The Delta

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

We went down to the Sacramento River Delta this week primarily to see the Sandhill Cranes, as well many other overwintering bird species. These birds migrate down in the Pacific Flyway from British Columbia, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and northeastern California, to overwinter in California's Central Valley. 

I had never been to the delta before, and was hoping to see lots of cranes. We arrived at Staten Island, near Walnut Grove, in the late afternoon. Luckily we spotted some cranes right away in the stubble of a harvested cornfield! Our luck held out through the afternoon, and we also saw many different species of ducks, Tundra Swans, Snow Geese, and thousands of Canada Geese. In the evening, we were privileged to watch 80+ Sandhill Cranes land in a nearby wetland! WOW!!! It was so beautiful with the soft, pink light of dusk illuminating these large, graceful birds. It was absolutely astonishing!

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

The Sandhill Crane is a prehistoric species. One fossil dates back to 2.5 million years ago!  They were once common breeders throughout the intermountain west, wintering primarily in the Central Valley of California.  Sandhill Cranes mate for life!  However, due to loss of habitat (95% of California's wetlands have been destroyed through development/farming) and unregulated hunting they became endangered by the 1940's. At that time, there weren't any breeding pairs in Washington, only 150-200 breeding pairs in Oregon, and only 5 breeding pairs in northeastern California!!!  Through conservation efforts, all populations of Sandhill Cranes have since increased. In 2000 there were an estimated 465 breeding pairs in California!  This increase in local populations is due mainly to conservation groups working together with local farmers, to set aside farmland managed specifically for these birds.  Currently the U.S.Fish & Wildlife objective is to maintain an estimated 20,000-25,000 cranes in wintering populations.  There are several agencies that are doing conservation work to help maintain bird populations.  If you would like to donate your time or resources to this cause, they would love to hear from you.  Here are a few websites to check out: https://www.nature.org/en-us/explore/animals-we-protect/sandhill-crane/, http://ca.audubon.org/birds-0/sandhill-crane, and https://www.wildlife.ca.gov.

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

These large birds (4' length, 7'7" wingspan) roost at night in shallow wetlands but feed by day in agricultural fields.  The are mainly herbivores, and eat corn, roots, seeds, cultivated grains, and berries, as well as small mammals, insects, snails, reptiles, and amphibians.  Their feeding and roosting areas are typically less than 2 miles apart.  The cornfields and wetlands we observed them in were all on Staten Island.  Apparently we were super lucky to see them in both areas!

Snow Geese - Anser caerulescens

Like Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese mate for life.  They migrate to the High Arctic/Sub Arctic to breed in large colonies.  Thousands overwinter in California's Central Valley.  They roost on water, but forage on land for grains, bullrushes, marsh plants, sedges, willows, horsetails, and grass.  We saw a huge flock of them land in the far distance.  Their loud calls filled the air!

Tundra Swans - Cygnus columbianus

We also saw several Tundra Swans in the wetlands!  These large birds (52" length, 66" wingspan ) mate for life, and breed in the High Arctic.  Their annual migration route is a 5,000 mile round trip!!!   They eat the leaves, stems, tubers, and seeds of aquatic plants, as well as the seeds and shoots of rice and other grain crops.

Belted Kingfisher (male) - Megaceryle Alcyon 

The next day we drove around the delta to several small historic towns and harbors.  Lots of birds were visible along the waterways, and our driver was kind enough to stop for photos!  She actually backed up so I could get this shot of a Belted Kingfisher!  In my neighborhood kingfishers are elusive and difficult to watch or photograph.  This one looked like it had recently got wet, probably diving for a fish, and posed for quite a while!!!  The water in the sloughs and rivers was a clouded, mocha color,
which must make it harder for birds to catch fish.   

Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

In the morning, I spotted two Red-shouldered Hawks perched in a cottonwood tree on the edge of a slough!  I think I even saw them mating!  The Delta and Central Valley are the preferred habitat for these hawks.  They feed on small mammals, reptiles and amphibians, crayfish, insects, earthworms, and even other birds!  Their feather pattern is just gorgeous, and the burnished-orange color of their head and breast is so striking!  I watched them for more than 20 minutes!  What beauty!

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Raptors were everywhere, especially Red-tailed Hawks!  It seems like we saw one perched in a tree or shrub, every couple of miles!  These hawks will sit and wait on perches, while scanning for prey.  I actually saw one of them swoop down and catch some critter in the roadside weeds!

Great Blue Heron - Great Egret

Ardea herodius - Ardea alba

We also saw several sieges (groups of herons) of Great Herons, and a few lone Great Blue Herons along the waterways.  Both of these bird species mainly eat fish, but will also consume small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, crayfish, and aquatic insects.  They hunt in belly-deep or shallower water in marine, brackish, and freshwater wetlands, alone or in groups.  They may wade while searching for prey, or just stand still to wait for prey to approach.

The Great Egret is the symbol of the Audubon Society, which was founded to stop the killing of birds for their feathers.  Wikipedia states, "In 1895, the first Audubon Society was created. Cousins and Boston socialites Harriet Hemenway and Minna B. Hall, disturbed by the destruction left by plume hunters, organized a series of afternoon teas with other wealthy local women, encouraging them to avoid feathered garments. They also sent literature asking these women to, in Hall's words, "join a society for the protection of birds, especially the egret."  Later that same year, they founded the Massachusettes Audubon Society. Over 900 women came together with Hemenway and Hall, and across the country, many others were doing the same.  These boycotts were largely successful, and the efforts of the early society members helped bring about the end of the plume trade and assisted in the introduction of early conservation legislation such as the Migratory Bird Treaty Act." 

Coyote - Canis latrans

At Stone Lakes NWR we saw these coyotes!  They were a distance away, but definitely looked like they were a pair.  Coyotes mate in late January and are monogamous during the breeding season.  Their dens are dug by the female and can have several entrances and passages that branch out from the main chamber.  They may dig a new den, use an abandoned badger or skunk den, or den in a hollow tree or under a rock ledge.  The pups are born about 2 months after mating, with 6 pups per litter being the norm.  The male coyote brings food to the female during the nesting period, and also helps with the feeding, grooming and guarding of the pups.  They eat deer, rabbit, hares, rodents, birds, reptiles, amphibians, insects and fruits.  

Coyotes - Canis latrans

Coyote populations have surfaced in many urban environments in recent years, where they are valuable for their control of rodent populations.  Problems arise when coyotes have access to human food and garbage. There is lots of information on the internet about how to keep coyotes "wild" in urban areas.  Here's a link to the official California Department of Fish and Wildlife website: https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/keep-me-wild.

Sierra Buttes 1/24/19

This Week's Weather

It's been sunny and in the 40's this week.  There's about 3' of snow on Yuba Pass, and the skiing is great!  The forecast for this coming week is cloudy with some rain.  We still need a lot more rain and snow, so hopefully February will be a wet month.  In the meantime, it was a gorgeous blue-sky week!

 West facing slope of the Sierra Buttes 1/25/19

Cedar Waxwing - Western Bluebird 

Bombycilla cedrorum - Sialia mexicana

Last week I asked, "What kinds of birds are these?"  

They are a Cedar Waxwing (left) and a Western Bluebird (right). 

I photographed them down in Bridgeport a few weeks ago!

I also asked, "What kind of ducks are these?"

They are Common Goldeneyes.  I'll talk more about them next week.

 What makes the foreheads of the Sandhill Cranes red?

Are the willows and alders blooming yet?

Whose track is this?

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

If suddenly you stop getting my blog in your email, you need to sign up again. This is a glitch with blogspot.com, and I can't figure out how to fix it. Thanks!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. 

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com!

Rainy Weather!

It POURED this week, for a total of 7.38" of rain!  This brings our "water year" total to 24.68"!   The river has really risen, with a peak flow rate of 4,000 cfs occurring last Wednesday night.  The large logs that have been visible in the river for the past few weeks are gone, carried away by the high water!  Surprisingly the river wasn't full of sediment this time.  It kept it's glass green color, and was just a little cloudy.  I found these underwater grasses to be incredibly beautiful, bent over in the swift flow of the newly risen river!  We really hope these heavy, wet storms keep coming!  It finally feels like winter!

North Yuba River 1/19/19

When the river was at its height you could hear the boulders clunking in the churning water.  The prediction is for 1-2 more inches of rain today.  It's raining heavily right now.  Up in the Lakes Basin the snow level stayed high this week, at around 6,000'-7,000'.  At Yuba Pass (6,709') there's approximately 4' of snow on the ground.  Yahoo! 
  

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawk!

While I was wandering in the rain, I saw this Red-tailed Hawk perched in a Douglas Fir Tree!  They are medium sized hawks, measuring 19" in length, with a wingspan of 49".  They are one of the mostly commonly seen raptors in North America, and are found from coast to coast in the U.S. and as far south as Venezuela.  If the winter is snow-free, they will live year-round in our neighborhood.  Locally I have also seen them in Spenceville, the Lakes Basin, and in Sierra Valley (photo below).  They like to perch in trees, or posts on the edges of clearings or meadows, and watch for prey.  Ground squirrels, gophers, rabbits, mice, snakes, lizards, kestrels, and meadowlarks are their main prey.  I watched this hawk for a few minutes, while the mist rolled in and out.  Such beauty!

Red-tailed Hawk in Sierra Valley - Buteo jamaicensis

The wide open Sierra Valley is a haven for raptors!  Last Fall I spotted this Red-tailed Hawk and several others over the course of a day.  Aren't its feathers amazing?!!

Anna's Hummingbird (male) - Northern Flicker (male)

Calypte anna - Colaptes auratus

A little Snow! 

Two weeks ago we got about 2" of heavy wet snow. The birds were super active, eating all day long!  I was thrilled to see an Anna's Hummingbird still feeding at our feeders, as well as a Northern Flicker pecking bites out of one of the few remaining local apples!  Flickers are normally insectivores, but consume seeds, berries, fruit and grains during the winter.  Although Flickers are woodpeckers, they do most of their hunting on the ground.  They drum on tree trunks in the Spring to attract a mate, but normally do not peck on trunks to find insects.  If the snow sticks around and accumulates, this Northern Flicker will move down to the foothills where the ground is bare, and food is more readily available.

Mule Deer tracks - Raccoon tracks - Gray Fox tracks

Odocoileus hemionus - Procyon lotor - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

A ton of animal tracks were visible in the newly fallen snow!  Most of them were down by our bird feeders.  Raccoons, Striped Skunks, Gray Foxes, Chickarees and Mule Deer tracks were all over the area!  We've seen the skunk at night several times, but haven't seen any raccoons yet. 

Raccoon tracks with smaller Striped Skunk tracks - Chickaree tracks

Procyon lotor - Mephitis mephitis - Tamaisciurus douglasii

 Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Mammal Update!

I've seen several deer off the highway during this rainy week.  Apparently, if rain is warm and not too heavy, deer will remain active.  When a rainstorm is heavy and cold, they tend to seek shelter and bed down.  But there are always exceptions!  Nature is not that predictable.  Rainy weather also has some advantages.  Rain makes dry leaves limp and quieter to walk on, increasing the deer's ability to be stealthy.  The increased moisture in the air also increases their sense of smell and hearing.  This young buck (above), bounded across a field of damp, dried grass when it saw me. The size of its antlers indicated its young age. 

 Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

The Gray Fox posed for me this week!  I was down on our property one late afternoon, and noticed this fox watching me!  It stayed for several minutes while I took lots pictures, and then slowly wandered off!  Wow!  I was happy to see it looking so healthy!

Gray Foxes are solitary most of the year. In winter they mainly hunt for small mammals from dusk to dawn, including cottontails, tree squirrels, voles, mice, and wood rats.  They will also eat fruits, seeds, and berries.  When it's rainy they will remain active.  If the storm is severe, they may seek shelter in an underground den, dense shrubbery, hollow logs or limbs, or rock crevices.

Gray Squirrel - Sciurus griseus

I saw this Gray Squirrel one morning before the rains started.  He looked so healthy!  There are 2 of these squirrels living on our property.  In winter they forage for seeds, acorns, tree buds, and mushrooms.  They also eat from small caches of stored food that they buried in the Fall.  Rain doesn't seem to bother them at all during their diurnal search for food.  At night they sleep in arboreal nests call "dreys".  A drey is  made from sticks and leaves, wrapped with long strands of grass.  The inside is lined with moss lichens, and shredded bark.  During winter they are large, round, and covered on top.  I'll have to see if I can find one!

What kind of birds are these?

What kind of ducks are these?

Who made these tracks?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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

If suddenly you stop getting my blog in your email, you need to sign up again. This is a glitch with blogspot.com, and I can't figure out how to fix it. Thanks!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. 

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com!

A Brief Blog

Sierra Buttes 1/7/19

 It rained and snowed this past week, with a total of 4.58" of precipitation!  The snow level was pretty high, but we did get 2" of heavy, wet snow locally.  There were animal tracks everywhere!  More rain and snow is predicted for this coming week.  Yahoo!!!  Unfortunately, I don't have time to blog today.  Check back next week for the latest natural history news from my neighborhood! 

Thanks!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. 

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com! 

Surprising Beauty!

Non-biting Midges - Chironomidae Family

I was walking along Highway 49 one afternoon this week when I spotted this incredible swarm of insects!  They looked like fountain spray!  The shape changed continually while I watched for 10 minutes!  I thought they might be 1,000's of gnats, so I caught one to make sure!  I took a photo of it and posted it on https://bugguide.net, under their "ID Request" section.  Right away I got an answer back that they were most likely Non-biting Midges, in the Chironomidae Family!

Midges are often mistaken for mosquitoes due to their similar size and body shape. They lay their eggs in shallow waters. The eggs sink to the bottom. In a few days the larvae hatch out of the eggs and burrow into mud, or construct a small tube in which they live, feed and develop. The aquatic larvae feed on detiritus in the water and are a great source of food for fish and aquatic insects. After 2-7 weeks, the larvae turn into pupae. The pupae then swim to the surface and the adults emerge from their pupal exuviae (cast off skin). Adults do not feed and spend their short, 3-5 day lives mating!

Most midges are active from Spring through Fall, but some orders fly in the winter! Adult midges are known for their large mating swarms. Often, these cloud-like swarms congregate in the early evening, when the sun is getting low. Usually they form just above some tall object such as a bush, tree, hilltop, or over a pool, stream, or lake. How lucky I was to watch this incredible spectacle!

Non-biting Midges swarm & inset - Chironomidae Family

Apparently midges aren't the strongest of fliers, and are easily pushed around by the wind.  I was mesmerized by the sunlit beauty of the swarm as it was fluidly moved from one position to another!

North Yuba River 1/1/19

River News!

About a week ago on a cloudless day, a dead standing tree by our bridge fell into the river! I didn't see or hear it fall, but all of a sudden there were big sections of a tree trunk in the river! At first I was totally puzzled by the broken trunk sections, until I finally noticed that the tree had fallen! It had been perched above the river, on the side of a steep slope for years! I have photographed many birds perched in this tree over the past 2 years, including Ravens, Northern Flickers, a Red-tailed Hawk, Western Tanagers, Bullock's Orioles, and Red-breasted Nuthatches! I climbed down and looked at the trunk where it broke off and it was filled with white, fungal hyphae. The main part of the trunk was actually still sound and not riddled with insects or their galleries! Maybe the high-water this winter will carry the trunks downstream. If not, it will be interesting to see how these trunk sections are used by the river critters!

Osprey - Hooded Merganser (female)

Pandion haliaetus - Lophodytes cucullatus

I saw 2 surprise avian visitors this week!  Both of them were so far away that I couldn't get great photos of them, but it was fun to watch them!  

The Osprey I saw wasn't right above the river, but rather up-slope and back from the river canyon.  Maybe it had just flown in for the day, as the weather was nice and sunny!  I kept watching for it to show up on the river later that day, but didn't see it.

The Hooded Merganser was a complete surprise to me!  According to the field guides they are uncommonly to rarely seen in our area!  However, I asked some local birding friends and apparently they have seen them in our area in the recent past.  At https://birdsna.org they do have Hooded Mergansers listed as visiting our area in the Winter, or non-breeding season!  I have never seen one before!  It was a wild looking duck with a really unusual wedge of feathers on the back of its head!  Classified as diving ducks, Hooded Mergansers eat small fish, aquatic insects and crustaceans, particularly crayfish.  They have serrated bills for grasping and handling slippery prey.  Their eyes are specially adapted to see underwater.  I went back several days in a row to see if it was still around, but didn't see it.  It was so exciting to see such an usual and uncommon duck right in our neighborhood!!!

Icicles on Dendroalsia Moss - Dendroalsia albietina

Moss, Lichens, and Fungi

Once again icicles are hanging from some of the mosses in our neighborhood!  The reason why moss can tolerate freezing temperatures is that moss has a natural anti-freeze (glycerol, sucrose etc.) in its cells!  This lowers the temperature at which water freezes, thus preventing damage to the plant cells. Lots of plants use this anti-freeze technique to survive the winter, including most evergreen shrubs and trees, some ferns, succulents, and liverworts! 

Mosses are non-flowering plants that typically grow in damp, shady environments.  When it's wet mosses thrive.  When it's hot and dry they become dormant.  Mosses do not have seeds and after fertilization develop sporophytes with unbranched stalks, topped with single capsules containing spores. There are approximately 12,000 species of mosses in the world!  

Dendroalsia Moss - Dendroalsia albietina

Moss can be found growing on just about any surface where it's damp and shady, such as rocks, tree trunks, and even man made structures.

Fruiticose Lichen - Crustose Lichen - Fruiticose & Foliose Lichen

Lichens are a symbiotic relationship between algae and fungus.  The algae is inside the fungus, and produces chlorophyll that feeds the fungus.  The fungus houses and protects the algae!  Lichens grow in just about any environment, from the desert to the arctic!  There are over 13,500 species of lichen in the world!!!  There are three main forms of lichen; fruiticose, foliose, and crustose.  Fruiticose lichen is shrubby and bushy.  Foliose lichen is flattened and leafy.  Crustose lichen is crusty and flattened. Winter is the time that lichens thrive.  They need water and moisture to grow.  During summer, when it is hot and dry, lichens become dried out and dormant.  

Questionable Stropharia - Stropharia ambigua

I haven't seen many mushrooms this year, and apparently they are quite scarce locally.  It's not a good year for fungus.  This one patch of mushrooms was growing right by our compost pile in the shade!  What a nice surprise!

Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus sp.

Mammal Update!

Across the Highway from where the midges were performing, I happened to see a female Mule Deer!  She checked me out and eventually went on with her grazing, while occasionally listening behind herself for other deer or predators.  I didn't see any other deer with her, but perhaps they were watching me warily from the woods!

Mountain Lion scat - Bobcat paws

Felis concolor - Lynx rufus

What I did see on our bridge was a bunch of recent Mountain Lion scat!  It was thick with hair, probably deer!  A good reason for that deer to be checking behind herself! 

I would love to see a Mountain Lion one of these days, preferably from the safety of my car!

Last week I asked "Whose feet are these?".  They are Bobcat feet.  Unfortunately, I was able to photograph them because the Bobcat had been hit by a car and died.  My friend BJ showed me the Bobcat.  It was so sad to see this beautiful animal killed on the highway.  I hadn't seen a Bobcat for 30 years!  Lots of wild animals, thousands, are annually killed by cars in California. There have been efforts to reduce the number of roadkills through signage, fencing, overpasses and underpasses, but the numbers are still high.  Sadly, we moved the beautiful Bobcat off the road and down the bank.  It was an honor to be able to see it so closely.

Lesser Goldfinches - Carduelis psaltria

Spenceville

Since the weather was sunny and cold, we decided to drive down to the Spenceville Wildlife Area for a hike.  It's located in the rolling grasslands, dotted with Blue Oak/Gray Pine forests, in the foothills. We saw several raptors on our hike as well as a flock of Lesser Goldfinches feeding on thistle and grass seeds!  Black Phoebes were performing their fly-catcher techniques of catching bugs, and Acorn Woodpeckers called loudly from their granaries!  It was a lovely, beautiful hike under the filigree of bare oak trees.    

For more information about the area, which is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, visit their website at https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Lands/Places-to-Visit/Spenceville-WA. 

Lesser Goldfinch - Black Phoebe - Acorn Woodpecker

Carduelis psaltria - Sayornis nigricans - Melanerpes formicivorous

What kind of clouds are these?

What's the weather been like?  Any rain or snow in the forecast?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

How's that fox doing?

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

If suddenly you stop getting my blog in your email, you need to sign up again. 

This is a glitch with blogspot.com, and I can't figure out how to fix it. Thanks!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. 

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com!