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The Daily Bucket. Middle Fork of the Feather River by the old mill town of Sloat, Plumas County, CA [1]

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Date: 2025-04-14

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.

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I made a previous trip to Sloat on my e-bike just a few days after I first got the bike. The birding back on November 9, 2024 wasn’t productive, but boy howdy did I get one of the greatest videos of my life. River Otter in the quarry pond.

The quarry pond yesterday, April 13, 2025.

At far center left you can see quarry machinery.

The quarry is owned by Sierra Pacific Industries and the property around the quarry is not officially open to the public, but neither is it posted against trespassing so I feel comfortable being here. All I’m doing is walking around and taking photos anyway and not disturbing anything otherwise. Alas, no sign of the Otters this trip.

The River Otters from back in November of 2024:

Ah, but that was then and this is now, or now was yesterday, and tomorrow won’t wait, so let’s get back to the future. Hey! That last part would make a catchy title for a movie, I’d bet. Ya suppose anybody else has ever thought of that? Nah...

I took off this morning a few minutes after 7:00 a.m., the temperature being just below 50f out my door so I was well bundled up for the ride, including of course my safety vest.

Terrible photo, but you see how effective the vest is for making myself visible while riding along the highway. Ah yes, the highway. Dangerous at any time, but that was another reason for going out early in the morning on a Sunday: low vehicle traffic.

Obviously nothing untoward happened bicycle-ride wise (else I probably wouldn’t be writing this), so you all can unclench your toes and teeth and relax.

First stop, Spring Garden, CA, eight miles into the ride and needing to warm up a bit. I knew where there would be a sunny spot with a nice view into the bargain.

Estray Creek runs down this little valley.

I spied a Little Brown Job in the branches of a bare tree. Snapped off a few photos, not sure of what it was except that for certain it wasn’t a Song Sparrow.

Turns out it was the Northern Rough-winged Swallow, a bird that I have only seen and photographed once before.

I had decided when planning my ride to actually go past the turnoff proper to Sloat and on up to the Old Cromberg Road, which is past the turnoff to Sloat a good mile further on. This would allow me to come on into Sloat from the east, with the sun at my back, and maybe present some photo opportunities I would otherwise have missed. It was a good decision.

I leave Highway 70/89 at this point, 16.3 miles and about an hour after having left the house.

Street signs read “Old Cromberg Road” and “Cromberg Cemetary”. The truck-size warning means it. This road ends with the pavement suddenly snaking around real tight and going down steep, to Twenty Mile House, a small private resort and deluxe outdoor wedding venue with very limited road room to turn any big vehicle around. I include the link for reference, and schmaltz, because I’m just such a romantic guy.

OK, leaving romance aside and on its own and with fond memories, before I got down to Twenty Mile House I caught some birdy action alongside the Old Cromberg Road. Two fine species, not frequently observed or photographed by me:

Red Crossbill, Loxia curvirostra, juveniles

Here the crossed bill is unmistakably recognizable.

Red-breasted Sapsucker; Sphyrapicus ruber, sub-species daggetti

From Twenty Mile House a fairly narrow dirt road goes along for a good mile or two back west toward Sloat. There was a spot I stopped and took some inspiring scenic shots of the Feather River Middle Fork.

River is just off to left in this photo.

Union Pacific railroad winds along the Middle Fork for many miles east of this spot, but diverges from the river canyon just a few miles further west of this spot. Where the railroad leaves the river it (the railroad) goes through a tunnel over a mile long and heads for the route along the North Fork of the Feather River, paralleling Highway 70 down the Feather River Canyon to Oroville.

Once at Sloat and walking around the quarry pond, I spent about thirty minutes or so, walking over to the river to get the video, and hunting for more bird activity. Seen but not photographed: the ubiquitous American Robin, Steller’s Jay, and Canada Goose.

The only other; down on the quarry pond. Pied-billed Grebe.

I departed Sloat at around 10:15 a.m. and rode straight on back to the house. Well, almost straight. One stop just outside of town to give my tired butt a break, about five miles from home.

Forsythia growing wild around this small Cottonwood tree.

20.4 + 17.6 miles; 38.0 miles total. Good ride.

Left: mileage when I departed Sloat. Battery 68% remaining. Right: mileage from homeward leg; photo taken in front of my apartment. Note only 5% battery left. Runnin’ on empty again! (Sort of planned it that way, knew I’d have enough battery for the whole trip so used faster motor speed coming back home, gobbled up the charge.)

Now it’s your turn. What’s been up in your world, nature-wise.

Please let us know in the comments and include your location and any photos you’d like to share.

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