2018 11-04 S Mokelumne River
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Today we drove to Lodi to catch the 8:30 AM boat out of Yogi Bear Jellystone Tower campground. It was the morning cruise for the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival. The boat was the 55 foot catamaran “Rosemarie” operated by Captain Morgan’s Cruises. Although the boat was scheduled to depart at 8:30 AM the actual departure was closer to 10 AM. No biggie. Skies were hazy it’s sunny and the water was very glassy.
We headed north from the campground dock and ran up the S. Mokelumne River, taking the twists and the turns, slowing down where needed, and enjoying the wildlife. The upper deck was the best place to look over the top of the levees and see the Sandhill Cranes in the field below. But we stayed on the lower deck, on the bow, to shoot wildlife at the water level. We see Sandhill Cranes in the fields all the time as we drive around in our truck, so this was a great opportunity to get out on the water.
There were a few nice cranes flying overhead from time to time, but on the water we saw egrets, herons, and a variety of other birds such as red wing blackbirds, black phoebes, a northern harrier, and a couple of red tailed hawks. Two sea lions, one male and one female, were also encountered separately. Suellen spotted a turtle on a rock near the levee but it dove before a photo could be gleaned.
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Read MoreToday we drove to Lodi to catch the 8:30 AM boat out of Yogi Bear Jellystone Tower campground. It was the morning cruise for the Lodi Sandhill Crane Festival. The boat was the 55 foot catamaran “Rosemarie” operated by Captain Morgan’s Cruises. Although the boat was scheduled to depart at 8:30 AM the actual departure was closer to 10 AM. No biggie. Skies were hazy it’s sunny and the water was very glassy.
We headed north from the campground dock and ran up the S. Mokelumne River, taking the twists and the turns, slowing down where needed, and enjoying the wildlife. The upper deck was the best place to look over the top of the levees and see the Sandhill Cranes in the field below. But we stayed on the lower deck, on the bow, to shoot wildlife at the water level. We see Sandhill Cranes in the fields all the time as we drive around in our truck, so this was a great opportunity to get out on the water.
There were a few nice cranes flying overhead from time to time, but on the water we saw egrets, herons, and a variety of other birds such as red wing blackbirds, black phoebes, a northern harrier, and a couple of red tailed hawks. Two sea lions, one male and one female, were also encountered separately. Suellen spotted a turtle on a rock near the levee but it dove before a photo could be gleaned.
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