I headed out to the Yolo Bypass to see how the birds were handling the heat. I last visited the Yolo Bypass in May. The rice fields were dry dirt and just a few birds could be seen. There was still a little water in one of the ponds with a couple of Avocets, a Solitary Sandpiper and a couple of Mallards.
The Daily Bucket is a nature refuge. We amicably discuss animals, weather, climate, soil, plants, waters and note life’s patterns.
We invite you to note what you are seeing around you in your own part of the world, and to share your observations in the comments below.
Each note is a record that we can refer to in the future as we try to understand the phenological patterns that are quietly unwinding around us. To have the Daily Bucket in your Activity Stream, visit Backyard Science’s profile page and click on Follow.
The ponds are completely dry but the rice fields have been planted and full of water. The newly watered fields brought back the ducks as seen in the title shot. I recognized Cinnamon Teals, Northern Shovelors, Mallards and Northern Pintails but they were too far to get a good photo.
Tule rushes stand in the middle of a dry pond that in the winter hosts hundreds of ducks and waterfowl
Large flocks of Red-Wing Blackbirds hung out around the freshly planted fields. I also flushed out a Ring-Neck Pheasant who popped up and flew by within a couple of feet of my car.
One of many flocks of Red-Winged Blackbirds flying over a young rice field.
The rice seedlings are too small to hold a bird so they stand on the dirt berms that separate the paddies.
This bird’s shoulder patch appears to have red, orange and yellow feathers
Singing away in the sunshine
The flooded rice paddies also attracted other waterfowl. I saw a GB Heron and Snowy Egret but they were too far to get a good photo.
An adult Great Egret hunts while a juvenile sits up on the berm. Note the bill on the juvenile.
A Great Egret relaxes in a tree.
Meadowlarks sat in the full sunshine and sang their hearts out.
A Western Meadowlark sings
As always the Turkey Vultures flew high in the skies above the refuge.
A Turkey Vulture soars above the fields.
A pair of House Sparrow hens stay cooler in the shade
A Brewer’s Blackbird stands on the concrete freeway railing above the refuge.
It’s hot, hot, hot here. Temperatures have exceeded 100 degrees everyday since Monday. The forecast is another week of 100+ degree temperatures. We are possibly looking a tying or breaking the record for most consecutive days of more than 100 degree temps.
We had major fires in the state break out burning hundreds of acres and several homes. Thousands of people have been evacuated around Oroville from the Thompson fire. In addition, there is a smaller fire near Placerville.
Hope you are experiencing cooler temps.
Happy 4th of July — here is a photo of the bald eaglets of Lake Folsom. They both successfully fledged around June 15 and have been seen feeding along the shores of Lake Natoma.
June 1, 2024
What’s up in your neck of the woods?