Blackbird profile
Red-winged Blackbirds are in their element at the Sailor Bar County Park’s Turtle Pond out in Fair Oaks, near the American River.
An abundance of birds
I had a feeling it was going to be a good day for spotting birds as I headed over to the Turtle Pond at Sailor Bar along the American River. That was because before I even reached the pond I encountered not only a Great Blue heron looking down at me from the trees but also a Green heron. And […]
Conk-ka-ree
I’ve always loved to hear the call of the Red-winged Blackbird, described in the National Audobon Society Master Guide to Birding as conk-ka-ree or ok-a-lee (no “Okily-dokily!” Ned Flanders jokes, please!). I went for years without enjoying the sight and sound of these handsome birds, partly because of local habitat loss and partly because I wasn’t spending time in the […]
Birding at Sailor Bar
There’s an old saying that it’s hard to soar with the eagles (or red-shouldered hawks) when you’re surrounded by turkeys. But this turkey hen at Sailor Bar near the American River was busy doing very important work on the ground, carefully tending to her enthusiastic flock of five or six as they scampered in and out of the tall grass […]