Cosumnes River Preserve

Cranes, geese, swans, ducks, shorebirds and of course … lots of sparrows. In the morning we will leisurely bird the trails through the riparian forest near the visitor center and in the adjacent marsh. After lunch on the deck of the visitor’s center, we will be roadside birding by marshes and fields along Desmond and Bruceville Roads watching for the Peregrine Falcon that frequents a nearby microwave tower.

Meet at 7:00 a.m. in the Park-and-Ride lot off Mace Boulevard (northeast of Highway 80 and just down from Ikeda’s Market). Bring your lunch, binoculars, and spotting scope if you have one. Dress appropriately for the weather that day which could range from warm and sunny to cool and foggy. Let’s hope for no rain. We expect to finish by midafternoon.

If you have any questions, contact your leader, Sid England at (530) 756-7882 or asenglnd@pacbell.net.

Yolo Audubon Society field trips are free and open to the public. Car-pooling is encouraged, but all rides are private arrangements between driver and riders. Heavy rain or high winds may cancel any trip.

COSUMNES RIVER PRESERVE FIELD TRIP REPORT
by Sid England and Randy Beaton

To paraphrase the singer-songwriter, Johnny Nash, it was a bright, bright sun-shiny day with nothing but blue sky when about 15 birders convened at the Cosumnes River Preserve for a spectacular morning of birding. We first walked the Boardwalk trail out to the observation deck and back then completed the milelong Wetlands Walk Trail before having lunch and finished up at the ponds along Desmond and Bruceville Roads.

Just being out on such a wonderful day was the highlight of the trip, but there were many notable birds. Perhaps the best was an extremely cooperative Prairie Falcon that flew right in front of us and over our heads at low elevation not once, but twice. What a treat! Another favorite of the group was a flock of Tundra Swans that flew low very near us. And of course, the many thousands of waterfowl especially clouds of Snow Geese were crowd pleasers, too.

Following is a list of species and estimated numbers seen before lunch. After lunch along Desmond and Bruceville Roads, we added many thousands of waterfowl along with Ruddy Duck, Red-shouldered Hawk, and American Kestrel for a day total of 55 species.