ENVIRONMENT : Valley’s Bird Population Continues to Decline, Audubon’s Count Finds

The annual winter bird count has found that the San Gabriel Valley’s bird population continues to decline.

On Dec. 17 about 40 Pasadena Audubon Society members, including expert and novice bird-watchers, spread out over a 15-mile radius centered in Pasadena and spotted 139 species.

Most observed common species, such as yellow-rumped warblers, scrub jays and white-crowned sparrows, said Audubon member Judy Bass.

“But we also spotted a varied thrush, which is very unusual for these parts,” she said.

Since the counts began almost 100 years ago, there has been a marked decline in the San Gabriel Valley bird population, because development has eliminated many trees, insects and standing bodies of water, Bass said.

“There used to be flocks with thousands of birds, and now we’re lucky to see a hundred. Once there were road runners and cactus wrens in Eaton Canyon, but they are long gone,” said Bass, who added that the best places to spot unusual birds in the region are Mt. Wilson, Huntington Gardens and Rose Hills and Mountain View cemeteries.

The annual count is an international undertaking, with chapters around the world reporting their counts that are tabulated by the Audubon Society to determine population trends among bird species worldwide.