Pigeon-watching hotspots to see around town #8: Santa Monica Pier and Bluffs Flock, by Day and by Night.

 

The world-famous Santa Monica Pier Lighted Display Arch, in Santa Monica, CA, USA.

Santa Monica is definitely one of the Los Angeles region's most popular tourist destinations, with many attractions within the city; the Santa Monica Pier, being the most prominent landmark in town, with the sun's setting happening over the Pacific Ocean, each evening, off over the horizon, or beyond Malibu and Topanga Canyon. It's nature's majesty at some of its best, on the west coast. 

Taking a closer, more localized look around the area, we are witnessing a novel animal amusement park beginning to develop, in recent years. The locals might have typically been considered to have been wondering what to do about this huge flock of hundreds of pigeons, nearby the pier? The topic had even made the news, back in 2022, when a man took up the call to action, at a time when the fear of birds, due to the pandemic, had further pushed pigeons, amongst the public, out on a lonely boat, at sea, so to speak. 

Unforeseen, a rich and bustling wildlife scene has become established, with huge numbers of squirrel families now populating the bluffs, and the pigeons show up for a piece of the action, as well. 

Hordes of squirrel families have propogated themselves on the Santa Monica Freeway / Pacific Coast Highway bluffs, neighboring the Santa Monica Pier. The bluffs feature exciting natural ecology for both squirrels, as well as pigeons, to thrive, amongst the tourists and local wildlife lovers, alike.

The pigeons and squirrels make for a lively and dynamic daily foray, amongst the panoramic views of local beach-side ecology and the ocean horizon.

The pigeons and squirrels of the Santa Monica State Beach Bluffs work out who's eating what, out of what I throw out, for the birds. 

An Iranian pigeon checks out a squirrel who'd bossed his way in to getting some of the food, while the other critters and a fellow pigeon look on.

These day time photos were from a recent Day 1: of a weekend, 2-day excursion,in which I'd ended up at the beach, to do recycling. This pigeons and squirrels dynamic is really a new thing, over the past year or two, or so - there definitely had not been so many squirrels. There's really a lot of them, but there's so many tourists, and they seem to all get by, just fine, as is, and I'm sure that the city's Animal Control staff can figure out what to do, if there were a problem about overpopulation, or something. 

The next time I came down to Santa Monica (earlier, last night), I arrived around evening / just past sundown, for my Day 2 excursion. This time, I spotted another pigeon presence novelty - the underneath-the-pier night shift pigeons. A nighttime flock of pigeons who are active, still, is quite rare, here in the Greater Los Angeles area, so - making Santa Monica a stop, in your day, whether it be night time, or sun out, seeing the pigeons out, doing their thing, can fit in to most any tourist schedule.

As I walked along the beach, passing underneath the pier, some of the local pigeons flew down from the rafters, and they decided to check me out, to see if I had any food for them.

Some pigeons from the pier flock, at nighttime, mingling as they discover a prospect for a meal.

I had some bread, so I gave them what I had, and the birds were happy. 

The next time you're out in Santa Monica, perhaps you'll encounter these pigeons, along your path, on and around the beach and bluffs.

A pigeon pursues a potential companion, or young one, as pigeons will do.

Pigeon-watching hotspots to see around town #7: Universal City / Studio city Metro Station and Bus Hub.

 

The Universal City / Studio City Metro Station flock of pigeons is an extra-special flock to see, along the Metro Red Line (B Line).

Wow, what an exciting flock of birds! For years, now, I'd been coming to visit the Universal City / Studio City flock of pigeons, here and there, and the birds never let me down, in offering an amusing and interactive birdwatching and bird-feeding session. Today, right before the beginning of summer, was no different. 

This time, I came with Hawaiian burger buns, since I was making burgers, later on, as well as pastries. For refreshments, I brought Sparkling Ice brand flavored water.

A sprawl of pigeons, amidst the street surface level of the Universal City / Studio City Metro Station and Bus Hub.

A baby pigeon seeks out some food, in the planters at the Metro Station. 

An adult pigeon follows the baby pigeon around, in the planter.

The adult pigeon chases the baby pigeon around, in an effort to socialize the baby pigeon, appropriately. 

Here, we have a flock of birds at its best - the birds are away from the civic center of Los Angeles, and there's fewer criminals who try to catch the birds. Hence, the birds are much more comfortable, and in their element, and they're more willing to interact with their human caregivers. On this day, the birds had a bountiful feast of Hawaiian buns and pastries.

The pigeons, here, at the Universal City / Studio City Metro Station, often congregate off to the side, nearby the planters.

I made sure to offer the birds a dish of cold water, since it was a hot day. They took to it, just fine!

The birds started to get wise, as to where the food was, and they raided my large pastry that I brought for them. 

Soon afterwards, more pigeons began to flock to the pastry, and they ate the whole thing.

A delicious meal, for these birds. 

I recommend this spot, for bird-loving tourists, for an optimal bird-feeding experience (they're much more lively and friendly, once they're fed). 

Pigeon Box Art and Pigeon-Related Art Commissions Around the Greater Los Angeles Area. [Updating: now, with Pigeons and Friends]

An ongoing online exhibition featuring visual odes to the pigeons that I've discovered, or happened upon, as a trekker of many streets and locales in and around the Greater Los Angeles area. 

Box Art is a trending artistic expression form that sprung up, several years ago, as a seemingly ordained vehicle of artists' aspirations for public recognition (I'm not sure of the origins or certifying agency behind the legality of painting on public sidewalk utility server boxes). 

The pigeons, being the endearing young explorers and ambassadors to the town that they are, have merited several works of art dedicated to them over the years, in the lives, works, and hearts of artists and art lovers all across several locales around the Los Angeles region. 

The South Pasadena Metro Station

Los Angeles Trade Tech College Murals

 

The Martin Luther King Blvd. at Harbor Freeway 110 Underpass Murals.

The Ernst and Young Plaza Poetry Pigeons; Curious Over a Fried Egg - Cast Metal Statue

Santa Monica Pier re-opening welcome banner.

Update: 01/24/2022: 

While out working on some more recent developments, of about a year-and-a-half since I’d last made inclusions and updates to this blog, I’ve come across a previously unknown, or previously non-existent - charming mural rendition of some of the Friends of the Pigeon: a sparrow, and what appears to be perhaps a baby seagull, with a characteristically youthful withdrawn stance, about the bust (breast, neck and head) of the bird, of which would suppose a more socially-shy and unsure fledgling addition to a flock, amongst adults, in a similar manner in which a puppy reserves it’s tail in between its legs, as an ostensible sign of submission to the elders and authorities of the pack, or family unit. This mural is located in the Playa Del Rey area, which is part of the expanse of public works projects that include a nature reserve designation, of sorts, that encompasses the Los Angeles River, which begins, winding further up the road, and around the bend, a bit, feeding in to channels that comprise the Venice Beach Canals (which are an upscale series of channeled waterways that mimic the Classical Canals of Italy’s Venice; thus Venice Beach, CA, is rightly named as, such that it would suppose a proper nod of the hat towards a facet of our Western heritage and culture, here in America; Venice Beach, largely known as a small, yet concentrated locality of the West Coast, in attracting many professionals and patrons of the Los Angeles, CA artistic culture and of progressive minds and lifestyles, and the area is, therefore, rich in diversity, arts, and spirituality. The Ballona Wetlands, as it is known, further up in to this current area, known as Del Rey, bordering on Culver City, in this instance, is a rehabilitated natural and native wetlands plants reserve, where the river flows inland, turning, at some point, several miles up the road from the beach, and winding its way through Los Angeles, as a large concrete ditch, perhaps anywhere from 20-30 feet deep, and, at times, anywhere from 30-75 feet wide, perhaps more, in some cases, as a watershed management development of the larger systems of society and government, and it is rumored that, at some point, the development project is projected to expand the entirety of the lateral expanse of the lower 48 states of America in coming decades.

Somewhere, 

at the edge of two localities, the river becomes a great wash basin, capable of handling a significant flow of water, perhaps, someday.

Hollywood, CA - YMCA building.

The Hollywood YMCA, in the heart of Hollywood, CA, features an external mural and protective wall (since there’s sometimes small civic uprisings that find their way in to Hollywood, lately, at times [mid-late 2022]) featuring black and white birds, perhaps pigeons, that they could be. 

Hanging out with the USC dumpster pigeons, a displaced Los Angeles local pigeon flock.

Being that 

I’ve been doing this pigeon-feeding thing for about 5 years now, on a regular basis, by this point, I’ve come to track the progress and movements (or whereabouts) of some of the flocks and even some of the individual members, between flocks. It’s important for diversity to flourish, as well as for the fact that they have an opportunity to take in differing diets, from other feeders, although I try to treat my flocks that I cover with special consideration - I offer them bread with rich, sweetened dairy products - soaked completely, with a bit of water. It gets tossed out to the birds in a broad swath, and they come to recognize the food, and the feeding gesture as a welcoming and non-threatening deed, for them, since I’m not particularly trying to get them to be comfortable with coming in to close quarters with their feeders - there are still people who are trying to trap the pigeons, at this point in time; I figure that this will continue on, for years to come. 

In any case, however, I do like that this particular flock, which used to be “homed” over at Hoover Park, by USC, I would imagine - since I don’t see the flock over here, any more, 

The USC dumpster pigeons’ previous daily setting, out at Hoover Park.

is now at a more public-transit frequented location. Perhaps it’s simply easier for them to find food, here, and the employees at Dirt Dog do offer them daily bread, I’ve observed, although it’s tack-dry bread. When I encounter that the bread had been tossed out to them, on some days, I take it and re-wet it, to ensure that the birds get some essential fluids in them.

Although they’re not quite as well-positioned, on the way to becoming wildlife | domesticated birds, out in the public sphere, that could be changed, over time, with some dedication and care, as far as their nutritional intake and supplementation goes. I suppose that that would be my job. Be sure to check them out some time, just off the Ortho Institute Expo Line Metro Train Stop.

A look at the sidewalk vendor scene of Los Angeles, CA.

Here in Los Angeles, the conventional wisdom of our upbringing was that Los Angeles is a sprawling, vast city. Indeed, at about 503 square miles, there is much ado about this town, civic and culture-wise.