WESTERNTANAGERVolume 62 Number 6 March 1996 Los ANGELES AUDUBON SOCIETY

Los ANGELES COUNTYBREEDING BIRD ATLAS:

The Year in Reviewby Mark Wimer

Spotted Owl, Williamson'sSapsucker and LeConte'sThrasher. All three species

breed in Los Angeles County, butBreeding Bird Atlasers found nonein the act of breeding this year.What about breeding Inca Dove orVermilion Flycatcher? No one con-firmed either one as a breeder in1995, but both species have poten-tial for breeding in the county dur-ing the five years of Atlas fieldwork. Birders did find breeding Ver-milion Flycatchers prior to the startof the Atlas in 1994, and Inca Doveswere also spotted in the county dur-ing the 1994 breeding season. Sowhat have the 200-plus Atlas volun-teers been doing with their time, ifnot confirming these species? Theyspent a whopping 2,230 hours cov-ering blocks in 1995, and what isthere to show for it? Plenty, as youwill see.

It turns out that the speciesmentioned above and a handful ofothers are the only species forwhich atlasers did not find somekind of breeding evidence. Out of atotal of about 200 species that weexpect to find breeding in L.A.,

Black Phoebe

146 species were confirmed asbreeders in 1995. Beyond that, atlasvolunteers found an additional 24probable breeders and seven speciesthat are possibly breeding. Atlaserseven added five unexpected birds tothe current list of the county'sbreeders: Double-crested Cormo-rant, Wood Duck, Brewer's Spar-row, Gray Flycatcher and an exotic,the Nutmeg Mannikin.

1995 — OFF AND RUNNINGWhile the finding of new breed-

ing species is fascinating, the realmeasure of progress of a breedingbird atlas is not the number of spe-cies but the amount of coverage.Out of over 400 atlas blocks,atlasers surveyed 108 during thisfirst of five atlasing seasons. In ad-dition, birders spent time findingand reporting casual observationsin many blocks, yielding a thousandsightings for the Atlas database.Some of the effort and time that vol-unteers contributed is evident inthe form of a preliminary map.

Map 1 represents the first year'sresults for one of the more com-monly reported birds last year, theBlack Phoebe. Read this map bylooking for the shaded areas, withthe darkest areas being those withthe highest level of breeding confir-mation. Sightings represent datafrom people covering blocks andfrom casual observations. Diagonalhatching represents surveyedblocks where no Black Phoebeswere found breeding, which is justas interesting as where they werefound. Bear in mind that this is thefirst year's data, and blank(nonshaded) atlas blocks are unsur-veyed blocks. Surveyed blocks show-ing the bird's absence may bechanged to confirmed in the future,since in some cases blocks will notbe completed until next year.

Why the Black Phoebe? It is acommon bird that most birders inthe county have seen. Some birdersmight even take the Black Phoebefor granted. But part of what abreeding bird atlas is all about ismapping the breeding distributionof every species. We cannot say thatthe Black Phoebe will always be a

Black Phoebe Breeding Sightings for 1995

BreedingEvidence:

Confirmed

, Probablej

l Possible

No evidence

Map 1

common bird; and even if it remainscommon, it is still an importantpart of species diversity.

WHAT'S IN A MAP?What can we learn about Black

Phoebes from breeding bird atlases?We can get a thorough and detailedpicture of the bird's distribution,which is a critical step in learningits status. Most references indicatethat Black Phoebes are associatedwith water. Our preliminary Atlasmap already shows this feature oftheir natural history by their ab-sence from most of the desert. Inthe Monterey County Atlas, BlackPhoebes were clearly associatedwith water sources. When we havecovered more blocks in our project,we will overlay a map of hydrologyin L.A. County to see if BlackPhoebe distribution similarly corre-sponds to river channels and areaswith ponds. If there is poor overlapbetween rivers and phoebes, itmight be because the birds can usesmall, unmapped bodies of watersuch as ponds in city parks. Thejust-published Sonoma CountyBreeding Bird Atlas suggests thatartificial water sources and nestsites probably helped boost Black

Beach

Phoebe numbers in that county.Right now, Black Phoebe popula-

tions do not appear to be in trouble.Black Phoebe numbers have in-creased in southwestern Californiaover the last 30 years, according toresults of the U.S. Fish and WildlifeService's Breeding Bird Survey(BBS). The BBS population trendsin our area are derived from severaltransects, or routes, scatteredthroughout the county. As such, theBBS is for describing regional popu-lation trends, not for giving distri-butional information detailed to thecounty level. Imagine what com-plete coverage of the county willadd to our knowledge of phoebe sta-tus locally!

Are you convinced yet that amap of Black Phoebe distribution isuseful? We birders may somedaysuspect that phoebes are declining,or we might guess that they are in-creasingly common breeders. Howcan one substantiate this suspicion?There are several ways. BesidesBBS data and results of ChristmasCounts, which both provide regionalor national population trends, regu-lar surveys over time at a given lo-cality work well on a very localscale. The Breeding Bird Atlas is

Western Tanager

Atlas Block Coverage in 1995

Level of Coverage:[7—I Not covered

Started>Half CompletedNearly CompletedCompleted

Map 2

nicely scaled between these localand regional monitoring projectsand is one way to think globally andact locally, as the saying goes.

WHAT WE'VE DONE S O FAR

In 1995, atlasers surveyed partsof 108 blocks. I say parts of blocksbecause some will have to be revis-ited next year. Of the 108 startedblocks, 29 were complete, needingno more visits; 28 are nearly com-plete, needing one or two more vis-its; 30 are at least half complete,requiring two to four more morn-ings of surveying. The remaining 21I refer to as started and may needat least three to five more visits.

Map 2 shows these blocks andwhere they are in the county. Ide-ally, one would start and finish ablock in the same year so that theblock can be checked off as finishedand entered into the database forpreliminary analyses. In somecases, atlasers (including myself inone of my blocks) spent only a fewhours surveying a block. Is this adisaster? No! Especially not the firstyear, when most of us are learninghow to atlas.

You Too CAN BE A BLOCKHEADSo, 1996 should be a good year

for the Atlas. Not only is there alarge selection of blocks and habitattypes remaining from which tochoose, but you have the benefit ofinformation gathered in last year'satlasing. Everyone starting a blockthis year will be able to have a tar-get list of expected birds based oncoverage of nearby blocks and simi-lar habitats (but there are alwayssurprises). It is also a crucial yearfor your help; if too many blocks areleft for the last one or two years ofthe project, some blocks will end upgetting more cursory coverage.

If you cover a block, how manyspecies will it have? Well, speciesdiversity varies greatly, from thelow 20s to about 80. The blocks withfewer species are those with moreuniform habitat, such as strictly ur-ban blocks or all alkali and Creosotebush scrub blocks in the AntelopeValley. The blocks that have 80breeding species are the ones with— you guessed it — a large varietyof habitats. Several blocks in theSanta Monica Mountains have ur-ban, chaparral, oak woodland,grassland, small ponds and riparianhabitats. Blocks in higher moun-

tains such as the San Gabriels canhave chaparral, mountain meadow,oak woodland, willow riparian andseveral types of coniferous forest.Remember that there are only 200or so species breeding in the county,so 80 species is over one-third of thecounty's breeding species in one block!

Look for upcoming atlasing fieldtrips in Nest Notes, the BreedingBird Atlas newsletter, and the West-ern Tanager. If you are not sure youare ready to atlas (or even if you areready), why not come along on anAtlas field trip and help? If the tripblock has not been assigned, maybeyou can take it for your very own! Ifyou have not atlased before, thesetrips can show you that atlasing isfun: it's just birding plus a little ex-tra. The goal is to catch birds in theact. This can mean just seeing abird carrying food or a twig; you donot have to see cloacal contact toconfirm breeding. You also do nothave to cover every inch of a block,just every habitat. Some peoplespent over 50 hours in a block in1995, but did not come close to fin-ishing the block because they cov-ered only two of five habitat types.This is fine, since they were prob-ably visiting favorite birding spotsand having fun. But a few morehours in other habitats would havefinished the block.

In 1995, the first sighting turnedin to the Atlas was an Anna's Hum-mingbird that Kathy Molina foundon February 1. Not surprisingly, thefirst reported breeding of 1996 isalso an Anna's Hummingbird. Coin-cidentally, there are two reports ofthis bird breeding from the sameday: Mike San Miguel and SherryGoldsmith both saw them on Janu-ary 2. Which sighting should countas the first reported breeder of1996, the sighting made earlier inthe day or the one that was of birdsfurther along in the breeding pro-cess? It doesn't matter; both areuseful for the Atlas. What mattersis getting out there in 1996 andfinding those breeders! M*~

Visit the new Los Angeles CountyBreeding Bird Atlas web site at:http://www.lam.mus.ca.us/~lacbba/

March 1996

P E R S O N A L H I G Hby Charles Hood

I t was warm inside the bushplane, and the sun shining offthe white wing filled the cock-

pit with radiant light. Outside, themountains of New Guinea were adeep, saturated green. Brown riversdrained out of v-slot ravines, andridges folded themselves into com-plex patterns. The scenery scrolledpast the window so effortlessly itwas easy to forget that soon I wouldbe down on the ground myself, asmall, dim speck crawling over andaround those same steep, slick, im-mense ridges.

A tiny scratch of lighter green,hardly bigger than a felt tipmarker's stray mark, caught my at-tention. Against the darker colors ofthe forest it was a skinny rectanglethe color of billiard baize. The pilothad seen it too and banked steeplyright. "Perhaps it is a taro garden,"I thought, "or the remnants of a treefall."

But, no, as we circled downcloser I realized that it was a grassairstrip — our air strip, the onethat I and my Nikes were about tobe dumped off on. To land a planethere seemed as impossible as try-ing to drop a dime into a beggar'scup from a fifth floor balcony. Some-how, though, the pilot set us downexactly in the middle of whatturned out to look like, from theground, a very ratty soccer field sur-rounded by a palisade of trees. Werolled to a bumpy halt.

Pack hoisted, I began hiking upthe one trail. It seemed to me inaus-picious that the first bird I saw,some henna blur of featureless pas-serine, was unidentifiable, and thatthe first village child I met, comingtoward me around a bend in the

trail, stopped, gasped in mortal ter-ror, turned on his heels and fled inthe opposite direction as fast as hislittle feet could go. I had been thefirst White man he had ever seen,and he didn't want to see another.

Thinking back, I see now that Iwas wrong, that it was a good start.Question: why go birding? Answer:

to be surprised. If we can identifyevery bird ahead of time, predictevery response, guarantee everyoutcome, then there is no point insetting out at all. Three occasionsfrom the same trip make me feelthis way.

Scene one: a highland meadowby the village of Myola. Early morn-

Western Tanager

ing, bit of ground mist to add atmo-sphere, the light intense and slant-ing. Smell of wood smoke and wetvegetation. I am sitting on a stumpbehind grass huts in an overgrown-with-vines garden patch, the forestvery near. Glossy Swiftlets — anAsian species with a swift's wingsbut a Tree Swallow's plumage —are zooming around me, cuttingamong the vines and grasses soclose it seems I could catch one witha fast grab of my hand. And as theyfly, the swiftlets are breaking cob-webs with every pass over theground. Yard-long strands of webstream behind them as the swiftletsarc and bank, each filament a thin,perfect, iridescent streak. The birdsthemselves are enameled pellets ofviridian and white, and the lines ofweb each bird trails add so muchbeauty it almost is unreal.

Scene two: interior of the rainforest, a few miles away. A guidehas taken me to see the ruins of aWorld War II American fighter, aP-40 — olive paint job, white staron a blue circle, a tremendouscrumpled wreck of a plane. Fifty-caliber ammo is rusted into corru-gated figure eights. "Balus gopints," he is telling me. "Balusi-stap taim bipo." This means theplane (literally, "bird") has crashed("gone finish"), and it dates from theold days, the "time before." I can seebullet holes in the wings. Did thepilot eject? The cockpit seems intactbut totaled, the way a car looks af-ter a drunk has hit a telephone poleat 60 miles an hour. Had the pilotmanaged just two seconds of airtime longer he would have clearedthe trees and made it out to ditchsafely in the Myola grasslands. Buthe didn't, he hit the trees. My fatherserved in the Pacific. I had readbooks about the Kokoda Trail andother New Guinea campaigns, butnot until this moment had I everappreciated the awful fatality of

(left) Sunrise Myola village, Papua,New Guinea

(right) Southern Cross, Carina andCoalsack

combat. For me, this is when warchanged from being mere historyinto being something real, that tookthe lives of real people. It was adeeply emotional moment.

Scene three: same mountain,same village, middle of a clearnight. I have gotten up to use theouthouse and to rub circulation intowhere my too-short cot has in-dented my too-long ankles. A quar-ter moon has long since set, and thenearest street light is a hundredmiles away, so visibility is perfect.Without a flashlight I pick my wayto the edge of the meadow, chilly inthe cool, high altitude air, then lookstraight up. "Oh, Jesus..." The en-tire sky is tiaras and tassels, an in-verted jewel box of stars upon starsupon stars upon stars. It is evenmore intense than I could haveimagined. Slide lectures in as-tronomy class never prepare you forthe grandeur of the real thing, withits acetylene luminosity, its profusedensity. If the sky were a black lakeI had to wade through and each starwere a white-hot point, I would notbe able to cross even two steps be-fore burning up. There are stars ev-erywhere. What can you do with asight like that? A camera, even asketchbook would be useless. Allyou can do is stand there, soaking itup like a soft, blank paper, until you

begin to shiver so much that youfinally find a flashlight, go aroundto the outhouse, then back to bed,still brimming with the vision.

My point in these accounts is thatnone of these experiences could beplanned for. They happened because Iwent out looking for one thing andwas lucky enough to find another. Ifall there were to see in nature werebirds, and if the birds only everlooked like the artificial silhouettesin the bird guides, I would quit to-morrow. But the longer I am in thegame the more I realize that Colum-bus and Magellan, they were only thebeginning. There are hundreds ofcontinents out there, all waiting tosurprise us. What they will look like,we cannot know from shore. We justhave to set sail and find out. '•*»-

Charles Hood teaches literature,creative writing and remedialEnglish at Antelope Valley College.He is presently completing a bookcalled The Xopilote Cantos aboutthe Spanish conquest of Costa Rica.

March 1996

B I R D S O F T H E S E A S O Nby Hank Brodkin

M arch will find spring mi-gration starting to accel-erate. We are most inter-

ested in first-spring sightings of ourcommon species as well as ourusual perverse interest in vagrants,so please keep us informed.

This winter has produced thebest birding of any winter I can re-member since I started birding in1945. The best bird of the year —and I can't see how its positionwould be usurped later on in theyear — undoubtedly has to be thefirst-winter Ivory Gull at DohenyState Beach on 5 January. Foundand photographed by Dr. Joel Wein-traub, a biology professor from CalState Fullerton, and identified withthe help of Lucy Lee, CarolynRainsford and Irene Horiuchi, thisbird was seen by many birders withthe last sighting by flashlight at11:00 P.M. the same night. EvenCalifornia's fourth RusticBunting, present since 23 Decem-ber in Hoopa, Humboldt Co., couldnot match this completely unex-pected sighting.

Also noteworthy were influxes ofRed Phalaropes and AncientMurrelets. There were also largenumbers of Hooded Mergansers,with reports coming from every pos-sible pond.

Here is a partial documentationof this amazing season.

The 25 November LAAS pelagictrip that wandered as far as 100 milesfrom Ventura produced 12 very lateLeast Storm-Petrels and a Red-tailed Tropicbird (Mitch Heindel).

Three Ross' Geese were at theLancaster Sewage Ponds on 4 De-cember (Irwin Woldman), an amaz-ing 20 Wood Ducks were on Malibu

Lake on 7 January (Robert Weiss-ler), a Tufted Duck was found inPyramid Lake on 10 December(Kimball Garrett, Mike San Migueland Tom Wurster), an inlandOldsquaw was reported from Riv-erside on 29 November (BrianPrescott), and a Common Golden-eye was seen in the increasinglybirdy L.A. River channel in Atwateron 15 December (Richard Barth).

An immature Mississippi Kitewas reported over Encino on 2 Jan-uary (Dustin Alcala). Two Zone-tailed Hawks were reported — oneat Oak View, Ventura County, on26 November (Stephen Barrack)and one at Bolsa Chica on 14 Janu-ary (Roy Poucher). A "Harlan's"Red-tailed Hawk was seen nearLancaster on 28 December (LarrySchmahl, et al).

A flock of 42 Mountain Ploverwas found near Seal Beach on1 January (John Fitch). A Frank-lin's Gull was at Santa Fe Dam on

Lesser Black-backed Gull

24 November (Bill Principe), and aLittle Gull was seen from Pt.Fermin on 23 December, (BarneySchlinger). A Lesser Black-backedGull, undoubtedly the same indi-vidual as last year, showed up atDoheny State Beach on 18 Decem-ber (Jim Pike), and L.A. County'sfirst Yellow-footed Gull was pho-tographed at Cabrillo Beach on7 January (Kevin Larson & MH).Several Black-legged Kittiwakeswere reported this year, with themost interesting coming fromBaldwin Lake in the San Bernar-dino Mountains on 4 December(Richard Webster). Two MarbledMurrelets were seen on the pelagictrip out of Ventura on 25 November(MH).

One hundred Band-tailedPigeons were at the HuntingtonGardens on 3 December, a White-winged Dove was seen in Venturaon 27 December (RB & SteveTucker) and a Common-Ground

Western Tanager

Dove was reported from BeverlyGlen on 29 December (Phyllis Barry).

L.A. County's second Groove-billed Ani was found in theWilmington Drain north of HarborRegional Park on 2 December(Nancy Pachana, Tim Kastelle andPhil Swan). Vaux's Swifts were re-ported from Devil's Gate Dam Basinon 16 December (Tracey Alsobrook)and from Whittier Narrows on17 December (Jon Fisher). AYellow-bellied Sapsucker, prob-ably the same bird as last year, wasseen at La Mirada Regional Park on1 January (LS).

An Eastern Phoebe was foundon the UC Riverside campus on23 December (Cindy Lee), a Ver-milion Flycatcher was at Pt.Mugu on 17 December (RWeissler)and an Ash-throated Flycatcherwas wintering at Veteran's Park,Sylmar (Cosmo Bloom and GerardPhilips). The Least Flycatcher,present since September in SanDune Park, Manhattan Beach, re-mained through January.

About 150 Pinyon Jays wereseen in Qatal Canyon, VenturaCounty, where they show up aboutonly once every decade. A WinterWren was at Sand Dune Park on13 December (RB). A SageThrasher was near Pyramid Lakeon 1 January (KG). A Hutton'sVireo was slightly out of place atWhittier Narrows on 13 January(Don Kouns).

Some of the out-of-season war-blers reported this period include: aChestnut-sided at Wilmingtonthroughout the winter (MH), singleBlackburnians at Pt. Dume on17 December and in Crescenta Val-ley Park, La Crescenta, 21 January(both KG), a nominate ("yellow-lored") Yellow-throated Warblerat Finney Lake, Imperial County,from 16 December through January(fide Michael Patten) and aHooded Warbler on the OrangeCounty Christmas Count on 31 De-cember (JP).

A late Lazuli Bunting was atDevil's Gate Dam on 26 November(JF), a Clay-colored Sparrow wasfound in El Cariso Park on 21 Janu-

r-j (Curtis Marantz) and two

Sharp-tailed Sparrows were re-ported from Upper Newport Bay on22 December (Art & Jean Pickett).A Swamp Sparrow and a White-throated Sparrow were at Devil'sGate Dam on 3 December (JF).Single Harris' Sparrows were atHansen Dam on 15 December andat El Cariso Park on 16 January(both Doug Martin).

To top off this remarkable season,a Scott's Oriole was found nearMarina del Rey on 30 December(Mike Tiffany). Good Birding!

R ecords of rare and unusual birdsightings reported in this column

should be considered tentative pending re-view by the FIELD NOTES Regional Editors or,if appropriate, by the California Bird RecordsCommittee. Send your bird observations withas many details as possible to:

Hank Brodkin27V2 Mast Street, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292.310/827-0407 E-Mail: hankb@kaiwan.com

Or call Jon Fisher — 818/544-5009

INSERT:

Guidelinesfor ReportingBirdsin SouthernCalifornia

I t has been said that the nextbest thing to finding and enjoy-ing a rare or unusual bird

sighting is to be able to share itwith other birders. The insert inthis issue has all the informationone needs to alert others of yoursightings. Keep this page in yourfield guide as a reference, and don'tforget to take good field notes.

Always call Jon Fisher so yoursighting will be reported on theLAAS Bird Tape, and send the in-formation to Hank Brodkin for in-clusion in his Birds of the Seasoncolumn. See above for address andphone numbers. ••*-

WESTERN TANACER

Published 10 times a year byLos Angeles Audubon Society,

a chapter of National Audubon Society.

EDITOR: Jean BrandtCONSERVATION: Sandy WohlgemuthCO-CONSERVATION: Catherine Rich

ORNITHOLOGY CONSULTANT:Kimball Garrett

FIELD TRIPS: Nick FreemanPROGRAMS: Cosmo Bloom

PELAGIC TRIPS: Phil SayreDESKTOP PUBLISHING: WP Plus

PRINTING: CP Graphics

Opinions expressed in articles or lettersherein do not necessarily express the

position of this publication or of LAAS.

PRESIDENT: Fred Heath1st VICE PRESIDENT: Pat Little

2ndVICE PRESIDENT: Travis LongcoreEXECUTIVE SECRETARY:

Mildred NewtonRECORDING SECRETARY:

Pat NelsonTREASURER: Richard Epps

Annual membership in both societies is$35 per year and $20 for new members fortheir first year. Members receive the West-ern Tanager newsletter and Audubonmagazine, a national publication. Renew-als of membership are computerized byNational Audubon and should not be sentto LAAS; however, new memberships maybe sent directly to LAAS. Make checkspayable to the National Audubon Society.

Western Tanager subscription rates fornonmembers are: $15 per year for thirdclass delivery or $22 per year for first classdelivery. LAAS members may receive firstclass delivery by paying an additional > 7.Make checks payable to Los Angeles Au-dubon 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

Printed on Recycled Paper

March 1996

CONSERVATION CONVERSATIONby Sandy Wohlgemuth

I n 1938, rains of historic propor-tions poured down from theSanta Susana, Santa Monica

and San Gabriel mountains, de-stroying homes and farms in theSan Fernando Valley and across thecity as the Los Angeles River leapedits banks. Over a hundred liveswere lost. In 1990 dollars, propertylosses were a staggering $745 mil-lion. A year later, the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers began to build adam in the Sepulveda Basin in VanNuys and finished the job in 1941.The river was lined with concretefor the 43 miles of its windingcourse to Long Beach and the Pa-cific Ocean. The dam was a smash-ing success; there has never been aserious flood in Los Angeles since1938.

In response to the federal FloodControl Act of 1994 and subsequentlaws, flood control projects nation-wide were opened to outdoor recre-ation. In Sepulveda, golf courses,tennis courts, bicycle paths, cricketfields, soccer fields and baseball dia-monds were created. The Corpsleases the sites to the City Recre-ation and Parks Department whichmaintains and administers them. A48-acre area in the southeast cornerof the basin was designated "Wild-life Reserve" in the '60s but re-mained a label on the map foryears. In 1979, the Corps began anambitious program to develop thereserve, planting many trees andshrubs and experimenting with na-tive grasses. Plans for two lakesand a marsh were made but werenever realized. After seven years ofwork, the Corps abandoned theproject when federal funds ran out.

Long before the introduction of

recreation into the basin, the Corpsleased much of its land for agricul-ture, and a great deal of corn wasraised. The Cicero family had apopular stand where fresh corn was

sold to an appreciative clientele.However, Corps policy has alwaysbeen that agriculture is not appro-priate for flood control areas. Thefarmers' contracts were short and

SEPULVEDAFLOODCONTROLBASIN

4.5 acresRevegetation

r - .,WILDLIFERESERVE"NORTH"

WILDLIFEAREASNOT TO SCALE

VIEWING STATION WILDLIFERESERVE"NORTH"

FUTUREWILDLIFERESERVE

FUTUREWILDLIFERESERVE

WILDLIFERESERVE

1.5acres "SOUTH"Revegetation WILDLIFE

RESERVE"SOUTH"

SEPULVEDA DAM WALL

VENTURA FREEWAY

Western Tanager

could be cancelled at any time. Thecorn fields attracted birds, particu-larly Canada Geese, large hand-some birds that flew into the basinin great numbers, impressing evennonbirders. Rodents of all kinds ex-ploited the corn fields which becamea favorite hunting ground for Red-tailed and Red-shouldered hawks,Northern Harriers, White-should-ered Kites and Short-eared Owls.

The bulk of the Sepulveda Basinwas unstructured open space thatwas highly treasured by many ofthe people who walked or jogged orrode bicycles as they watched thegeese fly over, enjoying the sweep ofthe mountains and the rush of theriver. The crackbrained efforts toimport a racetrack or Olympic fa-cilities with their inappropriatecrowds and parking were militantlybeaten back by citizens through theCoalition To Save the SepulvedaBasin.

The Corps' Master Plan, updatedin 1983, brought significant changesto the basin. Lake Balboa Park, in-cluding a 26-acre recreation lake,was to be built along Balboa Blvd.on 120 acres, the City Recreationand Parks Department sharing thecost with the Corps. Also, 60 acresin the same vicinity were set asidefor the Arts Park, a privately fi-nanced project that would bringmusic, painting, dance and othercreative activities to the basin.More than 13 years have gone by,but the Arts Park people can't raisethe $70 million for their park struc-tures, and the land lies vacant as itacquires a lush growth of unwantedweeds. So, 180 acres that were pre-dominately planted in corn havebeen taken from the birds and therodents. Many observers have re-marked that the number and vari-ety of raptors that controlled therodent population in the basin havemarkedly decreased in recent years.

In an effort to compensate forthis loss of food and habitat, theMaster Plan added 60 acres to thewildlife reserve north of busyBurbank Blvd., which now dividesthe reserve into two separate par-cels for a total area of 108 acres.Subsequently, the City of Los Ange-

Volunteers Neededfor ARMCHAIR ACTIVIST

The ARMCHAIR ACTIVIST is looking for one or two people who would bewilling to help out with photocopying and mailing our monthly news-letter. Total time involved is less than two hours per month. This is a

great way to help out with important environmental issues and get more in-volved with Audubon. Please send a note in care of ARMCHAIR ACTIVIST toLAAS headquarters with your name and phone number. •*»-

les received a grant of $479,000from the California Fish andGame's Water Conservation Boardto build an 11-acre lake in thenorthern portion of the reserve. Af-ter a couple of years of bureaucratichuffing and puffing and some cor-rection of planning defects, the lakewas completed. Reclaimed waterfrom the basin's Tillman Reclama-tion plant filled the lake and it wasofficially dedicated. Ten White Peli-cans — uncommon birds — were inthe lake at the ceremony, a signthat the gods were with us.

The northern Wildlife Reservehas prospered. Trees are growingvigorously, many new shrubs andflowering plants are doing well.Warblers in season, shrikes, king-birds, orioles and the astonishingBlue Grosbeak flash through theair. The lake harbors many birds —ducks, grebes, cormorants, herons,egrets and many Canada Geese.City Rec and Parks people havebeen very cooperative, planting an-nual grasses on the east shore ofthe lake to keep the geese happy.Part of their daily chores is moni-toring the water. This was done sowell that the Water Quality ControlBoard abandoned the original planto drain the lake in the hot months,so we now have a year-round livingecosystem. The water monitors, bythe way, have become pretty goodbirders.

The most exciting prospect forthe basin is a plan to more thandouble the size of the reserve byadding two large defunct sod farmswest of Haskell Creek. After a verylong delay, the unknown difficultiesin the inner sanctum of the Corps

seem to have been resolved. Withoak savannah, new grassland andinteresting trails, there is greathope for the future.

Another addition to the wildlifevalues of the basin is developing aswe write. Steve Hartman of theCalifornia Native Plant Society sug-gested the creation of "Humming-bird Hill," a revegetation project onthe north slope of Burbank Blvd.within the Wildlife Reserve. Exotictrees, shrubs and weeds have beeneliminated, and native plants by thehundreds are being introduced.Chaparral species will be in abun-dance with showy scarlet bugler,heart-leaved penstemon and fuch-sia-flowered gooseberry to attracthummingbirds. The money for thisproject comes from Anheuser-Buschbrewery spills into Haskell Creek,the present western border of thereserve. The $98,000 was awardedto the Sepulveda Wildlife AreasConsortium by the Regional WaterQuality Control Board. The consor-tium is made up of all the inter-ested environmental organizationsthat have been meeting with theCorps and the City for over threeyears. Half of this money hasfunded a successful nature educa-tion program for elementary school-children in the basin for the pasttwo years.

Those of us who are concernedabout the fate of wild creatures astheir habitat diminishes might cau-tiously take heart. In a small placesuch as Sepulveda, we think we seea change from 48 acres on a map toover 200 acres of real land. Multiplythat a thousandfold and... whoknows? "«•--

March 1996 9

Los ANGELES AUDUBON SOCIETY

B O O K S T O R E

VolunteersWanted

Volunteers are needed in theLAAS Bookstore to helpmaintain the well-known

super service to our membershipand customers worldwide. No expe-rience is necessary. Wanted are

people to greet customers and pre-pare shipments. Interested retireesor anyone looking for an excitingactivity, once or twice a week, work-ing with nice people in a pleasantatmosphere, are asked to call theBookstore at 213/876-0202 andspeak with Olga or Carol. Hours arefrom 10:00 A.M. to 3:00 P.M., Tuesdaythrough Saturday.

This is a good opportunity tolearn about the newest books, bin-oculars and telescopes and expandyour outlook on the fascinatingworld of nature. -"*-

New Arrivals in the BookstoreCollins Illustrated Checklist to Birds of Eastern Africa.1,487 species in color; informative notes, key ID features, maps $39.95

Buntings and Sparrows, A Guide to Buntings & N.A. Sparrows.Covers all Palearctic species of Holarctic region. 108 speciesdescribed and illustrated, 39 color plates, maps $40.00

Optec E-Z Comfort Binocular-Camera Strap. Strong, durable,lightweight; four colors. Save your neck! $10.95

NEW CD-ROM (for Windows) —Peterson's Multimedia Guides:North American Birds covers nearly 1,000 species, 700+ photos,songs. Range maps, bird finder ID, skill-builder, lifelist, etc $69.95

Bird Calls of Eastern Australia. 152 species ranging fromTasmania to Cape York Peninsula, follows Pizzey's Field Guide toBirds of Australia $11.95

National Audubon Society Wild Birds Screen Saver. Dozens offull-color images, Q and A, calls, animated habitat scenes, etc.(for Windows '95 or Windows 3.1) $29.95

Many other new titles... call or come in soon!

LAAS on the World Wide Web

I n December, Los Angeles Audubon premiered its home page on theWorld Wide Web. Anyone with access to WWW can visit our site byselecting local chapters on the National Audubon page. You can access

it directly at<http://www.mbi.ucla.edu/people/lesa/laas.html>. You'll find in-formation about our programs, field trips and meetings as well as the entireBookstore catalog. Please send your comments and suggestions by e-mail to"lesa@galileo.mbi.ucla.edu" or to LAAS in care of Lesa Beamer. •«*-

National Audubon Society's

1 9 9 6

Western Regional Conference

Asilomar, California

March 30-April 2

BIRDS, WILDLIFE & HABITAT:Building a Culture of Conservation

Interactive workshops, inspiring

speakers, exhilarating field trips

and stimulating discussions will

focus on Audubon's commitment

to birds, wildlife and habitat.

For information, please contact

the California Field Office at

916/481-5332.

Reservation and Fee Events(Limited Participation)

Policy and Procedure

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 eachtrip

5) Self-addressed stamped envelopefor confirmation and associated tripinformation. Send to:

LAAS Reservations7377 Santa Monica Blvd.

West Hollywood, CA 90046-6694.

If there is insufficient response, the tripwill be cancelled two Wednesdays priorto the scheduled date (four weeks forpelagics), and you will be so notified andyour fee returned. Your cancellationafter that time will bring a refund onlyif there is a paid replacement. MillieNewton is available at Audubon Houseon Wednesdays from noon to 4:00 P.M. toanswer questions about field trips. Ouroffice staff is also available Tuesdaythrough Saturday for most reservationservices.

10 Western Tanager

F I E L D T R I P SContinued from page 12

Saturday and Sunday, March 16and 17 — Anza Borrego withFred Heath. Experience the springexplosion of desert flowers alongwith butterflies and birds in thethroes of breeding. Anticipate abusy weekend and reserve motel orcampsite early. Suggested accommo-dations: Tamarisk Grove Camp-ground (reserve through Mistix800/444-7275) or Stanlund Motel inBorrego Springs 619/767-5501. Lim-ited to 20 participants. Send SASEwith $5 fee to LAAS to learn8:00 A.M. meeting place. Pleasantdays, cool nights.

Wednesday, March 20 — Los An-geles County Arboretum. Bar-bara Cohen will lead this morningwalk through varied habitat in an-ticipation of what the first day ofspring may bring. Take the BaldwinAve. offramp S from the 210 Fwy inArcadia. Meet at 8:00 A.M. in frontof the gatehouse in the parking loton the west side of the street. Pos-sible small fee.

Saturday, March 23 — DescansoGardens. Karen Johnson willshare her intimate knowledge ofthis well-known locale. Apart fromthe resident chaparral birds andWood Ducks, warblers and otherpasserines should be starting tomove through. Meet at 8:00 A.M. inthe parking lot just outside thegatehouse. Take the 2 Fwy N to theVerdugo Rd. offramp near the210 Fwy. Turn right onto VerdugoRd., drive about a mile and turnright onto Descanso Dr. Continuearound the curve to the gate for theparking lot on the right.

Sunday, March 24 — CarrizoPlain. Leader Roy van de Hoek,who has spent five years conductingfield research on the Plain, is inti-mately familiar with the naturalhistory, ecology and curious man-agement history of the area. Vernalpools and wildflowers (rain permit-ting), Chumach pictographs at

Painted Rock, antelope, elk, GopherSnake, Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizardand other reptiles, resident and lin-gering winter raptors, and Kit Foxall possible. Peel off early or stayuntil 8:00 P.M. to see San AndreasFault. Possible Barn, Burrowingand Short-eared owl and GiantKangaroo Rat. Meet at 7:30 A.M. atthe Buttonwillow Denny's at 5 Fwyand Hwy 58. Two Motel 6s nearbyusually have rooms. Limited to 20participants. Reserve by phone withLAAS. No fee.

Saturday and Sunday, March 30and 31 — Owens Valley GrouseTrip. Leader Mary Carmona. BlueGrouse, Sage Grouse, Rosy Finch,Pinyon Jay, Golden Eagle, PrairieFalcon all likely. Limited to 20 par-ticipants. Meet early in Big PineSaturday. $10 fee. For more details,send SASE to LAAS.

Sunday, April 7 — TopangaState Park. Leader Gerry Haigh.Meet at 8:00 A.M. See March 3write-up for details.

Saturday, April 13 — AntelopeValley. Enjoy our birds while sup-porting local efforts to understandthem better by searching out evi-dence of breeding birds for the L.A.Breeding Bird Atlas with FredHeath as he stops to watch the mi-grants and to smell the plentifulwildflowers along the way. Finishup at the limited access Piute Pondson Edwards Air Force Base. Bringlunch. Meet at 7:30 A.M. at LaMont-Odett Overlook. Take Hwy 14 Npast the Pearblossom Hwy turnoff.The overlook is on the right just asLake Palmdale comes into view.

Sunday, April 14 — Whittier Nar-rows. Leader Ray Jillson. Meet at8:00 A.M. See March 10 write-up fordetails.

Saturday and Sunday, April 20and 21 — San Diego Mountains.Leader Larry Allen will look forZone-tailed Hawks by midmorningSaturday at Hot Springs Mountainand for Saw-whet and other owlsearly Sunday morning (and possibly

Saturday evening) in the CuyamacaMountains. With recent nestingrecords for both, he stands a prettyfair chance of seeing both birds! Hewill also look for possible Harris'Hawk in Anza Borrego if time per-mits. For information on Saturday9:30 A.M. meeting place near WarnerSprings, group camp location forSaturday, and the trip in general,send $9 per person with SASE toLAAS. Anticipate $5-10 access fee.A few dollars will be collected tocover LAAS-reserved campsite fees.Limited to 18 participants.

O Saturday, May 4 — Three-Vl/ island, 12-hour trip on IslandPacker's M.V. Vanguard out ofVentura Harbor to Anacapa Island,Santa Rosa Island and through theSanta Rosa Passage to Santa CruzIsland. $65.

O Saturday, May 18 — 12-hourVi/trip on the R.V. Vantuna out ofSan Pedro to Santa Barbara Islandand the Osborne Bank. $40.

Friday through Monday,June 28 to July 1 — SouthernSierras Weekend with BobBarnes. Our most productive andvaried trip. More information inApril listing. Limited to 20 partici-pants. For information flyer, reservewith SASE to LAAS. $11 fee foreach day attended ($44 for 4 days).Reserve rooms early.

O Saturday, September 14 —M/112-hour trip on the R.V.Vantuna out of San Pedro to SantaBarbara Island and the OsborneBank. $40.

9 Sunday, October 6 — Three-Vi/ island, 12-hour trip on IslandPacker's M.V. Vanguard out ofVentura Harbor to Anacapa Island,Santa Rosa Island and through theSanta Rosa Passage to Santa CruzIsland. $65.

0 Saturday, November 16 —Vl/ 8-hour trip on the R.V. Vantunaout of San Pedro to the Palos VerdesEscarpment and Redondo Canyon.$25. -fa-

1996 11

EVENING MEETINGMeet at 8:00 P.M. in Plummer Park.

Call the Bird Tape for information on possible ID Workshops.

March 12,1996 Jack LevySouthern California Butterflies

J ack Levy will show some of his beautiful butterfly photography whichwill illustrate the dwindling Southern California butterfly fauna anddiscuss some of the related conservation issues. Jack is the President

and founder of the Southern California Chapter of the North American But-terfly Association and has been studying such diverse butterflies as theMartin's Swallowtail of the East Mojave and the Laguna Skipper of the La-guna Mountains. He is also an inveterate punster, and his puns are as badas his photos are good. Join us for a fun and informative evening.

April 9,1996 Arnold SmallCalifornia Birds: The Last Fifty Years

F I E L D T R I P S

B efore setting out on anyfield trip, please call theAudubon bird tape at

(213) 874-1318 for special instruc-tions or possible cancellations thatmay have occurred by the Thursdaybefore the trip.

J, Denotes Pelagic Trips

Saturday and Sunday, March 2and 3 — Morro Bay Area. LeaderDaniel Cooper will assist us inferreting out birds from Montana deOro to Cambria. Chestnut-backedChickadee, Pigeon Guillemot,Yellow-billed Magpie, Winter Wren

and Wild Turkey (in descendingfindability). Take Hwy 101 N intotown onto Hwy 1 N and continue forone block. Meet at 10:00 A.M. in thesmall parking lot of Santa RosaPark in San Luis Obispo with a fulltank. Send $8 and your phone num-ber to LAAS to reserve. Limited to16 participants. Bring picnic lunchand rain gear. Reserve rooms early.

Sunday, March 3 — TopangaState Park. Gerry Haigh willlead participants through this di-verse coastal mountain area. Anideal trip for a beginning birder or

Los Angeles Audubon Society DATED MATERIAL7377 Santa Monica Boulevard Please ExpediteWest Hollywood, CA 90046-6694

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPERMIT NO. 276

Glendale, CA

someone new in the area. A botanistis usually present. From its inter-section with Ventura Blvd. in theValley, take Topanga Canyon Blvd.7 miles S then turn E (uphill) onEntrada Rd. (1 mile N of TopangaVillage). Follow the signs and turnleft into the park. Meet at 8:00 A.M.in the parking lot of Trippet Ranch.$5 parking fee.

O Sunday, March 10 — 8-hourVl/ trip on the R. V. Vantuna outof San Pedro to the Palos VerdesEscarpment and Redondo Canyon.$25.

Sunday, March 10 — WhittierNarrows Regional Park. Joinranger Ray Jillson at 8:00 A.M. toview resident raptors, waterbirdsand songbirds. Cardinals resident.Take the Peck Dr. exit S off the60 Fwy in South El Monte (just Wof the 605 Fwy). Take the offramponto Durfee Ave. heading W (right)and turn left into the Nature Cen-ter, 1000 Durfee Ave. $2 voluntarydonation suggested by the park.

Continued on page 11

12 Western Tanager

GUIDELINES FOR REPORTING BIRDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - Wanda Dameron Jan. 1996

I. WHYEditors, the California Bird Records Committee, Columnists, Rare Bird Alert and Breeding Bird Atlas personnel greatly need our sightings reported for:(a) a permanent public record, (b) conservation and other scientific purposes, and (c) allowing others to see and/or confirm rare and unusual sightings.

II. WHAT and WHEW (If in doubt, please err on side of sooner/more notification.)

A. Within the Hour: Birdbox AND Personal Contact; Follow UP with written reports to County Editor & Calif. Bird Records Committee within days.. Rare/Reviewable birds on relevant county and state lists. (Lists available from L. A. Audubon Bookstore 213-876-0202 and elsewhere.). Birds not previously sighted in county/state, excluding escapees.

B. Same Day: Birdbox and possibly Personal Contact .. Uncommon Birds D. Breeding Bird Atlas Regional Editors. Large numbers/irregular irruptions . Breeding bird evidence. Other sightings of special interest . Contact Editor to obtain Casual Observation Form

and/or block assignmentC. Soon: Rare Bird Alert Tape and local newsletter bird sightings column

. Items under both A & B.

E. Season Reports: Send to County Editors (preferred) or Southern Pacific Coast Regional Editor for permanent files. Please mark due dates on calendar:Winter (Dec.-Feb.) Due 10 March: Spring (Mar.-May) Due 10 June: Summer (June, July) Due 10 August: Fall (Aug.-Nov.) Due 10 Dec.. All of above . Escapees & their growing populations. Significant nesting records . Unusual numbers or lack of expected birds. Early arrivals and late departures . Unusual plumage, deformities. Unseasonal birds . Interesting behavior. Apparent population trends . Other notes, thoughts of interest

III. HOW

A. Birdbox Reports are best written out ahead to convey a complete, concise message. Pauses may cause cutoff. Please include:. Your name & whoever saw the bird(s) . Vocalization, actions, pattern, alone/with other birds etc.. Bird, sex/plumage . Any other useful info: with sparrows, last seen flying away, etc.. Location: Town and local directions . Other interesting birds in area

Specific details to birdspot . Other useful reports: estuary open, facility hours, etc.

County Reporters are responsible for placing rare bird alerts on SCAT (Southern California Automated Tree) and periodically reporting on birdbox. SCAT is aninter-county notification system, for infra-county dissemination, associated with the Birdbox setup. Doug Aguillard initiated this procedure and Bill Principeplaced it on computer. Bill also set up and manages Birdbox. These services are sponsored by the San Diego Field Ornithologists and a group of L.A. birders.

B. Personal Contacts. Since tape messages may not be picked up for hours or days, if the first contact person isn't available, do leave a message and thatyou will try to reach the second designated person, adjacent area and/or oversight person. Decide with the Contact Person who will be responsible for gettingthe sighting verified, on birdbox, local network and SCAT. IF unable to make any personal contact about possible rarity, suggest placing on Birdbox as soon aspossible as probable with full description, your name and phone number. The next listener is responsible for dissemination, noting action on Birdbox.

C. Rare Bird Alerts: Most have space to leave messages; some have a separate number. Direct info appreciated.

P. Newsletter Bird Sighting Columns. Again, these columnists appreciate receiving direct information. It is especially important to report information thatmay not be reported on Birdbox, i.e. birds on private property.

E. Seasonal Reports to County Editors: Please send this information (refer to Il-E) in taxonomic order for the permanent public records to all appropriateCounty Editors for the previous season by the due dates. They compile the information and forward it to the Southern Pacific Coast Regional Editor. Thesummary is published quarterly in "Field Notes." The Christmas Bird Count Report is a special annual publication. L.A. County Records are archived at the LA.County Museum of Natural History in the Ornithology Department, available by appointment, as is reviewing of skins.

F. Rare Bird Reports to County Editors. A Rare Bird Report should be written in explicit detail from your written or taped field notes. Ideally, include themwith your report, plus a sketch. ANY photo, video, tape-recorded call and ALL other supporting evidence with as much of the following as possible:

Basic: . Common & scientific bird name . Your name, address, phone number. Date/time found, other observations, date left . Others identifying the bird. Location including County. State (encourage them to write a report also)

Background: . Habitat . Distance from the bird. Duration observed . Lighting conditions, weather, sky coyer, sun orientation. Optics used Written from: field notes during, after observation, memory

Description: . Plumage . Compare in size/likeness with nearby &/or similar species. Age, sex, # of individuals . Physical characteristics. Behavior (ALL details observed, not just field marks). Vocalization. Actions Experience with species

Other: . Any additional pertinent info or comments . References used and when. Positive of the I.D. or if not, explain . Date and signature

G. Rare Bird Reports to the California Bird Records Committee (CBRC)Please send a copy of your County Rare Bird Report of CBRC List of Reviewable Birds to the CBRC Secretary. The Secretary will send an acknowledgmentof receipt and eventually their decision. CBRC Reviewable Birdlists and CBRC forms, also useable for the county, are available from the CBRC Secretary.

The CBRC is composed of ten outstanding birders/ornithologists serving staggered terms. They donate considerable time toward reviewing hundreds of reportseach year, researching anomalies and sharing information with other experts, sometimes worldwide. Most work is circulated by mail with annual meetings fordiscussions and voting. For bird report acceptance, nine votes are required for identification and eight votes for natural occurrence. CBRC Reviewable Bird-lists, Cumulative reports of CBRC actions, reasoning*and sometimes exceptionally rare birds are published in "Western Birds," the Western Field Ornithologistsquarterly. CBRC reports and member comments are archived at the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Ventura County, available by appointment.

GUtDEUNES FOR REPORTING BIRDS IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, page 2 of 2 Jan. '96

IV. WHO and WHERE: CONTACT LISTINGPlease call ONLY for RARE birds: as defined by

County and/or CBRC lists using these guidelines** Rare Bird Alerts with space at end for bird reports(BL) Official Birdlist for area (at L.A. Audubon Bookstore)

(#) Desired order of placing calls for personal contactsE: E-mail address H: Home phone W: Work phone(CR) County Reporter for SCAT (So. Ca. Automated Tree: intercounly)CkNTD Checked numerous times daily: o.k. for non-personal contact

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA BIRDBOX 818-952-5502 Manager: Bill Principe ( L A County CR-a & b)COUNTY COUNTY EDITOR RARE BIRD ALERTS and PERSONAL CONTACTS

Inyo Jo and Tom Heindel (CR) P.O. Box 400, Big Pine 93513 619-938-2764*

Kern Matt Heindel3891 Royce Road, Irvine 92715

John Wilson (1,CR) Ans. svc. 805-631-5585 CkNTD H: 805-325-6329*David Blue (2) H:619-446-2370 * E: dblue@ridgecrest.ca.us

(also add info to birdlist at Desert Deli in California City)Los Kimball Garrett (4)Angeles Ornithology Collections Manager

L.A. County Natural History Museum(BL) 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles 90007

W: 213-744-3368* H: 818-249-1742*(quick report only please)

E: garrett@bcf.usc.edu

Breeding Bird Atlas Regional CoordinatorMark WimerOrnithology DepartmentL.A. County Natural History Museum900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles 90007213-745-BIRD E: wimer@bcf.usc.edu

RBA (Thurs.) Jon Fisher 213-874-1318E: jon_fisher.cc.wdi.disney.com W:818-544-5009* H:818-821-0263 *

Birds of Season column in "Western Tanager"Hank Brodkin (after 1 p.m. weekdays)27'A Mast St., Marina del Rey 90292

310-827-0407*E: hankb@kaiwan.com

(1) Area Contacts;Antelope Valley

Canyon Country & northCentralMalibuP.V. Peninsula southS. Fernando Valley, No.

So.

(2,3) Neighboring Areas : (4) Kimball GarrettCharles Hood 805-273-5644*

Voice mail CkNTD 805-943-3241 x135Laura Lou Vance 805-296-5261 *Kimball Garrett see L.A.Co. EditorLarry Allen 213-221-2022*Kevin Larson 310-542-9529 *Doug Martin pager 818-563-8099 H:818-367-8967*Sandy Wohlgemuth 818-344-8531

San Gabriel Valley, East Jon Fisher see RBA listingWest Mike San Miguel H:818-355-5058 *

S.G. Mts, Whittier Narrows " E: sanmigbird@aol.com W:818-302-9519*West Side Bruce Broadbooks 310-670-8210 *Whittier/Norwalk Larry Schmahl pager 310-762-4511 H:310-695-0152 '

Orange Doug Willick (1, CR-a)2730 E. Whidby Lane, Anaheim 92806

(BL) W: 714-835-4447*; H: 714-630-5790*

RBA (Thurs.)

Richard A. Erickson

John Renna (CR-b)

(2) H:714-855-1433*

714-563-6516

W: 714-553-0666*

Riverside Robert McKeman (R: 3)San Bernardino County Museum

(BL) 2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands 92373909-798-8570 *

San Gene CardiffBernardino San Bernardino County Museum

2024 Orange Tree Lane, Redlands 92373

Riverside and San BernardinoRBA (Fri.) Stacy Peterson

Mike Patten (R/SB, 1, CR-a) E:patten@citrus.ucr.eduChet McGaugh (R/SB 2, CR-b) W:909-684-7081 *

909-793-5599**H: 909-796-6517*909-682-9889 *H:909-781-3699*

Breeding Bird Atlas Regional Coordinator: Riverside and San BernardinoBarbara Carlson H:909-369-3179 before 7:30 p.m.

P.O. Box 55419, Riverside 92517 E: bcarlson@citrus.ucr.edu

San Diego Elizabeth Copper(BL) 227 "F" Avenue, Coronado 92118

Imperial Guy McCaskie (1, CR)954 Grove Street, Imperial Beach 91932H: 619-423-7524* W: 619-279-8108 CkNTD

San Diego and ImperialRBA (Daily) Doug Aguillard

(SD: 1, CR; Imp. 3)619-479-3400**CkNTDE: dagi@cts.com

(Imp 2) Mike Patten E: patten@citrus.ucr.edu 909-682-9889*

San Luis Tom Edell (3)Obispo 46 Eighth Street, Cayucos 93430(BL) 805-995-1691 * E: tedell@aol.com

RBA (as needed) Jim Royer (1, CR-a)W:805-541-6850*

Karen Havlena (2, CR-b)Brad Schram (4)

805-528-7182**H:805-528-8933 *805-528-7965 *805-489-1260*

Santa Joan Lentz (SB: 2, CR-b)Barbara 433 Pimiento Lane, Santa Barbara 93108(BL) 805-969-4397 * E: jelentz@rain.org

Ventura Don Desjardin (V:i; CR-a) (SB: 3)10001 Halifax Street, Ventura 93004805-647-5205* E: dj(3>west.com

Santa Barbara and VenturaRBA (as needed) Karen Bridgers 805-964-8240**

(SB: 1, CR-a) (V: 3, CR-b) 805-964-1316 *

Brad Sillasen (V: 2) 805-933-9829 '

"FIELD NOTES" SOUTHERN PACIFIC COAST REGIONAL EDITOR Guy McCaskie

CALIFORNIA BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE SECRETARY Michael A. Patten

954 Grove Street, Imperial Beach 91932

P. O. Box 51959, Riverside 92517-2959E: patten@citrus.ucr.edu

Please send changes to: Wanda Dameron 23424 Jonathan Street, Canoga Park 91304

DO KEEP AN EXTRA COPY WITH BIRDBOOK and MAKE COPIES FOR FRIENDS and VISITORS.

818-340-0365

\^// ̂ r. \ The Los Angeles Audubon Society presents its 1996

14-Day Birding, Wildlife, and Photo Safari

i ^ Same reserves and national parks of Kenyawith optional extensions to Western Kenya and Tanzania

November 4-17, 1996

Escorted by Olga Clarke, Los Angeles Audubon Society

YOUR TOUR PRICE INCLUDES

>>• Roundtrip flights between Los Angeles and Nairobi.>>• Superior accommodations throughout.*y American breakfast in Nairobi; three meals daily

while on safari.*>• Welcome and FarcwoM r>inncr* "m Nairobi>>• All wildlife viewing by private safari vehicles.

chauffeured by professional driver/guides.»>• Guaranteed window seats in safari vehicles.^ Complimentary bottled water and a pair of field

glasses in each vehicle.>> Airport/hotel transfers and baggage handling.*)• All game park entry fees.>)• All applicable hotel/lodge taxes and gratuities.^ All entrance fees to places of interest visited on

sightseeing tours indicated in the itinerary.>>• Flight bag, passport wallet, and baggage tags.•>• 5250,000 Common Carrier Accident Insurance

Plan at no additional charge.>̂- Optional insurance available fbi baggage.

accident and trip cancellation.

^ffc»»* 4

• LakeBaringo samburu #

Game Reserve

• KakamegaSweetwaters #< _ ECiUATORTented Camp

KENYA

Ngorongoro^ Crater e

Lake Manyara $

TANZANIAMountain Village

Tarangire ©

Your Safari Leader

Society Bookstore, will beyour enthusiastic andknowledgeable escort foryour safari adventure. Olgais an experienced tourleader, having organizedand led birding and naturalhistory tours to a variety oflocations around the world.Recently returned from herthird East African safer!,

Olga has carefully designed this customized birding trip toher exacting specifications.

For more than twenty years Olga has been in charge of theAudubon Society Bookstore, developing that operation intothe nation's premier source for natural history books andother nature related merchandise. In addition, she deliversnumerous illustrated lectures to a wide spectrum of organi-zations throughout the year. With Park East Tours' experi-enced drivers and superb naturalist guides, you will have thvadventure of a lifetime! Don't miss this!

NOV 4 • LOS ANGELES/EN ROUTEBoard your Alitalia jumbo jet in LosAngeles, flying to Rome. (Meals Aloft)

MOV 5 • ROMEYour jet Sands this afternoon in Romewhere you transfer to your hotel in thecity. The balance of the day is on yourown to relax and prepare for ourexciting adventure. Overnight at theBEVERLY HILLS or similar. (Meals Aloft,no meals in Rome)

Evening arrival in Nairobi, the SafariCapital of East Africa. You will be metand escorted to your luxury hotel. Twonights at the NAIROBI SAFARI PARKHOTEL. (Meals Aloft)

NOW ? ° NAIROIIMeet with your courier this morning todiscuss your itinerary and the wonderful

relax by the pool to do some shopping.Birding on the grounds is an excellentintroduction to Kenya birds. Enjoy iunchand dinner on your own at one of the

G iWEEfWATElSDrive north to OI Pejeta Ranch, on theEquator, home for elephant, reticu!atedgiraffe, bufiafo, oryx, zebra and leopard.Optional activities include walldngsaferis and even petting a rhino, the

at Sweetwaters Tented Camp, vex1 <~T"<enjoy (optional cost) a unique nightgame drive - a fantastic opportunity tosee the nocturnal animals such asaardvark, aardwolf, genet, caracal,porcupine and spring hare. The soundsof the African night draw you dose tonature and hold a mystery all their own.Overnight at SWEETWATERS TENTEDCAMP. (B.L.D)

NOV 9/10 -SAMBURUContinue on to Kenya's northernprovince and the Samburu GameReserve. Along the banks of the UasoNyiro River you will easily be able toobserve well over 100 bird species,including the helmeted and vulturineguinea-fowl, red-billed hombill, weav-ers, fish eagle, superb starling, andlilac-breasted roller. Two nights at theSAMBURU SERENA LODGE.(B,L,D Daily)

NOV 11/12 • LAKE NAKURHYour drive today takes you through thepicturesque Rift Valley to Lake Nakuru,world famous haunt of flamingos.Several species of plovers are resident,and birds of prey are always much inevidence. Two nights at SAROVA LIONHILL (B,L,D Daiiy)

Depart for the Masai Mara GameReserve, the northern part of theSerengeti. Here in Kenya's mostfamous game reserve, you will havethree days of sensational bird andmammal viewing. Thrill to a close-uplook at herds of wildebeest and zebra,prides of iion, and ivory-tusked ele-phant. Enjoy an optional hot air balloonflight or an excursion to Lake Victoria.Three nights at the MARA.SERENA LODGE. (B.L.D Daily)

Following a special champagne break-fast at the hippo pools, return toNairobi, with day rooms at the SafariPark Hotel, and a farewell dinner. Lateryou'll be escorted to the airport for theflight to Rome. (A,D, Meals Aloft))

NOV i 7 ° ROME/LOS ANGELESConnect in Rome with your flight to LosAngeles. (Meals Aloft)

OPTIONAL PRETOURTANZANIA EXTENSION

773e vast Serengeti, plus Olduvai Gorge,and the incredible Ngorongoro Crater

highlight this one-week optionalextension (minimum of 4 fullpaying passengers required).

OCT 28/29/30 • LOS ANGELES/NAIROBIFly from Los Angeles to Rome. Leisure timeand overnight at BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL.Continue on to Nairobi on Day 3, whereyou'll be met and transferred to the SAFARIPARK HOTEL. (Meals Aloft)

OCT 31 - LAKE MANYARACross the border into Tanzania and drive toLake Manyara National Park. Get a close-uplook at abundant flocks of water birds, ele-phant herds and tree-climbing lions. Over-night at LAKE MANYARA HOTEL. (B.L.D)

Travel to Serengeti National Park, wheremillions of migrating animals make theirhome on these vast plains. Two nights atSERONERA WILDLIFE LODGE. (B.L.D)

Drive to Olduvai Gorge, site of the famousLeakey family archaeological digs, then toawesome Ngorongoro Crater—Africa's"Garden of Eden," second largest volcaniccrater in the world. Descend 2,000 feet intothe 100 square mile crater, where youdiscover unspoiled plains — swarming withgazelle, rhino, lion, leopard and hippo.Enjoy a picnic lunch on the floor of thecrater. Two nights at the deluxeNGORONGORO SOPA LODGE. (B,L,D)

NOV 5 o MOUNTAIN VILLAGEDrive to Lake Duluti, in sight of Mt.Kilimanjaro. Overnight at MOUNTAINVILLAGE. (B,L,D)

Cross back into Kenya and drive to theNAIROBI SAFARI PARK HOTEL, Joining themain Kenya safari group. (B)

TOUR PRICE: $3,695.00 per person, double occupancy, from Los Angeles.Tanzania Extension: $1,895.00 additional per person, dbl. occ. Single supplements: $595.00 Kenya, $395.00 Tanzania.

Optional Post-Tour Western Kenya Birding Extension

For the avid birder, we offer a great optional extensionto an already superb birding and wildlife safari!

$1,195.00 per person, double occupancy.Single supplement $195.00.

(Price based on a minimum of 4 full Raying passengers.)

NOV 16/17 • MASAI MARA/KAKAMEGA FORESTLeave the main group at the Masai Mara and drive west toKisumu on Lake Victoria and spend the greater part of theday visiting excellent birding areas at Kendu Bay and theKisumu Heronry and Fisheries. Picnic lunch en route.Continue north to the Kakamega Forest Reserve, a superbarea of virgin tropical rainforest. The Forest is one of the bestbird sanctuaries in Africa, with more than 300 species, manyfound nowhere else in Kenya. Overnights at the GOLFHOTEL. (B,L,D Daily)

NOV 18/19 • LAKE BARINGODrive east to Lake Baringo where two major ornithologicalattractions are found: Gibralter Island, with the largest

nesting colony of Goliath herons in all of East Africa, and thehome of Verreaux's eagle, the rare bristle-crowned starling,and Hemprich's hornbill. A highlight will be an early mom-ing bird walk with a resident ornithologist Then enjoy aboat ride on Lake Baringo to observe hippo, crocodile, andan astonishing variety of birdlife. Overnights at LAKEBARINGO LODGE. (B,L,D Daily)

NOV 20 • LAKE BARINGO/NAIROBIReturn to Nairobi this morning, where day rooms arereserved for you at the NAIROBI SAFARI PARK HOTEL. Theremainder of the day is free, before your farewell dinner atthe Tamarind Restaurant this evening. Transfer to the airportfor your Alitalia flights to the U.S. (B,D)

NOV 21 • ROME/LOS ANGELESThis morning your jet lands in Rome. Connect with yourflight to Los Angeles, bringing with you the memories of allthe wonderful sights of East Africa. (Meals Aloft)

OPTIONAL HOT AIR BALLOON SAFARIYour time in the Mara affords a rare opportunity to expertence the romance and sheer p&*asu*e of Ndloordrig, whitegetting & bird's-eye view of the various plains animals and.tnete movements. Afterward, fand in the midst of theAfrican bush for a champagne breafcfast especially pre-pared for you, Wattts giraffe, *ebm» wildebeest and otherlocal wildlife go about their dally routines as you savoryour meat, $$60+Q& pur p&$om.

CONDITIONS! All rates quoted are based on tariffs and value offoreign currencies in relation to the U.S. dollar In effect as ofDecember 8, 1995, and are subject to change. Rates are based ona minimum of 15 passengers traveling together on the basic Kenyasafari. The right is reserved to levy a surcharge If minimum numberof passengers is not met.

OPTIONAL LAKE VICTORIA EXCURSIONDuring your visit tn the Masai Mara Came Rsserv^yoyhave the option cf visiting lake Victoria, second largestfreshwater lake in the world amd source of the N2te l&wr*Youit see picturesque fishing dhows and unspoiledtraditional fisrttng villages* «s wefl as we? 100 species ofbirds and elusive spotted-necked otters playing along the•waters edge, Equipment is avaStebte for ftose who w&ftto try fishing ft>r giant Niie perch, #35a0£> porpetstm.

CANCELLATION AND REFUNDS: If it becomes necessary for you tocancel your tour, the following per person cancellation fees apply:up to 60 days prior to departure, $150 handling fee; 59-45 daysprior to departure, $400,' plus $100 for either extension; 44'25 daysprior to departure, $800, plus $400 for either extension; and lessthan 25 days prior to departure, refund is dependent on amountrecoverable from overseas suppliers.

_ . . _ _ . _ — . — • I

14-Day Birding, Wildlife, and Photo Safari with the Los Angeles Audubon SocietyNovember 4*17, 1996 — $3,695.00 per person

MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO PARK EAST TOURS and MAIL TO:Olga Clarke2027 El Arbollta DriveGlendale, CA 91208-1805

For more information call: Olga Clarke at (818) 249-5537 orPark East Tours at (800) 223-6078, ext. 315.

Enclosed Is my/our deposit of U.S. $ ($400.00 perperson for main tour); U.S. $ ($100.00 per personfor Tanzania portion).

Check Applicable Options:D Single room, if possible D Smoker• Request roommate, If available D Non-SmokerD Lake Victoria Excursion D Balloon Safari• Western Kenya Birding Extension

• 1 certify that I have not recently been treated for, nor am I awareof, any physical or other condition or liability that would create

I a hazard to myself or the other members of this tour.

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Photo credits: Gerry Ellis ®