Southhampton Bay Area
Map SatelliteLying in a cove on the north side of the Carquinez Straits, this area includes an excellent salt marsh, mudflats and a small freshwater marsh.
The dominant vegetation in the salt marsh is pickle-weed, Salicornia sp. The arrow-grass, Triglochin concinna, is prominent, and the rare Cordylanthus maritimus occurs here. In the small freshwater marsh at the upper end of the area, cattail, Typha sp., dominates. Over 150 species of plants have been recorded from the marshes.
On the water side, there are tidal mudflats that provide a feeding area for the numerous waterfowl and shorebirds that frequent the Bay, particularly during the migratory season. The endangered California clapper rail, Rallus longirostris obsoletus, and the salt-marsh harvest mouse, Reithrodontomys raviventris, breed here, as does the secretive black rail, Laterallus jamaicensis.
Formed by Quaternary alluvial materials, the land area is expanding. In the 1880' s, water in the mud-flat area was up to 27 meters (90 feet) deep. The Southampton fault bisects the area.
Integrity: There are some recreational facilities on the margins; however, the marsh is in good condition.
Use: Research, educational, observational, present.
November 1977
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman