Holiday Valley Lake, Los Angeles County, CA
September 23, 2009 (45 Species)
Weather: Fair: 73-80F. Winds WNW 5-10 mph.
Time: 0850 - 1115 hrs.
Area Covered: I walked slowly, clockwise around the lake beginning and ending at the clubhouse. I surveyed open water, tule and cattail margins(very dense around most of the lake), adjacent rabbitbrush scrub, Aleppo pine, cottonwood, Chinese elm, mulefat, willow and other shrubs along the margin of the lake. Aside from one worker at the clubhouse, the entire lake area was quiet and conditions were good for identifying bird vocalizations. I used only a 10 x 40 binocular; a scope was unnecessary due to a relatively high water level (i.e. only small areas of shoreline were exposed, mainly east and southeast sections). The best birding was at the west and east ends of the lake.
Driving Directions: From Avenue D (Highway 138 / Lancaster Rd.) 0.8 miles east of Three Points Road, take the first paved road west of 250th Street West, signed La Petit. Go WNW on La Petit 0.7 mi. to Elise Street (255th Street West) and turn right. Proceed north on Elise 1.0 mi. to Ave. B-8 and turn right. Go 0.2 mi east on Ave. B-8 to Calcot (dirt road), turn left, then 0.1 mi. to the Holiday Valley Lake entrance gate. Turn left inside the gate and park in the shade by the clubhouse. Permission for entry is generally not required.
Holiday Valley Lake from north side viewing southwest. September 23, 2009 © 2009 Callyn D. Yorke
Holiday Valley Lake from east side viewing west. © 2009 Callyn D. Yorke
Birds Noted
1) American wigeon 4 (2 males, partial moult): swimming warily in open water; east side.
2) Mallard 8 (m & f); open water and close to tules; wary, flighty.
3) Ring-necked duck 1 (f): open water with other ducks.
4) California quail 6-10: calls from shoreline, flushed, east side.
5) Great blue heron 1: fly/call; landed in tall tree.
6) Great egret 2: pair flying w, low over lake.
7) Black-crowned night heron 2 (1 ad, 1 subad); in tules, s and n sides.
8) Cooper's hawk 1 (imm): flew into small tree at east end; flushed again when I approached to within about 25 feet.
9) Red-tailed hawk 2: on power poles along HWY 138.
10) American kestrel 1 (m): flew slowly over lake and perched on dead cottonwood, e side.
11) Sora 1: calls from sw side (unseen).
12) American coot 8-10: open water; calls.
13) Killdeer 2: pair on se shore; call/fly.
14) Spotted sandpiper 1: e shore, foraging & bobbing.
15) Mourning dove 8: pairs flying over and around lake; calls.
16) Barn owl 1: flushed from pine on s side; flew w out of site.Pellets and uric acid stains beneath pines.
17) Great horned owl 1: flushed from cottonwood on n side; flew n into pine across road, staying in plain view.
18) Nuttall's woodpecker 1: call/ flew from one partly dead cottonwood into another on n side.
19) Black phoebe 2 : w and east sides of lake; sallied to ground for a large insect.
20) Loggerhead shrike 1: calls from s side (unseen).
21) Common raven 4: flying around the lake/ calls.
22) Horned lark 4: flying over adjacent fields; calls.
23) Barn swallow 2: flying e, low over lake.
24) Bewick's wren 3: active in understory, w and e side; calls (including scolding migrant warblers and sparrows).
25) Marsh wren 4: active in tules, w and ne side; brief, weak calls.
26) Northern mockingbird 1: SWC of Elise and Ave. B-8; in rabbitbrush.
27) American pipit 1: call/fly, e side (unseen).
28) Yellow warbler 1 (f): gleaning foliage in cottonwoods and shrubs, w side.
29) Yellow-rumped warbler 4: mostly e side; foraging quickly in tules, shrubs and trees; calls.
30) Orange-crowned warbler 8: busily gleaning insectsin lower and mid-level in cottonwoods, willows, w and e; calls.
31) Common yellowthroat 10: ubiquitous around lake in tules, cattails, shrubs and lower branches of trees; calls.
32) Chipping sparrow 2: in shrubs and feeding quietly on side of roadway, e side.
33) Lark sparrow 4: shrubs and drinking on shore, e side. calls and subsong.
34) Vesper sparrow 2: one drinking on shore, e side (blurry photo).
35) Sage sparrow 2: tules and shrubs, w side.
36) Savannah sparrow 6: n and e side; shrubs; calls.
37) Lincoln's sparrow 2: e side; dense shrubs; calls.
38) Song sparrow 1 in tules, e side (silent).
39 ) White-crowned sparrow 16 (ad and imm); ubiquitous; calls.
40) Red-winged blackbird 10: flying w over lake; some (f's) hidden in tules, e side; calls.
41) Brewer's blackbird 3 (f) flying ne over adjacent field.
42) Great-tailed grackle 4 (1 m; 3 f); tules (with rwb's hiding below?)and trees, e side. m calling, active; followed into pine tree by 2 females.
43) Brown-headed cowbird 1: flying ne over adjacent field.
44) House finch 30: ubiquitous; all levels; calls and partial song.
45) Lesser goldfinch 12; w and especially e side; loose flocks in elms, cottonwoods; calls and partial song.