2018 03-08 Sacramento NWR -Woodland-EDH
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Skies cleared pretty quickly after an overnight drizzle. Most of the day was sunny and warm with temps in the high 60’s. We started out with a full auto circle at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, but on the way home we made a short stop to photograph the hawks at that hotspot in Woodland near Plainfield Elementary School.
SOUTHBOUND LEG: 1050 – We began our drive through Sac NWR along the south leg of the circle with at least 12 jackrabbits in ones and twos for the first quarter mile. There would be more rabbits later, but this was definitely the rabbit zone. 1105 – Starting the eastern leg we encountered 18 or so American coots out of the water and foraging on the side of road. 1115 – Two harriers interact briefly in the air looking south across the fields. 1125 – Red-tailed hawk in tree. Snow geese in pond. 1130 – Suellen spots a large juvenile bald eagle “looking wet,” on sand a bar in the pond. 1139 – Northern shovelers, mallards, coots in pond. 1145 – Two black-necked stilts in pond, close to edge near road.
OBSERVATION PLATFORM: 1200 – Suellen spots 17 western pond turtles on a drift log close to edge of south pond. This is our first sighting of turtles at Sac NWR. The turtles appeared to be basking in the sun and only one of them flushed (took a dive off log) during the entire time we watched and took pictures. 1205 – A single female or juvenile harrier was seen from the observation deck. Sue spotted it on the ground after it apparently caught something (undetermined) to eat. 1210 – A single black phoebe was bouncing around the area between the observation deck and the outhouse…close enough for some pics. - American coots in the road.
NORTHBOUND LEG: 1225 - Suellen spots a “raptor” perched deep inside the bare branches of a tree in the pod on the west side of the road. With binoculars it turns out to be a great horned owl. This was our first sighting of a GHO at Sac NWR after hearing lots of past stories. 1229 – RTH in tree. 1233 – Greater white-fronted geese out of the water foraging in the grass with snow geese and without. 1235/1240 – Two red-shouldered hawks in trees.
NORTHWEST CORNER: Two black-tailed deer were in the brush and another harrier flew by. WOODLAND HAWKS: The field was full of hawks on the ground and in flight. There was at least one ferruginous hawk, many harriers and 20 or so red-tailed hawks. The red-tails started soaring up a thermal and went up so high they could no longer be seen. A single American kestrel was seen on a nearby wire and it took flight when a red-tail flew nearby. Several nice fly-bys for photography took place. This place is as amazing as it was back on February 10 and 12 when we were last here.
NEAR HOME: Coming down Carson Creek Road on our return home we photographed a white-tailed kite in a small tree on the southwest side of the road. It was perched, took flight, landed back in the tree, then it repeated this sequence two more times. Some nice in flight photos were to be had.
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Read MoreSkies cleared pretty quickly after an overnight drizzle. Most of the day was sunny and warm with temps in the high 60’s. We started out with a full auto circle at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, but on the way home we made a short stop to photograph the hawks at that hotspot in Woodland near Plainfield Elementary School.
SOUTHBOUND LEG: 1050 – We began our drive through Sac NWR along the south leg of the circle with at least 12 jackrabbits in ones and twos for the first quarter mile. There would be more rabbits later, but this was definitely the rabbit zone. 1105 – Starting the eastern leg we encountered 18 or so American coots out of the water and foraging on the side of road. 1115 – Two harriers interact briefly in the air looking south across the fields. 1125 – Red-tailed hawk in tree. Snow geese in pond. 1130 – Suellen spots a large juvenile bald eagle “looking wet,” on sand a bar in the pond. 1139 – Northern shovelers, mallards, coots in pond. 1145 – Two black-necked stilts in pond, close to edge near road.
OBSERVATION PLATFORM: 1200 – Suellen spots 17 western pond turtles on a drift log close to edge of south pond. This is our first sighting of turtles at Sac NWR. The turtles appeared to be basking in the sun and only one of them flushed (took a dive off log) during the entire time we watched and took pictures. 1205 – A single female or juvenile harrier was seen from the observation deck. Sue spotted it on the ground after it apparently caught something (undetermined) to eat. 1210 – A single black phoebe was bouncing around the area between the observation deck and the outhouse…close enough for some pics. - American coots in the road.
NORTHBOUND LEG: 1225 - Suellen spots a “raptor” perched deep inside the bare branches of a tree in the pod on the west side of the road. With binoculars it turns out to be a great horned owl. This was our first sighting of a GHO at Sac NWR after hearing lots of past stories. 1229 – RTH in tree. 1233 – Greater white-fronted geese out of the water foraging in the grass with snow geese and without. 1235/1240 – Two red-shouldered hawks in trees.
NORTHWEST CORNER: Two black-tailed deer were in the brush and another harrier flew by. WOODLAND HAWKS: The field was full of hawks on the ground and in flight. There was at least one ferruginous hawk, many harriers and 20 or so red-tailed hawks. The red-tails started soaring up a thermal and went up so high they could no longer be seen. A single American kestrel was seen on a nearby wire and it took flight when a red-tail flew nearby. Several nice fly-bys for photography took place. This place is as amazing as it was back on February 10 and 12 when we were last here.
NEAR HOME: Coming down Carson Creek Road on our return home we photographed a white-tailed kite in a small tree on the southwest side of the road. It was perched, took flight, landed back in the tree, then it repeated this sequence two more times. Some nice in flight photos were to be had.
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Jackrabbit - Not so camouflaged with backlit red ears, veins, arteries.
Lepus californicus Black-tailed jackrabbit 2018 03-08 Sac NWR-011
Juvenile bald eagle on sand bar
Haliaeetus leucocephalus JUV on sand bar 2018 03-08 Sac NWR-017
