Earlier this year, we were warned of severe drought conditions at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, perhaps the most important spot for migratory waterfowl in the Lower 48. Well now we're seeing the results, a refuge that is sadly quiet:

Normally, the honks and calls of thousands of ducks, grebes and egrets clustering at the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge make it hard to talk over the racket.

But conversation is easy this summer. The only sounds at the bird-watching deck come from trucks on the distant highway and a few twittering songbirds.

The 54,000-acre refuge at the Oregon-California border hasn't had water delivered since March. The canals that supply it are empty. And the marshes for waterfowl traveling the Pacific Flyway have largely dried up, marking the earliest dry date in 70 years.