Rice Creek is a seasonal tributary of the Ventura River that drains the hillsides above the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s majestic Ventura River Preserve. Hikers in Rice Canyon can see the modest creek, and know that it supports a variety of native plants and wildlife. However, the lower sections of the small Creek have seen rough times over the last 90 years since it was cut off from its natural route and held captive in a man-made ditch. In the 1920’s, the stream was diverted to make room for an orange orchard. When the stream was moved, the hydrologic and ecological connections between the Creek and the Ventura River were severed. In total, ¾ of a mile of the former stream was left dry, most of it to be completely removed.

The southwestern willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus) is indeed a ‘rare bird’ in every sense of the word and today it was heard and confirmed for the first time on the Ojai Meadows Preserve.  Bird expert and retired US Fish and Wildlife Service employee Jesse Grantham and his friend Peter Larramendy were bird watching on the Ojai Meadows Preserve early Wednesday morning and were stopped in their tracks by the bird’s distinctive fitz-bews.  Grantham said, “this is the first one I’ve heard in about 20 years.  It was fun!”