For a wildlife viewing experience that’s over the moon, head to the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, an hour’s drive north of Sacramento (I-5) between Williams and Colusa off Abel Rd. There, thousands of migratory waterfowl overwinter.
In late autumn, you’re likely to see hundreds of waterfowl, including snow geese, Ross’ geese, greater white-fronted geese, Canada geese, northern pintail ducks, Eurasian wigeons, northern shovelers, falcated ducks and ring-necked ducks among their number. Numerous shorebirds take their place when the duck and geese depart.
One of the great dramas that can unfold is when a mass ascension occurs. That’s when thousands of birds take off suddenly in a loud flapping, squawking mass when alerted to the approach of predatory eagles and hawks.
Steve Arita was there yesterday and captured these images. Consider arriving soon after dawn to photograph the birds as they wing into the pond at the observation deck at the entrance to the circular auto tour.
Greater White-fronted Geese, Colusa NWR (11/26/21) Steve Arita
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2021-11-27 14:57:362022-11-13 09:10:37Fly Me To The Moon
Hooded Merganser, Arroyo Simi, Simi Valley (11/7/21) Kathy Jonokuchi
Ventura County is just ducky, right now. Its waterways are filled with migrant ducks, that have returned to overwinter in Southern California.
SoCal color spotter Kathy Jonokuchi describes Arroyo Simi, in the Simi Valley, as a wash that runs through the suburbs. Presently, it is a birding hotspot, attracting Hooded Mergansers, Lophodytes cucullatus and American Wigeons, Mareca americana.
Hooded Merganser, Arroyo Simi, Simi Valley (11/7/21) Kathy Jonokuchi
The mergansers favor secluded, sheltered or overgrown locations. They often opt for shady areas, so Kathy’s shots of them cruising in the sunlight across dappled waters are special. Male mergansers sport spectacular plumage which contrasts beautifully with irregular fall sunlight and makes the boys attractive to the girls who wear more demure and dusky dress, reports Lone Pine’s field guide, Birds of Northern California. “Mergansers are shallow divers, unlike dabbling ducks such as the mallard or wigeon,” Kathy writes.
American Wigeon, Arroyo Simi, Simi Valley (11/7/21) Kathy Jonokuchi
The male American wigeons have an irridescent green smear that runs from their eye arcing across their heads, with a cinnamon breast and black and white feathers. Their ladies have greyish heads and brown bodies.
Now, you’ve got us inspired, Kathy. We’re off to Colusa on our annual trek to enjoy the beauty of California’s migratory waterfowl. Now, isn’t that just ducky?
Wildlife viewing, Aroyo Simi, Simi Valley – Peak (75 – 100%), GO NOW!
King salmon, Nimbus Fish Hatchery, Rancho Cordova (11/7/21) John Poimiroo
Nimbus Fish Hatchery, Rancho Cordova (11/7/21) John Poimiroo
Nimbus Fish Hatchery, Rancho Cordova (11/7/21) John Poimiroo
Spawning king salmon, Nimbus Fish Hatchery (11/7/21) John Poimiroo
King salmon were jumping for joy at the new Nimbus Fish Hatchery fish ladder today, and the public was loving it.
A new fish ladder is the reason. It is longer and less abrupt an ascent than the former fish ladder. To keep the hatchery from becoming overwhelmed with salmon, a gate at the entrance to the ladder at the American River near Nimbus Dam is shut causing the salmon to wait impatiently for their run up the ladder and into the hatchery.
With the new viewing area being near where the ladder meets the river, visitors are able to to see just how massive and athletic the salmon are, up close. Spawning salmon will jump nearly five feet into the air at the closed gate out of their ardor to climb the rapid.
Nearby in Folsom, foliage along the Humbug-Willow Creek Bike Trail was peaking and Fremont cottonwood at Mormon Island Wetlands Preserve were Patchy, though approaching Near Peak.
Humbug-Willow Creek Trail (11/7/21) John Poimiroo
Mormon Island Wetlands (11/7/21) John Poimiroo
Nimbus Fish Hatchery, Rancho Cordova – Peak (75 – 100%), GO NOW!
Humbug-Willow Creek Bike Trail, Folsom – Peak (75 – 100%), GO NOW!
Mormon Island Wetlands Preserve, Folsom – Peak (75 – 100%), GO NOW!
American River Parkway – Peak to Past Peak, GO NOW, You Almost Missed It.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2021-11-07 16:58:512021-11-10 17:48:18Jumping for Joy
California Gray Squirrel, Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Normally, photographs a week old aren’t published on CaliforniaFallColor.com. That’s done purposefully so that our readers see what colors are appearing now. However, when Gary Skipper sent these shots of autumn’s critters taken a week ago, I recognized they’re not about the fall color but about the critters, and that’s timeless.
Besides, there’s an autumn story to tell and it’s my birthday, so it’s my present to you … or more properly, Gary’s present.
Leading the birthday party is the California Gray Squirrel, Sciurus griseus. A trait of our native squirrels are that they are timid and will run up a tree at the slightest provocation and sound a hoarse chirping call. Also, they’re threatened by an invasive specie, the Eastern Fox Squirrel, Scurius niger. So, our California squirrel needs all the attention he can get, even if he is camera shy.
Lodgepole chipmunk, Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
California quail, Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
California Gray Squirrel, Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Joining the Western Gray Squirrel (its other name) is a Lodgepole chipmunk, Tamias speciosus, and standing at attention is a California quail, Callipepla californica.
Gary took the photographs at Jackson Lake near Wrightwood in Southern California. He said Vallyermo had good pockets of fall color when he visited, though admitted some of the subtleties may be missing, since he’s color blind.
The only word of advice we have is, “Gary, don’t adjust your white card. The colors are great!” And, because he did so well, despite not having the same ability others have at determining red or green, I’m gonna break that rule and post the rest of his shots, even though the Jackson Lake, Vallyermo and Wrightwood area is Past Peak.
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Black oak, Jackson Lake (10/31/21) Gary Skipper II
Jackson Lake, Wrightwood (6,000′) – Past Peak, You Missed It.
Goose down, rice fields, Central Valley (10/10/21) Robert Kermen
Black Ibis, Central Valley (10/10/21) Robert Kermen
On a recurring drive to Nevada, Robert Kermen witnessed what he calls the “black and white” of our natural world.
As he rode through the northern Central Valley, Bob observed that rice farmers, ” have mostly completed harvest and are in the process of ripping the rice stubble and flooding the fields to decompose rice straw. During this process, thousands of water fowl descend to feed on the loose rice left in the fields and to rest on their southern migration.”
This year, he said the first to arrive were Black Ibis and White Fronted Geese. “Thousands of them.” So many that “the edges of the flooded fields were covered with goose down blown in by the wind.”
Aspen and willow, Coldstream Valley, Truckee (10/10/21) Robert Kermen
Continuing across I-80, just outside of Truckee, Bob traveled through Coldstream Valley, a popular hiking and biking area with beautiful fall color near apartments and condominiums being built to house local workers and second home owners. Elsewhere along I-80- he found Patchy color at Rainbow Lodge and at Hirschdale Road near Truckee.
Rainbow Lodge, I-80 (10/9/21) Robert Kermen
Herschdale Rd., Truckee, I-80 (10/9/21) Robert Kermen
Northern Central Valley Wildlife Refuges – Near Peak, Go Now!
Coldstream Valley, Truckee – Peak (75 – 100%) GO NOW!
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2021-10-11 16:30:072021-10-12 06:35:58Nature's Black and White
American White Pelicans, Ventura Settling Ponds (9/20/21) Kathy Jonokuchi
The way they’ve turned their backs on the camera, these American White Pelicans seem to be telling onlookers like Southern California color spotter Kathy Jonokuchi to leave them alone.
After all, people, they’d like a little privacy. They just arrived at the Ventura Settling Ponds after a long flight and plan to procreate. As, the settling ponds are their winter breeding grounds.
This specie of pelican is “quite different from the Brown Pelican,” Kathy reports. “It’s one of the largest land birds in North America and they work cooperatively to herd fish into shallows and dunk their heads to catch their meal, unlike the brown pelican which sky dives for its dinner.”
This location is a good place to see migratory birds. Duck and waterfowl will be wintering over in the settling ponds and just outside its fence near the estuary, you can see brown pelicans doing their dives.
Ventura Settling Ponds (36′) – American White Pelican Breeding Season – Just Starting (0-10%)
Pronghorn Antelope, Sierra Valley (9/20/21) Michael Beatley
Pronghorn antelope are in rut in the Northern Sierra.
Plumas County color spotter Michael Beatley snapped this pronghorn off CA-70 east of Beckwourth near Sugarloaf Mountain where a herd of some 30 antelope play on the range at Sierra Valley, and the skies are not cloudy all day.
Karen Mihaylo of animals.mom.com writes, “Mating season for pronghorn antelopes lasts from September through October. Early cold weather means an early rut. Bucks separate from the other males in August, and begin hanging around the does. Male pronghorns grunt and snort, pushing and fighting other bucks to gain the females’ attention.”
It’s OK again to put out bird feeders, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife reports.
An outbreak of Salmonellosis appears to be subsiding in most parts of the state and it’s now relatively safe to resume feeding wild birds again, with the precaution to watch for sick or dead birds at feeders.
Should that be observed, pull down feeders for a few weeks longer. Regardless, bird feeders and bird baths should be thoroughly cleaned at least once a week; more often, if there is heavy use by birds. Additionally, disposable gloves should be worn and hands thoroughly washed after handling of bird feeders and bird baths, and when disposing of dead birds.
http://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.png00John Poimiroohttp://www.californiafallcolor.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/logo-1.pngJohn Poimiroo2021-05-17 00:01:002021-05-12 15:56:03Bird Feeding is Back
Monarch Butterfly, Lighthouse Field, Santa Cruz (1/16/06) John Poimiroo
Listing the Monarch butterfly as a threatened or endangered specie is warranted but precluded due to other priorities, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USF&WS) announced today.
The announcement follows reports of plummeting Monarch butterfly counts in California, the specie’s western wintering grounds. Once numbering over one million butterflies, the western population of Monarch butterflies dropped in the last year from over 27,000 to just 2,000 butterflies.
Monarch butterflies are one of numerous remarkable species that migrate to and through California in autumn. The Monarchs spend winter along the California coast from San Diego north to Marin County. Prime winter roosts have included Pismo Beach, Pacific Grove and Santa Cruz. Though, scenes like this are disappearing.
Monarch Butterflies, Santa Cruz (1/16/2006) John Poimiroo
A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service spokesman attributed private conservation efforts, supported by the USF&WS, state and local governments and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as resulting in “stunning and unprecedented” accomplishments in recent years, such as planting 500 million milkweed plants and improving 5.3 million acres of Monarch habitat.
Despite these accomplishments, at least in the west, Monarch butterflies are heading toward extinction.
Bay Nature reported Sarina Jepsen, Director of Endangered Species at the Xerces Society as saying that the decision to declare the Monarchs as warranted to be listed as threatened or endangered, “does not yet provide the protection that Monarchs, and especially the western population, so desperately need to recover.”
The butterfly population is declining because of a lack of available milkweed (the only food they eat), less overwintering habitat, insecticides (sometimes related to mosquito control efforts) and climate change, said Lori Nordstrom of the USF&WS.
In response, efforts to encourage planting milkweed and creating quality butterfly habitat, led by conservation groups and the USF&WS, are assisting private land owners, developers, farmers and ranchers and communities. Under the Conservation Reserve Program, “They do the work, we provide the seed,” explained USF&WS Regional Director Charley Wooley.
USF&WS officials admit that while other conservation efforts can be successfully led by federal and international agencies and NGOs, successes in preserving Monarchs have occurred mostly due to the efforts of private individuals and land owners who plant milkweed.
In concluding today, the USF&WS announced it will work until 2024 on a plan intended to propose listing the Monarch butterfly as threatened or endangered, if warranted. For now, the protection of western Monarch butterflies is in the public’s hands. Here’s a list of types of milkweed California Monarchs need to survive and where to find them. Caution: do not plant tropical (Mexican) milkweed, as it is harmful to the survival of Monarchs. Plant only varieties of milkweed native to California or they will not migrate.
HOLIDAY GIFT IDEA: Give native native milkweed seeds or seedballs as holiday gifts. Email bobby@milkweed.com or visit butterflyencounters.com to order the right type of California seeds Monarch butterflies need to survive.
Coho salmon, Lagunitas Creek (11/24/20) Marin Municipal Water District
The winter run of critically endangered Coho salmon is running late, the Turtle Island Restoration Network reports.
The largest run of coho salmon and steelhead trout to be seen occurs in Marin County along Lagunitas Creek, San Geronimo Creek, Olema Creek and several other tributaries. It continues through February with peak viewing now through January. Steelhead trout spawn later, ususally between January and March.
Some 300 to 700 of the salmon are expected to spawn this year, which is considered to be above average.
This winter’s run begins at Tomales Bay where the salmon enter freshwater streams. This year, however, the run is late as little rain has fallen. To see the salmon, visit the Leo T Cronin Salmon Viewing Area, operated by the Marin Municipal Water District in the town of Lagunitas.
Salmon can be seen spawning in the creek directly below the parking lot and at several locations upstream along fire road. For more information on seeing the coho salmon run, CLICK HERE.
Coho Salmon Run, Marin County – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW!
