Hi Birders

I read an email that passes were not required at the Visitor's Center Parking
lot. However, should you bird anywhere on the Crest, I think a day pass will be
sufficient. I was told by a USFS biologist that man power is low and so many
people visit the forest that citations aren't always given out. Years ago, Nick
and I led an LAAS group to the visitor center, we had forgotten our pass and we
found a pretty little citation on our window. We wrote the number of our pass
on the citation and nothing more came of it. We've seen campground hosts asking
for our permit while camping at Buckhorn even last year. Perhaps the policy has
changed or it's not required for the re-opening but just passing along some
information.

Cheers!

Mary Freeman
Glendale, CA

Hi Birders

If you are attending and supporting the opening of the Chilao Visitor's Center
this coming Saturday, May 25, 2013 at 11:00am, make sure you have an Adventure
Pass. You can purchase one in La Canada at the Sport Chalet at Foothill and
Angeles Crest Highway or the ranger booth and pull-out where the Angeles Crest 
and Angeles Forest Highways intersects. Though the visitor center will emphasize
trees and such, be proud showing you are for the birds!!

Cheers!

Mary Freeman
Glendale, CA

The Red Knot first identified by Jon and others continues on the salt pan south
of Ballona Creek. It is very actively feeding along with a few dozen marbled
godwits and some black bellied plovers.
The Red Knot is a brightly colored male but I have not yet seen the female that
others reported.

James DeBiase
Mar Vista, CA

Sent from my iPhone

Hi Birders

I've been having discussions with the Los Angeles River Ranger District of the
re-opening of the Chilao Visitor's Center on the Angeles Crest Highway this
coming Saturday, May 25th at 11am. It's about 30+ miles on the Crest from the
210 freeway. This little gem has been closed for many years due to budget cuts
to electrical problems. Nick and I have searched owls around the grounds and
we've experienced some great owl encounters! LA Audubon once held regular bird
walks. Please support the grand opening and show how important BIRDING is at
this site. For many years it was the most reliable place to find Mountain Quail
at the feeders and the water drip was a great place to watch montane birds such
as White-headed Woodpecker. On the hillsides, Black-chinned Sparrows can be
found. The drip also offered great photo opportunities. Make a difference -
please attend!

Good Mountain Birding!

Mary Freeman
Glendale, CA

Red Knot continues on the Ballona Salt Pan 5-20-13.

Jonathan Coffin
Inglewood, Ca.

--- In LACoBirds@yahoogroups.com, "jon"  wrote:
>
> There was a Red Knot also on the Ballona salt pan this early evening with the
Marbled Godwits, Whimbrels and a few Black-bellied Plovers
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonebird/8756616724/in/photostream/
>
> Jonathan Coffin
> Inglewood, Ca.
>
>
> --- In LACoBirds@yahoogroups.com, "BarbaraJ"  wrote:
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > On today's LAAS monthly birdwalk we had two Red Knots. A
> > winter plumaged bird was found in the lagoon and a breeding
> > plumaged bird was among the dozens of Sanderlings feeding
> > on the beach.
> >
> > A big thanks goes out to Irwin Woldman who led the walk in
> > Bob Shanmans absence and to Louis Tucker that spotted the
> > Red Knot on the beach.
> >
> > Barbara Johnson
> > Los Angeles
> >
>

In wiilows at the small stream that empties into Puddingstone Reservoir, by
bathtoom # 11.
No Blue Grosbeaks, or other migrants. Two Forster's Terns.
Breeding plumage California Gnatcatcher singing out in the open (photos),
Phainopeplas, Nuttall's Woodpeckers, Cactus & Bewick's Wrens, etc. etc. etc.

Thomas G. Miko
Http://www.tgmiko.com
Claremont 91711, LA County
Mobile: 909.241.3300
Home: 909.445.1456
Other Mobile: 213.471.6001

This email was written without reading glasses.
Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

There was a Red Knot also on the Ballona salt pan this early evening with the
Marbled Godwits, Whimbrels and a few Black-bellied Plovers

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonebird/8756616724/in/photostream/

Jonathan Coffin
Inglewood, Ca.

--- In LACoBirds@yahoogroups.com, "BarbaraJ"  wrote:
>
> Hi All,
>
> On today's LAAS monthly birdwalk we had two Red Knots. A
> winter plumaged bird was found in the lagoon and a breeding
> plumaged bird was among the dozens of Sanderlings feeding
> on the beach.
>
> A big thanks goes out to Irwin Woldman who led the walk in
> Bob Shanmans absence and to Louis Tucker that spotted the
> Red Knot on the beach.
>
> Barbara Johnson
> Los Angeles
>

Today at 11:30?am at Del Rey Lagoon I saw what I believe were over 40 Marbled
Godwits.? Below are links the pictures I took.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duran-huezo/8754446773/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duran-huezo/8755571432/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/duran-huezo/8755569790/

Manuel Duran
Lomita, CA?

Hi All,

I was surprised to find an adult White-crowned Sparrow in Harbor Park today. 
Unfortunately, when it jumped out of a bush onto the ground I saw the reason
immediately. It had an obviously broken wing dragging on the ground. It was in
and out of the bush at

Lat, Lon: 33.785409,-118.295549.

which is on the north side of the Vermont drain 150 feet southeast of the old
playground.

As can be seen at the link below, they are ordinarily pretty much gone from
the county by the middle of May.

http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?src=changeDate&speciesCodes=whcspa&getLocations=c\
ounties&counties=US-CA-037&parentState=US-CA&reportType=species&monthRadio=on&bM\
onth=01&eMonth=12&bYear=1900&eYear=2013&continue.x=25&continue.y=5&continue=Cont\
inue

Ed Griffin
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

Hi All,

On today's LAAS monthly birdwalk we had two Red Knots. A
winter plumaged bird was found in the lagoon and a breeding
plumaged bird was among the dozens of Sanderlings feeding
on the beach.

A big thanks goes out to Irwin Woldman who led the walk in
Bob Shanmans absence and to Louis Tucker that spotted the
Red Knot on the beach.

Barbara Johnson
Los Angeles

Been keeping an eye on Barn swallows feeding fledglings at Glendale Narrows
RiverWalk Park and the Cliff swallows are building nests right on the apartments
behind the horse ring. Good birding,

Raul Roa
Whittier, CA

A male Cowbird came to my bird feeder today. Just one.

Earlier in the week a female Black-headed Grosbeak was at the feeder and
bird bath in my front yard.

Lisa Fimiani

Mar Vista, CA

Hello Birders,

Please join the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society at 7:00 PM on Tuesday,
May 21, 2013, at the Madrona Marsh Nature Center in Torrance for a Madrona Marsh
Preserve Stroll led by Tracy Drake.

This is an ideal opportunity to explore the Marsh at a leisurely pace and under
the expert guidance of Tracy Drake, Manager and Naturalist of the Madrona Marsh
Preserve and Nature Center. We will learn about the latest happenings on the
Marsh and see birds, critters, bugs, and plants who all find a home there. We
will meet at the Nature Center meeting room at 7:00 PM to gather for our walk.
The stroll should last about 1 to 1 ½ hours. At the end of the walk, we will
return to the Nature Center meeting room for refreshments and a Q&A session.
 
For our Stroll it is recommended that everyone wear long pants, shirts with long
sleeves, and have sturdy walking shoes for uneven terrain. You may wish to wear
a hat, and a light jacket, and bring binoculars. There should be plenty of light
well up to 8:00 PM. However, if you wish to bring a flashlight, please bring a
red light as this does not create glare for anyone else.

Light refreshments will be served. Everyone welcome! Come and enjoy the program,
socialize with friends, and fill out a ticket for the door prize drawing. Prizes
are donated by Wild Birds Unlimited.
 
The Madrona Marsh Nature Center is located at 3201 Plaza del Amo, Torrance, CA,
90503:   http://www.friendsofmadronamarsh.com/j/

Next Month?s Meeting: Martin Byhower, ?Restore it and They Will Come:
Bringing Nature Back to Harbor Park?, June 18, 2013

David Quadhamer
San Pedro

Rob,

Egyptian Goose has not been accepted by the California Bird Records Committee as
an established naturalized species within the state. That said, there are
several small local breeding populations, mainly in Orange and Los Angeles
Counties. There are scattered eBird entries for other counties (e.g. Yolo,
Sacramento, Tehama, Alameda and San Bernardino), but in most cases the eBird
reviewers in those counties have chosen to invalidate the records as pertaining
to escapees.

There are also small populations in Texas, Florida, Arkansas, etc. [e.g., see
Birding 43(5):46-58, 2011]. State records committees are not likely to add this
species unless and until populations are substantially higher than they are now,
and the ABA won't add it to the checklist as a "countable" species until one or
more states have added it.

Kimball

Kimball L. Garrett
Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA
213-763-3368
kgarrett@...
http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/ornithology

From: Robinson Baker [mailto:robinsonbaker@...]
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2013 12:44 PM
To: Kimball Garrett
Cc: DAVID; LACoBirds@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [LACoBirds] Egyptian Goose ?

Kimball and David,
Is this bird a "countable" bird for California or ABA? Sorry if this is a
stupid question....

Rob Baker
Glendale

Kimball and David,
Is this bird a "countable" bird for California or ABA? Sorry if this is a
stupid question....

Rob Baker
Glendale

If anybody sees the Black Tern(s) today, or the next few days, please call
my cell phone. I was close to Bonelli last night, and would have looked for
them, had I known.

Thomas G. Miko
Http://www.tgmiko.com
Claremont 91711, LA County
Mobile: 909.241.3300
Home: 909.445.1456
Other Mobile: 213.471.6001

This email was written without reading glasses.
Connected by DROID on Verizon Wireless

-----Original message-----
From: Rod 
To: LACoBirds@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Fri, May 17, 2013 01:40:24 GMT+00:00
Subject: [LACoBirds] Black Terns at Bonelli Park

Today 5/16 2 adult Black Terns were observed over the lake from the south
shore to the boat launch area on the north shore. See a marginal picture on
my eBird posting for today.

Rod Higbie
San Dimas

Birders,

I'm passing along a report of a possible Black Vulture seen this morning (17
May) around 10:15 a.m. by Bob Shanman at George F Canyon on the Palos Verdes
Peninsula. Bob's views were very brief, but he had the impression of a
"vulture-like" bird with white patches near the wingtips and a short tail. He
saw the bird from partway up the canyon as it soared past - this is not far from
the intersection of Palos Verdes Dr. N and Palos Verdes Dr. E (next to the
covered reservoir) and if the bird were to be soaring in the same area it would
probably be visible from that intersection.

I'm just the messenger. It would be great for locals to check out this area.

Kimball

Kimball L. Garrett
Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA
213-763-3368
kgarrett@...
http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/ornithology

David,

Your bird is a perfectly typical Egyptian Goose (females are very similar to
males, but slightly smaller). It's quite normal for the white wing coverts
(that form a prominent patch in flight) to be hidden by the scapulars when the
bird is at rest.

Kimball

Kimball L. Garrett
Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA
213-763-3368
kgarrett@...
http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/ornithology

I took a picture of this bird while at Legg Lake and upon looking in my
Sibley, it appears to be an Egyptian Goose
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/meenmugzy/8747198853/in/photostream> ,
but, some of the markings are different, specifically the coverts. I
figure it's a female or a hybrid, but, it's the first time I've seen
this species so I don't have any reference. If any one can confirm an ID
on this bird, I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks all.

Regards,

David M. Bush

Glendale, CA

Today 5/16 2 adult Black Terns were observed over the lake from the south shore
to the boat launch area on the north shore. See a marginal picture on my eBird
posting for today.

Rod Higbie
San Dimas

Dave and Ellen,

I agree this hummer looks a bit odd, but I wouldn't call it a Broad-tailed. For
one thing the size, as described, is too small (a Broad-tailed should look
easily larger than an Allen's or a Costa's); it also doesn't look long-tailed
enough, and the face and underpart pattern seem too bold and clean. As well, I
don't see any Costa's traits in this bird. And Calliope is ruled out by the
long tail, longish bill and lack of the diagnostic white area above the gape
that female Calliopes show.

So I'm stuck at: why isn't this 'just" an Allen's, perhaps with a bit of odd
extra whitish feathering in the auricular area? Certainly many female Allen's
are as green as this bird, with very limited rufous/buff.

Kimball

Kimball L. Garrett
Ornithology Collections Manager
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
900 Exposition Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007 USA
213-763-3368
kgarrett@...
http://www.nhm.org/site/research-collections/ornithology

Ellen,

That is indeed an interesting hummingbird! I'm flagging this for the group
because it appears superficially to be a possible female *****BROAD-TAILED
HUMMINGBIRD*****. Several marks are consistent with this ID including the long
tail with a rufous base to the outer tail feathers and an entirely green back
and buffy sides (not that visible in the photos but you mentioned it in your
post.)

The bird isn't really a great fit for anything else except for maybe a partially
luecistic and extraordinarily green Allen's Hummingbird female. The bill seems
too long for Calliope Hummingbird and the tail is certainly much too long.

Here's the link again to your photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22020217@N05/8744480759/

We need photos of this bird's spread tail.

Dave Bell
Pasadena, CA

- RBA

* California
* Los Angeles RBA
* May 16, 2013
* CALA1305.16

-Birds mentioned

Snow Goose
?Aleutian? Cackling Goose
Cattle Egret
Baird?s Sandpiper
White-winged Dove
Black Swift
Tennessee Warbler
Palm Warbler
Clay-colored Sparrow
Summer Tanager
Rose-breasted Grosbeak
Indigo Bunting
Red Crossbill

California Bird Records Committee (report rarities as appropriate on the rare
bird report form): http://www.californiabirds.org/

Enter your bird sightings on eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird

Hotline: Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert
E-mail reports to: Jon Fisher at JonF60@...
Coverage: Los Angeles County, Ventura County as warranted

-Transcript

This is the Los Angeles Rare Bird Alert for May 16.

An ?ALEUTIAN? CACKLING GOOSE was still present at Earvin Magic Johnson Recration
Area in Willowbrook as of May 16. At that time it was northeast of the north
lake. A SNOW GOOSE also remains.

A CATTLE EGRET was at Topanga State Beach by the creek outfall on May 14.

A BAIRD?S SANDPIPER was at the Lancaster Water Treatment/Sewer Ponds on May 13. 
Enter on the north side of Ave. D just east of the 14 Freeway. Remember to sign
in at the office before birding.

A WHITE-WINGED DOVE flew over Kanan Road south of Smoketree Ave. in Oak Park at
the LA/Ventura County line on May 11.

At least three BLACK SWIFTS were above Claremont Wilderness Park on May 10, one
over the parking area and the others further up the trail.

A TENNESSEE WARBLER was at La Mirada?s Creek Park on May 12. It was off Santa
Gertrudis Ave. in the Acacia type trees near the restrooms.

A PALM WARBLER was a Apollo Park in Lancaster on May 10 and 11.

A CLAY-COLORED SPARROW was at DeForest Park in Long Beach on May 12. It was on
the west side of DeForest Ave. between Smith and 61st Streets. A male and
female INDIGO BUNTING were at the south end of the Nature Trail the same day.

A female SUMMER TANAGER, likely a continuing bird, was at Ed Vincent Park in
Ingelwood on May 13. It was in the trees across the swale from the tennis
courts.

An adult male ROSE-BREASTED GROSBEAK was at a feeder at a residence in Manhattan
Beach on May 12.

Several RED CROSSBILLS continued at Apollo Park through May 11.

This report is sponsored by the Los Angeles Audubon Society.

- end transcript

Jon L Fisher
Glendale, CA
JonF60@...

EVENTS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

For all events, field trips and announcements, please see our website at
http://www.laaudubon.org

Hi Ellen and all,

Could this bird be slightly leucistic?

Elaine MacPherson
Sierra Madre

In a message dated 5/16/2013 2:36:39 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
ezunino@... writes:

I've had a lot of feeders (15 - 17) and a lot of hummingbirds in my yard
for years and can usually i.d. what I see but I'm having trouble with this
small hummer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22020217@N05/8744480759/
Her top half looks Allen's and her bottom half, Costa's. Most of her
throat and all of her abdomen are white. She's light buffy under the wings. The
larger-than usual white area behind her eyes is also a tad odd. She's about
the same size as a male Costa's - maybe a little smaller - but doesn't
exhibit any of the "happy" tail-wagging of a female Costa's when she feeds.

Ellen Zunino
Monrovia

I've had a lot of feeders (15 - 17) and a lot of hummingbirds in my yard for
years and can usually i.d. what I see but I'm having trouble with this small
hummer.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/22020217@N05/8744480759/
Her top half looks Allen's and her bottom half, Costa's. Most of her throat and
all of her abdomen are white. She's light buffy under the wings. The larger-than
usual white area behind her eyes is also a tad odd. She's about the same size as
a male Costa's - maybe a little smaller - but doesn't exhibit any of the "happy"
tail-wagging of a female Costa's when she feeds.

Ellen Zunino
Monrovia