70 miles north of Sacramento sits the Sacramento National Wildlife Preserve. It is 10,819 acres of wetland and grassland. We decided we needed a day out so we grabbed our masks and cameras and drove north to see what it had to offer. We were not disappointed.
The Sacramento NWR is a national preserve, so if you have a national parks pass you can use it to get into the site. The main site has a 2 mile wetlands trail to walk, and a 6 mile auto tour. If you visit during the summer there is an additional walking trail and driving loop that were closed during our visit.
We saw a large variety of birds and several deer as we walked and drove through the site. Any photos taken on the driving loop are through the (open) window; you need to remain in the car so that the wildlife is not disturbed.
A lot of photos were taken, some of the bird images are below.
There was an abundance of raptors at the Refuge. Many red-tailed hawks were sitting in trees and soaring above. One of the highlights was watching Bald Eagles circling in the air. I was able to capture some images of the Juvenile Bald Eagle in flight, shown below. While on the driving loop we spotted a large Red-tailed hawk in a tree next to the road. It was so close I had trouble fitting the entire bird in the image frame.
Raptor images from Sacramento NWR; select an image for larger view
There was a plethora of ducks and geese. I was hoping to find a wood duck, but alas, it was not to be. We did see Northern Shovelers and some Cinnamon Teals. Most the geese we saw were Greater White Fronted geese, I think…
Duck and Geese images from Sacramento NWR; select an image for larger view
Along the wetlands trail we saw several shore birds, notably some Great Egrets, a Snowy Egret, and a Greater Yellowlegs, sometimes called a Marshpiper. In the image below the Snowy Egret was fishing for food, until the Greater Yellowlegs came along and started pestering him. While on the auto tour we saw a Black Crowned Night Heron. He was hiding in the the marsh so the head is behind a branch, but it was the first one I have seen.
Shore bird images from Sacramento NWR; select an image for larger view
My favorite birds we saw were Ring-necked Pheasants seen during the driving tour. This pheasant was walking into the nearby brush when we spotted him and grabbed a few images.
This is just a sampling of the innumerable birds we saw. There were also several deer; some fawns, does, and one buck. I would recommend a trip to the Sacramento NWR. This was my first visit, but will probably not be my last.
