After 11 years of battling in court, a settlement was reached between the residents at De Anza Cove and the City of San Diego last month. I wrote about the court battle and settlement offer in this post. The offer made by the city was amended by a judge. The new offer was for nearly $30 million. There was an appeal period after the amendment – neither side appealed. Since the appeal period expired, the deal is done.

All of the residents in the (not so) mobile home park surrounding Mission Bay RV Resort must be out by the end of January 2016. People are already packing up. The big question is, what happens to the 76 acres of prime real estate once they’re gone?

There has been much speculation and a few plans presented. Another twist in the story is the Campland on the Bay RV Park which sits on 42 acres of land across Rose Inlet, west of Mission Bay RV Resort. Campland’s lease will expire in 2017. The current master plan calls for the 42 acres occupied by Campland to be restored as marsh. This would provide a natural filter for water entering the bay from Rose Creek and would provide habitat for wildlife. This plan has much support.

Aerial map of area looking east

There was talk of allowing Campland to relocate on the De Anza land, displacing Mission Bay RV Resort. This hasn’t gained much traction. I think the city realizes that the income potential of the RV resort far exceeds the tax revenue from Campland. The Mission Bay Master Plan includes space for an RV park on the bay.

When Mission Bay Park was conceived, limitations on commercial use were put in place. No more than 25% of the land surrounding Mission Bay can be used for commercial purposes. This ensures public access to the bay. When Campland is removed and the land returns to a natural state, this opens the possibility of commercial development elsewhere on the bay.

The politicians are moving quickly. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said, “There’s no doubt in my mind that once we get past the litigation issues in De Anza, that we should move full speed ahead. Any way you look at it, the public is going to benefit from increased access to the park and the environmental benefits of expanding the wetlands.”

There’s a rumor going around about a back room deal being struck between the city, Campland and Sea World. Sea World has long wanted to expand their leasehold to build a hotel adjacent to their park. The rumor is that Sea World will buy out Campland’s lease before it expires, to get them out, allowing Sea World to expand. The city would benefit if Sea World’s money made Campland go away.

The future development of the 76 acres at De Anza is still unclear. The latest rumor says the city will expand the RV resort into a true resort with premium bay side sites and amenities. The occupancy rate at Mission Bay RV  Resort has risen over the past two years and the city is realizing a nice revenue stream. If they go upscale, they could make plenty of money and still be in compliance with the master plan.

The dust will settle soon and we’ll see how this plays out.

I’m not a bird watcher (birder), not that there’s anything wrong with that. What I mean is, I don’t actively search for particular bird species nor do I keep a list of the birds I’ve seen. Having said that, I do enjoy identifying birds when I see them. I know enough about birds to recognize an unusual bird for the area or a rarely seen bird.

When I see an unusual bird, I try to take a few minutes to memorize its size, shape, color and distinctive markings. I may have an idea of what it is, but once I’ve memorized its features, later I look it up in Peterson’s Field Guide. Sometimes, once I’m fairly certain of the identification, I’ll find additional information on the Web.

Yesterday, while Donna and I were eating lunch outside, a large bird zipped by overhead. I got up and walked to the back of our coach where I watched it soar over De Anza Cove. It rose quickly on an updraft, then wheeled about making sharp turns as it crisscrossed the cove before it soared away to the south. I don’t think it beat its wings once during the few minutes that I watched it. It was riding the wind expertly.

Donna asked me what it was. I told her it didn’t make sense, but I was pretty sure it was an albatross. I’ve never seen an albatross fly over land in southern California. I’ve only seen them when I was on a boat miles off the coast.

I estimated the bird had a wingspan in excess of six feet. Its body was disproportionately short from head to tail. The tail was so short, in fact, that its feet extended under the tail in flight. After lunch, I broke out my  field guide and looked it up. It was a Laysan albatross.

Laysan albatross – wikipedia photo

Wikipedia photo

Ninety-nine percent of the Laysan albatross breeding population is found in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. These birds spend more than half the year out to sea. They can process sea water, removing the salt through a special nostril in their bill. When breeding season comes around, they return to an island to breed. They often forget how to land on the ground after months at sea and land clumsily. The oldest known Laysan albatross is a female named Wisdom, that’s estimated to be 63 years old. She was banded at an estimated age of five, 58 years ago.

I did a little research and found that a small breeding colony is found along the Revillagigedo Islands, about 240 miles southwest of the tip of Baja California. That could be where this bird came from, but who knows. They spend many months at sea and can end up almost anywhere in the north Pacific ocean. I’m guessing the storm that came through southern California on Tuesday and Wednesday blew this bird in.

This was the second time I was surprised to find an unusual bird here at Mission Bay. I posted a picture of a peregrine falcon I saw perched on a pole here.

I really enjoy spotting and identifying rare or unusual birds. Maybe I’m more of a birder than I think I am.

By the way, one of my favorite instrumental songs is Albatross, by the original Fleetwood Mac featuring Peter Green.