2015-04-28 Ramer Lake

Ramer Lake lies adjacent to the Alamo River and Highway 111 near the Salton Sea. Within the lake are many islands covered in Tamarisk (Salt Cedar) trees that serve as nesting for huge numbers of Cattle Egrets, Double-Crested Cormorants, Great Egrets, and Snowy Egrets. Competition for nesting spots is intense, and heavy demands by these birds has worn down the trees over the years. I’ve included an image of one of these islands taken in 2009 for comparison, showing how much these islands have ‘shrunk’. Some birds seem to be setting up roosts in the larger trees around the shoreline, probably because of the diminishing real estate on the islands.