Palos Verdes is much loved for the natural beauty and being an oasis in the middle of LA’s metropolitan area. It’s where over 200 species of birds can be seen throughout the year. Some stay for just a short visit while others too call PV home. I’ve always enjoyed seeing and listening to our local birds, but it wasn’t until about 4 years ago when my now 13 year old son became immersed in bird watching and bird photography. What started as interest in our local raptors for a school project at Silver Spur Elementary, is now a full fledged passion with over 300 birds on his “life list”!
I thought it would be fun to share our family’s love of our local feathered friends with you. Here are ten birds to keep an eye out in your yard, when you are out and about exploring Palos Verdes, or if you want to visit one of the suggested bird “hotspots” nearby.
- Great Horned Owl (resident species)
- Red Tailed Hawk (resident species)
- American Kestrel (resident species)
- Coastal Cactus Wren (resident species)
- California Gnatcatcher (resident species – threatened)
- Black Oystercatcher (resident species)
- Pacific Loon (migrant – Winter/Early Spring)
- Lazuli Bunting (migrant – Spring/Fall)
- Yellow Warbler (migrant – Spring)
- Hooded Oriole (migrant – Spring)
Bird Hotspots in Palos Verdes (and nearby)
South Coast Botanic Gardens
Point Vicente trails
Madrona Marsh in Torrance
White Point (aka Royal Palms) in San Pedro
Tips to attract and protect birds
Habitat loss is one of the biggest threats to birds and other wildlife, and there are some simple things you can do to make your yard and PV a bird friendly place.
- Plant native plants in your yard (visit https://pvplc.org/native-plants-nursery/)
- Avoid weedkiller like Round-up and other pesticides in your yard
- Don’t use rodent poisons, raptors and owls eat poisoned mice and rats (visit https://raptorsarethesolution.org/)
Fun Tools to Learn More About Birds
- Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon Society (https://www.pvsbaudubon.org/)
- eBird.org – This bird database and website is among the world’s largest biodiversity-related science projects, with more than 100 million bird sightings; managed by The Cornell Lab of Ornithology
- Merlin Bird ID – App based database that can help identify birds by recording their song live on your device.
