FINDING URBAN WILDLIFE
A tricolored heron inches toward the muddy shores that a rival snowy egret has claimed for the afternoon. I lift my lens through my car’s sunroof and take aim. The midafternoon sun perfectly silhouettes them in the silvery water. Suddenly, the snowy egret takes off with a flurry of motion toward the tricolored heron. The retreating bird quickly dances through the water, running from the onslaught of white feathers. I snap my first photos of a species that, up until this moment, I had no idea lived in the middle of Orange County, California.
The greater Los Angeles area, which consists of five counties, including L.A. and Orange counties, isn’t the first place that most people think of when they think of “nature.” In fact, it’s probably one of the last. Ask any local, and they’ll tell you how much they love living in L.A. because all you have to do is drive a few hours to get to something natural. Very rarely will someone tell you how beautiful the city itself is.
Everything from the San Fernando Valley to South Orange County is sadly almost completely developed. It’s an urban jungle, or what I like to call it, an “urban
