LOS Angeles Audubon Society Volume 55 Number 4 Jan.-Feb ...€¦ · - Lumping the Tityras, Becards, Cotingas, Sharpbill and manikins into the Tyrannidae - Lumping the Ovenbirds and

STERNTANAGER^

LOS Angeles Audubon Society Volume 55 Number 4 Jan.-Feb. 1989

It's for the BirdsA New Classification of theLiving Birds of the World:A Synopsis(Part I: Non-Passerines)by Henry E. Childsjr.

B E PREPARED FOR MAJORCHANGES in field guide organiza-tion. We are in the full blaze of

a new and revolutionary day for theclassification of the birds.

For about fifty years, field guides andornithological texts organized their mate-rial by the evolutionary scheme of Alex-ander Wetmore of the Smithsonian Insti-tution. With minor adjustments, you couldexpect to find certain birds in a certainrelative place in any book, at least inAmerican texts. This familiar avian taxon-omy, based upon morphological andbehavioral characteristics, has beenrefined, and substantially altered, by newermethods of study.

Charles Sibley and Jon Ahlquist areleaders in studying the evolutionaryrelationships by comparing birds' proteinsand DNA. Their studies over the last 20years have confirmed much of what welearned from morphology and ethology,but they have found some remarkabledifferences; we might have been fooled afew times by convergent evolution ofunrelated species. If you have learned thatthe Emberizidae had split off from theFringillidae, be prepared to go back toSquare One. Sibley and Ahlquist havejoined with Burt Monroe to publish thelatest news in the July 1988 issue of TheAuk, the journal of the American Ornithol-ogists' Union.

In the latest studies, the DNA of 1058avian species was studied. Each specimenwas compared with a large number of theother specimens. This is a remarkably largesample of the world's birds. The estimated9000 species of living birds are only 6%of the 150,000 species estimated to haveinhabited the Earth in the last 150 millionyears. The DNA-DNA technique allows not

onlythe analysisof relation-ship but anestimate oftime in millionsof years since thegroups diverged. Sibleyand Ahlquist explainDNA-DNA hybridizationfor lay audiences inScientific American,February 1986 page 82. Itis available in most libraries.

Major new understandingsincorporated in this listing oforders include:

- Woodpe&kers become lower non-passerines

- Waterbirds except Anseriformesbecome higher and closer to thepasserines

- The nighthawks and allies join the owls- Hawks join the herons and shorebirds,

as do most of the Pelicaniformes, thetubenoses, penguins, grebes and loons

- New World vultures join the storks- Five new families are recognized:

African barbets, scimitarbills, Asian frog-mouths, eared nightjars and Australo-Papuan babblers (this last being a passe-rine family).

Particularly startling were the changes inthe content of the order Ciconiiformes, theherons and allies, which absorbed, amongothers, such disparate groups as theshorebirds, diurnal raptors, grebes andpenguins!

However, the changes in the mostfamiliar order of birds, the 'perching' or'song' birds, are even more profound.Careful study of the scheme of classifica-tion, and comparison with the organizationof any recent field guide shows tremend-ous changes in the understanding that wehave grown up with.

For Western Hemisphere birders, themost outstanding changes made by Sibleyare:

- Lumping the Tityras, Becards, Cotingas,Sharpbill and manikins into the Tyrannidae

- Lumping the Ovenbirds and theWoodcreepers

January-February 1989

- Incorporating into the Corvidae a wideassortment of former families, includingsome Australian groups, Whipbirds, Sittel-las, Shrike-tits, Whistlers, Birds of Paradise,Woodswallows, Old World Orioles,Cuckoo-shrikes, fantails, Drongos, Magpie-Larks and Bush-shrikes

- Joining the Mockingbirds andThrashers to the Starlings in the Sturnidae

- Joining the Wrens, Gnatcatchers,Verdin and Gnatwrens to the Creepers inthe Certhiidae

- Placing the Wrentit with the Old WorldWarblers and Babblers in the Sylviidae

- Reuniting the Old World Sparrows(including our House Sparrow) with theWeaver Finches, and including also in thePasseridae the Wagtails and Pipits, Accen-tors, Waxbills and Whydahs

- Incorporating into the Fringillidae theOlive Warbler, Buntings, Towhees, WoodWarblers, Tanagers, Cardinals, Meadow-larks, American Blackbirds and Orioles,and Oropendolas

- Raising the Larks in rank to near themost highly-evolved families.

Many of the newly-proposed changeswill be controversial, and there will bemuch scientific argument before some ofthem are adopted. Groups such as theAmerican Ornithologists' Union Commit-tee on Nomenclature will be evaluating,

discussing and arguing for years before anyof the proposed changes are actuallyadopted. When the dust settles, birders willbe better off for having a better under-standing of the evolutionary relationshipsof the birds of the world.

For those of you who are interested inthis sort of stuff, you have your work cutout for you. I refer you to the articles citedabove. These articles, however, containonly the tip of the iceberg, so be on thelookout for the publication of Sibley andAhlquist's book, which will contain all thedetail.

For those of you who feel confused andfrustrated by such major changes, don'tpanic! When the new guides come out, justthumb through the pictures as usual . . .but it's going to be harder to find that birdout there until you become familiar withthe new arrangement of families. Andplease remember that the coming changesin classification are the result of a betterunderstanding of avian evolution and theworld of birds.

By the way, I owe my ornithologicalcareer, such as it has been, to the threemonths spent with Dr. Sibley in Mexico in1948 . . . but don't blame me for all thesechanges: after all, he taught me all I know,not vice versa!

Adopt a Beach

T he Coastal Commission's annualbeach cleanup on October 1brought out 5,642 volunteers who

collected about 900 tons of debris fromCalifornia beaches. Now Sierra Club invitesyou to give the local beaches, creeks andlagoons another scouring. Targeted siteswill be Malibu Surfrider Beach, TopangaState Beach, Ballona Lagoon and BallonaCreek.

The time, weather permitting, is Satur-day, February 4, 1989, 9:00 a.m. to noon.Rain would postpone the work for oneweek. Rendezvous points are: Malibu, atSerra Road parking lot, north of Alice'sRestaurant; Topanga Beach, at parking lotnorth of Topanga Canyon Blvd.; BallonaLagoon, at Lighthouse Bridge (park at endof Via Marina in Marina del Rey); and,Ballona Creek, at the end of Vista del Mar,near the end of Culver Blvd.

Judith Dolan of the Sierra Club iscoordinating the project. Audubon isrequested to organize a corps for thiseffort, but we were not organized at presstime. Judith Dolan can be contacted at(213) 660-6878. Audubon House shouldalso be able to supply information at (213)876-0202.

Library Requestby Glenn Cunningham, Librarian.

Los Angeles Audubon Society needs toreplace some periodicals that are missingfrom the library. We would welcomedonations of the listed issues.

American Birdsvol. 38, No. 1, Jan-Feb 1984vol. 38, No. 5, Sept-Oct 1984

Birdingvol. 15, No. 4, August 1983vol. 15, No. 5, October 1983vol. 16, No. 1, February 1984

British Birdsvol. 72, No. 9, September 1979vol. 74, No. 9 12, September-

December 1981vol. 75, all numbers, 1982vol. 77, all numbers, 1984vol. 78, all numbers, 1985vol. 79, No. 1-7, January -July 1986vol. 80, No. 8, August 1987

Condorvol 89, No. 1 & 2, February & May 1987

Western Birdsvol. 14, No. 1 & 2, 1983

Annual Banquet!February 2, 1989

U.C.LA Faculty Center, 405 Hilgard Ave.Cocktails at 6:00p. m. - No Host Bar - Dinner at 7:00p. m.

Speaker: Lloyd Kiff, of LAA.S., director and curator ofWestern Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, head of the

condor recovery team, expert on bird eggs andthe effects of pesticides.

Dinner will be Boneless Breast of ChickenA Vegetarian Plate is Available Upon Request.

By reservation only — Deadline is January 20.No Tickets Sold at the Door

$17per personparking available in UCLA garage, $3-00

To make reservations, send check toLos Angeles Audubon, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd.,

Los Angeles, CA 90046.


ConservationConversationby Sandy Wohlgemuth

T he decades-long struggle againstsmog in the Los Angeles Basin hasa discouraging history.

Remember the backyard incinerator? Itsmoked and smoldered and drove theneighbors wild — and was finally tossedon the junk heap. In our naivete wethought this was the sure way to lick smog.Sometime later it was decided that if youbought a used car you had to get a "smogvalve" installed and a certificate from themechanic before the Department of MotorVehicles would say the car was yours. Thenmore recently all cars — new or old —have to submit to a standard emissions testevery other year. If your car doesn't pass,you have to get it fixed and DMV won'trenew your license without proof that youmade the grade. This inspection businessis a nuisance and costs money. When youlook out over the city, the air doesn't seemany clearer and you'll be pardoned forgrowling, "Helluva lot of good this hasdone." Yet there has been some improve-ment; at least the auto emissions are down.The trouble is, more people move into thebasin every day bringing more cars to jamthe freeways and pollute the air.

Looking back, the clear skies in L.A.began to disappear around the end ofWorld War II. It took a few years for thescientists to figure out that the nitrogenoxides and hydrocarbons from autoexhausts, oil refineries and industrialplants cooked in the perpetual sunshineof the basin to form ozone, and thatmiserable all-pervasive brown fog. L.A.'ssmog became a national phenomenon, abutt of easy jokes for radio comedians. Butthe man in the street did a slow burn anddidn't laugh very much.

In 1977 Jerry Brown signed a billestablishing the South Coast Air QualityManagement District (AQMD) thatincluded Los Angeles, San Bernardino,Riverside and Orange Counties. This wasthe culmination of a five-year fight, notablefor the two vetoes of this regional controldistrict by none other than Ronald Reagan,the previous governor. Unfortunately theAQMD got off to a terrible start. It wasunderstaffed with inadequately-trainedinspectors and the governing board wasfilled with city and county officials on veryfriendly terms with local industry. In 1986the executive director retired, to work as

a consultant for a company that had wonAQMD approval for a controversial tire-burning energy plant in Rialto. This wasa move reminiscent of the Pentagonprocurement officer who leaves for alucrative job with an arms manufacturer.

For the previous ten years, the localpolluters were quite comfortable withAQMD. There were only 100 inspectorscovering half of southern California andmonitoring 60,000 pieces of equipment.When citations were issued, the fines wereminuscule. Though polluting firms legallyhad to get a permit from AQMD, thepermits were elastically written and restric-tions were generously permissive. Thenthere was "smog credit." This enabled acompany, that wanted to introduce a newsource of pollution, to buy the emission-reduction credits of another company thatwas not using its permit to pollute. A firmgoing out of business could make millionsby selling its credits. The overall pollutionlevel in the LA. area could never go downwith this system.

In December 1986, a new sheriff strodedown Main Street and the black hats gotall shook up. On that fateful day, James M.Lents became executive director of theSouth Coast Air Quality ManagementDistrict. To the consternation of the LosAngeles Area Chamber of Commerce andits hundreds of business leaders, Dr. Lentsturned out to be a man with a mission:clean up the basin. We have a big headache, he said. "If you took the air-pollution

continued overleaf

The Los Angeles Audubon Society RaffleRAFFLE TICKETS - $1.00 Each

12 for $10.00Drawings for prizes to be held at the Annual Banquet

February^, 1989PRIZE LIST

WINNERS NEED NOT BE PRESENT TO WIN

Nikon BinocularsAudubon Sanctuary Vaca-

tion for 2Timberland BootsWeathermatic Minolta

CameraBinocular Mount

Down Comforter2 Sets: Audubon Society

Video Guide to theBirds of North America,Volumes 1-5

Audubon Society VideoGuide to the Birds ofNorth America,Volume 1

Minolta Binoculars"Grizzly Bear" computer

software"Life in the Balance"

We won these prizes in the IAAS's firstBirdathon. The team found 121 speciesbetween dawn and dusk of May 7, 1988,and brought in $5,900 in pledges, whichwe divided with National Audubon. Ourtotals were third-best in the nation, bestin our region and best in California, andwe won prizes for each accomplishment.

Now we distribute the loot!Raffle tickets are printed on the opposite

side of this page. Enter your name andaddress or telephone number, clip alongthe dotted lines, and send with your checkto LAAS, 7377 Santa Monica Blvd., LosAngeles, CA 90046. If you wish additionalchances, just include dollar amount

desired. We will complete the stubs foryou and deposit them.

RAFFLE TICKETS WILL BE AVAIL-ABLE AT AUDUBON HOUSE UNTILTHE DRAWING FEBRUARY 2, 1989.TELL YOUR FRIENDS! NO LIMIT -ENTER AS OFTEN AS YOU LIKE!


problems in Houston, Denver, Albu-querque and New York, and added themall together, it wouldn't equal the problemin LA." And, "A continuation of present air-quality levels will expose over 9 millionpeople to air pollution [that is] 200 to 300percent above the health standards eachyear."

Right off the bat he rolled up his sleevesand got to work. He got the state legis-lature to pass a bill that reorganized theAQMD board, giving it more authority andordering it to follow the proposals of itsdirector. In two years he has really madethe fur fly.Here's a taste of his 20-year plan:

AUTOS, TRUCKS, BUSSES1. More car pool lanes on freeways.2. "Smog patrols" handing out tickets for

heavily-smoking vehicles.3. Companies must offer tangible rewards

for employees car-pooling, ridingbusses or bicycling. Uncooperatingcompanies will be fined at least $1000a day(!). This year the rule applies toall companies with more than 500employees; in 1990 it will apply to firmswith 100 employees.

4. Crack down on gas stations with defec-tive vapor-recovery nozzles. (In April agas station owner in Long Beach got ajail sentence for violating air-qualityrules.)

5. Keep heavy-duty diesel trucks off thefreeways during rush hours.

6. Monitor RTD busses in maintenanceyards for excessive emissions.

7. All busses, rental cars and fleet vehiclesbought after 1993 must run on some-thing other than gasoline. The goal isthat half of all vehicles be powered bymethanol or electricity.

8. An AQMD Office of Technology Assess-ment has already been set up to studymethanol and electricity; experimentalcars are already in use. Serious discus-sions are taking place about solar andhydrogen power for transportation. (Farout!)

9- The Technology lab is also working onlawn mowers operated by electricity ornatural gas. (Lents has already traded hisgasoline-powered mower for an old-fashioned push mower. (Will he get anytakers on this one?)

INDUSTRY1. AQMD eliminated the market for smog

credits in industry. It also stepped upinspections and tightened up the permitprocess.

2. A 90% reduction in nitrogen oxideemissions for oil refineries and powerplants. (Oxides of nitrogen are a primesource of acid rain as well as smog.)

3. A phase-out of highly toxic hydrofluoricacid used in oil refineries. In Novemberan explosion in a Torrance refineryscared the daylights out of everyone,especially neighbors who were evacu-ated. Uncomfortable memories of the

Bhopal tragedy in India hovered overthe area where half a million people livewithin five miles of the Mobil plant.So, although James Lents is hardly a

familiar name in the average home, it iswell-known in Chamber of Commercecircles. He has been called a "rogueelephant" who is promoting his disturbingagenda with "religious fervor." There is noquestion that the honeymoon is over forpolluting businesses. The technology toreduce nitrogen oxide emissions is avail-able now; a catalytic reduction system hasbeen used successfully in Japan for years.Lents says that the controls on nitrogenoxides "are going to cost industry severalhundred millions. But still, looking at thecost per pound of emissions that you cleanup, it's not unreasonable. The oil compan-ies represent a sizeable amount of theemissions, and we believe they should bea part of the cleanup." When did we lasthear a public official talk like this? Is hetoo tough, too revolutionary, unreasona-ble? The times require imagination and theguts to challenge the powers that be. Smogis no laughing matter. If the pollutioncurve continues its upward rise this city,this entire basin, may become unlivable —an environmental Hiroshima. Heroicmeasures are called for, and we may havefound the man to answer the call, the manin the white hat and the silver star —JamesM. Lents.

Source: The Amicus Journal, Summer 1988(Natural Resources Defense Council).

LA. Audubon Society RaffleName .

Phone(.

#/St.

City. . State Zip .Drawing at the Annual Banquet, Feb. 2, 1989.Your cancelled check is your receipt.


Phone (.

#/St.



Phone(.

#/St.


LA Audubon Society RaffleName .

Phone (.

#/St. .

City. . State. .Z ip .Drawing at the Annual Banquet, Feb. 2,1989.Your cancelled check is your receipt.


Phone (.

#/St. .

City _ . State. .Z ip .Drawing at the Annual Banquet, Feb. 2,1989.Your cancelled check is your receipt.

LA Audubon Society RaffleName .

Phone (.

#/St

City. . State Zip .Drawing at the Annual Banquet, Feb. 2,1989.Your cancelled check is your receipt.

LA Audubon Society Raffle

Phone (.

#/St.



Phone(.

#/St.

City. . State Zip .Drawing at the Annual Banquet, Feb. 2,1989.Your cancelled check is your receipt.


Phone(.

#/St.

City. . State. .Z ip .Drawing at the Annual Banquet, Feb. 2,1989.Your cancelled check is your receipt.


The Los AngelesAudubonBookstoreby Olga L Clarke, sales chairman

T he bookstore of the Los AngelesAudubon society had its begin-nings in 1953 with a stock of

some half dozen titles. By 1966 theinventory had grown to about 75 items. Myassociation with this function of the societybegan in 1970. From the start, I wasfascinated by the idea of offering, to ourmembers and the general public, birdguides from around the world. Being anardent birder, I enjoy searching for thisinformation to help my birding friends. Ittook much effort over the years to locatesources and to organize, by trial and error,current procedures. It was difficult, butrewarding, to be able to make readilyavailable the special material whichbirders require. Many of you willremember, fifteen years ago, we did nothave the plethora of publications aboutbirds we have today. When the originalSociety headquarters, the 100-year-oldPlummer House, burned a few years ago,destroying much of the stock and records,we were fortunate to be offered replace-ment facilities in the park. We not onlysurvived that ordeal, but managed tomaintain the outstanding service whichhad become our hallmark. From technicaltomes to simple pamphlets, a tremendousselection is now available from all over theworld at our new headquarters in PlummerPark, merely a phone call or short tripaway. From the meager 75 titles in 1970,we now have a listing of approximately 450items, most of which are readily availablefrom stock. We welcome phone or mailorders from anyone, anywhere, a catalogcan be requested. Hours are from 10:00a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Tuesday through Satur-day. Telephone number is (213) 876- 0202.

The Los Angeles Audubon society isjustly proud of its world famous bookstore,this unique service is perhaps the finestsource of bird books and other nature-oriented merchandise in the United States?In addition to the many items regularlystocked, we can special-order others ofindividual interest. We also have an out-of-print search service. All profits are usedto support the operation and conservationprograms of the Society. Carol Niles, andrecently Charles Harper, are professionalstaff members who, with the able assist-ance of a small group of dedicated volun-teers, perform such tasks as maintainingrecords, ordering stock, inventorying,keeping up the various displays of mer-chandise and doing the myriad detailsrequired in running a full-servicebookstore.

Volunteers are indispensible to theoperation and are largely responsible forits courteous and efficient reputation.Additional helpers are in constant needand always welcome. Hours are flexibleand the work is light, interesting andpersonally rewarding in pleasant surround-ings with congenial people. If you wouldlike to be a part of this fascinating

endeavor, please call me, Olga Clarke,at (213) 876-0202.

Thereare seldomopportunities tomake the public awareand give recognition forthe work done by these dedicated jpeople. We hereby salute themembers of our fine littlegroup whose cheerfulcooperation makes thetask of operating theBookstore pleasant andrewarding.

Helen Bayne has faithfully*"assisted since 1970, andreceived an Award ofMerit from L.A.A.S. in1978 for long service.She was an English and historyteacher, lives in the Glendalearea, and recently, because of failinghealth, retired from the Bookstore.

Nellie Gryk, a newcomer to the Book-store, but not new to birding, has been agreat help. She is a retired nurse and hasa wonderful smile and personality.

James W. Huffman is a past Presidentand former Finance Chairman of theSociety. In addition to leading many localfield trips, he has birded all over the world.Jim resides in the Pacific Palisades and hisdry wit keeps us chuckling.

Roberta Lavergne, retired seamstressand housewife, helps with many tasks suchas covering the books in plastic, pricingbooks, stamping outgoing mail, xeroxing,and sewing L.A.A.S. patches on bookpouches, eyeglass cases, etc.

Pat Nelson, a retired dental assistantand office manager, has been a tremend-ous asset to the Bookstore, by lending herknowledge of organization, and her wil-lingness to help in any way she can. Patis a good birder and very enthusiasticabout everything.

Millie Newton comes to us from theUCLA Extension Class on field studies ofCalifornia birds. She is a retired airlinestewardess and does volunteer work formany organizations, including the police

department. Millie is an extremely enthu-siastic birder and assists on Tuesdays, aswell as on evening meeting nights.

Marian Pickett was my chief assistantwhen the going was tough in the earlyyears. She recently returned to help us onFridays and we are delighted to have herwith us again.

Jean Pickus has been a great help forabout two years. Recently retired fromteaching, she pitches in and does anything

from catching the phone tofilling orders.

Laura Lou Vance has helda number of offices in theL.A.A.S. including that of Presi-dent, Wild Life films and FieldTrip Chairperson. She too, hasbirded many places in theworld, and is a former ele-mentary school teacher. Lauraregales us with tales of life onthe farm in Saugus, and is adelightful person to be near.

To repeat, we constantlyneed new volunteers, becauseopenings are created by peo-ple leaving for personal rea-sons or going on vacationsand birding trips. We areeager to introduce you to ourfriendly group. Come give usa try. Not only will you be per-forming a service for themembership, but you might

find that you too will enjoythe challenge and fun of

participating in theworld's finest natural

history bookstore,the Los Angeles

AudubonBookstore.

Corrigendum"Birding the Pampas, Patagonia and the

Land of Fire, Part II" Western Tanager, May1988, 2, noted that sailing ships have adilemma in passing the tip of SouthAmerica. The ships have to navigate eitherthe treacherously narrow Straits of Magel-lan or the dangerous waters around CapeHorn. Author Henry E. Childs, Jr. carelesslyrepeated a statistic he had heard in Tierradel Fuego, that the trip around the "horn"resulted in the death of five million peoplein the 1800's. Charles Aronberg rightlyquestioned that statistic.

Mr Childs' research has now disclosed57 shipwrecks near Cape Horn in the 19thcentury. The actual number of deaths inthese wrecks is not known, but it couldnot have been five million unless theaverage shipwreck cost 100,000 lives.Perhaps the figure was a mistranslation of5 mil (5,000). Sorry about that!


Birds of the Seasonby Hank Brodkin

R ecords of rare and unusual birdsightings reported in this columnshould be considered tentative

until they have been reviewed by theAmerican Birds regional editors or, ifappropriate, by the California BirdRecords Committee.

January is upon us. Thoughts of redpolls,Snow Buntings, Bohemian Waxwings andNorthern Shrikes (see below) fill the days.If the jetstreams are favorable, hopefulbirders will search their areas and keeptabs on the northern California bird alertsfor Asian rarities blown in by the "SiberianExpress."

There has been much discussion in thiscolumn over the years on the causes ofvagrancy in birds. J.P. Meyers speculatesthat one of the reasons for bird vagrancymight be sub-lethal doses of pesticidecontaminant — enough to throw off thesebirds' migrational guidance systems thesmall amount needed to send them thou-sands of miles off-course. (Facts, Inferen-ces and Shameless Speculation, AmericanBirds, 42:351).

And just when we thought our vagrantseason was winding down, Mike Lipsmeyerfound a Spotted Redshank near the townof Walnut Grove (fourth California record)and Gene Cardiff found a Least Grebe(not seen in California since 1955) in theNiland fishponds at the south end of theSalton Sea. Both of these vagrants, onefrom Siberia and one from Mexico, werefound on 19 November.

The LA. Audubon Society pelagic trip on20 November produced six Short-tailedShearwaters' between San Pedro andSanta Barbara Island (Kimball Garrett).

Our first coastal report of a Snow Goosethis fall comes from Mile Square Park inOrange County on 14 November (MichFreeman), and Jean Brandt saw the sea-son's first reported flock of Canada Geeseover the San Fernando Valley, also on 14November. A European Wigeon wasagain at Wilderness Park in Downey at least11 through 15 November (John Schmitt).

The Harlan's race of Red-tailed Hawkwas found north of Big Pine on 11November by Kimball Garrett, Jon Dunnand Jon Alderfer. Two Merlins werereported, one at Malibu Lagoon on 5November (Hank Brodkin) and one inAltadena on 15 November (JohnThompson).

The first Blue Grouse seen south of themain Sierra Nevada chain since the forties

was found by Keith Axelson on PaiuteMountain in Kern County on 9 October.

Unusual at an inland location was theHeermann's Gull at Bouquet CanyonReservoir on 29 October (Cal Yorke) andan immature Little Gull was seen atMalibu Lagoon on 31 October by ArnoldSmall.

John Saba from Arizona found aCommon Tern at Malibu Lagoon on 23October. This bird had a yellow tip to itsbill — giving rise to some speculation thatit might have been a Sandwich Tern, butcooler heads prevailed. More intriguingwere the 60 Black Skimmers reported onthe beach at Long Beach by a lifeguard on25 October. These might have come fromthe breeding colony at Bolsa Chica.

A Ruff was found along the San GabrielRiver in Pico Rivera on 20 November (JohnSchmitt).

Jon Dunn found a Rufous Turtle-Doveat Furnace Creek on 29 October. ThisAsiatic species has never been reported inthe U.S. This report gives the CaliforniaBird Records Committee an interestingdecision to make. The bird is however along-distance migrant — so, who knows?!By 12 November the number of RuddyGround-Doves at Furnace Creek hadincreased to four (Garrett/Dunn/Alderferparty).

Two Northern Pygmy-Owls, rarelyseen in the Los Angeles area, especially atsuch a low elevation, were reported fromO'Melveny Park on 9 November by DaveRichardson. Huntington Beach CentralPark lived up to its reputation by produc-ing a Brown Thrasher on 23 October forRobert Potvliege.

Hopefully portending good things tocome in this area, two Northern Shrikeswere found by the Garrett/Dunn/Alderferparty on 11 November, one at Galileo Hillin California City and one at Big Pine.

Interesting wood warblers this monthincluded the Golden-winged Warblerfound at Turtle Rock Nature Center on 26October (Doug Willick), the Black-throated Blue Warbler at Little LakePark, Norwalk, on 31 October (JohnSchmitt), a Palm Warbler in Rolling Hillson 4 November (May Courtright), and aWorm-eating Warbler at Oasis at least 3through 11 November (Richard Webster).

Single Summer Tanagers werereported at Big Sycamore Cove on 23October (Hank Brodkin) and in Torranceon 17 November (Dave Moody). Dick

Smith, found a Lapland Longspur atGalileo Beach on 28 October and DanielLooper reported a Swamp Sparrow atWhittier Narrows on 11 November.

On 12 November a male Painted Bunt-ing was found at Huntington BeachCentral Park by Brian Daniels. Male PaintedBuntings, especially in metropolitan areasof California, are always suspected of beingescaped cagebirds. This bird had orangetones where it should have been red:according to the experts, this is caused bythe difference in diet between captive andwild individuals. So by induction, any adultmale Painted Bunting found anywherewith orange in its plumage is most prob-ably an escapee.

Ann Cavalieri had a White-throatedSparrow feeding with the White-crowns inher Glendale yard on 21 November.

At this time of year I would like to thankthose of you without whom this columnwould be impossible: Jean Brandt, whosupplies me with weekly updates; KimballGarrett, who shares his L.A. CountyAmerican Birds correspondence as well ashis scientific knowledge and wisdom;Arnold Small, who provides me with aword processor full of the Californiarecords he has compiled for his upcomingand eagerly-awaited book on Californiabirds. But most of all, I want to thank you,my fellow birders, for providing the fuelthat makes this thing go.

May you all have the happiest — andbirdiest — of New Years!

* * *Send your bird observations with as

many details as possible to:

Hank Brodkin27-1/2 Mast StreetMarina del Rey, CA 90292Phone: (213) 827-0407

ORcall Jean Brandt at (818) 788-5188

Mono Lake

U ntil January 19, the U.S. ForestService is receiving comments onits Comprehensive Management

Plan for Mono Lake. Your letter is neededto support the Forest Service's position onMono Lake water levels and to request thatthe Forest Service adopt the AmenitiesAlternative (denoted "AMN" in the plan)as its preferred management policy. Theplan, and points to make in your letter, arediscussed on page 3 of the DecemberTanager. Write to:

Dennis Martin, Forest Supervisor,Inyo National Forest,873 North Main,Bishop, CA 93514.


From the President

". . . But Once a Year."

I It is uttered each year across theglobe. Every religion, every dogma,every creed takes up the litany. Once

a year comes the opportunity for humanityto save itself and our planet. Must thisopportunity be always such a challenge,risk and enigma? Our priorities have neverbeen more awry locally, nationally andinternationally. Technology, that preternat-ural urge that has propelled Homo sapiensfrom thence to whence, daily adds to itsown Himalaya of waste. Physically, mansleeps among technology's detritus;ingests its chemical spoilage; absorbs itswanton images through his eyes; andbattens his dreams and visions on itsdistortions. Is there no legislative, reli-gious or corporate power to fund theefforts of an Einstein-like mind that cansolve the way to put plutonium back intoa harmless rock; put back selenium intothe compound Nature created; reconstitutethe gaseous components of crude oil? Canwe spawn a new breed of entrepreneurs— dynasties and individuals waxingwealthy and powerful, not in the businessof producing but undauntingly engaged inrestructuring the end waste product of thetechnology that we enjoy? And what ofgreed and fear, the result of man's obsceneabuse of his own spirituality? Holiness liesnot under a dome nor in a spired edificenor beside a flickering candle nor on anisolated mountaintop nor in a rhythmicchant or feathered fetish. Unlike Christmasit resides in the heart of each individual.It is there more than once a year; it is thereevery day of one's life. Let us prove thisin 1989- Sincerest wishes for the Holidaysand the New Year.

Robert Van Meter, LAAS Pres.

Christmas Count!Make a commitment to assist us in theAnnual Christmas Count this January 1st(please note the date!). Be a part of thisimportant survey and help us track orni-thological trends in our changing environ-ment. Call us — See the Birds of the SeasonColumn in the December 1988 issue of theWestern Tanager for details.

FIELD TRIPS continued from last page.Saturday, March 18 - Whittier Narrows. SeeSaturday, January 21 for details.

Tuesday, March 21 - L.A. State and CountyArboretum. Barbara Cohen will lead amorning walk through varied habitat looking forquail, owls, herons, raptors and early migrants.Meet at 8 a.m. in front of the gatehouse in theparking lot on Baldwin Avenue, Arcadia, justsouth of Fwy 210, on the west side of the street.

RESERVATION TRIPS:(Limited Participation)

Reservation Policy and Procedures:Reservations for LAAS trips will be acceptedONLY if ALL the following information issupplied:

(1) Trip desired,(2) Names of people in your party,(3) Phone numbers (a) usual and

(b) evening before event, in case ofemergency cancellation;

(4) Separate check (no cash please) toLAAS for exact amount for each trip;

(5) Self-addressed stamped envelopefor confirmation and associated tripinformation.

Send to: Reservations Chair, LAAS, 7377 SantaMonica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90046.

If there is insufficient response, the trip willbe cancelled two weeks prior to the scheduleddate (4 weeks for pelagics) and you will beso notified and your fee returned. Yourcancellation during that time will bring arefund only if there is a paid replacement.

If you desire to carpool to an event, the reser-vations chair can provide information for you tomake contact and possible arrangements.

PELAGIC TRIPS IN 1989

We have seven trips scheduled aboard the MVVantuna:

Feb 26, Sunday 6:00-4:00,Santa Barbara Island.$28

Mar 18, Saturday 6:00-4:00,Santa Barbara Island. $28

Jun 10, Saturday 6:00-6:00,Santa Barbara & Osborne Bks. $32

Aug 13, Sunday 6:00-6:00,Santa Barbara & Osborne Bks. $32

Sep 24, Sunday 5:30-7:00,San Clemente. $35

Oct 14, Sunday 6:00-6:00,Santa Barbara Island. $32

Nov 12, Sunday 6:00-4:00,Santa Barbara Island. $28

Thanks to PHIL SAYRE for organizing thisschedule. Dates will be re-announced as theyapproach. We recommend that you book your spota month before the sailing date. 876-0202.

New LA.A.S- Service for BirdersStarting January 1, it may be easier for localbirders and visitors to fill some of thenagging holes in their lists. LAAS will havea new service to help you find our lesscommon resident birds. Gail Baumgartenhas volunteered to keep notes on sightings, so that birders will know where to

expect the birds. If you have currentinformation about such birds, callAudubon House or Gail Baumgarten at(818) 788-7357. Persons needing informa-tion can get it directly from G. B. or, inless detail, from Audubon House.

Membership NoteMembership in The National Audubon Societyis computerized, so it is no longer advisableto renew through the Los Angeles AudubonSociety. However, if your membership haslapsed, you will receive the next WesternTanager sooner if you renew through LAAS.

The national computer system sendsmultiple notices commencing four monthsbefore your membership lapses. Please excusenotices that may have crossed your check inthe mail.

Subscribers who are members of anotherAudubon Chapter should not send theirrenewals to the Los Angeles Audubon Society.

If you move out of the LAAS membershiparea, you are automatically changed to thechapter in whose area you moved. If you wishto remain in LAAS and receive the WesternTanager please indicate this to the NationalAudubon Society. You may also subscribe tothe Western Tanager separately (see below.)

EDITOR Jesse MoormanASSOCIATE EDITOR Hank BrodkinASSISTANT EDITOR Charles Harper

TYPESETTING & LAYOUT Etcetera GraphicsPRINTING Beacon Litho

CONSERVATION EDITOR Sandy WohlgemuthORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT Kimball Garrett

Published ten times a year by theLos Angeles Audubon Society,

7377 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046.

PRESIDENT Robert Van Meter1st VICE PRESIDENT Jean Brandt

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY Andrea Kaufman

Audubon membership (local and national) is$30 per year, Senior citizen $21, and at present newmembers are being offered an introductorymembership for $20 for the first year, includingAUDUBON Magazine and THE WESTERN TAN-AGER. To join, make checks payable to theNational Audubon Society, and send them toAudubon House at the above address. Memberswishing to receive the TANAGER by first class mustsend checks for $5 to Los Angeles AudubonSociety.

THE WESTERN TANAGER received the 1987Special Conservation Award and 2nd place honorsfor Newsletter, Chapter with more than 900members from the National Audubon Society.

Subscriptions to the THE WESTERN TANAGERseparately are $12 per year (Bulk Rate) or $17 (FirstClass, mailed in an envelope). To subscribe, makechecks payable to Los Angeles Audubon Society.

Los Angeles Audubon Headquarters, Library, andBookstore are located at:Audubon House, Plummer Park, 7377 Santa MonicaBlvd., West Hollywood, CA 90046.(213) 876-0202. Hours: 10-3 Tues. through Sat.

^-ANNOUNCEMENTSEVENING MEETINGS

Meet at 8:00 p.m. in Plummer Park

Tuesday, January 10 - Annual Members'Photo Contest. Bring your five best slides tobe judged by the experts (???). First threewinners will receive bookstore prizes. Bring yourslides by 7:45 p.m. You must be present to enter.This annual event is one of the most popularprograms of the year. Cheer your favorites, boothe judges! HERB CLARKE monitors the contest.

We hold five unclaimed slides from last year'sannual slide contest. One is labelled NoelSnyder. Three are unlabelled: a red-cockadedwoodpecker, a pair of Franklin's gulls, and theprofile of a grizzly bear. Owners can have theslides returned by mail if they contact AudubonHouse with their addresses. Alternatively theycan exchange new slides for old in January.

February 2, 1989 - Annual Banquet at theU.C.L.A. Faculty Center, 405 Hilgard Av, acrossthe street from Sorority Row. Details on page2 of this issue of the Tanager. Make yourreservations soon!

* * *IDENTIFICATION WORKSHOPS

Precede the regular evening meetings,7:30-8:00 p.m.

Everyone is invited to attend these workshopsdealing with various aspects of bird identifica-tion. The topics and speakers will be announcedon the LAAS bird tape (213-874-1318) the weekprior to the meeting. See you there.

* * *

FIELD TRIPSCall the Tapel

Before setting out on any field trip, call theAudubon bird tape, (213) 874-1318 for specialinstructions or possible emergency cancellationsthat may have occurred by the Thursday beforethe trip.

Sunday, January 8 - Topanga State Park.Leader Gerry Haigh will show us around thisnearby scrub oak / chaparral habitat. This is agood trip for beginning birders and those newto the area. Meet at 8:00 a.m. in the parkinglot of Trippet Ranch. From Topanga Canyon Blvd.take a very sharp turn east uphill on EntradaDr. (7 miles so. of Ventura Blvd., 1 mile N. ofTopanga Village.) Follow the signs to the statepark, and meet in the parking lot. $3 parkingfee.

Saturday, January 14 - Ballona Wetlands.Join leader Bob Shanman or Ian Austin fora pleasant morning of shorebirds and waterfowl.Meet at 8 a.m. at the Pacific Ave. Bridge. Takethe Marina Fwy. (90 West) to Culver Blvd., turnleft to Pacific Av., then right to the footbridgeat the end. Street parking is usually available.

Sunday, January 15 - Lake Norconlan. Patand Paul Nelson are our leaders to this limited-access military depot known (by those whoknow) for its large numbers of wintering ducks.25 of us will meet at the gate at 8 a.m. No fee,but $5 check per person to hold reservation withAudubon House will be refunded at the gate.Please do not wait to sign-up, as a list of namesmust be submitted for approval late December.

Saturday, January 21 - Whittier NarrowsRegional Park. David White will lead amorning walk looking for a variety of birdsincluding the many wild ducks that winter atthe Park. Meet at 8 a.m. at the Nature Center,1000 Durfee Ave. in south El Monte, off Fwy.60 between Santa Anita and Peck Drive exits,west of Fwy. 605.

Sunday, January 22 - Malibu Lagoon Walk.Fourth Sunday of each month. Meet at 8.30 a.m.in the Lagoon parking lot. The lot is on the oceanside of the Pacific Coast Highway, just west ofthe Lagoon bridge, but you can turn right intotown for street parking: the lot has a daily parkingfee. This walk is under the leadership of amember of Santa Monica Bay Audubon Societyand is in association with the State Park Service,open to the public.

Sunday, January 22 - Newport Back Bay withthat wetlands wiz, Ian Austin. We will observewintering shorebirds, waterfowl and Black-shouldered Kites, and take advantage of the 8:55high tide as it flushes (hopefully) Sora andClapper, Virginia and (dare we hope) BlackRails out of the obscuring rushes. Take the 405Fwy. south to Jamboree Rd. toward the ocean.Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the Newporter Inn parkinglot where Jamboree meets Back Bay Drive forthe second time, just before PCH. Bring a snack.

Saturday, February 4 - Lakeview / Lk. PerrisArea. Leader Monte Taylor will show us aroundthis excellent winter birding area in search ofButeos, Prairie Falcon, Golden Eagle, variouslongspurs and possible Mountain Plover andSage Thrasher. Take Fwy 60 east past the 215,exit south on Gilman Springs Rd., and meet atthe Bridge Street intersection at 8:30 a.m. at theside of the road. Bring lunch, scopes, warmclothing and durable footwear.

Sunday, February 5 - Topanga State Park.See Sunday, January 8 for details.

Saturday, February 11 - Ballona Wetlands.See Saturday, January 14 for details.

Saturday, February 11(&12?) - Gull Mini-Workshop at Malibu / McGrath (with MorroBay extension Sunday). Join our ever-congenial and frequently-knowledgeable gullmini-expert, Larry Allen, for a short discussionwith handout on gull I.D. followed by one (ortwo!) afternoons of field I.D. Bring a picniclunch, Nat'l. Geographic Field Guide and anyothers you like, scope if possible, and warmclothing. Meet at the Malibu Lagoon parking lotkiosk at 8 a.m. Free parking is usually availableon Cross Creek Rd. (first road west of lagoonbridge). After honing skills at Malibu, Larry willlead the party to McGrath State Park in Oxnardin hopes of seeing nine or ten species of gullsin various plumages. We may take a peek at otherbirds, too. And that's not all! Those developingan insatiable desire to bird the weekend awayare welcome to accompany Larry up the coastSaturday afternoon (5ish?) on an informalcamping / birding trip to Morro Bay andenvirons. We will attempt to see whatever thelocals have been seeing, maybe last year's Rock


Sandpiper, and more gulls, including thenorthern nominate race of Western Gull!Camping reservations should not be necessary.Wimps will find hotels plentiful.

Sunday, February 19 - Whittier Narrows. SeeSunday, January 21 for details.

Sunday, February 26 - Malibu Lagoon Walk.See Sunday, January 22 for details.

v

3 |3a. c a.

Sunday, March 5 - Topanga State Park. SeeSunday, February 5 for details.

Saturday, March 11 - Ballona Wetlands. SeeSaturday, January 14 for details.

Sunday, March 12 - Descanso Gardens. Joinexperienced leader Warren Peterson of SanFernando Audubon on his regular walk throughthe gardens. Located below the hills of LaCanada, the park features oak, chaparral andnumerous flowering exotics. This should be agood trip for passerines and other birds ofwoodlands and chaparral. Take the Glendale Fwynorth, exit east on the Verdugo Blvd. offrampbefore the 210 Fwy junction,then turn right onDescanso Dr. The park is .on the right side about2 blocks down the street. We will be meetingat 8:00 a.m. before the park opens to the public.

FIELD TRIPS continued on page 7.

Documents

LOS Angeles Audubon Society Volume 55 Number 4 Jan.-Feb ...€¦ · - Lumping the Tityras, Becards, Cotingas, Sharpbill and manikins into the Tyrannidae - Lumping the Ovenbirds and