Birdwatching at Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge - A Study of a Bunny. But Plenty of Birds Too!

Oh my.  This post again brought to you by the Olympus Test and Wow program which allows photographers in certain areas to borrow certain Olympus cameras and lenses free of charge to test them out and be "wowed"!

Wow!  Well, I have certainly enjoyed each time I was able to borrow from this program and quite like the equipment.  But in this case, I have learned a hard lesson.  

Make sure you are shooting in raw + JPEG!  I took over 250 photos on this trip and had changed the setting to raw (as I normally shoot now on my Nikon or Sony).  Surprise Surprise! The ORF file is not supported on my Windows laptop so I couldn't review my files to see what were the best shots.

I had to open each one in Photoshop to check it out.  It. Has. Taken. Me. Forever. To. Edit. These!

But the good news is I had some pretty good shots and some unusual birds for me!  Woot woot!

I got there pretty early, as I like to do, so I can hopefully see jackrabbits, deer, and raptors hanging around drying their wings. I had some great success in the raptor and jackrabbit department!

I love trees!  Trees are so cool, no matter what the season.  But a birdwatcher/photographer's friend is definitely bare, interestingly shaped trees. 

There is a certain field along the auto tour (just after you enter pretty much) that is often filled with jackrabbits.  On this trip, I saw about 4 different ones that were pretty close to the road and feeling pretty confident!

The ponds were full of beautiful Mallards and other ducks.

Honestly, I have so many pictures from this trip so I am splitting up the posts.  Stay tuned for a gorgeous Pacific Downy Woodpecker, Peregrine Falcon, and Bald Eagle!  Among many more.  

Happy birding!

xoxo

Olympus E-M1 Mark 11 M.Zuiko 300mm lens 

Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary - Saving Rescued Animals Since 1963

The topic of Zoological Societies (zoo) can be controversial and inspire strong sentiments amongst many.  For me, they create a very mixed reaction.  

I'm grateful for the opportunity to see beautiful creatures and be near them when I might otherwise never have the opportunity.  I also welcome the opportunity to learn about animals and I do believe that if humans were not able to see animals up close and personal, they wouldn't care or learn to love these animals that are so worthy of love, admiration, and of saving!  

As Steve Irwin once said, 

"If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched...humans want to save the things they love."

Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary lives up to this philosophy.  This small zoo was started in 1963 by Folsom City Parks Superintendent who kept a rescued coyote and and several deer.  It's a really cool story which you can read about here. 

Today, the Zoo takes in animals that, due to injury or other reasons, cannot be returned to the wild.  In February of 2018, my daughter and I decided to spend the gorgeous, sunny day visiting this intimate zoo and it's amazing animal population.  

Because of the intimate nature and enclosures that ensure privacy for the animals if they desire it, photography becomes a bit of a challenge.  But I had fun capturing the beautiful creatures even if I couldn't always get a full "beauty" shot.  

Bobcat!

Golden Eagle!

Puma! 

Cougar!

Panther!

Sleeping Bear!

Sleeping Little Bear!!  Seriously, this little kitty lives with the bear.  He showed up one day and never left so they named him Little Bear!

Deer!

Fuzzy Antlers!

Wolf!

Seriously, the wolves are so awesome to watch.  

I have a deer!

Tiger!  Be sure to notice that both the Cougar and the Tiger have their tongues out.  Just like house kitties!

Turkey Vulture!  

Fun Fact:  Vultures are bald so the blood and guts can be cleaned off their heads easily after sticking them in carcasses.  Not so fun fact:  I don't actually know if that's a fact.  lol

Be sure to check out the Folsom City Zoo Sanctuary if you're in the Sacramento area!  The Sacramento Zoo is pretty awesome too. 

I don't go to animal parks where the animals are forced to perform and the living situation is not ideal.  Zoos are often not up to standard and I think you have to be discerning and make sure to patronize worthy zoos that focus on providing education and the correct living circumstances for the animals in their car.  Just my two cents worth. 

xoxo

Nikon D3300

It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Or Is It? - Mini Post Excitement 7/1/16

I was heading down Road 94B in Woodland on my search of flowers and fauna.  It was an interesting road.  Fields and a few houses and so on.  

As I was approaching an old, narrow bridge with a stand of trees on one side, my eye was caught by a large bird sitting in a tree top just off the road.  I was going too fast to pull over, so I crossed the bridge and turned around.  I went back and parked my car so I could get out and explore. 

I didn't have my zoom lens with me, so I figured my chances of getting any good shots of Mr. Turkey Vulture would be slim to none. To my surprise, he was pretty calm and cooperative, even spreading his wings for several shots!  

Love at first sight:

He's checking to see if I like this pose.  I do, Mr. Vulture.  

Nope.  Not flying, just turning to the side so I can get a different view.  You can see through his nostrils!!  

He was balancing while extending his wings every which way for me.  The Zoolander of vultures!

Blue Steel.

This is not a vulture.  This is a plane.  Just down the street is the Yolo Fliers Club.

"Ummm, excuse me! Aren't you supposed to be taking NATURE pictures Madam Photographer?"

 Oh, yes.  I definitely am!! 
He never flew away and was quite happily perched when I returned to my car and drove away.

Oh how I wish I had my zoom!  These photos would have been amazing.  But not bad for an 18-55 with a semi-skittish bird.

The area was pretty cool and I couldn't resist a photo of some graffiti on the bridge which crosses over Cache Creek.  Made even more interesting with a little bit of fisheye thrown in. 

On the other side of the bridge (Mr. Vulture's side actually), there were tons of swallows flitting around and around in the air above the water far below.  I tried to capture them with very modest "success".

One last shot of Derek with a weird self-portrait in shadow.  I like it.  

And I jumped back in my faithful ride and headed North toward the sun and the bee-filled safflower fields. 

xoxo

Nikon D3300 with 18-55 lens (some wide/fisheye attachment)