2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass

-

We arrived at 11am and spent two hours enjoying the mild temperatures, sunny skies and good visibility. We had no particular target species in mind for this trip, and wandered throughout the many roads of the refuge to see what we could find.

In the first pond near Lot A and the wildlife area entrance we saw hundreds of blackbirds. Most were red-winged, but a few, perhaps a dozen or more, were yellow-headed. The yellow-headed blackbirds rose up out of the tule reeds to chase one another once in a while, but otherwise were obscured from view deep in the reeds. A few others in the far binocular range were visible, but not photographable. As we found on our last trip (March 20) a few red-winged blackbirds were hang on to the tops of native plants a foot or two off the ground, near the road, across from the aforementioned pond.

Several harriers were seen but not photographable. A few red-tailed hawks were perched or seen soaring. One of them was not camera shy and started out perched on the rim of a large corrugated metal irrigation pipe. After a while it flew 20 or 30 feet up the levee embankment to similar but vertical corrugated pipe. After another little while it flew and perched on a sign. Several nice images of this hawk were captured.

On the far eastern end of the road (is this Rice Point?) about 100 goats were busy trimming the weeds along the steep embankment that holds the commercial shipping channel into Sacramento. It was a nice photo opportunity and a nice sighting.

-

Red-tailed hawk.
Buteo jamaicensis in flight 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-090
Buteo jamaicensis flight 2020 Yolo ByPass 090
Red-tailed hawk.
Buteo jamaicensis 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-135
Buteo jamaicensis 2020 Yolo ByPass 135
Red-tailed hawk with its nictitating membranes closed.
Buteo jamaicensis nictitating membrane 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-030
Buteo jamaicensis nictitating membrane 2020 Yolo ByPass 030
Red-tailed hawk.
Buteo jamaicensis in flight 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-091
Buteo jamaicensis flight 2020 Yolo ByPass 091
Red-tailed hawk.
Buteo jamaicensis 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-053
Buteo jamaicensis 2020 Yolo ByPass 053
Red-tailed hawk.
Buteo jamaicensis 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-141
Buteo jamaicensis 2020 Yolo ByPass 141
Goats.
Capra aegagrus hircus goats on levee 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-031
Capra aegagrus hircus goats levee 2020 Yolo ByPass 031
Goats.
Capra aegagrus hircus goats on levee 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-043
Capra aegagrus hircus goats levee 2020 Yolo ByPass 043
Red-winged blackbird.
Agelaius phoeniceus Red-winged blackbird 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-010
Agelaius phoeniceus Red winged blackbird 2020 Yolo ByPass 010
GBH - Great blue heron.
Ardea herodias in duckweed mass 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-006LARGE
Ardea herodias duckweed mass 2020 Yolo ByPass 006LARGE
Sacramento as seen from the wetlands.
Sacramento city skyline with snow in Sierras 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-004
Sacramento city skyline with snow Sierras 2020 Yolo ByPass 004
A mixed flock of blackbirds. Mostly red-winged blackbirds, but if you enlarge the image and look closely, those with white wing patches are yellow-headed blackbirds.
blackbirds mixed flock in flight 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-001
blackbirds mixed flock flight 2020 Yolo ByPass 001
Wetlands scene.
wetlands scene 2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass-119 LARGE
wetlands scene 2020 Yolo ByPass 119 LARGE

CONDOR EXPRESS TRIPS

Click on the gray whale above and be transported to my Condor Express trip photos

2020 04-02 Yolo ByPass

Location of today's photographs