Luke Matthews

An exciting new project in California rice has us out counting bird nests these days. Ever wonder how this is done?

WE GIVE A HOOT ABOUT BURROWING AND SHORT-EARED OWLS

The onset of autumn in the Sacramento Valley brings the promise of impending relief from hot weather along with hints of radiant fall foliage, as well as the first arrivals of migrating shorebirds, waterbirds, raptors and songbirds that are here only seasonally.

Professional wildlife photographer Leslie Morris and her husband, Jim — an advanced amateur photographer — suggest techniques that can help any waterbird enthusiast bring home impressive photos.

WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER: LESLIE MORRIS, WILDLIFE ENTHUSIAST & COMMS. MANAGER FOR CRC: JIM MORRIS Alone before dawn, one frigid winter morning, wildlife photographer Leslie Morris was setting up her gear in a duck blind in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in Glenn County awaiting the arrival of migrating birds. She was encouraged as the shadowy outlines of birds

BIRDRETURNS ENABLES GROWERS TO HELP BIRDS The BirdReturns program compensates rice growers who create waterfowl and shorebird habitats by keeping their harvested fields submerged longer than usual. Rice growers understand that their agricultural fields are ecologically important as habitat for native and migrating wildlife, particularly waterbirds. But agricultural production cycles don’t necessarily coincide with avian

Human activity often is in conflict with nature, but in some special places certain human endeavors harmonize exquisitely with the natural environment. Such is the case in the rice fields of California’s Sacramento Valley. Viewed from aircraft, the marshy rice fields radiate the glistening rays of the sun. At ground level, though, the lush land

This fall, the California Ricelands Waterbird Foundation is proudly celebrating owls, a feathered family that encompasses close to 200 distinct species across the globe.