Monday 17th August
Common Yellowthroats were indeed very common and there were more Bush-tits than you could shake a stick at. 
A blue bird popped up out of a sage bush. I am pretty sure it was a Blue Grosbeak. Two young Green Herons waited patiently for their parents among the rushes and Black Phoebes chased insect on the far bank. 
A Cooper’s Hawk perched on a fence and was dive-bombed by Barn Swallows.
Back in the LA River, a flock of stilt suddenly took flight. A Peregrine Falcon, was hunting along the drain. 
It was unsuccessful on his first attempt and came back over the bridge for another go. It was interesting to see the “birds of a feather” flocking together during the peregrine attack. Western Sandpipers formed a distinct fleeing flock, as did the dowitchers, the phalaropes and the stilts. 
Each flock separated from the others, escaping at different speeds and heights and in different directions, but all eventually landing in the same area and mixing again when the danger had passed.
Other birds of prey seen today were Turkey Vulture, Coopers Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. Ospreys are common, but usually found further downstream than I ventured today.
Around mid-morning, the first dragonfly came over the bank between the gap and the river. This was my cue to start exploring the wetland at close quarters. A path running below the cycle track enabled me to do this. The sun was just starting to burn through the clouds and was creeping round to the south, so returning north with the light behind me should have worked better than it did. I managed to overexpose a lot of shots.
8 or 9 different types of odonata were seen today. First was a bright blue darner. I had a good view of him and reckoned I should be able to get an ID from my observations. It was a Blue-eyed Darner. Next, a beautiful darner, reminiscent of our own Emperor Dragonfly.
This was the female Common Green Darner. Perched just beyond her was a third darner-type which I am struggling to identify.
There were dozens of dragonflies on the bank among the sage and creosote bushes, but I couldn’t get sufficient detail on them, but I suspect that they were the same as the one below which sat quietly, sunbathing.
There were females and males of the Spot-wing Glider. At last, having seen 15 or 20 of the Blue-eyed Darners, I found one sitting and was able to capture a record shot of it. The Blue Dasher was also very common.
This one is a Red Saddlebags. I was able to approach so near that the 50mm macro couldn’t focus closely enough. I was even able to hold the tip of the reed to keep it from blowing in the wind. That’s the answer my friend! A damselfly stopped nearby and while I had the macro fitted, I tried to get some shots of this blue-tail look-a-like. I assume the light-headed one to be a female.
By now, the sun had won the day and was shining brightly.
Since this is supposed to be a bird blog, I returned to the river to try to get some better lit photos for my reader. The stilts were clustered very close together in the same way they had after the peregrine attack. 
They had dispersed quickly then, but now they were remaining tightly packed. Perhaps the falcon was perched on the bridge out of my vision. The birds looked jumpy and took flight when a helicopter flew over.
Some bank-side vegetation was harbouring some damselflies. An ovipositing pair had settled on the other side of a stalk where I couldn’t see them. My only option for a photograph was to wade in. The water was surprisingly warm, but I drew the line at my shoes and socks. The water was clear, but I was not sure about it’s provenance. Although the drain is concrete lined, there were some patches which were, let’s say, sedimenty.
The dragonflies were abundant now with many of the Common Green Darners coupled-up and laying eggs. As I watched one pair, engrossed in the process of continuing their line, a coot sidled up and ate them!
I recognised a Mexican Amberwing from the trip to Arizona, where I had also seen the Blue Dasher previously.
The final ode caused me some ID problems. It was beyond the capabilities that I could reasonably expect from the 400mm and even though I got a decent look at it through binoculars, my notes didn’t tally with anything I could find on the web, until I found the Flame Skimmer.
The young herons had become impatient with their parents and were engagingly trying their luck with at least one success each while I watched. Also among the rushes and reeds with the marauding coots were Black-crowned Night Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron and Pied-billed Grebe.
I had returned to where I had started, so retraced my steps towards Del Amo Metro station. Cally had disappeared, much to the disappointment of some young boys who had got more than they bargained for during their cycle ride. They had been cruising up and down all morning trying to find her again.
Bird species list;
Pied-billed Grebe 3, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 3, Great Egret 1, Snowy Egret 3, Green Heron 4, Black-crowned Night Heron 1, Mallard 40, Turkey Vulture 2, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 8, Black-necked Stilt 2000, American Avocet 1, Short-billed Dowitcher 14, Greater Yellowlegs 6, Spotted Sandpiper 1, Western Sandpiper 40, Wilson’s Phalarope 15, Western Gull 2, Mourning Dove 6, Anna’s Hummingbird 1, Black Phoebe 12, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6, Barn Swallow 80, Northern Mockingbird 2, Bushtit 60, Common Starling 20, Nutmeg Manikin 6, HouseFinch 40, American Goldfinch 3, Common Yellowthroat 18, Song Sparrow 3, BlueGrosbeak 1, Red-winged Blackbird 8.
Mammal species list;
California Ground Squirrel 20, Naked Woman 1
Odonata species List;
Common Green Darner 30, Blue-eyed Darner 20, Blue Dasher 20, Red Saddlebags 1, Mexican Amberwing 5, Flame Skimmer 1, Spot-wing Glider 3, plus 2 unidentified damselflies.
Tuesday 18th Aug
There are some sightings on the Los Angeles River that can be easily predicted, there are consistently large numbers of Black-necked Stilt for example. There are also a few escaped exotics such as Red Bishop, a weaver that usually lives in Southern Africa. But I didn’t expect to see anything quite so exotic as the young lady who skipped naked through the drain in front of me. I will put her on my mammals list; after all she was au naturel.
After years of suffering the jocular question from my colleagues,”Will you be looking for the feathered variety of bird?” I can now enigmatically shrug and reply, “Mostly.”
A Metro train takes just 15 minutes from the Transit Mall at Long Beach to reach the Del Amo stop. A 2 minute walk east along Del Amo Avenue, takes you across a small tributary drain, then under the freeway. The Los Angeles River runs on the east side of and parallel to Freeway 710, flowing from north to south. It is a concrete drain for much of it’s length with an uninterrupted cycle path along it’s east bank. There is a path on the west-side, but in-coming drains interrupt it from time to time.
The best viewing is from the east cycle path while moving southwards. This way the sun is over the viewer’s shoulder for most of the morning. The mist and cloud cover made that irrelevant this morning.
Among the stilt flocks were smaller gatherings of Short-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’s Phalarope and the occasional Greater Yellowlegs.
There were a few eclipse ducks, mostly Mallard from what I could see and plenty of House Finches and Bush-tits in the sage and creosote bushes on top of the bank.
Western Sand pipers are usually well represented, but only in small numbers today.
A Metro train takes just 15 minutes from the Transit Mall at Long Beach to reach the Del Amo stop. A 2 minute walk east along Del Amo Avenue, takes you across a small tributary drain, then under the freeway. The Los Angeles River runs on the east side of and parallel to Freeway 710, flowing from north to south. It is a concrete drain for much of it’s length with an uninterrupted cycle path along it’s east bank. There is a path on the west-side, but in-coming drains interrupt it from time to time.The best viewing is from the east cycle path while moving southwards. This way the sun is over the viewer’s shoulder for most of the morning. The mist and cloud cover made that irrelevant this morning.
Among the stilt flocks were smaller gatherings of Short-billed Dowitchers, Wilson’s Phalarope and the occasional Greater Yellowlegs.There were a few eclipse ducks, mostly Mallard from what I could see and plenty of House Finches and Bush-tits in the sage and creosote bushes on top of the bank.Western Sand pipers are usually well represented, but only in small numbers today. As I walked, fully dressed, along the cycle path, the stilts would call their alarms and move towards the centre of the drain. When Cally (I named her after the state she was in) ran naked through the drain, they didn’t pay her much attention. So there’s a thought for next time.
Walking downstream, I had the river on my right and a wide ditch to my left. The ditch is known as the Dominguez Gap Conservation Project. It is lined with reeds and rushes and is an attempt to re-create habitat which has been lost. 200 years ago, much of the area around LA was wetland. Since then it has been progressively drained and paved. More than 90% of freshwater habitat is gone forever. The Dominguez Gap is only very small, but is very popular with birds and I surmised, might provide a rich odonata experience. I would come back later to have a look. Among the rushes were other exotic birds. One looked like an African Weaver. I will have to check it out in the appropriate field guide. There was a small flock of Scaly Munia too.
Walking downstream, I had the river on my right and a wide ditch to my left. The ditch is known as the Dominguez Gap Conservation Project. It is lined with reeds and rushes and is an attempt to re-create habitat which has been lost. 200 years ago, much of the area around LA was wetland. Since then it has been progressively drained and paved. More than 90% of freshwater habitat is gone forever. The Dominguez Gap is only very small, but is very popular with birds and I surmised, might provide a rich odonata experience. I would come back later to have a look. Among the rushes were other exotic birds. One looked like an African Weaver. I will have to check it out in the appropriate field guide. There was a small flock of Scaly Munia too.
Common Yellowthroats were indeed very common and there were more Bush-tits than you could shake a stick at. A blue bird popped up out of a sage bush. I am pretty sure it was a Blue Grosbeak. Two young Green Herons waited patiently for their parents among the rushes and Black Phoebes chased insect on the far bank. A Cooper’s Hawk perched on a fence and was dive-bombed by Barn Swallows.Back in the LA River, a flock of stilt suddenly took flight. A Peregrine Falcon, was hunting along the drain. It was unsuccessful on his first attempt and came back over the bridge for another go. It was interesting to see the “birds of a feather” flocking together during the peregrine attack. Western Sandpipers formed a distinct fleeing flock, as did the dowitchers, the phalaropes and the stilts. Each flock separated from the others, escaping at different speeds and heights and in different directions, but all eventually landing in the same area and mixing again when the danger had passed.Other birds of prey seen today were Turkey Vulture, Coopers Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk and American Kestrel. Ospreys are common, but usually found further downstream than I ventured today.
Around mid-morning, the first dragonfly came over the bank between the gap and the river. This was my cue to start exploring the wetland at close quarters. A path running below the cycle track enabled me to do this. The sun was just starting to burn through the clouds and was creeping round to the south, so returning north with the light behind me should have worked better than it did. I managed to overexpose a lot of shots.
8 or 9 different types of odonata were seen today. First was a bright blue darner. I had a good view of him and reckoned I should be able to get an ID from my observations. It was a Blue-eyed Darner. Next, a beautiful darner, reminiscent of our own Emperor Dragonfly.
This was the female Common Green Darner. Perched just beyond her was a third darner-type which I am struggling to identify.There were dozens of dragonflies on the bank among the sage and creosote bushes, but I couldn’t get sufficient detail on them, but I suspect that they were the same as the one below which sat quietly, sunbathing.
There were females and males of the Spot-wing Glider. At last, having seen 15 or 20 of the Blue-eyed Darners, I found one sitting and was able to capture a record shot of it. The Blue Dasher was also very common.This one is a Red Saddlebags. I was able to approach so near that the 50mm macro couldn’t focus closely enough. I was even able to hold the tip of the reed to keep it from blowing in the wind. That’s the answer my friend! A damselfly stopped nearby and while I had the macro fitted, I tried to get some shots of this blue-tail look-a-like. I assume the light-headed one to be a female.By now, the sun had won the day and was shining brightly.
Since this is supposed to be a bird blog, I returned to the river to try to get some better lit photos for my reader. The stilts were clustered very close together in the same way they had after the peregrine attack. They had dispersed quickly then, but now they were remaining tightly packed. Perhaps the falcon was perched on the bridge out of my vision. The birds looked jumpy and took flight when a helicopter flew over.Some bank-side vegetation was harbouring some damselflies. An ovipositing pair had settled on the other side of a stalk where I couldn’t see them. My only option for a photograph was to wade in. The water was surprisingly warm, but I drew the line at my shoes and socks. The water was clear, but I was not sure about it’s provenance. Although the drain is concrete lined, there were some patches which were, let’s say, sedimenty.
The dragonflies were abundant now with many of the Common Green Darners coupled-up and laying eggs. As I watched one pair, engrossed in the process of continuing their line, a coot sidled up and ate them!
I recognised a Mexican Amberwing from the trip to Arizona, where I had also seen the Blue Dasher previously.
The final ode caused me some ID problems. It was beyond the capabilities that I could reasonably expect from the 400mm and even though I got a decent look at it through binoculars, my notes didn’t tally with anything I could find on the web, until I found the Flame Skimmer.The young herons had become impatient with their parents and were engagingly trying their luck with at least one success each while I watched. Also among the rushes and reeds with the marauding coots were Black-crowned Night Heron, Snowy Egret, Great Blue Heron and Pied-billed Grebe.I had returned to where I had started, so retraced my steps towards Del Amo Metro station. Cally had disappeared, much to the disappointment of some young boys who had got more than they bargained for during their cycle ride. They had been cruising up and down all morning trying to find her again.
Bird species list;
Pied-billed Grebe 3, Double-crested Cormorant 4, Great Blue Heron 3, Great Egret 1, Snowy Egret 3, Green Heron 4, Black-crowned Night Heron 1, Mallard 40, Turkey Vulture 2, Cooper’s Hawk 1, Red-tailed Hawk 1, American Kestrel 1, Peregrine Falcon 1, American Coot 8, Black-necked Stilt 2000, American Avocet 1, Short-billed Dowitcher 14, Greater Yellowlegs 6, Spotted Sandpiper 1, Western Sandpiper 40, Wilson’s Phalarope 15, Western Gull 2, Mourning Dove 6, Anna’s Hummingbird 1, Black Phoebe 12, Northern Rough-winged Swallow 6, Barn Swallow 80, Northern Mockingbird 2, Bushtit 60, Common Starling 20, Nutmeg Manikin 6, HouseFinch 40, American Goldfinch 3, Common Yellowthroat 18, Song Sparrow 3, BlueGrosbeak 1, Red-winged Blackbird 8.
Mammal species list;
California Ground Squirrel 20, Naked Woman 1
Odonata species List;
Common Green Darner 30, Blue-eyed Darner 20, Blue Dasher 20, Red Saddlebags 1, Mexican Amberwing 5, Flame Skimmer 1, Spot-wing Glider 3, plus 2 unidentified damselflies.
Tuesday 18th Aug
The next morning was dull and misty again. It is the norm for the season I’m told. Cloud and mist first thing, burning off by midday. It was time to go home shortly after midday, so I took a quick walk on the Long Beach harbour front and by the mouth of the LA River as it flows into the ocean. 
I started from Golden Shore Marine Biological Reserve. This is a reliable spot to find Willet and Marbled Godwit. Note the bigger bulkier Long-billed Curlew in the background.
A spotted Sandpiper sat on the barrage across the entrance.
A party of Bush-tits was enhanced briefly by a Wilson’s Warbler as they made their way through the low bushes of the car park.
Out on the main river, some Western/Clark’s Grebes were floating upstream with the tide as a Brown Pelican flew overhead. Further up on a larger barrage sat approx 300 Ring-billed Gulls.
As I passed under the last bridge before the ocean, I could see the Queen Mary across the harbour. Between she and I were Double-crested Cormorants, Western and Heerman’s Gulls out on the water.
A Western Gull on the grass sat for a photo, but the Heerman’s never came close enough.
Bird species list;
Pied-billed Grebe 1, Eared Grebe 2, Brown Pelican 4, Double-crested Cormorant 18, Great Egret 1, Snowy Egret 3, Grey Plover 1, Marbled Godwit 22, Whimbrel 1, Long-billed Curlew 1, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Willet 30, Heerman’s Gull 3, Ring-billed Gull 300, Western Gull 8, Northern Mockingbird 2, Bushtit 12, American Crow 8, Common Starling 30, House Sparrow 6, Yellow Warbler 1, Wilson’s Warbler 1.
I started from Golden Shore Marine Biological Reserve. This is a reliable spot to find Willet and Marbled Godwit. Note the bigger bulkier Long-billed Curlew in the background.A spotted Sandpiper sat on the barrage across the entrance.A party of Bush-tits was enhanced briefly by a Wilson’s Warbler as they made their way through the low bushes of the car park.Out on the main river, some Western/Clark’s Grebes were floating upstream with the tide as a Brown Pelican flew overhead. Further up on a larger barrage sat approx 300 Ring-billed Gulls.As I passed under the last bridge before the ocean, I could see the Queen Mary across the harbour. Between she and I were Double-crested Cormorants, Western and Heerman’s Gulls out on the water.
A Western Gull on the grass sat for a photo, but the Heerman’s never came close enough.Bird species list;
Pied-billed Grebe 1, Eared Grebe 2, Brown Pelican 4, Double-crested Cormorant 18, Great Egret 1, Snowy Egret 3, Grey Plover 1, Marbled Godwit 22, Whimbrel 1, Long-billed Curlew 1, Spotted Sandpiper 2, Willet 30, Heerman’s Gull 3, Ring-billed Gull 300, Western Gull 8, Northern Mockingbird 2, Bushtit 12, American Crow 8, Common Starling 30, House Sparrow 6, Yellow Warbler 1, Wilson’s Warbler 1.
First was a 
A dragonfly with a spangled blue body was next. The pattern on the back of the male gave me a few choices, but my favourite was the 
A pair were pin-wheeling and settled on a reed near the boardwalk. 
The hawkers proved to be the most common ode of the day.
Putting in a cameo appearance was a tiny Blue-tailed Damselfly.
By the time we finished disembarking, completed the Brazilian formalities and arrived at the hotel, it was 07.30. 
The entrance cost 3Reais (@£1 = 3.2 Reais) and I was asked to sign a disclaimer stating that I would not use any of my photos for commercial purposes.
Another call attracted me, but the bird stayed frustratingly elusive. I picked up a few marks from quick glimpses, enough to narrow it down to a spinetail of sorts. There are many furnariids which all look very alike so I needed more to get a good ID. The call was repetitive so I pished the same rhythm with some success. Eventually, I noticed the bird scrutinizing me through a gap in the foliage. I quickly noted as many field marks as I could on my dictaphone and then dived for the field-guide. The chap in question was a Rufous-capped Spinetail.
A group of howler monkeys (red?) crossed high above the trail. They seemed to be responding to some other howlers calling in the distance.
Behind him, a path ran along the edge of the forest and on it, I spotted a Slaty-breasted Rail, so I ignored the guard and tried to get some pictures.
It was 11.00 by now and warming up nicely. The guard had taken a seat and was watching me at his leisure. I wondered if the lakes might provide a bit of odonata action, so I took a seat on the grass near the edge. 
Nothing was moving yet, but a Rufous-collared Sparrow, flew in and settled beside me. A Great Kiskadee was hawking across the lily-pads from a low perch.
The dragonflies didn’t start to show until gone 12.00. By then a second security guard had taken over Redgannet watch while the first one had a break.
I think I may have found as many as 8 different odonata, but will need to do some research to identify them properly.+of+GRU+02Aug09+Dragonfly+a+06.jpg)
Heading back towards the entrance, I passed a small remnant of forest and was rewarded with a good view of a Squirrel Cuckoo.
For my next trick, I wanted to investigate the deeper lakes in the fields close to the road. The guard finally lost interest when we arrived back at the entrance gate. Thinking, I was going home, he peeled off right. I went left towards the lakes which are surrounded by long tangled grasses. A flock of smooth-billed Anis were moving through the grass like rodents scurrying about. It was hard to tell how many they were, but they were very approachable. 
One in particular sat and allowed me to approach within the minimum focussing distance for the Canon 100-400mm.
It is unfortunate that the zoo and it’s wildfowl collection is so close by. There was a potential lifer among the ducks. A pair of
The Brazilian Teal looked much more wary than the ones I had seen on the bank of the ornamental lakes in the gardens, so I will take those and check up on the others to see if they merit a tick.
Actually, it was not at all as I had expected. When I arrived, I passed through a security gate and noticed the children’s playground and picnic area on my left and even a small museum. People were jogging even ladies by themselves. It was not the isolated primeval swamp that I had envisaged. Just the same, I felt conspicuous with a tripod over my shoulder and a big camera attached. 
An overhead photograph served as a guide, but I did not notice the one-way arrows which indicated that travel round the 4km loop should be anti-clockwise.
Black Vulture
Beyond the falcons were some Coati, the Central and South American relation to the racoon and beyond them still, an Agouti fed close to the edge of the forest. The Agouti looks like a cross between an antelope and a rodent.
The monkeys are known locally as Macaco prego. They look like capuchins. Despite the mess now, there was no litter beyond the immediate vicinity so the bins had obviously been used by the sophisticated Paulistas over the weekend. At 08.00 patrols were already out cleaning up after the monkeys. If only we could be this diligent at home.
A Masked Water-tyrant was stalking in the grass. From the edge of the lake came a long rattling call like a tone-deaf Dabchick. It was another spinetail type of bird, low down in the trees overhanging the water. I narrowed my options and realised that it’s behaviour and habitat probably left me with one choice. 
The mark under the chin of the 
A 
Further down, a Striated Heron was sitting quietly.
Along the side of the lake, Bottle-brush trees were alive with Bananaquits and hummingbirds. Swallowtails were especially common with a few Sapphire Spangled Emeralds.
A little café drew me close with the smell of breakfast and from there, I cut across the playing fields. A hawk soared above the ubiquitous football pitches. I had to check it up in the field guide and found it was a 
I cut across to the path which forms a spur from the main loop and found a marshy area on the other side. A rail was foraging amongst the low water plants, but I never managed to get a good look.
Sayaca Tanager
I had hoped for a few dragonflies from the marshy area, but had to be satisfied with just a couple of exuvia.
A Limpkin roosted in a tree overlooking the water. It looked as if large plants had died back for the winter and the area will probably be very thick with vegetation when spring returns.
Surprisingly, the river was teeming with birds. Most commonly, moorhens, but also Rufous Whistling Ducks, Smooth-billed Anis and Black-necked Stilts. I emerged back onto the path and scared the willies out of an old gentleman on a bicycle who was passing. He wobbled off anti-clockwise and I continued my tour against the flow.
Sayaca Tanager
First a Cattle Tyrant. It was picking it’s way across the car park towards me, so I sat on the kerb and waited for it to approach. The same routine worked for the Rufous Hornero too. 
The trees behind me were casting a dappled shadow, but there were enough gaps in the winter foliage to let the light through and the birds obligingly kept to the well-lit patches. 
I had to get in front of the Rufous-bellied Thrush for a good angle. It came really close to drink from a puddle beside the kerb. 
I loved this coquettish pose. On my way home later, there were Saffron Finches at the same spot.
Close-by, a bridge spans a narrow part of the main lake. 
On both sides of the bridge are red-flowered trees beloved of the swallowtails and Bananaquits. I picked one in full sun and settled down to wait for the birds to come to me.
That niggling feeling was still bothering me, so I had strategically chosen to face a tree on a downward slope with the sun behind me. This way anyone approaching from behind would cast a long shadow giving me plenty of warning.
I wondered at his widely splayed tail. Was this a display? And if so was it to attract the ladies or to deter rivals. Perhaps it was a female.
At last I found some hummingbirds feeding, though more practice is needed to get better photos. I need a faster shutter speed to stop the wings and still maintain detail. 
A faster shutter speed would have been good for the Bananaquits too as they are constantly moving. Being handheld this morning allowed me to get to the shots more quickly, but I would have liked to have had that extra support from a tripod (I broke my monopod last night).
In a blossom tree was an Epaulet Oriole. Plain Parakeets moved in to the tree, and fed on the flowers. It was interesting to note that 3 different birds fed on the same flowers in 3 different ways. 
The parakeets sever the petal and drop it to the ground after licking out the pollen. The hummingbird uses it’s long bill to reach deep into the flower, while the Bananaquit pierces the base of the stalk to get the nectar. I crossed the bridge to have a mooch about on the lightly wooded lawns on the other side of the lake. 
Rufous Hornero
By the lake was a Snowy Egret which I was able to approach very closely. I talked to the bird as I approached and stopped occasionally to take a shot. 
Then I would inch closer before the next one, all the time talking in a low voice. I got to within 3 meters when a Great Egret flew in and landed beside my new friend and bullied him away.