Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

Snow Geese - Anser caerulescens

Last week I traveled down to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, in California's Central Valley, and saw 100,000 Snow Geese on the wetlands! WOW!!! It was just absolutely amazing! Thousands and thousands of birds were on the water and in the air all squawking at once! Airborne strings of geese were constantly circling around and landing on the wetlands. Every once in a while something would startle the floating geese and thousands of them would take off in unison! In their alarm flight, they formed a cloud of geese so thick they obscured the trees behind them! Such unbelievable beauty!!! Within just a few minutes the compact cloud of geese had dispersed, circled around, and landed back in the wetlands!  It was incredible to watch! 

Snow Geese (adults & juveniles) & Gadwalls (?)

Anser caerulescens - Anas strepera

These beautiful birds have just arrived from their breeding grounds in the arctic.  It has taken then approximately two months (or more) to travel this distance of approximately 2,500 miles!  They will spend the winter in California's Central Valley, feeding on underground rhizomes, tubers, roots, tender new shoots of aquatic and agricultural plants, and waste grain in agricultural fields.  Their "typical" feeding behavior is to forage in the fields from early morning to late evening, and roost overnight on the water.  However, due to human activity in the surrounding area, the Snow Geese at Gray Lodge usually forage at dusk and into the night, and use the protected wetlands for daytime roosting.

Ross's Geese - Anser rossii

Ross's Geese look like little Snow Geese. They travel and reside with Snow Geese all year! They too have recently arrived in Gray Lodge! They are vegetarians, like Snow Geese, but feed on grasses and seeds adjacent to roosting wetlands.

 American Wigeon (male & female) - Mareca americana

Although these ducks are quite common and possibly live year-round in the Central Valley, this is the first time I've ever seen them!  The black tip of their bill, as well the dramatically colored feathers on the male's head, made them easy to identify!   They forage on primarily submerged aquatic plants, as well as on upland grasses, clovers, and seeds.  American Wigeons swim more than most dabbling ducks, while foraging for submerged plants. They are also very good at stealing food from other ducks, especially diving ducks.  

Northern Pintail (males & females) - Anas acuta

Northern Pintail males have distinctive white lines on the back sides of their heads.  These lines, along with their dark heads, thin pointed tails (not visible), and white breasts make them easy to identify.  These lovely ducks live year-round in the Central Valley of California.  They primarily feed on marsh plants, aquatic invertebrates, and grains in shallow water and dry fields.

Great Blue Heron - Red-tailed Hawk

Ardea herodias - Buteo jamaicensis

I saw about 4 Great Blue Herons on the edge of the wetlands, where they feed on frogs, tadpoles, and aquatic invertebrates.  I also saw a Red-tailed Hawk that was hidden on its perch in a Eucalyptus tree.  These raptors like to hunt in open areas for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and occasionally birds, including waterfowl.
  

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura

These two Turkey Vultures were hanging out in the sun.  They do not pursue prey.  They eat carrion which they can detect with their keen sense of smell.  They have excellent immune systems and do not contract botulism, anthrax, cholera, or salmonella from the carrion.  Their heads are basically featherless, which helps prevent rotten flesh from sticking to them!
  

Tundra Swans - Greater White-fronted Geese

Cygnus columbianus - Anser albifrons

 
Rice Fields in Marysville

About half an hour south from Gray Lodge, there are a lot of flooded rice fields on the outskirts of Marysville.  That's where you are more likely to see Tundra Swans and not so many Snow Geese.  They have just arrived in the past two weeks, from their breeding grounds in the arctic!  They do not dive, but submerge their heads to forage for the leaves, stems, seeds, and tubers of aquatic plants, such as rice.  They will spend their winters in the Central Valley.

Greater White-fronted Geese also migrate down from the arctic to spend the winter in the Central Valley.  They feed on marsh grasses, sedges, berries, and seeds from agricultural crops.  They are primarily diurnal feeders, and roost on wetlands at night. 

Tundra Swans - Cygnus columbianus 

These large swans have 7' wingspans, are about 4.5' tall, and can weigh up to 16 lbs! 
I find them to be beautifully elegant!

Bald-faced Hornet - Dolichovespula maculata

The photo of a paper wasp nest that I posted last week, turned out to be the active home of a Bald-faced Wasp colony! They can be distinguished by the white pattern on the thorax, the end of the abdomen, and on the face. As the weather gets colder, all of the colony will die off except for the queen. She doesn't overwinter in the nest, but rather in protected places such as in hollow trees, rock piles, under bark and in the walls and attics of buildings.  The queen will start a new colony in the spring, which can grow to a population of up to 400 wasps!  Apparently these wasps can inflict quite painful stings!  I kept a good distance from this nest when I took these photos!

Who is going to eat these Persimmons?

What's happening on the river?

Is there any Fall color left?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

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