WESTERNTANAGERVolume 63 Number 7 May/June 1997 Los Angeles Audubon Society

LAASYear in Review

The Los Angeles AudubonSociety's fiscal year ends onJune 30, so the middle of the

calendar year is the time to lookback at the year's accomplishmentsand look forward to the comingyear. Tanager readers see in everyissue the full schedule of field tripsand pelagic trips sponsored byLAAS; this issue gives the opportu-nity to review other projects impor-tant to our mission of education andconservation. Activities are fundedfrom four major sources: dues fromour 2,300 members, profits from theBookstore, interest on our dwin-dling savings, and donations giventhrough Earth Share of California,a payroll deduction environmentalcharity.

EducationLAAS is committed to helping

young people understand, appreci-ate and care for the natural world.Our educational efforts focus onchildren in areas of the city wherelimited access to nature and low en-vironmental awareness sadly gohand-in-hand. Each year we usechapter funds and the proceedsfrom the Birdathon to supportclassroom curriculum materials,teacher training and field trip pro-grams for thousands of urbanyoungsters.

During the past year, we distrib-uted bilingual Audubon Adventuresclassroom kits valued at $35 each to

Continued on Page 2

1st Place: Brian Small—Western Meadowlark

1997 Photo Contest Winners

At February's evening meet-ing, judges selected the win-ners of the annual LAAS

members' photo contest. In front ofan enthusiastic gathering, six en-trants competed for bragging rightsand gift certificates from the LAASBookstore. Brian Small's dazzlingshot of a singing Western Meadow-lark was an early favorite with thecrowd and took home top honors.

The playful symmetry and clarity ofPhyllis Barry's "Twin Beaks" (twoBrown Pelicans) earned it secondplace. Another Brian Small photo,which captured a Mountain Blue-bird with an arthropod dinner, wasawarded third place. Thanks to allwho entered and to judges JayFuhrman, Nick Freeman and SandyWohlgemuth.

210 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-gradeclasses in the Los Angeles UnifiedSchool District, provided ongoingfinancial support ($25,000 over fiveyears) for the National AudubonSociety's outdoor classroom at theSepulveda Basin Wildlife Area, senttwo teachers to Audubon's week-long Ecology Workshop for Educa-tors in Greenwich, Connecticut, andawarded binoculars, bird guidesand LAAS memberships to two highschool students for exemplary envi-ronmental projects at the Los Ange-les County Science Fair.

If you would like to volunteer forthe LAAS education program,please leave a message for PatLittle at Audubon House.

ConservationAs part of LAAS' commitment to

the preservation of birds and theirhabitats, the Society took manystrong positions during the pastyear. Conservation Chair SandyWohlgemuth continued his worksupporting the Sepulveda BasinWildlife Area (see "ConservationConversation," this issue) and op-posing environmentally damagingdevelopment projects like NewhallRanch and the proposed golf coursein the Big Tujunga Wash (see "Con-servation Conversation," March/April 1997).

President Catherine Rich ledLAAS' efforts to protect habitatsalong the coast by testifying beforethe California Coastal Commissionon several occasions. Catherine alsorepresented LAAS as a member ofthe Environmental LeadershipForum coordinated by the Califor-nia League of Conservation Voters,voicing concerns for wildlife andhabitat with such political leadersas House Minority Leader RichardGephardt, Senator Jay Rockefeller,Council on Environmental QualityChair Katie McGinty and Califor-nia Resources Secretary DouglasWheeler. LAAS also reiterated itsopposition to the proposed expan-sion of LAX onto the El Segundodunes and commented on a varietyof state and national issues includ-ing the California Environmental

Quality Act, the California Endan-gered Species Act and the federalEndangered Species Act.

LAAS gives financial support toother local, national and foreign en-vironmental organizations, includ-ing Endangered Habitats League,Pacific Wildlife Project, Bolsa ChicaLand Trust, California WildernessCoalition, Point Reyes Bird Obser-vatory, National Audubon Society,Natural Resources Defense Council,Pro Esteros and others.

LAAS often writes letters in sup-port of other organizations' effortsto preserve natural lands. This pastyear, LAAS supported the acquisi-tion of the desert riparian area ofSentenac Canyon by the Anza-Borrego Foundation and the pur-chase of the rolling oak woodlandsof the Sedgewick Ranch by The LandTrust for Santa Barbara County. Bothefforts were successful.

GrantsEach year, LAAS

awards grants of upto $1,000 from adesignated fund todeserving ornitho-logical researchprojects proposed bystudents and othersin southern Califor-nia. For 1996-97,two awards weregiven. The first, agrant of $1,000, wasgiven to Laura EllenMolles, a graduatestudent at Univer-sity of California,San Diego. Laura'sproposal was en-titled "Singing Be-havior in theBanded Wren(Thryothoruspleurostictus): UsingInteractive Play-back To ExploreComplexity." An-other award of $200was presented toJan Wasserman ofCamarillo to sup-port her ongoing re-

search and efforts to re-establishTree Swallows as breeding speciesin Ventura County. Jan's proposal isexcerpted as "A Closer Look" in thisissue. All grant proposals are peer-reviewed by an expert panel of pro-fessional ornithologists. The dead-line for application is November 30of each year, and awards are madethe following February. Interestedapplicants should contact SharonMilder at Audubon House.

BookstoreThe Bookstore began in 1960

with Gene Rose offering about sixtitles. Shortly afterwards, GraceNixon assumed management forabout two years. Since 1967, OlgaClarke has volunteered to directthis program.

In addition to a fine selection ofoptics, the Bookstore now stocksabout 2,000 titles of field guides tobirds and other related natural his-

2nd Place: Phyllis Barry—Twin Beaks

^Western Tanager

3rd Place: Brian Small—Mountain Bluebird

tory subjects covering most parts ofthe world. It doesn't matter whereyou plan to go, check with the Book-store first. You can even peruse the1997 catalog on the world wide webat <http://www.netcom.com/~laas>.

The Bookstore has two full-timepaid employees, Carol "Kiwi"Donovan, Bookstore Manager, andAnne Eggleston, Sales Assistant,and one part-time employee, KarenJohnson. The staff is aided by themany volunteers who have giventheir time to help in the day-to-dayoperations: Nellie Gryk, CarolHoelle, Pearl Lynch, Peggy Miller,Pat Nelson, Marion Pickett, JeanPickus and Laura Lou Vance.Cheryl Ash does an excellent job ofbookkeeping along with handlinginventory records.

The Bookstore supplies booksand optics to customers around theworld. All this outstanding serviceis by birders for birders, and all

profit helps support the conserva-tion and education projects of theSociety. Volunteers are stillneeded—join this exciting and re-warding endeavor, no experiencenecessary. Call 213-876-0202 formore information on how you cangive your time and skills to theBookstore.

Breeding Bird AtlasAs you read this, Atlas volun-

teers are in the field gatheringbreeding bird evidence for the LosAngeles County Breeding Bird At-las. Atlas volunteers are in theirthird year (out of five) of field workto map the breeding ranges of over200 bird species nesting in thecounty. The data being gathered al-ready are providing useful informa-tion to biologists studying our lo-cally breeding avifauna.

The Atlas Project currently has

100 volunteers, affectionately called"blockheads," who have taken re-sponsibility for over half of the 412Atlas blocks in the county. Another150 volunteers are helping withblocks and sending in their breed-ing bird Casual Observation Forms.Volunteer opportunities aboundwith the Atlas; contact Atlas Cen-tral at 213-745-BIRD (2473) oremail Atlas Coordinator MarkWimer at <wimer@bcf.usc.edu>.The Atlas Project can also be foundon the world wide web at <http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/~lacbba>.

ChristmasBird Counts

LAAS sponsored three separateday-long counts as part of the 97thAnnual Christmas Bird Count: LosAngeles, Malibu and Antelope Val-ley. The counts are carried out dur-ing one calendar day in a 15-milediameter circle and serve to trackyearly variation in wintering birdpopulations. Participation in the1996 count was good, but volun-teers are always needed for theseimportant counts, scheduled forthree different days during a three-week window at the end of eachyear. Birders of all skill levels arewelcome, watch the Tanager for an-nouncements this fall.

NewsletterOf practical concern, the Tana-

ger has changed to a bimonthlypublication schedule. The Societyhas run at substantial deficit forthe past several years, and theTanager has cost three times that ofany other program. Reducing thenumber of issues allows LAAS tomaintain the high production qual-ity of the newsletter and avoid run-ning out of money. For subscribersto the Tanager, subscription costshave been adjusted to reflect thischange. A third class subscriptionfor nonmembers will now cost $9while a first class subscription willbe $15. LAAS members can receivethe Tanager via first class mail foran additional $5.

May/June 1997

A C L O S E R L O O Kby Jan Wasserman

O rnithologists have longthought that the Tree Swal-low no longer nests in

southern California, mostly due tohabitat loss. The riparian habitatthat is ideal for Tree Swallow nest-ing has been systematically de-stroyed by development and agri-culture. The once plentiful habitatis down to 5% of its original extent.

The Tree Swallow is a secondarycavity nester, which necessitatesthat there be old growth trees withholes already excavated, usually bywoodpeckers. Most of the oldgrowth is gone, cut down for urbandevelopment and agriculture.Homeowners also cut down deadtrees, and even botanical and zoo-logical gardens are liable to removevaluable snags. Dead trees presenta danger to people and propertyand are considered an eyesore tomany. As a consequence, all cavitynesters are having difficulties find-ing breeding territories. Fortu-nately, the Tree Swallow, like manyother cavity nesting birds, has beenfound to adapt well to nest boxes,and I have observed that in manyinstances Tree Swallows will choosea box over a natural cavity.

In the early 1980s, a small projectto re-establish a breeding populationof Tree Swallows was started byJesse Grantham (National AudubonSociety) by installing nest boxes atthe Ventura sewage ponds at themouth of the Santa Clara River.When Jesse was transferred by Au-dubon in late 1990, he asked if Iwould continue with the project. Atthat time, there were many TreeSwallows stopping at the United Wa-ter Conservation District's spreadingponds in Saticoy, also on the SantaClara River, seven miles inland so Iapproached the District and re-

The Tree SwallowNesting Projects

quested permission to place boxes atthose ponds. As an experiment, I wasallowed to place three boxes to see ifthere would be any activity, whichthere was. One successful nestfledged all four young. Arrangementswere then made with the District toadd additional boxes. The secondyear, 1992,12 boxes were in placeand 18 successful nests fledging 135young resulted. The following years(1992-95), numbers of boxes at theponds were increased annually to acurrent total of 60.

In 1995, the District approachedme to ask if I would be willing toput up more boxes at another one oftheir sites, a working gravel pitused for storage of excess water andlocated near the Santa Clara River,about half a mile south of thespreading grounds. County resi-dents had complained of massivenumbers of mosquitoes, and theCounty ordered the District toeradicate the mosquitoes. The Dis-trict did not want to use pesticidesand, because they had noticed adramatic decrease in the numbersof insects at the spreading ponds,which they rightly attributed to theswallows, they wanted swallows atthe gravel pits. In mid season (June1995), I placed 20 boxes at the pits.I did not really expect much activityso late in the season, so it was en-couraging that many birds were in-specting the area as soon as theboxes were placed, and one success-ful nest was built. This gave the in-centive to install more boxes in

time for the 1996 season, bringingthe total to 50.

Also late in 1995,1 was fortunateto meet Sanger Hedrick who owns700+ acres in Santa Paula on thebanks of the Santa Clara River, ap-proximately 8-10 miles inland fromthe mouth of the river. Half of hisproperty is devoted to orangegroves, as part of a co-op. The otherhalf, which he would like to turninto a wildlife conservation area,has been left relatively undis-turbed. Consequently, there aremany old cavities and much ripar-ian habitat. In conversation withMr. Hedrick, I learned that TreeSwallows had never been com-pletely extirpated from VenturaCounty, but in fact had been nestingon his property for as long as hecould remember. On my first visit toHedrick Ranch, I was extremely ex-cited to see a swallow that I hadbanded two years earlier at theSaticoy ponds. For the nesting sea-son of 1996, there were 15 boxesplaced on the Hedrick Ranch prop-erty with seven boxes used by TreeSwallows. There was some mortal-ity, but enough success to warrantcontinuing in the area and aug-menting the number of boxes forthe 1997 season.

The first three sites have beenunusual in that they attract onlyTree Swallows. In the six years thatI have been monitoring these sites,only once has another species triedto nest in one of the boxes. It was, ofcourse, a House Sparrow, which was

Western Tanager

Jan Wasserman holds a young Tree Swallow from one of her nest boxes.

was summarily evicted. At theHedrick property, other species(mostly House Wrens) compete forthe boxes.

From the onset of the nestingseason, usually early March, untilthe birds migrate back to Centraland South America, I visit each siteat least once per week. Each box ischecked and notes are taken on cur-rent activity {e.g., stage of nestbuilding, numbers of eggs, numbersof hatchlings). When nestlings arethe right age and size, approxi-mately ten days old, they arebanded with a numbered U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service band on oneleg and a colored band on the other

leg. The numbered bands are usedfor identification of the individualbird, and the colored bands indicatethe year banded. Nests are checkedafter the nestlings are banded tokeep track of growth, health, size,mite infestation and mortality. Ifthere are mites, the boxes aredusted with Sevin®, which causesno harm to the birds.

At the end of the season, thedata are sent to the Bird BandingLaboratory in Washington, D.C. Inevent of a "recovery," the person re-porting the band number will begiven data on the bird—where,when and by whom it was banded.The bander is also notified of the

recovery. For my project, the band-ing data are used to track returnsto the sites, dispersal upon returnand longevity. They are also usefulto determine where birds go afterleaving the breeding area.

As a result of this project, thebreeding population of the TreeSwallow has increased in VenturaCounty. For the 1996 season, over200 broods were produced, andsince the beginning of the project in1991 over 1,150 young have fledged.

Much remains to be done. Myfirst long-term goal for the project isto teach teenagers, preparing themto take over the project in the fu-ture or to start their own nest boxprojects. Second, I would like to en-courage other conservation groupsin southern California to createsimilar projects so that the TreeSwallow and other threatened cav-ity nesters can recover as commonbreeding birds throughout theirformer breeding areas.

This column was excerpted withpermission from Jan's grant appli-cation to LAAS, for which she wasawarded $200. However, the awardonly begins to cover the costs of boxmaterials, color bands and othersupplies. If you would like to sup-port her work, donations for the TreeSwallow Nesting Projects would begratefully accepted by JanWasserman, 1158 Beechwood Street,Camarillo, CA 93010.

Army Imperils Wilderness

The U.S. Army NationalTraining Center at Ft. Irwin(near Barstow) proposes to

acquire 310,296 acres of publiclands and 20,921 acres of State andprivate lands—197,000 acres ofwhich are in Wilderness Study Ar-eas! The "preferred" expansion lieseast of Ft. Irwin in San BernardinoCounty and will impact Death Val-ley National Park and the HollowHills, Kingston Range and SaddlePeak Wilderness Areas as well as

the Avawatz Ranges WildernessStudy Areas.

The proposed expansion liesacross the Baker/Death ValleyRoad and all of Silurian Valley, andwill impact wilderness values, pub-lic access, riparian habitat, 30 natu-ral springs, at least six sensitiveplants and six sensitive animals in-cluding the Desert Tortoise, Big-horn Sheep, several bat species,Gila Woodpecker and AmericanBadger.

Your comments can make a dif-ference. Use the information here towrite a letter or call the BLM at619-255-8730 for the draft EIR/EISand appendices. Ask for a full publichearing in Los Angeles. Commentsare due by June 4, 1997. Write to:

Barstow Resource AreaBureau of Land Management150 Coolwater LaneBarstow, CA 92311Att'n: Mike DeKeyel

For more information on how to be-come involved in this issue, callDan Patterson at 619-222-4691.

May/June 1997

CONSERVATION CONVERSATIONby Sandy Wohlgemuth

I n this era of vanishing habi-tats, one of the most satisfyingadditions to our meager store of

birding places in the city is theSepulveda Basin Wildlife Area inVan Nuys. Only 10 years old, it hasbecome a delightful green refugefrom the clatter of traffic and thesolid geometry of office buildings.The six-foot cottonwoods are now35 or 40 feet tall, and other nativeplants are prospering. With themild winter and the light rainssome, like the beautiful golden cur-rant, have bloomed early.

The 11-acre lake looks good, itsedges lined with water-lovinggreenery where an occasional Soracan be seen prowling and, with luckand a sharp eye, one may see anAmerican Bittern emerge from therushes. One day in January over ahundred white egrets were countedin and around the lake, 300 Double-crested Cormorants and 500Canada Geese with a few Snow andWhite-fronted geese thrown in.

Uncommon birds in recentmonths have been a Merlin, a dozenspectacular White Pelicans and aHarris' Sparrow. A lone BurrowingOwl makes a mysterious appear-ance about once a year in the grass-land east of the lake, is seen for afew days, then vanishes. Blue Gros-beaks have nested in the Basin fordecades along the Los AngelesRiver and have expanded theirrange to the lake and HaskellCreek just west of the lake. Missingthis winter has been the Palm War-bler that arrives in the fall and re-mains for months. A varying assort-ment of exotics adds a bit of spice tothe mix including Red and Yellowbishop, Nutmeg Mannikin, Masked

Weaver and Abdim's Stork.There has been an unaccount-

able scarcity of ducks. Other thanMallards, Gadwall, a handful ofAmerican Wigeons and CinnamonTeal, there have been only occa-sional Bufflehead, Shovelers andGreen-winged Teal. Ruddy Ducks,that previously seemed to be in thelake all year long, were absent formonths at a time. Are plankton-eating fish consuming duck food?Has the reclaimed water gone bad?Though there have been reportsthat duck populations elsewhere insouthern California were down thiswinter, the wildlife lake problem (ifany) bears watching.

Ospreys took over the spotlightthis winter with as many as threedoing their high-diving-foot-first actin the lake. Birders and nonbirdersalike were treated to the impressivesight of the big hawks plunging intothe water, grabbing a good-sizedfish and flying off to eat it. TheSepulveda Wildlife Committee (Au-dubon, Sierra Club, California Na-tive Plant Society and others) istrying to get a nesting platform forthe Ospreys near the lake. Like thePeregrine Falcon, the Osprey wasdecimated by DDT in the Dark AgeOf The Environment, but the use ofelevated platforms helped it sur-vive. After DDT was banned in the'70s, the bird came back strongly,and nesting platforms continue tobe set up by wildlife agencies andOsprey-lovers. A successful Ospreynest would be an exciting additionto the Basin, especially to the schoolchildren who are bused in and re-ceive a fine taste of the natural his-tory of the ecosystem.

The Wildlife Area at present con-

sists of 108 acres including about40 relatively undeveloped acressouth of Burbank Boulevard. Thesecond Proposition A passed lastNovember, providing funding thatwill add over 100 acres of wildlifehabitat west of the existing pre-serve north of Burbank that wasformerly a sod farm. Current plansfor the new area are to create anoak savanna with native grassesand scattered Valley and Coast Liveoaks. Haskell Creek is to be wid-ened and planted with willows,mule fat and elderberries, thus cre-ating productive riparian habitat.

A year ago the Wildlife Commit-tee established "Hummingbird Hill"on the north slope of Burbank Bou-levard just beyond the south end ofthe lake. An entirely native plantcommunity came into being with awide variety of flowering plantsthat have indeed attracted hum-mingbirds. Several species of pen-stemons and sages, monkey flowers,bladderpods and California fuchsiashave made the rather drab incline adelightful arena of color.

With tender loving care, anabandoned corn field has become asplendid oasis in the heart of agreat metropolis. The future looksbright. Dedication and enthusiasmof volunteers, cooperation of theCity and an enlightened and under-standing public will assure the suc-cess of the Sepulveda Basin WildlifeArea for many years to come. "**""

Weeding of Hummingbird Hillwill take place every fourth Satur-day of the month from 9:00 A.M. to12:00 P.M. except the hot months ofJuly and August. Enterprising gar-deners are invited. Bring trowels,shovels, gloves, water and audacity.

Western Tanager

NEW AT THE BOOKSTORE

The Los Angeles Audubon Society Bookstore is open 10:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M.,Tuesday through Saturday. Visit the Bookstore in Plummer Park in WestHollywood or call 213-876-0202. Visa/MasterCard accepted.

Beachcomber's Guide to CaliforniaMarine Life; covers common marinefauna and flora from San Franciscoto San Diego; Niesen, 1991 .... 16.95

Underwater Guide to HawaiianReef Fishes; identifies 177 specieswith 204 full-color photos; water-proof; Randall, 1981 14.95

Wildlife Viewing Guide for Arizona,Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts,Montana, Nevada, North Carolina,Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Vir-ginia, Utah, Vermont, Washington,Wisconsin, and British Columbia;1992-95 5.95-10.95 ea

Birding Minnesota; directions tobirding hotspots, detailed speciesinformation, distribution and sea-sonal maps; Strangis, 1994 .... 16.95

Peterson Flashguides: WesternTrailside Birds, Backyard Birds,and Pacific Coastal Birds; lami-nated fast and easy reference;Peterson, 1996 7.95 ea

Watching Birds in Ireland;Harris, 1986 15.95

Guide to Belize; from pristinerainforests to indigenous villagesof the Maya Mountains to thedepths of Cousteau's Blue Hole;Bradbury, 1994 15.95

New Key Guide to Guatemala;history and culture, outdoor andrecreational opportunities, maps,travel and accommodations;Harris, 1996 15.95

Where To Watch Birds inBritain & Europe (also Spain &Portugal; Scandinavia; EasternEurope; and Turkey, Greece &Cyprus); 1997 20.00-25.00 ea

Voices of New World Rails orVoices of Toucans; cassettes;Hardy, 1996 12.95 ea

Oriole-fest Leak Proof Feeder; holds12 oz. sugar water, slices of orangesand jelly cups, built-in ant guard . 15.95

Birdathon '97

Birdathon is Audubon's annual fund-raising drive. Unlike otherconservation organizations, Audubon does not continuously

solicit funds through direct mail. Just once a year, Audubon chap-ters across North America participate in the Birdathon to raisemoney for chapter activities and specific projects of the NationalAudubon Society and to educate friends and neighbors about birds,birding and bird conservation. At LAAS, half of the proceeds fromthe Birdathon is earmarked for our education program and the otherhalf is sent to support National Audubon Society education pro-grams. A $10 donation provides a full-color poster on bird migration,$35 brings environmental educational material to one grade schoolclassroom for one year, $250 provides a 2-hour hands-on outdoordiscovery program for 65 children at the Sepulveda Basin WildlifeArea. If you would like to contribute to Birdathon '97, please sendyour check payable to Los Angeles Audubon Society, 7377 SantaMonica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046.

WESTERN TANAOER

Published byLos Angeles Audubon Society,

a chapter of National Audubon Society.

ACTING EDITOR: Travis LongcoreCONSERVATION: Sandy Wohlgemuth

ORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT:Kimball Garrett

FIELD TRIPS: Nick FreemanPELAGIC TRIPS: Phil Sayre

DESKTOP PUBLISHING: WP PlusPRINTING: CP Graphics

Opinions expressed in articles or lettersherein do not necessarily express the

position of this publication or of LAAS.

PRESIDENT: Catherine Rich1st VICE PRESIDENT:

Travis Longcore2ndVTCE PRESIDENT: Jim Connolly

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY:Mildred Newton

RECORDING SECRETARY:Phyllis Barry

TREASURER: Richard EppsEXECUTIVE PAST PRESIDENT:

Fred Heath

Annual membership in both societies is$35 per year and $20 for new members fortheir first year. Members receive theWestern Tanager newsletter andAudubon magazine, a national publica-tion. Renewals of membership are com-puterized by National Audubon andshould not be sent to LAAS; however, newmemberships may be sent directly toLAAS. Make check payable to theNational Audubon Society.

Western Tanager subscription rates fornonmembers are $9 per year for thirdclass delivery or $15 per year for first classdelivery. LAAS members may receive firstclass delivery by paying an additional $5.Make check payable to Los AngelesAudubon Society.

Los Angeles Audubon SocietyHeadquarters, Library and Bookstore

are open to the publicTuesday-Saturday10:00 A.M.-4:00 P.M.

213-876-0202 —office213-876-7609 — faxlaas@ix.netcom.com

http://www.netcom.com/~laas

Printed on Recycled Paper

May/June 1997

B I R D S O F T H E S E A S O Nby Kimball L. Garrett

I received my first WesternTanager in early 1966. As aneager young birder, I naturally

turned first to the "Birds of the Sea-son" (at that time "Southern Cali-fornia Birds") column as eachmonth's Tanager arrived. Over thedecades, four names stand outprominently as authors of this col-umn, and I am indebted to each ofthese persons (three of whom, sadly,are no longer with us) for con-stantly reminding us of the rewardsof birding and for all they havetaught us.

The late David Gaines was"Southern California Birds" authorback in 1966, but by October 1967David's college career took prece-dence. In his all-too-brief life, Davidwas one of the finest conservationbiologists California has known(though that term didn't exist then).October 1967 marked the first"Birds of the Season" column by G.Shumway Suffel, and Shum was amuch-loved fixture at the helm ofthis cornerstone of the Tanager un-til his last column appeared in theJuly-August 1983 issue. UnderShum the column grew in lengthand detail, paralleling the phenom-enal growth of birding and bird con-servation awareness in the 1970sand 1980s. Hal Baxter stepped in tofill the void left by Shum's passing,and Hal and I were keepers of thecolumn through the fall of 1987; Igave it a go as sole author untilHank Brodkin mercifully began histenure in the September-October1988 Western Tanager. Hank ablyauthored "Birds of the Season" untilthis year's March-April issue, andwe trust he and Priscilla will regu-larly send a sighting or two our way

from southern Arizona for the col-umn.

You will notice a slightly differ-ent emphasis in my "Birds of theSeason" columns. I intend to high-light many things other than va-grants (the so-called "rarities") andpose some problems which readersmight be able to help solve withtheir field work. This column is notintended to be an exhaustive sum-mary of interesting sightings. I im-plore all of you to keep good recordsand submit interesting sightings tothe appropriate county coordinatorsfor National Audubon Society FieldNotes (formerly American Birds).[Los Angeles County sightingsshould come to me.] For species re-viewed by the California BirdRecords Committee, all pertinentdocumentation (including photosand tapes) should be sent to thecommittee's new secretary:

David V. BlueCalifornia Bird Records Committee1013 Heritage DriveRidgecrest, CA 93555-5509.

I apologize in advance for not in-cluding some sightings you mighthave sent to me. Because I will of-ten only use sightings that illus-trate a particular pattern or devel-opment, I'll have to leave out manyinteresting records. The importantthing is that such records be sub-mitted to Field Notes and (when ap-plicable) the CBRC, and I'll leave itto the reader to do so.

The months of May and Junewill be dominated, at least in LosAngeles County and some otherparts of California, by atlasing. Aphenomenal amount of informationon our county's breeding avifaunahas been amassed in the first two

years of the Atlas Project, and thefascinating discoveries will con-tinue. It has been customary in thiscolumn to extol the virtues of va-grant-hunting in May and earlyJune, but the birder's real contribu-tion at this season will be in his orher atlasing efforts. If you aren'talready covering one or more Atlasblocks, give Atlas Central a call to-day! For those who still "just don'tget it," there will be the annual lateMay pilgrimages to Death Valleyand other desert oases to tally upyet another few vagrant warblers,vireos and the like.

The outstanding ornithologicalphenomenon of the first part of 1997was the unprecedented irruption ofCassin's Finches into the southernCalifornia foothill regions. Many ob-servers along the coastal base of theSan Gabriel Mountains reportedmultiple Cassin's at their feeders,from Mike San Miguel in Arcadiaand Bob Neuwirth in Pasadena toGayle Hightower in La Canada andKLG in La Crescenta. A few fincheseven appeared closer to the coast,such as at Robert Weissler's Agourafeeders and Wanda Dameron'sCanoga Park yard. And this incur-sion was just the tip of the iceberg.Cassin's Finches were found in flocksof dozens through much of KernCounty, in the creosote scrub of theAntelope Valley around Pear-blossom, and around budding treesin Acton. Incursions of this speciesonto the desert slope in late winterand early spring to exploit buddingdeciduous trees are not rare events,but the magnitude of this year'sflight, along with the presence ofnumbers on the coastal slope, isquite unusual.

Western Tanager

Other holdovers from thewinter's great flight of montanebirds were evident into March, in-cluding flocks of Red Crossbillsaround planted Aleppo Pines overmuch of the region. Crossbills werein full song in Pearblossom on8 March (KLG), and atlasers shouldbe aware that local nestings follow-ing a massive winter invasion arepossible. Red-breasted Nuthatcheswere also widespread in small num-bers throughout Los AngelesCounty in February and March.

Fox Sparrows have long beenrecognized as one of the most geo-graphically variable of NorthAmerican birds, and we are fortu-nate to live in a real "melting pot" ofwintering Fox Sparrow subspecies.Recognition by some taxonomists ofthree or even four species of FoxSparrows has stimulated new inter-est in this diversity. Tom Wursterand others have spent a good dealof time in the field this winter at-tempting to superimpose informa-tion on call notes and bill color onthe extensive work by Swarth andothers earlier this century. Al-though Fox Sparrows winter widelywest of the deserts in southernCalifornia, they are phenomenallyabundant in thick montane chapar-ral at the 4,000 to 5,000 foot level,such as along Glendora Ridge in theSan Gabriel Mountains. Here,brown birds of the unalasch-censisgroup predominate, but grayerbirds of both the large-billedmegarhyncha group and thesmaller-billed schistacea group alsooccur. Anyone wishing to learn FoxSparrows would do well to spendsome time in winter in such habi-tats. White-crowned Sparrowsalso show interesting geographicalvariation; the presence of a "PugetSound" White-crown (pugetensis)this winter at Mike San Miguel'sArcadia feeder shows how far in-land this normally coastal winter-ing subspecies can get.

When I began birding, Merlinswere red-letter birds; an activebirder might run into a couple eachwinter in the Los Angeles Basin anda few more in the Antelope Valley. Itseems this species has increased al-

most yearly, and this winter onecould hardly spend a day birdingwithout seeing at least one Merlin.This species has increased in muchof its North American range in re-cent years (see Birds of NorthAmerica species account by N. S.Sodhi et al.), and observers are en-couraged to help document trends ofwintering Merlins in our region.

The subadult Masked Boobyfound at Pt. Mugu by the LAASfield trip on 18 January apparentlydeparted by early March. A sugges-tion that this bird might have beena hybrid Masked x Brown Boobywas based in a lack of understand-ing of subadult plumages of MaskedBooby; the bird in question retainedsome brown color of immatureplumage on the back, wing covertsand flanks. An unseasonal Blue-footed Booby was found in a large(and sensitive) nesting colony ofDouble-crested Cormorants at thesouth end of the Salton Sea on14 February (Kathy Molina), and itor another bird was found mori-bund on 1 March (fide StacyPeterson). A Laysan Albatrosshighlighted the LAAS pelagic tripto the waters well off Pt. Concep-tion on 1 February (Mitch Heindel);another Laysan was found on thebeach at San Pedro in January andreleased, apparently healthy, on thesame pelagic trip. Two Oldsquawswere along the San Gabriel River inPico Rivera on 9 March (LarrySchmahl), but with ever-shiftingwater levels in the river (controlledby releases from upstream dams),the birds did not stick around. Thewidely seen "American" Oyster-catcher at Royal Palms Beach inPalos Verdes in January and Febru-ary proved to be an intergradeAmerican x Black Oystercatcher(as have many white-bellied oyster-catchers observed in southern Cali-fornia). Careful plumage analysesand good photographs helped solvethis problem.

The perennially winteringThick-billed Kingbird on the CalPoly campus in Pomona (ChristineBrady) was joined by a second indi-vidual this winter (and possibly lastwinter), though few observers were

lucky enough to see both birds to-gether. As is increasingly necessary,these birds were not publicized onlocal "hotlines" because they spendmost of their time on sensitive hill-side habitats which are active studysites for Cal Poly students; theground rules (bird only from thepublic parking lots) were broken byat least one birder this year, sodon't expect to hear about the king-birds' return in 1997-98.

Another popular winter king-bird, El Dorado Park's Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, remained intoMarch. Wintering wood-warblerswere not as diverse in the Los An-geles area as in 1995-96, but aPrairie Warbler along the Los An-geles River and adjacent BetteDavis Park in Burbank throughmost of March (Gerard Phillips)was of great interest. A few Black-and-white Warblers, Palm War-blers and American Redstartswere also found in the region. Or-ange County's Streak-backed Ori-ole, found at the end of Decemberby Jim Pike, was still present inlate March. Los Angeles County'sfirst Common Grackle was foundin Torrance in early March byMitch Heindel; Mitch later found afemale commuting along the sameroute—but as of 24 March nobodyhad found the feeding or roostingsites of these birds; they were vis-ible for only a few seconds eachearly morning and late afternoon asthey flew over Western Avenue near213th Street! Anybody with docu-mentation for this record—long agopredicted by columnist JackSmith—is urged to submit detailsto the California Bird Records Com-mittee.

Records of rare and unusual bird sightingsreported in this column should be

considered tentative pending review by theNATIONAL AUDUBON SOCIETY FIELD NOTESRegional Editors or, if appropriate, by theCalifornia Bird Records Committee. Sendyour bird observations with as many detailsas possible to:

Kimball GarrettL.A. County Museum of Natural History900 Exposition Blvd.Los Angeles, CA 90007Phone 213-744-3368email: garrett@bcf.usc.edu

Or call Jon Fisher at 818-544-5009.

May/June 1997 9

P E L A 6 I C \ l / T R I P S

Pelagic species often seen arePink-footed, Sooty, Short-tailed and Black-vented

shearwaters, Red Phalarope, BlackOystercatcher, Wandering Tattler,Surfbird, Pomarine Jaeger, ArcticTern, Common Murre, PigeonGuillemot, Xantus' Murrelet,Cassin's and Rhinoceros auklets.Rarities include: Black-legged Kitti-wake, South Polar Skua, Tufted orHorned puffins. Mammals include:Gray Whale, Dall's Porpoise, PacificBottle-nosed, Common and Risso'sdolphins. Marine mammal expertLinda Lewis will be one of our lead-ers when her schedule permits.

Saturday, May 17 — AlbatrossKnoll via San Nicolas Island.20-hour trip departs from SanPedro. Many of the same birds andmammals as local trips, with agreater chance for rarities. PossibleRed-billed Tropicbird, Long-tailedJaeger and South Polar Skua. $123includes three meals.

Saturday, June 14 — Santa CruzIsland with landing. 10-hour tripdeparts from Ventura. Fascinatingwalk with naturalist in search ofIsland Jay and island races. Un-common birds seen on cruise to is-land include Flesh-footed Shearwa-ter and Northern Fulmar. $59, nogalley. Bring food and water.

Saturday, September 13 — SanMiguel Island with wet landing.17-hour trip departs from Ventura.Hike features beautiful island floraand fauna as well as several racesof birds and migrants. More uncom-mon birds seen on the way to theisland include Buller's and Flesh-footed shearwaters and Sabine'sGull. $95 includes dinner.

Saturday, September 27 — PalosVerdes Escarpment to RedondoCanyon. 8-hour trip departs fromSan Pedro. Birds of interest includeNorthern Fulmar, cormorants,

phalaropes and rocky shorebirds.$28, no galley.

Sunday, October 19 — ChannelIslands. 12-hour trip departs fromVentura, visits Anacapa, SantaRosa and Santa Cruz islands. Birdsof interest may include Black Leastand Ashy storm-petrels, up to 5 cor-morants, up to 10 gulls, up to 5rocky shorebird species andCraveri's Murrelet. $65, galley.

Friday and Saturday, October24 and 25 — Continental Shelf.24-hour trip departs from SantaBarbara. Rarities could includeLaysan Albatross, Red-tailedTropicbird, Red-footed Booby andCook's Petrel. $160 for single bunkand three meals.

Sunday, November 16 — SantaBarbara Island and OsborneBanks. 12-hour trip departs fromSan Pedro. $44, no galley.

T insufficient response to reservationsJ . cancels trips two Wednesdays priorto the scheduled date (four weeks forpelagics); you will be notified and yourfee returned. Your cancellation afterthat time will bring a refund only ifthere is a paid replacement. MillieNewton is available at Audubon Houseon Wednesdays from noon to 4:00 P.M.to provide information about field trips.Office staff is also available Tuesdaythrough Saturday for most reservationservices.

Reservation and Fee Events(Limited Participation)

Policies and Procedures

Reservations will be accepted ONLYif ALL the following information

is supplied:

1) Trip desired2) Names of people in your party3) 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:

LAAS Reservations7377 Santa Monica Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90046-6694.

Last Call for AfricaThe LAAS African Safari for September 1997 is almost sold out.

This trip is a repeat of last year's very successful tour. Cost is $4,195,complete from Los Angeles, with optional pre- and post- extensions.Most major wildlife areas in Kenya and Tanzania will be visited. OlgaClarke will be your escort throughout. She has traveled to East Africamany times and has arranged this trip to optimize seeing and photo-graphing Africa's marvelous wildlife, scenery and people. For informa-tion call Olga at 818-249-9511 or write to her in care of the Los Ange-les Audubon Society, 2027 El Arbolita Dr., Glendale, CA 91208.

Phainopepla Sightings Wanted

I would like to thank the LAASmembers who sent me theirobservations of Phainopeplas in

1996. I am continuing my researchat UC Berkeley to document the de-parture of Phainopeplas from earlybreeding areas in the desert andtheir arrival at late breeding areasin coastal riparian habitat to esti-

mate the possible overlap in timing.Any data you may have are welcome,whether you observe Phainopeplasregularly or sporadically in yourarea. Data sheets may be requestedfrom Miyoko Chu, 319 Alcatraz Ave.,Rear, Oakland, CA 94618; or email<coco@uclink.berkeley.edu>.

— Miyoko Chu

10 Western Tanager

F I E L D T R I P S

Continued from page 12

turn right on California City Blvd.Drive through town about a mileand turn left on 20 Mule TeamRoad just past the Central ParkGolf Course. At the end of the pave-ment, turn left. Take the first right,first right again into the SilverSaddle Country Club, followed bytwo lefts into the lot. Park by thepond. Meet at 8:00 A.M. at the backof the main parking lot. About twohours' driving time from L.A. Lim-ited sign-up of 15. Call LAAS to reg-ister. Bring lunch, sunblock.

Saturday, May 24 — SierraVista. Biologist, birder and formerdocent Scott Harris will be traips-ing through the tussocks in searchof the elusive Grasshopper Sparrow,Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting aswell as other foothill and grasslandspecies. This is one of the few spotsin the southland vicinity that re-ports the sparrow on an annual ba-sis. A visit to the Satwiwa IndianCultural Center will follow, if it isopen. Take the 101 Fwy N, exit atWendy Ave. in Thousand Oaks, andcontinue S to the end. Turn rightonto Potrero Rd., left at the firststop sign (still Potrero Rd.), and leftat the next stop sign onto PinehillRd., which dead-ends into the park-ing lot. Meet at 7:30 A.M. and birduntil noon.

Sunday, June 1 — TopangaState Park. Leader Gerry Haigh.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See May 4 write-up for details.

Sunday, June 8 — Whittier Nar-rows. Leader Ray Jillson. Meet at8:00 A.M. See May 11 write-up fordetails.

Saturday and Sunday, June 14and 15 — Yosemite. Leader LouisTucker. Meet at the south en-trance. Trip ends Sunday in OwensValley. Limited to 14 participants.Reserve with SASE and $20 toLAAS to receive info/motel flyer.

Plan to room in Oakhurst on Fridaynight. If camping is available beforeJune 1, LAAS will try to arrangesites for the group (paid out of fees).In case camping cannot be ar-ranged, have reservations in the val-ley or Oakhurst for June 13 and 14until the final decision is made onJune 1. Call LAAS for the decision;perhaps earlier on the LAAS tape.Anticipate jump in one-time vehiclefee ($20?). Your name and phonenumber will be available tocarpoolers, unless you request oth-erwise.

Saturday, June 21 — Mt. PinosVicinity. Leader Doug Martin.Calliope Hummingbird, mountainwoodpeckers, Hermit Warbler, etc.Take Hwy 5 N past Tejon Pass tothe Frazier Park offramp, turn leftand follow Frazier Mountain ParkRd., bearing right onto CuddyValley Rd. Meet at the "Y" formedby the junction of Cuddy Valley Rd.and Mil Potrero Hwy. at 8:00 A.M.promptly. Park in the obvious dirtclearing. Anticipate the elements,and bring a lunch. Rain cancels.

Friday through Monday,June 27-30 — Southern SierraWeekend with Bob Barnes.Likely: Goshawk, Yellow-billedCuckoo, Pileated Woodpecker andowls. Last year 148 species wereseen. Limited participation. For in-formation flyer, reserve with SASE.Fee: $11 for each day attended ($44for 4 days). Reserve rooms early.

Sunday, July 6 — Topanga StatePark. Leader Gerry Haigh. Meetat 8:00 A.M. See May 4 write-up fordetails.

Sunday, July 13 — FranklinCanyon. This morning walk will beled by Steven Saffier. FranklinCanyon is located betweenSherman Oaks and Beverly Hills.Wood Ducks bred in the lake lastyear. Chaparral, lakeside and oak/pine woodland habitat. From the101 Fwy, take Coldwater CanyonAve. S into the hills. Immediatelyafter Mulholland Dr. merges fromthe west with Coldwater Canyon,

make a 90° right turn ontoFranklin Canyon Dr. and continueto the Nature Center. Meet at7:30 A.M. in the parking lot past agated drive on the left.

Sunday, July 20 — Big BearLake Vicinity. Leaders Nick andMary Freeman. Target birds in-clude Williamson's Sapsucker, Cal-liope and Rufous hummingbirds,mountain finches and White-headedWoodpecker. Take Hwy 18 or 38 toBig Bear Lake. Proceed about half-way along the south side of the lakeon Hwy 18 and turn S on TulipLane. Meet at 8:00 A.M. in the park-ing lot of Aspen Glen Picnic Arealocated on the SW side of this shortstreet. It should be warm and theremay be bugs, so come prepared.Bring lunch.

Saturday, August 2 — DawsonSaddle Bird Hike. Mike SanMiguel will take us well off thehighway (6 miles RT) and up tonearly 9,000 feet on the Mt. Baden-Powell trail approaching via ThroopPeak. Elevation gain will be 1,000feet. The trail is good, although thefirst mile is moderately difficult.Mike has spent much of his lifestudying the birds of the SanGabriels. Bring a light jacket, insectrepellent, lunch, sunblock, hat,fluids and a day pack. Mountainbreeders such as Cassin's Finch,Townsend's Solitaire, Williamson'sSapsucker, Dusky Flycatcher,White-headed Woodpecker andClark's Nutcracker should be en-countered. Drive an hour or moreup Angeles Crest Hwy. out ofLa Canada to the marked parkinglot for the Mt. Baden-Powelltrailhead at about 7,900 feet tomeet at 7:30 A.M.

Sunday, August 3 — TopangaState Park. Leader Gerry Haigh.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See May 4 write-up for details.

May/June 1997 11

EVENING

Meet at 7:30 P.M.in Plummer Park

MEETINGS

TUESDAY, MAY 13

Safari leader Olga Clarke, Director of the Los Angeles Audubon SocietyBookstore, will present a slide program about the Society's fabulouslysuccessful 1996 East African Safari. Olga will also preview the September1997 tour to Kenya and Tanzania.

TUESDAY, JUNE 10

Fred Heath will present a program entitled Beginning Butterflying.Fred will introduce the new sport of butterfly watching, which is becomingincreasingly popular among birders. This illustrated talk provides tips, IDhelp, field guide recommendations and the general idea of how to getstarted in this fascinating avocation.

No evening meetings are scheduled for July and August.

F I E L D T R I P S

Before setting out on any fieldtrip, please call the Audu-

bon bird tape at 213-874-1318 forspecial instructions or possible can-cellations that may have occurredby the Thursday before the trip.

Saturday, May 3 — Santa ClaraRiver Estuary. Local talentSteven Tucker will lead us to oneof our best mudflat sites in searchof breeding-plumage phalaropes,peeps and other shorebirds. Bring asnack and mud-proof footwear for ahalf-day of birding. Take the101 Fwy N to Victoria Ave., turnright on Olivas Park Dr. and left onHarbor Blvd. Meet at 8:00 A.M. atthe north end of the bridge. Park onthe right shoulder just before thebridge.

Saturday, May 3 — Big MorongoWildlife Preserve. Leader IrwinWoldman will search for breedingdesert and oasis birds such asBrown-crested and Vermilion fly-catchers, Summer Tanager, Scott'sand Hooded orioles, Yellow-breastedChat and possible migratingEmpidonax flycatchers. Take the10 Fwy E about 17 miles past Ban-ning to Hwy 62 N. Pass through thetown of Morongo Valley, turn right onEast Dr., then left into the preserve.Meet at 7:00 A.M. in the parking lot,or catch up later. Irwin will startbirding next door in CovingtonPark. Bring lunch, water and sunblock. Desert Hot Springs offers thenearest accommodations. Possibleextension to nearby areas, dependingon interest.

Los Angeles Audubon Society7377 Santa Monica BoulevardWest Hollywood, CA 90046-6694

DATED MATERIALPlease Expedite

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDGlendale, CA

PERMIT NO. 276

Sunday, May 4 — Topanga StatePark. Gerry Haigh will lead par-ticipants through this diversecoastal mountain area. An ideal tripfor a beginning birder or someonenew in the area. A botanist is usu-ally present. From Ventura Blvd. inthe Valley, take Topanga CanyonBlvd. 7 miles S, then turn E (uphill)on Entrada Rd. (1 mile N ofTopanga Village). Follow the signsand turn left into the park. Meet at8:00 A.M. in the parking lot of Trip-pet Ranch. $5 parking fee.

Sunday, May 11 — Whittier Nar-rows Regional Park. Join rangerRay Jillson to view colorful resi-dent and migrating birds includingNorthern Cardinal. Take the PeckDr. exit S off the 60 Fwy in South ElMonte (just W of the 605 Fwy). Takethe offramp onto Durfee Ave. head-ing W (right) and turn left into theNature Center, 1000 Durfee Ave. $2voluntary donation suggested bythe park.

Saturday, May 17 — GalileoHills. Leader Nick Freeman. Wewill ogle brightly colored warblersand probably Chukar, but will giveparticular scrutiny to tyrant fly-catchers which peak at this time.Take Hwy 14 past Mojave, continueN on Hwy 14 about 10 miles, then

Continued on page 11

12 Western Tanager