2019 07-06 Yolo Plainfield By-Pass
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Hot and sunny! We visited some burrowing owl holes and saw 3. One was perched atop an owl warning sign and stayed put for at least an hour; it was there when we arrived and still there when we left. Further down the road we found a pair. One of the pair members stayed around the burrow, while the other flew into the nearby orchard and came back, a couple of times.
A drive down the bumpy road towards the levee resulted in a kestrel hovering, some nice ag views, but not much more than the little falcon to photograph.
Our next location was the Plainfield area. Here we photographed sunflowers, which are not quite at their full height yet. There were some nice images of the large female flowers to be had. There were a few hawks in the area (5 red-tails, 1 Swainson’s), but no kettles or anything like we have seen in the fall of previous years. Many of the clover fields previously used by hawks are fully planted with corn or sunflowers now.
The final stop of the day was a full loop around the By-Pass. There were lots of immature rice paddies and such, but not much wildlife to report.
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Read MoreHot and sunny! We visited some burrowing owl holes and saw 3. One was perched atop an owl warning sign and stayed put for at least an hour; it was there when we arrived and still there when we left. Further down the road we found a pair. One of the pair members stayed around the burrow, while the other flew into the nearby orchard and came back, a couple of times.
A drive down the bumpy road towards the levee resulted in a kestrel hovering, some nice ag views, but not much more than the little falcon to photograph.
Our next location was the Plainfield area. Here we photographed sunflowers, which are not quite at their full height yet. There were some nice images of the large female flowers to be had. There were a few hawks in the area (5 red-tails, 1 Swainson’s), but no kettles or anything like we have seen in the fall of previous years. Many of the clover fields previously used by hawks are fully planted with corn or sunflowers now.
The final stop of the day was a full loop around the By-Pass. There were lots of immature rice paddies and such, but not much wildlife to report.
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Large female sunflower
Helianthus annuus 2019 07-06 Plainfield --001
Close up look at individual florets that make up the composite female flower, with pollinator.
Apis mellifera & Helianthus annuus 2019 07-06 Plainfield --004
Male sunflower
Helianthus annuus male flowers 2019 07-06 Plainfield --001
Two mockingbirds harass a Swainson's hawk
Buteo swainsoni & Mimus polyglottos on telephone pole 2019 07-06 Plainfield--012
ButeoswainsoniMimuspolyglottostelephonepole2019Plainfield012
One of two mockingbirds hell-bent on chasing away this Swainson's hawk.
Buteo swainsoni & Mimus polyglottos on telephone pole 2019 07-06 Plainfield--010
ButeoswainsoniMimuspolyglottostelephonepole2019Plainfield010
