Northern California's Wildlife Refuges
Maybe you think there is no wildlife in California, it being so crowded and all. But, guess again. California is host to a multitude of sites that provide wildlife food, shelter and respite, from the south to the north. California is also under the Pacific Flyway, the route that birds take to migrate south and north depending on the season. Many cities and counties, as well as state and federal government entities, and a multitude of farmers throughout the region provide land and food for birds traveling the Pacific Flyway. As I live in Northern California I'm more familiar with some of those sites than any of the sites in Southern California or even the Bay Area sites, of which there are many.
One thing to realize about all these sites is that since multiple private and government agencies operate these sites the rules vary. There are federal wildlife refuges, state and county and city parks, and private refuges all along the flyway. In January I traveled to the Central Valley, where many of these sites are located, to photograph birds, as well as any mammals that ran across my path. I also generally look for nature and landscape scenes.
The January trip (I normally take this trip in December or January when the flyway is active) was a bit different for me than past trips. I was traveling in a rental van, a 19' Mercedes Sprinter outfitted as a custom RV. In the past I've used my SUV and motels but late last year I purchased a Mercedes Sprinter and it was in the shop being custom outfitted to my specs as an RV; my van was not ready at the time of my trip so the van company (Scenic Vans in Rancho Cordova) gave me free use for seven days of one of their rental vans.
My first stop was at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, a California Department of Fish and Game site (CDFW), near Gridley. Gridley is a small town but offers choices for lodging and meals. Fish and Game requires that each user get a "lands pass." This pass can be purchased prior to your visit or onsite so it’s not complicated or a problem and the small fee helps to operate wildlife sites. At all of these type of areas can be closed due to weather or for a variety of other reasons so always check ahead to ensure the site is open. I've visited this area twice and both times I found it to be not very productive as far as finding various types of shots but I might be asking more of the site than someone else would. This time I did find some very nice shots of Cormorants, with good light and a good background. I normally plan a trip to visit a site both morning and night and I did that this time with Gray Lodge, starting the trip with a late afternoon visit and then a morning visit and then moving on to the next location.
Maybe you think there is no wildlife in California, it being so crowded and all. But, guess again. California is host to a multitude of sites that provide wildlife food, shelter and respite, from the south to the north. California is also under the Pacific Flyway, the route that birds take to migrate south and north depending on the season. Many cities and counties, as well as state and federal government entities, and a multitude of farmers throughout the region provide land and food for birds traveling the Pacific Flyway. As I live in Northern California I'm more familiar with some of those sites than any of the sites in Southern California or even the Bay Area sites, of which there are many.
One thing to realize about all these sites is that since multiple private and government agencies operate these sites the rules vary. There are federal wildlife refuges, state and county and city parks, and private refuges all along the flyway. In January I traveled to the Central Valley, where many of these sites are located, to photograph birds, as well as any mammals that ran across my path. I also generally look for nature and landscape scenes.
The January trip (I normally take this trip in December or January when the flyway is active) was a bit different for me than past trips. I was traveling in a rental van, a 19' Mercedes Sprinter outfitted as a custom RV. In the past I've used my SUV and motels but late last year I purchased a Mercedes Sprinter and it was in the shop being custom outfitted to my specs as an RV; my van was not ready at the time of my trip so the van company (Scenic Vans in Rancho Cordova) gave me free use for seven days of one of their rental vans.
My first stop was at Gray Lodge Wildlife Area, a California Department of Fish and Game site (CDFW), near Gridley. Gridley is a small town but offers choices for lodging and meals. Fish and Game requires that each user get a "lands pass." This pass can be purchased prior to your visit or onsite so it’s not complicated or a problem and the small fee helps to operate wildlife sites. At all of these type of areas can be closed due to weather or for a variety of other reasons so always check ahead to ensure the site is open. I've visited this area twice and both times I found it to be not very productive as far as finding various types of shots but I might be asking more of the site than someone else would. This time I did find some very nice shots of Cormorants, with good light and a good background. I normally plan a trip to visit a site both morning and night and I did that this time with Gray Lodge, starting the trip with a late afternoon visit and then a morning visit and then moving on to the next location.
My next planned stop was Colusa National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), a part of a complex called the Sacramento NWR Complex that also includes the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and the Llano Seco Unit. I normally visit both the Colusa and Sacramento refuges when I visit the area but this time I skipped the Sacramento refuge as I don't normally find good shots there, but there are always eagles there and a chance someone can get a good shot of one. I arrived at Colusa, my favorite refuge for photography, in the afternoon and there was a lot of wind, which birds don't like. Photographing birds in the wind is difficult as birds often don't fly in the wind, they seem to have more sense than humans at times. In talking to a photographer at that refuge he noted that a refuge only 40 minutes away, the Llano Seco Unit, might be a better choice due to the wind and as I had never visited it I headed there instead. Llano Seco Unit, operated under the North Central Valley Wildlife Management Area, offers a large waterway and a long trail (1mile RT) to look for possible photographs. The birds can be quite close. While there I photographed Pintails, White-fronted Geese, Shovelers, and a bird that is not normally found there, a Vermillion Flycatcher, a colorful small red bird normally found in the southern regions of the state or in warmer southern states.
The next morning I headed back to the Colusa NWR, which is a short distance away, about 30 minutes, from a town called Williams, whose best claim to fame is a place called Granzella's. Granzella's offers an Italian bakery, deli, restaurant and bar and is very popular. The small town also has motels to stay at and various other places to eat.
Colusa WLR has a viewing platform right at the start of the road around the refuge and this is a fun and productive place to hang out at to photograph many different varieties of birds, including egrets, herons, white-fronted geese, predator birds, coots, snow geese, and pintails and shovelers. The area in front of the platform where you'll see a lot of logs placed around the area for the birds to rest on was actually created some years ago by photographers, who moved the logs into place to create a photography area (yes, they were given permission to do this). Driving around the refuge can provide additional opportunities but most of my shots take place at the platform area. I also walk the nearby trail that goes around to the back of the pond at the platform area and I can find various wildlife shots there and there is an interesting Black-crowned Night Heron rookery toward the end of the driving road.
Colusa WLR has a viewing platform right at the start of the road around the refuge and this is a fun and productive place to hang out at to photograph many different varieties of birds, including egrets, herons, white-fronted geese, predator birds, coots, snow geese, and pintails and shovelers. The area in front of the platform where you'll see a lot of logs placed around the area for the birds to rest on was actually created some years ago by photographers, who moved the logs into place to create a photography area (yes, they were given permission to do this). Driving around the refuge can provide additional opportunities but most of my shots take place at the platform area. I also walk the nearby trail that goes around to the back of the pond at the platform area and I can find various wildlife shots there and there is an interesting Black-crowned Night Heron rookery toward the end of the driving road.
My next stop on this trip was Consumnes River Preserve, just off Twin Cities Road south of Sacramento, a U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management wildlife preserve. I've visited this preserve several times and have gotten some shots at it, but I've never found it filled with birds...perhaps I'm just not hitting it at the right time. It does, however, offer the opportunity to take a long walk around its valley oak riparian forest in search of possible wildlife. I do like that hunting is not allowed in the "core area" of the preserve, it is allowed at many other preserves. You can fish and hunt if on the water, so from a boat only (a boat being something small). In some of the refuges I go to I often feel like I need to duck for cover as I can hear the shotguns going off. I was able to get an interesting hawk shot while there this time. I had parked, looked at my gear settings in the van cab, then got out. As I closed the cab door I saw a hawk sitting in a tree right at the edge of the parking lot, so of course I took the shot but he almost immediately flew down to the ground, I was shooting away as he did this: he had sighted a mouse and I got the shots as he attacked and swallowed it whole. Note to self: always have the correct settings on the camera prior to leaving the vehicle!!
All of the shots posted here came from one of the aforementioned wildlife refuges. These sites are only the tip of the iceberg for wildlife refuges in California and I hope to check out many more sites later in the year. Do your research when planning a visit to any of these refuges or to any other refuge as things can change quite rapidly for various reasons.
Gray Lodge: wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Gray-Lodge-WA#606524024-visiting-gray-lodge-wildlife-area
Llano Seco Leaflet: www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Steve_Thompson_NCV_WMA_Llano_Seco_Unit_Visitor_Area_Leaflet_508.pdf
Lano Seco: www.explorebuttecounty.com/places/llano-seco-unit
Colusa: www.fws.gov/refuge/colusa
Consumnes River: www.blm.gov/visit/cosumnes-river
Gray Lodge: wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Gray-Lodge-WA#606524024-visiting-gray-lodge-wildlife-area
Llano Seco Leaflet: www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Steve_Thompson_NCV_WMA_Llano_Seco_Unit_Visitor_Area_Leaflet_508.pdf
Lano Seco: www.explorebuttecounty.com/places/llano-seco-unit
Colusa: www.fws.gov/refuge/colusa
Consumnes River: www.blm.gov/visit/cosumnes-river
