Bird Migration! A Peaceful Interlude at Cosumnes River Preserve Sacramento California September 2022

"The sound of birds stops the noise in my mind." - Carly Simon

My mind is always going.  And not just going...but going and going and going!  

Thoughts. Worries. Pictures. Memories. Lights. Questions. Worries. More Thoughts. More Worries.

For me, I find it really hard to turn my mind off.  It's hard to just meditate (although I need to really learn and work at it because it is valuable).  I have to replace it with something.  And the best things for me are driving, music and nature.  

Hey!  Birds are both music and nature!  I guess that's one reason they are so healing for me.  It's definitely a form of meditation to drive to where birds are (even if it's just a nearby park), listening to healing music, and then spend some time either sitting, walking, or driving around looking and listening to birds. 

On this slightly cloudy and foggy afternoon (after lots of 100 degree plus weather!), I decided to head over to Cosumnes on the spur of the moment for a bit of solitude and healing. And of course to see what birds might be visiting in the early fall migration.  

I started off, as I always do at Cosumnes, by driving down Bruceville Road and the fields and ponds over on that side.  I was greeted by hawks and adorable baby cows!  These two stopped their playing to stare at me as I pulled up.  The four baby calves were so cute as a mama cow stood guard! 

While on a nearby telephone pole this Red-shouldered Hawk was searching for his next meal. 

I was a bit surprised because most of the ponds were still dry.  I guess I shouldn't have been that surprised since we had been having such a hot and dry summer.  But I'm always saddened and surprised at the lack of water when I travel around the Western U.S. now.    

But there was some water and ducks in one of the ponds on Bruceville as well as one pond across from the Visitor Center parking lot that had a bit of water in it.  I could see ducks and some wading shorebirds there so I decided to park and walk over.  

An older woman was sitting on the bench on the viewing platform so I hung back a bit so as to not disturb her.  I guess I needn't have bothered because she got up and walked over to greet me.  She was very friendly and we stopped and talked about birds and nature for about 10 minutes which was quite nice.  Then we wished each other well and changed places with her walking to her car by the Visitor's Center and I taking her place on the viewing platform.  

I didn't sit on the bench as the water was not up to the viewing platform.  Instead, I planted myself on the edge of the platform with my feet in the wild grass surrounding it.  

There were quite a few birds who looked similar to each other but also slightly different?  I believe these are Long-billed Dowitchers.  

And I think this is a Least Sandpiper.  So tiny!

Least Sandpiper

Black-necked Stilt

Long-billed Dowitcher

Northern Shoveler (female? or juvenile? - not sure)

Least Sandpiper with a much larger small female Northern Shoveler duck behind her.

Ducks dabbling.

Greater Yellowlegs

Dowitchers

Greater Yellowlegs

Least Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Black-necked Stilt

Killdeer

Flying Geese

It was starting to get dark, so I headed back to Bruceville Rd for one last check before heading back home.  This time instead of the Red-shouldered Hawk sitting on the pole, there was a beautiful and much larger Red-tailed Hawk on a pole at the opposite end of the road. 

I got there just time to catch the Pintail Ducks rise up in a swirl of joyful noise to fly around in circles and land 20 yards away.  

Pintails look so fancy with their elegant tails and blue and black striped bills.  Ducks are truly amazing. 

I just love ducks, geese, and cranes flying!  When it gets close to sundown, these guys fly to water to settle in for the night safe(er?) from predators who don't really want to run through a marsh looking for their next meal.  It's always a great show and there is nothing more peaceful than listening to the gentle honks of geese, quacks of ducks, and cooing of cranes as the sun sets.

I highly recommend when you have too much going on in your head, replace it with the joyful noise of birds and the visions of sunset.  It'll do wonders for your mental health.  Plus remind you that there is beauty and amazement to be found all around you and that the world is still a beautiful place. 

xoxo

Panasonic Lumix Fz80

It's Fall Migration!! Time for Birdwatching Adventures! - September 11, 2022 @ Yolo Bypass/Vic Fazio Wildlife Area

Normally, I spend 9/11 every year with some form of memorial or remembrance of the tragic events in 2001.  However, this year since I have been struggling mentally, I really couldn't bring myself to do any of the things I would normally do other than send a prayer for the families and survivors of the tragedy.  

Personally for me, it is still something that I will always mourn and always remember.  But I will absolutely not let it change the love I have for my brothers and sisters of all nations.  But the religious fanaticism (from all forms of religion) that inspire so much hatred is a big no for me and the largest lesson of 9/11 for me as well.  

But on this September 11 in 2022, I felt I needed some time to focus on nature and healing.  Although nature often brings some dark moments, it's still much preferred to the hatred that mankind brings into the world. 

So off I went through Sacramento and into the "wilds" of the Yolo bypass to Vic Fazio Wildlife Area for some early migration birdwatching!

Flying over the causeway (I-80 freeway) high above the bypass, I almost felt like a bird myself!  And I was happy to see what looked like a ton of birds out in the rice paddies.  

But first, just coming around the first curve in the auto tour, I saw a unkindness!  Actually I think it was very kind because it was a gorgeous Raven couple chilling together at the top of a pole.  A group of Ravens is called and unkindness - probably due to some superstitious nonsense from medieval times. Nevermore!  Not to me anyway. 

The rice paddies that make up most of the wildlife area were so very lush with many shades of green amongst the different foliage.  It was absolutely gorgeous on this early morning. 

One area in particular seemed to be attracting all the birds! Maybe not all, but many of the Egrets and White-faced Ibis were hanging out together in a very plush paddy that still had water in it. 

The Ibis with there brilliant plumage and bright red eyes are always one of my favorites to find.  I wish I could reach out and touch those gorgeous feathers!

The rich, green and bronze feathers of the Ibis contrast so beautifully with the snow white Egrets.  Such an amazing sight to see probably 25+ Egrets and 40+ Ibis in this one rice paddy. 

Ibis in flight preparing to land in the rice paddy near some of the egrets. 

Dinosaurs were also prevalent in Yolo on this beautiful fall day.  I saw probably 10 Great Blue Herons in the various fields.  The next pictures are from 3 of them.  Sorry if some appear redundant, but these lovely, prehistoric-looking birds seemed like they were posing for me!

The thistles and flowers were putting on a show as well.  I just love the different thistles we have in California and how photogenic they are!

This Egret was feeling fluffy against the brisk air.  So cute!

There were of course raptors all around the area as well.  By this time, it was just before sunset.  Believe it or not, these pictures that follow were all on the auto setting of my little bridge camera and it does pretty well (except for extreme noise!).  

So these look like they were taken in daylight but it was in reality closer to sunset; the picture below was taken at 6:28 facing West.  The picture of the sunset about three pics down was taken with manual settings (to make both the sunset and the thistles visible) at 6:40 pm.  Amazing different!  This camera has a great focus capability!  I wish I could get my Nikons to focus this well and any light.  lol

It also has a pretty good capability of focusing behind things such as the Great-Horned Owl behind all these tree branches.  It's not perfect and the leaves are clearly the primary focus but it's pretty good for such a difficult photo. 

This is the Thistle Sunset I was talking about.  Now granted, I am shooting extreme West - obviously right at the sun in this pic and the very last one in the post.  The egret photos below are South West. 

And now off into the sunset I go.  Until next time.  :)

xoxo

Panasonic Lumix Fz80