Environment : Notes about your surroundings.

BIRDS: In 1987, the California Fish and Game Department biologists conducted status reviews of 113 plants and animals listed as threatened or endangered by the state. The five-year reviews, recently made available to the public, include a report on the tiny Belding’s Savannah Sparrow, a resident of several coastal Orange County marshes.

In fact, among the five top breeding locations for the subspecies, three are in the county. Of 2,274 breeding pairs counted at 27 locations in 1986, 245 pairs were found at Upper Newport Bay, 244 at Anaheim Bay and 163 at Bolsa Chica. Statewide, populations of the bird are actually on the rise, up from an estimated 1,610 pairs in 1977.

But the report also notes that the bird has disappeared from two county locations where it was once found: Sunset Aquatic Park and the Santa Ana River mouth.

The Belding’s savannah sparrow is often spotted among the pickleweed at Bolsa Chica and Upper Newport Bay, although its coloring helps it blend in quite well. It is predominantly brown and beige, with fine streaking on the head and face.