Bard Lake, also known as Wood Ranch Reservoir, is a reservoir which is the largest lake in

Simi Valley, California Simi Valley (; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in Simi Valley (valley), the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it ...

. It is east of the intersection of Olsen Road and Moorpark Freeway, near the border between Simi Valley and

Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak tree ...

. Built in 1965, Bard Lake is a high reservoir with a capacity of . It is an earthen dam which is owned by the Calleguas Water District. Although the lake is fenced, there are numerous hiking trails in the area. Sunset Hills Open Space is a adjacent preserve with hiking trails. Known for its rich avifauna, some of the bird species found here include

White-tailed kite The white-tailed kite (''Elanus leucurus'') is a small raptor found in western North America and parts of South America. It replaces the related Old World black-winged kite in its native range. Taxonomy The white-tailed kite was described in ...

Northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA. The northern harrier migrates to more southerly areas ...

s, Anna's hummingbirds and

Red-tailed hawk The red-tailed hawk (''Buteo jamaicensis'') is a bird of prey that breeds throughout most of North America, from the interior of Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the most common members wit ...

s. Other fauna include rabbits, coyotes, mountain lions, bobcats, roadrunners, quail and vultures.Murphy, Kelly (2012). ''Local Multi-Use Trails''. Kelly Murphy. Page 164. {{ISBN, 9781479165599. Nearby

Sinaloa Lake Sinaloa Lake is a reservoir in southwestern Simi Valley. The lake is adjacent to the Sinaloa Golf Course and neighborhood. It has a deep earth dam which was constructed between 1925 and 1929. It has been owned by the Sinaloa Lake Owners Associat ...

is situated below Bard Lake in an adjacent part of the same watershed.

References

Simi Valley, California Geography of Simi Valley, California Reservoirs in Ventura County, California