Monday, I took the long way to Chico to see if the reported swans and sandhill cranes were there. I got there just past dawn and found the swans still sleeping. But there were field after field of them. I moved past them and took their pictures. Think maybe I had over 100 pictures and saw over 1000 cranes before I was finished.
 |
| Wake Up, You Sleepy Heads |
 |
| Get Up, Get Out of Bed |
Then I went looking for the sandhill cranes that were supposed to be further down the same road. They were there but were way back. I finally found some a little closer and got to enjoy a little crane dancing.
 |
| Flying Sandhill Crane |
 |
| Doin' a Little Dance |
For an interesting discussion of sandhill crane behavior and interpretation of their dances, click
here.
My next stop, after some wandering around and getting lost, was the Chico Wastewater Treatment Plant Oxidation Ponds. Only this bird was close enough to photograph.This is our most common sparrow.
 |
| Juvenile white-crowned sparrow |
Then I wandered toward Chico, taking pictures as I saw them. I finally got there and planned to go for a hike. But I didn't remember what the entrance to Bidwell Park looked like and came all the way back to town after I was right there. By this time I was hungry so stopped for lunch before going back. I've heard that there are beautiful swimming holes along Big Chico Creek so I took Yahi Trail, which runs beside it, to look for them.
 |
| Hang in there, tree |
|
|
 |
| Nature's Carving |
 |
| Stream View |
 |
| Swiss Tree |
 |
| Path View |
 |
| View Up Hill to Bluff |
 |
| Toyon |
 |
| Basalt Fall in Creek |
 |
| Water over Basalt Rock |
 |
| Basalt Closeup |
 |
| Reflections |
 |
| End of the Trail |
 |
| Sunset View Looking Uphill From the Road |
I walked three miles out and only two miles back because I went down to the creek side so many times and did a lot of climbing over and around the basalt boulders.
I highly recommend this trail.
Nice hike, and beautiful photos! I do love watching the sandhill cranes, and listening to them also. BTW, your link to the sandhill info didn't work. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteLove your photos, Marilyn. I've bicycled in the Chico area a couple times and explored Bidwell Park near the creek - gorgeous place.
ReplyDeleteWhat road(s) were you driving on to see the cranes and swans? I know there are a few cranes at Llano Seco, but the largest congregation I know of in this area is just outside Lodi, about 45 minutes south of Sacramento off I-5.
Thanks, Jeanine. I took Hwy I-5 to Bayliss exit. Think it was Hwy 39. Took it east and then turned north on Road R. The swans will be on the left for the next mile or so. The cranes were on the same road further north. I just drove with my windows open and stopped and looked when I heard them.
ReplyDeleteI think the link is now fix, Carole. Thanks for the heads up on it.
That Swiss Tree is very, very cool. Your swan/crane experience reminds me of the four rolls of film (back in the pre-digital days) I took of miles of migrating pelicans when I was in the Monterrey-Carmel area in CA. I'd never seen such a long line of birds and couldn't get enough of them. The pictures turned out terrible, though -- but I was happy all the same.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite memories is driving to New Mexico on a camping trip with a friend. We were getting to our first night camping location about 11P when we started seeing deer standing along the road. My friend had a video camera ans wanted to film them. So, after we set up our tent, we went back out and I drove like a drunk, weaving from side to side to light the deer while she filmed them. The movies mainly showed eyes and blops leaping over fences. But the taking of it made for a great memory. And some of my best pictures are only in my mind because my camera didn't have film or a battery.
ReplyDelete