Swan Tour

I recently took part in a Tundra Swan tour sponsored by the 

California Department of Fish and Wildlife in the Marysville area north of Sacramento.

The swans over-winter on the rice fields that are flooded after the harvest to break down

the rice stubble and provide habitat and food for numerous water fowl.

More tours are schedules for Dec. and Jan.

Since this was an organized tour my options were somewhat limited. When you have

11 cars in a caravan you can't just stop anywhere. In addition, some of the 

participants didn't seem to understand that noisily closing car doors and

quickly approaching the waters edge spooks the birds and they either

take flight or swim away.

On the way and making sure I found our starting location at the Mathews Rice Dryers

I came upon this scene. 

Notice the Swans are only in the middle rice paddie. Different depths attract different

 birds and they flood the fields accordingly. In the background you see the Sutter Buttes.

The smallest mountain range in the world.

Just down the road a group of Swans in the farther paddie decided to take off, 

while those closer were content.

This next one is certainly not a good image. But I liked the contrast of the

Snow Geese going one way and the signs indicating another. It was taken a

a very long distance.

 

Tundra Swans mate for life. They mate and raise there young in the Artic and migrate

 south for the winter. Many migrate using the Pacific Flyway and approximately

 70% of those over-winter in the California Central Valley, mostly north of Sacramento.

This area is host to many birds during the winter, geese, ducks, ibis, and I even saw

one Great Blue Heron, but it was too fast for me. Most of the birds, as the saying goes,

flock together. I caught this White Faced Ibis doing its own thing.

Swans are pretty graceful looking except maybe when they're taking off.

This shot could have been sooo much better. I was just driving around after the

tour when I passed a small opening in a tall hedge and saw a huge area covered in

birds. I drove up and turned around, since it was the only opening and available

space to park, I pulled in. As soon as I did the birds, Pintail Ducks mostly, nearest me took off.

I scrambled to get my camera and position myself, which probably startled them even

more. This photo shows, Pintails, Ross Geese, and Swans.

Go, See, Enjoy, Stay Safe and Photograph.

Dave