A couple of months ago Marla and I took a day trip to Carrizo Plain National Monument. This four hundred square mile grassland has been referred to as California’s Serengeti. It’s home to over a dozen endangered animal species, as well as tule elk, pronghorn, and, in season, large numbers of migratory birds. On this day we saw pretty much none that. The trip was a complete bust with the exception of a brief sighting of a Prairie Falcon. It’s a vast place, and we were only able to spend a few hours there, so we haven’t given up on it, but we’re going to have to do some research and planning before we go there again.
But there was one good result of our trip—we met a nice couple with whom we exchanged pleasantries and who informed us of another popular wildlife viewing area: Merced National Wildlife Refuge. They said that this large, heavily-managed refuge had a spectacular array of wintering waterfowl and wading birds. They were so enthusiastic about it that we decided we had to go.
Well, they were right—MNWR is indeed spectacular. Thousands of Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese and Greater White-fronted Geese winter in the roughly ten thousand acres of wetland and grassy upland that comprise the refuge. We visited twice—in late January and again last week, and on both occasions the sheer number of birds on the ground and in the sky left us awestruck. The following photos are an inadequate attempt to convey some of the wonder.