Oxford Basin

On our list of the best activities in Los Angeles.

A 10.7-acre wetland at the northwest corner of Marina del Rey, this basin started as a flood-control channel on the site of a former municipal dump in 1959, and earned a Duck Pond nickname decades ago after domesticated ducks were introduced, before hundreds of abandoned pets dumped there forced a cleanup in 1989. The Audubon Society later had it designated a Bird Conservation Area, and the basin now draws 50 to 100 species through the year, including a black-crowned night-heron colony and nesting peregrine falcons. A 0.7-mile loop trail rings the water, running parallel to the Marvin Braude Bike Trail, with observation decks set along the way for a closer look.