July 19, 1993
My mom and I went looking for birds in the Ballona Wetlands and along the creek (starting at Del Rey Lagoon; we were not in the current Ballona reserve area). Before the wetlands, we made a stop at Fisherman’s Village in nearby Marina del Rey, where I saw a ☆Least Tern☆ circling over the marina close to the boardwalk.
Then, we made our way to the the wetlands. We started at Del Rey Lagoon, where I found three breeding plumage ☆Snowy Egret☆ feeding in the drained lagoon. (Later, I saw a few more on the rocks along the creek). From the lagoon, we walked east along the creek on the opposite side from the bike path (I think we were technically on private land – we snuck around a fence between the upland area and adjacent apartment complex). We were on a path alongside the creek, with an undeveloped upland area that featured fairly sparse, scrubby vegetation.
Not long after starting up the path, I identified the first shorebird of the day: a gorgeous ☆Hudsonian Whimbrel☆ on the rocks. ☆Willet☆ were also present in large numbers, both on the rocks, and flocks of several birds in flight, and I spotted at least one Ruddy Turnstone. A lone grebe was swimming in the creek channel, and it took me several minutes to verify the markings on the head which identifies this as a ☆Clark’s Grebe☆. A handsome bird! Another lone bird flew past us, moving east along the channel: a ☆Black Skimmer☆. A few minutes later it flew back toward the ocean, giving a clear view of the lower mandible for ID.
In the upland vegetation, I almost failed to notice that this non-native ☆Spotted Dove☆ was not a Mourning Dove, until I took a second look and saw the gorgeous, almost iridescent spotting on the neck. In this wetland area, I also saw my first ever ☆Black Phoebe☆ – a charming bird! Several adults, and at least 5 juvenile Black-crowned Night Heron were seen in the wetlands.
One of the most memorable birds of the day was a medium-sized songbird, black, white, and grey, with a hooked beak. This lone ☆Loggerhead Shrike☆ was first seen perched along the creek fence, and later, I spotted it again in the wetlands. Even years later, I still have a very clear memory of this bird. So gorgeous.
My final “new” bird of the day was a hummingbird that I was able to view for several minutes at close range, and still couldn’t make a positive ID. Rust-colored and green, it was either a Rufous or an Allen’s, which are sometimes impossible to identify in the field. I’m not disappointed in my skills, just a little bit disappointed not to be able to count this beautiful little hummingbird who gave me such a great look!
Species List
Black Skimmer (Rynchops niger niger), Black Phoebe (Sayornis nigricans semiater), Least Tern (Sternula antillarum browni), Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis chinensis), Rufous/Allen’s Hummingbird (Selasphorus rufus/sasin), Snowy Egret (Egretta thula brewsteri), Clark’s Grebe (Aechmophorus clarkii transitionalis), Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax hoactli), Willet (Tringa semipalmata inornata), Hudsonian Whimbrel (Numenius hudsonicus), Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
Let me know what you think!