Malibu: Communal Nesting in Ficus Trees

In my last post I wrote about the shocking rape of the Malibu Lagoon.  One of my fears has been for the affects on the wonderful members of the Heron family who nest in the two Ficus trees in the car park at Malibu Country Mart.  These are:  the Great Blue Heron, the Black Crowned Night Heron, the Great Egret and the Snowy Egret. When the de-watering takes place, where will they fish for their youngsters?  And if the Lagoon becomes a salt lake instead of a fresh-water wetland where nearby will they find food?

I wrote extensively about these birds in 2010.  I find the set-up totally delightful on two counts: first, that  these four varieties of Herons share their tenement-like habitat and secondly that they nest in the heart of this up-market shopping centre, disregarding the expensive cars parked by unsuspecting clientele beneath the trees...As one shopper said to me, it was great that these birds could nest there for free, when real  estate costs were astronomic! 

From the Pacific Coast Highway, you can see the trees;  I always anxiously look to see if the birds are there.  Below, you can just discern the white shapes of Egrets on the larger of the trees:   

When I first returned to the site early this year, there was the Great Blue Heron staking his claim on top of the large tree.  In 2010 he was a constant visitor but did not nest there- or not when I was in the country.  An advantage I had that year was that the host tree had been heavily over-pruned- something I disapprove of, but in this case giving me fairly clear views of both the Great Egrets and their nests.  This year, however the tree had been treated with more respect, meaning I could really only see the birds when they were on top of the canopy:

Here are the two Ficus':  Previously, I had only seen the Great Egrets nesting in the larger of the trees to the left:

This year, a swarm of Snowy Egrets made their home in the smaller tree.  Below, you can just see one of them: 

 I have always loved the animal-like trunk of this ficus:

The amount of birds in the trees has been phenomenal- many Great Egrets plus a pair of Great Blue Herons nesting in the big tree and countless Snowy Egrets in the little one, and all with chicks.  The noise can be deafening.  When I was taking photos, a regular question from shoppers  was: "Are there monkey's up there?". 

Below is what I describe as the large tree:

And here are a couple of the Great Egret's nests- bundles of sticks:

Here, one of them is about to do some nest repair work with a twig:

And here below is one of the Black Crowned Night Herons about to do something similar with his twig in the smaller tree.  In past years they have nested in a nearby Coral tree but this year I kept seeing them in this tree so suspected they were nesting there, but the foliage was too thick to check.

Here is a nest of some of the noisy Great Egret chicks:

And off flies the parent bird...

As I have said, the birds were mostly in evidence on the top of the trees.  Watching out for them was like anticipating a fantastic puppet show- you never knew whose head was going to pop up next...
Here, a Great Blue Heron keeps an eye on one of the Egrets:

 

Sometimes, the light was so bright that I could not clearly see what was happening as heads rapidly bobbed up and down and it was only when I downloaded the images that I realized how many heads there actually were: 

I find it fascinating how similar the Great Blue Herons and the Great Egrets are, especially in their neck movements:

I am totally obsessed by these birds and just love watching their interactions- I find it as absorbing as any theatrical performance...

One of the funny things is how ungainly these large birds are in the tree tops as they flop about from one too slender branch to another...

Here one of the parent birds takes off:

When I was involved with a nest of our British Grey Herons a couple of years ago, I was fascinated to watch the squabbling among the young siblings, who often were really vicious to each other.  Similarly, these young Great Egrets had great, noisy battles when a parent bird came with food:

And similarly the Great Blue Herons were constantly breaking out in fights both with each other and with intruders who came too close:

On the other hand, this Great Blue Heron seemed quite happy to let this immature young Night Heron sit nearby:

There were at least two young Night Herons flying from tree to tree, and here is one of them:

I find the parent Black Crowned Night Herons a delight:

I realize I have here rather ignored the pretty little Snowy Egrets, who were always frantically busy in their tree, but I'm afraid it was their larger relations who took my attention over these last weeks.  My final images are of Great Egrets in one of the two trees alongside the Ficus', which I believe are Norfolk Island Pines (Araucaria heterophylla):

Their cones reminded me of those on a Bunya-Bunya tree which are spectacular and can be massive!

This Egret was perched on the very top of the tree, reminding me of a Christmas tree Angel!

And then he flew away..

Malibu Lagoon: Paradise Lost

Save Malibu Lagoon Supporters on Peaceful Walk

For the last eight years when I have been staying in Santa Monica and West Los Angeles, Malibu Lagoon has been my Paradise.  This Paradise has now been raped, despite enormous efforts of Save Malibu Lagoon , environmentalists, scientists and even Malibu City Council.  More about that later, but first this is my personal Celebration of the Lagoon.

Many hours of my childhood were spent by Scottish lochs, picnicking and watching birds.  Although certainly much warmer, Malibu Lagoon fulfilled this remembered idyll.  I would take sandwiches and my camera, and wander down winding paths through undergrowth, rich with plants and shrubs and nostalgic smells:

   

Always there was the excitement of wondering what/who you would come across round each corner- sometimes a Great Egret taking a stroll:

 Sometimes a rabbit, hiding in the undergrowth:

Then I would arrive at the bank on the North West side of the Lagoon- so near the Pacific Coast Highway, but you might be miles away...There I would sit on a tuft of grass, in Heaven, gazing around me...it was always different, always unexpected.  When the Brown Pelicans were about there was the constant loud report of them landing on the water and beating their wings, thus creating a musical beat in the background.  Here are some sitting together:

    Cormorants were a constant visitor, always stretching out their wings to shake the water off:

 And just a few weeks ago, there was a Mallard with her nine ducklings- how are they now, I wonder?

  Ahead of me, there was the little island, nearly always occupied: 

 And beyond the island, there was the busy beach, with colourful, out of scale bathers and surfers:

The Heron family- the Great Blue Heron, the Black Crowned Night Heron, the Snowy Egret and the Great Egret- are among my favourite birds and were a constant delight.  Here is the Great Blue Heron:

Here are Great Egrets fishing:

 Now they are joined by a Black Crowned Night Heron:

  Two of the Night Herons, waiting patiently for food:

 So many amazing birds- I've just shown a few...

When I took these last photos, I knew they were probably the final ones I would take before this Paradise for me and the birds was demolished.  Sure enough, when I next went, 6' high fences, covered in tarpaulin, had been erected all round the perimeters and I was faced with this notice:

 Restoration and ENHANCEMENT??  California State Parks, backed by the California Coastal Commission, seem to think this is so...they want to turn it into some sort of sterile, concrete Amusement Park.  Their excuse for dredging the lagoon is the contaminated water but scientists say their plan will not solve it, the contamination coming from the hills above.  Somehow, they can bypass laws- laws protecting birds in the nesting season, laws protecting endangered species- in this case: the Tidewater Goby fish, the Least Terns and the Snowy Plovers- all of whom seem to be able to survive the contamination...

The bulldozers were not then yet in action, but last Sunday- June 17th- I went again- so very, very sad- and this is only the beginning....

 One of their first actions was to uproot 7 Sycamore (London Plane) trees- proudly announcing that the trees were going to remain on the site, some in the water for birds to perch on and some as park benches...likewise, we were told all forms of wildlife were being rescued- really?  Above and below are the remains of the trees:

 Piles of earth and discarded undergrowth everywhere, and below you can see one of the delightful wooden bridges that lead you through the centre of the lagoon on your way to the beach- they are being removed too:

  And finally, this wasteland....