Easter at the Yolo Bypass Wildlife Area

Happy Easter everyone! What better way to spend a gorgeous day like today, than by doing a little bird watching! The Boy and I went out to the Yolo Bypass Wild Life Area this morning to see what we could see. The rice fields are drying up and birds are migrating back to their summer haunts. I thought it would be nice to see who has left and who is still hanging around.

Before we left, Jake spotted this giant moth on the front of the house! I need to find out what kind it is. It is definitely big!

Yesterday I got this pic of a cedar waxwing. So hard to get a picture of these guys. They are always in the tree tops.
These pictures are in no particular order. These first ones are of some White Faced Ibis. Really beautiful birds. Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.

This White Crowned Sparrow was sitting in this pretty yellow bush.
A Western Kingbird sitting on a wire. He flew off when he saw me, but I got a great shot of him in mid air.


Always popular at the Causeway, a Black Necked Stilt.
This was a lifetime bird for me today. A Sora. It is a part of the Rail family. It is very reclusive and rarely seen. Thanks to Jake we not only saw it, but got this picture.
Here we have a Snowy Egret.
Here's a bird I haven't seen at the Yolo Causeway before, a Ring-Necked Pheasant!
A very common site today, hundreds of Red-Winged Blackbirds. I did see a Yellow Headed Blackbird , but was unable to get a picture.
Male Red-Winged Blackbird.
Female Red-Winged Blackbird
This Northern Harrier was hopping out on the fields chasing something!
Lots and lots of Western Meadowlarks today.

Here is another bird in large numbers right now. The Marsh Wren.
If you look inside my poorly drawn circle, you'll make out a Marsh Wren nest
A Mallard Duck gave us a fly-by and then came in for a landing.

Now here we have a Lesser Yellow-Legs followed by what I believe is a Greater Yellow-Legs. The size of the bird is about the only difference.

I spotted this Great Egret off in the distance and was hoping he would give us a show of his beautiful plumage, but to no avail. A white morph of a Great Blue Heron.
Great Blue Heron trying to avoid us.
These guys were in the wrong spot for a decent picture, but I believe these are Long-Billed Dowitchers. With the sun still behind them, it was really hard to tell what they were other than the long bill and short legs.
Another guy I haven't seen at the Yolo Basin before, a Double Creted Commorant hiding on the telephone pole.
A Cinnamon Teal Duck, still quite a few of these guys hanging around.
A regular around the pump house at the Basin, a Black Pheobe.
And finally, some American Avocets still lounging around before migrating.

Another fine day spent bird watching at the Yolo Basin Wildlife Area.

As always, have another great week!

TVH