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A Winter visit to The Grasslands Refuges & Panoche Valley
Feb 15-17th, 2010: we hooked up with a few other nature nut friends for a wild and
wonderful tour of the San Luis Grasslands Wildlife refuges and the Panoche Valley.
We began with an auto tour of Merced NWR. Made a couple of quick stops along Bert
Crane Rd. en route.
Middle of the day light was tough but while we were
watching a Golden Eagle catching a thermal,
a Red-tailed Hawk flew quickly at the eagle who
then turned and dove hard at it, talons extended...
Golden Eagle's are not easily intimidated!
watching a Golden Eagle catching a thermal,
a Red-tailed Hawk flew quickly at the eagle who
then turned and dove hard at it, talons extended...
Golden Eagle's are not easily intimidated!
We met up with our friends
at the Merced NWR
mid-afternoon and while
photo opportunites were on
the slim side during this visit,
a few golden moments
always shine through there.
An American Pipit poses >>
Waste not want not or
eeeeooowwgh....gnarly.....
A Herring Gull samples the
scant remains of a
Ruddy Duck (below right)
at the Merced NWR
mid-afternoon and while
photo opportunites were on
the slim side during this visit,
a few golden moments
always shine through there.
An American Pipit poses >>
Waste not want not or
eeeeooowwgh....gnarly.....
A Herring Gull samples the
scant remains of a
Ruddy Duck (below right)
The primordial sights & sounds of Sandhill Cranes are nearly continuous at the Merced Refuge
A local naturalist told us that the daily census is often over 10,000 cranes in winter!
Can you pick out the juvenile or 1st winter bird below? It's the one in the middle at right.
A local naturalist told us that the daily census is often over 10,000 cranes in winter!
Can you pick out the juvenile or 1st winter bird below? It's the one in the middle at right.
Local and common winter
birds and lots of them!
Above: warm
temperatures inspired
Loggerhead Shrikes giving
us opportunities to better
learn their vocalizations
Ubiquitous are
Song Sparrows,
Red-wings and Red-tails
We began our excursion
on Tuesday to Los Banos
NWR. It wasn't quiet but
most of the viewing was
back lit.
birds and lots of them!
Above: warm
temperatures inspired
Loggerhead Shrikes giving
us opportunities to better
learn their vocalizations
Ubiquitous are
Song Sparrows,
Red-wings and Red-tails
We began our excursion
on Tuesday to Los Banos
NWR. It wasn't quiet but
most of the viewing was
back lit.
One of the coolest things we saw this morning
was an American Beaver swimming and
tail-slapping in the main canal. In a tree at the
entrance to Los Banos NWR YB Magpies
were building a new nest while a Great-horned
Owl was incubating 20 feet away in an old nest
was an American Beaver swimming and
tail-slapping in the main canal. In a tree at the
entrance to Los Banos NWR YB Magpies
were building a new nest while a Great-horned
Owl was incubating 20 feet away in an old nest
Back over to Merced NWR
hoping some of the tens of
thousands of Snow Geese
we've been seeing out in
the ag fields would be
resting in the marsh -
Nope... but there are
always wild things going on
there.. Grackles braying,
Harriers a-hunting, Virginia
Rails a-calling, Shovelers,
a-shovelling..Tules, reflecting
hoping some of the tens of
thousands of Snow Geese
we've been seeing out in
the ag fields would be
resting in the marsh -
Nope... but there are
always wild things going on
there.. Grackles braying,
Harriers a-hunting, Virginia
Rails a-calling, Shovelers,
a-shovelling..Tules, reflecting
As green as we've ever seen
With our fearless leader Bob
pointing the way, our gang
of five meandered to the
Panoche Hills and Valley this
afternoon - the green from
all of the wonderful El Nino
rain was just STUNNING!
Especially when contrasting
with the blue, blue of the
HUGE flocks of MO-Blue
birds wintering here
With our fearless leader Bob
pointing the way, our gang
of five meandered to the
Panoche Hills and Valley this
afternoon - the green from
all of the wonderful El Nino
rain was just STUNNING!
Especially when contrasting
with the blue, blue of the
HUGE flocks of MO-Blue
birds wintering here
Along with the great flocks
of Meadow and Horned
Larks, Savannah Sparrows
and House Finch there
were a few Lawrence's
Goldfinch working the
roadside in the valley.
Bob pointed out that Larry
Goldfinch's love this highly
poisonous (to mammals)
and lovely to see plant:
<< Fiddleneck
Amsinckia menziesii,
a dicot in the Boraginaceae
family
of Meadow and Horned
Larks, Savannah Sparrows
and House Finch there
were a few Lawrence's
Goldfinch working the
roadside in the valley.
Bob pointed out that Larry
Goldfinch's love this highly
poisonous (to mammals)
and lovely to see plant:
<< Fiddleneck
Amsinckia menziesii,
a dicot in the Boraginaceae
family
Our friends who had been in the area a day or four longer than we moved on west then north from
that point to other green pastures so we bid them a fare-thee-well. Noreen and I had another day
so we returned to Panoche next morning for more exploring. The hills were aglow in morning light
that point to other green pastures so we bid them a fare-thee-well. Noreen and I had another day
so we returned to Panoche next morning for more exploring. The hills were aglow in morning light
A short drive up a BLM
road into the Panoche Hills
brought us a fun surprise -
A Sage Thrasher!
road into the Panoche Hills
brought us a fun surprise -
A Sage Thrasher!
We then wandered over to the area
in the valley where we had seen
about 15 Mountain Plovers yesterday
but the only plovers we came up with
was a large group of Killdeer today.
However something we didn't focus
on yesterday were huge mixed flocks
of Horned Lark, Savannah Sparrows
and American Pipits working the
Red-Stem Filaree (Erodium) in the
pastures. Couldn't make out exactly
what they were eating but the scene
was just gorgeous!
in the valley where we had seen
about 15 Mountain Plovers yesterday
but the only plovers we came up with
was a large group of Killdeer today.
However something we didn't focus
on yesterday were huge mixed flocks
of Horned Lark, Savannah Sparrows
and American Pipits working the
Red-Stem Filaree (Erodium) in the
pastures. Couldn't make out exactly
what they were eating but the scene
was just gorgeous!
Along with the abundant
Beechey Ground Squirrels>
we spied a few San
Joaquin Antelope Squirrels
Just as we turned for home
there was one more wild
moment to experience. I
was just yelling at a ground
squirrel to look out for
Ferruginous when not 100
feet away there was an
adult Ferrug grappling a
squirrel on the road in front
of us. Before we could get
our cameras out the
window the hawk put a
couple of hundred yards
between us and proceeded
to gorge on its capture.
Almost immediately
Common Ravens formed an
audience - at one point I
counted 13 Ravens holding
court - but the Ferrug just
ignored them and they kept
their distance. A Red-tail
might have been intimidated
enough to lose the meal but
the big iron hawk was
completely nonplussed.
It took over five minutes to
devour the squirrel and
after a minute of rest flew
low and slow away with a
crop the size of an apple!
Eventually it flapped up
catching a thermal being
pursued by a single
frustrated raven, last seen
circling slowly high in the
sky as we headed for home.
Beechey Ground Squirrels>
we spied a few San
Joaquin Antelope Squirrels
Just as we turned for home
there was one more wild
moment to experience. I
was just yelling at a ground
squirrel to look out for
Ferruginous when not 100
feet away there was an
adult Ferrug grappling a
squirrel on the road in front
of us. Before we could get
our cameras out the
window the hawk put a
couple of hundred yards
between us and proceeded
to gorge on its capture.
Almost immediately
Common Ravens formed an
audience - at one point I
counted 13 Ravens holding
court - but the Ferrug just
ignored them and they kept
their distance. A Red-tail
might have been intimidated
enough to lose the meal but
the big iron hawk was
completely nonplussed.
It took over five minutes to
devour the squirrel and
after a minute of rest flew
low and slow away with a
crop the size of an apple!
Eventually it flapped up
catching a thermal being
pursued by a single
frustrated raven, last seen
circling slowly high in the
sky as we headed for home.
| Hope you enjoyed this Nature Trip photojournal Until we meet again, Happy Trails!! |