Wildlife in the Mono Basin

The Mono Basin is an oasis for wildlife in the high desert country on the east side of the Sierra Nevada mountains.

The lake is an important stopover point for migratory birds like the Wilson's Phalaropes and the Eared Grebes.

This photo shows phalaropes swarming near the South Tufa. The phalaropes use the lake as a site for molting and fattening. An estimated 80,000 phalaropes use the lake each year, representing around 10% of the world's population (Botkin 1988, 7 and B.7).
Phalaropes at South Tufa
(photo courtesy of the Mono Lake Committee) 


Nesting birds (like the California Gull and the Snowy Plover ) are also drawn to the lake.The gulls nest on the irregular terrain and on the islands. The plovers nest on the open alkali flats and the pumice dune habitats.

The photo shows a California Gull and chick. During the 1980s, the gull breeding population at Mono Lake fluctuated between 40,000 and 50,000 birds, making it the second largest breeding colony in the world (Botkin 1988, B.1)

 
California Gull and Chick on tufa at Mono Lake.
(photo courtesy of the Mono Lake Committee)
The birds are drawn by a simple but extraordinary ecosystem. Microsopic algae thrive in the lake, providing the food supply for brine shrimp and brine flies. These are astoundingly proflic organisms that can provide a virtually limitless food supply for the birds. An excellent description of the Mono Lake food web is provided by Botkin's (1988) "blue ribbon panel" report on The Future of Mono Lake.

More Info on the Mono Lake Food Web | More Info on the Brine Shrimp | Return to the Mono Lake Page | Return to the Opening Page