Salt Trails: Tracking a Hidden Migration
Halie Cook | CA, United States
Photographer: Halie Cook
Exhibit Title: Salt Trails: Tracking a Hidden Migration
Location: CA, United States
Every summer, hundreds of thousands of Wilson's and Red-necked Phalaropes descend on Mono Lake in California's Eastern Sierra, feeding on brine shrimp before continuing their migration to South America. Where they went after leaving the lake was largely speculation - until now.
In summer 2025, I documented scientists from Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge as they conducted field surveys, counting and observing the massive phalarope flocks while preparing for a historic first: tagging these birds with satellite transmitters to reveal their complete migration routes. The research unfolded against an urgent backdrop, a petition to list phalaropes under the Endangered Species Act hung in the balance, with scientists racing to gather data that could determine the birds' future protections.
The initial tracking data is rewriting our understanding of Western Hemisphere migration, revealing previously unknown stopover sites and unexpected routes stretching across two continents. Each newly discovered site represents another fragile link in a chain of threatened saline lakes - if Mono Lake fails, the entire network could collapse.
These images capture the field surveys, the scientists working on the water, and the ancient landscape that makes this research possible.
I've been visiting the Eastern Sierra my entire life - Mammoth, the mountain towns, the ancient shores of Mono Lake. In recent years, I've returned not just as a visitor, but as a documentarian watching this landscape face mounting conservation challenges.
Summer 2025 brought me onto Mono Lake itself, accompanying scientists from Oikonos Ecosystem Knowledge as they conducted field surveys of the hundreds of thousands of phalaropes that descend on the lake during migration. I spent weeks on the water with the research team as they prepared for a historic first: tagging these delicate shorebirds with satellite transmitters to reveal their complete migration routes.
My approach to documenting this story comes from over a decade as a TV news photojournalist with NBC, where I learned that the most powerful narratives lie in the people doing the work. The tracking data emerging from this research are rewriting our understanding of Western Hemisphere migration, but my focus is on the scientists on the boats, the fragile ecosystem they're working to understand, and the ancient landscape in my backyard where the fate of millions of birds hangs in the balance. This project is my second conservation film and accompanying photo series.
haliecookphoto@gmail.com
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