March 11

With the noontime sun shining bright and a west wind blowing strong, Caroline and I hike a trail along the edge of Ballona Freshwater Marsh, a couple of miles from LAX, one of the busiest airports in the world. This land is part of 600 acres of protected wetlands that also include brackish and estuarine marshes. Because of abundant winter rainfall, we see that the marsh is flooded and burgeoning with waterfowl including: Ruddy Ducks, Shovelers and Coots. Along the shore, vegetation is lush as Brittlebush and Pennycress are blooming. Continuing to circle the marsh, the tall white Egrets are easy to spot in the mix of waterfowl nestled in the reeds. As I stand here looking and listening, I’m amazed how these birds have adapted to the noise and commotion of the dense urban landscape surrounding their habitat. However, I think it must have some detrimental effect on the songs and calls they use for courtship and territoriality. Looking more closely, I spot a Blue Heron and a Red-eared Slider laying her eggs in the mud. Female turtles can lay up to 30 eggs that take from 2-3 months to incubate before hatching. Moving along the trail covered with wood chips, I notice the colorful fruit of Lemonade berry and wispy white seeds of Goodding’s black willow. Gazing back to the water, I observe a pair of Mallards, Widgeons and Canada geese. On shore, blossoms of Mustard, Rose and Coreopsis catch my eye. As wind blows through the grasses and sunbeams bounce off the water, we turn around and retrace our steps back to the car. Reflecting on the hike, first, I think about how this place contrasts to the secluded, peaceful wetlands I’ve explored back home. Secondly, I’m impressed with how this city has preserved it, not only for flood control but also for wildlife habitat.

Winter wanes

Here in the west

Connecting to nature

Remains my quest

Snow-capped summits

Rocky beaches

A pelican dives

A whale breaches

An osprey soars

Higher than most

Pounding surf

Carves the coast

D. DeGraaf