Little Blue Heron/Ballona Freshwater Marsh report for July 13,2008
There has been an immature Little Blue Heron hanging out at the Ballona Freshwater Marsh and the surrounding Playa Del Rey area since about the middle of May. When he first showed up he was all white, he has been slowly molting into hs adult plumage.
I kept thinking I should head out to the marsh to see him. Southern California isn't exactly Little Blue Heron territory. Although this is a rare bird for So Cal it wouldn't be a life bird for me so I wasn't all that motivated to get out there. Plus, the bird not only was seen at the marsh but also the Del Rey Lagoon and the Ballona Channel. So there was a good chance I'd be at the marsh while the heron was at one of it's other favorite places.
Sunday morning I gat an email alert that the Little Blue Heron and an Orange Bishop had been seen in the south pond at the Ballona FWM. Okay for an Orange Bishop I would get up and go. An Orange Bishop would be a life bird.
I didn't get out of the house until late Sunday afternoon. Not much at the marsh this time of year. Just all the usual suspects and a lot of juvenile birds. Man I saw lots of juvies... Mallards, American Coots, Pied-billed Grebe, Black-crown Night Herons, Common Moorhens, Black-necked Stilts, Europen Starlings, Red-winged Blackbirds. Babies galore.
I finally got down to the south pond and it looked like it was going to be a bust, when suddenly the Little Blue Heron walked out from behind some reeds. Yippee!! Success!! I was able to get quite a few pictures before he flew off to the other side of the pond. I got a decent shot of him as he was landing that shows of his 'calico' plumage.
I dipped on the Orange Bishop. Oh well. I did get an email alert the next day that he'd been sighted again in the reeds near the south pond. I think I'm going to have to give him another try.
The list....
Northern Mockingbird, House Finch, Least Tern, Snowy Egret, Green Heron, Ruddy Duck, Pied-billed Grebe, American Coot, Mourning Dove, Black Phoebe, Barn Swallow, Mallards, Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, Black-necked Stilt, Song Sparrow, Great Egret, Common Yellow Throat, Killdeer, Little Blue Heron, Common Moorhen, Sanderlings, Northern Rough-winged Swallow, American Crow, Great-tailed Grackle.
Attached photo of Little Blue Heron landing. More in my gallery.
Attachment(s): Little Blue Heron (imm) Ballona Marsh July 2008.jpg