South of the redwood parks lies Humboldt Bay. Two public sites are the usual starting points for birders: the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge, run by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary at the bay's north end.
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the refuge was established in 1971, when the first salt marsh and mudflat lands were acquired. More land was added in 1988 to create the southern Humboldt Bay units. Today the refuge manages about 5,000 acres in several units, including the bay units, the Lanphere Dunes unit and the Ma-le'l Dunes unit. The refuge is located near Loleta. The Humboldt Bay refuge complex also includes Castle Rock National Wildlife Refuge off Crescent City, which is covered on our sites page.
Why the bay matters to birds
| Figure (USFWS) | What it means |
|---|---|
| Over 316 bird species | Recorded on the refuge |
| More than 50% of Pacific Black Brant | Refuel on the bay's shallow eelgrass meadows |
| Over half a million shorebirds | Use the bay's wetlands during spring migration |
| WHSRN Site of Hemispheric Importance | Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network designation for Humboldt Bay |
The service notes that most birds use the refuge as a stopover to rest and refuel. Others spend the winter, and some breed or nest there. Refuge habitats include mudflats, eelgrass meadows, salt and brackish marsh, seasonally flooded freshwater wetlands, riparian wetlands, streams, coastal dunes and forest.
The dunes units
The Lanphere and Ma-le'l Dunes units together form a National Natural Landmark, which the USFWS describes as "one of the most diverse and highest quality remnants of coastal dunes habitat" in its biophysiographic region.
History
The refuge says the Wiyot people have lived around the bay for at least 8,000 years. After European-American settlement in the late 1800s, much of the land was dredged and converted to agriculture, and more than 90% of the bay's original salt marsh was lost.
Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary
At the north end of Humboldt Bay, a short walk from downtown Arcata, the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary covers 307 acres of marsh, pond, slough, mudflat, grassland and woodland. According to the Friends of the Arcata Marsh, the site once held a lumber mill, a landfill, log processing and a railroad wharf. In 1981 it was repurposed as a combined wastewater treatment plant and wildlife sanctuary. Treated effluent from Arcata's wastewater plant circulates through constructed wetlands, a design the Friends say has served as a model around the world and won many awards.
- Over 330 species have been sighted. The Friends report that eBird ranks the marsh as the top birding spot for avian diversity in the Pacific Northwest north of Point Reyes.
- More than five miles of surfaced trails.
- Tens of thousands of visitors each year.
The Friends also note that the Wiyot people, including the Soulatluk, cared for this wetland for thousands of years before European Americans arrived in 1850.
Planning a visit
- Spring is the season for the bay's largest shorebird numbers, according to the USFWS figure of over half a million birds.
- Brant depend on the bay's eelgrass, so look for them over shallow eelgrass beds.
- Check the refuge's own pages for current trails, hours and rules. Neither source page lists hours.
- Use eBird hotspot bar charts to see which species are reported at the marsh week by week.
Heading north? See the region map for the redwood parks and Del Norte County, and the checklist for the region's signature birds.