On Valentines Day, 2009, students from Dorsey High School, members of the Los Angeles Audubon Society, and avid birders from the community helped to conduct the first baseline avian survey at the soon-to-be open Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook State Park, recording 18 species. This information will go to databases at both California State Parks and Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Great Backyard Bird Count Program. We got the one sunny day of a very rainy holiday weekend, and were lucky enough to take in the fantastic views of the Los Angeles Basin (mountains to ocean!) that this new state park offers visitors. In addition to surveying for birds, volunteers also initiated the collection of mammal tracks at this site - casts of tracks will be used to teach students about urban wildlife through Los Angeles Audubon’s outdoor education programs. Our greenhouse advisor was also on hand to help point out and identify native plants and ongoing habitat restoration projects in the park with students and birders. We topped off our hike and bird count with a pizza party at the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse, where students in the Baldwin Hills Greenhouse Internship and Restoration Leadership Programs discussed the projects they are currently working on at the greenhouse. The day’s three outstanding student volunteers were awarded Audubon bird plush toys for their excellent work. Many thanks to the students who hiked the muddy trail on Valentines Day, and many thanks to the Audubon birders who helped the students with species identification!
-From LA Audubon Director of Interpretive Stacey Vigallon-
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