MAN-MADE LAKE ATTRACTING FLOCKS OF BIRDS.Byline: Angela M. Lemire Staff Writer SANTA CLARITA Santa Clarita, city (1990 pop. 110,642), Los Angeles co., S Calif., suburb 30 mi (48 km) NW of downtown Los Angeles, on the Santa Clara River; inc. 1987. Situated in the Santa Clara valley and nearby canyons, Santa Clarita includes the former towns of Canyon Country, - Appearing like giant handfuls of white confetti, hundreds of hovering, swooping and circling birds have been an unusual sight against Valencia's cloudy winter skies. Sea gulls - though common to coastal states The U.S. Coastal states are states in the United States that have a coastline. This can be an ocean coast, a gulf coast, or a Great Lake coast. There are twenty three ocean/gulf of Mexico states, and eight Great Lake states. (New York is both an ocean state and a Great Lake state. and large water bodies inland - are fairly new to Valencia's dry flatlands
Flatlands is a type of terrain similar to savanna and grassland. , lured by a 15-acre, man-made lake now being filled in the Bridgeport development near McBean Parkway and Newhall Ranch Road. The Newhall Land & Farming Co., which is building the 750-home project, expected the lake to draw various types of ducks and other waterfowl waterfowl, common term for members of the order Anseriformes, wild, aquatic, typically freshwater birds including ducks, geese, and screamers. In Great Britain the term is also used to designate species kept for ornamental purposes on private lakes or ponds, while in , so the sea gulls' arrival was not surprising, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. spokeswoman Marlee Lauffer. ``I think it's just part of the natural environment of living on the water,'' Lauffer said. Although sea gulls are classified by a variety of species, the flocks seen in Valencia most likely are ``western'' or ``California'' gulls, said Ian Swift, a biologist for the Placerita Nature Center. It's not surprising the sea gulls discovered the new lake in Santa Clarita so quickly, Swift said, because they typically flock inland during winters from the Pacific Ocean coast to nearby Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² , Lake Piru Lake Piru is a lake located in Los Padres National Forest in Ventura County and was created by the construction in 1955 of the Santa Felicia Dam on Piru Creek which is a tributary of the Santa Clara River. and Sepulveda Dam in search of food. Because sea gulls also eat food discarded by humans, they also make their way to areas without large water bodies, he added. Sea gulls also are more plentiful during winters in Southern California because they migrate south away from colder northern temperatures, Swift said. While some coastal communities often regard sea gulls as pests, Newhall Land has no plans to get rid of the birds or discourage them from coming, Lauffer said, noting that their arrival will be seasonal and not year- round. Once completed, Bridgeport will feature houses built by Centex Homes, a passive recreational lake for small, unmotorized boats, surrounding walking trails and sitting areas, paseos, lakeside clubhouse, elementary school, seven automobile bridges and an 18-acre public park with ball fields. The lake initially is being filled with water from on-site agricultural wells and rainwater, but will be replenished in the future with reclaimed water, said Lauffer. |
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