2020 06-28 Sutter County
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Sutter County – Striplin Road
Following a report posted this morning on the Central Valley Birds list, we punched the reported GPS numbers into Google Maps and headed up to Sutter County. The coordinates put us right smack in the center of Hwy 99, between Sacramento and Yuba City. We got off and turned west on Striplin Road. We had spotted a handful of hawks soaring above an alfalfa field.
After a few shots of these Swainson’s hawks they soared up too high and drifted east across Hwy 99. One hawk in particular was stationary, effortlessly surfing the oncoming south wind, exactly above my lens! This first location was: 38⁰ 51’ 36”N, 121⁰ 33’ 1”W.
We back-tracked across Hwy 99 just like the hawks, and parked in the first pull-out on Striplin Road. Here another alfalfa field supported more than 100 Swainson’s hawks on the ground. Upon our arrival, groups of 5 or 10 at a time rose up and soared, eventually becoming stratospheric. Wonderful “looking up” pics were had. The sheer number of hawks was mind-boggling. This second location was: 38⁰ 51’ 59”N, 121⁰ 33’ 14”W.
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Read MoreSutter County – Striplin Road
Following a report posted this morning on the Central Valley Birds list, we punched the reported GPS numbers into Google Maps and headed up to Sutter County. The coordinates put us right smack in the center of Hwy 99, between Sacramento and Yuba City. We got off and turned west on Striplin Road. We had spotted a handful of hawks soaring above an alfalfa field.
After a few shots of these Swainson’s hawks they soared up too high and drifted east across Hwy 99. One hawk in particular was stationary, effortlessly surfing the oncoming south wind, exactly above my lens! This first location was: 38⁰ 51’ 36”N, 121⁰ 33’ 1”W.
We back-tracked across Hwy 99 just like the hawks, and parked in the first pull-out on Striplin Road. Here another alfalfa field supported more than 100 Swainson’s hawks on the ground. Upon our arrival, groups of 5 or 10 at a time rose up and soared, eventually becoming stratospheric. Wonderful “looking up” pics were had. The sheer number of hawks was mind-boggling. This second location was: 38⁰ 51’ 59”N, 121⁰ 33’ 14”W.
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