Bataquitos Lagoon and the tale of the blue heron

Bataquitos Lagoon, a tranquil natural wonder in north San Diego County, is home to the blue heron and other wildlife. Here, the hunters, such as the heron and his fellow wader, the egret, search for new prey along the shore. It’s their way of satisfying an insatiable hunger. In some ways, the tale of the blue heron almost sounds like a good plot for a murder mystery, doesn’t it?

Our protagonist in this little tale is the guy shown above. He is one of the wading and fishing birds that spend time at the lagoon. In addition to the waders and fishers, there are four other groups of birds that visitors can find here. I was fortunate enough to be walking by while this guy was planning breakfast. 

The heron’s strike is lightening fast. He tracks his prey as it feeds amongst the reeds. He coils his neck and, like a spring uncoiling, stabs the fish he’s zeroed in on in a split second. It was quite the show to watch, and I was so thankful that I waited. And by the way, he swallowed that fish whole. 

Bataquitos Lagoon — home to the blue heron and much more

Bataquitos Lagoon is a gem in north San Diego County, yet prior to 1997, it was slowly dying. For nearly 10,000 years, the lagoon provided shellfish for Native Americans living nearby. But the 1769 arrival of exploration expeditions signaled that a change was coming. For the lagoon, the arrival of the Europeans and Americans signaled what could have been the beginning of the end.

For the next 250 years, the daily tidal flushing of the lagoon suffered. Silt from fresh waterways gradually built up on the east while the expansion of the transportation corridor on the west choked off the mouth of the lagoon. 

The City of Carlsbad and the Port of Los Angeles joined forces in 1986 to restore the lagoon’s natural tidal action. It wasn’t until 1997 that the agencies completed the project. Since then, the lagoon has recovered. Today, this thriving ecosystem shows how well we can, when we set our minds to it, live in harmony with nature.

Learn more about Bataquitos Lagoon at batiquitosfoundation.org. 

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