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We started the circle drive just after 11 am. The sunny skies were beginning to be partially covered with high clouds from approaching mega-storm. Our goal was to get in there and crush a few raptors and geese before any potential flooding from forecasted weekend rain. Albeit a week day, the drive was the most crowded we have experienced with lots of cars, trucks and a couple of small tour bus/vans. The tour buses went speeding around and their only stop was the wasp-infested restroom at the second stop-and-stretch point. Some tail-gating took place, as well as one fellow who regularly stopped and got out his car to take photos. I guess the dozens of warning signs and possible fines escaped this rebel. Despite the vehicular distractions, we found lots of good photo ops, especially raptors.

The fun started before we entered the Refuge. Driving down the entrance road, before the first parking lot, we saw a large raptor come in and land in one of the tall trees that border the road. We drove slowly and parked nearby. It was a large, adult bald eagle perched about 30 feet up on a branch. The eagle was very cooperative and did not seem to mind having a lens aimed at it. Many 300mm and 600mm images from this “looking up” angle were garnered. It was very nice to have had this encounter so early in the trip.

On the road, close to the start and around the first little curve heading south, there were two hawks perched in trees. The trees were about 100 yards apart, the first closer to the road than the other. This first tree had a juvenile red-shouldered hawk facing away from the road, but turned its head around for some nice shots. The second bird was backlit and too far away for photos.

Around the next curve, past the first stop-and-stretch, a couple of deer were grazing in a field pretty close to the road. Two northern harriers were seen here, one large, one small. The harriers were swooping, gliding and generally moving quickly from north to south and photographs from inside the car were impossible. This has been our luck lately with harriers at all our usual places. Grrrrrr.

A fat red-tailed hawk was on a branch and by moving the car slowly back and forth we finally got a clean shot between the branches. I’ve been using the top edge of the partially rolled-up window as a brace for the camera. This works except for straight up or straight down shots. Soon we were on the back stretch of the road from whence many thousands of snow geese could be seen across the ponds with the snow-capped peaks of (what else…) Snow Mountain in Mendocino National Forest. I hope some of these “across the ponds” capture the winter mass migration for the Central Valley flyway.

Along the exit route another harrier that could not be photographed, and several more red-tailed hawks.

You never know what Mother Nature has in store.
Bob Perry
Suellen Perry




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