Laguna Lake Revisited

        Laguna Lake August 19, 2013
Yesterday one of the top birders posted a list of eleven birds that he had seen at Laguna Lake.  This morning I set out to see how many of the eleven I could find.  I was aware the drought had affected the lake level, but was not prepared for the painful reality.  Laguna Lake was now a mere shadow if its former self.

         Laguna Lake September 9, 2014
The majority of the lake was dry.  The above photo was taken from the edge of the former lake.  For the moment there is a small area of water that supports a variety of water and shore birds.  From the list of eleven species I spotted seven. 

 American Avocet, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs, Western Sandpiper, and a Spotted Sandpiper fed in the muck along the edge.  About 35 White Pelican were resting on an emerging sandbar or flying directly overhead, low enough to hear the swoosh of their wings.  A large gaggle of Canada Goose were about, plus the resident Snow Goose. The morning birding left me with a troubling question.  What will happen to the birds when the water is completely gone?