Yolo Bypass: The Beauty of Winter (PHOTOS)

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Since moving to Davis two-and-a-half years ago, the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area has quickly become my favorite place to photograph in the area.

If you're not familiar with the Yolo Bypass Wildlife area, the entrance lies just outside of town on Chiles Road, east of the ; it is a well known bird sanctuary.

But I feel I have to preface this post by coming clean on one thing -- I'm not an avid birder.  I know, I almost feel unworthy to enter the great Yolo Bypass.  When I first visited it, I couldn't tell the difference between a pelican and a turkey vulture! Well, maybe that's an exaggeration. But I did have to invest some serious time looking up the names of the birds I had photographed. Little by little, I'm becoming more familiar with the local residents. But without fail, I see something new out there almost every time I go out that I need to look up.

But this is not just about birds. I go to the Yolo Bypass to photograph the landscape, the rice paddies, the changing seasons, the flooding, the sunsets, sunrises, the critters, and of course, the birds, which are an integral part of it all.

So while this might be a blog about one of the greatest bird watching locations west of the Atlantic Ocean, I'm coming from a different angle -- the landscape.  Of course it would be impossible and nonsensical to completely ignore the avian species -- but they will not be the only thing I discuss when I write about the Yolo Bypass.

This time of year, the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area can be difficult to access as it's purpose is to fill up with diverted overflow water from the Sacramento River.  The excess water during large rain events enters the Yolo Bypass, effectively bypassing the Sacramento and West Sac, saving them from washing away downstream.  Even when not actually completely flooded, the rain can make travel difficult through the dirt and gravel roads of the wildlife area. But this year, with the lack of rainfall, the bypass is open and even my minivan is able to travel all the roads without incident. 

My most recent trips over the last couple of weekends have produced some of my favorite sunrise photos (which happen to occur at a time of day I'm not very familiar with). I've also captured photos of the rice paddies as they lie saturated with water, devoid of rice plants during the winter months.  The large bodies of shallow water provide the perfect conditions to create massive reflecting pools.

Whether it was a day with dynamic, moody sunlight, or peaceful serene skies, I've taken some of my favorite sky photos this winter in the bypass.

I've also been fortunate enough to come across the river otters already this year. Or truth be told, I had them come across me as I was sitting patiently watching a blue heron. I included both the picture of the blue heron I was watching, and a picture of one of the otters that swam up while I was quietly sitting.

I had another exciting moment this week: A "lifer" as it's referred to (see, I'm learning proper bird watcher jargon). A lifer is a first time sighting of a bird, thereby adding it to one's list of bird's they have seen in their life -- a lifer.

I saw a burrowing owl. That's a bird I've always wanted to see once I learned about them.  I didn't realize there would be any in the bypass area.  I figured it wasn't suitable habitat with the regular flooding.  But I was proven wrong, and I got a great photo.  My kids think it looks like a penguin standing so upright the way it is.

Even though the weather might be bleak, or cold and gray, (well, or sunny and warm as has been the case quite often this winter) there is still a lot to see and do in the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area.  Don't forgo a visit just because the clouds are out. Instead, take advantage of what the season has to offer.

The photos I included in the blog post were all taken this winter. Here is a link to my Yolo Bypass Collection on Flickr if you'd like to see more of my photos I've taken there.