OXNARD'S ORMOND BEACH
— THE WHY —
[ Home | Fuss | Vision | Calendar | Maps | Commentary | Links ]


Terns and Dowwitchers Feeding at Ormond Beach

Photos courtesy Alan Sanders



Trumpeter Swans - Photo by Roger Pariseau
  Photo by Roger Pariseau
This pair of trumpeter swans has been seen at Ormond Beach and at the estuary of the Santa Clara River and the ocean. All birds opportunist- ically feed where the pickings are easiest. During both sites of their migrations, others of their kind note each other's condition and will follow the healthiest to wherever they opt to migrate. As our local "greenies" have more and more success in making Ormond Beach Wetlands and the Santa Clara River more hospitable, more and more species are attracted to these areas. Why haven't our political leaders been opportunistic themselves and promoted our avian advantage to effect? Ventura County is home to more than 450 different bird species, some 291 in ZIP 93030 alone! Of Ventura County's 19 species of endangered or threatened birds, 17 have been seen at Ormond Beach.


Baby Bird with Penny

Since the founding of our nation, the area now containing the State of California has lost 91% of its wetlands. Here in Oxnard we personally experience the harm done with our "years of the spiders, the flies and the gnats" — Some bird species that normally visit us skipped those years, or were driven away from overcrowding by other species.

As we continue to overpopulate our state, it is imperative that we restore what wetlands we can. If we fail, we do so at our children's and their children's peril.

These pages try to explain and to prove that assertion.



Fuller's Report — Special Birds
Seen At Ormond Beach:
Northern Fulmar, California Condor (reported seen feeding on a seal carcass), Snowy Plovers, Semipalmated Plovers, Virginia Rail, Peregrine Falcon, White Ibis, Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Black Rail, Western Grebe, Surf Scoters, Black Phoebe, Loggerhead Shrike, Belted Kingfisher, Black Crowned Herons (seen arguing with each other), Red Tailed Hawks, Trumpeter Swans!, White-Tailed Kites, Bald Eagle Fledgling! (seen fishing in the drain between the Perkins Rd. parking lot and the wetlands), three (3!) Golden Plovers, Eared Grebes, Indigo Bunting, Yellow-crowned Night Heron, and Ruddy Ground Dove. The last three were seen by Auduboners at Ormond Beach and are firsts in these parts. Also, on June 14, an informal count at Ormond netted 31 Snowy Plover nests and 48 Least Tern nests.

Thin Horizontal Line

NEW ORMOND VIDEO

Opening screen to Ormond Wetland Wonderland video

  RIGHT CLICK on the following links to download a new video
  explaining the importance of Oxnard's Ormond Beach Wetlands
  Windows Media Player [WMV, 139 MB] — Flash [SWF, 217 MB]
  (These files will NOT stream on-line — at least not for long!)

Thin Horizontal Line
Yellow Headed Blackbird pair at Oxnard's Ormond Beach. Photo by Roger Pariseau
NATURE AT WORK

This colorful pair of Yellow Headed Blackbirds represent just one of the hundreds of bird species that visit Ormond Beach every year. This Spring has seen Bald Eagles and White Pelicans stirring the air around Egrets and Great Blue Herons, Ibises and
Porch light with bugs alongside a porch light without bugs. - Anah/Roger Pariseau
Why is this? Birds! Ventura County is home to more than 460 different bird
species. More than 300 species visit Ormond Beach. In turn, all those birds
consume the insects that would otherwise be pestering us at night. Let's
preserve Ormond Beach and our bird sanctuaries!

Avocets along with all manner of smaller water birds. Ormond Beach's wetlands and adjacent upland areas breed tens of thousands of birds every year. In turn, the avians consume many of the insects that otherwise would be pestering us.


— HALACO History and Superfund Site —

— EPA: Toxic Waste Found of Halaco Site; Removal Action Planned —

— EPA Halaco Fact Sheet —

— EPA Hoja Informativa de Halaco —

— THE HALACO FILES — Ventura County Star —

— Recycling plant dangers cited — Los Angeles Times —

— Rejuvenated Bolsa Chica wetlands flourishing —

— Threatened Birds in Ventura County —

— Bird Count at Ormond Beach – Video – Story — VCS —

— Grant to aid wetlands preservation —

— KCLU News Ormond Beach Story,
Oct. 13, 2005 [mp3 audio file - 6 min.] —

[ Home | Fuss | Vision | Calendar | Maps | Commentary | Links ]


Oxnard Coastal Wetlands / Webmaster                                        Originated 21 Feb 2007