Wood Ducks on a Cloudy Day

Elusive Creatures On The Northside

Everytime I ride over to the Northside of the American River, I always aspire to catch at resident Red Shouldered Hawk that loves to perch just over the river on snag trees.  He always sees me before I see him and flies away before I can photo him.  That all changed last Friday.  A boat was motoring up river which caught the hawk's attention and allowed me to keep an eye on him so I could get set to take his picture.  He flew away from the river's edge and landed on a perch which gave me a clear shot of him while using the hanging branches to frame the shot. 

I then left the river's edge and rode out to a clearing to look for Great Horned Owls.  I was distracted by the noise and sight of a Grasshopper on an old dried up stalk of grass.  It was trying it's very best to hide from me.  I would walk around and it would go around the stalk as if to say, "you can't see me".  I liked shot of half of it's body being exposed and the other half hidden. 

Warm Dayz By The River

The past few days have been very warm.  It allows creatures to take advantage of the warmth to float, hunt and just hang around the river's edge.  The Beautiful Belted Kingfisher is always a welcome sight but it is also very hard to photo.  Damselflies should be done with mating but the warmth has allowed them to extend their love for a little bit.  Notice the heart shape they form when they mate.  A Hover Fly pollinates a Wild Rose that grows all along the Parkway and I believe another Hover Fly can be seen floating on top of the river. 

Sea Lion Dining on Salmon

The American River Parkway is rich with life this time of year.  The Salmon are coming in from the ocean to breed and to greet them are the Sea Lions who patrol the American River. 

In order to eat the Salmon, the Sea Lion can be seen throwing the fish out the water or slamming it against the water to break it apart.  The neck muscles on the Sea Lion are incredibly strong.  Watching this Sea Lion in action is absolutely amazing. 

Rainy Day Feeding

My sweet friends do enjoy their nectar...especially on a rainy day! 

Biking Adventure Before the Rains Arrive

I decided to ride my bike yesterday as I knew today would be a wet one on the trail.  I did not have to ride far to find some interesting and colorful creatures.  I am so glad the Wood Ducks are back in the slough area.  The male is slightly fluffed and looking so colorful. 

As I was riding near a dirt trail, I discovered a sea of iridescent wings moving on the ground.  Thousands of flying termites where pouring out of holes in the dirt and moving southward.  I tried to get as close as possible to show them coming out of the ground.  I thought they only do this in the Spring....

Cedar Waxwings are all over the Parkway eating berries and bugs.  Their high pitched calls are unmistakable. 

Finally, a very cute Mule Deer fawn came out to see what I was doing (as I was photoing the termites).  Such a striking animal! 

Next Generation of Dragonflies

In addition to seeing all the lovely Sandhill Cranes at the Preserve, I happily discovered male and female Dragonflies laying eggs in the flooded fields that will soon be filled with all kinds of waterfowl as winter nears.  It has been quite warm and with the weather changing next week, I had to take advantage of this great photo opportunity. 

In the following pictures, you will see the male on top with his tail connected to the neck of the female just below him.  They both fly together but the male appears to direct the female to the water's surface so she can deposit her eggs right into the water.  They will do this over and over for several minutes then will fly off to rest in a hidden spot. 

The last picture shows the large Green Darner pair perched on reeds at the water's edge.  You can see how secure the male's tail is attached to the back of the female's neck.  She had been laying her eggs into the water.  When she was done, she crawled up close to the male to let him know she was done and with that, they fly off. 

A Brief Moment With An Otter

I enjoy encountering the creatures of the Parkway while riding my bike.  They are very used to bicyclists speeding by at 15 to 20 mph.  Me?  I go a lot slower than that as I do not want to miss them.  I saw this big Otter on some raised mud in a slough and had to stop.  He was was preening.  I took a moment to admire him without him noticing me.  Then, he saw me and started looking around.  Eventually he quietly slipped into the water and disappeared. 

Lunch Delivery!!!

Ah, the resident Mink showed it's hunting prowess this past Sunday.  I am still baffled as to how it knew a frog was over 50' away from it....I am told it caught an invasive Bullfrog for it's young one.  In any event, this was quite a moment for me to see.  The hunt and delivery all took place in less than a minute!