This was my first visit to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve, the largest saltwater marsh along the California coast. A perfect place to separate myself from hours of car travel and California’s heavily-trafficked highways where no one drives the speed limit! Highway 1 is right next to this area, but I was soon walking the trail and observing the birds at the reserve. (I hope when I return to this area the oil spill caused by a pipeline leak a few days ago has not damaged any of this area or local wildlife. Cleanup efforts have begun, but we also need to rethink having such old pipelines from the offshore oil platforms.)

I walked to an inner bay passing a fenced-off nesting area. Later in discussion with a local birder, I learn the nesting area once had some birds, a year or so ago, but had been scared off when a drone crashed into the area. It scared adult birds away from their nest, resulting in no young. The hope now is the adults will return, breed, and stay with their young. Having the fenced-off nesting area is good and hopefully no drone incidents will happen again in the area.

There is a 3 mile trail around the inner bay which I will walk next visit, but for this day I see 5 new birds for me! I hope to return when more birds are migrating through or when they are with their colorful breeding plumages.

Here are some photos: