Ever since the really tall dead tree vanished from the edge of Bluffs Park (fell down, was blown down, perhaps it was cut down?) raptor sightings have dropped off significantly. So it was heartening to see the hawk this morning, watching its partner fly over the Pepperdine lawn, fighting off a crowd of crows as it tried to catch some breakfast.

The fact that one two of the self-described slow-growth, no-development environmentalists elected to the Malibu City Council last year just tipped the vote in favor of an EIR to turn the last wild vestige of Bluffs Park into soccer fields makes every wildlife sighting all the more poignant. (Jefferson Wagner was the sole 'no' vote.)