2021 10-30 Gray Lodge et al
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We cut off the 99 and headed west, then north, then west, etc heading “the long and scenic way” to the Llano Seco Wildlife Viewing Area. Skies were mostly cloudy with rain visible to the far north. A light breeze didn’t cool things down much and air temps hovered around 70F all day.
We photographed a few things as we circumnavigated the Sutter Buttes, and stopped to drive the loop at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The ponds were flooded and full of snow geese and ducks. Near the start of the loop we stopped to admire and photograph a “blonde” and orange colored red-tailed hawk in a semi-distant tree. Most of the photography consisted of wetlands landscapes with geese in the pond. Lots more snow geese were seen overhead in formations of different sizes and with variations on the traditional “V” pattern. Some fairly rare blue sky was a wonderful backdrop for many of these photos.
Later we continued down the back roads and finally ended up at the viewing platform at Llano Seco. On the way we saw several dozen turkey vultures flying around a walnut orchard, some landing on the tree tops, others were on the ground. Photos of these large raptors in the sky, looking up, were taken. As I left the area, Sue warned me to drive off the shoulder quickly so as to avoid a dead (road kill?) deer…a vulture magnet for sure.
Yikes! The pods, near and far, were vacant…unlike glowing reports on social media. Perhaps dawn would be better than 2pm? A few hundred sleeping pintail ducks were on nearby sand bars, and that was about it. In the sky we watched a harrier and several noisy mini-flocks of sandhill cranes. The cranes were mostly heading north out of the wildlife viewing area
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Read MoreWe cut off the 99 and headed west, then north, then west, etc heading “the long and scenic way” to the Llano Seco Wildlife Viewing Area. Skies were mostly cloudy with rain visible to the far north. A light breeze didn’t cool things down much and air temps hovered around 70F all day.
We photographed a few things as we circumnavigated the Sutter Buttes, and stopped to drive the loop at the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area. The ponds were flooded and full of snow geese and ducks. Near the start of the loop we stopped to admire and photograph a “blonde” and orange colored red-tailed hawk in a semi-distant tree. Most of the photography consisted of wetlands landscapes with geese in the pond. Lots more snow geese were seen overhead in formations of different sizes and with variations on the traditional “V” pattern. Some fairly rare blue sky was a wonderful backdrop for many of these photos.
Later we continued down the back roads and finally ended up at the viewing platform at Llano Seco. On the way we saw several dozen turkey vultures flying around a walnut orchard, some landing on the tree tops, others were on the ground. Photos of these large raptors in the sky, looking up, were taken. As I left the area, Sue warned me to drive off the shoulder quickly so as to avoid a dead (road kill?) deer…a vulture magnet for sure.
Yikes! The pods, near and far, were vacant…unlike glowing reports on social media. Perhaps dawn would be better than 2pm? A few hundred sleeping pintail ducks were on nearby sand bars, and that was about it. In the sky we watched a harrier and several noisy mini-flocks of sandhill cranes. The cranes were mostly heading north out of the wildlife viewing area
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