Category: Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge

Expect the Unexpected

I planned my dentist trip to Dentus in Vancouver, WA, so I could spend two or three hours at the Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge. Life apparently had other plans for me; the gate was locked when I got there and discovered it had unexpectedly closed for the day. Later, we found that I wasn’t the only one disappointed but apparently no one knew exactly why it was closed.

So, what do you do when your plans fall apart, and you have three extra hours on your hands? If you’re me, you gripe a little and think of nearby places you can bird instead. It certainly helps when you’re familiar with the area, having lived there for thirty-plus years.

We ended up walking Salmon Creek, where we saw lots of skittish birds singing their hearts out but hiding from the many visitors on Spring Break. Only some brave Black-Capped Chickadees were willing to pose for shots

A small bird with a black head and white underbelly perched on a moss-covered branch.

We had to walk a little further to find the Wood Ducks that we’ve seen there on previous visits. The male Wood Duck certainly rivals my personal favorite, the male Harlequin Duck.

A colorful male wood duck swimming in a pond with reflections in the water.

This Salmon Creek pond is a bit of a miracle. I feel lucky every time I see a male Wood Duck because I rarely see them, and never see them in most places I frequent. Yet, I usually see several on this pond, and they seem so accustomed to people that they don’t fly off as soon as you point a camera at them.

I wonder if this pond serves as the local bar for Wood Ducks, the perfect place to find a mate.

A male and female wood duck swimming together in a pond, surrounded by green grass and reeds.

Salmon Creek doesn’t have nearly as many of birds or as great of variety of birds as Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, but you can find birds at Salmon Creek that you wouldn’t see at Ridgefield.

Wildlife Photography at Ridgefield Refuge

Although I was quite pleased to see all the Sandhill Cranes when we visited the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge, I was disappointed that the main fields hadn’t been flooded and there were few ducks and not shorebirds anywhere in sight. In fact, it was remarkably similar to our recent visit to the Sacrament NWR.

Leslie spent a lot of time trying to get a shot of this Red-Tailed Hawk, but the leaves made it difficult to get it in focus, and the bright light behind it made it underexposed.

A young hawk perched on a leafy branch against a blue sky with clouds.

I’m sure that I spent more time trying to salvage the shot than Leslie spent taking it, but I was happy with the final result.

This shot of a common Song Sparrow was much easier to get.

A brown bird perched on a branch, surrounded by a soft-focus background with silhouettes of flying birds.

Like the Song Sparrow, the Great Blue Heron seemed more than willing to pose for us.

A Great Blue Heron standing in tall grass at the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge.

Leslie managed to get a shot of a Northern Harrier once it landed.

A Red-Tailed Hawk camouflaged among tall grasses, showcasing its distinctive coloration in a natural habitat.

Unfortunately, I missed what would likely have been my favorite shot of the day, a Kestrel sitting on a fence post, because I was so focused on a small flock of Sandy Hill Cranes on the other side of the road.

On a good day, Ridgefield NWR is a great place to bird; on an off day, like the day we were there, it can still be rewarding if you take the time to explore a little deeper what is there everyday and not just passing through.

Discovering Sandhill Cranes at Ridgefield NWR

While in Santa Rosa, I saw several posts on Facebook showing Sandhill Cranes at Ridgefield NWR and hoped to stop there and get some pictures of my own. Unfortunately, the rain that descended on us in Santa Rosa and kept us from visiting Bodega Bay got to Ridgefield before we could.

I wasn’t too upset, though, because I knew I had a dental appointment a few days later and thought I could get pictures then. When I read the weather report the day before my appointment, I couldn’t decide if it was even worth taking a camera since there was a 70% chance of rain. I decided to take it anyway and hope that the rain would start after we had been there.

Luckily, it was just overcast when we arrived, and the first thing we saw was a small flock of Sandhill Cranes near the entrance:

A Sandhill Crane standing in a grassy area, with a focus on its distinctive features including its gray and brown plumage and red crown.

They were quite far away, but I managed to get two fairly good shots, and I was particularly fond of this one

A Sandhill Crane in flight, showcasing its wings in a natural environment.

which showed those huge wings from a perspective that I don’t remember ever seeing before.

We ended up seeing several small flocks of Sandhill Cranes on the auto tour,

A small flock of Sandhill Cranes foraging in a grassy field, with several birds pecking at the ground.

most of them at a distance, but we got much closer just as we finished the auto tour.

Two Sandhill Cranes standing in a grassy field, one facing the camera while the other is turned away.

I’ll have to admit that it’s always a thrill to see Sandhill Cranes, a bird I didn’t even know existing until I was almost 70 years old.

We’re Having a Snipe Hunt

I went to Ridgefield Wildlife Refuge hoping to see the Sand Hill Cranes that had been seen as recently as the day before.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t a single one in sight during our visit, and Sand Hill Cranes are so large that it’s impossible not to see them if they’re nearby.  Wilson’s Snipes, on the other hand, are so small and well-camouflaged that it’s very easy to miss them. 

Luckily, Leslie spotted several Wilson’s Snipe along the shoreline through her binoculars while I was scanning the lake looking for cranes.  I’ll have to admit that I couldn’t see them for quite a while despite her best efforts to point out where they were. They were barely visible even with my 840 mm telephoto lens, and it didn’t help that my camera couldn’t find anything to focus on even when I finally located one.  

Wilson’s Snipe hiding in plain sight

Judging from how people were driving around us while we were stopped, most people didn’t see them either.  Either that, or they didn’t find them very interesting.  

Wilson’s Snipe

Personally, I was fascinated by how they blended in with their habitat as they fed.  Can you see the second snipe in this shot?

Two Wilson’s Snipe

The only way I was able to get a sharp shot was to catch one with water in the background (and then adjust the exposure in Photoshop).

In the end, I was happier to get these shots than I would have been to have gotten shots of the Sand Hill Cranes because I’ve seen more Sand Hill Cranes than I have snipes.