Common Tern At Bolsa Chica Wetlands Photograph by Linda Brody

Common Tern At Bolsa Chica Wetlands

by Linda Brody

Canvas Print

$77

Framed Print

$86

Art Print

$29

Poster

$29

Metal Print

$83

Acrylic Print

$91

Wood Print

$63

Tapestry

$48

Throw Pillow

$30

Fleece Blanket

$58

Duvet Cover

$112

Shower Curtain

$78

Bath Towel

$43

Ornament

$10

Jigsaw Puzzle

$45

Tote Bag

$39

Weekender Tote Bag

$50

Zip Pouch

$30

Portable Battery Charger

$47

Yoga Mat

$70

Greeting Card

$5.10

Spiral Notebook

$17

Sticker

$4.00

iPhone Case

$30

Beach Towel

$43

Round Beach Towel

$75

Weekender Tote Bag

$50

Coffee Mug

$20

Men's Clothing

$29

Women's Clothing

$29

Youth Clothing

$25

Toddler Clothing

$23

Baby Clothing

$27

Title

Common Tern At Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Artist

Linda Brody

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

Common Tern At Bolsa Chica Wetlands.

The common tern is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution, its four subspecies breeding in temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia and North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black.

Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve is a nature reserve in the city of Huntington Beach, California. It is designated by the California Department of Fish and Game to protect a coastal wetland, with its resident threatened and endangered species. "Bolsa Chica" means "little bag" in Spanish, as the area was part of a historic Mexican land grant named Rancho La Bolsa Chica. The Reserve is also called many other names, including Bolsa Chica Lowlands, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, and Bolsa Chica Wildlife Refuge.

Bordered on one side by Pacific Coast Highway and oil fields and houses on the other, Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve wetlands is a 300 acre coastal sanctuary for wildlife and migratory birds. A wooden bridge crossing over a tidal inlet and a 1.5 mile loop trail provide for spectacular wildlife viewing. Two additional viewing points are located along the perimeter.

The reserve has two sand islands where California Least Terns and Snowy Plovers nest. Endangered Belding's Savannah Sparrows live, breed and nest at Bolsa Chica. Other species include rare Light-footed Clapper Rails, Great Blue Herons, Snowy Egrets, White and Brown Pelicans, Avocets and Black-necked Stilts, to name a few. In the fall and winter seasons, Lesser Scaups, Red-Breasted Mergansers, Ruddy Ducks and Common Loons come to visit.

Today the wetlands are thriving, however, this was not the case in the prior to 2004. Over 50 years of oil field development highly degraded the wetlands. Restoration, which began in 2004, after years of planning and environmental study, included removal of over 120.000 feet of oil pipe. Thirteen miles of exploratory ditches were dug to look for additional buried pipe and other hazardous debris from the oil operations. Heavy machinery removed brush and the new wetland configuration began.

A new ocean inlet, allowing for the first time in over 100 years, the ocean waters to enter the wetlands required construction of a new $100 million bridge overpass on Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1), a highly traveled beach route. To protect adjacent homeowners from saltwater intrusion, a barrier structure was constructed along the entire eastern edge of the restored wetland. This prevents saltwater from entering nearby aquifers, and excessive fresh groundwater from accumulating in the residential area. Pumps capture accumulated water and return it to the wetland.

This wetlands redevelopment project was financed by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, in trade for expansion and acquisition of additional coastal land for port use.

In my former life as an environmental analysis specialist, I served as Assistant Project Manager for the environmental studies associated with this project. It is so nice to be able to see the beneficial results of a long and arduous project. Linda Brody.

This photograph has been featured in the following Groups:
First Friday Gallery
Images That Excite
Beauty
Nature Landmarks Landscapes Wildlife
T100 Appreciating Works from All Mediums
All About Nature
Coastal Water Birds

Some of my artwork appears on products sold at Zazzle. Check out the following website: http://www.zazzle.com/linda116.

If you like my art, please take a moment to "like" and/or comment. I would be most appreciative if you would share on Facebook, Google+, Pinterest, etc. This will help promote my art online and enable it to be found by others on internet searches. Thank you so much.