An All Birds, All the Time Sort of Day

Had a pretty good day birding with Don today. We started out on Brewer Road, Placer County where the birds du jour were Long-billed Curlews and Wilson's Snipe. Neither are rare but they are always fun to find. I got some so-so pictures because the birds were a good distance way.

Amazing Levitating Long-billed Curlew

We found a huge flock of Wild Turkeys which I've never seen on Brewer before - maybe some twenty birds.

Next we headed to Consumnes Refuge, and on the way in spotted a small skunk - broad daylight mind you - digging on a bank. I only got a picture of its butt as it dove into the shubbery. ARGH! I ought to forgive myself as I was doing the driving.

Tail end of Skunk

We went on the marsh boardwalk, and saw the 'usual' suspects - Pintails, Marsh Wrens, Cinnamon Teals and such - saw a lovely male Blue-winged Teal. Loads of Sandhill Cranes.

No Tundra swans or Snow or White-fronted geese - other than Canadas - as they've all headed north already. We had a pari of Virginia Rails right next to the boardwalk and even though I was only a few feet away I could not get a decent picture to same my life because the reeds were in the way. Oh well. I guess when I get a nice one I'll really appreciate it. Got a nearly-almost -ok- Marsh Wren picture - those tiny buggers don't hold still for more than a few seconds at a time.

Let's play 'Find the Marsh Wren'

Let's see - other birdie highlights in the Consumnes area were a Great Horned Owl and a Barn Owl (I didn't see the Barn, damn it).

After Consumnes we headed for the Rancho Seco area to look for Lewis Woodpeckers. The last time we were there we found loads of the birds before we even got out of the car, but this time were were none. BUT, Don spotted some Hooded Mergansers which I don't see very often.

We ended the day with beer and sushi at Mikuni's in Fair Oaks. Nice, nice dinner and whew! I'm ready to call it a day.

Birding This Weekend

Birding buddy Don came out from the Bay area for our not-quite-every-year-any-more 'Great Crane Chase' during which we attempt to see some of everything that flies and has feathers here in my neck of the woods. The Great Crane chase started maybe ten years (that long?) ago when Don wanted to see 'lifer' Sandhill Cranes. Astoundingly it took me like two years to break down and ask someone before we found any. Duh.

Anyway, Don came via Amtrack. Picked him up in Davis and we headed back west to Fairfield. We looked for a Blue Jay there but the bird was a no show. Boo hoo! Not like I have never seen them or anything, but I miss them. Blue Jays are THE first bird on my life list - my mother pointed them out to me when I was a little nipper - one of my earliest memories. We were probably there for an hour and a half, and though the bird was there before we arrived, it took a powder and was a no show. Rats. Oh well.

After the Fairfield BJ, we headed over to Flannery Road which is open cattle country. We hoped for a chance to see Mountain Plovers. The only Mountain Plovers I have ever seen were back in 1981 - so I was due for a booster shot of Mountain Plovers.

We got them! Don spotted a flock of a couple hundred of them, wheeling and spinning around in the air like shorebirds do. We were quite a distance away from them but by driving to the other side of the fields we got a better look at the birds. There were some other birds there that we had run across at the Iwama Market in Fairfield.

I got some pics of CA Quail there, not the best pics because the birds and their background are the same colour. But what the hell, there they are. Click on it to see the pic to its best advantage.


Most of my photos today were so-so at best, but at the Blue Jay site there are nesting Red-shouldered Hawks and I got some nice accidental shots of one bird soaring right overhead. By accidental I mean it was overhead, I pointed the camera and by chance the focal distance was spot on so I got several nice pics of the hawk soaring. The focus could be loads better but aw hell, at least I got something to show for the day's birding!

Red-shouldered Hawk soaring over Iwama Market in Fairfield

Done Deal

After weeks of preparation, I hosted a public hearing for regulations today. I didn't think I was at all anxious about it but last night I had anxiety dream after anxiety dream, and just for the occasion in the past few days I grew a lovely & humongous pimple on my chin.

This morning, apart from myself and staff, no one, not a single public entity attended the hearing I sweated over for so long.

YIPPY SKIPPY! *Claire performs several virtual cartwheels*