This past weekend, my husband and I wanted to spend a quiet couple of hours outdoors with our two little kids. We had heard about the Tijuana Estuary Visitors Center from a friend who recommended it highly for young children. In about 20 minutes, we drove down the Strand and arrived in the gravel parking lot of the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve in Imperial Beach.
The Visitors Center is a beautiful building located just across the street from residential condos (all of which have an enviable view of the estuary!). Inside the Center we found several large rooms filled with interesting diaoramas, videos, and interactive displays that our kids really enjoyed. Truthfully, I was impressed and fascinated, and we spent more time there than we anticipated. My children climbed inside a model of a Clapper Rail bird’s nest; opened drawers filled with carefully labeled insects and butterflies; moved wooden birds to help them probe for food in the ground; and studied a to-scale diorama of the estuary with birds, clams, fish, and plant life.
At the front of the Visitors Center, helpful employees were glad to answer questions or give us trail maps, bird ID pamphlets, and event information. We could also borrow binoculars free of charge if we left an ID or keys behind the desk during our visit. The Clapper Rail Nest Gift Shop inside contained many lovely nature-themed gifts, and all proceeds benefit Friends of San Diego Wildlife Refuges.
Of course, the Visitors Center is an entirely optional part of the visit. The main attraction is the trails of the Research Reserve, which cover four miles of ground on five different trails. All are level, easy walking trails that can accommodate bikers, joggers, strollers, and dogs. There are also benches and picnic tables for eating, resting, and quietly observing the wildlife.
As we started walking down some of the trails, I realized I didn’t even know what an estuary was. An estuary is where a river meets the sea, and it is often surrounded by low wetland that floods and empties with each change of the tide. The trails were elevated above the wetlands, and we could look down from small bridges and paths to see the tide filling the riverbed.
The Tijuana River Estuary is home to 370 varieties of birds, 320 migratory and 50 native. We also identified lizards, bees, brush rabbits, and even a few industrious wasps gathering mud for their nest. At low tide, we spotted a Great Blue Heron stalking through the mud. Suddenly he snapped something up from the ground, and we could tell it was a small crab before he swallowed it whole.
Would you like to visit the Tijuana Estuary Visitors Center? Admission is always FREE, and the Reserve is open Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm at 301 Caspian Way in Imperial Beach. See below for a list of nature walks, free talks, and the Junior Ranger program for your children! Call (619) 575-3613 or visit http://trnerr.org/ for more information.
EVENTS AT THE VISITORS CENTER:
Bird Walks: 1st, 3rd and 5th Sundays of the Month at 3:00 p.m.
Nature Walks: 2nd & 4th Saturdays of the Month at 11:00 a.m.
Speaker Series: 3rd Saturday of the Month at 10:00 a.m.
Next Talk: July 18th – Changing Benefits from the Tijuana River Estuary: A Look through TIME
TRNERR invites the community to a series of open houses to excite and engage the minds of your entire family. FREE.
Wednesday, August 19. 5:00 – 7:00pm – Real Live Reptiles. Learn about the native reptiles who call San Diego home. Meet them up close and in person with the US Geological Survey biologists that study them.
Thursdays 3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Ages 7-12
Take part in this exciting program designed to help kids discover the rich natural and culture heritage preserved in parks. FREE!
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“Coronado Living” is a weekly column written by one of eCoronado.com’s staff writers, Becca Garber. She writes about choosing simplicity and practicing hospitality with her family at home in Coronado. You can read more of her writing on her blog.
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Becca Garber
Staff Writer
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