There's a LOT going on!

Bullock's Oriole - Icterus bullockii

The daylight hours are increasing, the temperatures are warming up, plants are blooming, trees and shrubs are leafing out, birds are arriving and making nests, reptiles and amphibians are waking up from their winter sleep, and insects are flying and crawling everywhere!  It has become a noisy, active neighborhood once again!  There is so much to watch and study!  

I was so excited to see this male Bullock's Oriole (above) in the top of a Locust tree this week.  It's the same tree that a male Bullock's Oriole perched in last Spring and Summer.  I'll bet he's the same bird!  He has flown here from his winter home in Mexico, approximately 3,000 miles!  The females should arrive in a week or so, just in time for the leafing out and blossoming of the Black Locusts.  Although many birds migrate during the day, Bullock's Orioles migrate at night and use the stars for navigation!!!  Last year, I watched five different active Bullock's Oriole nests in our neighborhood.  Hopefully there will be just as many nests this year. 

Evening Grosbeaks  -  Coccothraustes vespertinus

(male)                                (female) 

The Evening Grosbeaks arrived this week as well!  I counted 10 of them on our bird feeders!  These beautiful birds live year-round across Canada, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and the northeastern part of California.  In winter, they can also be found  throughout the United States, but not in large numbers.  They might nest in our neighborhood this spring, but will probably move up to the Upper Conifer Zone (between 6,000' and 8,000' in elevation), where there are Red Firs, Ponderosa Pines, and lots of ripe cones.  We are enjoying their visit to our neighborhood!   The coloration of the males is so striking!  They chatter all the time, and amicably share the feeders with the Black-headed Grosbeaks!

Purple Finch or House Finch - Carpodacus purpureus or mexicanus

(male)                                                      (female)

This pair of finches stopped by this week at our feeder!  I'm not sure if they're Purple Finches or House Finches, but the males are lovely with their strawberry red feathers.  They usually travel in flocks, but I only saw this pair.  They are year-round residents in California, and migrate short distances in winter.  They nest in a wide variety of habitats from chaparral to coniferous forests, so they might nest in our neighborhood.  Purple Finches eat tree buds, berries, fruit, seeds and insects.  House Finches don't eat insects.  They eat grains, seeds, fruits, and berries.

Rufous Hummingbird (male) - Selasphorus rufus

One evening this week I noticed this gorgeous male Rufus Hummingbird at our feeders!  He was busy keeping other hummers from feeding!  He won't be staying long in our neighborhood, as he is on his way to his breeding ground somewhere in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, northwest Canada, or southern Alaska!  They spend their winters in Mexico, and travel up to 3,900 miles to their breeding ground!  WOW!!!  They not only drink nectar but "hawk" insects in midair, for protein to rebuild their muscle mass!  Hopefully we'll see him again this fall, on his return trip to Mexico!

   

Scrub Jay - Aphelocoma californica

The Scrub Jay that's been hanging out near our garden for the past 3 weeks, isn't around anymore.  I hope he went back down to the oak woodlands, where they usually live.  It was fun watching him while he was here!  Every morning, he would be off by himself down at one end of our property, foraging on the ground.  He seemed kind of shy!  Eventually he tried eating at our feeders, but usually flew away when other birds landed. I miss seeing him, but hopefully he's happy eating acorns down in the foothills!  They don't swallow acorns whole, like Pigeons do.  They hold the acorn between their feet and hammer on it with their bill to get to the nut inside! 

Northwestern fence lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis occidentalis

Mountain Garter Snake - Thamnophis elegans elegans

Reptile Report!

With the temperatures warming up, the cold-blooded lizards and snakes have become active.  They are out mating and looking for food!  The Fence Lizard eats spiders, scorpions, centipedes, beetles, flies, wasps, ants, and sometimes buds and leaves.  The Garter Snake eats amphibians and their larvae, fish, birds, mice, lizards, snakes, worms, leeches, slugs and snails.  Both of them produce eggs.  The lizard buries the eggs in the ground (oviparous), whereas the snake carries the eggs internally until they hatch (ovoviviparous).  Another difference is that lizards can blink but snakes can't!  Neither snake nor lizard can "talk", although some snakes do hiss.  Most communication between lizards is in the form of body language!

Morels - Morchella sp.

Spring Mushrooms!

Just like last spring, the Morel mushrooms have popped up!  There's one shady, damp section of our property that usually has morels.  This year I counted six of them, last year I think I saw twice as many.  I might be a little early, so I'll check back again in a week or so.  The spores are found on the walls of the honey-combed exterior. They are hard to see in the forest, because they camouflage so well in the decaying leaf litter.  When you finally see one, you will probably see a lot more that you hadn't noticed before!  The first morels I ever found, were in a burnt out forest.  Everything was black and brown and it didn't look like anything was growing there at all.  Then I found one morel, and all of a sudden they were visible everywhere!  I had overlooked about 50 of them!  Go out and try it, it's fun and now is the time to do it!

North Table Mountain 4/17/18

North Table Mountain

About 10 days ago, I went to North Table Mountain with some friends to see the spring wildflowers.  It was incredibly beautiful!!  Table Mountain is a flat topped butte, next to the town of Oroville, Ca.  The top of it is capped by an ancient lava flow.  It is one of the few places in California that has never been impacted by agriculture.  Some cattle are allowed to graze there in the wet months, but apparently cause little impact on the native wildflowers.  It became an ecological preserve in 1993, when Francis Carmichael, a local rancher, sold 3,315 acres of it to the State of California, to be managed by the California Department of Fish and Game.  Now it is open to the public.  There are a few footpaths you can follow, but usually we just amble across the reserve through acres of wildflowers that are ribboned with small streams.  Go there if you can, before it dries up!  It is well worth the drive! 

In this time of year the wildflower bloom is spectacular!  Great swaths  of yellow, blue, magenta, and white cover the 3,000+ acres of the preserve.  Several hundred species of wildflowers thrive on North Table Mountain.  Above are just a few of the beauties we saw!   Take a hand lens with you.  The beauty of flowers on the microscopic level is astonishing, amazing, and something you have got to see!

        Lark Sparrow -  Chipping Sparrow (?) - Savannah Sparrow (?)

Chondestes grammacus - Spizella passerina - Passerculus sandwichensis

Table Mountain also has a variety of resident birds to watch!  Along the edge of the butte, small streams and forested ravines have formed on the steep slopes.  Many birds prefer to live in areas with this combination of forest and grassland.  We saw some Horned Larks at a distance, and the sparrows pictured above.  I am just a beginning birder, so I'm not good at identifying sparrows.  I am going to try the Merlin Bird Finder app., that is offered free through Cornell University, to figure out these sparrows.  The Lark Sparrow is correct.  Its markings are so distinct and colorful, it's easy to identify!  The other two are my best guesses. 

Interior Live Oak - male catkins - Quercus wislizenii

Blooming Trees!

Almost all of the deciduous trees in the area are blooming!  They don't have blossoms like cherry trees but they have an amazing variety of pale yellow-green to reddish, flowering male catkins.  The accompanying female flowers are usually some type of small bud, but not always.  The male catkins are so elegant!  Check out the trees in your neighborhood, and I'll bet you will be astounded at their blossoming beauty!

Black Oak - male catkins - Quercus kellogii

Shadows on Snow

Lakes Basin Update!

The last time I was in the Lakes Basin was about two weeks ago!  There was still a good foot or two of snow in the shady areas, but not much in the sunny sections.  We hiked to Volcano Lake on mostly bare ground, except for the last 3/4's of a mile, which had more than a foot of snow.  The lake was totally frozen, but the sun was warm on our backs.  It was gorgeous!  I'm going up again tomorrow, and I'll bet a lot more of the snow has melted.  I have heard that the Gold Lake Road is all plowed and open now.  That opens up a lot of hiking possibilities!  Yahoo!

Volcano Lake - 4/13/18

What kind of tree is this?

Where are the deer?

 Whose nest is this?

What's happening down at the river?

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated.

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Thanks!

Earth Day!

Check back next week for the latest North Yuba Naturalist News!

Thanks!

An Incredible Morning!

Hooded Oriole - Icterus cucullatus

Orioles!

On Thursday morning, I went down to refill our bird feeders and saw this unbelievably beautiful bird on one of the hummingbird feeders!  WOW!!!  I was so excited!  I took a bunch of pictures, and then went and looked it up in my field guide.  It turned out to be a Hooded Oriole, which I have never seen before!  Apparently I was super lucky to have seen it, as this is not its usual habitat!  

Hooded Oriole - Icterus cucullatus

When I went back down to the feeders there were TWO brightly colored birds!  At first I thought the second bird must be another Hooded Oriole, but it turned out to be a male Bullock's Oriole!  The two orioles were taking turns at the hummingbird feeder!!!

The one at the feeder in the picture below is a Bullock's Oriole, and the one waiting for a turn is the Hooded Oriole!  After the Bullock's Oriole finished he took off, and the Hooded Oriole took his place!  It was unbelievable!!!

Bullock's Oriole on feeder while Hooded Oriole awaits turn!

I am so curious as to why and how they showed up here together!  Both the Hooded Oriole and the Bullock's Oriole overwinter in southern Mexico, and sometimes as far south as Costa Rica!  They have flown approximately 3,000 miles from their winter habitat to our neighborhood!!!  Literature states that the Hooded Oriole has been known to have an agonistic (combative) relationship with Bullock's Orioles.  They have also been known to nest and forage for food near each other!  These two look like they're cooperating with each other!  It's all so intriguing and amazing!

Hooded Oriole (male) - Icterus cucullatus      Bullock's Oriole (male) - Icterus bullockii

Bullock's Orioles nest in our neighborhood every year.  This is their normal habitat.  Typically, males arrive in mid-April, a week or two ahead of the females.  They seem to prefer the Black Locust trees for their nesting sites.  The male above was the first one I've seen this year!  More of them should be arriving soon!

At this time of year, Hooded Orioles are common in north-western Mexico, parts of the American southwest, as well as the coast and southern end of California.   Riparian areas that have palm trees are their preferred habitat.  Palm frond fibers are their usual nesting material.  If there aren't any palm trees available, they will also nest in cottonwoods or sycamores.  They eat large insects, nectar, and fruit, and often feed at hummingbird feeders.  Apparently the range of these orioles has expanded into suburban areas and ranches in the foothills of the Sierra, where palms have been planted.  We don't have any palm trees in our neighborhood, but there are a few cottonwood trees. 

Both of these orioles hung around for most of the day on Thursday, but I haven't seen them since.  The Bullock's Oriole should stay and nest in our neighborhood.  Will the Hooded Oriole nest in the local Cottonwoods?  Hopefully next week I'll have more oriole tales to relate!  I feel so privileged to have seen these two extraordinary birds together at our feeder!  

Black-headed Grosbeaks (female - left, male - right) - Pheucticus melanocephalus

These Black-headed Grosbeaks also showed up last Thursday!  They too have migrated thousands of miles from their winter habitat in southern Mexico to our neighborhood.  Every year, they breed and nest in this area.  Seeds, fruits, and insects are their preferred food.  Last year I only found one of their nests, even though there were approximately 40 of them coming to our sunflower seed feeders!  Hopefully I'll find more nests this year! 

California Scrub Jay - Aphelocoma californica

This Scrub Jay also showed up last Thursday!  He appeared in our garden in the late afternoon, and is still in the area today (Sunday).  Scrub Jays aren't usually seen in our neighborhood!  They prefer to live in the oak woodlands of the foothills, where there are plenty of acorns to eat!  They also like sunflower seeds, and there are plenty of them in our feeders.  It will be interesting to see if it stays in the area! 

       Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus      Downy Woodpecker - Picoides pubescens 

(both males)

Also on Thursday, while I was watching the orioles and grosbeaks, a Downy Woodpecker landed in the top of an Alder tree near our garden!!!  You can really see the difference between them, in the two photos above.  The Hairy Woodpecker is definitely bigger, and has a much bigger bill than the Downy Woodpecker.  Both of these birds are found year-round in our neighborhood.  This is the first time I was able to photograph a Downy Woodpecker!   

South Yuba River State Park - 4/9/18

Spring in the Foothills!

On Monday, my friend Nancy and I went down to the oak woodlands in the South Yuba River State Park.  It was SO beautiful!  Everything was blooming, including the grasses and trees.  We walked most of the trails and spent the whole day botanizing!  If you live in the area, you should really go check it out soon!  It's gorgeous!  Here are just a few of the flowers that we saw!

 Pallid Owl's Clover                         Lotus Silverleaf                      Fawn Lily

     Castilleja lineariloba                 Acmispon argophyllus             Erythronium sp.

            Redbud Tree                     Hansen's Larkspur              Chinese Houses     

         Cercis occidentalis              Delphinium hansenii         Collinsia heterophylla

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly - Battus philenor 

 Wild Hyacinth - Dichelostemma multiflorum

There were also hundreds of  Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies, sipping nectar from all the wildflowers.  They weren't in large clusters or groups, but they were flitting around the whole park!  I wondered why they weren't getting eating by birds.  It turns out that they are inedible to predators, because they ingest toxic aristolochic acids from their Pipevine host plant when they are caterpillars.  These acids stay in their bodies even when they pupate into adults!

Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies mating - Battus philenor

After Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies mate, the female lays her eggs (which also contain toxic acids) on the underside of Pipevine leaves.  When the caterpillars first hatch, they stay together in small groups and feed on Pipevine leaves.  When they grow larger they head out on their own to feed and pupate.  It takes approximately one week for an adult to develop and emerge from it's chrysalis.  The adults usually live for a month, feeding on wildflower nectar.  

Pipevine or Dutchman's Pipes - Aristolochia californica 

 Pipevine Swallowtail caterpillar - Battus philenor

The Pipevine or Dutchman's Pipes is one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers.  We were lucky to find a few of the flowers on the trailing vine, being green and brown in color they are somewhat hard to detect!  These plants are not carnivorous, but they have an odor that attracts carrion-feeding insects.  These insects crawl inside the pipe-shaped flower and pollinate the blossom!  Amazing!

It's nesting time!  What kind of nest does a Northern Flicker make?

Where are those deer?

What other birds will show up?

The scat in last week's blog was mostly deer hair, 

and was probably from a young Mountain Lion!

What plant is making these tassels?

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

You can leave a comment by clicking on the "No Comments" below

or

email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Thanks!

It's Springtime!

Most of the fruit trees in my neighborhood started to bloom this week!  There are several old orchards here, that were planted many years ago.  We have lots of cherry trees, an apricot tree, and several apple trees on our property.  Right now, the white cherry tree blossoms among the filigree of bare branches is stunning!  The heavy rain that's predicted over the weekend will possibly prevent the blossoms from being pollinated.  Hopefully, some of them were pollinated on the warm, sunny days we had at the beginning of this week.  We are glad to get the rain, and hope the storms keep coming!  

   female willow catkins                                male willow catkins

Crab Spider - Misumena vatia   

The female willows, after being green and quiet for a month, are now covered with pistils with over 142 flowers per catkin!  The male willows still have some unopened catkins.  The older male catkins still have lots of stamens and anthers, but are a bit past their prime. 

All kinds of native bees, beetles, and gnats are busy pollinating the blooming plants.  I found this spider in one of the female willow catkins.  It had a dead fly in it's grip!  I think it's a Crab Spider.  The name refers to the crab-like shape of the body and its ability to walk sideways and backwards, just like a crab. Crab Spiders are active during the day.  They can slowly change their color from white to yellow to orange to green, depending on the color of the plant they're on.  It can take 1-2 days for the color to change.  This one really matched the color of the unopened hairy pussy willows.  These spiders do not spin webs, but rely on camouflage and ambush to catch their prey.  They prefer bees, flies, and butterflies, but will eat a variety of insects that come to feed on the nectar or pollen of a flower.  They don't "eat" their prey with their jaws.  First they inject their prey with venom that paralyzes them.  Then they bite a small hole in their prey and vomit their digestive fluid into the prey's body!  This fluid dissolves the prey's internal organs and muscles!  This dissolved solution is then sucked out!  Geez!   

Pine Siskins - Spinus pinus

Project Feederwatch Update

Officially, Project Feederwatch ended on Friday, April 6.  I really enjoyed watching the birds that came to our feeding station, and reporting the statistics to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.  I recorded a total of 27 bird species coming to our feeders.  I have already signed up for the next season which starts on November 11, 2018.  If you are interested in joining Project Feederwatch, and becoming a citizen scientist, visit their website at www.feederwatch.org.

I'm still feeding the birds, but I've replaced the bird house and table with hanging bird feeders.  So far the birds are gradually coming to the hanging feeders.  The Pine Siskins didn't hesitate at all, and flocked to the finch feeder right away!  At this time of year, the large Pine Siskin flocks have broken up into small nesting colonies.  Mated pairs will be established by mid-April.  A mated female will construct a nest, on a horizontal conifer branch that is concealed by foliage.  She will use a variety of materials to construct the nest, such as fine rootlets, grass, stems, twigs, cedar bark, lichen, moss, animal hair, leaves, and string.  It usually takes 5-6 days for the nest to be completed.  The female then lays 3-5 eggs in the nest, and broods them for approximately 13 days.  The male feeds her during this entire incubation period!  After the eggs hatch, the male continues feeding the female, and she in turn feeds the nestlings regurgitated food for the first 7-8 days.  Both parents feed the nestlings for the remaining 5 days of nesting, and for the following 3 weeks after the nestlings fledge.  I hope these Pine Siskins stay and make their nests here!  

Anna's Hummingbirds - Calypte Anna 

female - left     male - right 

        

  I'll keep the two hummingbird feeders up until next Fall.  Right now there are 4 males and 2 females coming to the feeders.  I watched the two hummingbirds above "court" yesterday!  The female was perched and watching the male (Check out his tiny toes!).  Facing the female, he hovered up and up (approximately 120 feet!) into the air, and then dove down (at 27 meters per second!) and swooped back up, emitting a loud "chirp".  The chirp is made by the wind in the tail feathers when the hummer dives!  He repeated this performance 2 times.  They also "talked" a lot, making chittering tiny rattling calls back and forth!  I never knew hummingbirds had conversations until we put up some feeders.  They actually talk a lot!! 

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

The squirrels, skunks, and foxes have moved on to other food sources. I saw this fox across the street from the bird feeders.  He watched me for a little while, then he picked something up off the ground and trotted away!  I don't know what he had in his mouth!  Maybe it was a mouse, or a woodrat.  I think this is a different fox from the previous two I've photographed.  I compared the coats of the other two, and this one is marked differently!  He does have those slanty eyes of the first fox I saw.  Perhaps he's one of her offspring!

Common Merganser - Mergus merganser

(females in front - males in back)

Down at the River!

The signs of spring are obvious down at the river.  The Common Mergansers are back, frogs have emerged from their winter torpor, and water striders are busy zipping around on the surface!  

Common Mergansers are mainly found in fresh water lakes, rivers and streams.  They are diving ducks, and fish is their primary food.  They will also eat mollusks, crustaceans, worms, frogs, small mammals, and plants. Right now, the females should be preparing a nest in a tree cavity, which they occasionally line with dry grasses or down.  The eggs will be laid in the next few weeks, with a clutch numbering up to 17 eggs, but usually 10!!!  The female will incubate the eggs for 28-35 days.  They have a very high success rate of eggs hatching, around 98%.  The young are born precocial and can feed themselves immediately by dabbling in the shallows.  They start diving for food after 1-2 days!   The young will stay around the mother for weeks or months after hatching, sometimes even riding on her back!  I saw a female Merganser with 4 small ducklings last summer.  I saw them again in the fall, but there were only 3 juveniles with her.  I had no idea that they laid so many eggs!  I'll have to look around for holes in tree trunks on the edge of the river.  I would love to find a nest!

    Sierran Tree Frog tadpoles                                    Foothill Yellow-legged Frog     
Pseudacris sierra                                                        Rana boylei  
                  

I found these tadpoles in a pond on the Canyon Creek trail.  They are probably Sierran Tree Frog (formerly called Pacific Tree Frog) tadpoles.  In a few more weeks they should mature into adults.  I'll check back in a week or so.

I think the adult frog above might be a Foothill Yellow-legged Frog!  In California, they have disappeared from 45% of their range, because of air-borne pesticides, introduced non-native fish and bullfrogs, and water release from dams.  They are known to inhabit our area, along the rivers and streams.  This one was on the shore of the No.Yuba River, and jumped into the shallows when I approached.  April is the beginning of mating and egg-laying for frogs.  The male will grasp the female from the back.  This position is called "amplexus."  The eggs are fertilized externally.  The female will lay 300 to 2,000 eggs at one time in shallow slow-moving water, on the downstream side of rocks, pebbles, or vegetation.  The eggs will hatch within 5-37 days, depending on the water temperature.  The tadpoles will transform to adults within 3-4 months! 

River Otter tracks - Lustra canadensis                 Water Strider - Gerridae sp.    

River Otters live here year-round feeding on fish, frogs, newts, aquatic garter snakes, aquatic insects, and young or mature molting ducks.  I have come across their tracks several times, and luckily saw a pair of them last summer.  Right now is the time that the females will be giving birth to their pups, in a den near water.  The usual number of pups born is 3.  The pups are born furred but helpless.  They open their eyes after 1 month, and are weaned at 3 months.  They usually stay with their mother until they are 6 months old. 

You won't see lots of River Otters in one location, as they need a lot of fish to survive.  They usually eat 2.2 lbs to 3.3 lbs of fish daily!  They will  range from 1-56 miles in search of prey!  They can swim underwater at 6-8 mph, and can hold their breath for up to 8 minutes!  They rely on surprise to catch their prey, and rarely chase fast moving fish.  They close theirs ears and nose underwater, and use their long whiskers to detect fish in dark deep water.  They are large animals, with a length of 35"-52", a height of 12"-25", and a weight of 11-30 lbs!  

The adult Water Striders I saw may have over-wintered as adults or hatched from eggs.  I'll do some research, and let you know what I find!

Hairy Woodpecke - Picoides villosus

Hairy Woodpecker

I've seen this Hairy Woodpecker several times in the same area these past few weeks!  I don't usually see them that often.  The other day he was busy preening, stretching, and head scratching!  Birds can manipulate all their feathers while cleaning them.  Sometimes the birds look a bit rumpled after a preening session, but they quickly put each feather back in place.  I found this great explanation on how birds move their feathers at www.toughlittlebirds.com.  "Each feather sits in a follicle on the bird's skin. Each follicle grips the base of its feather with muscles to prevent the feather from falling out. The follicles are connected to each other through a network of tiny muscles in the skin. These muscles are what allow the bird to move its feathers: through muscles acting on the base of the feather, the bird can raise or lower the feather. By contracting muscles between follicles, some birds can also pull feathers closer together."  Amazing isn't it?    

Hairy Woodpeckers probably mate for life, and right now they're busy making a nest site.  They usually excavate a nest in the trunk of a dead or dying tree, or large branch, approximately 50'-60' off the ground.  The female will usually lay 4 eggs.  The male and female will share the incubation period  of 11-12 days.  Once hatched, the nestlings are fed by both parents, and fledge after 28-30 days.  The parents feed the fledglings for an additional 3-4 weeks.  Their main food is insects.  We've had Hairy Woodpeckers nest on our property two times in the past, in standing rotten tree trunks.  It would be great if they nest here again this year!

Hairy Woodpecker - Picoides villosus

Sierra Buttes 4/2/18

I went cross-country skiing again this week.  Unfortunately the Gold Lake Road was about 80% bare ground!  Five days ago there was a solid 9" on the ground.  Sheesh!  So I went up to Yuba Pass and skied for a couple hours on two feet of packed snow.  It was lovely.  I'll check and see if more snow fell in this storm, or if it all melted away.

Last week I spotted another Meadowlark up at a friend's house!  It was dusk, so there wasn't much light, but I managed to get a picture of it flashing its white tail feathers!  Yahoo!

This is a sun dog, and its formal name is a parhelion. It is a concentrated patch of sunlight occasionally seen about 22° to the left or right of the Sun. They occur when sunlight refracts through icy clouds containing hexagonal platecrystals.

Whose scat is that?

Where are the deer?

What's going to bloom next?

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

Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated!

You can post a comment by clicking on the "No Comments" below

or

email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com