November 28, 2020 Hudson Ranch Road & Wind Wolves

On this long holiday weekend we decided to head over to Bitter Creek Wildlife Refuge to see if we might see some condors. We hung around for almost two hours while observing all that was around us but totally struck out. Traditionally, this has been a good place to see at least a few condors; however, it depends on what is happening in the area and where their food sources are. New condors are sometimes released at the refuge after a period of time in a large "holding pen". When these birds are here, they tend to attract the attention of other condors who fly in to visit them. Since the refuge is actually closed except when tours are given (on hold since COVID) the best chance to see them is watching them soar overhead. We thought it was an unusual day as we didn't even see many ravens...usually a fixture in this area.

I view waiting in one area as an opportunity as well as a challenge to see what I can find when confined to just one spot...or actually one area of roaming up and down the road. My best find was a vesper sparrow, a bird I have only seen a couple of times. We also saw a golden eagle and a prairie falcon at an enormous distance. Otherwise, it was a very quiet day.

From there we headed over to Wind Wolves Preserve. If you haven't been, you should visit as it's a great place. It was much nicer maybe 8-10 years ago before anyone knew about it as now there tend to be crowds there frequently on nice weather days. Still, if you take a hike and visit during the week, you can largely avoid most of the people who tend to gravitate to the closest areas near the parking lots.

It was a beautiful day with lots of fall colors thanks to the numerous cottonwood and sycamore trees. We hoped to see some rarities but largely found animals we've encountered before. That being said, we were fortunate to see a nice mule deer trio with one youngster, a herd of tule elk and a tarantula out on the road probably in search of a mate. Other sightings included an unfortunately dead long nosed snake which is not that common. a coyote, and two northern harriers, including a stunning gray ghost

While we didn't find anything unique, it was great being out in nature viewing wildlife.

Posted on November 29, 2020 11:16 PM by