This is Birdnote.

In the center of Oakland, California, is Lake Merritt.

People row in it, picnic and jog around it, and it's a place of respite within the city.

And the lake, like Oakland, has always been a refuge of sorts, says journalist Pandarvis Harshow.

Oakland's diversity is historically a product of people escaping conflict and seeking a safe haven.

There's a parallel between the people who flock to Oakland and the birds that have made at their home, all colors, shapes, and sizes.

Waterbirds, like dogs, geese, egress, pelicans, pormorants, and coutes, to name a few.

Many people don't know that this urban lake was also the first wildlife

refuge in North America since 1870. Lake Merritt was kind of an early instance of this idea,

that nature, if we want it to, can be where we are, and we can find it in the cities that we live in.

That's Alex Harris. He wrote and beautifully illustrated the field guide, Birds of Lake Merritt.

The book describes the birds found around the waters of Lake Merritt, its history since

the Olonite peoples have populated it all the way till today.

People in Oakland have a special bond to the lake's birds.

And one of Lake Merritt's most beloved birds is the Black Crown Night Heron, the official

bird of Oakland since 2019.

That's thanks to Curious Oakland third graders who wrote a petition to the city.

One of the kids described the bird as being funky and cool, just like Oakland,

which I think brilliantly encapsulated everyone's feelings,

both about the birds and about living in Oakland as well.

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