I ran back over to Cosumnes River Preserve again this Saturday morning, hoping to get in some hiking around the trails before heading for WalMart to pick up groceries for Barb.
I always like to scout out new territory and found the railroad tracks easily accessible - and deserted. Sandhill cranes were leaving their nightly roosting areas and flying overhead, singing their cacophonous tunes on the way. A number of them landed in the field just east of the tracks.
The bird population numbers seem way down even from last week's visit. It's warming up too soon, the fields will soon be dry and the birds will have moved north for the summer.