Experience Bolsa Chica
A Rare Coastal Ecosystem...The Bolsa Chica has an unusually rich diversity of habitats with its wetlands and mesas.  Freshwater wetlands, coastal bluff scrub, eucalyptus woods and grasslands are habitats found on Bolsa Chica Mesa.  Birds of prey, upland birds, reptiles, amphibians, mammals, monarch butterflies, and endangered plants and animals use these habitats.

Thousands of birds use the open space at Bolsa Chica as a rest stop during long migrations from their nesting grounds in the Arctic to their wintering grounds to the south. In springtime, you will find songbirds on the mesa stopping over to get nourishment and rest on their migratory flight from Central America to the north.

A small selection of what you may see on the Mesa:

Birds of Prey
11 different species of birds of prey, which include:
Burrowing Owls
Peregrine Falcons*
Great Horned Owl
Cooper's Hawk
Northern Harrier
White-tailed Kite*
American Bald Eagle (sighting)*
Red-tailed Hawk
Osprey
Merlin
Red-shouldered Hawk

Upland Birds
Western Meadowlark
Say's Phoebe
Blue Grosbeak
Red-winged Blackbird
Swallows
Black-shinned Hummingbird
Loggerhead Shrike*
Anna's Hummingbird

Mesa and Wetland Birds
Great blue Heron
Great Egret
Belding Savannah Sparrow*
Black-crowned Night-heron
Burrowing Owl
Snowy Plover*
Least Tern*
Brown Pelican*
Light-Footed Clapper Rail*

Mammals
Coyote
Beechey Ground Squirrel
Western Harvest Mouse
Cottontail Rabbit
Blacktailed Jackrabbit
Striped Skunk

Reptiles and Amphibians
Southern Alligator Lizard
Western Toad
Pacific Rattlesnake
Western Fence Lizard

Partial List of Plants
California Sagebrush
Forewing Saltbush
Coyote Bush
Bladderpod
Coast Sunflower
White Sage
Southern Tarplant
Coastal Salt Grass
Prickly-pear Cactus
Arroyo Willow

*endangered