Down in the Foothills

Western Bluebird - Sialia mexicana  & Toyon - Heteromeles arbutifolia

Toyon Berries!

Every year on Christmas Day we go for a hike! This year we went down to the foothills near Bullard's Bar Reservoir, and hiked on the Yuba Rim Trail. There's a dry meadow rimmed with shrubs and pines right at the beginning of the trail, and that's where we saw a lot of birds! About a dozen Western Bluebirds were busy feeding on the Toyon berries! It was so beautiful to watch!

Toyon berries form in June or July, but don't ripen until December! When they are green they contain cyano-glucosides in their pulp. When a bird tries to eat a green berry, cyanide gas is released and deters the bird! The unripened berries are also full of bitter tannins that discourage foragers! Over time the cyanide compounds gradually move into the seeds and the tannins diminish. In December, when the berries are bright red, they aren't bitter and the pulp no longer contains cyanide compounds! Approximately 20+ species of birds eat Toyon berries during winter! In addition to Western Bluebirds, you might see Band-tailed Pigeons, Cedar Waxwings, Hermit Thrushes, and Varied Thrushes feeding on them!  Foxes, Brush Rabbits, Black Bears, and Coyotes also feed on the ripened berries!

     Swainson's Thrush - Catharus ustulatus     &     Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus

Thrushes!

We lucked out and saw two Hermit Thrushes in the bushes on the edge of the same meadow!  I had never seen them before!!!  Their name comes from their solitary elusive behavior!  They are really similar in appearance to Swainson's Thrushes (above left), but behaviorally they differ.  When perching, Swainson's Thrushes are relatively still, while Hermit Thrushes flit their wings about and pump their tails!  In the summer both species eat a lot of insects, but feed on fruit and berries, including Toyon, in winter!  The Swainson's Thrush migrates south to Mexico and Central America for winter, whereas the Hermit Thrush remains in California!  I stopped by the same meadow yesterday, but didn't see a single bird!  The Toyon berries were all gone!  We were so lucky to have seen these birds a week ago! 

For more information on the Yuba Rim Trail check out their website at http://www.bylt.org/trail/yuba-rim-trail/.

Mistletoe - Phoradendron sp. & Western Bluebirds - Sialia mexicana

Mistletoe!

Another favorite food for many critters during the winter are Mistletoe berries!   Over 28 species of birds in California eat the berries, as well as gray squirrels, raccoons, pine martens, chipmunks, porcupines, and ringtails!  Sheesh!  Mistletoe plants are dioecious, with the male and female species being separate plants.  The female plants are the ones that produce berries!  Apparently mistletoe berries are so popular that some mammals and birds, including Bluebirds, actually spend the night in them!   They may do this to establish "ownership" of the berries, or for the warmth of the dense clumps, no one knows for sure! 

I looked and looked at a lot of mistletoe plants in the foothills, but only found a few of them that still had berries on them!  I didn't see any animals or birds feeding on them either.  There's another area, closer to my neighborhood, that I know has a lot of mistletoe.  I'll have to go check it out!  

Turkey Vulture - Cathartes aura - decayed beak (inset)

Turkey Vultures

While we were down in the foothills, I found a dead Turkey Vulture on the side of the road!  It was HUGE!  They have a body length of approximately 27", and a wingspan of up to 69"!!!  The body had mostly decayed and dried up, but the feathers and wings were still intact!  The feathers were incredibly beautiful!  Up close they looked like cresting waves!  I must have taken 25 pictures of just the feathers!  Such beauty!!!  Overhead there were lots of Turkey Vultures soaring around looking for something to eat.  They almost exclusively eat carrion, so road kills are one of their main food sources.  You can easily identify Turkey Vultures by their size, the splayed out feathers at the tips of their wings, and how they soar and soar without flapping their wings!  Turkey Vultures also have naked red heads!  In winter you can find Turkey Vultures in the foothills, California's Central Valley, and as far south as northern South America!  They usually hunt and feed on their own, but readily feed communally without any fighting!  In the evenings they will often congregate in large groups to roost!  

Turkey Vulture feathers!

Steller's Jays - Cyanocitta stelleri    &   Song Sparrow (inset) - Melospiza melodia

FeederWatch Update!

I've been watching our feeder now for about 6 weeks.  During the last 3 weeks, it has pretty much settled down to a regular group of customers!  The first to arrive are the Steller's Jays, usually 16 of them!  They are quickly followed by approximately 22 Juncos, 2 Song Sparrows, 2 Spotted Towhees, and 1 Golden-Crowned Sparrow!  They feed continuously until all the seed is gone, approximately 30 minutes!  I only feed them once a day, in the morning!  

It's really interesting to watch the group dynamics!  All 16 Steller's Jay are never feeding at the same time!  Usually 9 or 10 will be feeding, and then another one lands and two or three take off!  The small birds seem to eat all at once, but fly off at the slightest movement!  

It's been fun counting and observing them!  I'm happy to help the "Citizen Science" movement!  By turning in my observations, data is made available to scientists that they couldn't get on their own.  There are many websites that are set up for the input of citizen scientists!  Just Google "Citizen Science" to get started!  You'll be amazed at all the opportunities available!

Dark-eyed Juncos  (female, left - male, right) - Junco hyemalis

Cooper's Hawk juvenile (?) - Accipiter cooperii (?)
Photo by B.J. Jordan ©2017

Cooper's Hawk juvenile? 

My friend and local resident, B.J. Jordan, watched this beautiful juvenile hawk recover and fly away, after it crashed into a window in her house!!!   It took quite a while for it to recover, and she was able to take these lovely photos before it took off!

I asked a friend of mine, Walt Carnahan, who is a former president of the Audubon Society - Grass Valley Chapter, to identify this hawk.  Here's what he said.

"This one's tough. The size of the bird would be useful.  My first guess was a Cooper's. But the dark streaking is a little off color.  CA. Merlin might work.  But I don't see any sideburns.  Forced to choose I'd go with a Cooper's.  Other candidates would be a Goshawk (wrong striping on breast) or a Sharp-shinned.  Do you have a whole bird picture that is not on the ground?"

The bird was about 16" tall, but B.J. didn't get a picture of it off the ground.

If it is a Cooper's Hawk, it's an incredible hunter.  They are relentless pursuers of their prey, which is usually medium size birds such as quail, as well as rabbits, squirrels, mice, and reptiles.  With their short wings and rudder-like long tails they can "turn-on-a-dime" and maneuver easily through forests and dense thickets!  It's a rare event that a Cooper's Hawk doesn't catch its prey, unless a tree intervenes!  Almost one fourth of the Cooper's Hawks that have been examined, have breastbones that have healed fractures!  Unlike falcons who kill by biting their prey, Cooper's Hawks squeeze their prey to death with their feet!  Wow!!!

Cooper's Hawk juvenile (?) - Accipiter cooperii (?)

Photos by B.J. Jordan ©2017

Coccora (?) - Amanita calyptroderma (?)     &     mushroom - species unknown
  

Mushrooms!

There are still a few mushrooms to be found in the dark, damp, cool places in my neighborhood!  The weather forecast is for rain this week, so perhaps they will start popping up again!  My neighbor told me about the purple ones (above right)!  They really were PURPLE, but I have no idea what kind they are!  Wow!  I'm keeping my  fingers crossed and hoping for RAIN!

These tiny insects are springtails!  

Actually, they're not insects, they're arthropods!  More on that later!

There are 5 different animal tracks in this photo: deer, goose, quail, fox, and mice (woodrat?).

What are the foxes up to?

Where are the deer?

What's happening in the river?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your comments & questions are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com, 

or

click on the comments just below, to post a comment!  

Thanks!

A Year ago Today!

(The first photograph I posted on my blog!)

I started my blog a year ago today, December 23, 2016!  It's been a LOT of fun doing it!  I've learned so much this past year.  I've observed my neighborhood like I never have before, and have become deeply attached.  I've seen so many amazing local animals, insects, birds, and plants, many of them for the first time!  

I feel so privileged to live in their environment!  

I am full of bliss and gratitude!

  

During my research on natural history this past year, I have 

come across some amazing websites, most notably: 

www.allaboutbirds.org 

https://bugguide.net

www.animaldiversity.org 

www.calflora.org 

https://calphotos.berkeley.edu/ 

www.californiaherps.com. 

www.inaturalist.org 

www.flickr.com/groups/birdshare 

I've also found some incredible books: 

Secrets of the Oak Woodlands by Kate Marianchild 

The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada by John Muir Laws 

Birds of the Sierra by Edward C. Beedy & Edward R. Pandolfino 

The Hidden Lives of Owls by Leigh Calvez 

Wildflower Walking in the Lakes Basin by Toni Fauver 

The Hidden Lives of Trees by Peter Wohlleben 

All That the Rain Promises and More... by David Arora 

The Sibley field guide to Birds of Western North America 

by David Allen Sibley 

I've also enjoyed sharing my photos and info with the world! 

So far I've had 5,357 hits on my blog, from 11 different countries! Wow!! 

The most looked at post was "Fall Color on the North Yuba River!", on Nov. 4th. 

Thanks go to all of you for your interest in my blog! 

Below is a collection of my favorite photos from this past year. 

It was a beautiful year! Enjoy!

I saw over 50 species of birds this year, several of them were new to me!

I saw 14 species of mammals this year (including 4 dead ones)!  

I am enchanted with the foxes!

I saw 75 different species of insects, 3 species of spiders, 

and 25 species of reptiles and amphibians this year!

The beauties I've observed this year are countless!  

I'm looking forward to another year of blogging and studying my neighborhood!

Check back next week and learn about mistletoe, 

bluebirds, Citizen Science, and more!

Your comments & questions are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com, 

or

click on the comments just below, to post a comment!  

Thanks!

Tracks!

This past week has been clear and COLD at night, but sunny and warm during the day!  The temperatures ranged from a high of 70° to a low of 24°!  This unseasonally warm and sunny weather, has us all concerned that this might be the beginning of another drought year!  So far we've had approximately 21" of rainfall since October 1, which is about the same as last year.  Our yearly rainfall total is around 64".  So no need for concern YET!  I just hope this warm weather turns cold and rainy soon!

Due to these warm days and cool nights there's beautiful hoarfrost forming in the shady areas, in an infinite variety of elaborate designs! Frost crystals, or surface hoar, forms when temperatures are cold and water vapor is available. These frost crystals continue to "grow" when daytime temperatures are warmer than freezing. As the night air cools the snow, water vapor from the snow recrystallizes on the surface. If conditions are just right, hoarfrost can get quite large! Some of the ones I saw looked like frosted pine needles or lace collars, while others resembled intricately detailed flowers!

Sierra Buttes - December 2017

The Lakes Basin

I've gone on a few sunny but snowy hikes up in the Lakes Basin the past few weeks.  There's about 3"-5" of snow on the ground at about 6,000', and more at higher elevations.  We came across tons of animal tracks in the snow!  Some are easy to identify, some aren't!  It would have been great if I had brought a ruler with me, as the field guides use "size" as a main factor in figuring out who left a track.  The distance between steps is an indicator of the approximate length of the animal.  The width and length of the individual footprint, and the position of the toes, also helps determine which animal passed by.  Depth of the track indicates the weight of the animal, and thus its size.  

      Chickaree Tracks                          Mouse Tracks                      Grouse Tracks

Tracks in the Snow

Knowing what animals should be out and about is also a big help when trying to figure out tracks.  I know that the chipmunks are all hibernating underground, so the smallish squirrel-like tracks must be Chickarees/Douglas Tree Squirrels that are active year-round.  I only figured the mouse track out because of its size.  The prints were so tiny!  The large bird tracks must be from a Grouse, as all the Mountain Quail have migrated to lower elevations.  

       Porcupine Tracks                   Pine Cone Tracks                      Bear Tracks

The porcupine tracks were a mystery to me!  I took this photo several years ago, but could never figure out what animal it was!  This year I emailed the photo and a query to a website, www.northernnaturalists.com, that specialized in tracking animals.  They identified it as a porcupine, mainly because of the size of its pigeon-toed track!  Wow!  I have only seen one porcupine in my life.  It was up in a pine tree in the winter, in the Lakes Basin.  It was so camouflaged by the pine needles that I didn't notice it, but my dog did!  Its quills looked just like the long needles of the tree it was in!  Unfortunately I didn't get a photo, but it was great to see one!   Porcupines remain active year-round.  In winter they eat the cambium layer of trees, usually Lodegpole Pines, fir, cedar, and hemlock!  They are solitary creatures, except during mating season in the fall.  Their winter home is usually in rock crevice shelter, or a cave among rocks.  They are primarily noctural, but may be seen resting in the top of a tree during the day!  

The Pine Cone Tracks are one of my favorites!  I only saw this happen once in all the years I've been cross-country skiing!  So beautiful!  The bear tracks we saw on the Bear Lake Loop Trail, about a month ago!  Bears do not truly hibernate.  When the weather gets warm in the winter, they might come out of their dens and move about!  Hopefully these cold nights have made him go back to sleep!  He would have a tough time finding anything to eat up there, at this time of year!

         Canada Goose Track            Mtn. Quail & Deer Tracks         Mouse & Goose Tracks

Tracks in the Sand

As I was wandering around my neighborhood this week, I came across the tracks of geese, deer, mice, foxes, quail, and river otter all on one section of the river shoreline!!!  It was amazing to see the evidence of all their movements, by their tracks in the sand!  I hadn't been to that part of the river in a while, so it's hard to say if they were there all in one night at the same time (highly unlikely!), or at different times on different days (highly likely!).  For whatever reason, they all traveled on this piece of shoreline!!  I was particularly thrilled to see the river otter tracks, and the mice tracks that were all over the place!! 

            Gray Fox Tracks                   River Otter Tracks                Mountain Quail Tracks

Mountain Quail - Oreortyx pictus                Canada Geese - Branta canadensis      

Track Makers!

The Mountain Quail are still hurrying by in their startled coveys!  What a treat it is to watch them!  They never come to the area where I have my bird feeder, even though they mainly eat seeds!   One morning this week not one bird showed up at my feeder, and they stayed away all day!  I was mystified!  The next day my husband saw a little hawk watching the bird feeder from the bushes!!!  That's probably why the birds (and the quail!) stayed away!  I haven't seen the hawk yet, but I've heard his cries several times!  

New this week, four Canada Geese showed up in our neighborhood!  Maybe this warm weather has them confused!  I'm pretty sure they lived here this summer, and maybe for many past summers as well.  Not much algae or aquatic plants are growing in the river right now, but there's plenty of green winter grass for them to eat!  We'll see how long they stay when the weather gets colder!

 Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Up at the cemetery the buck with the small antlers has joined the adult doe and the young female!  They look like a family!  I'll keep watch and see if they continue to stick together!

Deer Mouse - Peromyscus maniculatus              Mouse - unknown species

  I found these two dead mice,in different parts of my neighborhood, in the past month.  In both cases, when I returned a few days later they were gone!  They were probably eaten by a fox or weasel!  Mice are prolific breeders. Their population probably numbers in the 100's in our immediate neighborhood!  However, they do not usually produce offspring in the winter when food is scarce.  They like to live in old woodpecker nests, knot holes in trees, stumps, brush piles, and even man-made outbuildings.  The nest below was built by a mouse in our greenhouse!  It is made out of our dog's hair, that I had left outside on the ground!  It looks pretty cozy!  Sometimes in the winter up to 10 mice will huddle together in a nest to stay warm!   Deer Mice will store seeds for winter consumption, but will also actively forage for insects, seeds, and berries.  They are nocturnal, along with many other critters in my neighborhood!

Deer Mouse nest made out of poodle hair!

The Fungi Foray was really interesting!  On the first day, groups of participants went out into different areas of the forest and collected mushrooms.  On the second day, the mushrooms were sorted and identified, and a several speakers gave interesting talks.  The talks ranged from Citizen Science via iNaturalist.org, raising truffles, growing mushrooms, fungi of the Sierra, and the medicinal use of mushrooms!  The variety and number of mushroom species identified was a bit overwhelming for me!  Lots of mushrooms look alike, but aren't the same genus or species!  One participant estimated that there are over 1,000 (at least) species of mushrooms locally!  Sheesh!  I'm going to stick with not eating any of them, and just enjoy their beauty!  It was a very informative, interesting, and fun Fungi Foray!

Thallose Liverwort - species unknown

You'll often find liverworts growing among ferns and mosses. I found these on a mossy, damp slope along the river. Instead of having regular roots, liverworts anchor themselves with simple one-celled appendages known as rhizoids. The little white hair-like structures on the undersides of the above leaves are the rhizoids. Liverworts have no vascular system, so the whole plant shrivels when conditions are dry. Like mosses and ferns, liverworts have spores instead of seeds. They also produce an anti-freeze in their cells, to prevent damage from freezing temperatures.

The track in the sand from last week was a Black Bear track!

The weird orange hanging droplets, pictured last week, were some kind of slime mold.

What are these tiny bugs?

How many different tracks are in this picture?

What are the foxes up to?

How's the FeederWatch going?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Your comments & questions are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com, 

or

click on the comments just below, to post a comment!  

Thanks!

Woodpeckers, Owls & More!

Acorn Woodpecker & Granaries - Melanerpes formicivorus

I had an errand that took me down to the foothills this week.  While I was there I had a short time to check out the area and got a few photos of this Acorn Woodpecker!  These woodpeckers don't live in my neighborhood, but are one of the dominant species in the oak woodlands.  Acorns are the main food they depend upon in winter.  They store acorns by drilling holes in dead tree trunks and putting an acorn in each hole!  These acorn filled trunks are called "granaries".  Granaries have been known to contain up to 50,000 acorns!   

Each granary is only used by one "family" of Acorn Woodpeckers.  It may take generations of use to create a large granary.  The families consist of males, females, and offspring, ranging from 2 to 16 members.  Usually there are about 5 members in a family.  The adults practice "polygynandry", and breed with multiple females/males.  All the females lay all their eggs on the same day, in the same nest cavity!  The whole family helps incubate the eggs and raise the chicks!!  At night, all of the family members roost in the same cavity!!  Acorn Woodpeckers are amazing!  If you'd like to learn more about them and their environment, check out this information filled book:
Secrets of the Oak Woodlands by Kate Marianchild.

Acorn Woodpecker Granary

Northern Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium gnoma

  

Owls!

I saw this Northern Pygmy Owl in the winter several years ago!  It was an overcast day, with about a foot of snow on the ground.  It was mid-day, and this little owl didn't seem to mind me coming up close!  What a beauty!  They are so small, measuring 6"-7" in length with a wingspan of 15".  Unlike other owls, Northern Pygmy Owls are active during the day, mainly around dawn and dusk!  They prey on songbirds, wrens, jays, hummers, and even quail!  They have black markings (below right) on the back of their head that look like eyes, that may deter predators or mobbing birds!  They rely on their vision for hunting, rather than sound, and lack the facial discs of nocturnal owls.  They probably migrate down to the foothills during the winter, in search of prey.  I feel super lucky to have seen this tiny owl in person!

 

 Northern Pygmy Owl - Glaucidium gnoma

Northern Spotted Owl - Strix occidentalis

Photo by Anthony James 2008

Northern Spotted Owls prefer to live in dense old-growth forests, with a closed canopy to protect from predators.  Standing dead trees are another important factor in their habitat as they are the preferred home of the Northern Flying Squirrel, the owls' favorite food!  There also needs to be lots of dead and decaying logs on the forest floor, as they provide fungus for the fungivore flying squirrels!  It's all connected!  Once a Northern Spotted Owl finds the right territory, it will usually stay there the rest of its life, unless logging or other major changes take place!  In winter they may expand their home range, but do not migrate.  In addition to Flying Squirrels, they also eat mice and Bushy-tailed Woodrats!  

Flammulated Owl (dead) - Psiloscops flammeolus

We found this beautiful little dead Flammulated Owl on our property, several years ago. A friend of mine cleaned and stuffed it, to preserve it for others to see. They are really little, measuring 6"- 6.5" in length, with a wingspan of 16". The name "flammulated" comes from their reddish flame-colored feathers.  These little owls are completely nocturnal, and are not active at dawn or dusk. They prefer to live in dense forests where their feather coloration blends in with tree bark and branches. They are insectivores and feed on moths, grasshoppers, spiders, crickets, beetles, and scorpions!  Unlike other owls, these tiny owls fly down to southern Mexico or Central America to spend the winter!  Like most birders, I've never seen a live Flammulated Owl.  Thanks go to the dedicated biologist that have chosen to study these little nocturnal owls, and have shared their knowledge with us! 

False Chanterelle - Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

Fungi!

This week we had WINDY and DRY weather, which has stopped the further sprouting of mushrooms!  The ones that I photographed at the end of last week have already dried up!  This may be the end of our mushroom season.  However, they may sprout again once the rain returns!  I'm going to the Fungi Foray this weekend, and I'll let you know how it goes!  It should be great!  Here's the info if you're interested:      http://yubawatershedinstitute.org/events/event/foray2017/

Puffballs - species unknown                        Turkey Tail -  species unknown

Sulphur Tuft (?) - Hypholoma fasciculare (?)

 Deer - Odocoileus hemionus sp.

Mammal Update!

Another new buck (above left) has shown up in our neighborhood!  The size of his antlers indicates that he is young!  The young doe (above right) is always with an adult doe.  I'm wondering what that odd looking hair tuft is on her right hind leg!  I'll see if I can get some info about that!  With all these deer around maybe I'll get lucky and see a Mountain Lion one of these days!!!

 Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Here's another portrait of my daily garden visitor!  This time it was way after dusk when I saw her.  I had to use the shutter priority on my camera, because of the low light, and for some reason only minimal color information was recorded!  I actually like the black and white image!  It's the same fox that's been around our garden for months now.  I still haven't found her winter den.  No snow fell after all, so no tracks showed me the way.  I'll just have to keep on searching!

I haven't figured out what kind of spider made that 

dew-filled web, but I will!

The Anna's Hummingbird has been gone from our garden, for about two weeks or more.  I'm glad he moved on!  It's been COLD here at night! 

I haven't figured out what kind of fungi those orange slime balls are yet.  I'll ask the people at the Fungi Foray!

Who's track is this?

What is this nest made of, and who made it?

What is this olive green plant?

What's this Gray Squirrel thinking?

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!

Thanks!