California.
Andrea will discuss how Los Angeles Audubon members can get involved with this
program. She will welcome input about conservation concerns and visions for the region, Entrance to Butterbredt Springs by Mary Freeman.
so please bring your ideas!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Kimball Garrett presents:
BUT IT DOESN’T LOOK LIKE THE ONE IN THE BOOK!!!
We’ve all been perplexed as to the identity of many birds we see in the field. It should be
easy – just look at the bird and match it with a picture in your field guide! But of course
it doesn’t work that way, and the “match-the-picture” approach to field identification can
sometimes get you in lots of trouble. So why doesn’t the bird we see look “just like the one
in the book”? Is the problem with the bird? With the book? With the birder? Or with the
world in general? Kimball Garrett will explore the art of identifying birds in the field by
examining why birds so rarely look exactly as depicted in field guides. He’s been at it for
over 40 years, mainly here in southern California. When not in the field, he resides with
the bird collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County where he has
served as Ornithology Manager since 1982. Garrett is co-author of several bird books,
Juvenile California Gull, Malibu Lagoon by including the recent Birds of the Los Angeles Region, Birds of Southern California: Status
Kimball Garrett
and Distribution, and the Peterson Field Guide to Warblers.

Los Angeles Audubon Society

P.O. Box 931057 DATED MATERIAL
Los Angeles, CA 90093-1057 Please Expedite
Please watch our website for our
upcoming 2009 Pelagic schedule.
The first trip will be on Saturday,
February 28th. Going to the Palos
Verdes Escarpment on the boat
“Pacific Adventure”. The trip departs
from Ports-of-Call in San Pedro. $70