Location, Location, Location for Diverse and Abundant Wildlife

[SteveReid]

The airboat captain that I rented from was unable to get close. The airboat was too loud. However, a captain with a regular boat was able to do so.
Tom

I want to add some information if you ever want to hire a GREAT Captain. Check out Camp Old Glory and Captian Gerald Motes on Facebook. I would have to ask Gerald if he wants his cell number published. You can lodge there also, it's a great Everglades experience.

 

[eaj101]

I'm going to second the endorsement of the Central Valley refuges. They're right up there with Bosque Del Apache for the variety and numbers of birds. Want to see a million geese in one place? Go to Klamath. Klamath and Tule Lake also host the largest collection of bald eagles in the lower 48. The major refuges from south to north are San Luis/Merced, Colusa, Sacramento, and the Klamath Basin, but there are at least a dozen smaller ones worth checking if you have time time. More sandhill cranes at Merced than the other sites, but thousands at least at all the major ones.

In the south I hear the Salton Sea area is good, though I've never been, ebird.org is a great resource to see what's been see where lately.

The coastal areas have a great collection of seabirds, and depending on the season and how strong your stomach is the pelagic birding boats are great. In season places like the Farallones are mind-boggling. Trips from Monterey/Moss Landing are supposed to be good as well.

Point Reyes has a great combination of land habitats with ocean, everything from tule elk to elephant seals and humpback whales.

Don't tell anyone, but the best part is that during the winter you're likely to have minimal crowds, if any. I've shot cranes taking off at dawn at Merced and been the only one there.

 

[Viathelens]

I'm going to second the endorsement of the Central Valley refuges. They're right up there with Bosque Del Apache for the variety and numbers of birds. Want to see a million geese in one place? Go to Klamath. Klamath and Tule Lake also host the largest collection of bald eagles in the lower 48. The major refuges from south to north are San Luis/Merced, Colusa, Sacramento, and the Klamath Basin, but there are at least a dozen smaller ones worth checking if you have time time. More sandhill cranes at Merced than the other sites, but thousands at least at all the major ones.

In the south I hear the Salton Sea area is good, though I've never been, ebird.org is a great resource to see what's been see where lately.

The coastal areas have a great collection of seabirds, and depending on the season and how strong your stomach is the pelagic birding boats are great. In season places like the Farallones are mind-boggling. Trips from Monterey/Moss Landing are supposed to be good as well.

Point Reyes has a great combination of land habitats with ocean, everything from tule elk to elephant seals and humpback whales.

Don't tell anyone, but the best part is that during the winter you're likely to have minimal crowds, if any. I've shot cranes taking off at dawn at Merced and been the only one there.

Hi. In reference to Sandhill Cranes at WLRs in the Central Valley. I agree with you that there are more Sandhill Cranes at Merced WLR but they are often overhead flying from one pond to another or very far away. I have not had the same experience with Sandhill Cranes at Merced WLR that I've had at Bosque three times. If you love photographing Sandhill Cranes and have not tried Bosque yet you might want to do that, it's a very different shoot. There are definitely a lot of geese in the Central Valley, both Ross's and Snow. Also, I've never seen the same number of Herons or Egrets at Bosque as I've seen in the Central Valley. So, different places for different birds is sometimes good. I'll be at Merced in a week or so for a couple of days and maybe the Cranes will be there, too! I can only hope.

 

[eaj101]

At Merced, I've found the cranes easiest to photograph literally right at sunrise and sunset, and they can be frustrating by choosing ponds that aren't very close. But sometimes they're 100' away.

The other place to get intimate with cranes is at and around Cosumnes Preserve, a couple of hours north, though the numbers are hundreds, not thousands. You can often find large numbers feeding the fields around Woodbridge and Staten Island as well, or hanging out in the ponds along Desmond Rd. or the main preserve, though not always very close.

Ducks and geese in general at all the refuges don't seem to mind people a lot, and the Black Crowned Night Herons are positively ridiculous - you can sometimes get to 20'. There's a heron roost or rookery (never seen nests there, but a hundred or so herons at a time) at Colusa. Raptors - hawks, falcons, and a few eagles - at all the preserves, as well as scarcities like shrikes, bitterns, and the unbiquitous great horned owls.

I love cranes, but biggest challenge I've found with sandhill cranes is that they really don't come in the evening until the light is just about gone, and finding them in the morning dark means driving around with your windows open hoping you hear them.

I've heard that the drought has made this not a great year at Klamath, though perhaps this last series of storms will help.

I made it to Bosque once for a few days when I was working in Albuquerque, but but wasn't a good year or good time of year. There was almost no water, and I definitely found the numbers of my fellow photographers a bit off-putting. Maybe I should try again...

 

[JimFromAZ]

Originally from Milwaukee, where I am now. I was at the old Edgewood Arsenal area of Aberdeen Proving Ground, though I traveled about 30+ weeks a year doing environmental surveys at numerous Army facilities around the country, mostly depots and ammo plants where the wildlife was often quite abundant. Also had assignments at Fort Sam Houston and in Seoul Korea. Our kids were born in Milwaukee; Tooele UT; Baltimore, MD and at the 121 Evac Hospital Seoul. Also sppent Nov 2009- Apr 2021 in Saudi Arabia managing ecological restoration work from damages caused by the 1991 war (oil spill and desert damages).

Joe, during 1994 I was stationed at Camp Red Cloud in South Korea and would visit Yongsan often for Sunday brunch at Dragon Hill. Thanks for the background info! Jim.

 

[JimFromAZ]

Some pics from Pt Reyes
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Thanks for the great pics, Kurt!

 

[JimFromAZ]

I take my Airboat to the Everglades in Feb. Match and April when water is low in most years, there are millions of wading birds of all species. I have one location which is a small island and it holds 7 different nesting birds with hundreds of Rosetta Spoonbills. I get up close.

Steve, we now have a famous Roseate Spoonbill ("Rosie") in Gilbert, AZ (Gilbert Riparian Preserve). I guess it turned left when it was supposed to turn right and ended up in the middle of the desert.

So, the Everglades... for those of us who don't have their very own airboat, I imagine there are airboat tours offered specifically for photographers? Thanks, Jim.

 

[JimFromAZ]

Re: Sacramento, Colusa, Merced & Yolo refuges, fall/winter are the best months.

In the summer I head up "the hill" to the Sierra Nevada where I have a few secret favorite locations. One of the well-known summertime locations in the Sierra Nevada is Sierra Valley, especially Marble Hot Springs Road. This is all private property but much can be seen from the roads. Nearby is Yuba Pass, another good well-known location.

Doug, I'm trying to get an idea of the boundaries of Sierra Valley. Looks like the southern border might be near Sierraville, CA, and if so, how far north does it extend? Is there a map that shows the boundaries? Thanks! Jim

 

[JimFromAZ]

I want to add some information if you ever want to hire a GREAT Captain. Check out Camp Old Glory and Captian Gerald Motes on Facebook. I would have to ask Gerald if he wants his cell number published. You can lodge there also, it's a great Everglades experience.

Well, that answers the question I just posted before reading this entry. Thanks, Steve.

 

[JimFromAZ]

I want to add some information if you ever want to hire a GREAT Captain. Check out Camp Old Glory and Captian Gerald Motes on Facebook. I would have to ask Gerald if he wants his cell number published. You can lodge there also, it's a great Everglades experience.

I did find a TripAdvisor entry for Captain Gerald Motes and Blackwater Airboat Tours. Here's the Blackwater Airboat Tours site. Not sure if you are referring to Blackwater Airboat Tours or not. Thanks, Steve.

 

[JimFromAZ]

I'm going to second the endorsement of the Central Valley refuges. They're right up there with Bosque Del Apache for the variety and numbers of birds. Want to see a million geese in one place? Go to Klamath. Klamath and Tule Lake also host the largest collection of bald eagles in the lower 48. The major refuges from south to north are San Luis/Merced, Colusa, Sacramento, and the Klamath Basin, but there are at least a dozen smaller ones worth checking if you have time time. More sandhill cranes at Merced than the other sites, but thousands at least at all the major ones.

In the south I hear the Salton Sea area is good, though I've never been, ebird.org is a great resource to see what's been see where lately.

The coastal areas have a great collection of seabirds, and depending on the season and how strong your stomach is the pelagic birding boats are great. In season places like the Farallones are mind-boggling. Trips from Monterey/Moss Landing are supposed to be good as well.

Point Reyes has a great combination of land habitats with ocean, everything from tule elk to elephant seals and humpback whales.

Don't tell anyone, but the best part is that during the winter you're likely to have minimal crowds, if any. I've shot cranes taking off at dawn at Merced and been the only one there.

eaj, are those bald eagles at Klamath and Tule Lakes there all year around? Thanks!

 

[eaj101]

eaj, are those bald eagles at Klamath and Tule Lakes there all year around? Thanks!

There's supposed to be a good sized breeding population there (40 or more pairs, according to the NWS), but the in winter (Dec-Mar) the numbers supposedly can reach a thousand. Their main food source in the winter is waterfowl, so they cluster where the birds are. But it's not like Haines (I just got back from there), where the eagles are concentrated on a short stretch of river, but in Klamath they're spread out across the refuges. When I was there most were around Tule Lake, but even spread out that's a lot of eagles. I've never checked out the breeding season, which would be something like Feb-July. Maybe I should.

Klamath Audubon has some good info on their site, and ebird.org can give you sighting numbers.

 

[mrt]

Here's a few pictures (some are better than others) from a day my wife and I saw over 50 bald eagles and several golden eagles. I've also included pictures of ferruginous and rough legged from another day. There are also many red-tailed, several falcons and tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of geese and ducks. Klamath is worthy. I hope it's ok to post these images to another person's thread. The raven hiding behind the pole was unperturbed at the attack.

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[Doug Herr]

Ducks and geese in general at all the refuges don't seem to mind people a lot, and the Black Crowned Night Herons are positively ridiculous - you can sometimes get to 20'. There's a heron roost or rookery (never seen nests there, but a hundred or so herons at a time) at Colusa.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron roost has moved from across a slough from the auto tour route to a distant and inaccessible part of the refuge because some wanna-be 'photographers' ignored refuge rules and got out of their cars and went down the bank opposite the roost to get closer pictures. The roost had been in use for decades and these dimwits' behavior f***ed (pardon my language) it up for everyone who comes later. Photos from inside my vehicle:

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[Doug Herr]

Doug, I'm trying to get an idea of the boundaries of Sierra Valley. Looks like the southern border might be near Sierraville, CA, and if so, how far north does it extend? Is there a map that shows the boundaries? Thanks! Jim

North to roughly California Highway 70. East to Loyalton. Marble Hot Springs Road is the epicenter (impassible in winter).

 

[KurtT]

Re: Sacramento, Colusa, Merced & Yolo refuges, fall/winter are the best months.

In the summer I head up "the hill" to the Sierra Nevada where I have a few secret favorite locations. One of the well-known summertime locations in the Sierra Nevada is Sierra Valley, especially Marble Hot Springs Road. This is all private property but much can be seen from the roads. Nearby is Yuba Pass, another good well-known location.

The Black-crowned Night-Heron roost has moved from across a slough from the auto tour route to a distant and inaccessible part of the refuge because some wanna-be 'photographers' ignored refuge rules and got out of their cars and went down the bank opposite the roost to get closer pictures. The roost had been in use for decades and these dimwits' behavior f***ed (pardon my language) it up for everyone who comes later. Photos from inside my vehicle:

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That is sad to hear, it was amazing. 17 in this shot from car at colusa... didn't violate rules.

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[SteveReid]

I did find a TripAdvisor entry for Captain Gerald Motes and Blackwater Airboat Tours. Here's the Blackwater Airboat Tours site. Not sure if you are referring to Blackwater Airboat Tours or not. Thanks, Steve.

 

[KurtT]

Here's a few pictures (some are better than others) from a day my wife and I saw over 50 bald eagles and several golden eagles. I've also included pictures of ferruginous and rough legged from another day. There are also many red-tailed, several falcons and tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of geese and ducks. Klamath is worthy. I hope it's ok to post these images to another person's thread. The raven hiding behind the pole was unperturbed at the attack.View attachment 29386View attachment 29387View attachment 29388View attachment 29389View attachment 29390

Is the auto tour accessible in winter? Since kind of high desert type area, how deep does snow get there in winter for accessibility?

 

[mrt]

Is the auto tour accessible in winter? Since kind of high desert type area, how deep does snow get there in winter for accessibility?

It has never been inaccessible to us, but today I have a foot of snow on my deck in Ashland, Oregon, which is an hour and a half west of Klamath falls. They have a winter festival called winter wings and I can’t ever remember being snowed out. The drought has left some of the refuge high and dry, but with any luck recent rain and snow is helping. There are many locations in the area that are photographically productive.

 

[KurtT]

It has never been inaccessible to us, but today I have a foot of snow on my deck in Ashland, Oregon, which is an hour and a half west of Klamath falls. They have a winter festival called winter wings and I can’t ever remember being snowed out. The drought has left some of the refuge high and dry, but with any luck recent rain and snow is helping. There are many locations in the area that are photographically productive.

Thanks. May try in late Jan. We had slush only at 1600 ft in Placerville, CA. Dont envy shoveling. enjoy

 

[JimFromAZ]

There's supposed to be a good sized breeding population there (40 or more pairs, according to the NWS), but the in winter (Dec-Mar) the numbers supposedly can reach a thousand. Their main food source in the winter is waterfowl, so they cluster where the birds are. But it's not like Haines (I just got back from there), where the eagles are concentrated on a short stretch of river, but in Klamath they're spread out across the refuges. When I was there most were around Tule Lake, but even spread out that's a lot of eagles. I've never checked out the breeding season, which would be something like Feb-July. Maybe I should.

Klamath Audubon has some good info on their site, and ebird.org can give you sighting numbers.

eaj, in Haines did you go with a photography tour group (if so, who) or were you on your own? Thanks!

 

[JimFromAZ]

North to roughly California Highway 70. East to Loyalton. Marble Hot Springs Road is the epicenter (impassible in winter).

Perfect, Thanks, Doug.

 

[JimFromAZ]

Here's a few pictures (some are better than others) from a day my wife and I saw over 50 bald eagles and several golden eagles. I've also included pictures of ferruginous and rough legged from another day. There are also many red-tailed, several falcons and tens of thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of geese and ducks. Klamath is worthy. I hope it's ok to post these images to another person's thread. The raven hiding behind the pole was unperturbed at the attack.View attachment 29386View attachment 29387View attachment 29388View attachment 29389View attachment 29390

Thanks for the pics, mrt!

 

[eaj101]

eaj, in Haines did you go with a photography tour group (if so, who) or were you on your own? Thanks!

I went with Barbara Eddy, who was a great trip leader. It's not so much that the shoot itself is difficult, but the logistics are a bit daunting (off season, few places open, plane, ferry, shuttles...) and Barbara did a great job putting it together and shepherding us through it

 

[SteveReid]

I did find a TripAdvisor entry for Captain Gerald Motes and Blackwater Airboat Tours. Here's the Blackwater Airboat Tours site. Not sure if you are referring to Blackwater Airboat Tours or not. Thanks, Steve.

You want Captain Motes if you ever want to do it in the Everglades, his camp Old Glory in deep in the Glades, you just step out the front door and there it is. He isn't a ripoff artist either. I've spent several nights with him in the last 10 years. You'll love the experience. I have a copy of his card if you'd like. I don't know if I can post that information on here or not.