The Wildlife Next Door

Woodland Hills, California, features diverse wildlife, particularly near the Santa Monica Mountains, including frequent sightings of mountain lions (like the famous P-22, though he was Hollywood Hills-based, the local P-89 died on the 101), coyotes (often in packs, causing pet concerns), deer, foxes, and various birds (hawks, woodpeckers, songbirds)

Scroll to see notes from the LA Times, photos from citizen scientists on iNaturalist.org, and photos from the National Park Service in Santa Monica Mountains.

From LA Times, March 2023

Speaking with Courtney McCammon (Griffith Park urban ecologist) from the volunteer-based Los Angeles Raptor Study

About the program:

Volunteers canvas six areas surrounding Griffith Park — the San Fernando Valley, the eastern Santa Monica Mountains, Mid-City, Downtown L.A., East L.A. and Northeast L.A., along with parts of Burbank, Glendale, Pasadena and South Pasadena — searching for the nests of red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, Cooper’s hawks, barn owls, great horned owls, Western screech owls, American kestrels and peregrine falcons.

What are the main threat to these birds?

Their main threat? Us, from our house windows, which they’re at danger of colliding with; vehicle collisions; habitat destruction; or rodenticides. (By the way, it’s illegal to remove any raptor nest by tree-trimming or any other means, whether it’s inhabited or not. Call CALTIP to report illegal trimming.)

What trends have you seen since you started the raptor study in 2017?

The study is still too young to make big assumptions on population trends, and we haven’t had enough years post-pandemic to really tease out the trends that came from it. For example, we thought the red-tailed hawk was the most common hawk in Los Angeles, but just last year [2022], the Cooper’s hawk — a very urban hawk that’s so good at utilizing urban spaces — far surpassed the red-tailed hawk.

To the right - A quick guide to common raptors in Griffith Park. (Source: Kathryn Louyse / Friends of Griffith Park )