|
Map Satellite The mouth of the Pajaro River forms an estuary, bounded by sand bars and beaches, that is well utilized by water-oriented birds. Flocks of the endangered brown pelican, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, often stop to rest here during the non-breeding season. Caspian, Forster's and elegant terns, Hydroprogne caspia, Sterna foresteri and Thalasseus elegans, use the estuary as a feeding ground.
Among the many species observed here are Bonaparte's gull, Larus philadelphia, Heermann's gull, Larus heermanni, and glaucous-winged gull, Larus glaucescens, as well as avocet, Recurvirostra americana, and marbled godwit, Limosa fedoa.
Integrity: Dredging at the river mouth to create land fill for a residential complex has altered the river course somewhat and is causing erosion of the adjacent dunes. Upstream developments have caused pollution in the estuary.
Use: Research, educational, observational, limited recreational.
January 1978
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
|
