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Aliso Creek’s ecosystem is attracting more than just birds, it’s calling bird watchers.
OC Parks is hosting bird-watching events for locals, who get to observe the diverse range of birds in the area.
Participants can point out the sights and sounds on the trail, while the field guide attributes those sounds to the birds that inhabit the area.
Birds like the white-tailed kite were a particularly special sight to see due to their method of hunting. They hover in the air, like a kite, looking for prey before swooping down to the ground.
While not rare globally, it’s always a special sight to see on the trail.
“People are thrilled to see a hawk up-close, but the white-tailed kite is so striking,” stated John Heussenstamm, the head field guide. “It has a mysterious look about it, and its stripes create an interesting look when flying. It’s a very beautiful bird.”
This diversity and abundance of birds has attracted residents like Kate Sapienza.
Sapienza, a Laguna Niguel resident, became an avid bird watcher since moving to the area from Burbank with her 17-year-old.
“We sort of started getting into it together just from our deck,” she said. “Then I started to go on hikes and got into it more from there.”
During birding events, field guides take residents out on a brisk three-mile hike through the Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park to explore the flora and fauna of the area while searching for a glimpse of the birds.
Heussenstamm, 70, leads some of the events as the head field guide simply because he enjoys it.
“If I ever got a high-paying job dealing with birds I would take it,” he said.
Volunteers make the program work – Heussenstamm is a musician by trade.
The program is strategically held along a river which makes the area a riparian habitat, explains OC Parks resource specialist Rick Schaffer.
The river is a lifeline to a diverse group of plants and animals, including willow and sycamore trees, along with barn owls and red-tailed hawks.
People showed up for the birds, but other animals paid a visit to the group as well. Deer and coyotes were spotted along the trail.
“This is about bird-watching but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the other animals,” Heussenstamm said.
Not every event will hold the same outcome. According to Danielle Kennedy, the OC Parks Public Information Officer, people may be able to spot migratory birds exclusively in certain seasons, such as blue grosbeaks and Bullock’s orioles during the spring.
The Birding by the Creek event is being held every third Saturday of the month, and other similar events can be found at OC Parks.
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