(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket - Hot Dry August Days at Gray Lodge State Wildlife Refuge [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-08-17 Last week, I took a day trip out to Gray Lodge State Wildlife Refuge north of Sacramento. After a few minutes, suburbia quickly gives way to miles of rice fields and orchards. Last year, the drought kept farmers from planting the rice fields which stayed brown and barren. With all of the rain this year, most of the fields are filled with bright green rice plants and lots of great egrets feeding in the fields. I crossed over the Bear and Feather Rivers and both were running surprisingly full for August. As I traveled north on Highway 99, I saw plenty of Redtail Hawks and Brewer’s Blackbirds along the roadside. On the way up I noticed several large flocks of Canada geese moving overhead through the valley. We have a large resident goose population but I rarely see them in flight except in winter. 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. August is a quiet time at Gray Lodge. Some of the dry ponds had heavy equipment working on restoration efforts. Others had very shallow waters or were dry with bright green vegetation carpeting the pond’s bottom. Despite the lack of water, a number of birds could be seen. What one of the ponds looked liked last February. I could only fit half of the flock of snow geese in the photo. As I stopped at the permit station I noticed several turkey vultures gliding in a classic circle. Gray Lodge charges a small entrance fee ($5 per person) to visit the wildlife refuge area and drive the auto tour. Hunters pay significantly higher fees that substantially support the refuge. Turkey vultures circling seeking a meal. I didn’t add to my new bird list but saw lots of old favorites. First my favorite hawk soaring over the refuge. Red-tail hawk on the hunt. Here is my favorite scavenger. Turkey Vulture scans the dry pond from his elevated post. There were lots of egrets and herons. Great Egret on a branch with dozens of shorebirds feeding behind him. Snowy Egrets forage in the tule rushes. Great Blue Heron lands next to the water’s edge. One of the ponds had a little bit of water that drew plenty of shorebirds. Black-Necked Stilts and Greater Yellowlegs. Short Billed Dowitchers and Least Sandpipers. Swallows catch insects on the fly as a Greater Yellowlegs forages in the shallow water. Willits and Short Billed Dowitchers Mostly dowitchers. Western Sandpipers rest in the shade on a warm day. Semipalmated Sandpipers foraging on dry pond bed. Killdeer hides behind a Northern Shovelor hen and Black-Necked Stilt. Mallard or possibly Green Teal hens rest while other birds feed in the water. Shovelor hen stretches out a wing as another hen watches. There were a few birds in the bushes and trees. English Starling found a cool spot in an Eucalyptus tree. I think this may be a Black Phoebe deep in a tree canopy. A Western Kingbird Little Brown Bird? English House Sparrow hen hiding in the tule rushes. Daddy English House Sparrow feeds the baby while Mom watches. I was surprised that I didn’t see any Coots. The resident Bald Eagles also did not make an appearance. I can hardly wait for late October/November when the ponds will once again be filled with water and birds. The bushes and trees will hold Yellow Rumped Warblers, White-Crown, Gold Crown, Song and Savannah Sparrows who also winter here. We are expecting one more day of 100+ degree temperatures and higher than normal humidity. The weather included a number of thunderstorms that set lots of lightning fires. As of yesterday, we had dozens of fires ranging from 2 or 3 acres to more than 4,000 for the Head fire. Any of these fires could blow up at any time. It’s supposed to cool down to our average low 90s summer days for the rest of this week. On Sunday, Baja California and Southern California are expected to be hit by Hurricane Hillary with lots of rain in the desert and mountains. We could be hit with the remnants of the storm. What’s up in your neck of the woods? 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