Tuesday, November 5, 2013

The weather forecast for the upper Sacramento Valley is for high winds 30 to 45 MPH with some clouds! Just what we have been waiting for to photograph the first of the northern birds in large numbers this year. We are having breakfast at Tommy's Market Street grill in Colusa this early Sunday morning in November and I can't wait to see the conditions at the refuge. Wind, dust,few people and millions of waterfowl, restless and moving around. Just what wildlife photographers need.
First the Snow Geese. Noisy and restless. There is only 3 or 4 large groups we can find. Lots more to come later. A scattering of Ross Geese mixed into the Snows. You can tell the Ross because they do not have the "Grinning Patch" the Snow's have. We shoot a few shots of the geese and then move on to young Red Tailed hawk sitting on the ground. He looks at us like he has never seen a person before. Maybe?
The best part of this day is the ponds on the last part of the auto tour. Lots of trees around these ponds and for some reason the birds feel safer here. We park 50 feet away from a packed house.
I single out a few Mallards. Pictures of a few Mallards taking off or landing are very commercial and hard to get. We keep trying.
It's been a good day. Time to get home and watch some football. When we get some rain we will get some more birds and we will be back. I wonder what time Tommy's opens?