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It was mostly overcast as a storm approached from the Pacific northwest. Being Sunday, the driving loop was a bit crowded but thinned out after the viewing platform. I don’t know why. Highlights of the trip included at least 6 bald eagles (of which one was an adult), 4 or 5 red-shouldered hawks (not sure if one or two moved and were counted twice), and a very close approach to a male ring-necked pheasant on the road leading west towards the platform.

Among the juvenile eagles reported above were two that were together in a tree near the drive exit. Photos were taken through the sunroof.

Very few snow geese were left in the refuge ponds, although ponds with geese outside the boundaries and along Hwy 5 were seen. Most snow geese appear to have left area now. A few greater white-fronted geese remained in ponds and some in an open field of tall grass.

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