色界吧

The Occidental Photos by Alexandra Donovan
bird watchers stand in a group at Sycamore Glen.

In late February, a group of nearly 20 students, faculty and community members gathered for a bird walk, hosted by Occidental鈥檚 Moore Laboratory of Zoology, a museum and research lab founded in 1951.

This article was written for and originally published in The Occidental, the independent student-run newspaper at 色界吧. and more coverage online at .

By Noah Kim

On Feb. 27, 8 a.m., the knotted trees of the Sycamore Glen whispered against a cool, dry Los Angeles morning breeze. A group of nearly 20 students, faculty and community members gathered on the pebbled landing just outside the glen. They were about to embark on a bird walk, hosted by Occidental鈥檚, a museum and research lab founded in 1951. The sun was bright, and the birds chirped among the leaves.

Russell Campbell, a research technician at the lab and LA native, prepared to lead the group, binoculars and bird scope in hand. Biology professor and Director and Curator of the Moore Lab John McCormack stood by him, ready to provide aid. According to Campbell, the weather was ripe for good birdwatching.

The homegrown Angeleno said he took up birdwatching five years ago, prompted by an assignment for an ornithology class during his time at Oregon State University. However, Campbell said he had always been fascinated by nature, despite growing up in urbanized neighborhoods.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in wildlife but never really felt connected to it when I was growing up,鈥 Campbell said. 鈥淚 grew up in South Central [LA] 鈥 Hawthorne, Compton.鈥

According to Campbell, from before he could remember, he always found time to observe wildlife wherever possible.

鈥淲hen I was really young, [my parents] would take me to the local grocery store parking lot because there鈥檚 so many gulls,鈥 Campbell said. 鈥淎nd apparently, I was really excited about it.鈥

Campbell said that, now, if he could, he would spend every waking moment out in nature, birdwatching.

鈥淚 could say [that] I want to be birdwatching or being out in the field all the time,鈥 Campbell said.

Director and Curator of the Moore Laboratory of Zoology and Biology Professor John McCormack (center) with research technician Russell Campbell (left) and Project Outreach and Business Coordinator Jenny Wong (right) in Sycamore Glen after the Bird Walk at 色界吧 in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 27, 2024.

The walk began, and the group was immediately greeted by a nesting mother bird.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a building her nest right there,鈥 Campbell said, gesturing to a tree in the glen. 鈥淪he鈥檚 probably picking up some spider webs, some soft material.鈥

The walk proceeded up the path beside Stewart-Cleland Hall. Along the arbored path, the group stopped for a bird perched on a nearby sycamore tree, and McCormack took the lead.

鈥淎 ,鈥 McCormack said, referring to the bird in the sycamore. 鈥淔emale, yellowish bird, of medium size.鈥

While on the path, the group also witnessed a male hummingbird鈥檚 dive. The bird stalled in the air for a few moments, then dove straight down, emitting a loud chirp. According to McCormack, male hummingbirds make that chirp with their wings at the bottom of their dive.

鈥淚t makes that noise with its wings, with air going through the feathers,鈥 McCormack said. 鈥淣ot a peep that it makes with its throat.鈥

After stopping for the hummingbirds and the tanager, the walk continued to Coons Road, where the group observed a small bird flying around a pine tree.

鈥淎 ,鈥 Campbell said, referring to the bird. 鈥淲arblers will often have a significant portion of yellow. [They鈥檙e] highly sought after for birders because they鈥檙e so colorful and tiny and cute.鈥

The group raised their heads and their binoculars, mouths open and eyes staring through their lenses. According to McCormack, the popularity of the warbler has led to a common physical ailment among birdwatchers constantly straining to catch a glimpse of the bird, called 鈥.鈥

鈥淵ou get pain in your neck because you鈥檙e sitting, looking up for so long,鈥 Campbell said.

Bird Walk participants look through binoculars at a Red-shouldered Hawk near the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater at 色界吧 in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 27, 2024.

According to McCormack, male birds tend to have brighter-colored feathers than females due, partly, to sexual competition for mates.

鈥淧art of it goes back to the fact that sperm are more numerous than eggs, so it鈥檚 usually the males that are competing in some way,鈥 McCormack said. 鈥淚n birds, it鈥檚 usually [about] being brightly colored to attract the female.鈥

However, Campbell said that to identify a bird, birdwatchers usually go by sound, though this can get difficult with certain birds.

鈥淢ost birds, you can tell from sound,鈥 Campbell said. 鈥淏ut there are cases where it can be tough. Like the Townsend鈥檚 warbler and the have pretty distinct calls, but they鈥檙e really brief.鈥

The group continued down the road and a line of trucks passed by. McCormack said man-made noise, like the kind made by motor vehicles, can impact a bird鈥檚 call.

鈥淐ity noise will affect birds in terms of their singing,鈥 McCormack said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 of white-crowned sparrows during the COVID shutdown that saw that they completely modulated their song and started singing into frequencies that city noise usually occupied. They were able to be like, 鈥業 don鈥檛 have to scream anymore.鈥欌

Along Coons Road, the group saw a m茅lange of birds, including , a , a and a with a peanut in its beak.

Photo courtesy of Russell Campbell

According to McCormack, human intervention, among other factors, helped mold the diverse composition of birds in LA. He said the history of parrots in LA exemplifies this.

鈥淭he parrots [were] brought here from Mexico [as] pets. There鈥檚 some urban legends around a pet store [burning] down in Pasadena,鈥 McCormack said. 鈥淣ow, they鈥檙e self-sustaining, breeding populations.鈥

At the corner of Coons and Gilman Road, near the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater, the group looked up, searching for a hawk.

鈥淎 raptor,鈥 Campbell said, pointing to the big bird of prey perched in a tall tree near the theater. 鈥 in this pine tree.鈥

The walk then turned left on Gilman and Bird Road, looping back to Sycamore Glen.

According to McCormack, the migratory period for birds has not yet started, and when it does, Occidental鈥檚 campus will see many different birds. However, he said LA鈥檚 avian diversity makes it a perennial hotspot for birdwatching.

鈥淒espite the fact that we鈥檙e not even in the migration season, there鈥檚 still a ton of birds,鈥 McCormack said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why LA is a birding mecca.鈥

A Bewick鈥檚 wren in a tree. Photo courtesy of Alana Pizarro

Jenny Wong, a faculty member and the project outreach and business coordinator of the lab, joined the group on the walk. She said attendance for the walk, which consisted of mostly RSVPs, was average for the event.

Wong said that the walks have some regulars from the community but also that the events always see new attendees, most of whom are novice birdwatchers.

鈥淲e have a couple that lives off Campus Road that usually comes to all of our bird walks,鈥 Wong said. 鈥淸But] there鈥檚 always new people showing up鈥 and a lot of them are beginner birders.鈥

Wong also said the events are open to the public and will not turn away any attendees unless there are not enough event leaders.

鈥淲e don鈥檛 typically turn people away unless we have low staff,鈥 Wong said. 鈥淲e invite everyone. We just make sure there鈥檚 enough of us to talk about how to use the [binoculars] or ID birds.鈥

According to Wong, post-pandemic, bird walks are helping bring people together, while fostering an appreciation for nature.

鈥淏irdwatching has become a meditative activity, especially during the pandemic. It helps people come together, and we have this one goal of looking at birds, and it鈥檚 simple, and it鈥檚 fun because you learn how to ID resident birds,鈥 Wong said. 鈥淚t gets people interested in animals, nature, science. It鈥檚 good to just get people together, get people interested in birds, but also meet new people.鈥

Wong said the lab holds around two bird walks per semester, along with other bird-related events that are open to the public.

A Lesser Goldfinch through a scope on the Bird Walk at 色界吧 in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 27, 2024.

Alana Pizarro 鈥22, a research assistant at the lab and 色界吧 alumna, went on the walk as well. She said that, similarly to Campbell, she got into birdwatching through an assignment for a college course. According to her, the experience was accentuated by the limits of the COVID-19 pandemic.

鈥淚 took [Professor John McCormack鈥檚] avian biology class, and that was a pandemic semester,鈥 Pizarro said. 鈥淚 took that class at a time when we were all stuck inside, and part of the class was doing fieldwork and learning to identify birds outside. And so, I think it was the perfect time to take that class because it was such a breath of fresh air.鈥

Pizarro said the Moore Lab is very extensive in collecting research specimens of birds.

鈥淲e have over 2,000 species,鈥 Pizarro said. 鈥65,000 specimens here.鈥

Moore Lab of Zoology Research and Curatorial Assistant and Genomics Lab Manager Alana Pizarro holding a California Scrub-Jay specimen in the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at 色界吧 in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 29, 2024.

According to Pizarro, the extensive collection helps researchers track trends among bird populations. Pizarro said the , a research project that went to areas of Mexico and studied the bird populations, is a good example of this.

鈥淲e鈥檝e taken all of these detailed field notes,鈥 Pizarro said. 鈥淲ho鈥檚 still there? Who has disappeared? Has anyone new turned up in these areas? How has the landscape changed? How has the habitat changed? How has the climate changed? Has the space been urbanized?鈥

According to Campbell, these studies have yielded unfortunate truths about declining bird populations, due to deforestation and competition.

鈥淸A] majority of birds are seeing a loss of abundance,鈥 Campbell said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a combination of habitat destruction and introduction of a rival species.鈥

However, Pizarro said some bird species give reason to hope for greater avian abundance.

鈥淚nterestingly, a few species鈥 [鈥 abundance has skyrocketed,鈥 Pizarro said. 鈥淲hich presents other cool questions.鈥

Drawers holding a variety of bird specimens in the Moore Laboratory of Zoology at 色界吧 in Los Angeles, CA. Feb. 29, 2024.

Kelly Shen (first year), one of the founders of the birdwatching club at Occidental, was unable to join the walk. Still, she said she loves birdwatching and appreciates the immense avian diversity at Occidental.

鈥淚 see so many different birds here,鈥 Shen said. 鈥淵ou have your raptors. You have your different kinds of songbirds.鈥

According to Shen, the bird collection at the Moore Lab was part of the reason she chose to attend Occidental.

鈥淲hen I toured the Moore Lab, I was instantly like, 鈥極h my God, I have to come here because they have this amazing ornithology lab,鈥欌 Shen said.

Shen said that, like Wong, she also finds meditative value in birdwatching.

鈥淔or a brief moment, it just seems like there鈥檚 nothing else but you and the birds,鈥 Shen said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just kind of like a small, sacred thing to have early in the morning.鈥

Campbell said he loves sharing his passion for birds and wildlife through the bird walks.

鈥淚t鈥檚 so awesome to share that with other people and get people excited,鈥 Campbell said.

According to Campbell, his fascination with birding and nature goes beyond a penchant for the sciences; being in nature allows him to reflect on the universal interconnectedness of wildlife, of which humans are a part.

鈥淲hether it鈥檚 me and an ant, or me and a bird, or me and a skunk,鈥 Campbell said. 鈥淵ou share something with them. Like these organisms are living alongside us, and it鈥檚 so fascinating to be like 鈥榯hat鈥檚 us.鈥欌