Bye Bye Birdies
April 29, 2024
It is with much sadness that I report that my wonderful nearby previously thriving birding place is now empty. There are no larger birds there anymore. They are gone.
I am reporting the loss of birds at the urban wilderness area called Glendale Narrows Riverwalk in Glendale, California, near Los Angeles. I discovered this place 4 years ago and took many photos of the incredible variety of larger birds that lived/visited there daily. I have been monitoring the area for 2 months and there are no longer any larger birds there. They apparently migrated elsewhere, I know not where.
Previously, over the past 3 years I saw and took photos of many larger birds including Great White Egrets, Blue Herons, Egyptian Geese, Canadian Geese, Cormorants, Hawks. Now, and for the last month I saw only a few ducks and a few Black-necked Stilts there. Why did this happen? Why did all the birds leave this area? I am not sure. It had been a cold-ish winter, with lots and lots of unusual and rare rain. It was the coldest winter since 1978. The river has been very high and very fast for 3 months and may longer provide food for the birds. They have moved on.
Bye bye birdies. I am very sad. I cannot travel to other potential birding places as they are too far away and I am too old.
The good news is that I have my memories of this wonderful place of Nature and birds, provided and maintained by humans. And I have over 1.000 fine art photos I took of the beautiful birds that were there, displaying their incredible and interesting colors and postures and behavior. See for yourself.
UPDATE:
In late May 2024, the birds are coming back! I have started to see the larger birds, herons and egrets and geese, who apparently have de-migrated and returned to this urban wilderness, after going who knows where for the winter.