Natural History Wanderings

Last weekend I went birding at  Cosumnes River Preserve and Staten Island in the Sacramento River Delta on the last field trip of the year-long Master Birding Class. The weather was mostly cloudy initially as the fog was just burning off and then partly cloudy the rest of the day. Temperature started in the 40’s F and went up to the 50’sF

The Cosumnes River Preserve consists of over 50,000 acres of wildlife habitat and agricultural lands owned by seven land-owning Partners. The Partners include The Nature Conservancy, Bureau of Land Management, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, Sacramento County Regional Parks, Department of Water Resources, Ducks Unlimited, and the California State Lands Commission. The Preserve is centered along the Cosumnes River, its floodplains and riparian habitat and is surrounded by agriculture. The habitat supports wildlife, including birds that migrate throughout the Pacific Flyway.

The Nature Conservancy protects Staten Island. It is part of the Sacramento River Delta. The Nature Conservancy reports that Staten Island is the winter site for fifteen percent of the greater sandhill cranes in the California Central Valley.

There were many waterbirds at Consumnes. Most abundant were Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler and American Coot. Highlights of Consumnes included observing a Bald Eagle eating a duck, Blue-winged Teal, a Loggerhead Shrike, and a Peregrine Falcon (not seen by me).

Staten Island Highlights were seeing Greater and Lesser Sandhill Cranes, Tundra Swans, Aleutian race of Cackling geese and Canvasbacks. All of which were seen in large numbers.

click more to see bird List

Bird List Compiled by Eddie Bartley one of the field trip leaders