Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

How the least tern was rescued at Batiquitos Lagoon

See what restoration can do

Sand bars were created as least tern nesting sites.
Sand bars were created as least tern nesting sites.

The North Bluff Trail is on a coastal plateau at an elevation of 60 to 100 feet above sea level, overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon. The plateau once was almost entirely covered by coastal sage scrub habitat, but most of this habitat has been replaced by large suburban housing developments. Only remnants of native vegetation remain. This trail skirts through some of these remnants and in addition offers outstanding, almost aerial, views of the lagoon.

Binoculars are necessary if you want to identify most of the birds in the lagoon.

Descend the stairs leading from the trailhead and follow the official trail, which has a decomposed granite surface, and proceed straight south on the ocean side of a wall. Both sides of the trail have been landscaped with nonnative plants, especially myoporum and lantana. Coastal sage scrub vegetation occupies a strip between the landscaped area and the railroad right-of-way. A dirt bike trail parallels the official trail and goes through the coastal sage scrub habitat, joining the official trail when it reaches the bluff overlooking the lagoon.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Coastal sage near trail

This trail is important for the perspective it gives on the significance of Batiquitos Lagoon for birds, both seasonal visitors and permanent residents. However, binoculars are necessary if you want to identify most of them. The trail is high on the bluff above the lagoon and does not provide access to the wetlands surrounding the lagoon. You should be able to identify large wading birds, such as great blue herons, egrets, and many flying raptors even without binoculars, but there are so many more birds here. These include 14 species of shore birds, 11 species of waterfowl, 8 species of raptors, and 10 species of flying/diving birds.

Coastal lagoons are flooded valleys, prone to becoming meadows as silt accumulates in the basins due to the erosion of the hills that surround them. This is a natural process known as eutrophication. However, it is greatly accelerated when development in the surrounding watershed flushes a much greater volume of sediment into the body of water. By the 1980s, Batiquitos Lagoon was no longer open to the ocean, so tidal flushing did not remove the sediment washed into the lagoon from the surrounding watershed. The lagoon had almost completely silted up and also had ceased to be a home to most of these bird species.

The least tern (Sterna antillarum), a small flying/diving bird that is white and gray with a black hood, is an extreme example. It is a migratory bird. It is only with us from April, when it arrives from its winter home in the Caribbean and South America, until September. Once abundant, it had become rare — not only here, but also throughout San Diego County and beyond. In 1970 it was designated an endangered species. One of the reasons it is endangered is that it nests in the open, preferably on sandy beaches, where it must compete with humans who also love the beach, especially in summer when the lest tern is nesting on the sand. In the case of the lagoon, these sandy beaches and dunes had been lost as eutrophication occurred.

If human activities had greatly contributed to the endangerment of the least tern, at least in this case we came to their rescue. A number of beaches have been designated least tern breeding areas and humans and their vehicles are prohibited access to them. In the case of the Batiquitos Lagoon, a plan was put into action to save not only the least tern, but also the whole Batiquitos ecosystem. The restoration was completed in 1997. Sediment was dredged from the lagoon, sand bars were created as least tern nesting sites, the wetlands were restored, and the lagoon opened to the ocean to permit tidal flushing. The least tern population has recovered, along with an increase in the population of numerous other birds, and even fish.

Distance from downtown San Diego: 31 miles. Allow 45 minutes. Exit I-5 at Poinsettia and go west. Turn left on Avenida Encinas and travel southwest for 1.5 miles to Ponto Dr. Turn right onto Ponto Dr. and park. Walk back to Avenida Encinas and head east, crossing the bridge over the railroad tracks, to find the trailhead on the southeast side of the bridge.

Hiking length: 1.5 miles out and back. Allow 1 hour.

Difficulty: Easy. Elevation gain/loss is negligible. Leashed dogs and bicycles allowed.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Sand bars were created as least tern nesting sites.
Sand bars were created as least tern nesting sites.

The North Bluff Trail is on a coastal plateau at an elevation of 60 to 100 feet above sea level, overlooking the Batiquitos Lagoon. The plateau once was almost entirely covered by coastal sage scrub habitat, but most of this habitat has been replaced by large suburban housing developments. Only remnants of native vegetation remain. This trail skirts through some of these remnants and in addition offers outstanding, almost aerial, views of the lagoon.

Binoculars are necessary if you want to identify most of the birds in the lagoon.

Descend the stairs leading from the trailhead and follow the official trail, which has a decomposed granite surface, and proceed straight south on the ocean side of a wall. Both sides of the trail have been landscaped with nonnative plants, especially myoporum and lantana. Coastal sage scrub vegetation occupies a strip between the landscaped area and the railroad right-of-way. A dirt bike trail parallels the official trail and goes through the coastal sage scrub habitat, joining the official trail when it reaches the bluff overlooking the lagoon.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Coastal sage near trail

This trail is important for the perspective it gives on the significance of Batiquitos Lagoon for birds, both seasonal visitors and permanent residents. However, binoculars are necessary if you want to identify most of them. The trail is high on the bluff above the lagoon and does not provide access to the wetlands surrounding the lagoon. You should be able to identify large wading birds, such as great blue herons, egrets, and many flying raptors even without binoculars, but there are so many more birds here. These include 14 species of shore birds, 11 species of waterfowl, 8 species of raptors, and 10 species of flying/diving birds.

Coastal lagoons are flooded valleys, prone to becoming meadows as silt accumulates in the basins due to the erosion of the hills that surround them. This is a natural process known as eutrophication. However, it is greatly accelerated when development in the surrounding watershed flushes a much greater volume of sediment into the body of water. By the 1980s, Batiquitos Lagoon was no longer open to the ocean, so tidal flushing did not remove the sediment washed into the lagoon from the surrounding watershed. The lagoon had almost completely silted up and also had ceased to be a home to most of these bird species.

The least tern (Sterna antillarum), a small flying/diving bird that is white and gray with a black hood, is an extreme example. It is a migratory bird. It is only with us from April, when it arrives from its winter home in the Caribbean and South America, until September. Once abundant, it had become rare — not only here, but also throughout San Diego County and beyond. In 1970 it was designated an endangered species. One of the reasons it is endangered is that it nests in the open, preferably on sandy beaches, where it must compete with humans who also love the beach, especially in summer when the lest tern is nesting on the sand. In the case of the lagoon, these sandy beaches and dunes had been lost as eutrophication occurred.

If human activities had greatly contributed to the endangerment of the least tern, at least in this case we came to their rescue. A number of beaches have been designated least tern breeding areas and humans and their vehicles are prohibited access to them. In the case of the Batiquitos Lagoon, a plan was put into action to save not only the least tern, but also the whole Batiquitos ecosystem. The restoration was completed in 1997. Sediment was dredged from the lagoon, sand bars were created as least tern nesting sites, the wetlands were restored, and the lagoon opened to the ocean to permit tidal flushing. The least tern population has recovered, along with an increase in the population of numerous other birds, and even fish.

Distance from downtown San Diego: 31 miles. Allow 45 minutes. Exit I-5 at Poinsettia and go west. Turn left on Avenida Encinas and travel southwest for 1.5 miles to Ponto Dr. Turn right onto Ponto Dr. and park. Walk back to Avenida Encinas and head east, crossing the bridge over the railroad tracks, to find the trailhead on the southeast side of the bridge.

Hiking length: 1.5 miles out and back. Allow 1 hour.

Difficulty: Easy. Elevation gain/loss is negligible. Leashed dogs and bicycles allowed.

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Croome Brothers Trio, Jack Tempchin, Ricky, Swami & the Bed Of Nails, Kahlil Nash

Acoustic and electric in Del Mar, La Jolla, Little Italy, and City Heights
Next Article

Didja know I did the first American feature on Jimi Hendrix?

Richard Meltzer goes through the Germs, Blue Oyster Cult, Ray Charles, Elvis, Lavender Hill Mob
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.