Coastline Pilot/LA Times

19 September 2003

 

Chasing the Muse

By Catharine Cooper 

 

The light has not yet crested the ridgeline as I step onto the dusty trail that leads toward the water.  I’ve chosen a solo hike to quietly stalk birds and savor the centering that occurs when I’m in the wild.

 

Early morning fog lines the edges of the lake, gathering in fat droplets that slither down the stalks of tall willows.  Twin White Pelicans paddle lazily near the edge of the dam, their bodies reflected mirror-like in the windless surface.  Overhead, a pair of Snowy Egret race to a favored fishing spot near the short falls, their raspy rarr echoes against the soft sloping hills.

 

Not one, but four pair of Night Heron fish the edges of the island and tiny channel rookery.  Their eyes, bright red against black and white bodies, provide a visual respite from the morning grey.  Across the water, hidden in the moisture-thick air, gaggles of feral and domesticated geese sound off as they search the shoreline for grubs and spent seed.  

 

A refuge from urban sprawl and population, Lake Laguna Niguel is a 44 acre jewel in the western edge of south county, providing ingress and egress to the Aliso Creek watershed.  Accessed from La Paz or Alicia Parkway, several trails wind through the surrounding Regional Park connecting on one end to the open space of Aliso Woods Canyon, and the other, to the YMCA on Crown Valley Parkway.   The lake was developed primarily for fishing and is cyclically stocked with Rainbow Trout, Bass, Pike, Carp and Catfish.  Private boats are not permitted, but rentals are available.  Permits for fishing are required. 

 

Since I am not a fisherperson, the existence of the lake was a total surprise until this year.   I was shocked to discover its proximity, and admit that I had never hiked its perimeter or admired its waterfowl.

 

Spring and fall provide the broadest display of foliage coloring and the most abundant birding.  The water serves as a homing device for those on migratory patterns, offering both rest from long flights and abundant food source (ie, stocked lake makes for good eating).   There are several birds who have taken up year-round residence, including a pair of Canadian Geese, who gave birth this spring to one chick, and a pair of exotic Egyptian Geese, brilliantly colored in greens, mauve and various shades of brown, who are raising their second off-spring since last July.  

 

This year I have been gifted with sightings of American Bittern, Belted Kingfisher, Black-headed and Blue Grosbeak, Western Tanager, Greater Roadrunner, Spotted Towhee, Bullock’s and Hooded Oriole, and Nuttall’s Woodpecker (to name a few).  Sparrows, Wrens, Warblers, and Flycatchers fill the fields in abundance.  In the early spring, two pair of Great Heron built nests in the dying eucalyptus on the northwest edge of the lake.  They stayed with the nests for three or four weeks before abandoning them.  I fear the hawks, both the resident Cooper’s and Red-tail, may have feasted on their eggs. 

 

This past week, four juvenile Night Heron and one juvenile Green Heron joined the Snowy Egret at the favored fishing hole.  The kuk-kuk-kuk of the Green and the slight black crest on the top of his longish neck aided in his identification.   Their scaled down frame and multi-colored feathers are all that distinguish them from the adults.   The intensity with which they focus on their fishing task is identical. 

 

As the water spills from the lake to the creek, it provides a natural watercourse into the abutting open space. While busy Alicia Parkway bifurcates the two areas, those with the gift of flight are not affected.   I have wandered from the stream to the dry brush, thrilled to watch a Great Heron land in a field, far from her fishing habitat.  Grasses crackling beneath long slender yellow legs, she bent her head in query to ‘fish’ the brush for insects.  

 

The lake is yet another reminder of the wealth of habitat available to us in close proximity to home.  What a thrill to watch Egret and Heron in flight, an American Bittern peek from behind a wall of sharp reeds, or a Belted Kingfisher swoop down for a meal.  Or to watch the roll and dive of Anna’s or Black-chin Hummingbirds in their mating ritual and trace the flight of an American Kestrel across dried fields.

 

From the ocean to the coastal sage community, to the eco-system of the lake, so much lies within our grasp.  Sometimes it’s a solo walk that creates the perfect tonic.  Sometimes the day begs for friendship and conversation.  Whatever you’re seeking, take a walk outside.  There is magic to encounter in every step.

 

--xx—

 

Catharine Cooper loves wild places. She can be reached at ccooper@cooperdesign.net or 714 296 5250.