Wildlife and Their Habitats

Beach
At low tide, sandy bottoms of beach are exposed for shorebirds to forage for crabs, worms, and other invertebrates. Many bird species, including brown pelicans and sanderlings also use the beaches for roosting, feeding and/or nesting. 

Dunes
Sand dunes are highly dynamic – their position and form constantly shifting in response to wind, wave erosion, and sand supply. Native dune plants like the seacliff buckwheat and coast buckwheat rely on these constant changes for its survival. Without these plants, the endangered Smith’s blue butterfly would cease to exist. Other wildlife species that may occur in this habitat include gopher snakes and California legless lizards.

Salt Marsh
Salt marsh is one of the most productive habitats on Earth and is the foundation of many food webs.  Large shorebirds, dabbling ducks, herons, and egrets frequent these habitats, as well as mammals such as muskrats and deer mice.


Saline Pond
The saline pond is flooded periodically by the tide and the Salinas River, which maintains the balance of fresh and salt water in and around its banks. Many waterbirds such as Caspian terns and mallards can be seen around the saline pond feeding in the mud or nesting on the bank. 

Salinas River/Lagoon
Rivers carve channels, carry and deposit sediments and create valuable wildlife habitat as they journey to meet the ocean. The Salinas River lagoon, where the ocean waters mix with fresh river waters, provides important roosting sites for endangered California brown pelicans, nesting sites for the threatened western snowy plover, and feeding areas for fish such as the Sacramento blackfish and Sacramento sucker.

Riparian Habitat
Riparian habitats on the refuge form a narrow band adjacent to the Salinas River and on islands within the river. These types of habitats help slow down bank erosion and are used heavily by wildlife. Ospreys, American kestrels, red-tailed hawk, and merlins can be seen foraging along the river and roosting in this habitat.

Grasslands
Comprised mostly of coyote brush and native grasses such as wild rye and California barley, these uplands on the refuge are one of the largest areas of open upland habitat in the Monterey Bay area.  The uplands provide habitat for many animal species such as the gopher snake, black-tailed jackrabbit, and California quail. 

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