Bolsa Chica : Minus Tides Will Offer Birds, Watchers a Break

Thousands of sandpipers, egrets, herons and other water birds, attracted by an unusually low tide, will congregate this weekend at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve to feed off the exposed mud flats.

The low tide occurs fairly often during this time of year, according to officials of the state Department of Fish and Game, who manage the reserve.

The birds should be especially in evidence around 2 p.m. Saturday, when tides in the outer bay will be minus seven-tenths of a foot, said Pat Moore, public information officer for the department. Tides will be even lower around 2:30 p.m. Sunday and should attract an even greater number of birds, he said.

Amigos de Bolsa Chica, an ecological group, will conduct a monthly free tour of the 557-acre coastal reserve both Saturday and Sunday. The tours start at 9 a.m. and depart every fifteen minutes until 10:30 p.m., across the street from the Bolsa Chica State Park headquarters between Warner Avenue and Golden West Avenue.