Because I had packed my binoculars for this trip, I asked my sister if we could go wildlife watching today. Fortunately, she lives near the American River Parkway, so around mid-morning, we set out for the Effie Yeaw Nature Center, in Ancil Hoffman Park. The Nature Center is part of a 77-acre preserve with riparian and oak woodlands, shrub lands, meadows, and aquatic habitats.

We stopped at the Visitors’ Center briefly, then headed out along the trails. Although we didn’t keep a list of species sighted, we observed quite a few. We also heard more birds than we could identify by sight. These are some of the animals we did see: dragonflies, squirrels, a woodpecker, wild turkeys, a great blue heron, deer, a jack rabbit, California quail, and wood ducks. Apparently, the coyotes, snakes, and turtles were hiding from us, though they do inhabit the preserve.