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2018 FORB Welcome Back Swainson's Hawks Event by Kathy

4/18/2018

Approximately 30 people enjoyed the presentation and came away with a better understanding of our local Swainson's hawks

Another excellent and well attended event enjoyed by all who were able to be there. That included at least one pair of wild Swainson's hawks soaring overhead while we learned about these great raptors from our friends and the UC Davis Raptor Center again this year. A northern harrier, one or more Red-tailed hawks, Turkey vultures and other wild neighbors were also in the area.

Thank you to the UC Davis Raptor Center and Julie Cotton, Diana Munoz, and Joleen Maiden for coming to Sutter’s Landing and bringing Whistler and Grasshopper. We all enjoyed your most informative presentation about Raptors and how Whistler and Grasshopper came to be wonderful ambassadors from the Raptor Center.

You can see Grasshopper’s cataract that prevents him from being released

Grasshopper enjoyed being in the sun after the presentation

Whistler’s gaze

Whistler was getting hungry and had just poked at Joleen’s glove for food.

Thank you Diana and Grasshopper, Julie, and Joleen and Whistler!

It was a real treat to see Swainson’s Hawks flying above us during the presentation again too!

My first sighting of Swainsons Hawks at Sutters Landing Park this year, April 3, 2018 by Robert

4/9/2018

Spring has returned to the Sacramento Valley and that means Swainson's hawks are returning from their long migration south to find mates and nests for another season. FORB will welcome them back again this year on April 14th with what promises to be another great event you won't want to miss. Meanwhile, here are some sneak previews.

Best Wishes!

Robert

This hawk was perched when I first saw her. This tree is on the North bank and just to the right of a tall power line tower

He soon flew in and it looks like they are preparing to start a family

If they are successful this will be the first time Swainsons have nested in this location since 2014, when the Great Horned Owls took over their old nest

The 2018 Hail & Snow Day at Sutter's Landing Park! by Robert

3/2/2018

What an unforgettable day it was for the few of us who ventured out to Sutters Landing Park and for the wildlife who live there, to see the river freshly transformed into a Winter Wonderland of hail and snow!

It all started in the afternoon last Monday Feb. 26. 2018, when dark clouds formed over the green grassy mound, which made a dramatic backdrop for streaks of lightening bolts! Shortly after that, hail began to fall and increase in intensity! This was followed by a few snow flakes and a lot of memories...

Of course I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to see our stretch of the American River, freshly decked out in a blanket of hail and snow, so I slipped and slid down the trail and below are sights I’ve never seen along the river before!

Surely the elder Beavers, Coyotes, Otters and other critters will be telling stories about this day for a long time to come!

Enjoy,
Robert

Very unusual driving conditions!

The new gateway project had a whole new look with snow!

Not much action on the new bike trail today

No one braved the weather to spend time on the river

A very unusual day that won't be forgotten

Report from the Mushroom Hunt

2/27/2018

On February 11, an enthusiastic crowd followed mycologist Ryan LaPorte around various habitats at Sutter’s Landing to seek mushrooms and other fungi. While Sutter’s Landing is not the very best place for observing fungi, Ryan knew where to look and we founds lots of interesting specimens in interesting places and heard fascinating stories about the lives of fungi. Many thanks to Ryan (and his family), who came all the way from Ukiah to share his expertise and passion for these very intriguing lifeforms.

Grand Opening of Sutter's Landing Regional Park Bike Trail

1/19/2018

After much delay and under clear blue skies today we gathered to acknowledge completion of the bike trail and other features of the state grant project Friends of Sutter's Landing Park played a large role in helping the City of Sacramento be awarded.

The project came together around 2011 but delays and conflicts slowed the start of construction by 1-2 years. Meant to better establish Sutter's Landing Park as the city's gateway to the American River Parkway the project included less than a mile of paved bike trail, removal of invasive plants, establishment of native vegetation, creation of a defined staging area, plaques and more. The city still needs to construct a much needed restroom as grant match but landfill constraints, safety and maintenance concerns, and cost overruns have delayed it. Maybe next year.

The project is a compromise, at best, of the design and goals suggested by neighborhood groups and organizations but does meet the need for a basic gateway. Most of the people who attended the two community design workshops strongly objected to the idea of gabions, which now disappointingly fill the area. We hope that features that are missing or inadequate can be improved over time. Future phases should extend the bike trail eastward to Sac State, expand the size of Sutter's Landing Park and further improve adjacent areas of the American River Parkway. The recent establishment of a Lower American River Conservancy creates a means to continue and expand this type of work. Future phases will hopefully include acquisition of additional lands to the west of Sutter's Landing Park, relocation of buildings and other infrastructure away from the river and ultimately restoration and creation of more riparian/upland habitats and recreation opportunities to enjoy this unique resource.

Swallows, kestrels and other raptors were present to welcome us as always and to take in the scene today. The bright blue skies and wispy clouds welcomed all visitors. The numbers of visitors and impacts on the area have increased greatly since back when this project was envisioned. Today's visitors included a young man with a cat in a carrier on a skateboard, a drone flier, cyclocross participants and a number of other bike riders on gear able to travel in many areas not paved, dogs of all shapes, sizes, ages, health and level of restraint. A young crew of Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps was on hand to maintain the area which is in good shape now. One nearby bike rider pushed a cart with camping gear while his partner had a stroller carrying a 5 gallon water bottle back to camp. Many joggers, walkers, birdwatchers, nature lovers, thrill seekers and other types of enthusiasts are seen regularly.

One thing is for sure. Sutter's Landing Park and the project site will receive much more use and wear by all in the months ahead this year and beyond. That includes many new and recent visitors and all they bring as they come out to enjoy this very special area.

Follow a school of salmon down to the river

Rock gabions and native, but not local, vegetation

What a day to be outside, Sutter's Landing Park has some of the best sky views in the area

A large group came out to see the new gateway to the American River Parkway

Rock gabions put to an art/barrier use

New bike trail heads off down into remaining riparian vegetation instead of top of levee

A better look at the new gateway on a less busy visit

Several Red-shouldered hawks are commonly seen foraging along the trees and mound where perches are available

Kestrel keeping its back to all the activity below

Canada geese and many other species forage on the former landfill mound now

At least 5 homeless camps are along the bike trail which increases access to river

Increased illegal camping activity all along the bike trail and further upstream.

Walking his drone. Do leash laws apply?

A number of well hidden homeless camps remain in native habitat close to river

Team Otter & Sutter's Landing Park Contribute Again on Annual Wildlife Count

12/4/2017

UPDATE 12/30/17: The final count results have been posted for all 12 teams that participate in this annual wildlife count which identified 14,326 birds in 119 species and other animal species. Details can be found on the ARNHA blog site.
>>>>>>>

The 33rd Annual Wildlife Count took place on the American River Parkway on Saturday December 2nd. 2017. In recent years, Sutter's Landing Park was included in the count effort as "Team Otter" has come out early there under all sorts of weather conditions to count wildlife and enjoy another great day outdoors. This year was no different! We even had an on the water presence with Tom paddling near the group while counting wildlife, removing invasive plants, and noting illegal camp sites in sensitive habitats. It was a good year for bird and other wildlife observations as the numbers below show. There is even an outstanding question about the identify of one raptor species which might be the Black merlin seen across the river by another team or not...

Thanks to Rachel and American River Natural History Association for again coordinating teams and communication this year including making sure all the data gets into eBird where it is available to help all better understand the health and distribution of wildlife in our area. See you out there for the count next year and hopefully sooner to enjoy all the great wildlife to be observed now.

Team Otter took to the water this year with Tom paddling for a closer and better look.

Team members Robert, Brian, Jane, JoEllen, Kevin and Dale (Asli took the photo and Tom was still paddling...)

American River Parkway--Sutter's Landing Park, Sacramento, California, US
Dec 2, 2017 9:11 AM - 11:11 AM
Protocol: Traveling
2.0 mile(s)
Comments:
7 ground squirrels
3 Gray Squirrels
1 Fox Squirrels
3 Beavers
8 Red-eared Slider Turtles
1 salmon
2 feral cats
3 camp dogs on the north side
We had one observer in a canoe and 7 on foot.
46 species (+1 other taxa)

Canada Goose 41
Wood Duck 3
Mallard 20
Bufflehead 30
Common Goldeneye 36
Common Merganser 2
Great Blue Heron 1
Turkey Vulture 1
White-tailed Kite 2
Cooper's Hawk 3
Red-shouldered Hawk 3
Red-tailed Hawk 4
Killdeer 1
Spotted Sandpiper 2
Ring-billed Gull 1
California Gull 6
gull sp. 4
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon) 60
Mourning Dove 12
Anna's Hummingbird 2
Belted Kingfisher 1
Nuttall's Woodpecker 2
Northern Flicker 9
American Kestrel 5
Black Phoebe 6
Say's Phoebe 2
California Scrub-Jay 12
American Crow 11
Oak Titmouse 3
Bushtit 42
House Wren 2
Bewick's Wren 2
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 9
Northern Mockingbird 7
European Starling 25
American Pipit 3
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's) 5
White-crowned Sparrow 3
Golden-crowned Sparrow 21
Song Sparrow 2
Spotted Towhee 13
Western Meadowlark 3
Brewer's Blackbird 6
House Finch 29
Lesser Goldfinch 2
American Goldfinch 24
House Sparrow 1

Cooper's hawk or black merlin? The discussion on this bird continues and was a great sighting either way!

A Spotted towhee well camouflaged even in an elderberry without leaves

Large sleepy beaver soaking up some sun

A turkey vulture and a salmon carcass were counted (separately). The TV was hanging out with a flock of geese unlike these who have a meal...

Robert, Brian, Jane, Asli, Kevin, and Dale with Tom seen above in his beautiful canoe and JoEllen behind the camera!

What an important cause and wonderful way to spend one special day at the river each year, with the best wildlife neighbors!

Special thanks to newest team members Brian & Tom, who saw two Beavers down river where I hadn’t known them to be before, as he paddled his sleek canoe up and down the river.

Thanks to our longtime team member Jane and her “see all spotting scope!"

Thanks to our Salmon finder and group photographer Asli (missing in the top group photo but seen above) Ya!

And lastly, thanks to our eBird team of JoEllen, Dale, Tom who wrapped things up at a local coffee shop afterwards. Thanks especially to JoEllen who did another great job entering our data into eBird.

I agree with Siri who recently told me; “what would you do without me?” :)

Ya, Team Otter!
Robert

Report from Welcome Back Salmon FORB Event 10/14/17

11/8/2017

A salmon discussion

On October 14, we celebrated our annual Welcome Back the Salmon event at Sutter’s Landing Park. Many thanks to those who made it happen, including:
• A.J. Bennet for checking out the beach area
• Tom Biglione for bringing his beautiful canoe down to the river’s edge and for taking the time to pick up trash on the beach
• Laura Drath from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife for bringing her wealth of knowledge about the Salmon, handouts, games and nature examples
• Kathy Kayner, who helped organize the day

Laura informed us that the Salmon that are returning to the American River are from the drought year of 2014. There is concern that the numbers may be smaller because of that. Right now, the water temperature is between 58-60 degrees. This is just right for the Chinook but not quite cold enough for the Steelhead. Steelhead like temperatures at 56 degrees or less.

At the end of the event, a sea lion swam by to say hello.

Sea lion enjoying itself as it swam upriver

2nd Sunday Roots Of Connection Event by Kathy

9/11/2017

Yesterday, Guy Galante led a soft opening of his new "Roots of Connection" event at the Harrington Street Access near William Pond Park. This is the first of what will hopefully be a longterm series of events modeled after the FORB program at Sutter's Landing Park

Approximately 14 invited guests arrived at the American River’s edge from the Carmichael and Midtown locations. Guy outlined his thoughts and ideas as to what he is hoping to happen in the future on 2nd Sundays. He made his intent clear that this event will be going on for quite sometime and welcomes any ideas or input as to what guests would like to learn or experience in the future. He will have a new website and more information to share. FORB will network and participate in future river events like these.

We wore name tags with our first name and a favorite parkway animal/bird/insect (or plant!) as a way to meet and greet each other. Dale Steele outlined what FORB has been doing at Sutter’s Landing Park every 2nd Saturday and discussed the challenges and the rewards we face with having our events there.

It was a beautiful morning with many fellow Parkway guests who are passionate and excited for what this event will offer in the future!

Thank you Guy for organizing this event. We all wish you the best and know this program will be very successful for all who participate!

A circle of new friends sharing river stories and experiences

Talking sticks and name tags helped

Lots of fun!

There are few things Guy likes as much as this stretch of the river

Plenty of good reference material and experience is a trademark of Guy's work.

Easy to see why this popular and serene setting was selected...

Guy has a vision

Dragonflies & Damselflies Event at Sutter’s Landing 8/12/17 by Kathy

8/13/2017

FORB had our annual Dragonflies & Damselflies Event at Sutter’s Landing today. Approximately 15 people showed up in the parking lot to listen to expert Greg Kareofelas's D&D’s talk and see live Dragonflies up close.

Thanks to Greg for another great program and our City and County Park Rangers for arriving well before the event started to make sure the trails were clear for us to walk down to the river’s edge. The Ranger’s presence really made this event safe for all our guests who attended and for that I am most grateful. Thank you, all!!

I also want to thank Greg for taking the time to drive out to SLP to give his presentation, answer questions and guide children to where the Dragonflies and Damselflies were perched and how to use the nets to catch them. Greg, your passion and knowledge for these beautiful and formidable creatures was most evident and greatly appreciated by all. Thank you so much!

Here are some pictures from the event today:

Dragonfly expert Greg Kareofelas shares his knowledge and passion for these amazing insects again!

Everyone so appreciates Greg taking out the Dragonflies and allowing us to get a closer look at them

Greg always makes sure that the children are active participants during his discussions. Here he is letting this young lady hold the Dragonfly and then let it fly free.

Hmmm, lets get a closer look at this colorful creature...

Greg had instructed this little one helping her to catch this Dragonfly. The smile on her face tells you how happy and proud she was to catch it all by herself!

A close encounter before releasing this amazing dragonfly!

Swainsons Hawk Family in Midtown Report Jul 18-20, 2017 (Updated 7/31)

7/29/2017

Neighbors sharing the excitement of having threatened Swainson's hawks nesting in their Midtown backyard.

7/29 Branching behavior means it won't be long before the chick takes flight!

7/29 Flap those young wings!

FORB members Robert and Lyvonne have been sharing their informal monitoring a Swainson's hawk nest in the midtown neighborhood this summer. The location has surprised all as the parents go about raising a chick in such a busy urban area. Nearby American River Parkway/Sutter's Landing Park foraging habitat contribute to this special sighting! This has made for great opportunities to come out for a closer look using our spotting scope while not disturbing the birds. The chick still occupies this nest but should be fledging and starting out on its own very soon. This has been a great learning experience for all and a perfect followup to the FORB event last month that welcomed Swainson's hawks back to Sutter's Landing Park and the lower American River Parkway again. Some notes and photographs from these recent neighborhood experiences follow:

As of Tuesday evening July 18, the Swainsons Hawk family of “three” appeared to be doing well and the youngster has begun to tryout its flight muscles! During the time we were there with a few local neighbors, the mother spent all her time off the nest, perched at the tree top on lookout.

At about dusk, dad flew onto the nest with two crows in hot pursuit! He barely landed but he might’ve dropped off food for the youngster, because we could see it trying to swallow something laster. Dad flew away from the nest as the crowns continued after him. While all this was happening mom never left her perch. Later more crows flew by on their evening rout to roost overnight down town, but they didn’t cause any trouble to the youngster.

We plan to return to our setup spot close to the alley on 20th St. between F & G on Thursday, July 20 about 7:00. We’ll have the spotting scope setup as neighbors and passerby's continue to watch this story unfold in the tall old Midtown Redwood tree.
----->

7/31/17
Several photos on 7/29 document the chick is now perching on nearby branches and might fledge the nest this week. Maybe a friendly lottery on which day? 😉

Thanks to these ambassador birds for bringing more of our neighbors together and this update provided by Whitney who lives in eye sight of the nest, is much appreciated and welcomed.

Your FORB Neighbors
Lyvonne’ & Robert
----->
(Further viewing opportunities are likely, stay tuned!)

(followup discussion with Raptor Center staff)

Hi Robert,
Thank you for the update! Looks like the youngster's flight feathers are completely grown in. Assuming SWHA grow comparably to Red-tailed Hawks, this one is probably between 35-40 days old. First flight should happen sometime within a week, according to the literature (which suggests they tend to start flying between days 38-46). We'll see how it goes!
Thanks and best,

Julie Cotton
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
California Raptor Center
University of California Davis

💥 Yes, but a big success over last year!
Have you recorded a successful nesting in the grid?

💥 Yes but some branching images might add more interest.
As you can see it's tough getting a good sight line into the nest.
Why?

💥 Yes, we’ve had as many as twenty neighbors and passerby’s stop and look through the scope be amazed!

💥 Many have come to know their neighbors and can now go to FORB's website and connect with this special event!

Thanks R&L

💥 (Watch for a future report on this nest soon!)

The well hidden nest near sunset

Parent Swainson's hawks closely watching excited crows

Preening time

Ever watchful parent

View of a growing chick?