A view of Santa Barbara’s Andree Clark bird refuge. Description from County of Santa Barbara’s webpage:

“One of Santa Barbara City’s most beautiful natural refuge features a 29-acre freshwater/brackish lake and its surrounding vegetation. The Andree Clark Bird Refuge’s 42 acres are bordered by the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, Highway 101 and East Cabrillo Boulevard. The lake drains into the ocean at East Beach.

Historically, this area was a salt marsh, receiving fresh water from Sycamore Creek.

However, the construction of the railroad in the 1880’s resulted in rerouting Sycamore Creek, thereby isolating the salt marsh. In the late 1920’s, the City restored the area with the sole purpose of providing a refuge for wild birds.

Today, the refuge is a balance of urban and wildlife interface. The refuge’s duel purpose is to cater to wild birds that migrate through or reside permanently at the refuge and to provide a enjoyable setting for people to gain greater insight into our responsibility to preserve our natural world.”