Conboy Lake is not a true year-round lake, but a dense marshy area that fills with snowmelt from the end of winter throughout the spring, forming a temporary lake that slows drains off throughout the long summer. It’s an important stopover for migratory birds such as Sandhill Crane, but also provides a year-round sanctuary for all manner of creatures, great and small. From typical Pacific Northwest songbirds such as Marsh Wren and Redwing Blackbirds, to Meadow Larks and Tree Swallows, to year-round populations of elk and mule deer, to coyotes, to bobcats and mountain lions, this is a place that has life all year round.
I spent the day driving around the area, looking for an ideal spot to record. As rural and quiet as it is, this can still be a difficult thing to do. Small sounds carry long distances in quiet places. Loud sounds carry still farther. Any car within a couple miles was audible through the microphones, so even when a location LOOKED perfect, it was still problematic.
In the morning I made my way back into the Lake portion of the refuge to record the morning songbirds and Sandhill Crane waking up. It was a beautiful cacophony I want to return to again and again.
