SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

4/18/26 →

And now for something completely different: a Robin hunting along the edge of a man-made marsh #AmericanRobin #TurdusMigratorius #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA Robin, with a nice red belly and chest, looks out over the edge of a watery marsh. There are spears of green popping up here and there and a lot of brown vegetative material and soil. The bird looks very patient but also poised to launch after a meal.

4/5/26 →

#SilentSunday #Rabbit #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

A rabbit sits across a road with crosswalk stripes, facing left. Its shadow is long on a sunny day. It is surrounded by compacted tan dirt of a levee and just beyond the levee is dense vegetation. There’s a sign post to the rabbit’s right with an arrow facing right.

4/5/26 →

At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge yesterday, a beautiful and lonnnnng gopher snake was sunning on the trail #GopherSnake #Snake #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #FujifilmA three or four foot long gopher snake, mostly stretched out, along a barren sun-scorched path. It is mostly dark brown with even darker brown patches, though its pattern is hard to see here. The sun is glinting off its back along its farthest curves.

2/14/26 →

Yesterday, at the refuge, a Bald Eagle was soaring in a thermal. I’m going to miss the winter sunlight illuminating everything from the side!

#BaldEagle #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

A Bald Eagle, against a clear blue sky, soars overhead, with the camera looking straight up at the bird. Its dark brown wings are outstretched, its feet are tucked against its white tail feathers, and its sun brightened right eye is just visible. Its beak is slightly open, showing off a tongue.

2/4/26 →

“I ONLY HAVE ONE LEG, COME AT ME!” - Western Meadowlark #WesternMeadowLark

#Birds #BirdPhotography #LlanoSeco #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

A meadow lark is perched upon a swing gate, with only one leg, and its back to the camera. Its head is turned to the left, beak open, as if it is singing. A patch of orange can be seen on its throat and behind its beak. The rest of the bird is mottled brown and white. The background is blurred out but there's a strip of green among the brown.

1/25/26 →

At the refuge yesterday, we spotted a Bald Eagle nest and suddenly both eagles swooped down and flew low along a pond, disturbing a whole lot of Snow Geese

#BaldEagle #SnowGoose #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA Bald Eagle Nest is visible high up in a eucalytpus tree. It's massive, maybe the size of a VW bug. A bald eagle is exiting the nest, with its wings stretched out.A bald eagle soars along a pond, showing off its prominent white head and tail, with some grassy islands and snow geese floating away a short distance along a shore.A whole bunch of snow geese, maybe several dozen, are flying upwards after being disturbed by a couple of bald eagles. They were resting on land where there's some green vegetation but beyond it's all brown along with the trees. The black tips of the snow geese are prominent. There's some other geese mixed in of unknown species.

1/24/26 →

A moment of calm.

Lesser Goldfinch at the refuge today #LesserGoldFinch #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

A yellow bodied and gray winged lesser gold finch, in sunlit profile view, facing to the right. It is on a bunch of long stemmed, brown, hive-shaped dried seed heads. The backgroud is completely blurred out.

1/11/26 →

#SilentSunday #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

Dozens of blackbirds are evenly perched in four leafless, dormant trees against a hazy blue sky. Some of the birds may be starlings as they more brown than black,

1/9/26 →

December 27, 2025: this American Bushtit was perched for an unusually long time, perhaps soaking in the sun’s morning energy like humans do coffee or tea

#AmericanBushtit #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoCAn American Bushtit sits perched on a narrow branch. It is looking with beady black eyes slightly up and to the right, fully illuminated by the sun. Its face has brown and the rest of its orb-like body is a light tan. Its tail feathers stick out straight behind it.

1/5/26 →

Today most people will be back at my work. So to celebrate the return of needless office distractions, enjoy a Song Sparrow, if you can find it #SongSparrow #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA brown and tan Song Sparrow, borb shaped, is hanging out on a horizontal reed within a mass vertical brown and green reeds. It is looking towards the camera, helping to illuminate the tan behind its eyes.

1/1/26 →

After all that happened in 2025, I’m side-eyeing 2026 like this Towhee side-eyed the space above #HappyNewYear

#CaliforniaTowhee #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #CropToZoom

A sun-illuminated brown California Towhee is in a grassy area, taking up the center third of the photo, with its head cocked and eye pointing up to the sky, as if something caught its eye and it needed a better look.

11/28/25 →

A raven. #Raven #BirdPhotography #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA photo of a raven from the front, as its perched on the tip of a bare branch. Its stark black feathers stand out agaist a blue sky. Its beak is slightly open, almost as if it's saying something. There's a glint in its left eye.

11/23/25 →

#SilentSunday #SacramentoWildlifeRefugeA lone cottonwood, in yellow fall colors, stands in a calm pond, perfectly mirroring the tree's trunk and lower branches. It is a foggy day and much of the pond grass is brown. A line of trees bounders the pond and the foggy sky.

11/23/25 →

A Cooper’s Hawk appears to acknowledge my presence in its hunting grounds
#CoopersHawk #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #CropToZoom #Fujfifilm #SOoC

A Coopers Hawk, atop a leafless tree branch under overcast skies, appears to look right at the camera. The hawk has a brown back with a fluffy white chest adorned with brown raindrop shapes.

11/22/25 →

Snow Geese have swarmed the Sacramento Valley. Some of the darker geese in the second photo are White-fronted or Canadian #SnowGeese #Geese #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

Six Snow Geese with their white bodies and black wing tips soar above in clear blue skies. The sun highlights their right breast, neck, and head.Far off in the distance, dozens of geese, Snow Geese and White Fronteds (maybe some canadian), take up the photo frame as they fly in a foggy sky.

6/30/25 →

A California Towhee taking the bridge to a singing perch #CaliforniaTowhee #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifilm #SOoC

6/15/25 →

#SilentSunday A silhouette of a small sitting ground squirrel on the left margin of a brightly lit dirt path surrounded by tall grass and shrubs. A second, smaller squirrel watches the first from the path’s right edge. The background features blurred trees and rooftops.

#GroundSquirrel #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

5/7/25 →

A foraging Bewick’s Wren A small Wren, poking its beak about a piece of dead wood, is well camouflaged among dense tree branches. #Wrensday #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

4/16/25 →

You got this  #WrensDay #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #BirdPhotography #Fujifim #SOoC

A small Bewick's Wren is perched on a winter naked Willow branch. This Wren, for once, isn't singing but is squat against the branch, looking out. It has a really long narrow and dark tail and white stripes on its head. Its body is mostly gray.

4/9/25 →

Bushtit! A small gray-brown Bushtit is on a tree branch surrounded by green leaves and twigs. It has a rather active pose, like it’s in the process of turning around.#Bushtit #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/8/25 →

Towhees are all the rage right now, so here’s one busy looking for food at the Refuge’s parking area A small brown California Towhee with a dark brown head, reddish brown body, and pinkish legs stands on a parking lot with cracks filled by dry grass, looking down as it searches for food. It is a profile view and only its back is illuminated by the sun.#CaliforniaTowhee #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/7/25 →

Loggerhead shrike from the Refuge the other weekend #LoggerheadShrike #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

A small Loggerhead shrike, mostly gray with black eyeshadow, is perched on a bare tree branch against a backdrop of a clear blue sky and blurred Willow foliage.

4/3/25 →

I was feeling left out, so please enjoy the Black-Necked Stilts in lieu of penguins. #BlackNeckedStilts #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCTwo black-necked stilts, one near the photo’s left edge and another near the right edge, with long pink legs stand near a marshy water area. The background consists of water and patches of vegetation.

4/2/25 →

I finally have a #Wrensday post, thanks to this constantly singing Bewick’s WrenA small bird with a brownish body and patterned tail perches on a nearly vertical slender, bare tree branch against a clear blue sky. #BewicksWren #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

4/1/25 →

Another photo from the Refuge this last SaturdayA flock of birds flying in a clear sky, featuring white egrets (2 total) and dark white-faced ibises (12 total) with long, curved beaks. #GreatEgret #WhiteFacedIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

3/31/25 →

A photo directly below and looking up at a perched and sunning Turkey Vulture. Its wings are open and its red bare skin head is clearly visible above its wings. It has some weird downy feathers surrounding its beak. #TurkeyVulture #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

3/30/25 →

American Bushtit at the refuge yesterday. What an acrobatic fuzzball! An American Bushtit, with a light orange head and gray fuzz-ball of a body, is upside down, hanging on a young Willow tree branch full of golden catkins against a clear blue sky. #AmericanBushtit #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC

3/29/25 →

Western Fence lizard basking in the sun at the Refuge today #WesternFenceLizard #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA fairly girth-y Western Fence lizard on Willow tree bark, nearly camouflaged with its surroundings.

3/17/25 →

Last Friday, this coyote had plenty of rabbits and birds to consider but instead wanted to check us out. Hope everyone can find the good in this week! #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Coyote #Fujifilm #SOoC A coyote walking along a gravel road in a rural area with a “Soft Shoulder” sign visible. The background features vegetation and an overcast sky.

3/16/25 →

Whoops #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #GreatBlueHeron #Birds A great blue heron in flight, captured from the back, with its wings spread wide. It’s blurry because the photographer wasn’t ready. The background is a grassy field under a partly cloudy sky.