Bolsa Chica Land Trust

Announcing the opening of the 2026 'Wings Over Bolsa' Bolsa Chica calendar photo submission period! Do you love to visit the Bolsa Chica wetlands and take photos of everything from beautiful birds to sweeping landscapes? We encourage you submit your photos for our annual 'Wings Over Bolsa' calendar! The purpose of the calendar is to inspire and educate people about the importance and beauty of Bolsa Chica birds, wildlife, and ecosystem. The 'Wings Over Bolsa' calendar is one of the best ways we show why preserving and restoring Bolsa Chica is so important. Thousands of visitors enjoy Bolsa Chica every year, but few get to see the amazing wildlife, behavior, and landscapes photographers like you capture with your cameras. We know it takes many hours, patience and tons of practice to get such stunning images, and we are enormously grateful to all the photographers who sharing their photos with us. Upload your photos through our secure online BCLT portal between Monday April 7th and Friday May 2nd, 2025, for consideration in our 2026 'Wings Over Bolsa' calendar. All photos are selected by blind review and based on quality and originality. We look forward to seeing your stellar photos! www.BCLandTrust.org 📷 Mike Zampelli #bolsachicacalendar #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicaphotographers #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #wildlifephotographers #wildlifephotography #birdsofbolsachica #bolsachicawildlife #bolsachicalandtrust #bolsachica_LT #wingsoverbolsachica #wildlifecalendar

Expanding our partnership with One Tree Planted, we will plant 110,000 trees in California to support wildfire reforestation efforts. This brings our total to 750,000 trees planted together since 2022.   Our team recently volunteered with One Tree Planted at the Bolsa Chica Land Trust in Huntington Beach, CA. We not only cleared invasive species, but also planted and watered over 120 native plants to help restore Bolsa Chica’s Coastal Sage Scrub and Grassland habitat. 🌱✨ Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ghRq9nJz

The mission of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust is the acquisition, preservation, and restoration of all of Bolsa Chica and the education of the public to its natural wonders and cultural significance. As a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, we heavily rely on donations to continue offering our exceptional educational experiences and volunteer opportunities. We have been successfully working towards our mission since 1992 through our projects and programs, building strong relationships with CDFW and other organizations to support large projects like the Water Infrastructure Project, and working towards tackling new threats to Bolsa Chica like climate change. We couldn't do all of this important work without your support. We are determined to preserve this precious place and there is still so much to be done. Please join us in protecting Bolsa Chica now and into the future by donating today! https://lnkd.in/ev4DRpft #environmentalnonprofit #bolsachica #bolsachicastewards #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicalandtrust #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #nonprofitorganization #donate #becomeamember #environmentalstewardship #wildlifeconservation #habitatrestoration #supportbolsachica

Yellow-crowned Night-heron (Nyctanassa violacea): This unusual-looking bird is a solitary and secretive nighttime forager of fish, shrimp, crabs, and insects. It is also active during the day, and it preys upon young birds. During spring and summer, the Yellow-crowned Night Heron is found nesting in trees & bushes near water, mainly in the Southeastern USA, the Atlantic & Gulf Coasts, and to a lesser degree, the Southern California and Baja Coasts. In the winter some migrate south to Panama and the West Indies. In the last few years, a group of Yellow-crowns have found a home at Bolsa Chica and can often be seen at the north end of the Pocket Wetland. 📷 John Hannan #WildlifeWednesday #TIL #birdsofbolsachica #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #yellowcrownednightheron #heron #nightheron #uncommonbird

Happy Earth Month! April is always a busy time and this year is no different. Read all about it in our April e-newsletter! FREE Monthly E-newsletter subscription: https://lnkd.in/ePKdDUMQ April and past e-newsletters: https://lnkd.in/e4da9eUv Until next time, see you on the trails. 📷 Jodi Newell #bolsachicanews #aprilnewsletter #earthmonth #earthday #happyearthday #happyearthmonth #bolsachicalandtrust #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #bolsachicawetlands #emailsignup

🚨 Important ☎️ # s in post🚨 See sick or injured wildlife? The toxic algae bloom is causing catastrophic wildlife devastation across the coast of Southern California right now. Both seabirds and marine mammals are becoming sick and dying at alarming rates from Domoic Acid poisoning. Birds like pelicans and cormorants, sea lions and dolphins need your help! ‼️ Save these phone numbers to report a sick animal and stay at least 50 yards (150ft) away‼️ 🪶 For birds call the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center: 714-374-5587 🦭🐬 For marine mammals in LA the Marine Mammal Care Center: 1-800-39-WHALE (94253) 🦭🐬 For marine mammals in OC the Pacific Marine Mammal Center: 949-494-3050 ext. 9 Please visit their pages for more information and consider donating to help them have the resources they need to get through this tragic wildlife emergency. 📷 Donna Stogner #domoicacid #toxicalgaebloom #domoicacidtoxicosis #domoicacidpoison #strandedmarinemammals #dolphins #sealions #socal #seabirds #marinelife #pelicans #cormorants

Nesting season has begun which means our restoration work to prepare nest site 2 is now complete. Thank you to all the groups and volunteers who helped clean up the nest site of vegetation for the endangered CA Least Terns and Western Snowy Plovers! Both of these species only nest is open pebbly areas where they dig shallow depressions to lay their eggs. Many invasive plants try to take root in this nesting habitat which discourages the birds from nesting. Last year's nesting season was another successful year for nest site 2! It was again the site with the most number of successful nests and the Bolsa Chica Stewards' work played a big role in that accomplishment. We want to thank CDFW, under their management and guidance, for allowing us to help restore this critical nesting habitat for these special birds and we look forward to continuing this restoration work next season. 📷 Bequi Howarth #CDFW #nestingseason #nestingsuccess #endangeredspecies #CALeastTerns #WesternSnowyPlovers #bolsachica #birdsofbolsachica #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #habitatrestoration #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicaecologicalreserve

As its name implies, this delightful little bird is one of the most widespread and successful warblers in the USA. The adult male has a characteristic black bandit mask and a bright yellow throat and underside, and an olive-brown back. Females have more subdued coloring. The diet of the Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) consists of spiders, insects, and a few seeds. Visitors to Bolsa Chica’s south lot are often greeted by the Yellowthroat’s distinctive song: “wichity wichity wichity wich” coming from the pickleweed. Habitats include bushes, grassy areas, and marshes. In May this species migrates north in family groups with the Bolsa Chica having some wintering groups going north to nest, some being year-round residents and others migrating in from the south to nest. 📷 Brian Goebel #WildlifeWednesday #TIL #commonyellowthroat #birdsofbolsachica #bolsachica #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicaecologicalreserve

From Bolsa Chica ER manager Melissa Borde (CDFW): It was a great day at Bolsa Chica ER! 55 volunteers and staff worked hard Wed/Thur to clean trash at the Bolsa Basin State Marine Conservation Area-ocean tidal inlet. Heartfelt thanks to the California Department of Fish & Wildlife, California Resource Corporation, Amigos de Bolsa Chica, Bolsa Chica Land Trust, Bolsa Chica Conservancy and the Bolsa Chica Reserve Watch team! Please note, due to the nesting season, we avoid many areas until August and only allow organized cleanups within the reserve. Wonder where the trash comes from? Did you know Bolsa Chica ER sits at the end of one of the largest watersheds- Santa Ana Watershed-2700 mi.². https://lnkd.in/eB9cB4my Wintersburg Channel Update: If you are interested working with a nonprofit to adopt a channel, please contact the adopt a channel program and report pollution to the county at the below link.  Adopt a Channel https://lnkd.in/eMwTZQRX Report pollution/trash in Wintersburg Channel https://lnkd.in/er-K9qwB 📷 Melissa Borde #CDFW #trashcleanup #bolsachicawetlands #bolsachicaecologicalreserve #beachcleanup #bolsachica #workingtogether #conservation #wildlifeconservation #habitatrestoration #watershed

You may hear an endangered Ridgway's Rail (Rallus obsoletus) noisily clacking at Bolsa Chica before you see it. These secretive birds spend their time hiding in the tall grasses and pickleweed along the edges of wetlands where they nest, forage, and hide from predators. They build nests which rise and fall with the tides in the cord grasses, anchoring and protecting them with a canopy woven from the surrounding grasses. A chicken sized bird, it prefers running for cover over flying from predators. A good reason for it to stay close to its hiding places. If you are quiet and patient, you may see one in the early morning or late evening emerging to forage near the wooden walk-bridge from the south parking lot of Bolsa Chica. 📷 Dante Vasco #BolsaChicaEcologicalReserve #BolsaChicaWetlands #WildlifeWednesday #birdsofBolsaChica #RidgwaysRail #rails #TIL #endangered #pickleweed #BolsaChica #surfcityusa #OC #wildlifeconservation #wetlands #conservation #habitatrestoration #endangeredbirds