(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket - Back to Carbon Canyon Regional Park [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: 2023-02-22 Acorn Woodpecker adding a new hole on a well used tree Back in Orange County last weekend to spend time with my mom. I took a couple of hours while she napped and wandered over to Carbon Canyon Regional Park. I found far fewer waterfowl but still plenty of bird action. As I mentioned the park is behind a dry dam that holds back flash flood waters when the OC area experiences lots of rain. I saw evidence (a parking lot washed out) that during the January atmospheric river storms, the dry dam did its job and held back excess water. 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 day was overcast and a weak sun broke through. There were a lot of people in the park which probably accounted for some of the fact that I saw fewer birds. Of note I think I saw both varieties of Yellow Rumped Warbler. Take a look: Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Audubon’s) Yellow-Rumped Warbler (Myrtle’s)? Here are a couple more of the little birds: House Finch on the fence about something Gold Finch hen getting water from a puddle. I met a birder in the park who suggested I head to the far side and the butterfly garden. He said it was a great place for hummingbirds. I saw several including a Rufous who was too flighty to photograph. The Merlin app identified House Wrens, Song Sparrows, Yellow Rumped Warblers and Bushtits hiding in the thick brush of the nature trail next to the garden. But I only saw the warblers. I believe this is a sleepy Anna’s Hummingbird hen. Is this the male Anna’s? On my first visit I saw a pair of Egyptian (Nile) Geese with 2 very cute goslings. This time I saw just a trio — 2 adults and a juvenile. Makes you wonder what happened to the other gosling. The Egyptian Geese 2 adults, one juvenile February 17 Egyptian Geese family November 30, 2022 Here are some of the other waterfowl hanging out near the fishing pond. Most of the birds were out of the water. Canada geese stroll along the pond’s edge. Double Crested Cormorant drying its wings as American Coots feed behind him. Two Mallard drakes sleep on the banks of the pond. A male Ruddy Duck swims on the far side of the pond I also saw a couple of squirrels. Red tree squirrel napping Ground Squirrel — You wouldn’t happen to have a spare peanut? Finally I saw two species of Woodpeckers. Here’s the first one I saw. Nuttall’s Woodpecker hen. I’ll end this with a sequence of an Acorn Woodpecker. A nice spot in the sun A great big yawn A little scratch to take care of an itch A quick look around Time for a nap in the sun Alert I heard something After a nice warm week in the 70s, we are expecting a cold winter storm to hit today with snow coming down to 1,000 ft in the foothills. What’s happening in your neck of the woods? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/2/22/2153648/-Daily-Bucket-Back-to-Carbon-Canyon-Regional-Park 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/