Birding at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
We live close to Huntington Beach, but for years we somehow overlooked the beautiful stretch of open space directly across Pacific Coast Highway from the ocean. Once I started birding, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve kept appearing in conversations and everything I read about local birds. I am so glad we finally found it.
Bolsa Chica is now one of my favorite places for an early morning with my camera. More than 1,300 acres of open water, mudflats, salt marsh, coastal dunes, nesting islands, and freshwater and riparian habitat create a home for an incredible variety of wildlife. More than 200 bird species have been identified within the reserve.
Exploring the Reserve
The south parking area is just off Pacific Coast Highway. From there, a wooden footbridge crosses Inner Bolsa Bay and leads into the reserve. The water below can be nearly as distracting as the birds. We have watched stingrays slide through the shallows alongside octopuses, sea slugs, and other creatures moving through the murky water.
Ducks gather around the bridge while egrets stalk the edges and Brown Pelicans drift overhead, frequently diving just next to the bridge. Just beyond it is a protected nesting area used by endangered California Least Terns. At the right time of year, the area becomes a blur of quick white wings as the terns call, carry fish, and move between their nests and the surrounding water.
Approximately four miles of connected trails can be accessed from the reserve’s two parking areas. From the footbridge, we often follow the trail toward the East Garden Grove-Wintersburg Flood Control Channel. Trails run along both sides of the channel, with a bridge providing a convenient place to cross and loop back.
The ponds near that bridge are always worth checking. Pelicans, egrets, ducks, and songbirds gather around the water, while Belted Kingfishers announce themselves with their rattling calls before flying past.
A Very Busy Bird Day
I visited Bolsa Chica during the October 2019 Big Day and found the birds to be so cooperative. Snowy Egrets, Great Egrets, Brown Pelicans, and Double-crested Cormorants crowded the water.
At least three separate feeding frenzies erupted while I stood nearby. Birds plunged, splashed, and pushed into the same patches of water as small fish gathered below the surface. It was loud and chaotic, with white wings flashing between dark cormorants and long-billed pelicans.
Herons in the Palm Trees
One of my favorite Bolsa Chica sights is the colony of Great Blue Herons nesting in the palm trees. These large birds fly in carrying sticks, then disappear into the dense crowns to work on their nests.
Their deep, rough squawks sound almost prehistoric as they come and go. During nesting season, a close look into the palms may reveal a fuzzy young heron peering over the edge of a nest.
The landscape below the palms can be just as beautiful. During spring 2019, the trail between the Warner Avenue entrance and the flood-control channel was surrounded by coastal sunflowers and smaller wildflowers. On a breezy morning, their yellow blooms moved across the open marsh while birds called from the vegetation.
Visiting Bolsa Chica
The Warner Avenue entrance has a small parking area, public restrooms, and the Bolsa Chica Interpretive Center, where visitors can find exhibits and information about the reserve. It can also serve as the starting point for walking the trail system in the opposite direction.
Bolsa Chica is open to walkers, birders, runners, photographers, and anyone who wants to spend time around the wetlands. Because this is a protected ecological reserve with sensitive nesting and feeding habitat, dogs and bicycles are prohibited. Drones are absolutely prohibited.. Staying on the designated trails gives the wildlife room to rest, feed, and raise their young.
The protected area began with 300 acres acquired by the state in 1973. Approximately 1,000 additional acres were added in 2005 and 2006, preserving a much larger portion of this coastal habitat.
Watching a Reddish Egret Fish
Of all the birds I have watched at Bolsa Chica, the Reddish Egret is one of the most entertaining. It does not stand still and wait patiently for a fish. It runs through the shallows, changes direction without warning, leaps, spreads its wings, and fluffs its feathers to create shade over the water.
The whole performance looks like a dance, but every quick turn is part of an active hunting technique. Watching one chase fish through the shallows remains one of my favorite Bolsa Chica experiences.
