I went to college at Caltech, and though not a birder then, may be able to
offer some ideas. In Pasadena itself there is a wild colony of escaped
parakeets, parrots, etc., which you may want to keep an eye/ear out for. I
remember these as hanging around Pasadena north of Caltech. In San Marino,
a nearby community (walking distance from Caltech) is Huntington Gardens, a
place well worth visiting in its own right. It has acres and acres of plant
communities from all over the world, including desert gardens, australian
gardens, rose and rhododendron gardens, japanese gardens, orange groves,
forests, and many others in addition to housing a famous library/art museum
(Blue Boy painting is kept there, plus many fascinating old books, including
Audubon plates). I would guess that many birds would choose to hang out
there. Contact Pasadena tourist info/chamber of commerce for details on
access to the gardens. I believe they're generally free and open during the
day, but Sundays may be restricted to appointments to prevent overcrowding.


One place we used to go a lot for half-day hikes is Rubio Canyon. You'd
have to get a USGS map or find out from the locals where it is. It's in the
hills north of Pasadena, and I don't have a map anymore so I can't tell you
exactly how to get there (it's been many years). It should be well-known
because historically there was gold mining there and old parts of the
railroad that transported the ore out can be seen as you go up the canyon.
The canyon now has water lines running down it (which are useful for
getting past the tricky parts of the trail). You park on a residential
street and go up a trail that runs between two houses. The trail up the
canyon is quite rough, and you have to be ready to climb over boulders, etc.
But geologically and biologically, it's a very interesting place and I have
no doubt you could find many interesting rocks, birds, butterflies, insects,
lizards, and sometimes deer there (and even year-round waterfalls if you get
up high enough). One warning about the hills behind Pasadena, they're
really nice to hike in, but check the smog alerts before you go. You can
get very sick hiking up there if the smog is bad - and you can't always see
the type of smog that's the worst. So take it easy in the summer. There
are also rattlesnakes. I have hiked up there many years and have never been
bothered by them, but you can never tell.
----------
From: owner-tweeters
To: Tweeters
Subject: Pasadena Birding
Date: Tue, May 30, 1995 12:41PM

I'll be in Pasadena, CA for the last few days of June/early July. Are there

any Tweeters or others out there who can suggest some good half-day birding
spots nearby? Any specialties that I should look for or contacts that I
should make? Would appreciate any information, and would be delighted to
similarly advise those who may be coming to Vancouver Island or other points

in B.C.

Please contact me either directly or through tweeters. And thanks,

Bryan Gates, Victoria, BC (604) 598-7789 (Home in eve.)
or at Victoria Rare Bird Alert (604) 592-3381
bgates at assessment.env.gov.bc.ca