shelty Loc: Medford, OR

I remember when the LA river was actually a river instead of a concrete ditch.

jak86094

Thanks, Iron Sight. I appreciate the kind comment. Glad you took the time to view and then comment. Take care of yourself and your loved ones and have a nice week. jak

jak86094

Thanks Antonio. I appreciate the kind words and also that you took the time to view my postings. Have a great week. jak

jak86094

It was a very productive hour...it gave me a chance to get out of the house without a lot of social interaction and to see some nice wildlife. Have a great week. jak

jak86094

Retired CPO: thanks very much. Yes, the LA River can be very scarce, but efforts are being made to improve that ecosystem. Just up river from where I took these photos, the flood control channel is paralleled by parks, golf courses, and green areas. North of downtown LA, some significant portions of the river have been restored, including removal of concrete banks, etc. Just south of Willow St., where I took the Blackbird photos, sections have been allowed to collect sand and soil and to grow rushes, grasses and trees, which have become popular stop-offs for coastal and migratory birds. It's still a "drainage" channel, but there has been some improvement. Thanks for taking the time to view my postings and comment. Have a great week. jak

jak86094

Thanks, blacks2, that's super nice of you to comment. Hope you are having a good start to your week. Take good care of yourself and enjoy the rest of it. jak

jak86094

Blair, thanks very much. I have to admit that some of the shots took some work to sharpen and reduce noise, but as I practice more and more I feel like I'm getting more keepers. Taking on the task of improving my BIF photos will require more time and practice, but it's rewarding and I feel like I'm making progress. Thanks, as always, for viewing and commenting. Have a good week. jak

jak86094

Don, I have seen them in the LA River channel twice over the last few weeks as well as in the Santa Ana River channel. If you are interested in seeing them yourself, you might try driving over the the LA River on Willow and turning on Golden Avenue, the last Right turn before you go over the river. Turn Left on 26th Way and stay to the left on 26th way down the alley to De Forest Ave. (which parallels the LA River). Turn right on De Forest and immediately find a parking spot. There is a path right at the corner of 26th Way and DeForest that will take you up the the bike path just North of the Willow Street bridge. Take some time right at the top of the entrance path to check out the birds down in the river channel to the North of Willow. That's where I saw Caspian Terns and Red-necked Phalaropes yesterday. Then walk to the left, under the bridge, to where the trees, rushes and grass start and watch for blackbirds. They may be in the grasses, the rushes, or the trees, so watch for where the activity is and go there on the bike path. Watch for the Yellow-headed Blackbirds among the Red-winged Blackbirds and European Starlings. The Red-winged variety are active and noisy most of the time. Their Yellow-headed cousins seem to come out for a while then disappear for 20-30 minutes, almost magically appearing, so keep watching wherever other birds are. If you are interested in searching for them, I hope you find this useful. Meanwhile, take good care of yourself and have a great week. jak

jak86094

Phil (rockdog), you are welcome and your comments much appreciated. Southern California is crowded and busy, but it remains a very good place to find birds. You often have to go to several places to get new species, but there are lots of parks and green areas as well as beaches and foothills, and we're not far from desert and mountain environments (both within about 90 minutes to 2 hours), so if you want to find interesting species, there are lots of opportunities. It's nice to hear from you again. Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm glad you appreciated these shots. As for the starlings, they haven't been chased away. I also saw the Blackbirds chasing other birds...including grabbing the tail feathers of the other bird and holding on, in flight, as it chased it away. I think we're more worried about the population of Brown-headed Cowbirds here in SoCal because the population is growing at the expense of some other species. In any event, it's interesting to watch nature unfold. jak

mrzip90230 Loc: Culver City, Ca. USA

I grew up Two blocks from the L.A. River back when it wasn't concrete. We had all kind of critters back then!

jak86094

I don't go quite that far back, but probably close. There are efforts being made to remove the concrete in parts of the river, but here, near the ocean, I doubt that they will do anything that would reduce the amount of runoff that the flood control channel could handle. About 25 years ago, the Army Corps of Engineers determined that the banks weren't high enough for a major flood (I don't remember if they deemed it a 100-years or a 1000-years flood), so they raised the banks several feet and hit all the property owners in the flood plain with annual fees as part of the property taxes. My house is on a gentle rise and happens to be just a couple of feet above the altitude determined to be the flood plain, so the houses at the end of the block (lower) have to pay the assessment while I don't. Go figure. Thanks for the nice comment and for viewing my photos. Have an enjoyable week and take good care of yourself. jak

jak86094

mrzip, nice to hear from you. Thanks for taking the time to view my submissions and to write me. Do you remember what year they turned it into a concrete channel? I lived in Long Beach starting in 1955 but don't know if it was embanked then. There are still critters that use the channel and come up into the residential neighborhoods from time to time. Coyotes, opossums, and skunks are just a few. Take good care of yourself and find ways to enjoy your week. jak

mrzip90230 Loc: Culver City, Ca. USA

Oh, I remember the skunks! Our dog would get sprayed every now and again. We lived in Cudahy until 1963 and then moved to Culver City where I still live. I think they changed the river after we moved. My mom would ride her horse down the river to Long Beach and back.

Stay safe,
Terry

bodiebill

great photos---by the way that's where they get the water for Brew 102 beer.

jak86094

Thanks for viewing and writing. Today I was out and found a Red-eyed Vireo...a life first for me. As for using the water in the LA River for Brew 102, which is located near the river in downtown LA, they may have at one time, but I sure hope they don't any more because that water is not the cleanest around...it travels through industrial areas and receives runoff from roads and freeways. Of course maybe that's how Brew 102 gets a unique flavor. I don't drink beer, so I wouldn't know.

Anyway, thanks again for your kind words. Take care of yourself and have a great week. jak