Endangered birds find forever home in Mission Bay wetlands restoration project

75 years ago, Kendall-Frost Marsh was 4,000 acres of tidal wetland perfect for foraging, breeding and nesting. Today, only 1% remains

A batch of endangered and long-legged birds have found a permanent home at the Kendall-Frost Mission Bay Marsh Reserve thanks to an effort to restore their population and the tidal wetlands in which they live.

The birds are called Ridgway’s Rails and an audience of them (that’s what you call a group of these rusty-colored birds with brown speckles and long orange bills) was released Tuesday into the wetlands in Mission Bay, which will be their home for the rest of their lives, according to the San Diego Audubon Society.

It was a significant milestone not just for the birds — who have been raised in captivity at the Living Coast Discovery Center until they could thrive on their own — but also for the group of environmentalists who have been working to preserve tidal wetlands, which have been reduced by about 90% in California affecting thousands of wildlife populations.

“Kendall Frost Marsh and the city’s northern wildland preserve… are the last 40 acres of tidal wetland habitat remaining in Mission Bay,” Andrew Meyer, San Diego Audubon Society. “In particular, if you are an endangered ridgeway rail, you like and love and need this habitat.”

75 years ago, Kendall-Frost Marsh was 4,000 acres of saltmarsh wetland filled with lush and tall vegetation like cordgrass and pickleweed — the perfect foraging, breeding and nesting ground for populations of species, including the Ridgeway’s Rail.

Today, only 1% of that marsh remains, according to the Audubon Society.

Coastal habitat loss is the main reason for the Ridgway’s Rail becoming endangered. Through their breeding program […]

Full article: www.nbcsandiego.com

See also: The ReWild Mission Bay project