January 8

The mid-morning temperatures are in the upper 50’s, under mostly sunny skies as Caroline, Riley and I hike in Ken Malloy Harbor Regional Park, a rare green oasis in the sprawling megalopolis of Los Angeles County, California. After walking on the edge of a large lake where a family of American Coots are swimming, I spot a Snowy Egret standing in the dense vegetation, along the far shore. During the breeding season, adult Snowy Egrets develop long, wispy feathers on their backs, necks, and heads (stock photo). In 1886 these plumes were valued at $32 per ounce, which was twice the price of gold at the time. Plume-hunting for the fashion industry killed many Snowy Egrets and other birds until reforms were passed in the early twentieth century. Out on the open water on a floating log, I see a few California Gulls milling around and a few resting Brandt’s Cormorants. Away from the water, I notice yellow blossoms of Wild Mustard and a pair of tiny, hard-to-see Bushtits perching in a leafless shrub. Following a paved path along the lakeshore, I come upon the olive-size, red fruit of a Toyon shrub and the pea-size, red fruit of a Brazilian Pepper Tree. Meanwhile, out on the water, I watch a raft of Western Grebes swimming and diving for food. These waterbirds often swallow their own feathers as they preen. These feathers wind up lining the stomach, where they may help protect against punctures by sharp fish bones. They periodically regurgitate pellets containing the feathers along with bones and other indigestible material. Continuing around the lake shore, I spot several male, Great-tailed Grackles foraging on the lawn. Although you’ll usually see them feeding on land, these birds may also wade into the water to grab a frog or fish. In a nearby tree, I observe a single perching female, Great-tailed Grackle. Because they’re smaller and require less food, female Grackle chicks are more likely than their brothers to survive.. Likewise, adult females may outlive males, resulting in a “sex-biased” population with greater numbers of females than males. In 1900, the northern edge of the Great-tailed Grackle’s range barely reached southern Texas. Since the 1960’s they’ve followed the spread of irrigated agriculture and urban development into the Great Plains and West. Today, they are one of North America’s fastest-expanding species. Turning around and heading back toward the car, I come across a Bottle Brush tree with its white blossoms and clusters of dried seed capsules. 

Nature in winter

No sign of snow

Different climate

Different show

No leafless trees

Ponds with ice

Shoreline strolls

Weather’s nice

No stark meadow

Sky of drear

Snakes that rattle

Lurking near

 

D. DeGraaf