SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

3/15/25 →

A Northern Harrier from yesterday’s visit to the refuge #NorthernHarrier #Birds #BirdWatching #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm A Northern Harrier, mostly brown with a white bar on its back below the wings, is flying over a body of water with wings outstretched while looking down. In the foreground, there are bare branches, and the background features a distant shoreline with trees under a cloudy sky.

3/14/25 →

What luck at the refuge today! Among many others, we were treated to Northern Flickers, an Egret feasting on a crawdad, a really tame(😬) coyote, and a gorgeous Pheasant #NorthernFlicker #Egret #Coyote #CommonPheasant #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoCA woodpecker perched on a bare branch with a blurred landscape of hills and fields in the background.

A white egret is standing in a grassy, marshy area with a small crawfish in its beak. The background is blurred with various shades of green and brown from plants and grasses.

A coyote trotting across a grassy levee with a cloudy sky and sparse vegetation in the background.

A male pheasant with vibrant plumage, featuring a red face, green neck, and mottled brown body, is standing in a grassy area with greenery and twigs in the background.

12/25/24 →

Today: Downy Woodpecker skillfully foraging at the Pine Creek Unit of the refuge #DownyWoodpecker #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC A Downy woodpecker is perched upside down on a branch of a tree with sparse leaves.

12/23/24 →

Last Sunday, we witnessed a Western Meadowlark in a meadow! 😲🫣 #WesternMeadowLark #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC A Western Meadow Lark stands in a field of tall, dewy grass. The bird has a distinctive yellow chest and mottled brown plumage, blending into the surroundings. Drops of water are visible on the grass. They’re looking toward the camera.

12/22/24 →

Poor Great Horned Owls have no privacy in the winter #GreatHornedOwls #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC Two great horned owls sitting on a sturdy branch with lots obscuring bare tree limbs. They’re looking toward the camera.

12/21/24 →

A soggy juvenile Bald Eagle at the Refuge today! #BaldEagle #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm A juvenile Bald Eagle is perched on a bare tree branch against an overcast sky. It’s looking toward the camera. Its body feathers are mottled brown and white but it has a white head.

12/19/24 →

Last Sunday: an American Kestrel. Just look at that face! 🤩 #AmericanKestrel #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC An American Kestrel, with narrow black eyeshadow, perched on the bare branches of a tree against a clear blue sky.

12/16/24 →

Stereotypical Black-necked Stilts at the refuge yesterday #BlackNeckedStilts #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC #MondayIsForTheBirds A group of black-necked stilts standing in shallow water with tall grass in the background. The birds have long, thin legs and are reflected in the water.

12/15/24 →

The Snow Geese cannot be missed right now at the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. Also not to be missed: widebodies on approach to SFO. In this case, a KLM 787-10 #SnowGeese #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #SOoC #Aviation #SFOA large flock of Snow Geese flying in the sky with some foliage blurred in the foreground. A distant KLM 787-10 flying across a clear blue sky, leaving a contrail behind.

12/11/24 →

Marsh Wren! #WrensDay #MarshWren #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Fujifilm #SOoC 🪶 A Marsh Wren is perched on a tall green reed, singing with its beak open. The background is a blurred natural setting with trees.

11/17/24 →

More big birds from yesterday: a White Egret, a Red Tailed Hawk, and an Air India 777-2 VT-AEG flying SFO-DEL at 30,000 ft #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #WhiteEgret #RedTailedHawk #B77L #AI174 #AvGeek #Aviation #Fujifilm A white egret stands by a body of water in a marshy landscape with tall grasses. The background features distant trees and a clear sky. A red tailed hawk flying in the sky with wings spread wide. The bird’s plumage is a mix of light and dark brown patterns. A photo from below 777-200 LR Air India flight 174 from SFO to Delhi at flight level 30,000 ft. The plane has a red belly flying in a hazy blue sky.

11/16/24 →

Today’s best birds at the Sacramento Wildlife Refuge includes a Bald Eagle, a Belted Kingfisher (!!!!!!), a well hidden Meadow Lark, and a Black Phoebe #BaldEagle #BeltedKingfisher #MeadowLark #BlackPhoebe #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm 🪶 A large Bald Eagle soaring in the sky.

A King Fisher perched on a bare tree branch against a blue sky, with some foliage visible below.

A Meadow Lark is hanging out among dry grass reeds near the edge of a pond.

A Black Phoebe is perched on dry, tall grass in a field.

10/13/24 →

Today we made a quick visit to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge. There’s no missing the White Fronted Geese now and there’s still plenty of dragonflies but there’s no significant population of migratory songbirds yet #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #Dragonfly #Fujifilm #SOoC A dragonfly with transparent wings featuring dark patterns rests on a vertical reed, set against a background of dry, intertwined reeds. A large flock of White Fronted geese rests im a wetland area surrounded by water and tall grasses. The landscape includes trees and distant rice hulling silos under a clear blue sky.

9/30/24 →

Inspector Woodpecker was quite enthusiastic about this eucalyptus #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #NorthernFlicker #Fujifilm #SooCA black and white woodpecker is perched on the trunk of a eucalyptus tree, surrounded by green foliage.

9/28/24 →

At the refuge, the only newcomers are white crowns and white fronted geese. But I only photographed a Black Phoebe that just pooped and a rather brave squirrel. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #BirdWatching #BlackPhoebe #Squirrel 🪶A small, Black Phoebe is perched on a barren, leafless branch against a clear blue sky. The branch extends across the photo and ends at the center where the bird is. A falling drop of bright white bird poop is barely visible below the bird. A ground squirrel standing on its hind legs next to a fallen Willow tree with branches, in a dry grassy environment.

8/11/24 →

Saw a bad-ass Tarantula-hawk Wasp at the refuge. I haven’t seen tarantulas around these parts, though. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Pepsis #TarantulaHawkWasp A black bodied and orange-winged Tarantula-hawk wasp with long orange antennae walking on a rocky dirt surface.

8/11/24 →

Rabbits all day at the refuge this pleasant summer morning #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Rabbits A wildlife scene featuring a jackrabbit with large ears sitting on a trail, framed between two hiking trail signs. There’s lots of tall, dry grass and on the horizon, a clump of trees.

7/7/24 →

Rabbit at the refuge yesterday. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Rabbit A small rabbit sits in the shade on a sunlit dirt path, surrounded by dry vegetation and a smidge of greenery in the background.

7/6/24 →

Today, before the heat got too extreme, we visited a nearby wildlife refuge. Here’s a Heron, King Bird, American Kestrel, and a Steel-Blue Cricket Hunter (a wasp!). #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Heron #AmericanKestrel #KingBird #SteelBlueCricketHunter A heron with outstretched wings flying against a clear blue sky.

A King Bird, gazing to the left, with yellow and brown feathers perched on a tree branch surrounded by green Willow leaves.

An American Kestrel is perched on a Eucalyptus tree branch, surrounded by green leaves against a clear blue sky.

A metallic blue wasp is navigating through dry scattered leaves and twigs.

6/27/24 →

How about some American White Pelicans doing some formation flying last weekend. They were real far so was glad to be present enough to enjoy their presence. Always surprised to find them in deep in California #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #AmericanWhitePelicans Four American pelicans, all white except black wingtips, flying over a grassy field with mountains in the background.

6/23/24 →

Here’s that Northern Harrier, a bit distant & blurred in the center of this photo, that I mentioned Friday. Was lovely to see it on the hunt, swooping low to find prey. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #NorthernHarrier 🪶 On a sunny day, in the distance, a Northern Harrier is gliding through a grassy field with tall, dry grass. It looks similar to a Hawk but its head is conspicuously dark compared to the rest of its body. Its chest and underwings are a bright tan with dark speckles. The background includes dense green trees with no view of the sky. The photo is slightly motion blurred.

6/21/24 →

We saw a Double Crested Cormorant at the wildlife refuge today. Not shown here, but there was also a Northern Harrier patrolling the seasonally drained artificial marshes with long, low and slow swoops. Really cool. #DoubleCrestedCormorant #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge A cormorant swimming in murky water, partially submerged with its head and neck above the surface. Its tail is fanned out on the water surface.

5/26/24 →

The Capay Unit refuge was bustling today. Here’s a Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar and a Black headed Grosbeak. Also saw Orioles, Black Phoebes, possibly an inflight juvenile Bald Eagle, Osprey, Ash Throated Flycatcher, Lesser Gold Finches & Red Tailed Hawks #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge Image of a black caterpillar with orange spots and spikes, crawling on the ground covered with dried leaves and small branches.

A serene riverside scene with greenery and a dry tree in the foreground. A large beaked bird with black with white spots and yellow breast feathers perches on a branch of the tree. In the background, three people are sitting on the opposite riverbank. The river flows calmly between the bird and people.

5/26/24 →

Western Wood-Pewee! A first for us. Spotted at the Pine Creek Unit of the #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #WesternWoodPeWee #Fujifilm

Auto-generated description: A small bird is perched on a bare tree branch against a clear blue sky.

5/16/24 →

 From last weekend at the refuge: a Bullock's Oriole in a Willow tree. #BullocksOriole #Birds #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm

A yellow and black bird perched on a branch amidst green leaves in a tree, with a clear blue sky in the background.

5/13/24 →

NO Pedestrians Beyond This Point: Black Phoebe enforced #Birds #Fujifilm #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge

A Black Phoebe is perched at the top right corner of a road sign is posted among greenery indicating NO PEDESTRIANS BEYOND THIS POINT, with a natural, lush background. A dirt road peaks into view.

5/12/24 →

At the refuge yesterday, pretty certain I saw and photographed a Western Kingbird vomit up a stone or something‽ #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm #Birds #WesternKingBird A yellow breasted bird perched on a branch against a clear blue sky, with bare branches and another bird in the background. A small black object is flying through the air and the bird’s beak is open

3/9/24 →

We were barely tolerated by a pair of nesting Osprey at the refuge today. 😬#Osprey #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Fujifilm An osprey landing on its large nest built atop a wooden pole. Another osprey peaks over the rim of the nest.

3/4/24 →

A Glossy Ibis at the refuge yesterday #GlossyIbis #Birds #BirdPhotography #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge A glossy ibis in flight against a clear blue sky. It has metallic blue wings and a slight metallic red color. Its bill is long, slender, and curved. Its legs are pointed straight back.

2/26/24 →

We think this is a Loggerhead Shrike, though could also easily be a Northern Shrike. Either way, what a sharp looking bird. This is the second time we spotted them atop the same tree. #SacramentoWildlifeRefuge #Birds #Shrike #Fujifilm 🪶 A gray and black bird perched on a bare branch against a clear blue sky. The bird’s wing has a strikingly thick black leading edge.