LOS ANGELES It’s synonymous with the rich and famous, but LA is also the perfect location for a birding trip

LOS ANGELES IN ‘Califauna’, as I like to call the state. The mere mention of this mega city’s name conjures up images of opulence, movie stars, prefect beach bodies, flash cars and wall-to-wall sunshine. Let us not forget its great musical heritage, but can you imagine LA as an urban birding venue? Many people’s visions of LA are actually of Hollywood, itself just a city cluster within an even bigger urban conurbation. If you take a walk down Hollywood Boulevard to stare down at the Hollywood Stars emblazoned onto the pavement, or drift along the highly salubrious Rodeo Drive to examine the bling in the store windows: look up! If you do, you may notice the ubiquitous Mourning Doves and cawing American Crows heading over the streets, accompanied by the larger and decidedly urban Ravens. Interestingly, the Ravens in California, currently deemed as being of the same species as our very own birds, are now mooted as a potential split. You may also notice pot-bellied Western Gulls patrolling the same skies as White-throated Swifts and, if you are really lucky, you might sight a Band-tailed Pigeon winging its way towards the Hollywood Hills looking like a rakish Woodpigeon. As with all cities, not all its streets are paved with gold. Some of LA’S Downtown area looks and definitely feels ropey. But even here, if you glance up during the summer, you could see a Peregrine, the classic international urban raptor. You might also glimpse groups of Vaux’s Swifts hawking among the high rises. This tiny swift that normally breeds within caves and other crevices well outside the city has recently been found breeding within the very skyscrapers that they swirl around. It’s another case of an amazing discovery made right beneath our noses. Contrary to what you might imagine, LA is very much a seaside city set in a desert. It is an irrigated oasis with a surprising amount of available habitat despite its huge population. Almost anywhere along its coastline can offer good seawatching opportunities, especially during migration periods. The bluey-grey Pacific race of Fulmar and other tubenoses, such as Flesh-footed Shearwater, can be identified from the shoreline, along with alcids like Rhinoceros Auklet. Brown Pelican, Western and Heermann’s Gulls are givens. Additionally, during the winter months, Pacific Diver, Glaucous-winged Gull, Surf Scoter and Western Grebe can easily be found. An early morning visit to the beaches will result in waders, terns and gulls, even at popular spots like Venice Beach. You can get ridiculously close to Hudsonian Whimbrel, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Royal and Elegant Terns and California Gull. There are many birding sites within the city to discover and not many of them are regularly birded. My favourite spot is Ballona, which is a 1,087-acre mixture of saltwater, brackish and freshwater marshland situated on the coast very close to LAX, the city’s main airport. It is a veritable urban birding paradise and during the appropriate seasons you are practically guaranteed Long-billed and Short-billed Want to see Acorn Woodpecker? Try, for instance, Franklin Canyon