San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

January 25, 2015

Pongo and I made a trip to San Luis National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday.  It's one of the places I like to visit when I'm not moving very well.  The auto tours are long and varied.  Tule elk can be seen on every visit, although good photo opportunities are not guaranteed.  The bird life is abundant at all times of year, but this place really shines in winter.

Northern Harrier -- San Luis Wildlife Refuge, CA

San Luis Wildlife Refuge, CA

A lot of times, as in the photos above, the wildlife is a little too far away to get good photos. Even so, I find these photos appealing.  There's something comforting about the drab colors of the tule reeds, which also provide a direct connection to the Native American past of this area.  These reeds were used by the tribes for making shelters, baskets, mats and even boats.  I wish the Native American culture was celebrated more in the Bay Area and the Central Valley.

Northern Shoveler -- San Luis Wildlife Refuge, CA

I broke the auto focus on my 250mm lens last weekend.  While definitely a bummer, it gives me an opportunity to work on my manual focus technique until I make a move on a new lens.  I don't really see any sense in trying to fix this lens, the cost would probably be comparable to replacing it with a similar model and I think I want to move up to a longer, fixed length lens.  This one just doesn't quite have the reach I'd like.

Red-tailed Hawk -- San Luis Wildlife Refuge, CA

I've taken my best hawk photos at this refuge.  I got a few nice opportunities yesterday.  I saw dozens of hawks while driving the auto tours.  I was amazed to see so many in one area.  I expect to see a lot of hawks and harriers here, but yesterday's numbers were astounding.

San Luis Wildlife Refuge, CA

Tundra Swan

San Luis is a good place for seeing tundra swans and sandhill cranes.  The tundra swans were close enough for some OK pictures, unfortunately the cranes were keeping their distance from the roads.  I didn't see any deer or coyotes on this trip.  I think the presence of hunters has them maintaining low profiles.  In the summer it's not uncommon to see multiple coyotes on a single day.  Some people consider coyotes to be nuisance animals, but I think they're pretty amazing.

Red-tailed Hawk -- San Luis Wildlife Refuge, CA

I saw a barn owl out here once, so I always try to wait until the sun goes down before heading home in hopes of seeing another.  No such luck yesterday.  Still, Pongo and I had a nice relaxing time driving around the loops and seeing what we could see.