Forster's terns were not using the canal as a highway, they were using it as a buffet. They were flying up and back, plunging after small fish. At this point, another stream of water joined the roadside canal. The clouds were rolling through the sky, and shadows were rolling across the refuge. The birds you'll find here vary by season, and by water levels.
Waterfowl are abundant when the area floods in mid-winter.
On the other side of the road, the late afternoon light illuminated this great egret. This cattle egret was working the dry grasses along the canal's edge. You can still see a bit of the gold color of its breeding plumage on its head and breast. Around the next bend there's an area that used to be forested. The trees were killed by beetles.