Birdwatching at Vic Fazio Wildlife Area - My First Bittern!!!

On a beautiful Saturday evening, I decided to go out to the Vic Fazio/Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area to see what birds may be out and about.  I was tempted to go because my co-worker got some great phone pics of a bird that may have been a Bittern although we both weren't quite sure.  

I've always wanted to see a Bittern and have stared at many a bunch of reeds hoping to spot the elusive creatures.  

So off I headed.  First I did a little wandering around Plainfield and came across a hawk standing guard over some beautiful farm fields.  It's a little blurry, but I had to include it.  

I headed out on the auto tour, totally bemused by all the beautiful flowers which shall be in another post. :)  I was happy to spot birds right away, but a little surprised to see this gorgeous Gull near one of the first rice paddies.  It looked almost like it was sitting on a nest!

Add caption

Just past it on the other side of the road was a beautiful egret stretched out in a towering pose.  

And on the next paddy was a gorgeous juvenile gull of some sort.  Perhaps a Herring Gull?  I'm not sure, but he was pretty big and definitely a looker. 

And then, right near where Yvonne had told me she saw her possible Bittern, I rounded a corner of and there it was!!  Not at all where I normally keep my eyes peeled.  He wanted me to see him!

Hi Hooman!

Amazing!  And so were the 7 or so Cattle Egrets that were hanging out just down the road as well.  

Along with a much bigger cousin! 

There were a couple brave birds in the water of the irrigation ditch along side the road and they were happy to pose for me!

On the other side of the road, another Egret and a Great Blue Heron were hanging out!

Golden hour was in full effect and this hawk was enjoying the sunset.

And OMG, this little Killdeer hanging out in the middle of the road made for a perfect photo op!

The sun was setting and (little did I know) that the gates were about to close.  I was so happy to see and hear a flock of blackbirds in the reeds and capture this beautiful silhouette in the sunset!

Then I headed for the exit.  I was startled to see many people sitting and standing on the hill around the entrance.  I literally thought I was about to be murdered and hesitated before proceeding.  

As I drove up the hill, I asked some of the people who were now walking up to the parking area what they were all looking at and was told that there is a colony of bats there that had just flown out in a magnificent cloud.

So cool!  I definitely have to go back to watch that!

And then they mentioned, that they believed the gate at the top of the hill was locked. 

Ummm, WHAT????  Sure enough.  Me and my daughter's car were locked in.  Holy shit.  When they say sunset apparently they mean as the sun dips below the horizon because that had just happened.

Another lady told me that the maintenance person had literally just driven away a minute before and pointed out a vehicle about a 1/2 mile away.  Which of course did me no good as I was LOCKED INSIDE THE GATE!

More on that in the next post!  =D

xoxo

Sony A350

Beginning of the Strange - Mud Volcanoes @ Salton Sea

In my last post, which was all about adorable Owls, Bunnies, etc., I promised that there were a LOT of strange things to discover at the Salton Sea.

After I left the Sonny Bono National Wildlife Refuge, I headed down the rural roads to try to find the mudpots and volcanoes.  

The volcanoes are near what used to be Red Hill Marina.  There is no marina there now because the Salton Sea is slowly evaporating and shrinking.  As I drove, I saw these really cool trees in the middle of the "desert".

Funnily (or sadly) enough, just 10 years ago, this area was covered in water as evidenced by the photo below which I found on BirdGuy.Net.

You can see in my photo, not only is there no water, but one of the trees has fallen over due to death from the drought. 

I followed the roads in what turned out to be the correct direction until I came to an intersection thaat wasn't marked.  There was a motor home parked off to one side and a beautiful golden dog ran to greet me.  Soon the owner came over and he was so very nice and helpful.  Rick and Blondie soon pointed me in the correct direction and off I headed.

Just as I was going down the road, an SUV with a couple professors and a student pulled up.  I asked if they were going to the mud volcanoes and they offered for me to follow and hang out with them.  I did fall behind a bit because 1)  my car was not built for these bumpy dirt/mud roads, and 2) I had to stop for a couple photos!

I finally arrived and saw my first mud volcano!  It looked straight out of a science project that got out of hand.

There were about 15 volcanoes in the field and they were from 3 to 8 feet high.  the first grouping we came to were about 5 feet high and bubbling away.  

Some of the volcanoes has vents on the sides as well as the top.  This one was very wet and spitting muddy droplets!

It was a really beautiful day, but it was getting hot.  And not just due to the heat from the volcano!  It was the hottest week so far this year at the Salton Sea.  I came from temps in the 70's to a high of 93! 

I like this next photo, not only for the pretty sky, but also because you can really see the recent mud lava (mava?) flow on the side of the volcano. 

Inside some of the lower volcanoes were mud "caverns" which were really bubbling away.  

 I thought this looked cool; it's a previous mud pot, but in the process of drying out.  

 Along the same lines, this fully dried mud flow from a previous eruption looked quite artistic to me.

Bubbles and steam

But, truly, probably the only way to get the full experience across to visitors of this blog is through video.  So please enjoy my very amateurish attempt at an educational video!  

On that note, I hopped back into my car and drank an entire bottle of COLD water!  Then I proceeded down the bumpy road towards my next stop... Salvation Mountain and East Jesus. 

But on my way I found more wonderful burrowing owls and also more fields filled with Long-billed Curlews and Egrets!  Cattle egrets, this time. 

This one flew away to watch me from safe distance!  Sorry little guy!

This next photo is a nice illustration of their sharp talons!  

 Great Egrets, Cattle Egrets, and Long Billed Curlews

 And the occasional Gull as well. 

Then they, like me, flew away.

Off to look for salvation!

xoxo

Nikon D3300

Legs for Days! It's Leg Day at the Merced Wildlife Refuge. 2/20/16

And we're back.  One of the major draws of the Merced National Wildlife Refuge is that it sits in the migratory path of fairly large groups of Lesser Sandhill Cranes. These large, gray birds join herons, stilts, and egrets (tons of egrets!) in the long-legged group of birds that make the reserve their winter home. 

Right around the first turn of the auto loop, I encountered this beauty hunting. This is a Great Egret, non-breeding (if my searches don't deceive me). 

Success!  He caught something.  Honestly, he may be a breeder...the way to tell is that they have extra "feathery" plumage, which he seems to have some of.  I'll let you decide. 

I love this black and white of him and his foot.  Love I say. 

Warning, this is not a good photo.  But because of that stupid tour bus behind me (see previous post if you need more detail), I felt rushed.  So it's blurry.  

But this was the only Cattle Egret that I saw all day.  These cute little guys don't have long legs like their cousins, but since he's a member of the family, this is where he fits. 

This next group of photos also has my eternal love and devotion.  I just love the birds in them, Black-necked Stilts, but I also love the water and reflections.  Bella!

Adorable bubble-gum stick legs!

Below is a Great Blue Heron.  Slightly blurry.  *sigh* This guy was one of two that I saw, but neither was very keen about having their picture taken and wouldn't stand still.  I really need an autofocus zoom lens!!

After leaving the marsh area, I got my first glimpse of the Lesser Sandhill Cranes.  You can see them in the next photo in the field under the cloud of geese. 

These graceful creatures were also a bit on the shy side.  The Refuge tells you that most birds and animals are used to cars and, by staying in your car, it acts as a blind.  These guys did not like my car.  They walked slowly but assuredly away from my vehicle, even if I parked for awhile.  

These three did fly in front of my car though, from one field to the next. 

Here one comes into land with his friends. 

With their scarlet masks, grey and ochre feathers, and long legs and necks, they are quite striking. 

The cranes shared this field with a plethora of ground squirrels.  More about them in my next post along with other mammals and the landscape of the Refuge.

The last long-legged birds sighted on the auto loop that day were more Great Egrets.  And when I say more, I mean more!  Lots more.  Entire fields full.  It was so cool!

Looked like the latest crop!

I think that was the bachelor's field.  They all looked pretty sleek...no wispy breeding plumage in sight. 

So much fun seeing all these wonderful creatures!  Some of these birds, especially the Great Blue Heron, look like dinosaur throwbacks.  It's just amazing that they evolved from two-legged, meat-eating dinos and still have some resemblance to them.  

As Spock would say...Fascinating.  Yes, I am a nerd at heart. 

xoxo