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Overview
The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is located on the coast in western Orange County, California, USA, in the city of Huntington Beach and is separated from the Bolsa Chica State Beach by the Pacific Coast Highway. It is part of the State Ecological Reserves system, managed by the California Department of Fish and Game, and its purpose is to protect the estuarine tidal saltwater marsh habitat, with its resident, threatened and endangered species. The Reserve is a remnant of an ancient coastal wetland, originally 4000 acres in size. The area was once part of the Nieto land grant, and on Nieto's death, his son inherited 8000 acres, 4000 acres of which were coastal wetland. He named this property Rancho La Bolsa Chica, because the bigger lagoon looked like a small purse or pocket - "bolsa chica" meaning small purse in Spanish.
Birds
Notable Species
Winter is when the most species can be sighted. Many species of tern breed here during the summer. Endangered sparrow Belding's Savannah Sparrow here. Nice trails and directly across from the beach.
Rarities
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Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
American White Pelican, Brown Pelican, Northern Harrier, White-tailed Kite, Red-shouldered Hawk, Osprey, American Kestrel, Black Phoebe, Savannah Sparrow, Western Meadowlark
Other Wildlife
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Site Information
History and Use
Bolsa Chica is presently about 1550 acres in size and consists of undeveloped coastal wetland and adjacent upland areas, but it was once part of a 165,000 acre Spanish land grant. Native Americans once lived here, finding shellfish and other food stuffs in the wetlands, and making their home on the upland mesas.
In 1900, the natural ocean inlet was closed, supposedly to improve duck hunting, and this destroyed the tidal nature of the wetland. During the next 70 years, the area was used for farming, raising crops such as potatoes, and also for the grazing of cattle and sheep. Oil was discovered in 1920 and Standard Oil leased the land for drilling. The lease was later taken over by Signal Oil. Coastal artillery mounts and bunkers were built during WWII. Then in 1970, Signal Oil bought the land for development.
In 1972 the Coastal Act became law. In 1973 the State of California received about 300 acres of wetlands next to the Pacific Coast Highway in a controversial land swap, and in 1979 the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve was developed from a portion of the 300 acres, the rest remaining privately owned. The organization, Amigos de Bolsa Chica, had been formed in 1976 to protect the wetlands and in 1989 they were successful in reducing the plan to build a huge marina, with residential and commercial development.
In 1997, the State bought 880 acres of Bolsa Chica wetlands from Signal Oil and more acreswere acquired over the next few years. By 2000, about 1200 acres were publically owned, and in 2001, planning began to restore 550 acres of the historic Bolsa Chica lowlands.
In 2004, restoration of nearly 600 acres began so that the area would become tidal again. See information on the Amigos website: [1].
In August 2006, the new tidal inlet was opened allowing seawater to flow into the wetlands for the first time in over 100 years. For photos of the opening of the tidal inlet, see the online newsletter at: [2].
The Amigos de Bolsa Chica have spent over 30 years working to acquire, preserve and restore the wetlands. Restoration project
Areas of Interest
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Access and Facilities
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Contact Details
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External Links
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Content originally posted by ceryle
Reviews
raulroa's review This location is very accessible and close to the freeways. Parking is at two locations on the north end and south end and the nature center has free information about the trail and what can be seen while walking. There are many areas that are super close to water and many birds just hang out close for photo ops. Although some of the area is closed for construction, it is still real good for birding and when the reconstruction is completed, there will be even better opportunities to see birds upclose. Pros
- Excellent proximity to freeway and right on Pacific Coast Highway; long trails and lots of birds; there is a nature center that has free trail guide; there is a small bridge where birds came very close and easily photographed
Cons
- Some of the area is being removated so it is closed during construction but there is plenty of trail to travel and many birds all of the time; too much trash at the north end and at a point where a canal comes in.
DiggitalD's review Bolsa Chica is a great spot to catch migratory birds during the winter. White & brown pelicans share water with all kinds of wading, swimming, and diving birds. There are several types of heron and egret which are predictable. There are also plenty land-oriented birds like phoebes, meadowlarks, etc.. Harriers show up like clockwork, along with red-shoulders, ospreys, kites, kestrels, and sometimes other falcons. It's a nice, open area. Pros
- wide variety of birds
Cons
- pollution and limited access
Lorax Dan's review
Pros
- Fantastic for viewing a variety of birds.
Cons
- Close to noisy highway and industrial spoiling
droll13's review Just an update:
On August 25 2006, a sand barrier was removed, and the wetlands were reunited with the Pacific Ocean for the first time in more than 100 years. This was a milestone in a long-running restoration project.
There are reports that the inflow of ocean water has changed some of the local conditions so you might have to explore a bit to find your favorite birds' new "homes" in the wetlands. For example, shallow water feeders (ducks and other diving birds, herons and other waders), might find that their previous shallow feeding places (such as around the footbridge) are now deeper.
On the other hand, I'm hoping is that high tide will deepen the water enough so the Brown Pelicans can be seen more often from the footbridge executing their spectacular dives.
The wetlands remains a terrific, easily accessible location Pros
- variety of fauna; convenient location
Cons
- trash in some areas; footbridge sometimes crowded with photographers
