One week following my eventful trip to a rice field to photograph Black Terns, wife Leslie and I took another try at capturing this California rice-dependent species.
This is the time of the year when many bird species nest and raise their young in Sacramento Valley rice fields. It’s a great time to observe and photograph them, but it’s also a time when mom and dad birds are understandably protective of their new arrivals.
We headed back to western Colusa County and had no trouble finding Black Terns. Several pairs squawked and swooped around our pickup truck as we entered their home turf. One thousand, one hundred and forty-eight photos later, Leslie was able to better capture this fast and furious bird.
It’s great to see wildlife entrenched in rice fields. We also spotted amazing numbers of Killdeer, ducks, egrets, scores of Blackbirds and an American Bittern.
The star of this day was this small bird that made several close passes to advise us to keep a respectful distance from its young.
Watching them catch their fill of dragonflies and gulp them down in mid-air was a treat. The ecosystem looked very much in balance on this warm July morning.
Jim Morris is Communications Manager for the California Rice Commission. Jim has worked in communications for more than 20 years. When he’s not on the job, he enjoys his family, faith, football, outrageous monster stories and running marathons.
Enjoyed the photos and entry. Always fascinating to see the mountains in the background in California field shots.
ReplyDelete- Owen Taylor, RiceFax, http://agfax.com