This is the second in a series of three articles on birding in the U.S. Virgin Islands. I headed there recently to learn about the birds on St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, and the ecosystems that nurture them.
Birds of the Season — October 2021
Fall is the most exciting and most anticipated time of year for birders in southern California. Still, some years are better than others. Did this year live up to expectations, fall short, or exceed them? Now at the end of October, it’s easy to make the case that it exceeded them.
If the spring of 2021 was defined by a near complete lack of vagrants, the fall was defined by a complete reversal of those fortunes. To call it epic isn’t much of an exaggeration. Though there were few super rarities, unusual birds were discovered almost daily, with multiples of most expected eastern warblers and a variety of others represented in the mix.
A handful of early fall arrivals were recorded as were a number of late southbound migrants. It’s inevitable that as the intensity of birding in the county increases, the more rarities and early and late records will be documented. Naturally, weather, climate change and year to year variation in movements, breeding success and distribution play a role as well. Regardless, the number of vagrants found is represented by an upward curve.
While the deserts of Los Angeles County were hot as always, summer on the coastal slope was rather mild. Wildfires- devastating for parts of central and northern California- had a very modest impact locally. A good thing, since we could all use a respite after the ugly fire season of 2020 and the woes of the ongoing pandemic.
In 2021, with La Niña conditions having developed and expected to remain in place, the odds for a drier than normal winter are higher. Hope lies in the fact that this is not certainty. An exceptionally long drought capped by the remarkably dry winter of 2020-2021 leaves us hoping for at least average precipitation this winter. Aside from providing water for agriculture and every other human need, bird habitats would benefit significantly.
Let’s take a look at the greater and lesser birds of note from September and October…
Inconsistencies and Missed Opportunities .... Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve
The facts remain that the areas of the Ballona Wetlands were designated as a State Ecological Reserve with specific language as to the protection of coastal salt marsh and freshwater marsh habitats and the species associated with these habitats. NO Land Management Plan has been prepared for the Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve since it was designated in 2005, even though some 15 million dollars have been spent through the California Coastal Conservancy to prepare a ‘restoration’ plan that is neither a ‘restoration’ nor a plan that protects the resources designated in California code to be protected at Ballona Wetlands Ecological Reserve.
Oso Flaco Lake
Huntington Beach Oil Spill – Pipeline Breach of October 2, 2021
Recently, my hometown of Huntington Beach has been much in the news, and not for a happy reason. For the past 10 days, the media has been saturated with coverage of an oil spill that originated there on October 2nd, 2021. Between 125,000 and 144,000 gallons (the exact estimated number varies) spewed from a ruptured pipeline, and as I write this the oil slick continues a relentless path southward. Currently, oil from the spill has been sighted as far south as Carlsbad, in San Diego County. Hopefully by the time you read this article the disaster will no longer be front page news, as that would mean clean-up has been completed. Sadly, “completed” only means that visible oil has been gathered and hauled away from the waters and beaches. It is an inevitable fact that some oil will remain entwined with the delicate and unique ecosystems along our coast, and it is quite possible the magnitude of the damage will never be properly inventoried.
If We Had Enough Peanut Butter We Could Save the World & Cream of Peanut Soup (Recipe)
Summer Fellows: Moving Forward, Working with Nature
Los Angeles Audubon's Summer Fellows Program has been a strong learning resource for many alumni from the Greenhouse Program, Kenneth Hahn Environmental Internship, and the West Los Angeles College Conservation Studies Certificate Program. This program provides hands-on experience along with further environmental education learning. Summer Fellows work on habitat restoration at the Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook and Kenneth Hahn Recreation Area.