I made my pilgrimage to the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge complex in the central valley of California last week. The refuge includes five sites in the valley and located directly on the Pacific Flyway. There are almost 5 million birds there at peak winter season, of which about 1+ million are Snow Geese and 2+ million are ducks of various species. It is truly a spectacular experience to see the geese when they fill the sky with their wings and the sound of thousands of geese honking is incredible. I try to take in the whole day from predawn to nightfall when I am there. The main site of the refuge is located here
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Willows,+CA&sll=39.303219,-120.390015&sspn=0.015243,0.022917&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Willows,+Glenn,+California&ll=39.429597,-122.172389&spn=0.03043,0.062099&t=h&z=15

Here are some of the results of a typical day of shooting at the refuge

Starting at sunrise


Whiite Pelicans are frequent visitors


As are Peregring falcons


Hawks of all flavors


Northern Harrier


White-faced Ibis


But the main attraction is really the water fowl like the clouds of Snow Geese






That do spend alot of their time on the ground


Lots of Shoveler ducks


And though not a plentiful as in the midwest, there are alot of Sand Hill Cranes that pass through




As well as Tundra Swan


And not all the residents are avian



And as the sun sets, the sky is filled with formations of birds likt the Whie-faced Ibis


And the multiple V formations of geese


And the day finally goes out in a blaze of glory

Really enjoyed these shots! Nice work!

Spectacular images, Geo. What a great place to visit and what a great day to shoot. Love the Peregrine Falcon -- seldom get to see them around here. Your late-day shots of the bird clusters in flight are really nice. Great stuff!

Jim

Your image of the white face Ibis is wonderful. It is my favorite. Although I wished I could be there to hear and see the volume of birds. I am sure it had to be grand. Looks like you had an amazing time.

Nice shots George. Do you have more of the cranes? Love the snow geese...I can watch them for hours. Hopefully I'll get out to meet a flock next week.

Excellent shots.
We do however have an area a couple of hours south from Michigan into Indiana where over 60,000 sandhill cranes gather each fall. I've been there and the sound is amazing.

Geo,

Do the bald eagles show up when the snow geese come through?

How fun is that! I especially like the Sandhill Cranes, the combination of their elegance and coloring, but that one of the Ibis grooming themselves is really great. That is one I'd enjoy having framed on the wall. How long are the majority of birds typically around? I have someone up in the San Fran area wanting a home shoot, maybe I could combine it with a bird shoot too.

diana