Mulching & Prepping Rattlesnake Park for Native Plants

On January 19th, Audubon Center at Debs Park staff was happy to host another habitat enhancement volunteer event along the Los Angeles River.  Our Conservation Program Coordinator, Cindy Castaneda and 10 volunteers worked to prepare Rattlesnake Park in Elysian Valley for planting. 

We were happy to welcome back 3 regular volunteers, and 7 new volunteers to do habitat enhancement along the LA River.  The 10 volunteers split up into various groups, raking, mulching, and picking up trash in sections of Rattlesnake Park.  The wind from the prior week caused a collection of trash along the fence of the park.  Volunteers also did some graffiti removal around the park.

After raking, pulling weeds, and picking up trash, volunteers mulched 5 cubic yards of the park.  Mulching is an important step in habitat enhancement.  We mulch for 3 reasons:  it allows the soil to retain moisture and ensure that the plants don’t dry out, it controls weeds from growing around the plant, and once the mulch decomposes, it provides important nutrients for the plant.  The work accomplished during the Habitat enhancement service day prepares the ground for planting natives. 

There was even some good birding that day!  Cindy noticed several black-necked stilts around the park while working. 

Join us for our next habitat enhancement event along the LA River!  We will be planting natives at Steelhead Park on February 16th from 9am – 12pm.  For more information and to RSVP, email Mika Perron at mperron@audubon.org!

Bird of the Month, February 2019: Mourning Doves

Mourning Dove

Zenaida macroura

Nothing says romance like two mourning doves nestled together on a tall sycamore branch!  These monogamous birds find a partner and mate for life - returning to each other each mating season.  The mournful cooing of the Mourning Dove is one of our most familiar bird sounds. This is one of our most common birds found in the United States, often abundant in open country and along roadsides. European settlement of the continent, with its opening of the forest, probably helped this species to increase. It also helps itself, by breeding prolifically: in warm climates, Mourning Doves may raise up to six broods per year, more than any other native bird.

Habitat
Farms, towns, open woods, roadsides, grasslands. Found in almost any kind of open or semi-open habitat in temperate parts of North America, including forest clearings, farmland, suburbs, prairies, deserts. May be most common in edge habitats having both trees and open ground, but also found in some treeless areas. Avoids unbroken forest.

Feeding behavior
Forages mostly on ground; sometimes will perch on plants to take seeds. Will come to bird feeders, often eating on the ground under elevated feeders. Eats quickly to fill crop (digestive storage organ near its neck) with seeds, then digests them while resting - usually on a high perch. Regularly swallows grit (small gravel) to aid in digestion of hard seeds.  Mourning doves can eat up to 20% of its body weight in food every day.

Eggs
White. Incubation is by both parents, about 14 days. Young: Both parents feed young "crop milk." Young leave nest at about 15 days, usually wait nearby to be fed for next 1-2 weeks. One pair may raise as many as 5-6 broods per year in southern areas.

Young
Both parents feed young "crop milk," a specialized formula created from the secretion of the lining of the bird's crop. Young leave nest at about 15 days, usually wait nearby to be fed for next 1-2 weeks. One pair may raise as many as 5-6 broods per year in southern areas.

Diet
Seeds. Feeds almost entirely on seeds (99% of diet). Favors seeds of cultivated grains, also those of grasses, ragweeds, many other plants. Occasionally eats snails, very rarely any insects.

Nesting
In courtship, male flies up with noisy wingbeats and then goes into long circular glide, wings fully spread and slightly bowed down. On ground, male approaches female stiffly, his chest puffed out, bowing and giving emphatic cooing song. Members of mated pairs may preen each other's feathers. Nest: Male leads female to potential nest sites; female chooses one. Site is usually in tree or shrub, sometimes on ground, sometimes on building ledge or other structure; usually lower than 40', rarely up to 100' or more above ground. Nest is very flimsy platform of twigs; male brings material, female builds.

Plant of the Month, February 2019: Western Sycamore

Western Sycamore

Platanus racemosa

The Western Sycamore is a plane tree found in our Children's Woodland and Butterfly Loop.  Birds love perching on its high branches.  The Western Sycamore can grow to be more than 115 feet tall, but they usually average out between 65 - 85 ft in height, with a trunk diameter of up to 3 feet.  The trunk generally divides into two or more large trunks splitting into many branches. You can identify a sycamore from its beautiful bark - with areas of white, pinkish gray, and pale tan.  Older bark on the tree becomes darker and peels away to make room for new bark.  Western sycamore leaves can be extremely large, up to 10 in. wide. The plant is deciduous, meaning its leaves turn an attractive yellow and orangish brown and fall in the autumn. They have rather plain-looking flowers - 1 in. spheres that becomes seed balls. 

• Tough and easy to grow, but require a lot of water.
• Almost always found in wetland-riperian settings or adjacent to drier habitats such as chaparral, valley grassland, mixed woodlands or evergreen forests.
• It tolerates a wide variety of soils, and prefers to have its leaves in full sun.
• They grow quickly if given plenty of water, often growing to 30 feet in just five years.