Lagoon fun offered

CARLSBAD — Wintertime is a busy season at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.
A free Lagoon Birding Walk will be held at 3 p.m. Dec. 18 at the Discovery Center, 1580 Cannon Road at Faraday Avenue.
Everyone is invited for an introduction to the birds and trails of the Agua Hedionda Lagoon. Don’t forget some water and binoculars.
The center will also host a Drop & Shop from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 18.
Drop off youngsters from kindergarten through fifth-grade for some fun at the Discovery Center while parents finish holiday shopping. The children will enjoy crafts, watching amphibians, games, puzzles and a walk on the trail. To register, call (760) 804-1969.
For the new year, there will be a Family Movie Night at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 for $1 per person and a free Land and Sea Creatures of the Lagoon lecture at 7 p.m. Jan. 20
The center representatives also want to share the story about the humpback whale in San Francisco’s waters, who became entangled in crab traps and lines. She was weighted down by hundreds of pounds of traps that caused her to struggle to stay afloat. She had hundreds of yards of line ropes wrapped around her body, her tail, a line stuck in her mouth.
A fisherman radioed to an environmental group for help. A rescue team arrived within hours and determined they had to dive in to save her. They worked for hours with knives, and freed her. When she was free, the divers say she swam in what seemed like joyous circles. She then came back to each and every diver, one at a time, and nudged them as if thanking them. Some say it was the most incredibly beautiful experience of their lives. The man who cut the rope out of her mouth said her eyes were following him the whole time, and he will never be the same.
The center also wanted to thank sponsor Carlsbad Aqua Farm.