News of the Arroyo
Title: | Top Birding |
Subtitle: | |
Date: | 2005-03-15 |
Summary: | March 15, 2005 - The LA Tiems lists the Arroyo Seco as a top birding site in its list of the best hikes in Southern California. |
Author: | Sue Horton |
Publication: | Los Angeles Times |
Content: | An ideal birding hike has a variety of habitats, which means a variety of birds, and the Gabrielino Trail — a 6-mile route in Arroyo Seco, through a wooded canyon above Altadena — has just that. The first section, along a marked paved trail that skirts a chaparral-covered hillside, isn\'t particularly scenic but here\'s where you can tick off the chaparral birds — California quail, spotted towhees, wrentits and the like. Look for a variety of hawks in the sky and on the telephone poles. At the bottom of the hill, keep going north into the canyon, and any time you have a choice of trails from this point on, keep to the one closest to the stream. The farther you go, the more beautiful — and birdy — the hike gets. In the spring, especially April and May, the alders and oaks along the streambed play host to mixed flocks of migrating warblers, and at dawn and dusk, you\'re guaranteed owls. At the second bridge past Gould Mesa campground, look up. This is a great place to see the spectacular yellow and orange Western tanager. Also look down into the water. There you may see the best bird on the hike: an American dipper, the only North American songbird that can swim. Scan carefully from the bridge for a dark gray, 7 1/2 -inch bird swimming in the stream. If you don\'t see one, this is still a lovely, shady spot to just relax and enjoy the scenery — and keep your eyes open. — Sue Horton |
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