3.4 Biological Resources
Also within the project area are inlets for several lagoons, estuaries, and bays. These coastal ecosystems
are havens for a huge diversity of birds due to their varied habitat. The shallow water and shoreline provide
roosting, foraging, and nesting areas for such birds as ducks, terns, shorebirds, pelicans, cormorants, gulls,
herons, raptors (such as ospreys and northern harriers), and various passerines in the surrounding
vegetation. Some of these wetlands also provide rest stops for migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway.
Over 70 species of birds are known or expected to occur in the project area (Appendix D). Because of
the proximity of some receiver sites to coastal inlets, species associated with wetlands have the potential
for occurrence at some beach receiver sites. Threatened and endangered bird species with known or
expected occurrence in the project area include California brown pelican, California least tern, western
snowy plover, and American peregrine falcon (described below). The locations of California least tern and
western snowy plover nesting sites are shown in Figure 3.4-1.
California Brown Pelican
The California brown pelican is a protected species in California and is listed as endangered by both the
federal and state government. They are found in the open ocean and other coastal salt waters along the
southern California coast throughout the year. This species is tolerant of human activity near its daytime
roosts and readily utilizes various man-made structures (e.g., piers, breakwaters, buoys) as roosting sites.
Known breeding locations include offshore islands such as Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands in southern
California and islands off the coast of northwestern Baja California, Mexico.
California Least Tern
The California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni) has been listed as endangered federally and by the
state since 1972. This small tern nests in colonies along the southern California coast on sandy beaches
with sparse vegetation. It forages in shallow ocean water, generally less than 60 feet deep and within one
mile of shore, and in wetlands nearby these nesting habitats. Wetland destruction and human developments
along the coastline have impacted least tern's nesting habitats, as well as their foraging resources.
The San Diego nesting sites are located as far north as Marine Corps Base (MCB) Camp Pendleton and
extend southward to the United States/Mexico border. Nest locations are on the beaches of MCB Camp
Pendleton near the Santa Margarita River mouth, around Mission Bay, and the greatest number of sites are
found around San Diego Bay. Other nests were found in Batiquitos and San Elijo Lagoons. The least tern
Regional Beach Sand Project EIR/EA
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