We returned to this special place, fulfilling a need to be in nature. The lagoon itself consists of 610 acres with a drainage basin of about 55,000 acres so there is always more to explore.
Accumulated silt has been filling up Batiquitos Lagoon, and the lagoon was expected to fill up within 50 years. Instead, a large dredging and enhancement project began in 1994 to open the lagoon to the ocean’s tidal changes and flows, thus slowing down the filling of the lagoon with silt. This project, completed in 1997, was funded by the Port of Los Angeles.Of course, a highlight for me is the birds.Birds that use the lagoon for foraging and nesting habitat can be categorized as waders/fishers, walkers/runners, flight feeders, surface swimmers, or swimming divers.It's incredible to look up and see treasures hidden within the trees.
The flight feeders birds include a number of species of terns. Terns, usually white with black caps, can be seen hovering and then plunging for fish. The endangered California Least Tern is resident only in the late spring and summer. We will be returning to seek out this elusive Tern and the endangered Snowy Plover come springtime.
“Birds will give you a window, if you allow them.
They will show you secrets from another world–
fresh vision that, though it is avian,
can accompany you home and alter your life.
They will do this for you even if you don't know their names–
though such knowing is a thoughtful gesture.
They will do this for you if you watch them.”
- Lyanda Lynn Haupt, Rare Encounters with Ordinary Birds
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