Hundreds of birds take to the air at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos. Opportunities to view birds are usually high in January as their numbers peak

On December 27th at about 7:30 Jay Lee loaded up his car with jackets, tripods, and camera bags and began his journey northward from the Los Angeles area where he lives. Hours of driving lay ahead of him, but he had a particular destination in mind. Mr. Lee, who describes himself as being 'into nature photography', was heading for one of the wildlife refuges near Los Banos - and he was willing to make a fairly long road trip in order to get a few hours of lens time right here in our backyard.

Once in a while you hear of people who have lived in Florida and never went to Disney World or people who have been in Wyoming all of their lives and never seen Yellowstone National Park. The tendency is to smile and kind of shake your head in wonder at how anyone living so close to such a wonderful place could go their whole lives without seeing it. I rather suspect there are people in other parts of the state and even the country that would wonder the same thing about some of us. How can we live here in Los Banos and not take a few minutes to make a short drive to see what others have to drive for several hours to see?

Los Banos is central to quite a number of wildlife observation opportunities. As you leave the city limits, in almost any direction, you will come across signs that point to some sort of wildlife observation area, preserve, or refuge. The area surrounding our town is replete with places where naturalists, bird watchers, and photographers can find wildlife in abundance. The opportunities to observe, photograph, and learn about birds, animals, and the unique habitat of this area are easily available to those who avail themselves of the opportunity.

Two of our personal favorites areas are The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and The Merced National Wildlife Refuge. Both are part of a larger unit known as The San Luis National Wildlife Complex which consists of nearly 45,000 acres of wetlands, grasslands and riparian habitats, and over 90,000 acres of conservation easements on private lands. Of course only a small percentage of refuge property is open to the public because these areas exist primarily for the protection and benefit of wildlife. The areas that are open can be astounding - and some of the good parts are even accessible by automobile.

The San Luis National Wildlife Refuge is probably best known for the Tule Elk enclosure. According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service Website, "Automobile tour routes on the Complex enable visitors to experience the diverse assortment of wildlife that call the refuges home. The San Luis NWR has a 5-mile Tule Elk Tour Route that takes visitors around an enclosed herd of over 50 tule elk. Interpretive panels along the way tell the successful story of the tule elks’ struggle against extinction." In addition there is an observation platform with a permanently mounted telescope available along the route. The raised platform looks out over the enclosure and usually the Tule Elk are readily visible.

At the Merced Refuge, the auto-tour route sports two observation platforms and several interpretive panels set up around bird observation route. There, we found Mr. Lee set up with a pair of tripods and his photographic equipment near the water's edge. "I came too see Sandhill Cranes" says Lee who noted that he had driven around the complex several times in order to find just the right spot to shoot his photographs. It's unclear if he ever was able to find the cranes he was seeking, but when we caught up with him, Mr. Lee had found an enviable spot for his photography. Lee's cameras were pointed across a calm reflective area of the marsh at a huge flock of what we believe were Snow Geese who were resting on a little green island. As Mr. Lee slowly moved between his two tripods snapping pictures of the large birds the sun was beginning to go down and the lighting was just beautiful.

According to the SLNWR website, January is a time when the numbers are peaking for geese, cranes, and ducks. So if you are looking for an opportunity to do something quiet and a bit unique this New Year's weekend, perhaps a trip to one of the local refuges might be just what you are looking for.

Getting to the refuges is easy, the following directions are from the San Luis National Wildlife Complex Website: To get to the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (where the Elk enclosure is located); Travel east on Pacheco Blvd, "Turn left on Mercey Springs Road. Continue on Mercey Springs Road (also called Hwy 165) for approximately 6.5 miles to Wolfsen Road. Turn right onto Wolfsen Road. Follow Wolfsen Road approximately 2 miles until the pavement ends at the Refuge entrance. Continue through the gate on the gravel road and follow the signs to the Elk and Waterfowl auto tour routes."

To get to the Merced National Wildlife Refuge (where the bird observation platforms are), "Travel east on Pacheco Blvd to Mercey Springs Road. Turn left on Mercey Springs Road. Continue on Mercey Springs Road for approximately 3 miles to Henry Miller Road. Turn right on Henry Miller Road and continue for approximately 7 miles to Turner Island Road (4-way stop). Turn left on Turner Island Road. After approximately 5.25 miles, turn right onto Sand Slough Road. Sand Slough Road will curve to the left and become Nickel Road. After approximately1 mile, the road makes a sharp right and becomes Sandy Mush Road. Continue on Sandy Mush Road for approximately 3.5 miles to the Refuge entrance on the right (south) side of the road."

For more information visit the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website at: http://www.fws.gov/sanluis/

Jay Lee came to the Merced National Wildlife Refuge all the way from the Los Angeles area to take nature photos on December 27th.

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File Photo - Tule Elk are usually readily visible in the huge elk enclosure at the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge near Los Banos.

If everyone in Los Banos would just take 1 or 2 hours a month to do something to help their neighborhood or their community we could truly make Los Banos the gem of the valley.

The above is only my personal opinion and I strongly encourage readers to seek out more information from expert sources. Copyright 2009