I must forewarn any reader of this blog, it is long and windy.Writing is a great stress relief so consider this part therapy
Though we are currently in a bad stretch financially and gas prices make it hard to get out very often, I have found even short trips can bring amazing creatures doing amazing things.
one of the side effects of the stress we have is that I have wicked insomnia right now. It is 2:00 am as I write this blog. So I was awake at 4:00 am this morning and thought I should go for a walk. I drove the short distance to my favorite place, Bidwell Sacramento River park for a sunrise hike. After three weeks of smoky skies caused by numerous wildfires this morning was much clearer. As the sun came up over the Sierra's, I walked 20 feet from the parking lot to the edge of the oxbow lake and looked over the water. I looked left to "Turtle Branch" as I like to call it. Everytime I go out to the spot, I see something perched, basking, or playing on this log. Sometimes it is Western Pond Turtles, Sometimes it is a Great blue Heron, sometimes a Black phoebe, you never know. Today was my favorite pair of playful River Otters. I took a few pictures before stepping on a branch and spooking them. I follwed them down the trail a bit before they settled on a group of partially submerged fallen trees. I was able to crouch down in sometimes grass about 15 yards away up on the bank. I snapped a bunch of pictures and watched them play and wrestle for close 20 minutes. Then I saw out of the corner of my eye a brown bird in the tree next to me. I turned by head and saw a Red Shouldered Hawk. Suddenly he dove out of the tree and went into the grass of the Oak Woodland. I was close enough to hear the sounds of the attack. It flew off with a vole in his talons, over the water and across the bank. The whole thing happened so fast I could not get a picture that was not a blurry mess. I could not try to move in fear of spooking the Otters again. I have never been that close to predation before, it was something I will never forget.To see and hear the way that part of the natural world take place in the setting I was in was one of the highlights of my life. If anybody wants to check photos of the Otter or any other nature pictures you can check out my Flickr page ( 4geigerfamily). For only spending 60 minutes on the trail today, I saw some amazing creatures
