Bird

NEWPORT BEACH — A city project to control erosion along Lower Buck Gully will also restore the area's natural landscape and remove threatening birds that lay eggs in other birds' nests, according to a California Coastal Commission staff report. The staff recommends approval of the project, which will be discussed at the Wednesday's Coastal Commission meeting. The project involves placing wire-mesh baskets filled with river rock in the lower part of Buck Gully and installing rock structures in the upper bend of the creek.

Editor's note: This adds the fifth through seventh paragraphs. BALBOA ISLAND — The street was empty Tuesday as James Palmer went back to the last place where his 6-year-old daughter's pet bird was seen. Walking down a sunny Garnet Avenue toward South Bay Front just before noon, Palmer pointed to different trees that Banana Split — a bright, ice blue-colored Pacific parrotlet — liked to frequent. During the stroll, he also signaled toward neighbors' houses the tiny bird enjoyed visiting.

NEWPORT BEACH — Residents in Newport Heights worry that a tree-trimming program threatens species of protected birds that nest there during the spring mating season. Some Clay Street homeowners are questioning the city's trimming of about 15 ficus trees that line the street, saying that birds have built active nests among those branches and limbs. Department Director of Municipal Operations Mike Pisani said city contractors check the trees before trimming and leave those with active nests alone.

The 2011 OC Marathon course will not use Back Bay Drive in order to protect endangered birds that live there, a race spokesman said Tuesday. Marathon organizers have eliminated the road that hugs the eastern shore of Upper Newport Bay in response to concerns raised by the U.S. Department of Fish and Game about the welfare of endangered species of birds that inhabit the area. These include the light-footed clapper rail and the California gnatcatcher. "There were concerns that introducing 10,000 or 12,000 people into the environment would not be a good thing for the birds," said Race Director Gary Kutscher.

Soccer moms, it seems, are so last decade. The latest fashion in parenting is animal moms. The trend is being fueled largely by the book that has everyone talking, "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. " And by "everyone," I mean other moms, as well as TV talk-show hosts, media pundits and late-night comics. The new memoir, by Yale professor Amy Chua, chronicles the author's efforts to give her two daughters what she considers a traditional, ultra-strict Chinese upbringing aimed at producing successful kids.

Editor's note: Veteran Newport Beach real estate executive Tom Iovenitti, who used to pen a column for View magazine, has agreed to contribute columns to the Coastal Real Estate section. This is his first. Remember me? I'm still around, still actively engaged in real estate, still snooping around the streets of coastal Orange County, investing, partnering and talking to those who call or e-mail. It's great to be back in print creating interesting and area-specific articles about real estate, agency, economics, projections, optimism, disappointments and failures.

Chances are, as you read this, your living room is strewn with wrapping paper and holiday greeting cards. Gadgets are being plugged in, instruction sheets are being deciphered and calories are being consumed. The daily paper is soon to be dissected, a preamble to tomorrow's post-holiday sales and savings. Christmas Day celebrations have a lot to do with relationships, sharing, gratitude and peace. Families come together, friends call each other, children are at their happiest and collectively, we all show our appreciation and love for each other.

Our hero, our father, James Milton Bird, passed to Heaven, as dawn broke over Newport Beach on Sept. 23, 2010. Dad, in a peaceful sleep, was embraced with tenderness as we said farewell, expressing our gratitude for his love, faithfulness, integrity, intelligence and sense of humor. Our mother, Winolee Bird, stood with us as she bravely said goodbye to her husband for the last time. Dad was born in Wenatchee, Wash., to Leroy and Nellie Bird on Flag Day, June 14, 1917. He graduated from Washington State University with a degree in metallurgical engineering.

The city of Newport Beach is trying to reach an agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on how to route the Orange County Marathon so that runners do not potentially harm the nesting grounds of an endangered bird as they pass through the Upper Back Bay area. Tara Finnigan, a spokeswoman for the city of Newport Beach, said the issue recently was brought to the attention of city staff, and that federal officials had expressed concern about the timing of the race in May, which coincides with the light-footed clapper rail's breeding season.

After five years of successful breeding in Newport Beach, once-threatened ospreys have begun to spread their domain. A female born on a man-made platform in the Upper Newport Bay gave birth recently to a chick at another specialized platform a few miles away, in neighboring Irvine. Experts say this is a positive sign for a sensitive species that for decades had no known nests in Southern California. The osprey, a bird-of-prey threatened by hunters and DDT, has been cared for locally by a group of dedicated conservationists.