Month: November 2016

Busy Morning for Salmon Fishermen

Wednesday, October 12, 2016, 6:30 am, 52 degrees

Leaving my house in clouded darkness, the air is filled with moisture. Water drips down my car’s windows and continues to collect after wiping them dry. Fog fills the windows as I drive in the emerging dawn toward the bridge this morning. This is my coolest morning so far. Roosters hide in their nighttime roosts, begin their morning music and suddenly stop.

I pass a large tub covered with a blanket left out on the street near the bridge. Where did this come from? As I approach the bridge in the darkness, I see a large shape settled on the bridge. As I get closer, this shape is a person bundled in a sleeping bag with suitcases and other belongings in a pile. In all my mornings on the bridge, this is the first time to see anyone sleeping on it.Read more

A Quiet Day on the River

    Thursday October 18, 2016, 80 degrees

afternoonatbridge, Fair Oaks Bridge, Fair Oaks, salmon, American River, fishing,  As I arrive on my bike this afternoon, I notice the sun has flipped to the opposite side of the bridge this afternoon as the sun travels to the western sky. The river is quiet and weather is a warm 80 degrees – a warm day for fall. Resident ducks are enjoying a lazy day at the river. Birds are gone. After their morning flyover, I see birds spending their days gathered on the river scouting for food.

A gentle breeze carries the sound of rap music from visitors gathering on the riverbank to the east side of the bridge. This large open spot on the riverbank is among the most popular “hangouts” for groups to gather for parties on the river.

Years ago, when I first started visiting the Fair Oaks Bridge. Nearly every evening for months on end, I heard the beat of bongo drums from the riverbank.

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Watching Wildlife

Saturday, October 22, 2016

As I approach the bridge this late afternoon, a large family poses for photos using the bridge and river as a scenic backdrop. The young women spend more of their time running after the littlest ones who are far more interested in running across the bridge, and petting dogs walking with their owners.

The sun hides behind a dense cloud cover. Fishermen in boats are waiting, kayaks launch and children enjoy feeding ducks on the boat launch ramp. Other people stand on the bridge watching the fisherman.

The evening always brings out people to enjoy the river and watch wildlife, boats and the setting sun from the bridge.

A few years ago various groups and individuals regularly enjoyed picnics on the bridge to sit and watch the moon rise and the sun set. I rarely see people picnic on the bridge. Many walkers, very few “sitters.”

woodpeckerRiding along the parkway this afternoon, I heard the distinctive sound of a woodpecker working in a nearby tree and stopped to watch. We may call it pecking. Officially, woodpeckers “drum.”  I watched the woodpecker at work near the top of the tree for several minutes until it decided to fly across the road to another tree.Read more

Rainsticks Really Sound Like Rain!

Tuesday, October 25, 2016, 7:15 am, 58 degrees

Despite the gentle rain, roosters are conducting their morning concert. They are still singing when I arrive. They crow hiding in trees from a distance of several blocks.

salmon, Canada Geese, American RiverPigeons circle the bridge. An egret begins its usual lone morning walk along the shore beginning at the boat ramp.  While standing at the boat launch ramp, my daughter and I see a goose with a cocked feather. We have seen this one before. We know these geese call this part of the river their home.

Ducks arrive quietly for their leisurely morning swim. Turkey vultures are sitting on the edge of branches at the tops of trees. Geese are busy eating the remains of a salmon. More Canada geese fly in. None of the waterfowl appear to notice the gentle rain as it falls on their backs and drops into the river.Read more

Waterfowl and Birds Soar Over the River

 October 25, 2016 – part two, 11 am, 68 degrees

Drizzle rain stops and starts again. Still very few people outside at 11 am. A warm rain. River is very quiet with cloudy skies and no rain. Ducks search the river for food, wings flap. Faint quacks. Canada geese change position and fly away. A cloudy sky and all is quiet. Boaters sit calmly in the water. The gentle, nourishing rain is a refreshing and welcome change.

Earlier boaters in their rain jackets have sped away heading east toward the weir positioned at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery where the salmon converge to spawn – either in the river or inside the hatchery. Birds patrol the sky. Turkey vultures wait patiently, ready to pounce on whatever has died. I find salmon heads cast off into the rocks. Soon these remains will be consumed by hungry turkey vultures, seagull or other wildlife that find them first.

ducks, American River, raindropsCanada Geese, pigeons, boat launch ramp, American River, Fair Oaks, mornings

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Great Blue Heron Meets Flight of Canada Geese

American River, sunrise, mist, morning, wildlife, Great Blue Heron, Canada GeeseWednesday, October 26, 2016, 710 am, 54 degrees

By the time I park the car, daylight has filled the sky and clouds are gone – all except a few random patches and streaks.  Have not seen the moon from the bridge for many days. Each morning there is so much cloud cover. There is no moon  today.

It is cool and misty outside. I wear a warm, hooded sweatshirt. My car windows are fogged – as they are every morning. I wipe the windows before leaving home and turn on the defroster.

On my walk to the bridge, I am welcomed by the morning concert from roosters in their usual places – hiding in trees. For the unaware visitor, it appears that trees talk. Without shaking a leaf, the roosters perch on a branch and sing. One lonely and very scrawny chicken emerges from a side street and sings a scratchy song for anyone to hear.Read more

Do Chickens Understand Rain?

Thursday, October 27, 2016, 4:30 pm, 64 degrees

American River, Fair Oaks, Fair Oaks Bridge, rain, water, ducks, mistI wander from my car to the bridge in a light rain. Despite the rain, it is a “warm,” 64 degrees. I see no boats and no birds. The determined egret still stands on the riverbank in its usual place. A few ducks scatter and swim quietly and slowly. The only sound I hear is the raindrops hitting the bridge. Water drips slowly down the frame and rails on the deck.

Today I stand alone on the bridge in the mist. Mist hangs in the air on both the east and west sides of the bridge.

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Sunrise Paints the Sky Flaming Orange, Pink and Gold

Thursday, November 3, 2016, 6:50 am, 48 degrees

sunrise, morning, Fair Oaks, Fair Oaks Bridge, American RiverThe sky is still dark with only a hint of the approaching dawn. Roosters crow limply this morning. I walk shining a flashlight all the way to the bridge. A very misty morning! Looking at the sky with a few streaks of gray clouds, the dawn seems darker this morning. The orange glow from the rising sun begins to spread across the sky. Two ducks fly east. The river is still. Hardly a ripple. Mist hangs over the river like a canopy in the distance. The coldest morning yet – a chilly 48 degrees.

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The American River closed to fishing November 1 through the end of the year. This is my first visit without fisherman lining the river before dawn.

Next week, hundreds of salmon will begin their leap into the fish ladder as spawning begins at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery less than two miles upstream to the east.

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Fish Ladder Opens!

 Sunday, November 6, 2016, 11 am

seagulls, salmon, American River, Nimbus Fish HatcheryAs I arrive on my bike at the Fair Oaks Bridge, I see a flock of 50 seagulls gather on the north side of the river. More fly in to join them.

Seagulls gather at two prime locations along the river waiting for their chance to nibble on remnants of salmon after spawning. Turkey vultures circle overhead. All looking for salmon.

The river’s resident egret flies in, squawks and lands on the smooth riverbank searching for food. The wildlife living at the American River are left alone with no fishing allowed. A few salmon jump and splash down. A warm day for riding, despite the cloud cover.

I wonder is the fish ladder open yet? I ride to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to find out. Yes! Salmon have returned home. Salmon are leaping into the ladder from the open gate. A group of salmon all already crowding the holding tank at the top of the fish ladder – the last stop before salmon move into the hatchery for spawning. Crowds of people line the fish ladder to watch each salmon leap each one level upward and capture the moments in photos.Read more

Spectacular Sunrise!

Sunday November 6, 2016 715 am PDT   615 am PST   55 degrees

I see an orange stripe rising in the sky on the east side of my front porch. I drive through Fair Oaks Village and park at the curb a few yards from the bridge entrance so I don’t miss the coming sunrise. Colors last at most 20 minutes before fading to gray.

sunrise, morning, Fair Oaks, Fair Oaks Bridge, American RiverI miss the rooster’s morning concert and run to the bridge in time to see the sunrise in its full glory of orange glowing behind the clouds – gray streaks woven with bright orange.

This is a very warm morning by comparison with last Thursday. Today is a warm 55 degrees. Now I am fully awake. Two women walkers pass me and we all enjoy the warm weather and glow of the sunrise together. Our reward for rising early. Moments later a man dressed in tattered clothes walks past me asking for change.Read more