Los Angeles County Arboretum & Botanic Garden

On a much needed escape, I headed out to California to find several birds to add to my life list.  Anytime you bird in California, you need to give yourself time to get to and from your destinations.  One of our treks would take us to Arcadia, home to the beautiful Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden.  

Indian Peacock

We arrived early so that we would avoid the nasty traffic and also find ourselves a decent parking space before the masses arrived.  However, we didn't expect to find the Pasadena Audubon group getting ready for their Saturday morning bird walk! BONUS! So we joined our guide, the very funny Julia Ray and had a great morning out. 

As expected, the gardens were worth the visit. It's also a reliable area to find several birds that can't be found anywhere else!  In fact, we found both target species within the first 10 minutes of parking our car!  So our running joke was, "Found our target birds, time to go."  But it was just a joke. When you find your target birds right away, you can enjoy all the other birds at a relaxed pace.  The way it should be. 

Downy Woodpecker working on a his nesting hole

Another part of our trek to California was really to pay attention to the subspecies.  Rumor has it that some will be broken into their own species. Take for example this brightly colored "Coastal" Western Scrub-Jay.  The bird looks slightly different from Arizona's very own "Woodhouse's" subspecies.  It even acts differently and isn't as shy!

Western Scrub Jay(the Coastal Subspecies)

The garden is home to several watering holes full of varied vegetation which attracts a lot of incredible birds. 

A common winter bird for California is the Allen's Hummingbird.  Here, he sips the nectar from one of the many flowering plants at the park. 

Allen's Hummingbird

And the plants were just beginning to bloom. 

Our first targeted bird, the Yellow-chevroned Parakeet, is a native to South America.  However, here in Los Angeles, the birds seem to be doing quite well. 

Yellow-chevroned Parakeet on a Silk Floss Tree

We had a high count around the garden.  These birds are not considered ABA countable and yet they have established themselves in the Los Angeles area. 

They were seen in great numbers around the Silk Floss trees.  We had a count of 26 birds in this location. Their numbers seem to be increasing just like our own Rosy-faced Lovebirds(in Phoenix) in these human created urban spaces.  Will it be ABA countable for those ABA listers in CA?  Only time will tell. 

So we continued further into the urban jungle searching for the Red-whiskered Bulbuls.  Our other exotic target species. 

And to be honest, it was all rather too easy:)  We found a healthy population on the garden grounds. 

Red-whiskered Bulbul

Again, we found evidence of nesting happening in the area. The birds were out calling in many different areas. They are native to southern Asia, Pakistan and Southern China. 

It's a lovely bird and one that I had never seen before.  For all of these new birds, all I had to do was listen for a different call.  With it being spring, we had no problem locating our birds. 

During courtship, the male will lower his head in a bow to the female.  The nest is built in the fork of a tree.  The adult pair may have 2-3 broods a year. Again this bird is not ABA countable in CA....yet. I think they are countable in Florida. I put the ABA part on now because I have several readers who are actually ABA listers.  My purpose in birding is to seek out new bird species(on the official list or not) and learn about them. 

And finally, we discovered an adorable nest of Bushtits.  They are cute little gray birds that often forage together in groups of 8-12 individuals. 

Bushtit

What beautiful views they have from their hanging nest!  

And for you trinket lovers out there, they have a shop with all kinds of knickknacks. They also have a coffee shop and small restaurant for a snack after your walk is done. 

Overall, we had a fabulous morning out.  I'd like to thank Julia Ray for showing us around this beautiful botanical garden. For more about the birds, click on our ebird checklist here. Until next time....