This year the loss of wing feathers was not noticable until the second week in August. It took until August 13 before almost all the wing primary and secondary feathers were gone. This may be related to the observation that the coot had feathers in excellent condition through spring and summer. This seemed unusual for a bird of this advanced age, probably well into his teens. This year no unusual vitamins or drugs were used for molting, except the general bird vitamin drops in his drinking water.

The feather loss this year not nearly so dramatic as in past years. The coot's crippled wing was the first to start shedding wing primaries and then secondaries. As this picture shows, he is not concerned about the lost feather.

On August 15, new pinfeather growth was showing on the broken wing. An old secondary wing flight feather may also be showing. This crippled wing may give a better view because of pieces missing.

In spite of the loss of his wings, the coot can still jump up onto the dock to eat every morning.

The annual molt may have come late because of the nesting day being a week late this summer. Perhaps this indicates a longer summer and a short winter. Maybe.

By the end of the month, the coot's wing flight feathers are about half grown.

Since any sort of veterinary help or treatment is not available for wild birds, trying to diagnose this condition is probably pointless. However, a few links to Bird Banding literature may give clues. "A Study of ,Bird "Pox," or "Foot Disease." describes what they call "foot disease," bird "pox," epithelioma contagiosum, etc. Another journal "Recovery of Foot-Pox Diseased Red-Winged Blackbird" shows that birds sometimes recover from this condition.

These images show the early stages of the foot disease in juvenile blackbirds. These birds are just starting their first year molt.

Here, birds are only noticed when they are crippled by this, so the possibility of recovery cannot be proven.

Fiver's Father, the crippled elderly male blackbird, shows some gradual deterioration in the condition of his legs during the month. His overall health and attitude is somewhat worse and no longer holds his dominant position among the other males.

This juvenile blackbird has lost the use of both legs. This seems to be a convenient spot to be able to sit down and remain upright.

Even with hand feeding, the winter survival of these severely crippled birds seems unlikely. This bird was only seen on two days.

This blackbird has been impaled by a dart from a blowgun. This blackbird stays around the docks for three days and then is gone.

One of this blackbird's tail feathers appears to have grown out inside the hollow shaft of the previous feather, perhaps not having molted out completely.

Habitat Loss

The huge area where plants and flowers were removed from around the marina and sprayed with herbicide continues to be a source of consternation. Shown at right, any plants that happen to come up in the bare earth appear to have again been killed by spraying with herbicide. The two plants in the foreground are dry and wilted but the soil is damp.

However, the soil that had apparently been sprayed with herbicide previously, is still watered on a routine basis.

If the herbicide used was Monsanto Roundup®, as the Port of San Diego uses, it is a "topkill" herbicide that is only effective when sprayed on live foliage. Continued spraying will be necessary whenever any plants grow, especially if irrigation with fresh water continues.

Nearby, this large rock, added after the removal of the vegetation, shelters a small succulent plant. Perhaps someone will start a betting pool on how long this small patch of life will escape discovery and extermination. The purpose of these new rocks is unknown.

The picture at the right shows how the riprap around the marina looked in November of 2006.

It almost looked like a natural shallow water estuary filled with waterfowl and fish, surrounded by living plants and flowers.

The Grass

Port employees were seen spraying an unknown substance on the half-dead lawn at Marina View Park on the morning of August 19. There seemed little point in asking what it was.

The Swallows

The number of swallows decreases during the month of August. Only one or two appear around their nests in the mornings by the end of the month.

The Ducks-postscript

The effort to gain arrests and indictments for the killing of wild birds has reached an impasse. According to agent Nichols, physical evidence of the exact species of bird is required. The contention is that these were not protected birds. After digging through the dumpsters behind the office, nobody can fault this effort. Of course, the tenants here don't really care what kind of bird was being killed.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service agent requests the reporting of any sort of pest control vehicles on the property, such as the one shown at the right. However, this vehicle has only been seen recently, and the disappearance of the birds began a year ago this month.

The number of ducks here continues to decrease through August for an unknown reason. No ducks can be found in the three parks, and only about twenty remain in the marina.

Viewpoint - Hindsight

The primary threat to wildlife for the past fifty years has been loss of habitat. In many parts of the world this is no longer credible, the habitat is already gone. This is certainly the case in the Southern California bight from Point Conception to Mexico. Except for a few tiny isolated spots, the wetlands are all gone. There is just not enough contiguous habitat to support a viable population.

The problem faced by wildlife now affects the few species that have managed to survive by moving into the urban environment. Local government and commercial property managers now work to exterminate the remaining wildlife that are perceived as a nuisance to their operations.

For almost a year, several indications of problems were overlooked because of ignorance of the law and inattention to facts. People are generally naive and have misconceptions about how local agencies work. It's always easier to look the other way, until in this case, it became impossible to ignore. Between fifty and one hundred wild birds have disappeared. Education is always valuable, and in this case it didn't come cheap. The following lessons were learned the hard way from this experience.

As shown last month, properly posted signs in accordance with California Penal Code 602 give legal proof of both the authority and intent to arrest trespassers on this property.

New signs posted in September appear to defy the existing signs. However there is nothing on these signs that would give legal authority to do this.

California property owners unable to enforce these signs risk a lawsuit for adverse posession.

Brewers Blackbirds are not the smartest birds in the world, but they are becoming tame, and eventually learn where the food is.

Blackbirds have always been a source of trouble for coots. Click on this link to see bbirds.wmv, and how Beaky deals with this problem. Blackbirds don't eat much, but there are a lot of them.

Here is something different and a bit unusual. These Western Scrub Jays are afraid of the worms that seem to be guarding the peanuts in this plastic dish. After a few tries, one bird finds a way to deal with the worms.

Click on this link to see solved.wmv, and see how it is done. Notice how the bird stays as far away from the other worms as possible, while still staying on the table.

Big Picture:

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The pair of mallards that would eat Beaky's food and upset his dishes are gone. The juvenile seagull returns to spread terror across the docks.

Index:

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