Wildlife
"log" from the Save Los Cerritos Wetlands facebook group:
Topic: What wildlife have you seen at Los Cerritos Wetlands?
This includes the Gum Grove Park area,
Loynes Dr area, the pond next to the Market Place, the habitat restoration areas, Zedler Marsh. What birds or mammals have
you seen in or around our wetlands?
This
evening just before dark (3/16/10), from Gum Grove Parking Lot, three coyotes walking around the Hellman property
below. Many birds too but too far to identify.
3/20/2010,
early a.m. -- Great Horned Owl
Plus squirrels, lizards, hawk, mourning dove, black phoebe, hummingbirds, great blue egret ... then
I lost count.
3/27/2010, evening:
White Tailed Kite (hovering and diving
for rodents)
Hooded Oriole--male
(bright yellow bird black throat
Red Tailed Hawk (flying low across Hellman property hunting)
House Finches(in the palms)
Hummingbirds (in the Mule Fat and trees)
Great Egret (flying over Hellman property
Squirrels (near the parking lot)
Rabbits (on Hellman property)
Good online resource, bird guide pages for species commonly found at Los Cerritos Wetlands
(species name appears in the url):
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Osprey/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Black_Phoebe/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/American_Goldfinch/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Mourning_Dove/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Blue_Heron/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Belted_Kingfisher/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Killdeer/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Grebe/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-crowned_Sparrow/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-tailed_Kite/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Willet/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/House_Finch/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Says_Phoebe/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Allens_Hummingbird/id
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Annas_Hummingbird/id
Evening of 4/6/2010:
cormorant, red winged blackbirds, great
blue heron, american sparrows, house finches, white crown sparrows, flock of swallows, hu...mmingbirds, black phoebe, pair
of nesting red tail hawks, coyote, the sound of croaking frogs and crickets, wild mallard ducks, great egrets
Morning of 4/10/2010 (Audubon Gum Grove
Bird Walk): Too many to list! Among the observations, ash throated flycatcher, hummingbirds, swifts, swallows, red tailed
hawk, red winged blackbirds, common yellow throat, goldfinches, house finches.
LWH: We have seen red tailed hawks and one of my camp fire girls saw
an owl while walking through gum grove park. Egrets of course and black crested night herons.
--about 5 months ago
Wednesday April 28th early afternoon:
2-3 ft long gopher snake! On the road, went back on to
the Hellman Property (with a little coaxing). Butterflies (mourning cloak, monarch butterfly, monarch butterfly catepillars,
rabbits, squirrels, lizards, birds: swifts, red winged blackbird, house finches, hawk smaller than a red tail with black bands
on the tail and light colored breast.
Monarch butterfly:
http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/lepidopt/danaidae/monarchm.htm
Saturday May 1, 2010 a.m.
Turkey Vultures, red winged blackbirds,
common sparrows, anna's hummingbirds, red tailed hawk (nesting), house finches, bush tits, unidentified white bird (kite
maybe), small unidentied hawk (saw as noted on 4/28), mourning doves, Beldings Savannah Sparrow! Lizards, rabbits, squirrels,
butterflies (monarch, mourning cloak, white), monarch butterfly catepillers, hundreds of tiny frogs.
Thursday Evening, May 13th 2010:
Red Tailed Hawk, Lizards, Goldfinches, Swallows, bushtits, house finches, hummingbirds,
great blue heron, sparrow (possible savannah), many others unable to identify.
An official Audubon List of Bird Species observed here is at:
http://lcwetlands.org/partners/Birdcounts_Oct%2009-Feb%2010.pdf
Ok, this was reported in a previous
post now revised by M...both our notes combined. Amazing how much wildlife is on Loynes Drive! Beautiful in the evening there,
great view of the large marsh just across the river, good sunset views. The bird list (Thanks Mary!)
Tuesday evening 5/25/10 at
Loynes Drive (Subarea 23) observed by Mary P.
Notes: Walked along Loynes Drive from Los Cerritos Channel to Belmont Shores Mobile Home Estates boundary,
observed birds on 5400 Loynes Drive property. House Finch pair in and out of palm tree
Number of species: 15
Mallard 2 Fly over
Black-crowned Night-Heron 3 Fly over
Mourning Dove 3
Anna's Hummingbird 5
Allen's Hummingbird 1
Cassin's Kingbird 1
Western Scrub-Jay 1
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 17
Barn Swallow 22
swallow sp. 34
Bushtit 3
European Starling 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 1
Song Sparrow 1
Bullock's Oriole 1
House Finch 45
Wednesday Evening, Location:
5400 Loynes Drive
Observation
date: 5/26/10 by Mary & Cindy
Notes: Route is walking along Loynes Dr. from bridge over Los Cerritos Channel to edge of Belmont Shores Mobile Home
Estates
Number of species:
10
Mallard 2 Fly over
Cooper's Hawk 1
gull sp. 1 Fly over
Northern Rough-winged Swallow 9
Barn Swallow 15
Cliff Swallow 5
swallow sp. 55
Northern Mockingbird 2
Hooded Oriole 1 likely nesting pair, female seen 5/25/10
House Finch 55
House Sparrow 3
Morning Dove 2
Late evening 6/13/10,
in only a 20 minute walk...here is the list! It was feldgling day...young birds that just left the nest yet mom and dad were
still feeding them. So many I couldn't count them all!
2 young hawks (looked like Coopers, had banded tail with a white tip)
Barn Swallows
many house finches and their fledglings
cormorant (fly over)
Black Phoebe
Anna's Hummingbirds
sparrows
bushtits
Lizards
Rabbits
about 3 months ago · Delete
Post
Evening of 6/29/10:
Great Blue Heron and at least a dozen
Terns, fly over (Terns flying from Seal Beach Naval Weapons/Wetlands direction to Long Beach Marina and returning to SB with
fish, interesting linkage to LCW area)
Half dozen or so coyotes, squirrels, rabbits
Dragon flies
another passing walker said she saw a snake
House finches by the hundreds, 7 or more black phoebes, dozen or more hummingbirds
Barn swallow
Red Shoulder hawk
Rough wing swallows, flock, flying in circles around the area I stood, very close
Hawks -- 3 in a downed tree across
the trail, no more than a few feet from me, sounded like a young hawk was on the ground in bushes next to downed tree, baby
and parent calling back and forth to each other.
Evening
of 8/19/10, overlooking Helman Property from Gum Grove:
Coyote night! A family, two parents and three pups (nearly grown). The pups were playing
and all 5 were very curious about the people watching them. Both parents came very near the fence, more interested in hunting
rodents than us. The coyote watching lasted for almost an hour, usually they disappear into the brush quickly.
Other wildlife (birds) spotted:
a flock of about 40 american crows
around 60 or more house finches
red tailed hawk
black phoebe
mourning doves
Sat am, 9/4/10 at Habitat Restoration, Zedler Marsh:
Coyote, Killdeer, American Kestrel, Mourning Doves, Godwit
(probably Marbled Godwit), squirrels. Today's event preparing Zedler for the 10/10/10 planting...at 10am. At this event
we gathered Alkalai Mallow seeds for future planting, gathered up rocks and my favorite--killed bad plants. Endangered plant
Southern Tarplant is in bloom, California Goldenbrush is about to bloom out. Lots of pickleweed everywhere. Good morning.
9/4/10, Gum Grove Park, last half hour of daylight:
24 american crows
11 house finch
1 phoebe
1 coopers hawk
1 osprey
1 white tail kite
5
hummingbirds
Cotton tail
rabbits (on the Gum Grove Park side of the fence)
5 coyotes (2 parents, 3 pups, Hellman Property side of the fence next to Gum Grove)
4 great blue herons (fly over)
Second time recently I’ve seen the coyote family
in the exact same spot. Seems not very many rabbits on the Hellman side of the fence—they are getting smart and staying
on the Gum Grove Park side, probably why the coyotes are coming so close.
Monday morning, 9/6/10, Gum Grove Park/Heron Pointe/Hellman Properties section of Los Cerritos Wetlands:
birds:
3 turkey vultures, 2 or more red tailed hawks, cooper
hawks, american kestrel, swallows, house finches, black phoebes, hummingbirds, sparrows (maybe savannah), cormorant, great
blue heron, wrens, american crows
bugs:
butterflies
(including skippers, monarchs, swallows, cloaks, solid white (don't know the name--want to say white cabbage), bees, dragonflys.
reptiles: many lizards
and snake evidence--freshly shed snake skin
mammals: squirrels, rabbits (the hawks were very actively hunting them)
California native plants: pickelweed,
Southern Tar Plant (endangered wetlands plant), seaside helitrope. Heron Point you will see a nice assortment now in bloom--Cleveland
Sage, California Fuschia, California Encilia, California Buckwheat, Coast Goldenbush, more seaside helitrope
No coyotes this a.m., first time I
have NOT seen those in recent weeks but I'm sure they were there in the brush someplace, too late in the morning for them
probably.
9/11/10 am Gum Grove
Park Bird/Nature Walk:
Coopers Hawk, Red Shouldered Hawk, Turkey Vulture
House Finches, Black Pheobe, swifts, swallows
Mourning Doves, American Crows
Butterflies: Monarch, White Cabbage(?), blues, skippers
Hundreds of little baby lizards
cotton tail rabbits, squirrels
Wetland plants: pickelweed, seaside
helitrope, salt grass, mulefat, southern tarplant
California native plants: cleveland sage
