(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The Daily Bucket. Surprise snow; back to the feeders; NEW SPECIES #141 [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: 2023-04-19 One of these is my new species, #141 for my checklist of Audubon Society Plumas County Birds. Want to guess which one? Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Quincy, CA When I just happened to glance out my apartment window this morning, about an hour after it got light, I received a glistening and brilliant surprise. It had snowed overnight. I had to get out to take a couple of shots right away. Then later, I figured, I could go over to my spot where I’ve been watching the activity at a bird feeder setup and scope out any action the fresh snow fall might be kicking up. 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. Today’s tale is going to run, by the clock, sort of backwards. That’s because I spotted and photographed my new bird species last thing of the morning and I’m just champing at the bit to share it with you, so here goes. I had come back home after running out earlier (around 7:30 a.m.) to get the snow photos. About 10:00 a.m. I headed over to the bird feeders, which is about a mile from my apartment, and sat there for a little over a half-hour. My path home took me by a field which has a corner of it flooded from all the heavy winter precipitation we’ve been enjoying this year. The water can’t be much more than eight inches deep, I figure, which is good for dabbling ducks but not for the diving kind. I spotted a few, about a hundred yards over. These are the showier of those I saw, meaning I’m skipping the American Coot and Canada Goose that were also on this patch of water. A Northern Shoveler Male, flanked to left by female American Wigeon and to right by female Northern Shoveler. But what’s that hiding behind the lady Wigeon? It peeks out, I get a snap, and I’m thinking right away this is not a bird I’ve photographed before. But I have to wait until I get home to be able to i.d. it; I don’t have a cell phone. And now annotated. The new species, for me, is the Blue-winged Teal, Spatula discors. My Hansen’s Field Guide to the Birds of the Sierra Nevada says RANGE: Both slopes: Rare but regular spring and fall visitor, but very rare in winter. Favors marshes, lazy streams, and the shallow shoals of reservoirs, often associating with the Cinnamon Teal. One of the most interesting things about this bird is that it’s a grand long-hauler. All About Birds: Pairs and small groups of this tiny dabbling duck inhabit shallow ponds and wetlands across much of North America. Blue-winged Teal are long distance migrants, with some birds heading all the way to South America for the winter. Therefore, they take off early on spring and fall migration, leaving their breeding grounds in the United States and Canada well before other species in the fall. — One individual banded in Alberta was shot in Venezuela a month later. — The oldest recorded Blue-winged Teal was a male, and at least 23 years, 3 months old. He was originally banded in Saskatchewan and was found shot in Cuba in 2005. So that’s three new species for me, for 2023, previous being the Mountain Bluebird (although photographed in 2022, the photo was questionable so I’m counting my 2023 photo instead) and the Bewick’s Wren. For reference: Mountain Bluebird, March 23, 2023 Bewick’s Wren, April 13, 2023 * * * * * Now, please, if you’ve got any better shots of a Blue-winged Teal than I got, do share them with us. I wish I had gotten better shots, but it is what it was. * * * * * Action at the bird feeders this morning had the same customers as previous days, but they’re worthy of display: Evening Grosbeak Mountain Chickadee House Finch Purple Finch Dark-eyed Junco, Oregon subspecies. White-crowned Sparrow Snow photos from early in the day: The street in front of my apartment; 7:33 a.m. The main drag through Quincy, adjacent to my apartment, 7:40 a.m. Looking north across American Valley, 7:38 a.m. Looking west across American Valley, at the entrance to my usual walking path on Leonhardt Ranch Learning Landscape. 7:38 a.m. Heh heh. Going on 3:00 p.m. now as I close out writing this diary. All that sparkling fresh snow is pretty much melted off. And so it goes. Now it’s your turn. What’s up in your world, nature and changes? Let us know in the comments and as always please include your location, and photos if you got ‘em! 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