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.
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| 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.
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| 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.
