1970s (various dates)
These are all wildlife sightings that I remember happening at or very near my childhood home in Los Angeles. I don’t have dates for these sightings, as they are all from memory, but I have noted anywhere I have a doubt about the species identify.
☆California Scrub-jay ☆were common in our neighborhood. At least once, my mother rescued a bird that had fallen from the nest, and raised it. “Blue Boy” was kept as a pet until it was unfortunately killed by one of our dogs (a German shepherd who was re-homed soon after the incident). My mother also rescued and raised a few ☆House Finch☆ (although she called them Linnets) that fell from nests in our yard before they were fledged. One, whom she called “Peeper,” was a family pet for a number of years. I remember the bird taking seeds my mother held between her lips – pretty cute. ☆Brewer’s Blackbird☆ were common in our yard, and my mother rescued at least one.
For many years a large Great Horned Owl lived in the Tasmanian Blue Gum in the empty field across the street from my house. Although I often played in that field and even climbed that tree, I didn’t see the owl very often. There were, however, a number of occasions when I did, including at least two times on Halloween.
I was familiar with ☆Red-tailed Hawk☆ as a child, as one could often be seen flying over the Ballona Wetlands, just across Culver Blvd. from our neighborhood. ☆Turkey Vulture☆ were also often spotted soaring over the wetlands and Hughes Aircraft property.
☆Northern Mockingbird☆ were seen and heard regularly in my neighborhood. I also have lots of memories of mockingbirds at my grandparents’ house in Westchester. There was usually one singing perched on the wires above the swimming pool. It seemed that little fella was ALWAYS singing, often in the middle of the night, to the point of being annoying, at times.
I’m pretty sure that ☆House Rat☆ is the common species of rat that was seen in my neighborhood. I believe they were nesting in palm trees, among other places. I have memories of them walking along the top of the wall between our house and the neighbors, and at least one got into the house and caused quite a panic.
In terms of lizards in our yard, I’m sure that ☆Western Fence Lizard☆ were the most commonly seen. I also have a very clear memory of my dad finding a lizard in the front yard shrubbery between our house and the next door neighbor’s. He called it an “alligator lizard,” in which case it would be a Southern Alligator Lizard, but I don’t have a clear enough memory of the animal itself (or of my dad’s naturalist skills) to know if my father was correct with the ID, or if he had misidentified a fence lizard.
One more notable plant to mention: We had a magnificent Coast Redwood growing in our front yard. It surely was planted as an ornamental at some point in the past, but when I lived in the house, it was probably 75 feet tall – definitely the tallest tree in the vicinity. I loved that tree, and was heartbroken to discover that subsequent owners of the house had it removed.
Species List
California Scrub Jay (Aphelocoma californica obscura), Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus), Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis calurus), Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura aura), House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus frontalis), Brewer’s Blackbird (Euphagus cyanocephalus), Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos polyglottos), House Rat (Rattus rattus), Southern Alligator Lizard (Elgaria multicarinata), Western Fence Lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens), Tasmanian Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus)
Let me know what you think!