Onging losses of bird and wildlife habitat in Southern California

One of the areas we've birded frequently in the past was the Macs Road Pond (restricted area) at MCB Camp Pendleton in San Diego County.  Typical bird lists for the site included three to four dozen water and upland birds.

However, this pond went dry over the summer of 2012.  We've checked back a few times over the fall, but construction in the area made it tough.  Nevertheless, there hasn't been any water in the area.

The other day, I stopped by on the way off base for Christmas break.  There was a bit of water around the sewer outfall pipe (?) at <33.243031,-117.395692>.  There was also a small bit of standing water (mere inches deep) in the main pool area between the road dike and Stuart Mesa Road.  But what had once amounted to acres of shallow lake and wetlands, remains effectively dry and dead.

Gone are the breeding Redheads, Coots, and Pied-bill Grebes. Nowhere to be seen are the Common Gallinules, Soras, Northern Shovelers and assorted Teals, and resident bands of Black-necked Stilts and Killdeers.

We don't know if this is due to climate-related precipitation changes, or changes in management of the Base's water resources.  Either way, it's a sad loss of too-scarce riparian and wetland habitat in increasingly urban and dry San Diego County.