Birds and Their Fans at Bolsa Chica

This winter it’s better for the birds. And hikers too. Two decades of habitat restoration efforts at Bolsa Chica wetlands have resulted in an environment that’s more attractive to resident and migratory waterfowl and to the bird-watchers and Bolsa bluffs walkers who view them.

The endangered least tern is one species seen these days in greater numbers at Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. About 10% of the entire population of this bird nests at the wetlands. And as a result of the cleanup of the cordgrass marshland and installation of nesting platforms, the endangered light-footed clapper rail population is rebounding.

Hikers also benefit from recent improvements at the reserve: a better trail system, a small visitor center, boardwalk bird-watching spots and interpretive displays.

The wetlands restoration continues, and much work remains. Bolsa Chica also faces a new threat from development on its borders; the wetlands are surrounded by the city of Huntington Beach, which is in the middle of a building boom.

From the visitor center on Warner Avenue, you’ll walk south alongside Outer Bolsa Bay to a bluff-top overlook, follow the shores of Inner Bolsa Bay, then curve coastward on a boardwalk to the reserve’s southern entry and parking area. Those hikers who love loop trails can return by way of a path tracing the west side of Inner Bolsa Bay; however, this trail is a bit too close to noisy Pacific Coast Highway for my taste, so I prefer to make the wetland walk via the inland path.

Bring binoculars. The “Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Trail Guide” pamphlet (available at the visitor center) is helpful but not crucial to a walk around the wetlands.

Directions to trail head: From the San Diego Freeway (405) between Westminster and Fountain Valley, exit on Beach Boulevard and travel a mile to Warner Avenue. Turn right. Follow Warner Avenue nearly to its end at Pacific Coast Highway. Just before PCH, turn left into the signed parking area for Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

The visitor center is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays and intermittently on weekends. Stop in to get oriented and to pick up an interpretive trail pamphlet. To join the trail, walk carefully along Warner Avenue across the bridge over Outer Bolsa Bay.

The hike: Follow the occasionally muddy path south above the mud flats along Outer Bolsa Bay. Often in company with joggers and walkers, you’ll walk three-quarters of a mile and crest a low rise. You’ll get much better clear-day views than you might expect from the top of this diminutive promontory: Long Beach Harbor and Palos Verdes Peninsula to the northwest, Catalina Island to the west, the San Gabriel Mountains to the east.

The low elevation of the Bolsa bluffs did not discourage the American military from installing two large guns atop them during World War II. You can see the remains of the concrete gun turrets.

The trail passes a flood control channel and a culvert that allows waters to pass from Inner to Outer Bolsa bays. Continuing south, the path leads between the eastern edge of Inner Bolsa Bay and Rabbit Island, which is home to rabbits as well as the hawks that hunt them.

Bird-watching opportunities abound as the trail curves inland to join a boardwalk that in turn leads to the reserve’s southern parking lot and trail head opposite Bolsa Chica State Beach.

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Bolsa Chica Wetlands Trail

Where: Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve.

Distance: 3 miles round trip.

Terrain: Mudflats on the fringe of Inner and Outer Bolsa bays.

Highlights: Birds, lots of them, and an interpretive trail.

Degree of difficulty: Easy.

For more information: Bolsa Chica Conservancy, 3842 Warner Ave. Huntington Beach, CA 92649; tel. (714) 846-1114.