An Afternoon at the American River

Last Sunday we decided to take our cameras and head over to the American River for a few hours of bird watching. The American River is home to many different species of migratory birds. We were thrilled to see the spot we arrived at had several species for us to observe.

I thought these were Snow Geese when I saw them, but I was thrown off by their color because I know Snow Geese are white. When I got home I looked them up in one of my bird books and discovered they are indeed Snow Geese, just a blue morph of the species. At one time scientists thought they were a different species altogether and called them Blue Geese.

We also saw beautiful Canada Geese and tons of seagulls.

The Snow Geese make this loud 'honking' call when they get all excited. These three were all ready and eager to be fed by some children.

So majestic and beautiful. Both species mate for life. It is awesome to think how far they come to winter here - the Snow Geese from the Arctic tundra and the Canada Geese from Canada, of course.

Look at the orange-pink bill, legs and feet of the Snow Goose. And the rim of the eyes. Mother Nature sure knows how to color coordinate!

The mallard ducks were sure fun to watch. Bottoms Up!

Isn't he just gorgeous? And he knows it too.

It was getting late in the afternoon and they all made their way across the river to settle down for the night amongst the rocks. I read online at one of my reputable bird resources that Snow Geese and Canada Geese don't like to travel or feed together. Someone forgot to tell these guys that...