OCLB - Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Easy Day Hike

Orange County/Long Beach Chapter presents:

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Easy Day Hike

October 15, 2021 Starting at 8 AM

Contact: Michael Millan, email: jadedtrojan@hotmail.com

The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is an approximately 1,300 acres of coastal estuary. Habitats include open water, mudflats, salt marsh, coastal dunes, seabird nesting islands, riparian, and freshwater marsh. More than 200 avian species have been identified at Bolsa Chica and the reserve is very popular with birders and photographers. Click here for a map of the Reserve.

The total area of this reserve has increased over time. In the 1970s, the State acquired 300 acres of the Bolsa Chica wetlands. The property was designated as an ecological reserve by the Fish and Game Commission in 1993. In 2005, funds from proposition 50 allowed for the purchase of 118 acres on the Bolsa Chica Mesa. Finally in late 2006, following a major restoration project that included the creation of a new marine basin, an additional 923 acres was added bringing the total acreage to approximately 1,341.

Nesting bird species: Ridgway’s rail (formally light-footed clapper rail); Western snowy plover, California least tern, Belding’s Savannah sparrow, white-tailed kite, black skimmer, elegant tern, Forster’s tern, Caspian tern, white-faced ibis, American avocet and black-necked stilt

Other noteworthy birds: peregrine falcon, burrowing owl, California gnatcatcher, Northern Harrier, Cooper’s hawk, osprey, reddish egret, and tri-colored blackbird

Land mammals: coyote, raccoon, striped skunk, cottontail rabbit, California ground squirrel, pocket gopher, brown marsh rat, deer mice, and bats

Reptiles: California legless lizard, Southern Pacific rattlesnake, common king snake, San Diego gopher snake, two-striped garter snake, Southern alligator lizard, Western fence lizard and side-blotched lizard

Marine life: over 60 species of marine fishes, marine invertebrates, and occasionally California sea lion and green sea turtle

Plants: rushes, bulrushes, sedges, California sage, mule fat, and coyote bush

Rare and endangered plants: California seablite, woolly seablite, coast woolly-heads and red sand verbena

Free street parking is available on Bolsa Chica St. When traveling on PCH, turn onto Warner Street north of Bolsa Chica State Park. Turn right onto Bridgewater Drive. At the end of Bridgewater, a sharp left turn takes you onto Bolsa Chica Street. Click here for a map for a map of the parking location.