In Search of Cranes Again: A Rewarding Hike at the Cosumnes River Preserve

Sandhill Crane

 

 

Date: October 28, 2023

Place: Cosumnes River Preserve, Galt, California

Coordinates: 38.266138, -121.440513

Length: 2.9 miles

Level: easy

Often when Pappa Quail and I go on a hike together we are going birding. Pappa Quail is an avid birder and I enjoy watching them too while getting quality time with my beloved spouse now that the chikas are big enough to stay by themselves and take care of everything at home. When Pappa Quail had the chance to go for a day together at the end of October I remembered having read reports of the sandhill cranes settling in the California central valley for the winter and I immediately suggested going to the Lodi area, were we attended birding trips organized by the Sandhill Crane Festival a few yeas ago. Pappa Quail agreed right away and on the morning of that Saturday we headed out east. 

Our first stop was at the Cosumnes River Preserve. We've hiked and birded there numerous times before, always starting the hike on the east trail loop. This time we went the other way around - starting on the west side of the preserve, at the flooded fields and ponds. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

The ponds are across the road from the visitor center (which was closed at the time).At first we passed a flooded field. I couldn't see and bird there, but Pappa Quail has better eyes and he did see some shorebirds wading in the shallows. 

Pappa Quail also had a more powerful lens and was able to photograph what looked to me like tiny brown dots that moved little. 

The vulture, on the other hand, I had no trouble seeing. My trouble was convincing Pappa Quail that the vulture counted as a bird, therefore he aught to take its photo as well. 

Turkey Vulture

The next flooded field looked more like a pond. The water was not deep, evident by the dry vegetation poking through the surface. It was deep enough however, for ducks to float on. 

Pappa Quail took a close up photo of these ducks - these were buffleheads. 

Bufflehead Ducks

The flooded field was shallow enough for a group of black-necked stilt to stand, huddled together in the morning chill. 

Black-necked Stilt

The trail that stretched along the east side of the flooded field had the road on its west side and behind it a ditch that appeared to be more long-termed flooded. 

There were no ducks in that flooded ditch but a sole great egret stood quiet in ambush near one of the edges. 

Great Egret

I turned to look closer to the trail and found some morning glory in bloom. That was a nice bonus for me, seeing some wildflowers so late in season. 

Morning Glory, Calystegia sp.

From the trail along the road splits another trail spur that goes right into the pond on an elevated boardwalk. The pond north pf the boardwalk housed a number of good size flocks, most of them grouped by species but some more dispersed. 

Many of these ducks were northern pintail - a species that over winters in the California Central Valley. These ducks are also target for season duck hunting.

Northern Pintail

It was on this boardwalk that we first noticed the tall, gray birds on the far end of the pond. They were so well camouflaged in the tall vegetation that it was mainly their movements that gave them away.

These birds were the sandhill cranes that we came over to see. These graceful birds also over winter in the California  Central Valley. During their stay they enrich the area with their visual and vocal presence. No winter is complete for me without seeing sandhill cranes. 

Sandhill Cranes

Another bird species that over winters in California is the white-fronted goose. There was a good size gaggle of these geese near the end of the pond. Pappa Quail didn't give them much attention - he was busy trying to capture a northern harrier that flew overhead.

White-fronted Geese

I don't know if it was the harrier that spooked the geese but all of a sudden they all took to the air - only to land in the pond again a few seconds later.

White-fronted Geese

The geese are too big of a prey for the harrier. These raptors usually go after rodents and reptiles, and maybe after smaller birds on the ground. 

Northern Harrier

The pintail ducks were not spooked by the harrier, or by whatever caused the geese to take flight. They kept their nonchalance cool at the edge of the water.

Northern Pintail

Geese, like cranes, are not silent birds. A flock of white tail geese crossed the sky overhead, and they were calling as they flew. 

White-fronted Geese

We returned from the ponds and flooded fields and crossed the road to get to the eastern side of the preserve. A small bridge crossed the ditch that was on this side completely overgrown with vegetation, mainly horsetail.

Horsetail

The little sparrows in the bushes on the other side of the ditch kept Pappa Quail busy for some time. These were mainly sparrows of common species.

Golden-crowned Sparrow

The trail on the east side of the preserve goes through a short segment of rehabilitated oak forest and also surrounds a couple of low fields that become shallow ponds during winter. One of these ponds had a good number of birds standing or moving around in it.

The most noticeable of the birds in the pond were the sandhill cranes - a few of these magnificent birds stood peacefully in the middle of the flooded area, not bothered at all by the other birds around them, or by the human spectators that viewed them on either side of the pond. 

A pair of the cranes stood separated from the others. Cranes are known for mating for life. they also have an intricate social life that includes complex interaction cues, both vocal and physical. I wonder if the cranes' location relative to one another was indicative of anything in this small group of birds.

Sandhill Cranes

There were other wader birds there as well - a few greater yellowlegs were moving in the water, busy foraging. 

Greater Yellowlegs

Pappa Quail spotted a rusty spot moving around the water in a determination that gave it away as a living entity - it was a cinnamon teal duck. There might have been others of his kind there but without moving they were pretty much undetectable.

Cinnamon Teal

We completed the hike around the eastern ponds and returned to the parking lot. This hike at the Cosumnes River Preserve is short and sweet - on a short and easy stretch of trail one can see a lot of wildlife. For birders - fall and winter are the seasons to be there. for sure.

When we returned to the parking area we found the visitor center open. Pappa Quail went inside to chat with the attendant while I got our picnic lunch from the car and arranged id on one of the tables outside. It was a bit chilly still and the wind had picked up, so we ate quickly and got going to our next destination for the day - the Delta Meadows River Park near Walnut Grove.