Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve
Orange County Coast · near Huntington Beach · Los Angeles / SoCal
Wildlife Watching
At a glance
- Best season
- Year-round; nesting terns spring–summer; shorebirds peak fall–winter
- Open year round
- Yes
What is here
- Wildlife
- birds
- Species
- Least terns, black skimmers, herons, egrets, shorebirds, waterfowl, raptors
- Amenities
- Restored coastal wetland · Easy flat loop trails · Nesting terns & skimmers · Right by the beach
- Best for
- Easy, abundant SoCal wetland birding
- Features
- Premier OC coastal wetland · Nesting terns & skimmers · Hundreds of bird species · Flat, easy trails
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Hot, shadeless in summer · Busy coastal parking · Stay on trails near nesting areas · Sun & wind exposure
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Wildlife Watching detail
- Viewing
- trail
- Effort
- easy
- Habitat
- wetland
- Sighting
- 5
- Viewing notes
- One of Southern California's premier coastal wetlands — easy loop trails past nesting terns, herons, egrets, and hundreds of shorebird and waterfowl species by the beach
- Intl tip
- A restored coastal wetland along the Pacific Coast Highway in Huntington Beach — among the best, most accessible birding spots in Southern California. Flat easy loop trails and a footbridge cross tidal basins: nesting least terns and black skimmers (spring/summer), herons and egrets, and thousands of migratory shorebirds and waterfowl (fall/winter), 200+ species. Easy and family-friendly with interpretive signs. Little shade (hot in summer), busy coastal parking — stay on trails to protect nesting areas.
The guide
Squeezed between the Pacific Coast Highway and the surf in Huntington Beach, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is a restored c…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 33.69, -118.05