Pelican in Flight The California coast is home to more than Malibu mansions, sandy beaches and surfers. It's prime habitat for sea life, marine mammals, shore birds and critical wetlands from the Oregon state line to the border with Mexico. I've lived on or near the Southern California coast for 20 years, and have been hiking and photographing the wetlands much of that time. In the Wetlands Series on this site, I've begun to display some of this photography. From season to season, and from year to year, walking the wetlands provides an intimate read into the cycles of weather and nature. I've seen the effect of drought years and El Nino years, hot summers and cool winters. I've seen the restoration of the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in Huntington Beach, now a prime habitat for brown pelicans and a prime nesting site for thousands of terns. Caspian Tern, on the Rail The Bolsa Chica reserve is one of my favorite haunts. It's right along the Pacific Coast Highway between Goldenwest and Warner Avenue. To do it justice, arrive at dawn, and bring a long lens. You'll almost always find other birders and photographers already there. Most will be gathered at the footbridge just off the parking area. You'll find plenty of picture-making opportunity there, but go out and explore further. Heron Pair, Bolsa Chica Wetlands, #2 The sandy trail that leads away from the footbridge follows the marsh and will bring you in closer contact with shorebirds who will be feeding along the intertidal zone. Continue on the trail to the point where it intersects with a crossing trail at a T junction. You'll be at the outlet from the upper marsh, a prime feeding site for Great Blue Herons, Brown Pelicans, terns and egrets. Many varieties of ducks can also be seen along the marsh. You can head toward PCH and continue the loop trail back to the parking area, which will take you through some narrow dunes squeezed in between the marsh and the highway. Or, you can head up onto the Mesa. Trails lead both north to Warner Avenue or east. Exploring the Mesa will show you a restored California coastal lowlands community. You may come across rabbits, coyotes and rattlesnakes. In spring and summer, it's easy to spot the nests of several pair of Great Blue Herons: look in the tallest trees behind the fence on the trail leading up from the overlook. In Southern California, another favorite spot is Upper Newport Bay. Both sides of the bay are easily explored. From the west, take Irvine Avenue south from the 73 toll road; from the east, take the one-way Back Bay Drive from Jamboree Road. You'll be directly under the takeoff path from John Wayne Airport, but the birds and bobcats don't seem to mind. Above Elkhorn Slough #1 Last summer, I explored Elkhorn Slough in Northern California, near Salinas. This seven-mile long marsh is a photographer's paradise, offering harbor seals, sea lions, sea otters, and a seasonally-changing selection of shore birds. Enjoy it on foot, along five miles of trails in the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Reserve, accessed from Elkhorn Road in Watsonville. For an aerial view, check out Specialized Helicopters at the Watsonville Airport. And here's the hot tip: Captain Yohn Gideon of Elkhorn Slough Safari takes visitors out on his 27-foot pontoon boat, where you'll get up close and personal with playful otters and curious California seals. He knows photographers, and is extremely helpful. If you're in or visiting California waters, our wetlands will provide plenty of photo ops.