New webcam gives bird watchers front-row seat to species in San Jacinto Wetlands

Bird watchers seeking a year-round look at dozens of species that nest or migrate through the San Jacinto Wetlands now have an opportunity, thanks to a newly installed webcam at the site, Eastern Municipal Water District officials said Wednesday.

“We hope that this technology will bring even greater access to the public to see the amazing wildlife that rely on our Wetlands,” EMWD Board President Phil Paule said. “This facility is renowned in the birding community, and we are proud to make it accessible to a larger audience through this new online viewing platform.”

The agency operates a water reclamation facility in the 60-acre protected space, which is south of Mystic Lake and just west of Highway 79. It was constructed using U.S. Bureau of Reclamation funds more than a quarter century ago and enables high-volume water recycling.

The webcam can be found at www.emwd.org/wetlands?utm_campaign=&utm_medium=email&utm_source=bundle_and_blas t.

Members of the National Audubon Society, in partnership with the EMWD, resumed bird-watching tours in the Wetlands this year. The tours take place the second Saturday of each month. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 951-928-3777, ext. 4226.

According to water agency officials, North American bald eagles are among the 120 different species that inhabit the Wetlands seasonally.

The Perris-based EMWD is the state’s sixth-largest utility, serving a 558-square-mile area encompassing Hemet, Menifee, Moreno Valley, San Jacinto, parts of Temecula Valley and Winchester.

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