Images

An American avocet is banded with a GPS tag during field research. A soft sock is placed over the bird’s head to reduce stress and keep it calm during handling.

A USGS scientist wearing a safety vest and earmuffs conducts field research at Summer Lake from an airboat. Airboats help USGS navigate shallow, muddy lakes and other challenging environments during critical studies.

An American avocet is held briefly before a GPS tag is attached as part of field research to track movement and habitat use.

A view from Antelope Island State Park in Utah shows the receding shoreline of the Great Salt Lake, highlighting extensive areas of exposed lakebed.

A multiparameter water quality monitoring instrument, is deployed in the clear, shallow water of Barnyard Spring, Oregon. The rugged device is used to collect data on vital parameters like pH, temperature, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity, supporting ongoing research efforts.

Saline Lake researchers and field technicians gathered at Summer Lake to collaborate during a week-long workshop to integrate data and share expertise on Great Basin terminal lake ecosystems. 

One of three wind and sonde sensors being put up in Lake Abert. This will track water quality throughout the season, allowing scientists to witness changes over time. 

Researchers deploying sonde and wind sensors in Summer Lake. These sensors will gather continuous water quality data on pH, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and specific conductance. 

Tadpole shrimp are also known as living fossils. This is because they have been around since the Devonian period, 350 million years ago! 

Diagram of hydrologic inputs and outflows (fluxes) for water budgets of terminal lakes and their watershed spatial extent. Understanding this process helps us to understand the ability of systems to support birds and ecosystems. 

Distribution of GPS- marked Cinnamon teals. Marking data is from 2017-2024 with over 59,000 locations used. 

A water boatmen, scientific name Corixidae, is an aquatic insect that lives in both freshwater and saline ecosystems. They're commonly found as a source of prey for migratory birds across the Saline Lakes. 

A Water Boatmen or Corixidae viewed through a microscope. They have a thin bubble of air trapped against their body, allowing them to stay underwater for long periods of time.

Hovercrafts allow researchers to get to hard to enter places that may be difficult to get to by a normal boat. 

Cinnamon teal with a GPS tracking backpack that weighs 10 grams, making it much more successful in staying on longer than heavier tracking devices. 

Researchers at Lake Abert use pressure transducers in piezometers and in staff gauges to be able to gain pressure data. Along with temperature probes they use this data to determine exchange between surface and groundwater. 

Sunset over Lake Abert in Oregon. It is the sixth largest lake in Oregon. It is so salty that fish cannot live in it, but it does support many shorebirds. 

USGS scientist processing water quality samples near Hart Lake. Water quality can have huge impacts on hydrologic processes, food web characteristics, and prey availability.  

Macroinvertebrates are largely important to the life cycle of migratory birds in the Saline Lakes. Researchers work to understand what food is available to them, and how changes can impact bird habitat and populations. 

To get and process bugs, scientists use these supplies at Saline Lakes to gather macroinvertebrate data. These help them to better understand the lakes habitat and know how many birds that can be supported. 

American avocets are able to walk, stand, and dive after just a day old. They have tan heads with white bodies, black wings, and a long black beak