When I drove down to Orange County to visit family for Thanksgiving, I blew my engine going up the notoriously long steep Grapevine Grade on Interstate 5. I ended spending an extra week with family as I had my car repaired.
But it gave me an opportunity to do some additional birding. So I headed towards a local regional park that is also part of the flood control system. Carbon Canyon in the northeastern corner of Orange County offers traditional park amenities such as picnic areas, playgrounds, ballfields (baseball, soccer, football) and tennis & basketball courts. It has a stocked fishing pond that is equally popular with local anglers and all kinds of birds.
In addition there is a dam under the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers to control flash flooding. The dam prevents runoff from overwhelming the creek system by restricting water flow during heavy runoff periods. A large undeveloped nature area sits behind the dam structure with a creek and walking/biking/horse trails. Another haven for birds and native wildlife.
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.
There is a minor fee to enter the park, well worth the cost. There are a number of parking areas which allow visitors to easily access the various facilities. The developed park has wide paved paths and plenty of picnic tables and benches. The nature trails are also wide and level easy to use for those with mobility issues.
A storm system was coming in and we had increasing clouds and the temps were just below the average for the end of November. Here is what I saw that fine day. I had a couple of new to me sightings:
On and around the fishing pond:
Of course, we had raptors in the air:
In the trees and on the grass:
Finally, the other critters I saw:
I walked down the nature trail. I heard lots of birds and the Merlin app identified a Spotted Towhee and a Savannah Sparrow but I didn’t find them. A hummingbird sprinted past me so fast that all I recognized was the shape and heard the buzzing wings. I caught a glimpse of a Northern Mockingbird. I also heard frogs croaking in Carbon Canyon creek.
I’m back in Sacramento with a repaired auto running fine. We had two bands of decent rainfall this weekend and snow is continuing to fall in the Sierra. Today is cloudy with chance of showers, clearing through the week before another storm is slated to come in before the weekend.
What’s up in your neck of the woods?