(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket - After the Deluge, a Visit to Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.', 'Backgroundurl Avatar_Large', 'Nickname', 'Joined', 'Created_At', 'Story Count', 'N_Stories', 'Comment Count', 'N_Comments', 'Popular Tags'] Date: 2023-01-21 Snow, Ross, Canada and White-Fronted Geese take off from a field at the Sacramento NWR. The skies finally cleared on Thursday and no rain is forecasted for the next week. I hadn’t had a chance to get out since Jan 1 due to a series of atmospheric storms that brought continuous rain more than for two weeks. The closest preserves are still closed. Cosumnes River Preserve was hit by floodwaters before New Year’s and is still flooded by the river that took out levees and inundated the portions of the south county area. Yolo Wildlife Nature Area is also under a couple of feet of water. It sits in a flood control channel and the floodgates were opened during the recent storms sending surplus water into the channel. The American River is running really high and the Parkway is underwater as Folsom Dam released excess water into the river. 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. So I headed north to the Sacramento NWR. The sky was clear with a few high clouds, but a brisk cold wind kept the temperature around 50 degrees. I didn’t see any new birds on this trip but I saw quite a few of my favorites: First, the little brown birds: Savannah Sparrow or Song Sparrow? White Crowned Sparrow Juvenile White Crowned Sparrow Saw a few wading birds: Great Egret Snowy Egret Black-Necked Stilt White Faced Ibis The ducks and geese stayed well away from us looky-loos. I did manage a couple of closeups by fully extending my Sigma 150-600 mm lens: Snow Geese in the air and on the ground. Sutter Buttes, the world’s smallest mountain range, is in the background. Snow Goose — note the orange red bill and black “smile“ lower bill Ross’s Goose smaller and bill is yellow and the lower bill does not have the black smile. White Fronted Geese Northern Pintails with snow covered Sierra Nevada in the background. Northern Pintails closeup Green Wing Teals on the pond bank flash their signature green wings Mallard Pair Gadwalls with American Coot Northern Shovelors Bufflehead hen Bufflehead Drake A little Gadwall duck drama How many duck species are in this raft of birds? Answer at the bottom. Viewed a few other assorted residents and migrants: Wild Turkey American Coots American White Pelicans and California Gulls Red Winged Blackbirds Finally, here are the raptors. Unfortunately the bald eagles did not make an appearance that day. Northern Harrier Redtail Hawk Red Shouldered Hawk This guy came out to say good-bye as we left the NWR. Mule deer near the entrance As we left, the setting sun lit the sky on fire. How many duck species? I counted 6 — Northern Pintail, Northern Shovelor, American Widgeon, Green Wing Teal, Gadwall and Bufflehead. What’s up in your backyard? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/1/21/2148240/-Daily-Bucket-After-the-Deluge-a-Visit-to-Sacramento-National-Wildlife-Refuge Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/