BEAUTY ALL OVER THE PLACE! SEE?
NO CROWDS!
I love me a good wild space. Jason and I drag our kids to places like this all the time. They're preteens now so it's a bit of a stretch to say they're excited about these jaunts but, once the actual dragging is over, they ALWAYS have a great time. There's a big wild world out there and there's nothing like a darting critter to make city folk excitable.
CRITTERS!
Jackrabbits! OMG, they were EVERYWHERE. I don't know much about jackrabbits but we dubbed these guys old man bunnies because they all seemed to hobble. Maybe that's how jackrabbits move when not pursued or maybe refuge life leads to a nice long life and they really were old. Still, super cute. See? OK, he's a little hard to see but I"m not so fast with the camera.
Birds of prey! Also, EVERYWHERE. It's just so magical to see them soar and swoop down. They didn't go for the old man bunnies, fortunately. Mostly, they just seemed to play in the breeze. Super fun to watch. See? So glad this guy was holding still, at first. Breathtaking!
We also saw a very quick raccoon swimming away from us and a couple of slithering critters too but I can't talk about them because Sally might be reading. Although one was a baby and he was really really cute.
VERNAL POOLS!
There are all sorts of critters in vernal pools but they're really tiny so it's not my fault my camera didn't capture them. Pretty flowers, though.
The Sacramento Natural Wildlife Refuge is 90 minutes north of Sacramento (in Willows) and, as it's a rest stop on the Pacific Flyway, it's home to some LARGE populations of wintertime ducks and geese, in addition to lots and lots of other full time critters. Apparently, there are LOTS more birds in December and January but to me it still seemed like there were plenty.
Parents, there's a driving tour that's a great place to teach your kids to drive. The speed limit is 5mph, there are lots of long straight sections, and there's no one around to hit. When the auto tour is done, you can do a short walking loop too. The sounds are magnificent; a wildlife symphony.
Holly's first driving lesson!
