effie butter (1 of 1)

Last Sunday, I was able to join Pete Perez and Action Camera students at Effie Yeaw Nature Center for a morning of shooting local wildlife.

The Nature Center was established in 1976 after about 20 years of petitioning and organizing by Effie Yeaw (a teacher, a conservationist, and environmental educator) and by the general public. Effie Yeaw had been giving nature tours and educating local schools and residents on the importance of protecting the local wildlife and conserving the riverside environment.

Located in Carmichael, Ca you can find the Nature Center inside Ansil Hoffman Park. It is a $5.00 fee to enter the park and you are able to pay with a debit card. ( Important because I never have cash on me)

I arrived to the park at 6:30am. I feel like I would have been happier with the lighting and the amount of animals grazing and resting by the trails if I would have arrived about an hour earlier. The sun light was already hitting the overgrown tall grass and the animals were a bit more active than I would have liked.

Although, next time I would arrive earlier, I was still impressed by the amazing wildlife I did see.

Back-Tailed Deer

Deer (1 of 1)

Pipevine Swallowtail

nomnom 2 (1 of 1)

Red-tailed Hawk Pair

Hawks (1 of 1)

Fox Squirrel

effie squirrel (1 of 1)

Turkey Vulture

back warming (1 of 1)

We also saw several California Wild Turkeys, Canadian Geese and their goslings, hummingbirds, and I even encountered a coyote trying to attack the deer I was stalking. However, I was not prepared and more in “awe” that the tiny coyote tried to take on three deer much larger than him/her.

Tips for shooting at Effie Yeaw:

  • Get there early (I would suggest 5am in the spring/summer)
  • Turn off anything that makes noise (Camera beeps/cell phone)
  • Have a fast telephoto lens (rent if you have to – Action Camera rents!)
  • Have a camera that has decent FPS (Frames per second) to capture any action you might encounter
  • Get creative, look for more than just wildlife to shoot. (I regret looking outside the box)

I hope I get to go back ASAP. This place is in our backyard and it is the first time I have ever been there. Now, go out and shoot!!!

Here is a link to the nature center for more info:

https://www.sacnaturecenter.net/visit-us/resident-animals/

Happy Shooting,

Becky, Sales Associate

 

 

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