Late molting this summer may indicate a later winter, but some birds were sighted here that had not been seen for several months. This tiny sandpiper is probably a spotted sandpiper, but not in breeding plumage.

This is probably the same bird that has been here the past two years, since its habit of foraging around the docks is the same. Other sandpipers have been seen in small flocks in September.

The pied billed grebe was also seen in September, still in piebald breeding colors.

The first coot of this winter migration arrived September 23, about an hour before sunrise. It was foggy and didn't seem like a good day for night travel. She is a female, and Beaky directly set out to begin bowing to her. After a few attempts, she didn't respond by nibbling his head, so he pecked her. She had no other option for the day, so she followed him around the docks. She is very wild, and would not come near enough to get any food or water. The next morning she was gone.

Fiver's Father, the crippled elderly male blackbird, disappeared after the first week of September, and is presumed dead.

The female blackbird that had been impaled with a blowgun dart was seen and fed again in September, but is not a regular visitor. She acts as if she is in good health, but the dart must be painful. While walking around the boat, the dart caught on the folds in a bath towel, and she acted as if she had been attacked by something.

Beaky Coot's wing feathers were completely regrown by the second week in September. This was a bit later than last year when he had recovered his feathers by the end of August.

His wing primaries are nearly as long as his tail, making it possible to fold his wings over his tail to keep his crippled wing from dragging in the water.

More Diesel fuel spills brought the Coast Guard to the marina in September, but the birds are not affected.

Beaky Coot is able to howk his food dish out of the hole under the steps, and eat what he wants. However, he does not remember to hide it again, and the gull may take it. The gulls again had the idea that food might be available, and two dishes and the cup disappeared. So it's impractical to leave anything out now, even with the ducks gone.

It is normal for coots to be shy and reclusive during the summer molt, but this time it is worse than ever. The juvenile gull that had been the terror of the dock since spring, now concentrates on the coot's food dish. It is clear now that the coot is inconsolable with fear when any gull is nearby, and will run away from the boat.

The gull probably has no interest in the coot, Beaky just happens to get in the way between the gull and the food.

It seems like the coot sleeps in a different place every night, and when he is finished eating in the morning, picks another new place to hide.

Loss of habitat was the greatest threat to wildlife in the twentieth century, but that is over. The habitat is gone, and wild animals are left to live in the urban environment.

The final threat to wildlife now is extermination by local government and commercial property managers. They are able to defy federal law, when wildlife becomes a nuisance to their operations. When they lie to voters, taxpayers, and tenants by misrepresenting state law, and trying to imply that getting rid of the last of these animals is somehow helping them. It's just wrong.

California Penal Code Section 597 - "every person who maliciously and intentionally maims, mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal, or maliciously and intentionally kills an animal, is guilty of an offense punishable by imprisonment in the state prison, or by a fine of not more than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), or by both"

In August the following article was cited as an example of what can happen if you park here:"Eat Here and Get Towed" Clark Waters' motor home (and only home) was impounded while he was eating at Denny's Restaurant.

The September 24 San Diego Reader carries a report that Waters was able to recover the cost of towing from the owner of Midway Towne Center plus money for damages caused by coastal Pride Towing. Recently, Waters filed to recover $1880 from Coastal Pride because California law states that anyone who overcharges a vehicle owner for towing is liable for four times the amount charged.

Beaky Coot still treats lettuce as if it were candy. Click on this link to see lettuce.wmv, and how Beaky gets excited over a tiny bit of lettuce.

It has been more than a year since I saw him eat a piece of lettuce that he found himself. I got the idea that he would like a bit of lettuce every day, and now he wants it all the time.

Big Picture:

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The western scrub jays really like peanuts. They like to hide them or bury them.

Index:

Home

Background

Coot Food

Recipe for Coot Pudding

Coot Misinformation

Bibliography of Research

Coot Calls and Movies

Historical Summary

Links to Important Sites

Opinion