True Love for Tule Lake!

After seeing so many eagles and that amazing bobcat experience down the road at Lower Klamath, I wasn't sure if the sister refuge at Tule Lake would live up to the hype.  But almost immediately, I was transported back into the magical world of discovering nature and critters that I never thought I would see. 

I saw a little boat launch with a lot of birds around it, so I pulled in to see if I could get any decent shots.  I couldn't.  But just as I parked my car beside the water and opened my door, I heard a loud SPLASH and saw this little critter swimming away from where I had disturbed it's sunbathing on the bank.

I think it's a muskrat because of the way the tail looks in the water and because he was smaller than the only beavers I've seen. 

I tried to remain as still as a statue hoping he would swim back towards me, but he didn't.  So I, too moved along. I turned onto the auto tour road and immediately saw some cool birds floating on the brilliant, blue lake. 

A Western Grebe

And a beautifully weird looking female Common Merganser.

I was told by the rangers at the visitor center and also by some other travelers I had been speaking with that there was a large flock of Snow Geese.  Now, I was blessed to see a huge flock of Snow and Ross Geese at the very first National Wildlife Refuge I ever happened upon in Merced.  It's one of the things that got me hooked on bird watching. So I was very happy to hear that I would be seeing some at Tule Lake and this flock did not disappoint.    

Clark's Grebe - notice that the black cap does not come down over the eyes like it does on the Western Grebe photo above. 

Oh! I've always tried to get a good shot of a beautiful Ruddy Duck with their distinctive blue bills but the blue has never really stood out in any of my other photos.  But this guy's bill was so vibrant that even I couldn't mess it up! And it looks like he has blue guyliner on too.  How emo. 

I was told by the Rangers that the Grebes were beginning to partner up and that I might be fortunate enough to see a mating dance.  They said it was a little early for it, but that someone had reported seeing one a couple days before.  

So imagine my delight when I spotted a couple doing the preliminary preening moves of the mating dance. 

I waited for quite a while, but they never did the running along the water bit.  They were taking it slow and I guess that's a good thing for true love. haha Since I didn't see it, here's a gif of a BBC production so you know what I'm talking about. 

via GIPHY

On to the next treat!!  I turned my attention skyward when I saw the splendor of a large Bald Eagle sitting on a telephone pole surveying his kingdom (and probably looking for his next snack).  

As I usually do, I snapped photos every few feet or so as I inched my car forward while praying that he wouldn't fly away. 

Closer!!

I really think he's trying to decide if he should eat me.  I'm very heavy Mister Eagle!

As I inched underneath and past him, he hopped from the middle to the ends and back to the middle again.  Of course I didn't get any photos of that. haha

And now he's in the middle!

I pulled a little way passed him and then leaned out the window to get a few last shots, just in time to see him spread his wings and hop to the end again! And of course I didn't get the camera up in time. 

I love this shot.  Wish it was a little clearer but it looks like the perfect American Bald Eagle you see on posters with Uncle Sam. 

Here is a completely zoomed out shot so you can see what he looked like to the naked eye!  Pretty impressive specimen!

Just after that, another very large white and black bird few over me! 

I followed him to his pod of fellow pelicans and watched them for a bit as they fished in the American White Pelican's coordinated fishing dance. 

I saw a couple of Canvasbacks - the first I've ever seen I think. 

And a purple-headed Northern Shoveler!

And then the auto-tour suddenly spit me out into the high desert on the far side of the lake! But it wasn't over...not yet.  

There were lots of cool landscape shots to be had.  Including this one with a meadowlark and a prairie dog sitting on rocks!

And this landscape of two prairie dogs with Mt. Shasta in the background. 

And this landscape with a Northern Harrier flying through. 

There were still birds to be seen, for sure. 

But the beautiful landscape was just as much the star of the show now. 

After figuring out where the hell I was, I headed for Lava Beds National Monument to explore some history.  

xoxo

Nikon D3300

From One End of California to the Other! Lower Klamath Basin

It didn't take me long to recover from my amazing weekend in the Southern California deserts and Salton Sea and soon I was back on the road.  It won't take YOU long to catch up if you need to!  Just click on the link(s) below!

1)  The Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge and the too-cute Burrowing Owls and Desert Cottontail Rabbits that live in the area.

2)  The hot yet cool Mud Volcanoes and still more adorable Owls and Birds.

3)  The wacky and yet inspiring artistry of Salvation Mountain and Slab City.

4)  Death and Beauty at the Bombay Beach Ruins.

5) Get your kicks on Route 66 and in the gorgeous Mojave Desert!

6) See the gorgeous flowers, lizards, and beetle (yes, singular) that I found as I #TrackedTheBloom.

7) Toot Toot!  Leaving Barstow! But not before one last trip into the desert!

A couple of weekends later, I decided to take a trip that I'd been wanting to do all Winter, but the copious amounts of rain, snow, and ice throughout Northern California had prevented it.  I'd been dying to take the road to the Lower Klamath Basin to see the National Wildlife Refuges there.

I'd heard that bald eagles abound up there in the Winter, but earlier this year I had called and spoke with a ranger who said that, due to the drought, it was not as common to see them clustered together.  He said they are still there, but just spaced out more due to lack of snow and ice.  This winter they had a LOT of snow and ice but he recommended that I not make the drive until mid-March because I'm a flat-lander who isn't used to driving on snow/ice.

I took his advice and, when I had a day off of work that most people don't get (not to mention my daughter was working from my home and preferred that I not be there to stress her out!) I decided to get up early in the morning and make the drive.

I left around 2:00 a.m. which was perfect because I reached beautiful, snow-covered Mount Shasta just as the sun started rising in the East.  It was fu%&ing freezing!  But I stopped for a few photos because how could I not?

After getting some amazing shots, I hopped back on Highway 97 and headed North towards the Oregon border. 

In the opposite direction, the sunrise was extremely vivid and when I reached the Grass Lake rest stop, I couldn't resist pulling over for another couple photos.  Luckily there was a beautiful goose or swan on the lake in just the perfect, photogenic spot.

I didn't stop again until I reached the Lower Klamath NWR on Highway 161.  I stopped at the vista point to get my first look at the refuge. 

As I stood there, taking photos of Shasta, a large bird overflew me.  In an EXTREMELY good sign, the first bird I saw was a Golden Eagle!

 I snapped away as it flew over the refuge...

And then turned to see from whence it came.  To my excitement, I could see two more large eagles sitting in the farmer's field across the street!!  Another golden and my first bald eagle of the day.

I got back in my car and turned onto the refuge.  I stopped at the information kiosk and took a little walk to a viewing platform to stretch my legs after the 6 hour drive.  There were tons of blackbirds around, puffed up to stay warm.  

I headed out on the 10-mile auto-tour to see what I could see.  Fun fact:  Lower Klamath is our Nation's first established waterfowl refuge established by Teddy Roosevelt in 1908.  There were quite a few waterfowl floating and flitting around.  Including two of my favorites, Cinnamon Teal...

 ...and Northern Shoveler.

The birds here seemed a bit more skittish than at other refuges I've visited.  Maybe because it's more remote up here.  I found quite a few Lesser Scaup which I hadn't spotted at other places this year. 

And then I saw eagle numba 4!  Now, I will say that I think this may have been the same Golden as the first eagle I saw.  But since I can't be sure, I'm going to count this as number 4. 

From huge to little, the next birds I saw were those beautiful bandits, Tree Swallows.

And then I saw Bald Eagle number two (total eagle number 5!)!  Woot!  This guy was in a tree where the light was pretty tricky.  He looked like he was just head deep in a good meal!  Or took a header into the mud...one of the two. 

 The tree he was in made for some cool photos.

And then I guess he got tired of the paparazzo and flew away!  Which I actually caught! 

Now this next guy was very hard to see and determine what, exactly, he is.  I know it's a raptor of some sort, and maybe a bald eagle.  But it definitely was smaller (even though it was at a distance, it didn't look as big as the eagles sitting in the field for instance) and the coloring seems different around the beak.  

I dunno.  Back to waterfowl. There were large populations of Buffleheads.

 And Ruddy Ducks.

 More Northern Shovelers.

 I was pretty obsessed with trying to capture a decent flight picture. lol

And then I found another bald eagle!  Number 2 again?  Or is this now BE #3?  I don't know.  He was pretty far away and in the general direction that BE2 had flown. 

I finished the auto-tour and turned back onto Hwy 161 to head to Tule Lake NWR and the visitor center.  Along the way, I saw this behemoth sitting on the side of the road.  We'll call this BE4 just in case (and Eagle #6 including the raptor that may have been a juvenile).

#SorryNotSorry I stopped my damn car in the middle of the road (there was no shoulder really), grabbed the Nikon, and squeezed off a few quick shots.  Mr. America did NOT approve. 

I reached the visitor center - there is one for the entire complex - and went inside to talk to the rangers and ask a ton of questions. lol  But had to snap this shot of the marsh trail across the street first.  

Inside the visitor center, the back wall is made of glass and they have a beautiful little area outside with feeders and a little waterway.  There were so many birds out there!  Including a covey of California Quails, which I unfortunately didn't get a photo of because I was talking so much!  When I turned back to the window, they had already scurried off. 

 Spotted Towhee!

They also have a couple of resident squirrels.  

I left the visitor center to head to Tule Lake but first I felt prompted to pull into the parking lot across the street.  I had seen some ground critters - prairie dogs?  I have no idea but they were cute!

And then.  THE most amazing thing happened.  Yes, I would even say more amazing then seeing all the eagles (just by a smidge).  I saw a bobcat!!!  OMG!

He had apparently just caught his breakfast and wasn't sure if I was coming to take it away.  These photos looked SOOO clear in my little camera window so I was a bit bummed that they are all slightly blurry.  

But not really because it was sooooo COOL!  I've never seen a wild cat before!  So excited!

He soon decided he would be safer up the tree. 

"Ha ha human!  What ya going to do now?"

Okay, kitty kitty.  Enjoy your meal in peace.  

And with that, I was off to visit Tule Lake and see what else was out there.  I can't wait to share what I saw!

xoxo

Nike D3300