I got up around 5:30 this morning and was out the door by 6:00 am with Esteban to go to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge.  After stopping for gas, coffee and snacky stuff we got to the refuge around 8:00 am just as my friend and fellow naturalist Roxanne drove in.  It was about 49° when we arrived and there was a stiff wind blowing – which doesn’t bode well for birding.

I took Roxanne in my car through the auto tour route (with Esteban) so we could help each other spot birds and other critters.  I was limited in how many photos I could take because I’d forgotten to recharge the backup batteries for my camera. D’oh! 

All of the large flocks are gone now, but there are still smaller flocks and individual birds to see there.  The sightings and photo-taking would have been better of the wind wasn’t as strong.  Roxanne kept a list of the species we saw, though, and it was up to over 100 by the time we headed back home.

CLICK HERE for the full album of photos.

There was nothing in the areas where the vernal pools normally are and only a few wildflowers, mostly fiddlenecks. We saw quite a few jackrabbits – including one that was hunkered down in a field; we at first mistook it for a rock — and lots of Northern Harriers in flight.  We also spotted an adult Bald Eagle flying, and got to see a juvenile sitting in a tree on the way out of the preserve. His back was to us, so we didn’t get to see a lot of him before we moved on.

We heard a lot of Marsh Wrens, but they kept themselves hidden, so I only got photos of one of the males singing and a few of their nests.

It took us about four hours to get through the auto tour route there, then we went on to the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge to check out the birds there.  It was still very windy, and we didn’t see much of anything new there.  The Black Crowned Night Herons were in their regular day-roost spot, though, so we got to see and get a few photos of them.  By the time we were done at that refuge, it was a little after 2:00 pm. We ate a bit of lunch at the picnic tables there then headed home.

Got back to the house around 4:00 pm.  Phew! A long day!

Species List:

1. American Bittern, Botaurus lentiginosus
2. American Coot, Fulica americana
3. American Robin, Turdus migratorius
4. American Wigeon, Anas Americana
5. Arundo, Giant Reed, Arundo donax
6. Audubon’s Warbler, Setophaga coronata auduboni
7. Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
8. Bird’s-foot Trefoil, Lotus corniculatus
9. Black Phoebe, Sayornis nigricans
10. Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
11. Black-Necked Stilt, Himantopus mexicanus
12. Black-Tailed Jackrabbit, Lepus californicus
13. Blessed Milk Thistle, Silybum marianum
14. Blue Elderberry, Sambucus nigra cerulea
15. Boxelder, Box Elder Tree, Acer negundo
16. Brewer’s Blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus
17. Broadleaf Cattail, Bullrush, Typha latifolia
18. Bushtit, American Bushtit, Psaltriparus minimus [nests]
19. California Dock, Rumex californicus
20. California Ground Squirrel, Otospermophilus beecheyi
21. California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica
22. California Praying Mantis, Stagmomantis californica (smallest 2-2.5 inches) [ootheca]
23. California Wild Rose, Rosa californica
24. Canada Goose, Branta canadensis
25. Cheeseweed Mallow, Malva parviflora
26. Cinnamon Teal, Anas cyanoptera
27. Columbian Black-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
28. Common Fiddleneck, Amsinckia menziesii
29. Common Groundsel, Senecio vulgaris
30. Common Mustard, Brassica rapa
31. Common Raven, Corvus corax
32. Common Stork’s-Bill, Red Stemmed Filaree, Erodium cicutarium
33. Common Teasel, Dipsacus fullonum
34. Coyote, Canis latrans [smooshed on the road]
35. Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auratus [one from Alaska]
36. European Starling, Sturnus vulgaris
37. Fennel, Sweet Fennel, Foeniculum vulgare
38. Field Mustard, Brassica rapa
39. Floating Water Primrose, Ludwigia peploides ssp. Peploides
40. Fremont’s Cottonwood, Populus fremontii
41. Gadwall duck, Mareca Strepera
42. Golden Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia atricapilla
43. Goldfields, Lasthenia sp.
44. Great Blue Heron, Ardea herodias
45. Great Egret, Ardea alba
46. Greater White-Fronted Goose, Tringa melanoleuca
47. Greater Yellowlegs, Tringa melanoleuca
48. Great-Tailed Grackle, Quiscalus mexicanus
49. Green Alga (freshwater), Chlorophyta ssp.
50. Green-Winged Teal, Anas carolinensis
51. Himalayan (Armenian) Blackberry, Rubus armeniacus
52. Interior Sandbar Willow, Salix interior
53. Jointed Charlock, Wild Radish, Raphanus raphanistrum
54. Killdeer, Charadrius vociferous
55. Lesser Goldfinch, Spinus psaltria
56. Lincoln’s Sparrow, Melospiza lincolnii
57. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos
58. Marsh Wren, Cistothorus palustris
59. Milk Thistle, Blessed Milkthistle, Silybum marianum
60. Mistletoe, American Mistletoe, Big Leaf Mistletoe, Phoradendron leucarpum
61. Mourning Dove, Zenaida macroura
62. Narrowleaf Cattail, Cattail, Typha angustifolia
63. Non-biting Midges, Family: Chironomidae
64. Northern Flicker, Colaptes auratus
65. Northern Harrier, Marsh Hawk, Circus hudsonius
66. Northern Pintail, Anas acuta
67. Northern Shoveler, Anas clypeata
68. Pacific Chorus Frog, Western Chorus Frog, Pseudacris triseriata
69. Pacific Poison Oak, Toxicodendron diversilobum
70. Pacific Pond Turtle, Western Pond Turtle, Actinemys marorata
71. Paper Wasp, European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominula [individual queens and nests]
72. Pied-Billed Grebe, Podilymbus podiceps
73. Pink Squirrel Grass, Hordeum jubatum [barley] ?
74. Pink Squirrel-Tail Rye, Sitanion elymoides [formerly Elymus elymoides, CA native]
75. Popcorn Flowers, Plagiobothrys sp.
76. Prickly Sow Thistle, Sonchus asper
77. Quail Bush, Big Saltbrush, Atriplex lentiformis
78. Red-Tailed Hawk, Buteo jamaicensis
79. Red-Winged Blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus
80. Ring-Necked Duck, Aythya collaris
81. Ring-Necked Pheasant, Phasianus colchicus
82. Rio Grande Wild Turkey, Meleagris gallopavo intermedia
83. River Otter, North American River Otter, Lontra canadensis
84. Sandbar Willow, Salix exigua var. hindsiana
85. Savannah Sparrow, Passerculus sandwichensis
86. Sheet Weaver Spiders, Family: Linyphiidae
87. Shepherd’s-Purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris
88. Snow Goose, Chen caerulescens
89. Snowy Egret, Egretta thula
90. Song Sparrow, Melospiza melodia
91. Stork’s Bill, Broadleaf Filaree, Erodium botrys
92. Striped Skunk, Mephitis mephitis [smelled; assume it’s this one]
93. Swamp Smartweed, Persicara hydropiperoides
94. Tall Flatsedge, Cyperus eragrostis
95. Tree Swallow, Tachycineta bicolor
96. Tule, Common Tule, Schoenoplectus acutus
97. Turkey Vulture, Cathartes aura
98. Valley Oak, Quercus lobate
99. Velvetleaf, Abutilon theophrasti
100. Western Meadowlark, Sturnella neglecta
101. White Cabbage Butterfly, Pieris rapae
102. White Horehound, Marrubium vulgare
103. White-Crowned Sparrow, Zonotrichia leucophrys
104. White-Faced Ibis, Plegadis chihi
105. Yellow Starthistle, Centaurea solstitialis
     
106. ?? Dragonfly
107. ?? Gull
108. ?? Small Blue Butterfly