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Lake Hodges/Hodges Reservoir

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Lake name:
Lake Hodges/Hodges Reservoir
Location:
California
HydroLAKE ID:
113498
GRanD ID:
659
Latitude:
33.046400
Longitude:
-117.126268
Surface area (km2):
2.9
Basin type:
reservoir
Dam completion date:
1918
Management agency:
City of San Diego Public Utilities Department| San Diego Water Authority; San Diego Gas and Electric; City of San Diego Public Utilities Department
Lake use:
water supply navigation other
Region associations:
San Dieguito River watershed; San Dieguita Water District; Santa Fe Irrigation District; City of San Diego; Olivenhain Reservoir; San Pasqual Valley
Comments:
Provides water for San Dieguita Water District, Santa Fe Irrigation District, and City of San Diego. It is connected to and downstream from Olivenhain Reservoir.

Summary of Surveys (7)

Survey Citation:
Ackerman, J. T., C. A. Hartman, C. A. Eagles-Smith, M. P. Herzog, J. Davis, G. Ichikawa, and A. Bonnema. 2015. Estimating mercury exposure of piscivorous birds and sport fish using prey fish monitoring. Environmental Science & Technology 49:13596–13604.

  • Type
    boat
  • Time period
    April 2012, October 2013
  • Source
    Peer-reviewed
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N/A
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 presence? 2013
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 presence? 2013
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

Not a survey but grebes were sampled at 25 lakes in CA from April to October of 2012 (13 lakes) and 2013 (12 lakes). An average of 14 grebes per lake (from 2 to 38 grebes) were captured at night with night-lights. No breakdown of actual numbers captured per lake was provided. Morphometry and molt data, along with blood was collected from each bird for mercury analysis, and sex determination via genetic analysis. From 7 out of the 25 lakes, an average of 14 grebe eggs (from 6 to 23 eggs) were collected. An egg from each randomly sampled nest was collected either from an active nest (random egg) or from an abandoned nest (abandoned egg). Prey fish and sport fish were also sampled an average of 11 days after grebe sampling. At Lake Hodges, no grebe eggs were collected in 2013 (Figure SI). 354 grebes were captured total from the 25 lakes, 71% were Western grebes, 29% were Clark's, 48% were female, 52% were male. 101 grebe eggs were collected from 7 lakes, of which 62% were Western grebes, 15% were Clark's grebes, 23% were unidentified which. Grebe blood, eggs, and sport fish mercury concentrations were strongly correlated to mercury concentrations in prey fish at the lakes. Grebe mercury concentrations were also strongly correlated with sport fish mercury concentrations. This study showed that prey fish monitoring can estimate mercury exposure of grebes and other piscivorous birds if these birds can't be sampled directly.

Survey Citation:
Ivey, G. L. 2004. Conservation assessment and management plan for breeding Western and Clark’s Grebes in California. Unpublished technical report. American Trader Trustee Council, California. . Accessed 15 January 2020.

  • Time period
    2000
  • Source
    Conservation Assessment, Management Plan
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    N/A
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 presence 2000
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 presence 2000
Max Nests 1 to 100 presence 2000
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 presence 2000
Max Chicks N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Chicks N/A N/A N/A

Comments:

This entry to capture historical record of breeding grebes in CA prior to 2002. There were breeding grebes and noted as colony site in Lake Hodges in the 2000, no numbers or other details. Source is San Diego Natural History Museum (2000).

Survey Citation:
Robison, K., R. Weems, and D. Anderson. 2008. Western and Clark's grebe conservation and management in California. Annual report for year three (2007). Report for American Trader and Kure/ Stuyvesant Trustee Councils and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, California.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    9 September 2007
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 101 to 500 500 2007
Most Recent Adults 101 to 500 500 2007
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks 1 to 100 40 2007
Most Recent Chicks 1 to 100 40 2007

Comments:

Partial survey. Subsequent reports have their own entries.

Survey Citation:
Robison, K., R. Weems, and D. Anderson. 2008. Western and Clark's Grebe conservation and management in California. Annual report for year four (2008). Report for American Trader and Kure/ Stuyvesant Trustee Councils and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, California.

  • Type
    shore
  • Time period
    5 August 2008, 24 September 2008
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 501 to 1000 550 2008
Most Recent Adults 501 to 1000 550 2008
Max Nests 101 to 500 >=150 2008
Most Recent Nests 101 to 500 >=150 2008
Max Chicks 1 to 100 30 2008
Most Recent Chicks 1 to 100 30 2008

Comments:

Data from Table 3. Date of surveys not provided. Productivity rate from # of adults in sample and # of young in sample. Estimated total # of adults is entered here. Colony was near an active construction site on September 24th. This is a site appropriate for floating nest platforms due to some grebe nests being built on a wooden structure. One of two Southern California Lakes that supported over 100 nests. No other information provided. Subsequent reports have their own entries.

Survey Citation:
San Diego Audubon Society. 2021. Report on Western Grebe and Clark’s Grebe breeding at Lake Hodges, summer 2021. Unpublished data. San Diego, California.

  • Type
    shore; boat
  • Time period
    28 August 2021
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 1 to 100 80 2021
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 80 2021
Max Nests 1 to 100 70 2021
Most Recent Nests 1 to 100 70 2021
Max Chicks 1 to 100 62-67 2021
Most Recent Chicks 1 to 100 62-67 2021

Comments:

Observers were Krisztina Scheeff and David Hekel for San Diego Audubon Society. Grebe activity was observed prior to the survey date but not in a formal manner. Grebes were nesting at Lake Hodges since the 1990s but this is detailed in Unitt (2004) entry. Percentage of nest success estimated at 57%. The report states that the lack of information from the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department regarding water level management is unfortunate.

Survey Citation:
Unitt, P. 2004. San Diego County Bird Atlas. In Proceedings of the San Diego Society of Natural History, 39:i–vii, 1–639. Available: http://sdplantatlas.org/BirdAtlas/BirdPages.aspx.

  • Type
    shore; boat
  • Time period
    27 July 2021, 4 September 2021
  • Source
    Report
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 101 to 500 326 2019
Most Recent Adults 1 to 100 64 2021
Max Nests N/A ? 2019
Most Recent Nests 101 to 500 114 2021
Max Chicks 101 to 500 163-489 2019
Most Recent Chicks 1 to 100 32-96 2021

Comments:

Brian Caldwell was observer. Additional survey method was from the peak of a nearby mountain. Grebes started nesting at Lake Hodges in 2001. In 2018, a pump station started to move water between Oliverhein Reservoir and Lake Hodges by the management agencies. Brian Cladwell informed the pump station operators that grebe nests were failing due to the drawdown of water but there was no action to resolve this and the nest colony failed that year. In 2019, the nest colony failed twice again with the water pumpiing. With the first nest colony failure, Brian Caldwell again informed the pump station operators that nesting was taking place but no action was taken. With the second nest colony failure, ten environmental groups lobbied the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to enact water level protocals. The third nest colony produced chicks. Chick number counts were not provided in this report so it is estimated as 1 to 3 chicks per brood. This article reported on the situation: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/communities/north-county/story/2021-09-04/column-fluctuating-water-levels-detrimental-to-grebes-nesting-cycle

Survey Citation:
Caldwell, B. 2021. Report on the grebe nesting colonies on Lake Hodges, Monday 9th Sept 2021. Lake Hodges Photo Tours. Escondido, California.

  • Time period
    16 April 1997, 14 June 1999
  • Source
    Website
  • Both Western and Clarks?
    Y
Count Type Range Max Year
Max Adults 101 to 500 400 1999
Most Recent Adults 101 to 500 400 1999
Max Nests N/A N/A N/A
Most Recent Nests N/A N/A N/A
Max Chicks 1 to 100 presence 1998, 1999
Most Recent Chicks 1 to 100 presence 1999

Comments:

Species account of Western and Clark's breeding in San Diego County. Lake Hodges is described as a major site for Western and Clark's grebes but just reports of Clark's grebes in 1997 and 1998, and just Western grebes in 1999 though there were probably both in all those years. The 400 Western grebes in 1999 might include chicks but uncertain. Western grebe broods were observed in 1999 by R. L. Barber and Clark's grebes were observed in 1997 by V. P. Johnson and in 1998 by E. C. Hall. Western grebes were believed to breed year round here as chicks were observed over the winter of 1998 into 1999.

Sources of Information

  • Messager, M. L., B. Lehner, G. Grill, I. Nedeva, and O. Schmitt. 2016. Estimating the volume and age of water stored in global lakes using a geo-statistical approach. Nature Communications 7:13603. Data is available at www.hydrosheds.org.; Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Lehner, B., C. Reidy Liermann, C. Revenga, C. Vorosmarty, B. Fekete, P. Crouzet, P. Doll, M. Endejan, K. Frenken, J. Magome, C. Nilsson, J.C. Robertson, R. Rodel, N. Sindorf, and D. Wisser. 2011. Global Reservoir and Dam Database, Version 1 (GRanDv1): Dams, Revision 01. Palisades, New York: NASA Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center (SEDAC).
  • Hodges Reservoir Information
  • Hodges Reservoir Water Facilities
  • Lake Hodges Water - Santa Fe Irrigation District
  • Explore Important Bird Areas (IBA) Interactive Map
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