Tomato Lake...

Tomato Lake seemed a little more revived during my last visit, the lake topped up a little bit after some rain. It was a relief seeing the little sandy islands that had popped up during the heat once again submerged. Much more rain is needed before the lake is fully replenished. 

There was quite a bit of activity on the lake with mating rituals beginning. The ibis had already begun nesting, sadly though the foliage in their yearly breeding place has partially withered after the dreadful heat of the prolonged summer. I did feel that there was a visible decline in their numbers too. Hopefully that is to do with the wacky weather and not with actual death of so many birds. I know how the extremely long summer has affected my chickens; they haven't laid eggs for months. I assume that like the chickens many birds are confused by the altered weather pattern. So maybe the rest of the ibis flock is yet to return for the breeding season...