It’s surprising just how many locals were unaware of the existence of Lake Los Carneros in Goleta until COVID arrived. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that it has encouraged people to get outside more, and with it, there has been an increased appreciation of the natural world. Lake Los Carneros has certainly seen an uptick in visitors, many of whom come with binoculars to check out the wildlife. The lake is one of the best spots in the Santa Barbara area for seeing a large variety of birds.
The lake, located just north of the 101 between Los Carneros Road and La Patera Lane, was formerly a small duck pond until a dam was built by Edgar Stow in 1932. This formed the present 25-acre lake. What makes one place better than another for birding? Certainly the presence of water is a major draw in our arid landscape, but more important is the presence of a variety of habitats in a relatively small area.
Several duck species make the lake their winter home; on a good day, it’s possible to see several species of duck, many of them at close quarters. Often the most common winter duck is the northern shoveler, named after its long spoon-shaped bill that it uses to filter out tiny crustaceans and invertebrates from the water. An amazing sight is when the birds gather in a tight group and swim in a circle in order to stir up food and bring it to the surface. They are an attractive duck, considerably smaller than a mallard, with which the male shares a bottle-green head. There the similarity ends. The male shoveler has a snow-white breast and orange sides.