It's been a while since I updated the blog. I've busy with work lately and it's going to get a hell of a lot more busy in a week or so...
Wildfowl was the main target for the first half of the day namely the returning male Falcated Duck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. I picked up the bird first thing in the morning right beside the main road. It is usually seen at long range so I was lucky to get relative good views. It really was a stunning looking bird and well worth heading up north for. The same bird has returned for a few winters now here and has been accepted as a Category A bird. I spend the rest of my time in the refuge along the "auto-tour" which is basically drive-through birding driving experience around freshwater pools. Everything showed exceptionally well as the birds were well accustomed to cars. The commonest wintering wildfowl here were the White-fronted Geese of the sponsa race (formerly frontalis race). I only one small flock Cackling Geese fly over which was a little disappointing. They seemed to the leucoparia race. Nearly the entire population of this race winter in the Sacramento Valley. There were a few Ross's and Snow Geese dotted around the refuge also although there were no Tundra Swan about.
One of the highlights here was finally managing to catch up with a Virginia Rail. I parked up by a drainage channel edged on both sides by reeds. I thought that this was as good a spot as any for a rail. After a few minutes I could hear one calling from one side of the channel and could make out a rail sized bird moving within the thick vegetation. It then quickly swam across the channel but I was too slow with the camera. Thankfully a few minutes it swam back across again and managed a shot or two. There was an amazing roost of at least 70 Black-crowned Night Herons which were overlooked by a fourth year Bald Eagle.
I moved on down the road to the Sacramento NWR which had a similar set-up and line-up of mostly wildfowl which I really enjoyed although it was possibly a little quieter than Colusa.
I'll post the second half of the day as I took far too many shots on the day.
Wildfowl was the main target for the first half of the day namely the returning male Falcated Duck at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. I picked up the bird first thing in the morning right beside the main road. It is usually seen at long range so I was lucky to get relative good views. It really was a stunning looking bird and well worth heading up north for. The same bird has returned for a few winters now here and has been accepted as a Category A bird. I spend the rest of my time in the refuge along the "auto-tour" which is basically drive-through birding driving experience around freshwater pools. Everything showed exceptionally well as the birds were well accustomed to cars. The commonest wintering wildfowl here were the White-fronted Geese of the sponsa race (formerly frontalis race). I only one small flock Cackling Geese fly over which was a little disappointing. They seemed to the leucoparia race. Nearly the entire population of this race winter in the Sacramento Valley. There were a few Ross's and Snow Geese dotted around the refuge also although there were no Tundra Swan about.
One of the highlights here was finally managing to catch up with a Virginia Rail. I parked up by a drainage channel edged on both sides by reeds. I thought that this was as good a spot as any for a rail. After a few minutes I could hear one calling from one side of the channel and could make out a rail sized bird moving within the thick vegetation. It then quickly swam across the channel but I was too slow with the camera. Thankfully a few minutes it swam back across again and managed a shot or two. There was an amazing roost of at least 70 Black-crowned Night Herons which were overlooked by a fourth year Bald Eagle.
I moved on down the road to the Sacramento NWR which had a similar set-up and line-up of mostly wildfowl which I really enjoyed although it was possibly a little quieter than Colusa.
I'll post the second half of the day as I took far too many shots on the day.
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| Cackling Goose with White-fronted Geese |
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| Cackling Geese |
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| Cackling Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Goose |
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| White-fronted Goose |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| White-fronted Geese |
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| Snow and Ross's Goose |
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| Ross's Goose |
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| Ross's and Snow Geese |
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| Falcated Duck |
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| Falcated Duck |
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| Falcated Duck |
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| Gadwall |
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| Pintail |
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| Pintail |
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| Pintail |
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| Pintail |
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| Shoveler |
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| American Wigeon |
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| Eurasian Wigeon pair |
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| American Bittern |
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| Black-crowned Night Heron |
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| White-faced Ibis |
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| White-faced Ibis |
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| White-faced Ibis |
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| Double-crested Cormorant |
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| Common Gallinule |
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| Virginia Rail |
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| Virginia Rail |
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| Fourth year Bald Eagle |
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| Adult Bald Eagle |
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| Adult Bald Eagle |
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| Adult Bald Eagle |
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| Second year Northern Harrier |
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| Second year Northern Harrier |
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| Second year Northern Harrier |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Dark Red-tailed Hawk |
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| Red-tailed Hawk |
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