2020 08-21 Yolo By-Pass
-
We stopped at the Yolo By-Pass Wildlife Area to inventory and photograph the wildlife as we were heading to a local produce market so we made it a dual purpose trip. Skies were very hazy, full of smoke from numerous fires around the Bay Area and north of the By-Pass. There was no wind and air temperatures were in the middle 60’s (a welcome change from the triple digit temps we have been experiencing for more than a week at home).
The refuge was empty of people except for construction workers building a bridge over one of the main irrigation canal, and the repetitive back and forth flying of a yellow, single engine, crop dusting plane. There were some dragonflies throughout the refuge, but not in the numbers we recently experienced up at Sacramento NWR.
We saw at least 6 white-tailed kites at different spots along the driving tour. During one sighting, two soaring kites interacted mid-air for a few moments. There were a similar number of red-tailed hawks, mostly resting atop telephone poles. A single harrier was seen (not photographed). Perhaps 3 or 4 Swainson’s hawks were along the drive. Two of them interacted mid-air, right in front of my lens…it was a bit nasty.
All of the rice fields are growing and most are 5 or 6 feet tall now. The shorter fields were festooned with white egrets (snowy and great white). Six great blue herons were also seen. Every time the yellow plane came through the rice fields a dozen or more egrets took flight in panic.
A lone black phoebe flew back and forth between the guard rails of a bridge.
-
Read MoreWe stopped at the Yolo By-Pass Wildlife Area to inventory and photograph the wildlife as we were heading to a local produce market so we made it a dual purpose trip. Skies were very hazy, full of smoke from numerous fires around the Bay Area and north of the By-Pass. There was no wind and air temperatures were in the middle 60’s (a welcome change from the triple digit temps we have been experiencing for more than a week at home).
The refuge was empty of people except for construction workers building a bridge over one of the main irrigation canal, and the repetitive back and forth flying of a yellow, single engine, crop dusting plane. There were some dragonflies throughout the refuge, but not in the numbers we recently experienced up at Sacramento NWR.
We saw at least 6 white-tailed kites at different spots along the driving tour. During one sighting, two soaring kites interacted mid-air for a few moments. There were a similar number of red-tailed hawks, mostly resting atop telephone poles. A single harrier was seen (not photographed). Perhaps 3 or 4 Swainson’s hawks were along the drive. Two of them interacted mid-air, right in front of my lens…it was a bit nasty.
All of the rice fields are growing and most are 5 or 6 feet tall now. The shorter fields were festooned with white egrets (snowy and great white). Six great blue herons were also seen. Every time the yellow plane came through the rice fields a dozen or more egrets took flight in panic.
A lone black phoebe flew back and forth between the guard rails of a bridge.
-
