Tracking Local Bird Life

Those who don’t know a woodpecker from a wren can still identify fantastic birds on our urban landscape.

Take parrots, for example. Tales of wild parrot flocks have circulated for decades, giving the birds urban legend status. But the tales are true. The feral parrots--set loose by smugglers or escaped from aviaries (nobody knows for sure)--are now seen throughout Southern California. The colonies are becoming huge because the birds are reproducing mightily. One center of abundance is Temple City, although not even the experts know why. Other sites include Point Fermin Park in San Pedro and certain neighborhoods in Santa Ana.

Peacocks roam the streets (and soil the lawns) in Palos Verdes Peninsula and Arcadia. There’s no mystery here, says National Audubon Society ornithologist Dan Cooper. The Arcadia birds were originally brought to the city’s arboretum for decorative purposes. They, too, have reproduced and sallied forth into surrounding communities.

Graceful herons and egrets meander along unspoiled portions of the Los Angeles River and wade the wetlands of Bolsa Chica in Huntington Beach, among other spots. The stately peregrine falcon has been known to nest on ledges of downtown corporate towers and on the Long Beach Courthouse. Other raptors--hawks, owls, vultures--soar above urban madness in places like Signal Hill, among many others.

But for a more organized outing, beginning birders may want to sign up for any of the dozens of weekly events sponsored by various groups. The Audubon Society, for example, has eight chapters in Los Angeles County. Each holds many field trips every week.

To learn about L.A. birds, sightings and locations, field trip schedules or anything else avian, the World Wide Web is the best place to start. Hotlines have the most up-to-the-minute news of rare bird sightings.

* SIGHTING HOTLINE

L.A. Audubon’s rare and unusual bird sighting hotline: (323) 874-1318

* AUDUBON SOCIETY

A list of chapters and e-mail addresses for all of the Southern California Audubon Society organizations can be found on the Web at: https://www.audubon.org/chapter/ca/socal. Following are some area chapters.

Los Angeles:

El Dorado, Long Beach: (562) 423-1091

Los Angeles and bookstore: (323) 876-0202

Pasadena: (626) 798-5522

Pomona Valley: (909) 607-2836

San Fernando Valley: (818) 347-3205

Santa Monica Bay: (310) 454-9662

South Bay: (310) 545-1384

Whittier: (562) 696-9920

Orange County:

Laguna Hills: (714) 859-1812

Sea & Sage, Irvine: (949) 261-7963

South Coast, San Clemente: (714) 498-4407

San Bernardino County: (909) 794-0509

Ventura County:

Ventura, P.O. Box 24198, Ventura, CA 93002

Conejo Valley, P.O. Box 4782, Thousand Oaks, CA 91359

Santa Barbara County:

La Purisma, (805) 736-8889

Santa Barbara, (805) 964-1468

* WEB SITES

They are too numerous to list. Using your favorite search engine, search for “Los Angeles Audubon” or “birding Los Angeles,” and enough choices will appear to keep you occupied for hours, each with links to yet more fascinating options.