Exploring the LA County Chaparral

Starts Sat, Apr 19, 2025

Leaders: Naresh Satyan and Lance Benner

Dates: April 19, May 17, June 14 (all Saturdays). Times vary based on individual hikes, details to be emailed to participants.

Join us to explore the chaparral habitat in the foothills and mountains of Los Angeles county this spring and early summer! This will be a series of hikes through chaparral and riparian habitat in the mountains that tend to get less attention from the birding community compared to popular hotspots.

IMPORTANT: Please make sure you have read and understood the notes below before you sign up for these hikes!

1. You are signing up for the series of three hikes, but you are welcome to attend one or all of the hikes once you have signed up here. No additional signup or RSVP is necessary. Exact locations, starting times, and a brief description of what to expect will be emailed to participants a few days before each hike, with the hikes chosen based on weather and other conditions. Just show up at the meeting place and time on the day of the hike.

2. We will be hiking in the wilderness. Although we will avoid dangerous terrain, the hikes will be moderately strenuous, and we will encounter one or more of these conditions: some steep grades and significant elevation gain, stream crossings, hot weather with no shade, rocky terrain, rattlesnakes, biting insects, thorny plants, etc. There will typically be no access to restrooms (though there will be plenty of bushes in the wilderness). Hikes may last 4-6 hours, hiking for 6-8 miles round-trip, and you will need to carry sufficient food and water. There will be no cellphone coverage in the mountains. The hiking pace will be slow to moderate as we focus on birds. Please sign up only if you are comfortable with such hikes!

3. There will be no “target birds” or “specialties”. The hikes will instead be geared towards exploration of the habitat, looking for and listening to birds that use chaparral and riparian habitat in the mountains. We hope to see a variety of migrating birds earlier in the season, and observe birds in various stages of their breeding cycle. Birding in the mountains is usually dominated by listening to unseen birds — we will emphasize bird sounds and recording them where possible.

All individuals under the age of 18 participating in a LAB sponsored event must be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian, or an adult designated as responsible for their well-being including their safety, behavior, and compliance with all applicable rules and regulations during the course of the event, program, activity, etc.

Currently signup is limited to LAB members, who will receive an email with instructions for how to sign up.