The sun was bright and the sky was cloudless at mid morninag when we visited the Effie Yeaw Nature Center in Carmichael, CA a couple of days ago. When a large bird landed on the riverbank, I did a double take. From the dark markings on either side of its beak, I realized it was a Peregrine Falcon. The American River was flowing swiftly behind it but it proceeded to bathe at the river’s edge with abandon. Although it is looking directly at the camera in this shot, it didn’t seem concerned about our presence and we stayed a respectable distance away. It spent almost 15 minutes enjoying its morning bath before flying off. Although it was just shaking off the water, I like to think of its wing gesture as a hello. What an unexpected treat to see this.
Yes the Falcon was waving at us. 🤣 Truly an unexpected siting. Our patience paid off. A story telling images.