Trip report tip report for Franklin Canyon Park - Beverly Hills on Sunday, January 25, 2015. 


Number of participants: 20 + 1 leader

Start time 8:00am

Finish time 10:15am

Distance covered: 1.25 mile

Weather: mid 60s to start, reaching the low 70s and calm



Even during this protracted drought, Franklin Canyon is still teeming with bird life. This is in sharp contrast to many other parks in Los Angeles County, especially in the North Valley.  Surly there are many reasons for this, but the shaded canyon floor and readily available water source likely comes into play.  Highlights were the Wood Ducks, Merlin and a pellet-regurgitating Red-tailed Hawk.  We had much bird related discussions on this walk, including the delicious topic of pellet expulsion.  I mentioned that vultures digest all of their food and do not need to expel pellets.  I did some research and discovered that most vultures do expel pellets from time to time, mostly consisting of fur, feathers, etc., but not bone.  Interestingly, I also discovered that we have another predatory bird that digests most everything it eats - roadrunners!  So there it is, more than you wanted to know about the table manners of carnivorous birds.


Birds - 44 species

Wood Duck

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Mallard

Ring-necked Duck

Common Raven.  Photo: Greg Boreham

California Quail

Pied-billed Grebe

Black-crowned Night-Heron

Red-shouldered Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Coot

Mourning Dove

Anna's Hummingbird

Allen's Hummingbird

Acorn Woodpecker

Red-breasted Sapsucker

Nuttall's Woodpecker

Northern Flicker - heard only 

Merlin

Western Scrub-Jay

Common Raven

Oak Titmouse

Bushtit

House Wren

Bewick's Wren

Ruby-crowned Kinglet

Wrentit - heard only

Hermit Thrush

American Robin

California Thrasher

Northern Mockingbird

European Starling

Orange-crowned Warbler

Common Yellowthroat- heard only 

Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)

Spotted Towhee

California Towhee

Fox Sparrow

Song Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Golden-crowned Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon)

House Finch

Lesser Goldfinch

 


Mammals

California Ground Squirrel
Eastern Fox Squirrel

Reptiles
Western fence lizard


American Robin (male), Red-tailed Hawk, Acorn Woodpecker, Spotted Towhee (female) and California Towhee along with a Western fence lizard eating a spider.
Photos: Greg Boreham

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