I had a full day of nature watching yesterday. My class to a trip to Bidwell Park and we saw lots of Acorn Woodpeckers, Nuttall's Woodpeckers, Oak Titmouse, Red Shouldered Hawks, Lesser Goldfinch, Blue Gray Gnatcatcher, Tree Swallows, Common Yellow Throat, Western Kingbird, Crub Jay, European Starling, Spotted Towhee, and two new birds, Common Merganser and Ruby Crowned Kinglet. After class I drove to Howard Slough and saw Gadwall, Canada Goose, Mallards, Cinnamon Teal, Cliff, Tree, and Violet Green Swallow, Turkey Vulture, Double Crested Cormorant, Snowy Egret, great Egret, Great Blue Heron, Spotted Sandpipers, White Faced Ibis, Red Winged Blackbird, Brewers blackbird, Killdeer, Red Tailed Hawks, White Tail Kite, Swainson's Hawk and two more new finds for me California Thraser and Yellow Headed Blackbird ( what a nice looking bird.). To cap the day off right I headed to the Sacramento River for some nighttime mammal adventures and had a great encounter with a huge Great Horned Owl. As I drove along the river he dropped out of tree and shot across the road into an orchard. He hit something on the ground and flew off with what looked like a small rodent. I could not get a picture but it was an awe inspiring encounter with a very beautiful bird. I got some great photos of Raccoon and Opossum. Great Day!!!!
