Editor’s note: The newspaper occasionally highlights places in Orange County where residents can get outside and enjoy a bit of nature without a lot of fuss. This is another of those offerings.
Canada geese slowly cruise across the glass-like water of the pond as the early golden rays of morning light stream through the rising fog.
Canada geese fly across one of the many ponds at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)Water vapor glows in the morning light as it rises into the air while Canada geese along with a couple of ducks make their way across one of the many ponds at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine.. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)Canada geese fly across one of the many ponds at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
A great blue heron, with its massive wing span, suddenly lands on a patch of reeds, chasing away two content and much smaller black-crowned night herons, perhaps knowing that it is a good fishing spot. An osprey sits atop a nearby light pole eating its just caught meal.
Such is the morning of activity at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in the heart of bustling Orange County.
A great blue heron is reflected in the water as it stands at the edge of a pond at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine just after sunrise. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
These nature scenes, along with many others, are there for you to watch play out in the 300-acre sanctuary located in Irvine. While walking along the 12 miles of trails, one can tune out the roar of jet engines coming from John Wayne Airport, a little over a mile away, or the drone of traffic moving along the nearby 405 freeway on the sanctuary’s north end.
The area is a favorite spot for local bird enthusiasts and photographers, who enjoy the more than 200 bird species and various wildlife at the nature preserve. Runners can often be seen getting in their workout, away from the busy streets and nearby urban scene.
An osprey eats a fish atop a light pole at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine.. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)American white pelicans preen their feathers at the edge of a pond at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)Giant darner dragonflies mate at the edge of a pond at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)A Cooper’s hawk perches atop a tree at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine just after sunrise. Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)A western fence lizard sits in the sun on a wall at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)An Anna’s hummingbird sits in a bush adjacent to one of the ponds at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)Trees are reflected in the still morning water of a pond at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine just after sunrise. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)A western grebe cruises across the still water of a pond early in the morning at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Whether it’s a graceful great egret soaring overhead, dragonflies dancing with their shimmering wings across the trails, lizards lounging in the warm midday sun or pelicans preening their feathers on a small pond island, the sanctuary is an oasis for all to get away in the middle of suburbia.
If you go: The sanctuary is part of the Irvine Ranch Water District and you can find it at 5 Riparian View in Irvine; it is free to visit and is open from dawn to dusk. No bicycles or pets, and don’t disturb or collect the plants or wildlife. More information: IRWD.com/marsh
Bird watchers view the waterfowl as they stand at the edge of one of the ponds at the San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary in Irvine. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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