Marine life, how close it is.

Have you ever visited a saltwater marsh and explored its marine life? There is one nearby at the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Life will begin here for many sea creatures and it will also be the destination of many birds on their seasonal migrations. Salt marshes are an ecosystem that are essential to oceans, the creatures within and all creatures that take advantage of this bounty. This transition zone is where fresh water mixes with salt water and the land meets the sea. You will find naturally protected waters filled with new life that are a part of this oceanic nursery and its cycle of life.

Pacific Ocean is not an aquarium.

Some fortunate visitors may find some of the ocean’s sea creatures on their visit, if they open their senses and carefully observe what is around them. Fish and creatures of the ocean can not always be easily observed as in an aquarium. We can not guarantee what you will experience and see, therefore watch our video clip. Now, we welcome you to come and find some of the elusive marine life of the salt marsh at the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. Public tours are available on the last Saturday of the month.

Eyes on the Colony

Least Tern Monitoring at Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge:

By Carolyn Vance, USFWS Volunteer, Seal Beach NWR

Volunteers Needed

Eyes on the Colony (EOTC), the California Least Tern predator monitoring program, needs your help! Last year was not as successful as it could have been with no more than 16 fledglings ever seen at one time out of 120+ chicks.

This was primarily due to all the predation by Peregrine falcons and Red-tailed hawks. After battling Great-horned owls and Kestrels the last couple of years, and having a great 2016 year, we are dismayed with last year’s results.

Documentation

We need to document any predation to the terns. Permitting standards require that we thoroughly document and identify avian predators which are taking Least terns before requesting their removal. So, the Refuge needs more help observing avian predators at times when they are active.

Observers

If you can commit to a minimum of 4 hours a week to EOTC, or just want more information, please contact Refuge Manager Rick Nye via email at: Richard_nye@fws.gov. Historically, we have watched in four hour shifts from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Apply quickly, the season is just starting, and you will not want to miss the opportunity. California Least tern nesting season, will begin now and continue into early summer. You must obtain a badge from the Navy to access the Refuge by filling out some background paperwork and must be a U.S. Citizen. Training and equipment is provided.

Fringe Benefits

I adore doing EOTC! A car is the best birding blind, and besides watching our wonderful Least terns going back and forth, you will get up close looks at Belding’s Savannah sparrows, swallows, and all the other birds and critters that call the Refuge home and/or breed here. See the Birds Photo Gallery for additional views of Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge’s winged visitors.

They’re Here!

Its mid-November and all of Orange County’s Most Wanted birds, except for the Nelson’s Sparrow, are at the Refuge. Here is a recap of birds and what all I’ve been seeing this month:

Wanted Birds

Burrowing Owl (Athene cunicularia) – This adorable little owl with the long legs is still in the same place and several times I’ve seen him standing outside his hole.

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) – Showed off his speed and agility on our Special Birding Tour for Santa Monica Audubon by chasing after a bird at 70+ mph! He landed on a pole, with empty talons, but we all got good looks, as he turned this way and that, showing the brown, narrower face stripe that distinguishes him from a peregrine.

Peregrine Falcons – Speaking as peregrine, as I wrote last month, we have a banded, Migrant Peregrine falcon hanging out on the poles on Signal Rd. On a beautiful, warm November day, our Resident female Peregrine flew in to a nearby pole on Signal, next to our Visitor. They eyed each other, then our Resident went screaming at her. I got to see, and hear, an incredible aerial battle between two top, and really, really, fast, predators! They flew at each other, locking talons, upside down, all the while screaming their displeasure. Right in front of me. Our Resident finally chased the Migrant away then claimed her perch.

Waterfowl – While we have had Canada geese flying in, not nearly in the numbers we have had in prior years. Our duck populations are also low – once again, just a few each of Northern Pintail, Ruddy duck, American Wigeon, Bufflehead, Mallard, and Lesser Scaup. However, there are plenty of

Western Grebes, a favorite of our resident Peregrine Falcon. I finally saw a Brant in 7th St. Pond, as I have only been seeing them out towards Alamitos Bay in the water.

Ridgway’s Rail – the Rail count done in early November tallied 98, down a bit from prior years. However, one rail was heard calling from the north side of Bolsa, so they may be expanding their range. Our Refuge Manager, Rick Nye, is considering adding more nesting platforms for them in that area.

Green Sea Turtles – Since early September, turtles have been seen in Perimeter Pond and Case St. Pond, in addition to 7th St. Pond. We have been seeing them more and more in the other ponds, and less and less in 7th St. We think we may know why. It was discovered that the eel grass, which the turtles eat, is mostly gone from 7th St. Pond. There are on a very few, small patches left. Seems they’ve eaten themselves out of house and home. What will be done about this is still up for discussion.

This Report as of November 20, 2017.

Special Birding Tours Start

Our 2017-2018 Special Birding Tours at the Refuge started off with Santa Monica Audubon Society. This Chapter hasn’t been out here in many years, so it was a pleasure to show them around again.

Refuge Manager Rick Nye plus Volunteers John Fitch and Carolyn Vance helped guide SMAS to a whopping 70 species seen during their four-hour Tour.

Bird Report

The usual shorebirds, seen across from the Nature Center, were Long-billed Curlew, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Western & Least Sandpipers, Red Knot, Dunlin, Long-billed Dowitcher, and Black-bellied Plovers, but the lone Pacific-golden Plover previously reported seen was a no-show.
Hog Island gave them Large-billed Savannah Sparrow, Common Yellowthroat, White-crowned Sparrow as well as our resident Belding’s Savannah Sparrow. We also had a far-away view of the White-tailed Kite that has been here since end of September, Surf Scoters and Forester’s Terns out in the bay, but no Light-footed Ridgeway’s Rail came out or called. The Nelson’s Sparrow hasn’t arrived yet, either.

Raptors included several Red-tailed Hawks, fleeting looks at the Ferruginous Hawk and male Northern Harrier (we did get better looks at a couple of female Harriers), two Peregrine falcons, American Kestrels, a couple of Osprey, one eating a fish just across from the Nature Center, and an up-close look at the Burrowing Owl, who was standing completely out of his hole. The Prairie Falcon came zooming in (John estimated 70+ mph) after a bird, missed, and sat on top of a pole for a good look.

Surprisingly, we only had a small flyover of Canada geese (6) and one Brant in 7th St. Pond. Duck numbers were low also, but we did see Mallard, American Wigeon, and a pair of Northern Pintail.
The reported Lapland Longspur wasn’t with the Horned Larks, but we had lots and lots of Killdeer in that area as well as Mourning Doves. All in all, a good day birding.
Stay tuned for more reports, as we have 7 more trips schedule for this season!

Sea Turtle’s Travels

Our Green Sea Turtle (Chelonia mydas) got bored hanging around the Nature Center, so we all hopped in the Pelican Van and motored on out to Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s  Autumn Sea Fair on November 19, 2017. Preferring to be chauffeured and wanting to share his adventure, he took Volunteers

Esther Cummings, Patti Smith, Carolyn Vance and Jillian Gallery along for the ride. He also brought along California Sea Lion (Zalophus californianus) and Harbor Seal (Phoca vitulina) (replica skulls) to show everyone he’s a vegetarian.

Turtle / Autumn Sea Fair

Once there, he basked in the attention of hundreds of children and adults, all wanting to check him out! He showed them his stubby “teeth”, which have finely serrated edges, like the teeth of a saw, which he uses to tear and eat the eel grass in the Refuge’s ponds.

Green, being a very generous sea turtle, gave the children posters of his friends, ocean fish, plus coloring and activity books to remember their visit with him. Their parents were told about all the fun learning to be had on the monthly Refuge Tour and were invited to come visit.

Dangers of Trash

Green was so very happy to see that the Aquarium warned everyone about the dangers of trash in the sea, and urged them to not throw plastic into his home. He put on a brave beak at the sight of Trash Monster, but with all of his old, and new friends, there to support him, he stared down Trashy.

After a long day at the Aquarium, Green was exhausted and glad to be back home, resting comfortably on top of his fur-topped shelf in the Nature Center. He knows the Refuge, with all the eel grass, is a good place for his relatives to eat and visit. He would just like to join them.

Come visit Green, and all the other fish, sea turtle, mammals, birds and humans at their home in our tidal salt marsh, here at the Seal Beach NWR.

Fall Migration is Here!

Carolyn Vance

 

Fall Migration is on and birds are flying south to spend the cold winter months at our Refuge! Every day is a treat to be out seeing what new birds have arrived that day. Here are some of the birds seen so far.

September and October Birds:

 

White-tailed Kite – we are up to four of them. Note their bright yellow legs and feet. They love this antenna pole as it has a panoramic view of open fields, looking for mice and insects.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Burrowing Owl – so far only one has shown up. This guy is sticking out of squirrel bolt-hole in an agriculture field known for its mice and insect population. This field is also a favorite with our resident coyotes and I have seen them dig out mice on several occasions.

 

 

Peregrine Falcon – while we do have a pair, or three, who are residents, this bird has bands on both of her legs.

I say “her” because this is a big falcon and female raptors are bigger than males. She also has rusty-brown chest and thick moustachial stripe (what we would call “sideburns”) leading me to think she is of the anatum subspecies. She likes to perch right up against the middle of the phone poles overlooking most of the marsh. Swallows and eared grebes have been her meals of choice, so far.

 

 

Red-tailed Hawk – these are the Refuge’s iconic hawk and in winter can be seen from just about every other pole. While we do have two breeding pairs, I saw a darker bird today hanging out by NASA Island, our Least Tern nesting area.

 

Cassin’s Kingbirds – a pair was seen on the very southern border on our high-tide count.

 

Ruddy Ducks – a pair was seen only one day in late September in Case Pond, then moved on. More will be down to spend the winter.

 

 

 

 

This report is as of October 8, 2017.

Carolina Sphinx Moth Discovered!

A Carolina Sphinx Moth was finally identified as what we saw glowing red in our spotlights during the August Night Mammal Survey at the Refuge. Dozens of them were seen flying around over the agriculture fields.
A large moth, gray in color, with indistinct black lines and brown shading, it usually has six pairs of yellow spots on its abdomen. Of course, we didn’t see those at night – we only saw their red-glowing eyes as they zipped back and forth. The glow was so bright, I thought they were from a coyote, except it was way too high up.
You can find out more about this moth at: http://bugguide.net/node/view/3244
Photo and identification thanks to Kim Moore.

National Public Lands Day 2017

Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge and The U.S. Navy welcomes, the Toyota Volunteer 2017 Team. Toyota Motor North America, is the Corporate sponsor  of (NPLD) National Public Lands Day 2017. Toyota Volunteers once again have stepped up and have given assistance to the Refuge in support of this special day. National Public Lands Day is a single-day volunteer event for public lands. Typically the event is held annually on the last Saturday in September. Seal Beach (NWR) National Wildlife Refuge and Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station have had to modify this date to meet everyone’s availability. A Pre-National Public Lands Day exclusive to Toyota and an additional day were added for the Public.

Toyota Volunteers 2017 Restore Habitat

September 29, Toyota Volunteers showed that they were “Driven” to give. Their work will make the habitat and Refuge a better place for all. They would like to encourage all to make a difference. Nationally, this event brings together hundreds of thousands of individuals and organizations that will collectively help restore America’s public lands.

Making the world a better place are not just words from a song, it is what you can do in your own backyard. Whether you visit one our Country’s National Parks, Refuges or even a city park, make everyday a Public Lands Day and put liter in its place.

Make a Difference

The Toyota Volunteers came to the event eager and smiling. Participants enjoyed their day cleaning the trash debris that has been piling up along the shoreline of the salt marsh on the Refuge. They were amazed at what they had found and the amount of trash collected in the small strip of the Refuge where they worked. Many were heard to say, “Our families will stop using straws and Styrofoam containers.” Therefore, even if they do not, it would be nice if all this trash found its way into trash bins and stayed out of the waterways. By the end of the afternoon it was clear that this group had made a difference and the trailer full of trash proved it.

Invitation to Give Back

The Public has been invited to participate in this National Public Lands Day 2017 event on October 14, 2017, from 8 A.M. till 12 P.M. Bring your family, friends, students, or coworkers to spend the day outdoors giving back to your community by picking up trash, that has found its way onto a beautiful stretch of Orange County beach that needs some love and a little less trash. Most of all, your work will help ensure that our public lands continue to be beautiful places for all to enjoy!

Recently introduced

Visitors and residents can now see the results of  the “NEW ” program,  Adopt-a-Highway. Recently introduced as a new program and volunteer activity of the Friends of Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge. The State of California allows individuals or groups to participate in this program designed to keep our roadways clean. Roadside trash will now be collected and recycled along Pacific Coast Highway. The Southern edge of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge borders P.C.H.. Volunteers have seen a need and are taking action to improve and beautify Pacific Coast Highway. This “New” program is intended to divert a constant flow of trash that makes it’s way into the Refuge and as a result will make Seal Beach a more attractive place to visit.

Volunteers keep liter in its place

Remember that storm drains and rivers carry more than water to our salt marshes and beaches. Trash is moved by water run-off from city streets and will follow the course of rivers and drainage channels, sometimes traveling for miles until it reaches the ocean.

If you can do your part to keep liter in its place we will be working together to save our local beaches the fragile Salt marsh habitat and the environment. Did you know that the Eastern Pacific Green Sea Turtle (also known as the Black Sea Turtle) uses the waterways of the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge? Green Sea Turtles’ natural food is sea grasses and algae, common plastic bags and trash are often mistaken for food. Eating this type of food may result in death or life threatening entanglement.

 

Green sea turtles, along with all six other species of sea turtles, are listed as either threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This means that they face a risk of extinction in the wild.

 

Please by careful as you drive by our team of volunteer workers, they are there to to help Seal Beach and the Seal Beach National Wildlife Refuge’s natural beauty shine.