Locke, California

On our way to see the Sandhill Cranes we made a stop at Locke.  My dad had a life-long interest in history and had brought the little town to my attention years ago but I had never had the opportunity to visit.

So, you might ask, where is Locke and what is its historic importance.  It sure doesn't look like much.

The little town sits in rural farmland on the Sacramento river south of Sacramento.  Nearby is another small town, Walnut Grove.

After a fire in the Chinese section of Walnut Grove in 1913, the residents decided they needed their own town.  Chinese faced severe discrimination in the California of that day, much as Hispanics do today.  They had come to America to work; they built the railroads, the levees in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and then worked in the fertile fields of California's Central Valley. 

The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 had made it almost impossible for Chinese to emigrate to the US.  This meant that men who wished to stay here had little opportunity to marry and start a family.  They were also prohibited from becoming naturalized citizens and in some cases from owning land.

It's not surprising then that they wanted a place of their own.

Under California law, the Chinese community could not buy land for their town so George Locke leased it to them.

Today many of the buildings on Main Street are in very poor condition.

Other buildings have been restored.

This monument in a small memorial park is dedicated to the early Chinese residents of California.

The inscription in English and Chinese reads:

Dedicated to the industrious

Chinese pioneers of California

Whose strength and sacrifice helped

Build the Transcontinental Railroad,

Construct the Levees of

The Sacramento San Joaquin Delta, and

Develop the agriculture in the Central Valley

With  Determination and Perseverance

The Chinese built the town of Locke and

Continue to shape California.

This gambling hall museum and another museum at the old Chinese school (some men did manage to bring wives to America in spite of the restrictions) show a bit of the life of the residents. The old boarding house has some displays and a few books for sale but is otherwise empty.

Currently only 10 of the 80 or so residents of Locke are ethnic Chinese.  A Chinese restaurant and this Chinese medicine shop still represent the cultural heritage.

To see more views of our world, go to Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina , Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

In Search of the Falcated Duck

The birding community of Northern California has been all abuzz about  the Falcated Duck seen at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge.  Birders and bird photographers have been coming from all over California and beyond to view this Eurasian bird, native to China, who somehow found his way to California.

Sutter Buttes

Colusa NWR is less than 60 miles from our home, the other side of Sutter Buttes which I have photographed from my back yard.  Close enough that there was no reason not to go and see for ourselves.

It is so close and so popular with birders that we met others from Lincoln Hills by chance and one of them, Jack Ferrante took a picture of Hubby and me as we photographed a huge flock of geese.

White Fronted Geese

 Geese certainly weren't the only birds we saw, there was an amazing variety of waterfowl.

Gadwall drake

Pied-billed Grebe

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler transitioning from eclipse to breeding plumage

The birds were by no means limited to aquatic species.  We saw raptors as well.  This Red Tailed Hawk was perched in a tree.

Nearby was this bird which I believe is a Peregrine Falcon.  If I am wrong about this, please let me know.  It is a first for me and I want to be sure.

There were also the usual suspects, lots of coots, a blue heron and another rookery of Black Crowned Night Herons similar to what we saw at Merced NWR.

So, you're wondering, did we see the Falcated Duck?

Yes!

I must say, he was rather uncooperative and I wasn't happy with the images I got.  When we first arrived the light was good but he was napping with his friends, some American Wigeons, on a log, his head tucked in.  I missed when he jumped off the log to go feed, when I saw him again he was so far away I had to crop the image tightly.  Later he came back to the log to preen, great poses but by then the light was low, his front in shadow.

What does "falcated" mean, you might ask.  Well, it refers to those curved, tapered wing feathers, he is one fancy duck.

We hope to return for another try but first we have an appointment with some Sandhill Cranes at a different refuge in the opposite direction.

See more of our world at Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

See more birds at World Bird Wednesday, hosted by Springman

If you are wondering where this refuge is, it's here.

Do You Know the Way to San Jose?

Urban areas are rarely a part of my world but they are part of Our World.  A recent tour of wildlife refuges found us spending the night in San Jose, California.

It is not so much the urban landscape that I don't care for but the masses of people and traffic we often encounter.  I appreciate the man made landscape.  I love the mirror like reflective quality of many new buildings.

I am not particularly enamored with the building on the right.  It reminds me of the uninspired architecture of my youth.

The building on the left is what draws my attention.  It is the old Bank of America Building.  Built in 1925-1926 it is said to be the first earthquake resistant skyscraper.

I like the detail in this Mediterranean Revival-Beaux-Arts Archeticture.  No central air-conditioning here, an eclectic mix of window air conditioners poke through the windows.

The restored Hotel De Anza, built in the 1930s, still sports its Art Deco detail.

The 25 foot high diving lady was first painted on the building in 1951 to advertise the hotel's heated pool.

On narrow city streets, sometimes the best shot of a building is its reflection as with this Beaux-Arts San Jose Building and Loan Association building.

The oldest building in San Jose is the Peralta Adobe built in 1797.  The Adobe is behind the San Pedro Square Market and I didn't see any signs indicating when it might be open for tours.

If one tires of the urban scene the nearby Guadalupe River Park and Gardens is a lovely place to relax.  The Heritage Rose Garden still had a few blooms in early December.

To see more views of our world, go to Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

Merced National Wildlife Refuge

After spending the morning at San Luis National Wildlife Refuge we headed to the Merced Unit.

While Hubby napped, I took my camera up to the viewing platform.  It wasn't nap time in this pond, it was feeding time.  It can be hard to id birds with their heads in the water but I believe we have some Dunlin and a pair of Cinnamon Teals.

Another birder called my attention to this guy, saying it is a common snipe.  I'll take her word for it.  Even with all of my field guides I am often unsure of shore bird id.  To my eye many are quite similar and the field marks subtle.  Identification often falls to a single characteristic and juveniles may not display it.

From the viewing platform my attention was drawn to a very different sight.  This cowman had roped a calf, I think he was trying to tag it.  His well trained quarter horse kept the rope tight.

Back to birding, I spotted the Cinnamon Teal with his head out of the water.  I like that splash of color on his back and his red eye.

When nap time was over, we headed out on the auto tour.  There was an amazing variety.  The Northern Shoveler picked his head up out of the water just long enough for me to get a shot of his large bill and blue-green head.

We ran into a road block.  A flock of White Faced Ibis were reluctant to leave the road.  I know, they don't have a white face but the guides say they will in breeding season.  Nearby was a huge flock of Sandhill Cranes.  They were backlit,  though and the image I shared last week from San Luis was much better.

I spotted over a dozen birds in these tules and another flying by.  What were they?

Black Crowned Night Herons, both mature and immature.

The same pond was host to a flock of American White Pelicans.

I think Pintails are elegant looking birds and this one seems to agree.  Doesn't he look self satisfied?

We saw another one floating with a flock of Snow Geese.

It was a wonderful day of birding and wildlife viewing.  I hope to return before the season is over, but then, there are a lot more refuges in California to explore.

You can see more of our amazing world by going to Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us each week by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

To see more birds, check out World Bird, Wednesday, hosted by Springman.

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge

The coast and Central Valley of California are on the Pacific Flyway, the migratory route for many species of birds.  Some birds stop and rest in California before heading further south,  others think it is a fine resort and stay all winter.

San Luis NWR serves a double purpose, it is host to many birds but more importantly it is the home of a herd of Tule Elk.

Tule Elk are the smallest subspecies of elk and native to California.  Once numbering in the 100s of thousands, their numbers dropped to 28 know individuals before measures were taken to protect them.  

San Luis was host to the first herd and now there are several more in the central valley as well as the coastal mountains and Point Reyes National Seashore.  There is also a herd in the Owens Valley which I saw often as we traveled up and down Highway 395.

The Owens Valley herd roams freely over land owned by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power so I was a bit surprised to see the elk penned in by a high fence.  I suppose it is not surprising, the farmers nearby probably don't want the elk grazing on their crops.

Since we visited in early December, the bulls were no longer with the cows.  They still have their antlers, though, they won't loose them until February.  The bull elk were near the fence where we could get a good look and poke our lenses through the wire.

The cows and calves, however,  were out in the center of the enclosure so even my telephoto lens couldn't get a very good shot.  It did look like there was one bull still with them.

There was not as much bird life as we would see later at the Merced Unit but I did get my best shot to date of a kestrel.  He flew from fence post to fence post as we drove along, keeping his eye on us from over his shoulder.

Isn't he cute?

The Ruddy Duck's blue gray bill will turn a brilliant blue come breeding season.

Several female Northern Harriers scanned the ground looking for a meal.  You can just glimpse this one's distinguishing white rump where it wraps around her flank.
We kept looking for Sandhill Cranes, we could hear their distinctive call and knew they were around somewhere.

  There!  We finally spotted a small flock.

On our way out of the refuge I spotted this belted kingfisher.  So far this is the best shot I have gotten of the species.  Actually, it is the only shot.  I've seen them several times but they are shy and fly off before I can get my camera up.

We also saw gadwalls, northern shovelers, black necked stilts, coots and mallards.  We had been told that there was a better variety of birds at the Merced unit so after a picnic lunch we headed there, about 20 miles away.


See more views of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday; hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia and Sandy.

See more of the world or birds at World Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Springman.

Who Said Birds Are Nice

Hubby and I have been away, in search of photos.  Now I have around 400 to sort through!  These reminded me of an essay we once read.  A lady, who should have known better, said people should be more peaceful, like birds.

I saw avocets feeding in the tidelands north of San Pablo Bay.

The bird on the right obviously didn't like the other bird invading its feeding territory.

Nothing like kicking a guy when he's down!

Once he felt he'd made his point, he turned and walked away.

The interloper beat a hasty retreat.

Seeing the behavior of animals is, for me, the most interesting part of wildlife viewing.

See more of our wonderful world at Our World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Arija, Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia
and Sandy.

and Watery Wednesday (thought more muddy than watery)

View more of the birds in our amazing world at World Bird Wednesday, hosted for us by Springman.

Where did I find these birds?  Here.