SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A few weeks ago, naturalist and bird photographer Brian Caldwell brought News 8’s Shawn Styles out to Lake Hodges. The conditions were perfect for nesting, especially for grebes, the birds that dance across the surface of the water.
Though Caldwell welcomed the nesting, there was always a fear in the back of his mind that the county could literally pull the plug.
"If they bring the water level down again, they'll be gone," said Caldwell two weeks ago.
Unfortunately, Caldwell was right. Around two weeks before these eggs would have hatched, the water level in Lake Hodges dropped significantly, exposing the nests to the elements and predators.
"When the water level drops too much, the nest, as you can see over here, becomes bone dry," said Caldwell. "These are these birds won't sit on a nest when it's so available to any predator."
Lake Hodges is a reservoir, controlled by the Hodges dam on the southern part of the lake.
Drinking water and electricity are the main factors in how San Diego county regulates the water levels at the lake. Many water districts in the area rely on Lake Hodges, so when demand is high the levels on the reservoir shrink shifting the ecosystem for the animals that live there.
"The mortality rate of virtually all birds is pretty low getting from the stage of being a chick to being an adult." he said. "There's all these things working against them, including the impact we have and doing what we do here and everywhere."
WATCH RELATED: San Diego top stories for August 27, 2021, at 6 a.m.