Dear Erin,

Happy 30th birthday to us! The Bolsa Chica Land Trust was formed in 1992 by a small group of Californians who believed that one of the last standing wetland ecosystems in Southern California was worth preserving for future generations. We still believe this and there is still a lot to do! Read below about ways you can help right now to make Bolsa Chica safer, help our local CA Brown Pelicans and help scientists monitor the Elegant Tern chicks banded last year. We also have a new educational blog post all about the mammals who call Bolsa Chica home written by our hilarious storyteller Mike Armstrong.

Can't forget to wish everyone a happy Father's Day, Juneteenth and National Pollinator Week this month. Now let's go out and make a positive difference for our wildlife and open spaces!

If you like our e-newsletters please consider sharing it with your friends and family. You can also follow us on Instagram or Facebook to catch our weekly "Wildlife Wednesdays" and current events as we share with you what we see and find every week!

Melissa Borde, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Manager, recently released a letter regarding the car break-ins at Bolsa Chica.  CDFW’s Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve Manager is diligently working to find ways to stop and prevent these crimes. This is a highlight from the letter, to read the full letter, click on the button below.

HOW TO PREVENT AND REPORT CRIME

• Call 911 if you witness an active break-in
• Contact HBPD at 714-960-8811 if you have previously been victim to a car break-in at BCER. If you are a victim of this crime in the future at BCER, please call 714-960-8811 and remain on-site so the police department can collect any evidence if possible.
• Be alert and aware of your surroundings at all times.
• Remember to lock your vehicle.
• Do not leave belongings (purse/wallet, computer, books, equipment, etc.) unattended.

CDFW has notified us that there have been a number of dead and dying Brown Pelicans reported to wildlife rehab centers from Ventura County to San Diego in the past few weeks. CDFW and US Fish and Wildlife Service are responding and are asking that if you find a dead or ill Brown Pelican to immediately call CalTip at 1-888-334-2258 and please provide information on the exact location and time of the sighting. We will post more information as we receive it on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). 

You can also follow the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center and International Bird Rescue for ways to help them directly. They are taking donations of supplies and direct financial donations.

As many people know, last year was devastating for the Elegant Tern colony at Bolsa Chica, because of illegal drone activity. Thousands of eggs were abandoned on North Tern Island (which can be seen on our live Eco-Cam). However, a little while later, Elegant Terns, possibly the same ones, nested in Long Beach Harbor in an area far from ideal. This resulted in hundreds of orphaned chicks. CDFW and other groups quickly went to work to save, and happily release, the birds back into the wild. Before the birds were released, they were marked with temporary pink feather ink on their chests and heads, in addition to a metal leg band on one leg and a red or orange leg band on the other leg. These markers help scientists monitor the Terns post release.

Now CDFW is asking for the community’s help! Now that the Elegant Terns are arriving back to the area, they are asking everyone to share any sightings to the USGS bird banding lab and/or International Bird Rescue.

USGS Banded Bird Encounter Reporting: https://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/BBL/bblretrv/

International Bird Rescue Reporting a Banded Bird: https://www.birdrescue.org/contact/found-a-bird/reporting-a-banded-bird/

Thank you for your help!

By far the most visitors to the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve (BCER) are here to see birds. It’s a world class birding site and well deserves its worldwide reputation. But the dry land parts of the Reserve are also home to mammal species characteristic of our region and essential to its ecology.

What do mice, gophers, and ground squirrels have to do with the birds people come to watch? Well, they are what supports our many raptors, including some that most people don’t associate with rodents! If you could ask one of our stately, graceful, herons or egrets what they think of rodents, their response would probably be “Yummy!” The kites, harriers, falcons, hawks, and owls would certainly agree. And those same rodents also support the WILDEST residents of BCER, our snakes and coyotes!

June Bird of the Month: Anna's Hummingbird

There is a large population of Anna’s Hummingbirds at Mesa Point. What attracts them there is the Coastal Sage Shrub habitat that was planted by the Stewards over the last 25 years, especially the hardy Bladderpod plant which is extremely drought tolerant and seems to bloom year-round. The hummers can be seen feeding on the nectar of the bright yellow Bladderpod flowers and on small insects. Some Anna’s Hummingbirds live in SoCal year-round and can produce as many as three broods a year.

4” long; 5.25” wingspan; 0.15 oz.

photo: Brian Goebel

Reminders When You Visit Bolsa Chica

Here are some things to remember during your visit:

• Please stay on the trails. Not only could you disturb nesting birds, but snakes are often not far off the trails.
• Enjoy the flowers, but please do not pick them.
• Do not feed the animals.
• Do not litter. Please pack out your trash, including food scraps.
• No bikes.
• No dogs.
• No drones.
• Enjoy being with nature!
• If you see any BCLT Stewards working along the trail, say hi! We are happy to answer any questions.

Support Bolsa Chica Today!

Photo Credits:

banner- Carol Calkins, sunset- unknown, pelican- Carl Jackson, Elegant Terns- CDFW, coyote family-Ivan Turpin, sand dune trail- E. Chin, Stewards- James Huang, Miracle docent with kids, Elegant Terns on beach- Marinka Horack, Anna's Hummingbird-Brian Goebel