On Monday, January 2nd, a handful of hardy souls met at the Trails Café in the Fern Dell area for the Annual Christmas Bird Count. Our group included biologist Dan Cooper (center, kneeling) with Cooper Ecological Monitoring, Inc., Gerry Hans (left, fifth back) with Friends of Griffith Park, a handful of Park Rangers and some very avid “birders.”

Along the route, Cooper pointed out several birds high in the canopy and as he listened for the bird calls (Hutton’s Vireo being one of them), could spot birds swooping among the trees.

I (being new to the concept) was having a hard time keeping up with the sightings, and only with a lot of pointing was able to spot what everyone else was seeing. Needless to say, it was initially frustrating but once I spotted the Red-shouldered Hawk high in the trees, an entirely new world opened. What a gorgeous bird!

We also spotted a few Band-tailed Pigeons which are slightly larger than the typical “city” pigeons seen around LA. What really sets them apart from their smaller “cousins” is the white crescent on the back of the neck.

All said, it was an exceptionally productive morning counting birds. After leaving the Park, some of the group headed over to Barnsdall Art Park. (list of birds seen is below as well)

~Kathryn Louyse

The entire list of birds spotted in the Park and just down Vermont in Barnsdall Park is below

Griffith Park — Fern Dell, Los Angeles, California, US
Jan 2, 2017 8:00 AM – 9:35 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments: Dan Cooper+; LACBC
28 species
Red-shouldered Hawk 1
Band-tailed Pigeon 5
Anna’s Hummingbird 1
Allen’s Hummingbird 4
Acorn Woodpecker 4
Downy Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) 5
American Kestrel 1
Black Phoebe 2
Hutton’s Vireo 1 (heard after walk near Trails Cafe)
California Scrub-Jay 2
Common Raven 1
Oak Titmouse 6
Bushtit 15
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Bewick’s Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 3
Hermit Thrush 1
American Robin 14
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) 7
Townsend’s Warbler 3
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 4
White-crowned Sparrow 2
Song Sparrow 1
California Towhee 2
House Finch 3
Lesser Goldfinch 10
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33407694

Barnsdall Art Park, Los Angeles, California, US
Jan 2, 2017 10:45 AM – 11:25 AM
Protocol: Traveling
0.3 mile(s)
Comments: Dan Cooper+; LACBC
12 species (+1 other taxa)
Cooper’s Hawk 1 Ended up calling it a small male; adult
California Gull 2
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 7
Anna’s Hummingbird 4
Allen’s Hummingbird 9
Peregrine Falcon 1 Calling bird sitting on “Kaiser Permanente” sign on nearby building.
Black Phoebe 1
Bushtit 15
Fox Sparrow (Sooty) 1 Fuliginosa-type; very dark. Only gray was a bit on head and it was dark. Thick brown streaks below. Small bill.
Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored) 1
Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon) 8
House Finch 10
Lesser Goldfinch 4
View this checklist online at http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S33407878