Bird Walk with Tracy Drake, Manager and Naturalist at the Madrona Marsh Preserve, Torrance, CA

by Amy Jaecker-Jones

When our California Naturalist class first met Tracy, she was already excited about leading a walk at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum and had listed the location as a birding "hot spot" on the website eBird. According to Tracy, the Rancho's location is ideal for birds. It lies along the Pacific Flyway, in which migrating birds make their way north or south every year. Traditionally, birds' flight paths follow rivers. In southern California, where rivers often run dry, birds will follow freeways. It makes sense. When seen from above, freeways must look like long and winding tracks of water.

But, there are many places along the Pacific Flyway that do not have the abundance and diversity of birds found at the Rancho. What other qualities might make this a perfect stopping point for migrating birds? To answer this question, Tracy urged us to think about the Rancho in the context of its surrounding communities. Sandwiched between the cities of Carson, Compton, and Long Beach, it is a green oasis in a gray land of cement, train tracks, and freeways. That's not to say that the cities of Carson, Compton, and Long Beach don't have areas of beauty. They certainly do. It just means that when a bird flies overhead, the predominant view is of an urban environment, rather than wildlands. Elevation is also a factor in determining the popularity of this site. The Rancho sits on a hilltop. Hilltops, she explained, are attractive to both butterflies and birds. Additionally, nearby Compton Creek provides an essential water source.

Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans)

Apart from migrating birds, many species make their year-round home in southern California. Taking advantage of the qualities mentioned above, several types of birds breed at the Rancho. Among them are black phoebes, house sparrows, and yellow-chevroned parakeets. I was excited by the possibility of finding a yellow-chevroned parakeet nest, but learned that this type of bird builds their nests in the tops of palm trees. Indeed, on our walk we saw several parakeets flying upward and into the palms.

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet (Brotogeris Chiriri)

As we covered the Rancho grounds, Tracy pointed out some common birds. Often, they were not even visible, but that didn't stop her from identifying them and finding their locations. I know that experts rely on hearing to find birds and to distinguish between similar species. Personally, I can only identify a few birds by this method. I admitted my weakness to Tracy and asked her how I might better develop my ear. In response, she asked us all to stop and listen. First, she told us, identify the highest tone you can hear. After that, what is the lowest? Slowly identify each sound in between the highest and lowest. You might find that these tones are not birds at all, but the sound of a passing airplane, the freeway, or the scratching of a pen on paper. The source doesn't matter; this exercise is about differentiating between sounds. Once you have learned to hear the sound of a bird, listen for distance. Then chase that bird down until you can identify it.

Tracy also suggested that we learn distinct bird calls. Today, technology makes it easy to do so. There are birding apps, such as iBird PRO, which include a bird's sound, as well as its description, habits, range, and photographs or drawings. Practice listening to a few birds a day. Over the course of several months, the number of birds that you can identify by ear will increase. Due to the popularity of smartphones, it is even possible to play a bird's sound in the field therefore helping to help triangulate the location of a bird you're tracking. There is one caveat, however, do not play bird sounds outside during spring, as it may interfere with the process of mate selection.

Once you have learned scores of bird calls, you may be surprised at how many new birds you can find. Don't be surprised, though, if a bird sometimes tricks you. The northern mockingbird, Tracy told us, can vocalize between 85 and 185 different sounds. Many of the sounds are those of other birds, such as that of a western scrub-jay. Several members of our class also mentioned hearing mockingbirds mimic city sounds, such as that of a car alarm. Once, Tracy said, she had to listen carefully just to make sure of what she was hearing. A mockingbird was making the sound of a cricket!

Learning more about birds' habits will also help you to know where and when to expect certain birds. Cedar waxwings and American robins like the fruit of ficus trees. A birder would be more likely to find those particular birds in a ficus during its fruiting season. Migrating flickers and sapsuckers, both members of the woodpecker family, are attracted to pepper trees. If a series of small holes, arranged in a line, are present on a pepper tree, it is a sign that a sapsucker has been there. Tracy had seen both a northern flicker and red-breasted sapsucker the previous day at the Rancho, and was hoping to spot them again. Alas, just like fate, birds often tend to be fickle, and we did not find any flickers or sapsuckers this day. Supporting Tracy's suggestion that the Rancho is a birding hot spot, however, we did see 19 species of birds on our walk and predict that many more are possible according to season.

List of Birds Seen or Heard on Morning Bird Walk

• Allen's Hummingbird

• Anna's Hummingbird

• Black Phoebe

• Black-headed Grosbeak*

• Bushtit

• Cedar Waxwing

• Eurasian Collared Dove

• House Finch

• House Sparrow

• Killdeer

• Lesser Goldfinch

• Mourning Dove

• Northern Mockingbird

• Ruby-crowned Kinglet

• Townsend's Warbler

• Western Gull

• Western Tanager

• Yellow-chevroned Parakeet

• Yellow-rumped Warbler

*This appears to be an early sighting for the black-headed grosbeak. It is possible that the bird in question may have been a rose-breasted grosbeak. If so, it would still be an early sighting. Tracy Drake submitted the observation to eBird as a rare bird sighting.


Reference:

Drake, Tracy (bird walk at the Dominguez Rancho Adobe Museum, California Naturalist Program, Rancho Dominguez, CA, February 14, 2015).