Howdee all,
We are currently in Sebastopol, Ca. visiting friends and staying quite busy..not much time for blogging and internet stuff…but having a great time.
Last post we had just finished the walking tour.
This is now the Auto tour around the Sacramento Wildlife Refugee.
Recognize this bird from the previous post?
A beautiful but very chilly and breezy day.
There is a Great Horned Owl in this tree…very well hidden…
The ponds which Larry and Geno say are normally filled with birds ..have just a few…
Snow geese. Coots, Pintails and a few Ross's Geese here…
See the ponds on either side…Where are the birds?
A few Black Necked Stilts
Coots and Gadwalls
A few Northern Shovelers
But the most of the ponds had very few birds
Looking at more empty ponds
A bit further and we see a few more Ducks and Geese
Still not the numbers that are usually seen here..
We do see a few areas full of Snow Geese..
Snow Geese and Long-billed Dowitchers
in the sky
I will save the golf course Burrowing Owl photos for my next post..
See ya at the golf course!
Dawn, your pictures just get better and better! What a fantastic birding area!
ReplyDeleteAnd I do love that license plate.
There may not have been as many birds as usual, but still a lot. Really like the stilt with a fresh catch and the landing geese. Awesome photos Dawn.
ReplyDeleteNice license plate!
Enjoyed this post too Dawn. Nice Bittern .. sweet! The Black-necked Stilt is exciting too. Was a lifer for me last winter/early spring when we had a sighting of one here in the Chicago suburbs. It was in a 'fluddle' (flooded field) near a gas station on a main road of all places. Got some average photos, but it was really exciting. My favorite shot in this series is the beautiful landscape with sky full of snow geese :)
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ReplyDelete...loved the American Bittern and am looking forward to the Burrowing Owls! Looks like a lot of ducks and geese to me...high in the sky!
ReplyDeleteNice post Dawn! Love the photos. Hey, you wanna clue me in to where you saw that Bittern? I never saw it :-(
ReplyDeleteBTW, anyone wanting one of those "I Brake For Birds" bumper stickers, just send me an email and I'll mail one or more to you ;-)
More beautiful pictures with gorgeous vistas and landscapes. What camera do you find yourself using more?
ReplyDeleteOnly 50? I'm very disappointed in this count. On the other hand I also did an auto tour today, with spouse, and combined we had 3. Grumble Grumble.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Larry, I vaguely remember a mention of 'bittern' over the radio, but never saw it. Glad you also captured a photo.
ReplyDeleteWow nice pictures! Thanks for sharing this one.
ReplyDeleteI love the expansive photos from your journey.
ReplyDeleteWould love to sit and talk about how your life has been informed from all your wonderful travel in such beautiful areas.
Laura
Wonderful, I love birding in California.
ReplyDeleteAwesome Pictures....Love Them
ReplyDeleteThanks For Sharing
bobbie
ReplyDeleteThanks Bobbie..thats so nice of you to say!!!!
Gaelyn
Thanks..I like the stilt photo too...that was @Soaringfalcon1 license plate
Debbie Miller @HooootOwl Thanks..always nice to see a Bittern..they are so stealth!
Kelly
yeah,,it was pretty cool seeing thousands of birds in the sky..wish a few more landed..oh well..next time..
Larry
humm..the bittern..not sure if my directions will get u there..It was Cheryl that spotted the Bittern a small inlet on the right hand side on the first part of the road trip..i dont remember if it was before or after the owl..sorry..
Tink
Howdee tink..i used my Canon for these pics..I do use the pana most times..
troutbirder
ok so i had it wrong the first time..the count was 60 ..a bit better..sorry about you very small bird count on your auto tour!
Scott (JournOwl)
Yeah..you were in the car ahead when it was spotted..but i am sure you went right by it..
Primary Work at Home
Thanks and thanks for visiting!!
Laura K
Thanks ..someday we will have to talk and bird together..take care!!
Steve Borichevsky
Thanks..did know you birded much in CA when did u last bird CA??
sactalent
Thanks so much
The Snow Geese are an amazing sight to see. Thanks for posting Dawn.
ReplyDeleteHi Dawn, I've been enjoying reading about your birding experience in the Sacramento area. Wish I could have been there. I certainly enjoyed my vacation in New Mexico -- it was quite chilly there, too, and beautiful. And I got to see lots of snow geese as well as sandhill cranes. I sure would have loved to have seen a bittern -- that would be a life bird for me. I learned on this year's trip to the Bosque del Apache that they host both the greater as well as the lesser sandhill cranes. I'll have to share my photos, etc, on my blog as soon as I get my photos edited. I sure hope we will get a chance to bird together one of these days/years. ;o)
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