(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Daily Bucket - Yolo Bypass in Fall Transition [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-10-30 October is a transitional month for the wildlife refuges. The ponds that went dry in the summer are slowly filled to accommodate the incoming ducks, geese and other shorebirds. As I drove along the the Yolo Bypass refuge’s auto route, I found the early birds are hanging around the few available water sources. 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. Close-up of the pintails most are sleeping. There maybe a shoveler or teal in the group. There were a surprising number of birds despite the lack of water. White-Fronted Geese took off as I drove by. Close-up of the takeoff A few White-Fronted Geese remained behind as did some blackbirds. A number of pools were still dry. A Western Meadowlark faces the setting sun in a dry pond. A couple of wading birds either plovers or sandpipers? A Great Egret regally walks in the dry basin. Portrait of an Egret One pond is just starting to fill and a number of shorebirds found it to their liking. A Killdeer at the water’s edge with a couple of other shorebirds. A Pair of Greater Yellowlegs in one of the slowly filling pools Brewer’s Blackbirds forage along the water’s edge A Pied-Billed Grebe surfaces from a deep spot in a pond. Lots of sparrows flew around but were difficult to photograph. Can you find the bird? Zoom in and there sits a Savannah Sparrow (Belding’s) Song Sparrow singing away Black Phoebe perches on a withered plant. The Red-winged Blackbirds are year-round residents of the bypass and can be seen in large numbers. Red-Winged Blackbird strikes a pose A Northern Harrier sends hundreds of blackbirds into the air. The setting sun turns their wings to gold. We had a couple of other birds blend into the landscape. A Great Horned Owl appears to be a thick branch behind the leaves. A Barn Owl sleeps well hidden in another tree. I also saw a couple of Harriers and a Red-Tail Hawk. Unfortunately, the Harriers were too far away and I saw the hawk at sunset and could only get a dark silhouette. Red-Tail Hawk at sunset. We have great Autumn weather here with the high temps staying in the low-70s for the next week and the lows around 40 degrees. There may be a chance of showers at the end of the week. What’s up in your neck of the woods? [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/30/2202384/-Daily-Bucket-Yolo-Bypass-in-Fall-Transition?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=more_community&pm_medium=web 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/