Habitat & Wildlife at South San Diego Bay Unit

The South San Diego Bay Unit includes a variety of habitats that support diverse wildlife:

• Shallow Subtidal Habitat
  These areas provide critical habitat for fish and birds. Vegetated zones include eelgrass beds, which support invertebrates, small fish, and serve as food for species like black brant, gadwall, northern pintail, and even green sea turtles. Eelgrass beds vary seasonally and are influenced by water depth, sediment, nutrients, and water quality.
• Fish Communities
  The bay supports 12 native fish species, along with anchovies, topsmelt, and other schooling fish that provide food for larger fish and birds. The south end of the bay serves as a nursery for juvenile California halibut and sand bass.
• Intertidal Mudflats
  Mudflats offer feeding grounds for fish at high tide and foraging areas for thousands of shorebirds at low tide. These flats also provide roosting sites for birds. Surveys have documented tens of thousands of birds representing 67 species in this habitat.
• Salt Marsh and Brackish Areas
  Found along natural drainages and levees, these habitats support species like Belding’s savannah sparrow and the endangered light-footed Ridgway’s rail, as well as shorebirds and waterfowl.
• Salt Evaporation Ponds
  Though not natural, these ponds have been part of the landscape for over 100 years and provide nesting and resting habitat for many bird species, including seven colonial seabirds. The ponds also support brine invertebrates, which attract birds such as eared grebes and phalaropes.