Team Otter Contributed Big to the 32nd Annual Wildlife Count Today!

Red-shouldered hawk "perched" on the mound

Team Otter this year included Robert, JoEllen, Jane, Kevin, Asli, Guy, and Dale. We had bright, clear, cool conditions making for great wildlife viewing. Our count numbers were up this year too. The following information was collected and contributed via eBird to ARNHA staff who are coordinating the count effort up and down the river. Team Otter did very well but did not see their namesake this year although a Sea lion was reported the following morning. Plenty of other great sightings though and the list was revised up with additional species overlooked initially. Keep watching for better much photos to hopefully be added soon. Special thanks to Robert & JoEllen for summarizing team data. 

American River Parkway--Sutter's Landing Park (updated with corrections)

Dec 3, 2016 9:16 AM - 11:16 AM
Protocol: Traveling
1.0 mile(s)
Comments:     
3 ground squirrels 
3 fox squirrels 
1 rabbit
1 peromyscus mouse sp. (being swallowed by a Great Egret)
3 house cats
7 off leash dogs 
1 red-eared slider turtle
​2 Chinook salmon
1 sea lion* (*observed the next morning after the count was completed & not included in report)
54+ species (+4 other taxa)

Canada Goose  80
Wood Duck  6
Mallard  12
Mallard (Domestic type)  2 all white
Bufflehead  5
Common Goldeneye  50
Common Merganser  2
Pied-billed Grebe  5
Double-crested Cormorant  8
Great Blue Heron  1
Great Egret  1
Turkey Vulture  4
Osprey  1
White-tailed Kite  1
Cooper's Hawk  1
Red-shouldered Hawk  2
Red-tailed Hawk  5
Killdeer  4
Least Sandpiper  1
Spotted Sandpiper  1
California Gull  3
Herring Gull  1
gull sp.  5
Rock Pigeon (Feral Pigeon)  30
Mourning Dove  5
Anna's Hummingbird  4
Belted Kingfisher  2
Nuttall's Woodpecker  5
Northern Flicker  7
American Kestrel  1
Peregrine Falcon  1
Black Phoebe  6
California Scrub-Jay  6
American Crow  13
Oak Titmouse  4
Bushtit  25
House Wren  6
Ruby-crowned Kinglet  7
Western Bluebird  2
Hermit Thrush  1
Northern Mockingbird  3
European Starling  10
American Pipit  2
Cedar Waxwing  12
Orange-crowned Warbler  1
Yellow-rumped Warbler  11
Yellow-rumped Warbler (Audubon's)  1
White-crowned Sparrow  4
Golden-crowned Sparrow  6
Song Sparrow  2
Spotted Towhee  5
Western Meadowlark  125
Brewer's Blackbird  1
Purple Finch  1
House/Purple Finch  40
Lesser Goldfinch  40
American Goldfinch  10
House Sparrow  1

Great Egret by Guy Galante, later it was seen swallowing a mouse whole

Anna's Hummingbird on a wire by Guy Galante

Chinook salmon in mid leap by Guy Galante

Male common merganser by Robert Sewell

Snorkling Merganser by Robert Sewell

Goldeneye Ducks

A stand-off? This woman had a very bad encounter with this off leash dog on the north bank that turned into a 20 to 30 minute stand off. She finally / slowly passed on after he tired of barking, by Robert Sewell

Off-leash dog "guarding" the trail from off pavement bike rider? by Robert Sewell

Better grass habitat on the mound than the last few years, by Dale

Quite a contrast in views from the mound, guess where the wildlife will be found... by Dale

The habitat used to be MUCH better across the freeway than it is now...by Dale