Saturday, May 26, 2018

Springtime in the Lakes Basin

Western Tanager (male) - Piranga ludoviciana

Since the Lakes Basin is approximately 4,500' higher in elevation than my neighborhood, spring has just arrived!  In some high places it still looks like winter!  Migratory birds are arriving, the snow is melting fast, and the flowers and shrubs are starting to bloom!

I saw this beautiful, male, Western Tanager in an old snag around 7,000' in elevation near Wades Lake!  These unbelievably colorful birds migrate all the way from Costa Rica, to breed and raise their young here!  

Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana
female, left - male, right

They also breed in lower elevations, including my neighborhood. I photographed the Tanagers (above) in my neighborhood last year. I saw another pair of Tanagers just this week in our garden! The Western Tanager is a great example of sexual dimorphism! The males are brilliantly colored to attract the females. The females are plainly colored, and blend in with their surroundings. This camouflaged coloring is advantageous for a female sitting on a nest!


Red-breasted Nuthatch (female)                  Hairy Woodpecker (female)
Sitta canadensis                                            Picoides villosus
Yellow Warbler (male) - Dendroica petechia

We saw the Red-breasted Nuthatch (above left) with a bug in its beak a few days ago!  We also saw a tiny round nest hole in a tree trunk near by!  These tiny (4.5" long) birds usually live year-round in coniferous forests between 3,000'-5,000' in elevation.  They store seeds, insect larvae, and spider eggs to feed on in the winter.  If a cone crop fails, they will spend the winter in lower elevations where food is available.  The male and female both excavate the nest cavity.  Curiously, the male plasters tree resin all around the outside of the nest hole, and the female plasters resin on the inside of the nest cavity!  No one knows why they do this, but speculation is that it deters predators or perhaps nest competitors!  I'm not sure if this nuthatch was bringing an insect to a nestling, a female on a nest, or if he was going to eat it himself.  I was surprised to see how red the insect was, and have no idea what it was! 

The Yellow Warbler (above center) was one of three Yellow Warblers we saw in a bunch of bare willows near Grassy Lake.  There were two males and one female!
These little (5" long) birds migrate to our area from Central America and northern South America!  They prefer to nest in stream-side forests of alders, willows, or cottonwoods, with thick understories of tangled shrubs, from the Foothills to the Upper Conifer zone (5,500'-7,500' in elevation).  The female will build a deep cup-shaped nest from grasses, and bark strips on the fork of a branch, and line it with fine plant fibers, feathers, and deer hair.  Yellow Warblers typically form monogamous pairs that sometimes last more than one breeding season and reform the next year.  They will have 1-2 broods.  The incubation period is 10-13 days.  The nesting period is 9-12 days.  If a Brown-headed Cowbird egg lays an egg in a Yellow Warbler's nest, they will often build a new nest on top of the old nest!  We were so lucky to see these beautiful bright yellow birds going about their business! 

I spotted the female Hairy Woodpecker (above right) up by Lost Lake this week! I don't think I've seen a female before!  These medium-sized birds (9.5"-10.2" long) also live in my neighborhood year-round.  This female might have been out looking for a nesting cavity, or looking for insects to eat.  Woodpeckers have amazingly long tongues that can be retracted up the back and over the top of their skull!  Their tongues are barbed, and are used to pierce wood-boring insect larvae inside the heartwood of a tree!  They will probably be excavating a cavity soon, to lay their eggs and raise their young.  These woodpeckers are monogamous, and often re-pair the follow year.  The female usually lays 4 eggs.  The incubation period is 11-12 days, and both the male and the female incubate the eggs.  The nesting period is 28-30 days.  The young usually leave the nest about a month later. 

Sierra Buttes - 5/17/18

Due to all of the late rain we've been getting, it looks like it might be a fabulous wildflower year up in the Lakes Basin!  Just like migratory birds, the wildflowers show up regularly every year!  The ones pictured below are the early blooming plants, that blossom right after the snow melts.  I was particularly thrilled to find the Steer's Head, as the flowers are only about 1/2" long!  They're pretty tiny and easily overlooked!  There were also LOTS of Corn Lilies unfolding their beautifully ribbed leaves.  It was gorgeous!

Fawn Lilies - Erythronium purprascens         Sheathed Lomatium - Lomatium vaginatus

Spreading Phlox - Phlox diffusa


     Steer's Head - Dicentra uniflora                            Bitter Cherry - Prunus emarginata
Snow Plant - Sarcodes sanguinea

View to the east from the Deer Lake Trail - 5/24/18

On our way back on the trail, the clouds to the east were an imposing, dark navy blue presence!  We got a few sprinkles during the day, but were back in our car before it started to rain heavily.  How lucky we are to be getting rain this late in the season.  The damp forest smells heavenly!

Brewer's Blackbirds - Euphagus cyanocephalus
competing males (left) and female (right)

Neighborhood Birds Update!

It's mating and nesting time in my neighborhood, and the birds are super busy!  I watched the two male Brewer's Blackbirds (above left) clash repeatedly one afternoon!  They flew towards each other and grappled with their feet.  They posed and squawked with their beaks pointed skyward, and eventually went "face-to-face" with each other!  They were competing for the attention of the female blackbird pictured above right!  She didn't seem that interested, but kept her distance and flicked her tail up and down.  Later, that same day I saw the blackbird below puff himself up to about twice his size!  He was obviously displaying for that female!

Brewer's Blackbirds are monogamous for the breeding season.  Although they don't mate for life, the may have the same partner for several years.  Brewer's Blackbirds also nest colonially, with a colony ranging from 4-100+ couples.  The females build cup-shaped nests out of grasses, plants, or discarded paper on the forks of bushes and trees, always covered by dense foliage.  They will have 1-2 broods per season.  Clutch size varies from 3-7 eggs.  Incubation takes 11-17 days.  Nesting takes 12-16 days.  The young are born altricial.  The male Blackbirds fiercely defend their nest and territory.  Just this week I saw blackbirds "mobbing" two Ravens, on two separate occasions!

Brewer's Blackbird - Euphagus cyanocephalus
male in regular state (left) and in mating display (right)

Violet-green Swallow (male) - Tachycineta thalassina 

 In just the right light, the back of a male Violet-green Swallow can be a beautiful teal green.  The females lack this green coloration, but have a striking combination of black and white feathers.  These Swallows have been flying over my neighborhood for weeks now.  They nest in rock crevices and ledges, holes in man made structures, and hollow logs.  They will nest solitarily, or in small colonies of less than 20 pairs.  Their primary food is insects, which they catch high in the air.  They can fly fast, up to 28 miles per hour!!!  They will fiercely defend their nest against intruders, such as other Swallows, Starlings, Bluebirds and Chickadees.  

All swallows cannot walk, but they can perch!  That explains why you don't see them on the ground!  I watched this pair of swallows repeatedly check on a nest, or a potential nest site, up in the eaves of my neighbor's roof.  Last year, a pair of Starlings nested there!  That was interesting!  They have traveled to our neighborhood from southern Mexico and Central America! Wow!

Violet-green Swallow (female, left - male right) - Tachycineta thalassina 
female investigating possible nest site (center)

Canada Goose (adult) - Branta canadensis
Canada Goose nest on the North Yuba River

My in-laws found this empty Canada Goose nest on the other side of the river!  It was about 100 yards from the edge of the river, at the base of a Douglas Fir Tree, in the shade.  I haven't seen any goslings yet this year, so maybe this clutch failed.  I couldn't believe the amount of downy feathers that lined the nest!  The nest was probably 2.5' wide and long, and filled with 1,000's of feathers!  It was amazing! 

Canada Geese mate for life, and they maintain family groups throughout the year.  The female selects the nest site, does all the nest building and incubation.  They usually have one brood a year, with 2-8 eggs in a clutch.  Incubation takes 25-28 days, and nesting takes 42-50 days.  They mainly eat grasses and aquatic plants at this time of year.  In winter they eat grain and berries. 
  
Bullock's Oriole (male, left - female, right) - Icterus bullocki 
their partial nest (center)

The Bullock's Oriole that nested in a tree right near our garden last year has returned!   She and her male partner started building a nest in the same tree she nested in last year!!!  I was SO THRILLED to witness her return to our neighborhood, and to the same tree!  It looks like some of the fishing line they tried using, to make this year's nest, was too old and brittle so they have stopped making it.  They are still in the area, and I'm sure they've started another nest.  A few evenings ago, I watched them forage for caterpillars in a Live Oak tree near our home!  I am amazed that these beautiful birds can fly all the way from Guatemala to our neighborhood!  We are so lucky to have them here!

What kind of plant is this (above left)?

What kind of butterfly is this (above, top right)?

What kind of spider is this (above, bottom right)?

Who made this underground den?

Where are all the bird nests?

How are the foxes, bears, and deer?

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated.

Email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Thanks!

Sunday, May 20, 2018

Now Blooming!

Dogwood (non-native) - Cornus sp.

Everything is leafing out and blooming! The Mountain Dogwood has been blooming for a week or so, and is just beginning to lose its flowers. What looks like white petals are actually "bracts", leaflike structures that are usually positioned on the stem just below a flower. The actual flowers are tiny, and form the green center! These flowers will eventually form the red "berries" that ripen in the fall. These beautiful trees are native to western North America, and are one of my all-time favorites! 

Black Locust - Robinia pseudoacacia

In the past two weeks, the Black Locust trees have gone from looking dead and bone-dry, to lush, leafy, and bursting with flowers!  They are native to the southeastern United States, but have spread across the country and are considered invasive in some regions.  They are shade intolerant, and grow in open sunny areas.  They reproduce via seeds and root suckers.  The pinnately compound leaves emerge before the flowers, which bloom about a week later.  The flowers are "perfect", which means they have both male and female parts.  They are mainly pollinated by Hymenopteran insects, which includes bees, ants, wasps and sawflies.  Birds are also important pollinators of the flowers, such as Orioles, Hummingbirds, Grosbeaks, Tanagers, and some Warblers!  They are one of the trees favored by our local Bullock's Orioles.  The flowers provide lots of nectar, and the profuse leaves provide cover for nests.  Right now the lovely fragrance of the flowers is enveloping our neighborhood!     

     Bush Monkeyflower - Mimulus aurantiacus      Vari-leaved Phaecelia - Phacelia heterophylla
Purple Milkweed - Asclepias cordifolia

Wildflowers!

This week I drove along Highway 49, from Indian Valley to Downieville, and photographed the common wildflowers that were blooming!  I identified them by using two books for cross-reference, The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada, and Wildflowers of Nevada and Placer Counties.  It was a lot of fun!  

The two most prominently blooming flowers are the pale peachy-yellow Bush Monkeyflowers and the Arroyo/Succulent Lupines.  If you gently touch the "lips" of the stigma on the Monkeyflower, it will close up!  This movement has evolved to ensure that any pollen that lands on the stigma, travels to the ovary!  It turns out that the Arroyo/Succulent Lupines were probably planted by Cal-Trans along the highway, as they are native to California, but not Sierra County.  They can be distinguished from the common Sky Lupine, by the magenta color in the flowers. 


  Applegate's Paintbrush-Castelleja applegatei   Canyon Dudleya/Liveforever-Dudleya cymosa
Wooly Sunflower - Eriophyllum lanatum


    Arroyo/Succulent Lupine - Lupinus succulentus          Silverleaf Lupine - Lupinus obtusilobus
Round-toothed Ookow - Dichelostemma multiflorum


      Seep-spring Monkeyflower - Mimulus guttatus                    Ramm's Madia - Madia rammii
California Poppy - Eschscholzia californica

Bullock's Oriole (male) - Icterus bullockii

There's definitely a pair of Bullock's Orioles nesting in my neighbor's apple tree!  She has seen the female fly repeatedly into the tree with nesting material.  She has also seen the female taking nesting material from an old nest!  I've seen and heard them several times now.  They are so beautiful!!!  Last year I photographed a female oriole pulling fishing line out of an old nest, on the exact same date as this year!  It is marvelous to see this natural process being repeated! 

The male and female Orioles work together to weave a hanging pouch nest out of plant fibers, and whatever else they fancy.  However, the females do most of the work.  Most of the empty nests that I have seen are made from plant fibers, as well as fishing line and strips of blue plastic tarp.  It may take them a week or more to construct the nest.  Once the nest is completed, the female will lay 3-7 eggs in the pouch, and incubate them for 11 days. The altricial nestlings fledge in approximately 14 days after they hatch!

When watching a bird nest you need to be very discreet.  You should never watch a nest in plain view for more than a minute.  If you find a nest, try and make your approach to it different every time.  Lots of critters eat baby birds, so you don't want to make the nest location obvious to potential predators.  Stay away from the nest, if the birds have fledged.  You don't want to startle the baby birds into leaving the nest too soon.
Bullock's Oriole (female) - Icterus bullockii

This is the bird that was flying by in last week's post, 
and peeking from this Locust tree in the post on 5/12/18.

My neighborhood 5/17/18

Weather Update!

For the past two weeks we've been experiencing intermittent rain showers!  Unbelievably beautiful clouds show up every morning around 10:00 am and accumulate throughout the day.  Nice refreshing downpours of rain usually happen mid-day!  By the evening the clouds have cleared off!  It's been really really beautifu!

I checked on our local rainfall totals and we're at 96% of normal, with 57.85" of rain to date!!!  These rains are keeping the forest damp and fires away.  More of the same weather is expected this coming week!  Yahoo! 

What kind of insects are these birds eating?

Where are the Evening and Black-headed Grosbeaks nesting?

How are the Foxes?

Where are the bears and the deer?

What kind of bird is this?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please contact me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com
Thanks!

Saturday, May 12, 2018

Too Busy to Blog!

There's so much going on! 
The snow's melting and the trails are opening up! 
I'm off hiking today and tomorrow, 
so I don't have time to blog! 
Check back next week 
for the latest natural history news 
from my neighborhood! 
Thanks!

Sunday, May 6, 2018

Mammals!

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Local Mammals

I've seen several foxes this week, including the one I photographed last year (above)!  I was happy to see her(?) again!  Gray foxes mate for life, and mating takes place sometime from January to March.  Gestation is approximately 60 days.  Now is the time for the pups to be born.  They will be weaned in about 4 weeks.  Both parents feed and take care of the young pups.  The young stay with the parents for their first 10 months.  Hopefully, I'll see some new pups in a few weeks!

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

This young fox might be one of the pups I saw last summer.  Male and female foxes look the same in the field.  This one was probably out looking for something to eat.  They are omnivorous and eat rodents, insects, eggs, fruit, birds, rabbits, berries, squirrels, and rabbits.  They are the only foxes in North America that can climb trees.  Gray foxes are primarily nocturnal, but I also see them during the day. 

Ringtail - Bassaricus astutus

I photographed this Ringtail up at the dump!  It had climbed into one of the huge metal dumpsters and couldn't get out!  The lady in charge of the dump, Sally, was having everyone dump their garbage in one corner of the dumpster, to create a pyramid the Ringtail could climb up to escape.  When I was there, the "pyramid" of garbage was about half-way up to the top of the dumpster.  A day later, the pyramid was complete and the Ringtail escaped!  Yahoo!  What a treat it was to see this beautiful animal!

Ringtails are nocturnal, and I've only seen them a few times in my life.  They are omnivorous and eat rodents, rabbits, squirrels, mice, insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fruit, seeds, berries, and acorns!  They are about the size of house cat, but are not in the cat family, Felidae.  They are members of the raccoon family, Procyonidae.  Their habitat extends from sea level to 4,600' in the Sierra!  They are solitary except during mating season, which is right now.  Young are usually born in May or June.  Liters range from 1-5 in size.  It is primarily the female that takes care of the young, but the males sometimes play with the young!  Their den is usually under rocks, in a hollow log or stump, and is padded with lichen and moss.  The young are weaned at 10 weeks, but stay with the mother for several more months.

Ringtails are often misnamed "Civet Cats".  This name comes from the African Civet, Civettictis civetta, that produces "civet", a foul smelling substance, from its musk glands.  This civet is used in perfume!  Wikipedia states, "Its odor is strong, even putrid as a pure substance, but once diluted it is pleasantly and sweetly aromatic."  Ringtails have musk glands that produce a foul odor, so do skunks!

Striped Skunk - Mephitis mephitis

I saw this Striped Skunk down by our bird feeders one evening this week.  Skunks can discharge their musk as far as 10'-15'!  If a skunk raises its tail, it's time to beat a hasty retreat!   This skunk is so use to us, it scampered off without spraying when it saw me!  Unfortunately, it went underneath my studio!  I really hope it's not living under there!  

Striped Skunks breed from February through April.  Males will mate with several females.  Once mating has occurred, the males are not welcomed by the females.  The gestation period is 59 to 77 days.  So it will be a while before any kits will show up.  Hopefully not 10 of them, and not under my studio!

 Although they are altricial with sparse pelage at birth, younglings have discernable patterns prior to birth. The younglings do not open their eyes until about three weeks of age and are typically weaned at six to seven weeks. It is at this time they learn to forage and hunt by following their mother in a single file line during her outings. Younglings rely on the protection of their mother, during this time she will display extremely defensive behavior. Male younglings become independent by July or August, while the female younglings may remain with their mother until the following spring. Both male and female younglings become sexually mature by the end of the first year, around 10 months of age on average.Although they are altricial with sparse pelage at birth, younglings have discernable patterns prior to birth. The younglings do not open their eyes until about three weeks of age and are typically weaned at six to seven weeks. It is at this time they learn to forage and hunt by following their mother in a single file line during her outings. Younglings rely on the protection of their mother, during this time she will display extremely defensive behavior. Male younglings become independent by July or August, while the female younglings may remain with their mother until the following spring. Both male and female younglings become sexually mature by the end of the first year, around 10 months of age on average.Although they are altricial with sparse pelage at birth, younglings have discernable patterns prior to birth. The younglings do not open their eyes until about three weeks of age and are typically weaned at six to seven weeks. It is at this time they learn to forage and hunt by following their mother in a single file line during her outings. Younglings rely on the protection of their mother, during this time she will display extremely defensive behavior. Male younglings become independent by July or August, while the female younglings may remain with their mother until the following spring. Both male and female younglings become sexually mature by the end of the first year, around 10 months of age on average.Although they are altricial with sparse pelage at birth, younglings have discernable patterns prior to birth. The younglings do not open their eyes until about three weeks of age and are typically weaned at six to seven weeks. It is at this time they learn to forage and hunt by following their mother in a single file line during her outings. Younglings rely on the protection of their mother, during this time she will display extremely defensive behavior. Male younglings become independent by July or August, while the female younglings may remain with their mother until the following spring. Both male and female younglings become sexually mature by the end of the first year, around 10 months of age on average.Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

I finally saw a deer this week!  My neighbor saw 6 in her yard, and 8 up by the cemetery!  Maybe that Mountain Lion that was in our neighborhood has moved on.  Female deer usually travel in clans of females, that are related by maternal descent.  Males either travel singly, or with other unrelated males.  These deer mated last fall.  The gestation period is 6.5 months.  Most fawns are born in June or July.  So it will be a few more months before any fawns show up in our neighborhood.  Right now deer are shedding their winter coats.  That's why some of them look so scruffy.

 Chickaree/Douglas Squirrel - Tamiasciurus douglasii

Chickarees have been climbing the cherry tree outside my window for years now.  They are incredible acrobats!  I love watching them scamper through the trees!  This one was pulling down the cherry blossoms and eating the ends!  I don't know if it is a male or female.  These squirrels only breed once a year.  Breeding can occur from January through August, but usually occurs from March to June.  The gestation period is 36 to 40 days.  Baby squirrels are solely cared for by their mother, and stay in their nest until they are almost full-sized. They usually don't show up outside of the nest until mid-July or August. 

Black Phoebe & Nest - Sayornis nigricans

Neighborhood Birds

Last week I posted a photo of this nest.  If you guessed it was a Swallow's nest, you're wrong!  It's a Black Phoebe nest!  I didn't know that Phoebes made nests out of mud pellets!  My neighbor showed me the nest!  It turns out that the male shows the female possible nest sites.  The female chooses the site and then builds the nest by herself!  The female will lay 1-6 eggs, and incubate them for 15-18 days.  After they hatch, they have a nesting period of 18-21 days.  I'll check back for some chicks in a few weeks!
             
Yellow Warbler - Dendroica petechia            House Wren - Troglodytes aedon

New to our neighborhood are these two tiny birds.  They are both only about 5" long.  The Yellow Warbler was such a surprise!  The brilliant yellow color of this male is startling!  Our neighborhood fits the description for Yellow Warbler breeding preferences.  Hopefully there's a female Yellow Warbler here too, and they decide to stay!  He has flown here from his winter residence in Central America or even northern South America, a 4,000 to 6,000 mile flight!!! WOW!

The House Wren comes back every spring and lives in the same cranny in my neighbor's house!  His loud rattling call is filling the neighborhood, and has taken the place of the Northern Flicker's call!  It's so wonderful to see him return year after year from his winter home in California or Mexico.

 Sierra Valley 4/29/18

Sierra Valley Update

Last Sunday my husband and I drove over to Sierra Valley to check out the birds. It was a rainy, cloudy, windy, and beautiful day! We didn't see any Sandhill Cranes, but we saw birds (photos below) we hadn't seen earlier this year. It was wonderful! We hope to go kayaking out there in the near future!



      White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi        Red-tailed Hawk juvenile - Buteo jamaicensis
Yellow-headed Blackbird (center) - Xanthocephalus  xanthocephalus   

Lichen Heart-Hummingbird Moth/No. Fork American River/Sky Lupine-California Poppy

Stevens Trail

On April 26, my friend Nancy and I decided to check out the wildflowers on Stevens Trail near Colfax.  Neither one of us had hiked this trail down to the No. Fork of the American River before!  It was incredibly beautiful!  Cascades of wildflowers covered the hillsides, butterflies and insects were everywhere, and a nice breeze kept the heat at bay.  At first the trail drops down quickly in elevation, but then changes to a long gradual descent to the river, about a drop of 1200' in elevation in 3.5 miles.  The view of the river was spectacular!  I'd highly recommend this trail!  Bring lots of water, as the temperature was quite warm!

                            Deer Lake - 5/3/18                                 Salmon Creek Wetlands 4/20/18

Lakes Basin Update

I went up to the Lakes Basin 3 times in the past 10 days!  The higher north and east facing areas still have quite a bit of snow, but the areas that face west and south are basically snow-free.  Some of the roads to trailheads still have a foot or more of snow on them!   My friends, Judy and Diane, and I hiked up to Deer Lake last Thursday.  About two-thirds of the hike was on a foot or more of packed heavy snow, that we punched in quite a bit, but it was worth the effort!  The view of the Sierra Buttes was spectacular!  I'm going back up again this coming week!  Can't wait!  It's so beautiful! 

Sierra Buttes - 5/3/18

 What kind of bird is this?

Whose scat is that?

What's happening down at the river?

Where are the bears?

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

Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated!

Please e-mail me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Thanks!