7-01-17

Looking southwest across an ephemeral lake to the Granite Mountains in northern Washoe County, Nevada. The shallow basin this lake fills is normally completely dry (see the satellite view), but is filled due to the extraordinary water season last winter. Snow is also still present on the Granites; they usually are completely bare this time of year, and the continuing snowmelt is helping maintain the lake via normally dry Granite Creek.

Recurvirostra americana . A common shorebird in western North America, seen here improbably on an ephemeral lake near the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada. In fact, this time of year this shallow basin is normally completely dry! Left inset shows another view of this bird; the right inset shows this ephemeral lake, looking west toward the Granite Mountains. Meltwater from the snow still (unusually) present on these mountains is maintaining the lake for now.