Peregrine Falcon photos by Larry Jordan
I just returned from a visit with my Mom for her 93rd birthday (Happy Birthday Mom!). Whenever I visit her, I stop at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge to see what kind of bird activity is going on there. This trip I was pleasantly surprised to find the Peregrine Falcon that seems to be at the refuge most of the year, as well as the resident Great Horned Owl, both there to greet me.
The Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (SNWR) is designated as a Globally Important Bird Area (IBA). It is one of California’s premier waterfowl refuges, comprising 10,819 acres of seasonal marsh, permanent ponds, and uplands in the heart of the Sacramento Valley.
The refuges’ seasonal marshes are drained during late spring and summer to encourage plant growth on the moist exposed soil and then re-flooded in the fall to make seeds and plants available for wildlife. This is the season for re-flooding when the birds begin showing up in larger and larger numbers, like these Greater White-fronted Geese.
November through January hundreds of thousands of geese and ducks make their way to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge which is the headquarters of the 35,000 acre complex of five national wildlife refuges. Waterfowl numbers on the refuges may exceed two million by December, after the wetland areas of the Klamath Basin become frozen. This checklist of 269 species of birds that can be found on the refuge include the Killdeer which is one of the many species that breeds at the refuge.
Of course the refuges also provide food and habitat for other animals as well. Even the casual observer is likely to see Jackrabbit, Cottontail, Black-tailed Deer, Raccoon, California Ground Squirrel and California Gray Squirrel just to name a few. The River Otter is always a playful and entertaining group to observe. I was able to watch this family of six as they frolicked in the water adjacent to the road on the six mile auto tour.
As you enter the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge there is a kiosk where you can pay a paltry $3 day use fee or get an Annual Refuge Pass for the grand sum of $12 (I will tell you, you will never get this much entertainment anywhere else for this price). Continuing toward the refuge auto tour entrance you come to the visitor center which has a wildlife exhibit and bookstore. They also offer several U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pamphlets that contain a wealth of information.
The two mile Wetlands Walking Trail begins here, where many songbirds and riparian species can be observed. This Common Yellowthroat is one of several songbirds easily identified in the area surrounding the visitor center.
If you arrive at the refuge at sunrise, you can enjoy the walking trail and all its variety of habitat and wildlife before taking the six mile auto tour. On one visit last year we watched a Snowy Egret choke down a huge crayfish right across from the visitor center entrance!
Make sure you plan on spending some time at this great birding hot spot. If you have a scope, bring it. It will come in handy when trying to differentiate bird species among the thousands of geese, swans, ducks, waders and shorebirds that you will encounter. There is also an observation platform at the south east corner of the auto tour road where a good scope will be invaluable. Other than the walking trail and visitor center, this is one of the only places you may get out of your car and walk around.
White-faced Ibis in Flight Near Observation Platform
I was so excited to finally capture a decent shot of a Green Heron on this visit. It has been on my bird photography list for some time (right there next to the Belted Kingfisher).
Juvenile Green Heron
If you don’t know about the group of Birders Who Blog Tweet And Chirp (BwBTC), come and check it out. We are planning an outing to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge on Saturday November 21st. We welcome anyone interested in having a great day birding with a great group of people. Contact Dawn Fine of Dawn’s Bloggy Blog or me if you are interested. We would love to have you join us.
In the meantime, make sure you visit all the great birding blogs at Bird Photography Weekly and IATB #110 (coming October 1st)!
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I had no idea there was such a great place to bird and nature watch in Sacramento. Now I’ll have to come up with a trip to take advantage of that. Your photos make the place come alive in my mind!
.-= Wren´s last blog ..Koalas, Koalas everywhere … My World =-.
Happy Birthday to you Mom!! Wow.. What a wonderful place to visit. I loved seeing a young heron and the owl. Thanks for taking me along on the walk… Michelle
Wow, such a diversity of birds and great photos too Larry!
I wish I could join you all for the BwBTC outing in November. I will be with you in spirit!
.-= MaineBirder´s last blog ..Pictorial: Birds of Summer 2009 =-.
Larry,
I cant wait! Thanks for posting that..I just did a blog post about the outing and l included this link..
Awesome!
http://dawnandjeffsblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/birders-who-blog-tweet-and-chirp.html
.-= Dawn Fine´s last blog ..BwBTC, Sacramento, Ca =-.
Great photos as usual! What a fantastic place to visit, and such a shame that its so very very far from Australia!
.-= Mick´s last blog ..Willie Wagtail =-.
Hi Larry,
I love your photos. They are great.
Wow Larry,
This is a very impressive post and I cannot say which encounter and which pictures is my favorite. This is so much different from what I’m used to see here in Iceland but also in France. It is just nice to see all this new species so beautifully captured. Thanks for sharing that with us.
.-= chris´s last blog ..I thought they were gone! =-.
@Wren this is one of the best places to bird watch in California. The SNWR headquarters is actually about 85 miles north of the city of Sacramento, just south of Willows. In case you missed the link, the map of all the refuges is here.
@Michelle you are welcome and thank you for the wishes for my Mom
@John thank you very much. We wish you could be here too but it’s a long way from Maine 😉
@Dawn thank you! It looks like we are getting quite a group together already. Iy is going to be a blast!
@Mick thanks. I know how you feel. When I read your posts from Australia, it makes me want to come to visit. I’m sure I will some day.
@Faye thank you for your encouragement
@Chris thank you for the comment. I have many photos from SNWR posted on my Flickr site
Wow Larry, that looks like quite a haven for the birds (and other wildlife as well). Love your Green Heron shots, especially the “Mr. T” look in the last shot! He just needs some gold chains around his neck! HA! I just got my first really good looks at a Green Heron up at Magee Marsh recently during the Midwest Birding Symposium. So tiny compared to the Great Blues.
Happy belated birthday to your mom!
.-= Heather´s last blog ..Birds in the hand – what it does for your bird ID skills =-.
…loved how the Perigrine Falcon and Great Horned Owl are boring into you with their eyes! Beautiful…. Wow…this place sounds like a birder’s paradise. Wish I didn’t live so far away. Have to agree with Heather…Mr. T is pretty impressive! Have fun with Dawn and all the other birders at your upcoming field trip.
.-= Kelly´s last blog ..Shock and Surprise in a Buckeye Tree! =-.
Happy birthday to your mother!
Nice to see familiar birds Larry!
And I am fascinated with GHOs – we have a precious few over here, in a quarry-type area called Nanmangalam.
One of the naturalists witnessed and spoke about the broken wing display as well.
Here’s the link:
http://madraswanderer.blogspot.com/2008/10/great-horned-owl-at-nanmangalam.html
.-= Ambika´s last blog ..Urban wildlife =-.
And that juv heron looks like a punk rock star!
.-= Ambika´s last blog ..Urban wildlife =-.
Wonderful photos Larry! Someday I hope to see a White-faced Ibis.