Indian Rhubarb reflections - Damera peltata
Despite the dry weather, the damp North Yuba River corridor was a blaze of color this past month! The Indian Rhubarb, maples, willows, alders, grasses, and cottonwoods that line the edge of the river, turned brilliant shades of yellow, orange, and red! Reflections in the river mirrored this explosion of fall color!
Reflections on the No.Yuba River
As I'm writing, a winter storm is moving in and whisking the leaves off the trees! Rain is falling, pushing the danger of forest fires away. The ground is being blanketed with leaves, and the dampened earth smells heavenly! The overcast light softens and brightens the remaining fall colors! So lovely are these last beautiful days of Autumn!
Resting maple leaves - Acer macrophyllum
Big Leaf Maple is found all along the North Yuba River.
Its large leaves, up to 24" in length, are the reason for its name!
Indian Rhubarb and White Alder reflections - Damera peltata & Alnus rhombifolia
Indian Rhubarb grows along rocky stream and river beds throughout the Sierra, up to 6,600' in elevation. The leaf stalks can be 1-3' tall! These plants grow from rhizomes that hug the underwater rocks. In fall, the leaves turn yellow-orange and sometimes a lovely salmon pink in color! The Native Americans peeled and ate the raw leaf stems!
Canada Geese - Branta canadensis
The Canada Geese are still foraging for aquatic plants along the river. At this time of year they also forage on the ground for berries and seeds. They maintain their family group throughout the year, including winter. This rainy and cold weather may induce them to migrate south for the winter. I'll keep you posted!
American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus
This American Dipper won't migrate for the winter. They live here year-round. You can see them all winter diving into the icy river! They eat mainly fish fry, aquatic insects, and snails year-round, which they catch by "swimming" and walking underwater!! They have a thick coat of downy feathers, under their waterproof outer feathers, that keeps them warm! I wonder where they sleep? In a nest? In a tree? I'll have to do more research!
California Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus californicus
Neighborhood Mammal Update!
This week I luckily happened upon an area where some deer have been spending their daylight hours!! I was following a footpath that led to a gravel bar on the edge of the river when I saw this buck (above)! He had been lying down in the willows and shrubs, but got up quickly when he noticed me!!! I have been charged by bucks in the past, so I quickly took a photo of him and left! I was so excited to find him! He was right near the area where I took that photo of the three female deer a few weeks back. The next morning I heard and saw another female bounding through the bushes in the same area!!!
Right now is mating season for our local deer. The bucks have shed their velvet, and are ready to use their antlers in competition for females. Displays and threats often prevent actual battles between males, but battles do occur. Using their antlers, bucks will try to force their competitor to the ground. The buck that loses withdraws from the mating competition. Usually it's the buck with the biggest antlers that wins! A single buck may breed with most does in its area. A doe may breed with several males.
Their antlers will eventually drop off sometime between January and March. The reason why you don't see lots of antlers on the ground in the Summer, is because they have been gnawed on and eaten by a variety of small and large forest critters! Apparently antlers are an excellent source of calcium, phosphorus, and mineral salts!
Also at this time of year, both male and female deer have put on a layer of fat to help them through the winter. They have shed their summer coat, and their thicker, shaggier, gray, winter coat has grown in. Some of the hairs in their winter coat are hollow, which makes them warmer, and more buoyant if they have to swim! During the winter they may travel in mixed groups of 15 to 30 deer.
Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargentus
I think I've found at least three different fox families in our neighborhood! One family lives near our garden. Another family lives across the road in a blackberry thicket. A third family lives farther up the road in another thicket! The one I usually photograph is the one that's always sunning herself in the dry grasses near our garden. I have also photographed that sickly one that lives farther up the road (who does look a lot better now). This week I came upon the fox that lives in the blackberry thicket across the road from our garden! It was early morning as usual and the fox was sunning itself in the morning light! At first the fox started to take off when it saw me (above), but I stayed in one spot and didn't move, so the fox stopped!
Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargentus
I stayed and had a "conversation" with the fox for the next few minutes!
Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargentus
Eventually the fox felt so comfortable with me (at a distance) that it laid down! WOW!!! Such beauty!!!
Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna
Neighborhood Bird Update!
There is only one Anna's Hummingbird down in our garden lately. Yesterday I was surprised to see him out in the rain guarding his feeder!!! He should be migrating down to the foothills soon. They begin nesting in late December, preferring dense stands of live oaks and shrubs for their nesting sites. When flowers aren't blooming they feed on small insects and spiders, or visit feeders when available. Staying up here at 2,500' in a mixed-conifer forest doesn't seem like the best place for him to spend the winter!
White-Crowned or Golden Crowned Sparrow (1st winter) possibly? (not sure)
Zonotrichia leucophrys or Zonotrichia atricapilla
The Lesser Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, and Green-tailed Towhees have all left for their wintering grounds, but the White-crowned Sparrows (below) are still here! I see them every day pecking on the ground for seeds. The distinct feature that makes them easily identifiable is their pinkish-orange bills.
I was first introduced to these lovely little birds years ago on Twin Peaks in San Francisco! Two friends of mine were studying the "dialects" of White-crowned Sparrows in several different neighborhoods of the city! Apparently, the songs of these sparrows vary considerably from one area to another! It's through the published studies of thousands of biologists/ornithologists, like my friends, that we learn about birds and their behavior!
White-Crowned Sparrows (1st winter) - Zonotrichia leucophrys
I'll let you know if these sparrows stay through the winter!
My guess is that they'll have to migrate if snow falls,
or maybe sooner if there aren't enough seeds available!
Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans
There are several Black Phoebes in our neighborhood. They are year-round residents, feeding on insects, berries, and small fish. They are in the Tyrant Flycatcher Family, and characteristically swoop from perches to catch insects in the air, on bushes, and on the ground! In winter they have less competition for food, as most other birds have migrated to warmer areas. Where do they stay when the weather is cold and rainy? How do they stay warm? I need to do more research!!
Common Raven - Corvus corax
Last winter, there was a pair of Common Ravens frequently seen in our neighborhood. Over the summer I only saw them a few times, usually on one particular section of the river. Now they're back again! I've seen them flying over, several times this past week. Ravens range widely, and don't usually remain in the same area, so it might not be the same pair from last winter. However, it is nice to see Ravens in our area again!
Ravens are omnivorous, and eat carrion, small mammals, baby birds, bird eggs, insects, acorns, grains, fish, and even garbage! The road kills on the highway are probably one of their main food sources during the winter. They are also known to store extra food in secret hiding places for the winter!
Ravens are in the Corvid Family, along with Crows, Steller's Jays, Magpies, Scrub Jays, and Clark's Nutcrackers. Of all the corvids, Ravens may be the smartest! They have large brains relative to their size, and are capable of figuring out innovative solutions to newly encountered problems! The smarter the bird, the more latitude it has to modify its inherited patterns. Some scientists consider Ravens the geniuses of the bird world!
They are also the biggest of all perching "songbirds", reaching 25" in length, with a wingspan of 4+', and 2.6 lbs in weight! (Crows are a lot smaller than Ravens, and usually live locally in the foothills and the Central Valley of California.) They can mimic the calls of other animals, including dogs and cats!! In fact, Ravens use from 18 to 64 different calls to communicate with each other! They will often feed together in large groups, but live singly or in mated pairs. They usually mate for life!
Rock Creek reflections
Rock Creek
Rock Creek runs right behind our house all year long. This past month, leaves have been falling and accumulating at rock "dams", the surface insects have left, and the trout have been hard to find! I heard the rattling call of a Kingfisher as he flashed by upstream. Although I didn't see many critters in the creek, I was enchanted by the beautiful rafts of leaves and liquid reflections!
Rock Creek fall reflections
Will all the fall leaves be gone by next week?
Will the recent rain cause mushrooms to sprout?
What is mycelium?
What does it look like?
Where do the year-round resident birds sleep?
Do the foxes go dig underground dens for winter?
What are the deer eating?
Are the Spotted Towhees still around?
Check back next week for the answers
to these questions and more!
Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com!
or
Click on the comments just below, to post a comment!
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