San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

September 18, 2016

I'm back.  I've been having some computer trouble over the last couple of months and have been a bit lazy about clearing it up.  It's all good, now.  Hopefully I can catch up with my blogger friends and get back into a groove.

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Pongo

Actually, I'm only back briefly.  I'll be hitting the road with my pal Pongo for a couple of weeks.  He loves road trips.  He's been all over the West.  Yosemite.  Big Sur.  The Grand Canyon.  Sequoia National Park.  Crater Lake.  Lava Beds.  Pinnacles.  I think his favorite spots are the wildlife refuges we visit in California's Central Valley.  He likes to hang out the window and watch the animals.  I like travelling with him.

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

The first of the winter birds have arrived at the refuge.  When I say the first, I'm talking about probably the first sole flying flock of birds of the year at San Luis.  We saw a solitary group of roughly twenty sandhill cranes on the auto tour.  Some of the ponds have started to fill in, but it will probably be a couple of months before the refuge takes its winter form.

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

My main goal was to get some shots of the tule elk.  It was too hot on Sunday, though.  Most of the herd was either lying low in the grass or under the trees in the middle of elk compound.  I saw one group a few hundred yards from the fence.  They were too far away for good photos, unfortunately.  We saw a few rabbits, which is what Pongo really likes to see.  We saw a lot more rabbits on our last trip to San Luis.  There were traps out along the auto route, so I guess the refuge folks have been working on reducing their numbers.  That seems to have had an impact on the number of raptors at the refuge.  I saw only a handful of hawks and harriers.  This is generally a great place to see raptors even during these quiet months of summer and early fall.

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

I'm backed up on posts.  I'll try to get one or two more out before hitting the road.

Sandhill Crane -- San Luis National Wildlife Refuge, CA

Soundtrack:

• case/lang/viers -- case/lang/viers
• Ian McCulloch -- Candleland