birds
Mixed goose flock, Sacramento NWR.

Part 4. The Central Valley

The Central Valley is a huge rift, separating the coastal mountains from Sierra Nevada. Its flat bottom is practically the only part of California where highways are straight and level..
thrasher
California thrasher
(Toxostoma redivivum),
Mount Diablo.
wrentit
Wrentit (Chamaea
fasciata
), Diablo Range.
fog
In winter, the Central Valley is often filled with dense fog, called tule fog by locals.
The Valley is now mostly converted to agricultural lands, but there are still some protected remains of natural vegetation - oak savannas, riparian forests, floodplain meadows, dry grasslands, chaparral thicklets and pine parklands in the foothills, and vernal (spring) pools - temporal ponds which are filled every winter by rains. Such pools are typical for areas of Mediterranean climate throughout the world.
killdeer
Killdeer (Charadrius
vociferus
) at nest,
Tule Elk Reserve.
killdeer
"Nest" of killdeer,
Tule Elk Reserve.
pool pool pool pool
Plants of vernal pools: Layia platyglossa,Downingia concolor,Limnanthes vinculans,Lasthenia burkei,Grateola ebracteata. Jepson Prairie.
newt
California newt (Taricha torosa),
Carrizo Plain.
Dozens of plants are endemic to Californian vernal pools. As the water dries out in late spring and early summer, rings of flowers on the shores slowly move towards the center of the pool. Some species of amphibians, insects and crustaceans also breed only in these pools. frog
Pacific treefrog (Hyla regilla),
Jepson Prairie.
view
Mima mounds, Central Valley.
Another interesting form of landscape are mima mounds, thought to be created by pocket gophers. view
Mima mounds, Washington.
view view view view
Spring on Carrizo Plain.
oak
Oak savanna, Central Valley
The best examples of native vegetation can be seen on Carrizo Plain in the southern part of the Valley. It is also the best place to see some rare rodents, reptiles and other animals.
plain
Spring flowers, Carrizo Plain.
pool
Vernal pool, Carrizo Plain
pronghorn pronghorn
Pronghorns (Antilocapra americana),
Carrizo Plain.
fox
San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes
macrotis mutica
), Carrizo Plain.

Some inhabitants of Carrizo Plain are extinct in most other parts of Central Valley.
bird
Le Conte's thrasher (Toxostoma
lecontei
), Carrizo Plain.
rat rat
Giant kangaroo rat (Dipodomys ingens),
Carrizo Plain.
view
San Andreas Fault and recapture lakes,
Carrizo Plain.
The famous San Andreas Fault, which separates North American and Pacific tectonic plates, is easy to see on Carrizo Plain. plain
Creek bed twisted by fault movement,
Carrizo Plain.
map
In many parts of California, San Andreas
Fault is clearly visible on the map.
geese
Snow geese (Anser caerulescens),
Sacramento NWR.
geese
Ross' geese (Anser rossii),
Sacramento NWR.
geese
Snow geese (Anser caerulescens),
Sacramento NWR..
duck
Wood duck (Aix
sponsa
), Sutter NWR.
The Central Valley is one of the main waterbird wintering areas of North America. So many birds concentrate in wildlife refuges here, that sometimes the entire sky seems to be moving, as giant flocks of geese and ducks leave them at dawn to feed on surrounding fields. The return of the bird flocks at sunset is also very spectacular. duck
Wood duck (Aix
sponsa
), Sutter NWR.
geese
Snow geese, Merced NWR.
geese
Mixed geese flock, Sacramento NWR.

cranes
Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), Staten Island.

geese
Ross' geese, Merced NWR.
geese
Snow geese, Merced NWR.
Most of the world's snow and Ross' geese winter in the Central Valley. There are also thousands of sandhill cranes there. geese
Rare blue phase of Ross' goose, Merced NWR.
stilt
Black-necked stilt
(Himantopus mexicanus),
Merced NWR.
ducks
Hooded mergansers (Mergus cucullatus), Colusa NWR.
elk elk
Tule elk (Cervus canadensis nannoides), Kesterson NWR.
duck
Barrow's goldeneye
(Bucephala islandica),
Petaluma River.
cranes
Sandhill cranes, Staten I.
Three subspecies of sandhill cranes winter in the Valley. They can be told apart by slight difference in size. Staten Island is one of the best places to see them. cranes
Sandhill cranes, Staten I.
birds
Winter evening in Sacramento NWR.

Part 5: The Bay Area
Back to Part 3

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