Nesting Bald Eagles!

For the past two years, I have been observing and documenting the nest of Great Horned Owls.  Each year Mama and Papa would successfully raise three Owlets.  I know where the nursery tree is that the Owlets use to practice their flying skills and the pre-school tree is where they watch and learn how to hunt from their parents.  I never know where they go after they graduate from pre-school....

This year, because of the severe storms and flooding in our area, the usual nesting tree lost all of last years nests built by other raptors...(GHO's do not build their own nests, they take over nests and basically destroy them because they are so large) 

Since I am unable to find the owls, I was fortunate to find a Bald Eagle nest!  My first visit was awesome.  I found Mama setting on the nest, saw her very carefully stand up and move off to the side to feed what could be a recently hatched eaglet.  She then flew around where I could get a picture of her taking off from a branch that was not strong enough to support her.  I also got a picture of Papa taking off from his perch to fly into the nest to relieve Mama. 

Peregrine Falcon

I had it in my mind to look for Osprey that regularly frequent this area during a brief break in the very rainy weather we have been having.  The American River was flowing fast and very high when I arrived: 

As I was photo'ing this very swollen part of the river, I noticed a familiar high flying bird diving at Turkey Vultures and Red Tail Hawks.  It was so high up I knew I could not get a good shot.  Eventually, as I walked on the Hazel Ave Bridge, I saw a flash of blue go right under the bridge so I decided to look for it.  Here it is perched on top of a wire above the fast moving river...a Peregrine Falcon! 

For me, this was a tremendous moment as these birds are not easy to photograph + I have not been able to get a good shot of them until yesterday!  When I discovered the Falcon, it was dining on what appeared to be a small bird.  Then after finishing it's meal, it cleaned off it's beak and facial feathers on the wire and proceeded to stay on the wire for over an hour occasionally looking at me and other bicyclists that were riding by.  (The American River Bike Trail goes through this area). 

When it started to rain, the Falcon did not move from this spot.  Maybe it had to digest it's meal before flying off? 

What an awesome moment to be able to be in the presence of one of the most fastest raptors ever!

Great Day at the Refuge

For those that do not know, this Refuge is about 80 miles from Sacramento, CA.  It does have walking trails and a large visitor center but the highlight is the auto tour.  I cannot say how long it takes to get through this tour as there are a lot of wildlife out and about all along the tour.  Sometimes you have to stop your car and just watch them.  The sign says your vehicle is like a blind so you can take pics right from the car.  Some ducks are skittish and will swim/fly away.  The Red Tail Hawks will fly off if the car gets too close to them.  I usually do the tour three times as there is so much to see each time.  However, this week, I did it five times! 

The highlight for me was near the end of the auto tour, I stopped my car to check out a Bald Eagle pair perched approximately 200 yards away.  I watched as the male flew off and flew low over the water to scare up some ducks.  He then flew over to where I was and landed in a tree right above my car!  I took a lot of photos of him and spoke softly to him as well.  He stayed on this branch for over five minutes looking out over the Refuge and occasionally looking down at me.  I love this look:

I was enthralled with a Great Egret hunting for bugs.  I loved the reflection it created.  So I decided to turn the picture to show the unique shape:

Finally, I was able to finally get a picture of a Merlin (a small species of Falcon) who had just caught what looked like a Western Meadowlark.  At first I thought it was a Kestrel as the head and face was so similar to that bird.  The Merlin is more elongated and the body coloring was quite different. 

Sandhill Cranes @ Staten Island Nature Preserve

Even though there is serious flooding going on at Cosumnes River Preserve, Staten Island Nature Preserve is flood free...for now...

I drove out last Friday to see if there were still Cranes on the property as they are starting to migrate north this month.  My neighbors have heard then seen  many of them flying over Sacramento.  Here are a couple of shots I took of them:

Northern Harrier Colorized

While I was waiting to be called for Jury Duty this week, I decided to play with some of my photos to see if I could make it a little more interesting.  I really like how this raptor turned out:

T'was A Cold/Rainy Day

Northern California is getting A LOT of rain!  This little guy perched on a wet branch long enough for me to get a shot showing how cold and wet he was:

1 Item off My Bucket List

I have been longing to take a photo of a 'wild' Bald Eagle for years!!!!!!!  Last Monday, I had the opportunity to do this.  A male Bald Eagle flew right over my car and landed in a snag tree and this is the result:

1st Time Visiting Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge

Arrival time: 6am
Traffic: Very light
Experience:  AWESOME

I have been wanting to visit this Refuge for sometime but one has to get up early to get to this location which is an hour and a half (or more) from my home.  Fortunately, I was headed to the airport to drop a friend off and decided to get back on I-5 from the airport to the Refuge.  I did not know what to expect once I arrived.  Fortunately, the gates to the Refuge open one hour before sunrise so just as the sun was about to come up, I drove onto the path to do the auto tour.  I was not disappointed.  Coyotes and Jack Rabbits were loping and bounding about before sunrise.  I was not able to photo them but I was able to get a shot of the sunrise, Ring Necked Pheasants, a Bald Eagle and a tiny Golden Crowned Sparrow.  I must say, the highlight of my visit was the Eagle!  So Majestic!

Cold Winter's Day @Vic Fazio Wildlife Area

This Wildlife area is for vehicles to drive through or it can be enjoyed on foot.  Because it was so cold and somewhat muddy, I decided to stay in my vehicle.  I have driven this area twice now and based on experience, it is best to drive this tour two times in one visit.  On my first go round, there really wasn't much going on.  Then, I see Sacramento from a distance with the clouds clearing.  So, I decide to add a creative filter and...

Then I saw a Kestrel stilling while looking for prey below.  I decide to follow it as it moves northward.  Then, I get distracted by Western Meadowlarks!  When I look for the Kestrel, he is gone!  Oh No!  But then, I see him on the ledge of the freeway happily ripping feathers off of it's kill.  I stay in my vehicle, watch and take pictures of this beautiful raptor eating away while vehicles are speeding by through an opening which allows rain water to flow out.  Suddenly, I see a large shadow on the concrete and the Kestrel look up.  I later find out it was a Red Tailed Hawk.  The Kestrel grabs it's meal and flies off.  Fortunately, I was in place to take the fly off:

I am so glad this shot came out as it is rare to catch this view of this colorful Kestrel.  He even has some feather's in his beak! 

Wow!

During this time of year, I like to drive out to the Preserve just to see what is out there so far as wildlife etc.  Last Friday, was foggy and cold most of the morning.  I was going to leave early but decided to be patient and wait for the sun to peek out from the clouds/fog. 

I was in my car on a side road taking pictures of Great Egrets.  A couple of them were cooperative and allowed me to get somewhat close.  One in particular was just casually looking around and then it quickly bent down and grabbed something.  I thought it was going to be bug...oh no...it's a rodent!  It was an interesting moment as I had my camera fixed on the Egret the whole time.  I could hear the squeaking and as you can see, it was really trying to get out of that beak.  Alas, the Egret flew off and eventually swallowed it's lunch. 

After that shot, I drove back to an area were newborn lambs and ewe's were located in a makeshift pen.  The fog in the morning did not provide for good pictures but after noon,  the lighting improved and so did the disposition of the lambs.