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Sunset at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Sunset at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

In return for getting a protected wetlands to winter in, the birds of the refuge do an admirable job of accenting sunsets, particularly around the southeast section of the driving tour, where the road (along with the viewing platform here) has views across the water to the west. If it's not too dark or hazy, you should be able to see the coast range, roughly 35 miles away, at the horizon. You can just make it out in this photo - if you're not on a cell phone or other tiny screen, click on the photo to see a larger version. Or look at the photo below, in which the coast range is more readily visible.

On clear days, you can also see the Sierra Nevada range off to the east, as evidenced in the bottom photo, which also features lots of geese, a hawk, a handful of American Coots, and a red-headed bird off on the right that I'm not sure about.

Geese at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Geese and the Coast Range

Geese at the Merced National Wildlife Refuge

Geese and the Sierra Nevada Range