The females are very similar. They often congregate in mixed groups near the twelfth street bridge at the Lake outlet. Here one has a chance to examine the difference between the two species as well as differences in males, females and juveniles. All leave by the end of March for their breeding grounds in Canada and Alaska. With legs positioned under the middle of their body, these ducks are good walkers and are out of the water much of the time.
Because of this leg placement they "dabble" rather than dive, tipping heads down, tails up. They can be found anywhere on the lake and are present year round, nesting on the islands.
Photo by Dianne Fristrom Ruddy Ducks Several "fleets" of these cute little ducks can be found in the protected arm of the Lake and in the vicinity of the islands.
The males in breeding plumage shown have a bright blue bill. During mating display, the tail stands straight up.
They are good divers, with legs placed well back on the body. These birds are concentrated in the protected arm of the large with large flocks taking advantage of the handouts of grain from the nature center.
Both Greater and Lesser Scaups are present but are very difficult to distinguish from each other. They eat almost anything that moves, fish, frogs, small mammals. They happily accept handouts of fish from the nature center as well as foraging for themselves. Look for them at the nature center or near the channel to the bay when the tide is coming in.
Photo by Dianne Fristrom Snowy Egret Commonly seen around the edges of the lake at low tide, stirring the water with its bright yellow feet to lure small fish and crustaceans into striking range.
Fluffy nuptial plumage in March and April is part of its dramatic mating display. Like the great egret they nest and roost in trees on the islands and at times it seems as if the trees are blooming snowy egrets. In addition to the great and snowy egrets at least one cattle egret identified by a pinkish splotch on its forehead has been spotted on the big island. Photo by Dianne Fristrom Geese Canada Goose Part of a large year round breeding colony, these elegant birds hang out on the grassy areas surrounding the lake and on the islands.
The fluffy chicks are a welcome sight in spring. Photo by Dianne Fristrom Grebes Grebes Four or five species of grebes are winter visitors to the lake. The largest and most striking is the Western Grebe now divided into Western and Clark's grebe with its elegant black and white neck. Small land parcels around lake are consolidated. Wells are drilled in Lakeside Park.
Salt is leached out of soil, and a cistern and the McElroy Fountain are constructed. Eastshore Park is created. Canoe House constructed. Horse and Carriage drive constructed through park. Bowling greens and tennis courts completed in Lakeside Park. Bandstand constructed not the current Edoff Bandstand , which was constructed in Municipal Boathouse constructed.
Ornamental boat landing constructed at 18 th Street. Lake loop roads are completed except for Lakeside Drive. Organized feeding of lake waterfowl begins. The lake was created in , from acres of "dammed tidal water" from the headwaters of Indian Slough. Samuel Merritt donated the land in It was first known as "Merritt's Lake," and later Lake Merritt.
The shallow lake is an ideal place to enjoy picnicking and bird watching. Wetland habitats gave way to busy streets, thousands of pounds of trash polluted the water, and the amount of dissolved oxygen, necessary for aquatic life to survive, tanked.
Tighe became fascinated with the idea that the critters in Lake Merritt could start thriving within a matter of years and new life would enter through the channel. From until his retirement in , Peter oversaw a number of improvements to Lake Merritt. Using Measure DD funds, the team installed storm drain filters to catch trash before it ended up in the water. They erected additional aeration fountains for a total of four to improve oxygenation levels in the water. Of particular significance was the effort to widen the Lake Merritt Channel at 10th and 12th streets to improve the tidal flow from the Bay.
Natural habitats were restored, including a wetland area at Peralta Park on each side of the channel between 12th and 10th streets. Illegal dumping remains a problem for the water quality, but the total trash volume has decreased. As diverse as the critters are, the trash that volunteers have pulled out of the lagoon is even more various.
The bizarre smorgasbord of items removed from the lake include: a gerbil in a tiny casket, decapitated birds in a white pillowcase, a homemade crucifix, a briefcase stuffed with credit cards, a bag of human ashes turned over to the coroner , an entire dumpster, love letters, a game of Mahjong, and hundreds of e-scooters.
In , it took a team half a day working with a truck and crane to extract a grand piano from the lake bottom. A study carried out by expert consultants for the city of Oakland found no improvement over a year period. Noonan and the biology students at Oakland Senior High School consistently measured the water quality since , an effort Noonan has continued even after retirement in with a new crop of science teachers and the help of former students.
Their research confirms that water quality has remained poor, even after Measure DD improvements around the lake. Sean Maher, a spokesperson for the city of Oakland, wrote in an email to The Oaklandside that more research needs to be done to determine the impact of Measure DD on the water quality in Lake Merritt, since the project to widen the 10th street channel was completed a year after the formal study.
The problem appears to lie with the 7th street tidal gates, essentially large doors that can open and close to allow different amounts of water to pass under the roadway and through the channel connecting Lake Merritt to the Bay.
A wider channel should mean more tidal waters flushing the lake out and improving the dissolved oxygen concentration. But for years, Alameda County has kept the gates partially closed in order to regulate flooding. In response to the problem, Kristin Hathaway, the current manager of Measure DD implementation, hired hydrologist consultants a few months ago to develop a plan that would balance flood regulation and water quality. She anticipates hearing back about the plan in a few weeks and could make recommendations to the county to allow more water to flow into the lake.
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