Andrée Clark Bird Refuge in Santa Barbara is a 42-acre saltwater marsh centered on a 29-acre freshwater and brackish lake, an altered estuary that drains to the Pacific through East Beach. Once fed by Sycamore Creek, the site was changed by 1880s railroad construction after briefly hosting Bradley's Race Track around the lake. In the 1920s, Santa Barbara restored it as a protected refuge for resident and migratory birds. Major gifts from Huguette Clark in 1928, 1930, and 1989 helped create, complete, and later improve the refuge, which honors her sister Louise Amelia Andrée Clark and now supports more than 200 bird species and other sensitive wildlife.

Photo: Wikipedia