Kings River Bald Eagles

Dale Matson

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Eagle And Chick

Last year we heard about a Bald Eagle nest along the Kings River. Sharon and I began going there and I got photos of the pair nesting near some Blue Heron nests. They had chosen to adopt one of the heron nests and re-fit it for their purposes. 

But a late spring storm destroyed the nest and with it the eggs that it contained. As the Millerton eagle boat tour docent once said to me, “Eagles will break your heart.”

This year was a different story and the eagles appear to have learned their lesson. They built a sturdy nest in a Sycamore tree near their defunct nest. We have been following their progress since they began piecing it together, to sitting on eggs, to the two eggs hatching and the raising of their offspring. We began in April and it is now June. The chicks are ready to fledge and we hope it will be soon.

    I photographed them with my Sony A7R and Sony 200-600mm lens with a 1.4 TC. The photos are cropped in camera to provide more magnification.

Group Hike At The Ruth McKenzie Table Preserve

Sierra Foothill Conservancy

Dale Matson

Last Saturday Sharon and I were a part of a docent led hike of about four miles. The main focus was the wildlife with an emphasis on birds. Our docent Sue gave a brief introduction at the beginning and then stopped at various view markers to note historical information. For example, part of our hike was on the old SJE railroad line bed. The rails had been removed in the 1930s. 

Sue noted at the beginning that she had led many trips and had never seen a rattlesnake. Well, wouldn’t you know it, we did see a rattlesnake. I was mostly interested in the possibility of seeing a Golden Eagle and looking up to the bluff, I was able to see a Golden on top of a tree above the cliff. It made carrying my Sony A7R4 and 600mm lens worth the effort. I also had a 1.4X TC and could shoot cropped. This gave me about 1200mm of reach. I also had a Sony A6600 camera with a 10-18mm lens for the group and landscape shots.

The trip was about five hours total with a morning break and a shaded lunch. We were fortunate that the temperature was much lower than it had been all week and in the mid 70’s. 

I ran into one of my former graduate students Dave Weber who is also a docent for the conservancy and we did a lot of catching up. It is a relatively flat trail with about 400’ of gain to the mid-point and flat to downhill after that. We were with about 15 people and learned a lot. I have a lot of foxtails to remind me of the hike to pick out of my socks.

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Friant Road Ospreys 2021

Dale Matson

Gravel mining has gone on along Friant Road for several years. It is along the course of the San Joaquin River. There have been several ponds created and the wildlife have made many homes in the area. Fisherfolk fish the ponds and so do a pair of Ospreys. They have a nest near one of the ponds.

It is a bit of a walk in from parking along Friant Road but the birds let you sit fairly close to the nest. I hope to return when there are nestlings. 

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