We are heading down the slide!! Nighttime temps are in the 50's, with days around 70 something. Least that's what the weather guessers are saying. It was hot enough yesterday that I completely forgot everything I was SUPPOSED to do.
I finally got up enough oomph to do some laundry ... oh the fun ... and you will be SO surprised ... I actually cleaned and dusted some things that I don't think have been touched in a year. Luckily it's not that dusty around here. I opened a few more boxes to find some treasures I hadn't seen before. I'll show you those after the final tour tomorrow.
These guys show up in big numbers around December. At any one time you'll see 60,000 geese and 15,000 sandhills. It's a sight to behold. It's like Hitchcock's THE BIRDS. The birds are coming!!
Here's the early arrivals ... mostly geese and blackbirds at this point, along with hundreds of sparrows, starlings and finch. If you visit in December, don't bother to wash your car. A hawk flying overhead will cause several thousand geese to lift off all at once and fly around in a big circle right overhead, before landing en masse. It's amazing to see. Bring your car wash coupons.
Lots of snowy egrets accompany the geese. They haven't flooded the place yet, just runoff water at this point. You can imagine that so many poop-a-lots do make for a tad bit stinky air. It will be better when the water is higher.
One of my favorites ... the American Coot. They are probably the least shy of all the birds. Soon there will be mallards, blue-winged teal, cinnamon teal ... a large array of ducks to view. And don't forget the frogs ... you'll hear them for miles.
Although a little too far away for this camera lens (I'll take my big one next time), sandhill cranes are already here. All the birds are quite cautious, so binoculars are good for closeup viewing.
It's also late in the day, just before the sun sets. The white stuff is cotton, planted throughout the area for nesting material, along with every kind of weed and seed birds eat. They went all out to serve everyone what they love.
This picture is from the internet. Imagine 15-20,000 of these guys in one field. They do tend to hang together and talk like you wouldn't believe. The Sandhills will stay in the dry fields on one side, while the geese head straight for the water. The noise is crazy loud.
It's really quite beautiful ... and definitely peaceful ... as you look across the refuge. The road that winds through the area on top of the levies is about 5 miles long.
You wouldn't think sunsets would be very spectacular out in a field, but fill it with birds and it's amazing. This was a picture from 2019 I think.
On the far side you'll find a field planted with corn. This is also for the birds. Next door are the two rather large pastures where the cranes and herons hang out. Dinner is served!! Don't forget the owls and hawks. They come for the birds.
Not many people go to the game refuge for entertainment ... Yosemite is a good option I suppose. But just once, you might want to look up the one nearest to you and check it out at the end of the day. It can be almost as beautiful as the rocks and waterfalls, and you'll see a lot more critters.
Wait .... there's more!! During this time of year there are cattle feeding off the two largest pastures.
You KNOW I wouldn't leave without some COW pictures, but I'll wait to show you tomorrow. There's nothing like a curious calf!!
Speckled-belly geese! We don't have any of those around our parts. We do see and hear the cranes as they move through. It's amazing how far away you can hear their calls.
ReplyDeleteAnd how far they travel!! I knew you would know what most of the birds were. I'll try to get some duck pics too.
DeleteEven in the Florida area the birds are not as densely congregated, but you can always tell the Sandhill Cranes from the others.
ReplyDeleteBe Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
Tall and noisy those Sandhills are.
DeleteThose sandhills make a lot of noise. I could even hear them traveling at night on my recent trip. The geese too.
ReplyDeleteBobseyes
They do make quite the racket. Makes you look up ever time.
DeleteSome of those birds we see in ponds, gardens, even in our commons area yards at the condo...but not in those huge numbers. And get a good rain, like a couple of inches in a short time period, and the frogs come out of the ground behind our condo and the noise is deafening.
ReplyDeleteWe used to hear frogs at the ranch all the time, especially when we irrigated. Now you rarely ever hear one except at the refuge. I love to see them, but don't like walking where they have walked! LOL
DeleteBeautiful pictures !
ReplyDelete5770 west Landram.
Barns gone all in homes.
Original house still there it sits close to the road.
Well that's a surprise. That was my running route for years. I bet I've passed it a couple hundred times. So sad that subdivisions have taken over everywhere.
DeleteThere's a big sandhill refuge in TX, near, of all places, a town called Muleshoe. In the fall, they reminded me of WWII movies with the flights of B 52's coming in....all in formation, flight group after flight group. And yes, it is hoped you are upwind of the refuge.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing how they fly in formation ... even landing in formation.
DeleteOh that was me again. Now it says I'm commenting as Judith K. We'll see if that happens. Glad you have such a good place to look at birds reasonably near you!
ReplyDeleteI've never been that interested in birds ... eagles and owls, yes ... but not birds in general. These guys are amazing when you seem them in big numbers.
DeleteYour pictures are lovely. Nancy. You know i love the birds but i don't see them in masses other than when our noisy Canadian geese are flying in and out of the pond.
ReplyDeleteThank you Patsy! I have to admit, those Canadian geese can sure make a racket!
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