California Quail

Griffith Park hosts many beautiful, unexpected birds, but few are as elegant as the California Quail, whose extravagant topknot and shiny, scale-like feathers are showstoppers. A male often stands sentry as the rest of his covey – a small group with males, females and juveniles – forage for insects and berries, in chaparral and scrub. Listen for their distinctive “chi-CAW-go” call, and watch them strut: if threatened, our jaunty State Birds will fly short distances, but they prefer to promenade like lords and ladies on the way to a ball.

Females are slightly less colorful, with a smaller crest. Find California Quail in scrubland and chaparral throughout Griffith Park.

Quail coveys have been spotted near the Observatory; close to Mineral Wells Picnic Area; and alongside the roads going up Mt. Hollywood and Mt. Lee. Nests are simple indentations in the ground, so please keep curious pets on-leash to spare our quail
families.

 

The California Scrub-Jay

Brilliant. Sassy. Gorgeous: the California Scrub-jay has it all. When you watch a California Scrub-jay, it watches you, too. If one has food in its beak, it waits until no one is looking before hiding it – a hallmark of exceptional intelligence that involves planning for the future and intuiting what observers might be thinking.

Scientists rank this beautiful sky blue corvid (family of birds known for their cognitive abilities) among the most intelligent of animals.

The California Scrub-jay is found everywhere in Griffith Park – often they’ll perch on a high branch with a clear view. Listen for their loud call. Good luck!

~ While the California Scrub-jay is a distant cousin of the Blue Jay (found in the eastern U.S.), they are separate species.

~ Humorist Mark Twain once wrote that Scrub-jays lie, steal, deceive and betray. In reality, they’ll blithely pilfer acorns from Acorn Woodpeckers, and scraps of lunch from unsuspecting human picnickers. So watch out!

~ Scientists believe that the California Scrub-jay is capable of “metacognition” – thinking about thinking – as well as empathy and social awareness. They’re often compared to dolphins and chimpanzees in terms of animal intelligence.

~ These scrappy birds will chase away bigger and deadlier hawks. They’ll also mix it up with other Scrub-jays; cats; other species of birds — in other words, the California Scrub-jay won’t back down from a fight.

The Acorn Woodpecker

300 different kinds of of birds pass through Griffith Park. When you learn to identify just a single species, you become a real birder, it’s a special thrill to spot “your” bird.

A great starter bird – THE ACORN WOODPECKER is a fantastically fun-to-watch, year round Griffith Park resident.

This energetic bird works nonstop, every day, to gather acorns, store acorns, move acorns to better storage places and chatter with other acorn woodpeckers. Their call sounds like raucous avian laughter, and inspired the voice (but not the look) of Woody Woodpecker.

An Acorn Woodpecker’s hoarding place is called a GRANARY, most often in the bark of a tree. A single granary can store 50,000 to 100,000 acorns.

However, you may also discover granaries in abandoned cars; old barbecue grills; electric poles; the walls of buildings; and even in hollow, metal sign posts, like one in Fern Dell.

Sadly, Acorn Woodies can’t always retrieve acorns from sign posts; they’re hard workers, but not great planners.

Acorn Woodpeckers often live in big family groups of several males and several females (called a polygynandrous breeding collective) who share the duties of raising the young and the never-ending acorn business. Their constant interaction is a joy to watch.

Acorn Woodpeckers live in western North America and Central America, with the greatest concentration in California. They’re mostly black, with a black-and-white patterned breast, mostly-white face and forehead, and a red cap; females have a broad, black stripe between their white face and red cap. In this photo the male is in front; the female in back.

Acorn Woodpeckers might be found anywhere in Griffith Park, but surefire spots to witness them include Fern Dell; Bette Davis Picnic Area; Mineral Wells Picnic Area; the Old Zoo and Merry-Go-Round area; trees just south of Griffith Observatory; Vermont Canyon Road, and near any oak tree grove. This female is sipping water on a hot day near Mineral Wells Picnic Area.

Tips for birding success: earphones make it difficult to hear birds; think about taking them out when looking for birds. Also, consider leaving the pooch at home, as most birds tend to flee when they see even the friendliest dog.

GOOD LUCK finding Acorn Woodpeckers!

 

~Wild About the Birds appears in the FoGP monthly e-blast by FoGP contributor, Michael Perry

 

Check out this article on the Nuttalls woodpecker by Gerry Hans

Jorge Ochoa also weighs in… Urban Woodpecker Granaries in Griffith Park

 

If you’re interested in bird sounds and identifications, here are a couple of apps you can download…
https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/download/
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.audubon.mobile.android&hl=en_US&pli=1