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Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society Vol. XL #6 Oct./Nov. 2018

HUMMIN’Audubon’s Third Tuesdays

Madrona Marsh at 7October 16th, Steve Kaye presents “Meet the Birds,” an enjoyable photo experience rich with provocative stories in a celebration of beauty in Nature. You’ll see birds from a professional photographer’s view, learn a bit about them, and discover how our interactions with wildlife make a difference.

Steve Kaye has been taking photos casually since 1965 and professionally since 2010. Now he uses his photos in talks and articles to inspire respect for Nature.

November 20th, world traveler Evi Meyer presents “Wildlife of Brazil,” a look back at her summer trip to Brazil exploring the diverse habitats of the State of Mato Grosso., including an amazing trip down a narrow 145 km dirt road that crossed 121 streams and wet areas, at times on rather doubful-looking bridges while taking her deep into the Pantanal, the world’s largest flood plain, site of a stunning wetland that offered plenty of opportuni-ties to see and photograph magnificent birds, mammals and reptiles.

Are NCCPs Working? By Dan Silver and Jess Morton

Endangered Habitats LeagueIt has been a while since our last look at

the NCCP, the locally successful conservation program that has given us the large, intact open space on the south side of the peninsula. When the first plans were adopted in the 1990s, risks were acknowledged. These were covered in depth over a period of twenty years in a series of articles appearing in Hummin’ (see our website for back issues). Despite our local success, concerns are building elsewhere in southern California. The following summary is written by Dan Silver, President of the Endangered Habitats League, without which the NCCP would have died an early and envi-ronmentally devastating death.

Launched in 1991 with great fanfare, regional habitat plans covering vast areas and dozens of species, held great promise. Called Natural Communities Conservation Plans under a new state law, and coupled with large scale Habitat Conservation Plans at the federal level, the plans sought to resolve the environmental-eco-nomic conflicts set in motion by the California Gnatcatcher and other endangered species listings. State-local-federal partnership was the central idea. The appeal to conservationists was an ecosystem approach. Developers found expedited permitting, and local governments got infrastructure built. Plans in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego quickly followed, with EHL a major participant and supporter.

The plans were of two general types – those fully assembled on “day one” and those that needed to be assembled over years and decades. For both types, the obvious initial question

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2 October/November 2018

From the President

Chapter Elections

By David QuadhamerChapter elections will be

held at our November monthly meeting. Paul Blieden has been nominated for President, Ann Dalkey and I for the two Vice Presidential positions, Jess Morton for Treasurer and Vincent Lloyd for Secretary. Please attend our November meeting and help elect our board members. If you’re inter-ested in serving on our board or in a committee, please let one of us know.

We are continuing our grant program for another year, again offering five $1,000 grants in any of three catego-ries. (1) Scholarships to help support Palos Verdes/South Bay area birders, teachers, and others to attend confer-ences, classes, and workshops or to study ornithology. (2) Research grants for collecting data on birds, birding, habi-tat conservation, and educa-tion. Preference will be given to projects in Southern Cal-ifornia, but national and in-ternational studies will also be considered. (3) Grants for

specific projects may also be awarded to organizations that have missions similar to those of Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon. Applications are due January 15, 2019 and awards will be announced by March 17, 2019. If you are in-terested in applying or know someone who might be inter-ested in applying for a grant, the guidelines can be found on our website.

In February of this year, we awarded five grants. One grant went to Rolling Hills Prepara-tory School (RHP) for outdoor signage, classroom education-al materials, and new tools for the Palos Verdes Blue Butter-fly Reserve. We also awarded a grant to the Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (PVPLC) to help expand their Citizen Science Cactus Wren Monitoring Program. Los An-geles Audubon, in partnership with Esperanza Elementary, used their grant for art sup-plies and to publish a calen-dar to be used for education-al purposes as part of their Schoolyard Habitat Program. A fourth grant was used to re-store half an acre of degraded habitat at the Agua Amarga Reserve in Lunada Bay. The final grant funded another “adopt-a-plot” project at the Linden H. Chandler preserve to create habitat for the Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly.

Our work with Rolling Hills Preparatory School to restore habitat for the Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly continues. We will be working in the reserve

with RHP students on Satur-day, October 13th, from 9:00 am to noon. Tools and gloves are provided. RHP is located at 1 Rolling Hills Prep Way in San Pedro. This is an excellent opportunity to help restore habitat for an endangered butterfly.

Fall migration has started and there are a few actions everyone can take as part of the Year of the Bird. August – October are peak months for fall migration. It is estimated that anywhere from 100 mil-lion to 1 billion birds die every year as a result of flying into clear or reflective glass. Plac-ing decals on windows can re-duce impacts. Films with dots,

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translucent tape and UV stick-ers are also options for reduc-ing bird strikes with windows. Another simple way to help reduce impacts is to turn your household lights off at night. Many birds that migrate at night use the moon and stars to navigate. Artificial light can confuse migrating birds. An-other way to help is to become an advocate for birds. You can speak at city planning meet-ings, talk to your elected officials and write letters.

For more spe-cific information on actions you can take, the Na-tional Audubon Society pro-vides many tips on line. A site I recommend is <https://www.audubon.org/news/three-ways-you-can-help-migrating-birds-fall> and many individ-ual chapters, such as Portland Audubon have web pages devoted to bird-friendly ac-tion. Our neighboring chapter Los Angeles Audubon covers many topics on conservation, including a full manual about consciencious tree trimming at < https://losangelesaudu-bon.org/tree-trimming-guide-lines>.

The Audubon California Chapter Assembly will be held November 2 – 4 in Long Beach. The theme is Look Up. This biennial assembly is open to all chapter members and is a chance to network with and learn from other chapters. Friday will include

a chapter congress, peer networking, introductory remarks from Sarah Rose, the Executive Director of Audubon California, dinner and a keynote presentation. Saturday will have sessions on capacity/skill building, policy, equity/diversity/inclusion, and conservation. There will be field trips on Sunday at a few locations. More informa-

tion and details on how to register can be found on the Audubon California website (http://ca.audubon.org/about/assembly-program-2018).

Christmas Bird Counts (CBC) are quickly approaching.

CBCs are held throughout North America and the data collected is used to study winter bird populations. Over 200 peer-reviewed articles have used CBC data. The more people we have out counting birds, the more accurate our data will be. The Palos Verdes CBC will be held on Sunday, December 23rd. Save the date! We will have ten groups out

counting birds in a fifteen-mile diameter circle centered at the Palos Verdes reservoir. We need a lot of help to cover this area. If you are

interested in helping, please contact Vincent Lloyd. He can help assign you to an area.

Paul Blieden will be orga-nizing another photo show to take place July – August next year. More details will be made available later and will be posted to our website. It will be held at the Malaga Cove Library in the Gallery Exhibit area. The photo show earlier this year was a big success and many people have inquired about when the next show was going to be held. Mark your calendars and get out there and take some photos!

Audubon California Chapter Assemblyto be held

November 2 – 4 in Long Beach

4 October/November 2018

From the Editor

Past PredictionsBy Jess Morton

Two years ago, in the December/January issue of Hummin’, while the 2016 election results were still being finalized, I made the following predictions:

1. The policies concerning fossil fuels put in place will reverse all U.S. efforts to limit CO2 emissions.

2. Environmental protec-tions by agencies like the EPA (if it is not abolished completely) and from legislation such as the Clean Water Act and the Endangered

Species Act will be stripped away.

3. Public lands will have less protection, and there may be attempts to privatize parks and other publicly owned resources.

4. Drilling options for swathes of the Arctic Ocean will probably go on the block, though actual drilling may be some years off.

5. California’s strong envi-ronmental laws may well be attacked at the federal level by passing legislation that prohibits states from having regulations more stringent than those at the federal level.

All but the 4th of these predic-tions have already come true. That one, too. was considered briefly and, though tabled for now, who can doubt it will return to haunt us, possibly attached to taxpayer subsidies and no-fault guarantees to offset the extremely risky nature of this sort of resource extraction.

When I made those predic-tions, I had not guessed how

dire the situation for our environment actually would be such a short time later. I greatly underestimated the will of this administration to undermine every institu-tion of government charged with protecting the health of the world in which we live. and the depths to which

it could reach to do so. While I expected very little help from a Congress beholden to special interests, I had not expected it

to be so craven in the face of the Administration’s worst actions, nor its sycophantic

kowtowing to a scattershot and self-serving President.

While it was a simple matter to make those predictions at the end of 2016, it is harder to add to those noted above, all of which I expect to continue on their dire present course. If the nation’s government does return to a modicum of biparti-sanship after the elections, I do not expect much improvement on the environmental front. The House of Representatives does control the purse strings, and some of the most envi-ronmentally damaging of the Administration’s programs might be starved of funds, and thus slowed. However, no positive legislation can be expected to be signed into law. In 2020, anything could happen once the zoo doors of the general election have been flung open.

I ended my editorial of two years ago by writing, “I do not wish to sound gloomy, but I cannot find any ray of light in what the federal government will probably become. We in Audubon will have to redouble our investments in this and other environmental orga-nizations, and we will have to work even more diligently through individual and chapter initiatives to save habitats, strengthen local protections for birds and wildlife, and make the public more aware of the seriously threatened future we share with the birds we love.” And that is still our best hope for the future. The light at the end of the tunnel has been dimmed and is much farther away today than it was two years ago, but it is still there.

Red-shouldered Hawk.Photo by Jess Morton

www.pvsb-audubon.org 5

was whether they would work biologically, given the preex-isting depletion of habitat and the political compromises that were made with developers. Only time will fully answer this question, but given the unholy dominance of development interests in local government decision-making, the plans promised to achieve the best possible conservation outcome, by leveraging state and federal laws and by involving the land use authority of local govern-ment as a contributor to conservation.

For the plans assembled over time, an initial question was whether acquisition funds would be sufficient over the long term. Initially, the money flowed. But alarmingly, at both the state and federal levels there has been a loss of interest in the once novel plans. State bonds acts have provided relatively little assis-tance and federal outlays have continued – albeit at very low levels – only due to an effective champion in Congress and the diligence of the Riverside habitat agency. Local funding sources have done better, with mitigation fees in Riverside, a transportation sales tax in San Diego, and exemplary use of its general fund by the County of San Diego. Both development and conservation stakeholders have worked diligently together on funding. But overall, the lack of follow through by the state and federal governments is extremely serious.

Underneath the obvious questions were subtle uncer-tainties. For those plans – like Riverside and San Diego – requiring decades of

painstaking assembly of narrow corridors and intact habitat blocks, prerequisites are steady local government commitment and continued partnership with the wildlife agencies. Also, as circumstances change over time, adaptive management would be needed, and tough decisions made if things weren’t going well for particular species.

Make no mistake: The overall picture is still positive with no major failures. But fault lines are showing which need to be faced and addressed.

Most disconcerting is the behavior by some of the local governments to whom the wildlife agencies have delegated permit-ting authority. The Temecula City Council, against wildlife agency and EHL advice, used a methodology that threatens preserve assembly county-wide in order to find that a devel-opment project was compliant with the habitat plan. The City of San Diego advanced recre-ation trails over wildlife needs, although a resolution was even-tually reached with mountain bike users. The County of San Diego has assisted a developer in not following through on land exchanges built into the plan’s permits and supported another project whose preserve design was roundly condemned by agency biologists. Once respectful partnerships with the agencies have deteriorated to the point of non-communica-tion with local staff.

When things go awry, the wildlife agencies have limited options to enforce adopted plans. There are no nuanced measures short of the actual

pulling of permits – a major step loathsome to the agencies.

On the question of plans adapting over time, in San Diego County, a golden eagle territory – identified in the plan as persisting – was threat-ened by incompatible development in a way unforeseen at

the time of plan adoption. Even though

the plan requires a

finding to be made to that

effect, and remedies explored, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service declined to pursue the matter. It is worth noting that if the plans are not working for species, the financial burden of fixing them already shifts to the wildlife agencies.

At this time, crises abound. Unsound preserve designs in both the County of San Diego and the City of Santee could be accepted over the objections of local staff. Permitting decisions for the endan-gered quino checkerspot butterfly could result in its extirpation from San Diego if the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service does not follow the best science. In San Bernardino, there is overwhelming evidence that a massive floodplain development would “jeopardize” the endangered San Bernardino kangaroo rat. But applicants now routinely travel to Washington, D.C. to pressure the Service.

Normal growing pains or the beginning of the end for those habitat plans which require assembly over time? In any case, our continued engagement and vigilance is essential.

NCCP continued from page 1

6 October/November 2018

Obrigada

By Evi MeyerThis summer David and

I traveled to Brazil. Unlike other visitors we avoided the large cities and beaches on the Atlantic coast and headed straight for the State of Mato Grosso in the heart of South America. Here –we were told- wildlife of any kind was stupendous and its density staggering. With a number of excellent local guides who spotted animals even in the dark, the word “obrigada” rapidly became my favorite word in Portuguese, used

every time I wanted to express my gratitude for yet another spectacular sighting.

The State of Mato Grosso consists of three intercon-nected ecosystems. Situated in the north is the Amazon with its lush rain forests, to its south one can find the Cerrado (tropical savanna) and even further south lies the flood plain of the Pantanal. Travelling through the latter is only possible in the dry season on a 145km unpaved road with 121 wooden bridges. This is definitely not for the faint of heart.

The Pantanal – a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site- is the world’s largest flood plain and often described as the aquatic heart of South America, similar to the Serengeti in Africa. Each wet season, rivers from the Cerrado flood the grasslands and forests of the Pantanal with nutrient rich waters, creating vast temporary wetlands of great productivity. In the dry season the flood plain shrinks into lagoons, isolated lakes and ponds, concentrating huge amounts of fish and inverte-brates in areas that become culinary hotspots for a stag-gering amount of water birds and other wildlife.

While it is impossible here to describe all or even a fraction of the wildlife we encountered on this trip, I would like to highlight three animals that were not only breathtakingly stunning, but also hold the record of being the largest of

their kind in the Americas. These are the Hyacinth Macaw, the Jaguar and the Jabiru.

Hyacinth Macaws are the largest parrots in the world. Their feathers are cobalt blue only offset by a bare yellow orbital ring and stripe at the base of their lower mandible. When they are present they simply explode into view with breathtaking beauty and deafening noise.

Proportionate to their size they eat a lot of food. Since they are very special-ized eaters and completely dependent on brazil nuts from native palm trees, their range overlaps with the presence and abundance of these trees. To our good fortune the eco-camps we stayed at had a good supply of these and I was able to witness these oversized nutcrackers on wings shred hard-shelled seeds that I would not have been able to crack with a rock.

Today there is a healthy population of about 5000 of these Macaws in Brazil. Most of them are found in the Pantanal. However, the Hyacinth Macaw popula-tion was in steep decline in the 1980s due to a lucrative bird trade. As a result it was classified as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, and is protected by its listing in CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species). Locally the Hyacinth Macaw Program Hyacinth Mavaw. Photo by Evi Meyer

www.pvsb-audubon.org 7 (Projecto Arara Azul) was started and, together with the effort of some cattle farmers to protect the necessary palm trees from being trampled, the population rebounded. Today it is possible again to see and hear these magnificent birds.

Jaguars are the largest cats in the Americas and third largest in the world, topped only by lions and tigers. They are forest animals with a fondness of riverbanks and –like many felines- live a solitary life for most of the year.

The area at the south end of the dirt road we travelled was supposed to have the highest concentration of Jaguars in the Pantanal. The idea was to hop daily onto small boats and drift down rivers and their tributaries, perhaps getting a glimpse of one of these solitary animals before it disappeared from view into the forest. Little did we know what waited us!.

On our first day out we encountered eight individual Jaguars in ten different sightings. Since each cat has a distinct face pattern it was easy for our local guides to recognize them and give us their history as far as they knew it. We were over the moon about our luck seeing so many Jaguars. What made it really special was the fact that the guides went nuts as well. It was highly unusual to see so many cats in one outing and the adrenaline was flowing in all of us, including the locals.

The most surprising part of these Jaguar encounters for me was the fact that they were a lot less skittish than I had expected. While we sat in our boats on the river some of them came down to the waterline to drink. One even snatched up a caiman resting in the hyacinths. Another time one of the cats sneaked into the river to swim towards a couple of Capybaras it had

located sitting on a beach. Luckily they escaped and we were saved the blood bath. To go one better we even encoun-tered the noisy copulation of a couple of Jaguars along the riverbank. Must have been that season when they are not solitary!

It is not clear how many Jaguars live in the Pantanal today, but there are estimates of about 3-7 individuals per 100 square kilometers. Obviously there are areas of high concentration like the place we visited. While the heyday of poaching in the 1960s is long gone as a result of legislation banning inter-national trade, there are still some ranchers who will kill a Jaguar if they think it predates lifestock. Sadly though, by far the biggest threat to these cats is deforestation and habitat destruction.

Jabirus are the largest storks and the tallest flying bird in the new world . Their enormous white body is bordered by a bare black head, throat and legs. At the base of the neck there is an inflatable red throat sack that fills with blood and turns vibrant scarlet when the bird is excited or stressed.

Jabirus live in large groups and build gigantic nests of sticks in tall trees. Both parents contribute to the nest construction as well as to the yearly enlargement of a nest built in a previous year. They tend their young for a long

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Jaguar Photo by Evi MEyer

8 October/November 2018

time, which results in brooding every other year for most birds.

To hunt, Jabirus bounce energetically, plunging their massive upswept bill into the water to scare hidden fish up into the open. Once captured, the prey gets gulped down with an upward head toss. The Pantanal is the world center for Jabirus and it was no surprise that we saw several of them daily. What did catch me by surprise was the sight of a Jabiru that had caught a big eel in a shallow pond and was trying to ingest it. This was no easy task, as the eel, which was longer than the Jabiru’s neck, certainly had no intention of cooperating. It was a fight worth watching and won by the bird.

Brazil is indeed a Mecca for eco-tourism and wildlife lovers and I am sure that I will return for more. Though both the Cerrado and Pantanal are huge ecological assets to Brazil with potentially unlimited income of eco-tourism dollars, less than five percent of these two ecosystems are protected by the government. The timber industry, ranching and agriculture (mostly sugar cane and soy) take an enormous toll

on the land and its wildlife. The few existing parks struggle with insufficient budgets, poor infrastruc-ture and lack of personnel to enforce the statutes that protect Brazil’s natural heritage. Some programs incentivize individual land owners to preserve (part of) their properties as private natural heritage reserves (RPPNs), but this is not sufficient to make protec-tion effective. Government, private land-owners and agribusiness have to act together to combine sustainable development with the creation of conser-

vation zones. Only when that is achieved can this region maintain its ecological importance. “Obrigada” will then be more deserved than ever and surely a time to raise a toast to Brazil with a Caipirinha.

Obrigada continued from page 7 Jabiru and eel. Photo by Evi Meyer

Hyacinth Macaw Photo by Evi Meyer

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Creating Better Backyard Habitat

By Connie Vadheim

Gardens are increasingly important sources of habitat for birds, insects and other creatures.

Sometimes just a few changes can make a big difference in terms of habitat value. Here are a few suggestions.1. Plant a tree or large, tree-like shrub. Large plants provide cover and nesting spots for a wide range of creatures. If you plant a native fruiting plant (like an elderberry, toyon or lemonadeberry) you’ll attract fruit-eating birds, butterflies and other native creatures. 2. Replace old shrubs with native species. Natives often provide better food in addition to their cover value, yielding seeds, fruits and plenty of nectar for pollinators from native sources. Some good choices are native Salvias, buckwheats and the shrubby sunflowers.

3. If you have limited space, consider growing a vine on a wall or trellis. Native or domestic grapes or native honeysuckles work well and provide excellent habitat. You can also espalier (train along a wall or trellis) native shrubs, including Toyon, Lemonadeberry and the native currants and gooseberries.4. Create a small water feature that provides water for the birds. This doesn’t need to be elaborate or expensive. Just a simple circulating fountain with shallow water – even a large saucer filled every day. Water brings many creatures to the garden!5. Plant some native ornamental (bunch) grasses – and let them go to seed. Grass seed is important food and Skipper butterfly larvae use grasses for food as well.6. Include more plants in the sunflower, mint, buckwheat and milkweed families in your garden. These are some of the best all-round habitat plants.7. Let plants fruit and go to seed. Resist the urge to cut off old flowering stalks before they set seed. Birds and other creatures will reward you for your patience.8. Place a seat where you can enjoy the creatures that make your garden home.

With this article, Connie wraps up a long and productive career writing for Hummin’.

Many thanks and best wishes for the future!

10 October/November 2018

KEEP OUT THOSE MEXICAN BUTTERFLIES!

By Vincent LloydDid you know that there is

a National Butterfly Center?

There is now, but not for long, as it is currently under attack — by the Department of Homeland Security.

The Center is a small 100-acre preserve in the Lower Rio Grande valley near Mission, Texas. The preserve, a former onion farm, is managed to provide habitat for butterflies and birds. Lying at the confluence of four ecosystems, it is teeming with tropical birds (such as the Green Jay, Plain Chachalaca, Common Pauraque and Buff-bellied Hummingbird, all of which nest on the preserve) as well as butterflies. 237 species of butterflies and 275 species of birds have been seen on the preserve. The Lower Rio Grande River Valley hosts nearly 150 species of butterflies that can be found no where else in the United States.

The preserve happens to lie right on the route of the planned border “wall”. The North American Butterfly Association, which owns the site, has filed suit

to stop the construction of the wall, but Congress authorized the construction of this section of the wall in March and the government is exerting its right of eminent domain. If completed, the wall will occupy about 70 acres

of the preserve, in the process separating the remaining land into two parts.

While building a wall might seem like a good idea from a distance, viewed close-up it makes little sense. The wall can’t be built on the border, because

the border runs down the middle of the river. By treaty, it can’t be built anywhere in the floodplain of the river, so it will be sited a mile or two away from the river. Many square miles of privately owned as well as public lands will be put into a no-man’s land, not accessible from the United States but not part of Mexico either. Besides the Butterfly Center, nearby Bentsen State Park will be mostly put behind the wall; Texas Parks has asked the government to come up with another plan. One of the top bird-watching sites in

the United States, the park has more than 30,000 annual visitors from around the world. (The wall was originally planned to go through another nearby birding hotspot, the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, but intense lobbying by environmental groups persuaded Congress to delete that section of the wall.) By disrupting normal water flow, it may lead to extensive flooding on the Texas side. Meanwhile the normal movement of wildlife will be disrupted. On top of that, the border lights will drive away crepuscular and nocturnal wildlife, including the ocelot and jaguarundi.

On August 12, the Center hosted a “Reclaim the River” gathering to call attention to the natural beauty of the river area. Local resident Patricia Roldan attended with her children. “We decided to come here because we’re very opposed to destroying the natural beauty of the river area and we feel this area should

be easily accessible to families who want to enjoy the natural resources that we have,” she said. “We have enough border

Ceeraunus Blue butterfly, a common Mexican species recently spotted by Vincent Lloyd on the Madrona Marsh Perserve.

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The Jaguar’s FriendsThrough fertile fifth grade minds the jaguar goespadding the jungle tracks of TV showsthat make the children think some animal friendis theirs---look! how the cryptic patterns blendas he glides from sunlight to the shadows

But the jaguar is not caught with sober wordsfrom swamp to river loud with warning birdsthrough water hyacinth up beside forest trailthe hunting jaguar steals with patient urgencytoward the tense held breath behind that tree

Then from hush, reality erupts—the kill a jagged now, the massive jaws crush skulland yet this death is but a single islein a silent archipelago of endsthe jaguar does, but has, not want for friends

By Jess Morton

security. Building a wall is not right for our area.”

Jeffrey Glassberg, president of the National Butterfly Association, points out that even if completed, the wall will not stop illegal immigration because most illegal immigrants arrive on airplanes.

The Brownsville Herald writes, “Walls and fences of one form or another have been placed on the U.S.-Mexico border since Operation Gatekeeper was

implemented more than 20 years ago. As President Trump’s border wall plans progress, some might think federal officials could have learned more from the past.”

As it is planned now, Trump’s additions will cut through Bentsen State Park and the Butterfly Center near Mission, imperiling the future of both.

For more information, watch “Stop Trump’s Border Wall” on YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpWc-0ll7_). For

more information about the National Butterfly Center, see www.nationalbutterflycenter.org, where you will find a lovely video introduction.

Surely, the security of this nation doesn’t depend on destroying a tiny 100-acre nature preserve. Unless the wall is stopped, construction will begin in February. Those who want to help can contribute to the North American Butterfly Association at naba.org.

12 October/November 2018

Student Perspectives

Small Steps Toward RestorationBy: Donna Da Na KimA new school year brings forth new begin-

nings--especially one for the YES Club. Instead of simply focusing on the restoration project of the Palos Verdes Blue Butterfly at Linden Chandler Preserve, the Club decided to take a step back and rethink their purpose. Although the Club was founded to protect the natural habitat of the native endangered species, it was also founded upon the fundamental princi-ples of ecological restoration and conservation. With that being said, YES volunteers sought to tackle a political controversy: protecting the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA).

So what is the MBTA? It is one of the most significant bird laws, providing protection for birds of all kinds from oil spills and other “inci-dental” operations causing the death of birds. This is the 100th anniversary of the law, and it ever so much needs the actions of Congress to uphold it. Birds often die due to mistaking an oil waste pit as a pond or by flying into a power line. To prevent these types of bird deaths, Audubon has worked with oil and electric utility companies to find pragmatic measures to avoid them. Some include covering the oil pits and changing the lighting on communica-tion towers.

Upholding the MBTA means that industries would still be accountable for the deaths of birds. Knowing the weight of this conservation law, YES volunteers took matters into their own hands. Hannah Meyers, a senior at South High School and the President of the Club, spoke of the importance of the law at her AP Environmental Science Class. Many students became aware of the political interference with the law due to the Trump Administration’s official reinterpretation of the MBTA. It is practically reversing the law, stating how the industry will no longer be liable for damages. Meyers also spoke of an online petition many students signed to support the act. Additionally,

Rhys Moon and Christian Park, pictured above, two freshmen at Peninsula High School, presented a quick slideshow about the law’s influence. The students at PVPHS also signed their names to the petition.

Just as local volunteers took matters into their own by taking a small act of signing a petition, we should partake in voicing our opinions for conservation. Sign the petition to protect the birds under the MBTA today. More than 600 people have already taken action.

Thumbs up for MBTA says Donna Kim

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The 38th annual Palos Verdes Butterfly Count was conducted on Saturday, July 14. Similar to a Christmas Bird Count, the goal was to count as many butterflies as possible in the count area, which is the same as for the Palos Verdes CBC. (The count circle is a 15-mile-diameter circle extending from the L.A. River in the east to Santa Monica Bay in the west and from Alondra Park in the north to the Catalina Channel in the south.) The PV Butterfly Count is one of about 400 scattered across Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. Ours is the oldest butterfly count in southern California.

The final results are in! On count day, 24 dedicated butterfly lovers counted for a total of 34.8 hours, during which time they walked 21.3 miles (and one of them biked 14.9 miles!). A total of 979 individual butterflies were seen, belonging to 27 species plus one special subspecies, the endangered El Segundo Blue (this butterfly is seen on no other butterfly count). The highlight of the count was the first Variegated Fritillary seen on the count, found by David Ellsworth in San Pedro. This lovely species is found across the southern U.S. from Florida to Arizona, but is rare west of the desert.

Madrona Marsh and Gardena Willows had the highest numbers of species (18 and 17 respectively); the Willows had the highest number of individual butterflies (269).

The following species were seen:

4 Anise Swallowtail 9 Giant Swallowtail 15 Western Tiger Swallowtail 4 Checkered White218 Cabbage White 7 Orange Sulphur 47 Cloudless Sulphur 32 Gray Hairstreak 30 Western Pygmy Blue124 Marine Blue 20 Square-spotted Blue 11 El Segundo Blue 16 Acmon Blue 2 Fatal Metalmark152 Gulf Fritillary 1 Variegated Fritillary (new to count!) 36 Mourning Cloak 2 American Lady 1 Painted Lady 1 West Coast Lady 2 Red Admiral 32 Monarch 10 Funereal Duskywing 30 White Checkered-Skipper 50 Fiery Skipper 2 Sandhill Skipper 42 Umber Skipper 5 Eufala Skipper

Thanks go to our dedicated group leaders Jeanne Bellemin (George F. Canyon), Mike Bell (Linden Chandler Preserve), David Quadhamer (South Coast Botanical Garden and Madrona Marsh), Mark Christensen (Madrona Marsh), Mark Rubke (Madrona Marsh), John Thomlinson (Gardena Willows), David Ellsworth (zillions of spots in San Pedro), and count founder Jess Morton (Chadwick Canyon, Pt. Vicente and Terranea).

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2018 PV BUTTERFLY COUNTBy Vincent Lloyd, count compiler

14 October/November 2018

MEET, LEARN, RESTORE, ENJOY

Chapter CalendarEvents

Tuesday, Oct. 16, 5:30 p.m.: PV/South Bay Audubon board meeting at Madrona Marsh. All Audubon members and friends are welcome.Tuesday, Oct. 16, 7 p.m.: Audubon Third Tuesday Get-Together. Our speaker for the night will be Steve Kaye. His program is called “Meet the Birds”. Come to Madrona Marsh to socialize with friends and to enjoy refreshments and the door prizes donated by Wild Birds Unlimited.Tuesday, Nov. 20, 7 p.m.: Audubon Third Tuesday Get-Togethers. Our speaker for the night will be Evi Meyer, presenting a program on the Wildlife of Brazil. Come to Madrona Marsh to socialize with friends and tto enjoy refreshments and the door prizes donated by Wild Birds Unlimited.

Field TripsTuesday, Oct. 2, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” Join Audubon leader Tommye Hite and friends on a ramble around a great local birding area. Meet at Madrona Marsh Nature Center.Wednesday, Oct. 3, 8:30 a.m.: Fieldtrip to Silver Saddle Resort and Galileo Hill (survey #2) with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Wednesday, Oct. 3: Birding with Bob. Bob Shanman leads bird walks to different destinations every first Wednesday of the month. For details, visit www.torrance.wbu.com and click on Birding with Bob.Sunday Oct. 7, 8 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Bird Walk through Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park. Join Audubon leaders to explore the newly restored KMHRP and witness the birds return to this sanctuary in the middle of our metropolitan area. Meet in the parking lot closest to Anaheim and Vermont. Sunday, Oct. 7, 8 a.m.: Field trip to Sycamore Canyon and Oxnard Plain with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Tuesday, Oct. 9, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.

Wednesday, Oct. 10, 8 a.m.: Bird Walk at Madrona Marsh with Audubon leader Bob Shanman. Meet at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center.Saturday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m.: PVPLC Natural History Walk to Alta Vicente Reserve. Explore the 22-acre restoration site with cactus wren and gnatcatcher habitat with beautiful views of Catalina Island. Moderate to strenuous. For details, visit www.pvplc.org.Sunday, Oct. 14, 8 a.m.: Bird walk at South Coast Botanic Garden. Audubon leader David Quadhamer will lead this walk through the garden, located at 26300 Crenshaw Blvd., Palos Verdes. There is a minimal charge for nonmembers of the SCBG Foundation, or you can join there.Tuesday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.Wednesday Oct. 17, 8:30 a.m.: Field trip to Siver Saddle resort and Galileo Hill (survey # 3) with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Saturday, Oct. 20, 10 a.m.: Los Serenos de Point Vicente Natural History Walk to Ocean Trails Reserve (Sunrise/Sunset Trails). Walk the switchback trail to the beach. Learn about local geology and fall blooming habitat. Stay to watch the sunset from beautiful Founders Park. Moderate. For details, visit www.losserenos.com/pvic.htm.Sunday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m.: Bird walk at Ballona Wetlands with Bob Shanman. For details, visit www.torrance.wbu.com.Sunday, Oct. 21, 8 a.m.: Field trip to San Joaquin Marsh with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Tuesday, Oct. 23, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.Saturday, Oct. 27, 8:30-10:30 a.m.: Bird Walk at Madrona Marsh with Audubon leader Dinuk Magammana. Meet at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center.Tuesday, Oct. 30, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.Wednesday, Oct. 31, 8:30 a.m.: Field trip to Silver Saddle Resort and Galileo Hill (survey #4) with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Sunday Nov. 4, 8 – 11 a.m.: Bird Walk through Harbor Regional Park. See Oct. 7 for details.

www.pvsb-audubon.org 15

Chapter Support

Name __________________________________

Address ________________________________

City/State/Zip ___________________________

Phone __________________________________

E-mail __________________________________

Your donation is tax-deductible $ _________

Please make checks to PV/SB Audubon and mail to: PO Box 2582, Palos Verdes, CA 90274

The Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society and the National Audubon Society, of which PV/SB Audubon is the local chapter, are dedicated to the understanding and preservation of our natural heritage. Within the framework of National Audubon Society policies, we seek and implement ways to preserve indigenous flora and fauna, especially that of our local area, and provide educational services to the region's communities with respect to birds, wildlife, ecology and conservation.

Executive OfficersPresident: David Quadhamer, 310 833-3095Vice-Pres.: Paul Blieden, pblieden@yahoo.com Ann DalkeyTreasurer: Jess Morton, jmorton@igc.orgSecretary: Vincent Lloyd, svlloyd@elcamino.edu

Directors: Robert Carr, Oliver Coker, Tracy Drake, Lillian Light

Committees:Calendar: Evi Meyer, evimeyer@cox.netChristmas Bird Count and Field Trips: Ann and Eric Brooks, motmots@aol.comHospitality: Alene Gardner, alene.gardner@sbcglobal.netHummin’: Jess Morton, jmorton@igc.orgMailing List: Bob Shanman, wildbirdbob@gmail.comPrograms: Jan Gardner, janet.gardner@ngc.com Bob Carr, Candy GroatSnowy Plover Tommye Hite tommyehite@hotmail.comWebmaster: Paul Blieden, pblieden@yahoo.comYES: David Quadhamer dquadhamer@yahoo.com

Tuesday, Nov. 6, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.Wednesday, Nov. 7, 8:30 a.m.: Field trip to Silver Saddle Resort and Galileo Hill (survey #5) with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Wednesday, Nov. 7: Birding with Bob. Bob Shanman leads bird walks to different destinations every first Wednesday of the month. For details, visit www.torrance.wbu.com and click on Birding with Bob.Saturday, Nov. 10, 9 a.m.: PVPLC Natural History Walk to Lower Portuguese Bend Reserve. Follow Sandbox trail ascending through grasses and low shrubs for nice views of the Pacific Ocean. Easy. For details, visit www.pvplc.org.Sunday, Nov. 11, 8 a.m.: Bird walk at South Coast Botanic Garden. See Oct. 14 for details.Tuesday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.Wednesday, Nov. 14, 8 a.m.: Bird Walk at Madrona Marsh. See Oct. 10 for details.Sunday, Nov. 18, 8 a.m.: Bird walk at Ballona Wetlands with Bob Shanman. For details, visit www.torrance.wbu.com.Tuesday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.Saturday, Nov. 24, 8:30-10:30 a.m.: Bird Walk at Madrona Marsh with Audubon leader Dinuk Magammana. See Oct. 27 for details.Saturday, Nov. 24, 2:30 p.m.: Los Serenos de Point Vicente Natural History Walk to Abalone Cove Shoreline Park (Coastal Clean-up day). Tour the tide pools teeming with fascinating marine life. Moderate to strenuous. For details, visit www.losserenos.com/pvic.htm.Sunday, Nov. 25, 8 a.m.: Field trip to Upper Newport Bay with Eric and Ann Brooks. For details, e-mail motmots@aol.com or call 323-295-6688.Tuesday, Oct. 16, 8:30 a.m.: “Tour de Torrance.” See Oct. 2 for details.

NOTE: PV/South Bay Audubon field trips are free, but donations are much appreciated to support programs of the chapter. Some parks where walks are held may have entry fees.

THIRD TUESDAY PROGRAMS 7 PM AT MADRONA MARSH 3201 PLAZA DEL AMO, TORRANCE

Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon SocietyP.O. Box 2582Palos Verdes Peninsula, CA 90274 Time-sensitive

material

AVIANTICS ByEviMeyer

Nowthatwe’rehere,whatarewegonnado?

October 16th “Meet the Birds” as professional photographer Steve Kaye joims us to celebrate the beauty in Nature through his contest-winning images. You’ll see uncommon views of birds, learn a bit about what they do, and discover how our own interactions with wildlife make a big difference.

November 20th Evi Meyer presents “Wildlife of Brazil,” an overview of her summer of exploration in the Brazilian Pantanal, a Ramsar site of international importance, in the state of Mato Grosso, a region rich with stunning birds, wetlands and jaguars!

Annual Election at November MeetingThe election of officers and board members

for the coming year will be held at our regular membership meeting, Tuesday, November 20th. The slate, as proposed to date, is:

President Paul BliedenVice-president David QuadhamerSecretary Vincent LloydTreasurer: Jess MortonBoard members: Ann Dalkey, Tracy DrakeNominations from the floor by chapter

members will be open at both our October and November meetings.

2018 Christmas Bird CountThe annual Palos Verdes Peninsula Christmas Bird Count will take place this year on Sunday, December

23rd,. Participants will count all the birds they find in a circle, 15 miles in diameter, centered on Palos Verdes Reservoir—an area that extends from the L.A. River to Santa Monica Bay and from Alondra Park to the Catalina Channel. It is one of over 2500 Christmas Bird Counts in North America, South America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and as such, plays an important role in monitoring bird populations in these regions. Last year we saw 160 species, putting our count tied for 43rd among counts in the U.S. and Canada—not too bad for an overwhelmingly urban area!

We are looking for bird lovers to help count birds this year, either on your own, or in an established group. Interested persons can contact Dave Moody (dsmoods@verizon.net) or Vincent Lloyd (vincent@sabik.org) to participate. No experience necessary!