My birding buddy Don is a fan of The Book of Mormon - that is, the musical, not the religious experience. So back last fall tickets were obtained to see it here in Sacramento. A whole birder's weekend was planned around the Saturday night performance, beginning with Don driving over to bird. As happy circumstance reign in a drought stricken California, before Don arrived the skies had opened up and it poured rain, so I contacted him,
"It's really raining hard here... you sure you want to bird?", I asked, expecting commiseration.
Nope, with zero hesitation, Don replied, "I have a raincoat."
Well, that was that! There would be birding.
Friday morning we started the day at the nearest park to my home, Sailor Bar. The park is within view of Folsom's Nimbus dam and fish hatchery.
Don checking out the ducks offshore
I often check out the ducks at the Sailor Bar boat launch, normally finding the 'usual suspects'. Today they were: Canada Geese, Mallards, Common Mergansers, a few Common Goldeneyes (ducks) and American Coots galore. I am always too lazy to drag out the 'big guns', that is my spotting scope, which for the record has disappeared into the Burmuda triangle that is my home (if you see my spotting scope floating about, please notify me). Don had his scope out, almost immediately being rewarded for the effort. He found a whopping fifteen Barrow's Goldeneyes - FIFTEEN!
Let me explain. Normally from the launch you can see one, maybe two Barrows. Barrow's are the more exotic and arctic cousins of the numerous Common Goldeneyes. Today there were 15 Barrow's, more than I've ever seen in one spot in my life. Wow... here are Don's digiscoped photos, taken he took with his Swarovski scope and Galaxy android phone.
Barrow's Goldeneye with its crescent shaped facial teardrop
Two drakes and a hen Barrow's Goldeneye
I'll bet that was some sort of a record. When we finally departed Sailor Bar we headed off to spend the remainder of Friday birding around the county, Starting at the Fazio Wildlife the Consumnes River Preserves.
Two Cackling Geese in background, White-fronts in foreground at Consumnes
We stopped by Sacramento's William Land Park to see our we saw our first-of-the-year Wood Ducks.
Wood duck Drakes
pretty fawn-colored Hen Wood Duck
That was a nice way to spend Friday. Saturday morning we sat mulling over what to do... what to do... after all, we had about 3/4's of the day to continue birding before getting ready and go downtown for the Book of Mormon. Hum... how to use one's time... Don's phone rang. Hurrah! A friend of his phoned, informing him that a California Fish and Wildlife duck & goose survey down in the delta discovered an Emperor Goose amid the flocks of Canadas. They nixed any info of the exotic Emperor being released to the general public until after their survey. Happily, this morning the ban was over, so come on down! No arguments from us. The Emperor Goose is a species rare out of the arctic, would be a lifer for Don.
We were off to a high up Delta berm overlooking a pasture near Isleton.
On arrival there were a few birders, to be followed by many more
The Emperor goose is visible in photo above, if you know exactly where to look
The Emperor Goose strolled about, feeding with some White-fronted, Canada and Cackling Geese. Yes, a horrible shot, taken by my horrid iPhone, through Don's spotting scope. Again, better than the ole poke in the eye.
Here's a better photo of a different Emperor Goose, lifted from on line. Handsome creature, isn't it?
There was loads of congratulatory back slapping and preening going on, I can tell you. The bird was a lifer for most so as long as the beauty stays put, it will have loads of happy birders driving in from all over to have a peek.
One lifer chalked up for Don, we had time to kill, which we spent at lunch. We visited The Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant I wanted Don to try. A lovely lunch of Lamb Tibbs on Injeri ensued... followed by a trip out to Meiss Road and Michigan Bar Road, which are in 'my' backyard (sort of).
a Blue Dick that is... uh... looking pretty
OK, now guess what... it's nearly Spring, and wait for it... wait for it... YES, the BLUE DICKS are up!
I know. I promised I'd stop saying that every Spring, so I guess I lied to you all. I'm very-nearly-almost-sorry.
Fiddleheads (yellow) & Lupine (blue)
There were a fair number of birds out and about, considering how rainy the weather has been. A Ferruginous Hawk was seen soaring over the low hills on Michigan Bar, followed shortly by a beautiful little Merlin.
Ferruginous Hawk, who seems to have lost a secondary feather or two.
The gorgeous little Merlin - a mini-falcon, just a tad larger than an American Kestrel
Now, how many of my blog posts labeled for birding are also labeled for theater? Uh... just this one. You see, this decidedly birdy weekend ended Saturday night, driving through a deluge of rain to Sacramento's California Community Theater. It was to be Don's 3rd viewing of The Book of Mormon and my first. The musical was entertainingly outrageous, as in, don't take your straight-laced kin to it, they will *@#$ a (#$+#. Really, it is as blatantly scandalous as one would expect from the producers of South Park. Yeah, if you want scandalous goings on, this musical delivers. Here's a teensy bit of it I found on line.
At the end of the musical, one of the cast asked for donations to a theater charity that benefits Aides patients. Those who donate get prezzies at different donation levels, such as a Book of Mormon shopping bag for donating $20. It caught my ear that for a similar donation one could get a photo opt with a couple of cast members. I decided Don HAD to have said photo! I grabbed him and dragged him downstairs and he was the first of the evening to get his photo taken. He was so excited he squeezed in as many questions of the stars as he could. Don told the guy he'd seen him in a performance of the musical in Taos, New Mexico. Cool! And so it was a perfect photo op ending to a perfectly birdy weekend.
I often do a drive through - yeah, still lazier than a snail on downers - at Sailor Bar Park on the American River. Normally not much going on there, but once in a bit the sun shines, and I see something off the norm. Today there were two such delights. First up, a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks, one carrying nesting twigs and such to their nest.
Trying out the nest for fit and taste.
Enjoyed watching the bird busily adding bits and bobs to its nest, taking great care in its 'nesting treatment'. Meanwhile the bird's mate kept up a frequent 'kee kee keeing' to let the world know, it and its mate had this patch of oaks and all other hawks better stay-the-hell-out of their territory. Or maybe it was berating genetic lineage of other hawks - who knows?
The noisier & grumpier looking of the pair
I watched the birds for quite a while, then went on down to the boat launch to see what watery fowl were bouncing around down there. At first I saw the usual birds, the Canada Geese, domestic ducks, Mallards galore and more coots than one would think are necessary. Then I noticed something truly interesting, Hooded Mergansers.
The lovely pair of birds swam far off shore, but still in the little bay of the boat launch. I didn't think I'd get photos of the pair together as they kept busy, alternately diving as though insisting one of them keep watch at all times.
I don't see Hoodies every year, and never saw any so close to home before,
They were fairly far off shore but still worth a look
What a treat; I don't see Hooded Mergansers every year, and I've never seen them so close to home before. And also at the pond was the little Kingfisher girlie bird that is usually up a tree. I hope she has a mate and they will nest in the nearby bluffs again this year. It was quite nice out, and it began to rain - I decided not being a duck, it was time to go. Mind, not that I begrudge California all the rain it can absorb.
Kingfisher on the far shore - can you even see it?
I'm back at home, and post-annoying-dentist-appointment, I headed west to the Fazio Wildlife preserve. Wasn't expecting much of anything there, and sure enough, as per usual, there were a b'jillion coots, huge and colorful Northern Shovelers, and the butts of Pintails, Gadwalls and Mallards in the air as they fed.
I got all the way to the rear of the massive wildlife road, and turned my mud splattered car around to leave and something caught my eye. A huge bird, no, two huge birds. They flew high up over a part of the refuge I can't access without getting my own lazy rear out of the car. Then it happened, and I mean 'it'.
The baldies flew at each other, stretched out and grabbed each others talons like teenagers, reaching out to grasp their lover's hands. Talons locked, the twin pair, their wings outstretched as they plummeted out of the sky. Like maple tree seeds, they twirled as they fell from the sky, circling, circling, falling.
I could not believe my eyes.
Not my photo - honestly, I've no clue how you get yourself together enough to photograph this kind of thing
Just as I thought they seemed sure to hit the ground, they released talons, flying off.
Wow. I've seen such flights on National Geographic and numerous nature shows, but to see it unexpected, in person, I felt like I'd had a peek into Mother Nature's boudoir.
Nothing was going to beat the Baldies so I decided to head home, I mean, really, nothing was going top love-struck Baldies. As I drove of, I got a text message from an unfortunate friend to whom I proceeded to inundate with the miracle I'd just viewed.
As I drove along the western half of the Auto drive and there was the most massive accumulation of Yellow-headed Blackbirds I've ever seen.
The cacophony of the busy birds was phenomenal
One of many isles de Blackbirds
And many little feeding spots
Where they hell did a b'jillion Yellow-headed Blackbirds come from? I have seen them at the Fazio refuge before, but their presence is by no means a usual thing. I must see them at Fazio when they just pop up, with no rhyme or reason known by meself. So my inconsequential visit to the wildlife area was one for the records. My first viewing of Bald Eagles at this site, and possibly my most spectacular viewing of Bald Eagles ever. A virtual #$%+-storm of Yellow-headed Blackbirds... and a few old friends.
