A bit of good news in the bird world is always welcome and this month the spotlight is on Owens Lake on the eastern side of the Sierras. The Los Angeles Times has a very upbeat piece documenting the increased counts of migrating birds at the Central California lake.
For many years the lake was a dusty mess as water was diverted to thirsty Southern California. At one time the lake was 30 feet deep. In 2001 the LA Water agency finally acted to control a huge dust problem. They now flood the 100 square mile lake bed with ankle deep water and thus encourage birds and their insect prey to proliferate.
At this year’s bird count, organized by Audubon volunteers, the numbers of all species were up from last.
Read the entire story: Bird census at Owens Lake shows nature returning
