View north from the Steel Bridge - 5/30/26
In the past two weeks I was lucky enough to go over to Sierra Valley four more times! I just LOVE going over there. It's so alive with all the birds and wildlife! And the Big Sky is so conducive to wonder and peace! However, once again I don't have time to write a lot today, so I hope you enjoy the photos!
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
Sierra Valley Birds
The baby birds were bigger than they were three weeks ago but were still begging for food from their moms! This little grebette was never far from its parents or its siblings!
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
This adult Pied-billed Grebe had three grebettes that were in its care. One of them was a little smaller than these two, perhaps it had hatched a little later. The parents will feed the grebettes for about a month! After that, they will feed themselves independently.
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
The following information about Pied-billed Grebes is from the Cornell website at https://www.allaboutbirds.org/.
"Part bird, part submarine, the Pied-billed Grebe is common across much of North America. These small brown birds have unusually thick bills that turn silver and black in the summer. These expert divers inhabit sluggish rivers, freshwater marshes, lakes, and estuaries. They use their chunky bills to kill and eat large crustaceans along with a great variety of fish, amphibians, insects, and other invertebrates. Rarely seen in flight and often hidden amid vegetation, Pied-billed Grebes announce their presence with loud, far-reaching calls.
These grebes often avoid danger by submerging, crocodile-style, with just the eyes and nostrils above the surface."
The following information about Pied-billed Grebes is from the Cornell website at https://birdsoftheworld.org/.
"This grebe is seldom seen in flight, in part because it migrates by night, landing on the nearest body of water before or at dawn, and in part because it usually prefers to escape danger either by crash-diving, when it may kick water several feet into the air, or by stealthily sinking out of view. When hiding, it may remain underwater with eyes and nostrils just above the surface.
Pied-billed Grebe with a fish - Podilymbus podiceps
This adult Pied-billed Grebe caught a fish and tried to give it to its offspring, but for some reason it was difficult for the young Grebe to grasp the fish!
Pied-billed Grebes - Podilymbus podiceps
Here it is offering it to its offspring.
Pied-billed Grebes - Podilymbus podiceps
The young Grebe grabs the fish! Yay!
Pied-billed Grebes - Podilymbus podiceps
The young Grebe drops the fish!
Pied-billed Grebe - Podilymbus podiceps
So the adult grabbed the fish again and offered it to the young grebe again, and again, and again! Eventually, the little one got a good hold on the fish and was able to get a bite of it before it dropped the fish again! So fun to watch!
American Coot and a cootling - Fulica americana
Three weeks ago the baby cootlings all looked like the one in the above photo. Now, most of them are much bigger and look totally different. The one pictured above must be from a second brood, typical of American Coots.
American Coot - Fulica americana
This is what they look like now! They are mainly self-feeding now, but the parents also continue feeding the young coots until they are about a month old.
Willet - Tringa semipalmata
We drove down to the Feather River Land Trust's new bird blind to see what we could see. On the way there we passed several adult Willets on top of fence posts.
Willet - Tringa semipalmata
They were calling a lot from the posts and we thought that maybe they had some offspring nearby.
Willet - Tringa semipalmata
Sure enough, my friend Tammy spotted a juvenile Willet in the grasses!! How cool! I've never seen a young Willet before!
The following information about young willets is from the Cornell website at https://birdsoftheworld.org/.
"Both adults share in chick-rearing duties: adults lead, follow, and gather young; brood young; perform antipredator behavior/respond to predators with alarm calls/mobbing and vigilance. Brood territories defended by adults against other adults and young. Females abandon chicks approximately 2 weeks after hatching but males continue their presence with broods for at least 2 weeks after females depart. Departure of females from brood, as in most other biparental sandpipers, varies with date of hatch: females stay longer with early-hatching broods, sometimes to fledging. Males may desert when young fledge, some protect young for up to 1 week after fledging
Chicks peck and jab at vegetation from day of hatch, presumably for insect and other invertebrate prey. Not fed by parents."
Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis
To our complete delight we saw a pair of distant Sandhill Cranes with two offspring! WOW!!! I have never seen young Cranes before! They were quite a distance away, but a thrill to watch!
Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis
The following information about young Sandhill Cranes is from the Cornell website at https://birdsoftheworld.org/
"Both parents feed young and generally keep them separated, perhaps to reduce sibling aggression, but perhaps also to minimize the likelihood that one predator could get both chicks. During the first 10 days or so after hatching chicks are mainly fed bill-to-bill by parents.
Food items too large for a chick to take whole (particularly animal items) may be broken by a parent and fed in pieces. Young become more self-feeding after half grown. Food items may be dropped at the feet of young by adults leading them to feeding opportunities. Food begging by young continues sporadically until independence, although occasionally parents will offer food to the chick, even without begging. These behaviors may be more socially (parent/chick bond) or physiological (hormonally stimulated) than nutritionally necessary.
Fledging usually occurs at 7 weeks for A. c. canadensis. Juveniles generally remain with the parents for 9-10 months, from nesting through fall migration, wintering and the first spring migration."
American White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Two weeks ago, while I was at the Steel Bridge, an American White Pelican landed! These beautiful birds look huge when compared to coots and grebes! They are indeed large, with a wingspan of 8'-10', a body length of 4'-5', and a weight of up to 16.4lbs!!! The one in the photo above had a fin like growth on its bill, that indicated it was in mating form!
American White Pelicans - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Just yesterday we were back on the Steel Bridge and there were more Pelicans there this time. They no longer had "fins" on their beaks, which indicated that the mating period was over. They were fishing along the edge of the Feather River headwaters! The two pelicans above, were swimming in an amazing synchronicity!
American White Pelicans - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
This group of five Pelicans were fishing together!
It was fascinating to watch as they hunted in unison!
Black-necked Stilt - Himantopus mexicanus
Here are some photos of some of the other birds we saw. Such beauty!!!
Common Grackle - Quiscalus mexicanus
Sage Thrasher - Oreoscoptes montanus
Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris
Horned Lark - Eremophila alpestris
White-faced Ibis - Pelagis chihi
American Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana
Sierra Valley Mammals
In another area of Sierra Valley, we were super lucky to see a female Pronghorn with its two young ones! It was so amazing to see them! I have never seen young pronghorns before!!! They took off into the far distance right after I took this photo!
The following information about Pronghorn offspring is from the website at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Antilocapra_americana/.
"Females give birth to one or two fawns in the spring, typically they have a single young in their first year of breeding and twins in subsequent years. Females and their young form bands in the summer that roam over the territories of one to several males. Young are partially weaned by 3 weeks old, at which point they begin to eat vegetation as well. Most female pronghorns breed in their second year, at about 16 months old, although some females can breed as early as 5 months old. Males can breed in their first year, but rarely do because older, dominant males monopolize breeding opportunities. Males typically begin to breed in their third year.
Female pronghorns care for their young from 1 to 1.5 years after birth, after which the young will become independent. At the time of birth, the mother will consume the afterbirth to prevent detection by predators. She also consumes any excrement of the young for the first few weeks of their life to prevent detection by predators. For several days after birth young are weak and unable to keep the pace with adults, so mothers and young rest near a source of water until they gain their strength. Females leave their young in a hidden location in vegetation while they forage, but remain within two miles of them. Within minutes after birth, young pronghorns can stand on their own and they nurse within 2 hours. Within days of birth, young pronghorns can outrun a human and begin to travel and forage with their mother and other females and young in summer bands. Siblings are generally on their own until they begin to travel with their mother. Fawns play extensively in the summer herds, developing strength and dexterity. Male pronghorns do not help in raising offspring."
Northern River Otter - Lontra canadensisOn one of our visits to the Steel Bridge I watched four Northern River Otters swimming together down the headwaters of the Feather River!!! What a wonderful surprise! They were swimming fast and quickly passed under the Steel Bridge and kept going north!
Northern River Otter - Lontra canadensis
As they swam north, a tiny fish jumped out of the river to avoid them! A biologist I met, said that they may have been trying to herd fish together to catch them! Wow!!! I have never seen four Otters together at one time! How lucky I was to see them!
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Coyote - Canis latrans
On another day we happened to see a Coyote out in the valley! They are year-round residents there but I don't often see them!
Sierra Valley looking south from the Steel Bridge - 6/20/26
I am so lucky to have this beautiful beautiful valley, and all its wildlife, so close to home! Without a doubt, I'll be back soon!
What's happening in my neighborhood?
What's happening in the Lakes Basin?
Check back for the answers to these questions and more in my next blog, two weeks from today, on Sunday, July 5th!
Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!
