Friends of West Pond

Wood Duck hen hiding with her single duckling. Beth Savidge

Predator and Prey This vignette reveals the perils that await in the garden! The spider went hungry this time, but it looks pretty plump, so must have had some luck recently. Beth

Bees and a Butterfly Today I tested out my new camera in the pollinator garden. I found a good variety of bees that could use some identification help. When you spend the time to really look, you will be surprised by the diversity of visitors to the garden! Beth Savidge

News! The first family of Wood Ducks is on the main pond. Thankfully, the small well at the southwest corner of the pond is supplying enough water to help our birds through the nesting season. The other news is that tomorrow morning you may see a crowd at the Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden. The Yolo County Master Gardeners are coming to see the garden and the pond. Our garden team works nearly every week to make the garden a destination for pollinators and people alike. It's a labor of love.

Twelve birders spotted these 38 species this morning as we resumed monthly birding walks on the first Wednesday: Canada Goose 27 (1 pair on nest) Wood Duck 20 (+ females in nest boxes) Mallard 5 Wild Turkey 7 (courting)... Mourning Dove 6 Vaux Swift 1 Anna's Hummingbird 5 (+3 nests) Killdeer 2 (nest) Double-crested Cormorant 2 Cooper’s Hawk 1 (on nest) Red-shouldered Hawk 1 Swainson’s Hawk 2 Downy Woodpecker 1 Nuttall's Woodpecker 4 Pacific-slope Flycatcher 1 Black Phoebe 5 California Scrub-Jay 2 American Crow 7 (2 on nest) Tree Swallow 10 N. Rough-winged Swallow 1 Cliff Swallow 1 Barn Swallow 10 Bushtit 2 ( and nest) Red-breasted Nuthatch 2 Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2 Western Bluebird 1 (near nest box) American Robin 1 Northern Mockingbird 2 Cedar Waxwing 10 Pine Siskin 5 Lesser Goldfinch 4 American Goldfinch 21 White-crowned Sparrow 10 Golden-crowned Sparrow 5 Red-winged Blackbird 10 Orange-crowned Warbler 2 Yellow-rumped Warbler 8 Wilson’s Warbler 1 Join us on Wed. May 5 at 8AM for our next walk. By then, we hope everyone will have been vaccinated.