We went to the Salton Sea two years ago and came away unimpressed but decided to give it another try. The artificial sea was formed in the early 1900's when a broken dyke allowed the Colorado River to flood the low-lying plain for two years! After a century of life it is now dying, the salt concentration so high that it can sustain very little life. However it continues to be a magnet for migrating birds and this visit we drove much further around the lake than we did last time in the hopes of seeing some. It takes perserverance to go birdwatching at the Sonny Bono Nature Preserve at the far end of the lake. We got up before the Palm Desert birds and drove 70 miles through industrial and struggling neighbourhoods. The camp sites which spot the lakeside are grim but we continued to drive and were eventually rewarded with a flock of white pelicans elegantly sunning themselves close to shore. It turned out to be another scorcher so as we continued our exploration we would take a deep breath of air-conditioned air and plunge out into the unbelievable heat. We sat on the bank of one marsh for twenty dripping minutes watching lovely little shore birds including varieties I'd never heard of before: the Common (okay, okay!) Black-necked Stilt and the American Avocet. Check them out sometime, they are both delicate and gorgeous!
On our way to the preserve, we passed 10 ominous-looking geothermal plants taking advantage of the volcanic geology below the surface. These and large agricultural operations surround the preserves. We stopped and watched a glossy ibis mob helping themselves to one crop we couldn't identify. There are crops especially for the visiting birds in the preserve to avoid this clash but obviously the crop is greener on the other side of the fence...
Bill still finds himself amazed that he can spend a day binoculars and bird books in hand, driving more than 70 miles to see a Cinnamon Teal and actually like it!
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