Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve

You can stand on a bluff above a tidal estuary, the air tasting faintly of salt and decay, and watch an egret stalk a mudflat while a jet from John Wayne Airport rips overhead. Upper Newport Bay is not manicured nature. It is marsh, boardwalk and long, forgiving trails with hard-packed dirt and an honest bit of wind. The interpretive center is a compact, well-built museum with a small theater, aquaria that include round rays, and volunteers who will point out which trail segment suits walkers, cyclists or wheelchair users. Families, teenagers with cameras and serious birders with tripods share the same quiet obsession: tides, migration and light. Go at first light in winter for the biggest numbers, or late afternoon when the parking clears and the West Bluffs glow orange. Bring binoculars and patience. Look for the osprey hovering above the channel when the tide turns.