A Break in the Weather

Steller's Jay on Sunday morning - Cyanocitta stelleri

Except for 8" of powder snow on Sunday morning, this past week was fairly snow free and COLD!  Tuesday morning it was a sunny 23° and our water froze for a couple of hours!  On Wednesday it snowed a few inches of powder snow.  Thursday was another sunny but cold day, and the roads were really icy.  On Friday the sun came out and it warmed up to 42 degrees!  It was an incredibly beautiful day so we drove up to the Lakes Basin in the afternoon and went skiing!  It was wonderful to be back up in the Lakes Basin again!  There's about 4-5' feet of snow on the Gold Lake Road, and about 15' on the ground at Yuba Pass!!!  We are so grateful for all the winter weather that has created this much-needed snowpack!  Sure hope it sticks around for awhile!

Sierra Buttes on Friday afternoon 2-22-19

Northern Pygmy-Owl with dead Junco - Glaucidium gnoma

Oh WOW an OWL!!!

On Sunday morning I went out wandering and photographing the beautiful snow-covered landscape for a couple of hours!  On my way back, I noticed that there weren't many birds feeding at our bird feeders.  Then I saw the silhouetted shape of what I thought might be an owl, on the ground near the feeders!!!  I approached slowly and was able to get a few photos of this little Pygmy-Owl with a dead Junco! WOW!!!  How exciting!!!  Pygmy Owls are little, about 6.75" long with a wingspan of 12".  The Junco it had caught was just about the same length as the Pygmy-Owl, measuring 6.25" in length, with a wingspan of 9.25"!  

The last time I got a photo of a Northern Pygmy-Owl was 10 years ago, on Feb. 20, 2008!  I had been walking along Hwy. 49 when I spotted what I thought was a really fat bird sitting on a road post.  As I slowly approached it, I realized it was a Northern Pygmy-Owl!  Luckily I got a few photos (below) before it took off!  Such beauty!

Northern Pygmy-Owl - Glaucidium gnoma - 2/20/2008

Unlike most owls, Northern Pygmy-Owls are diurnal (active during the day). They prey on small birds and mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. They perch and drop down on their prey, and often take prey up to 3x their size! They definitely benefit from bird feeders, by preying on the birds that feed there.  

The Cornell Lab states, "Small birds such as nuthatches, robins, crossbills, wrens, creepers, hummingbirds, blackbirds, warblers, and jays frequently mob Northern Pygmy-Owls as they do other raptors—this behavior seems particularly bold considering small birds are what pygmy-owls eat. Some people have suggested that the eyespots on the back of the Northern Pygmy-Owl’s neck help deter mobbing birds."

 Apparently they live in our area year-round, but are uncommonly seen. Not a lot of information is available on their breeding, nesting, incubating, and hatching times, as they are difficult to find and observe!  They are seasonally monogamous, and pairs are known to allopreen each other!!!  They never excavate their own nesting cavities, but instead rely on cavities caused by rot or woodpeckers.  How lucky I was to see this beautiful little Owl!!!

Hooded Merganser (female) - Lyphodytes cucullatus

 Camouflage

Lately, I've been noticing how camouflaged some of the wildlife is in our area.  It amazes me how they blend into the background!  

I found a great article about camouflage at https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/camouflage/.  It states that, "Camouflage, or cryptic coloration, is a defense tactic that organisms use to disguise their appearance, usually to blend into their surroundings.  Organisms use camouflage to mask their location, identity, and movement.  This allows prey to avoid predators, and for predators to sneak up on prey."

Background matching, in which a species conceals itself by resembling its surroundings, is the most common form of camouflage.  Countershading is often used as part of the background matching tactic.  Being darker on top and lighter underneath (countershading), the solid body shape is broken up and more difficult to see.

Gray Foxes - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

I was amazed how these sunning foxes blended into the leaves, dry grasses, pine needles, and rocks on the forest floor.  I often didn't see them unless they moved, or I zoomed in with my camera! 

This made me wonder if foxes can see color.  Apparently they have dichromatic color vision, just like dogs.  Humans can see 3 colors, red, green, and blue.  Dogs can see two colors, yellow and blue. The following website has an excellent explanation, as well as examples of color vision in humans vs. dogs, https://dog-vision.com/#Color.  So from what I understand, the lovely rusty red color of their fur, that we see, appears grayish-yellow to a fox, but the sky is blue to both of us! 

Pine Siskins - Carduelis pinus

These Pine Siskins blend in so well with their background, due to their feather pattern and color, that they are hard to see! 

Bird vision is also different than our vision. In fact they can see colors in the ultra-violet spectrum that we don't see at all!  An in-depth explanation can be found at https://blog.nature.org/science/2015/08/17/field-guide-wrong-birds-eye-view-world-color-vision/. 

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodius

Lately, our local Great Blue Heron hasn't been on the North Yuba River.  I have, however, seen it at the mouth of the creek near our property.  It's probably easier to catch fish in the creek, where the water isn't so deep and fish are more visible.  I spotted the heron above a few miles up-river from our neighborhood just yesterday.  It was standing near a shallow part of the North Yuba River, just waiting patiently for a fish to show up!  Look at how big its feet are!  

How many more inches of precipitation will we get this week?

Where are the deer?

What other birds will show up at our feeders?

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!

Snow & Rain!

Looking toward Saddleback - 2/12/19

This was one heck of a wintry week! We had heavy snow, heavy rain, and lots of sleet! The weather changed daily, and sometimes hourly! We ended up with about 1' of wet snow on the ground where we live, but there is over 11' of snow around the 6,500' level!!! Our local Highway 49 closed several times over the week, and the power was out for a day. The river was really up, with a peak rate of 8,000 cfs occurring on Thursday! Initially the river was laden with sediment and mocha in color. It has since cleared and is back to its normal deep green color. Our total precipitation for the week was 9.51"!!! This brings our water year total to approximately 45.06"! 

News Flash!  This morning we woke up to 8" of newly fallen powder snow, which isn't even included in the recent total I just posted!  More rain/snow is predicted for the end of this coming week. Yahoo!  It's looking like we might not be in a drought situation this year!  Keep your fingers crossed! 

North Yuba River - 2/14/19 and 2/15/19

Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Early one evening I spotted this Red-tailed Hawk perched in our neighborhood!  It was right before sunset and during a break in the heavy snowfall that had been falling all day.  I watched him for a good 15 minutes, while he surveyed the area!  It's harder for raptors to find prey while the weather is stormy, as the mammals and birds they prey on tend to stay out of the elements.  There is also the risk that they could get too wet while hunting in heavy rain.  Most birds tend to become inactive in heavy weather, and wait out the storm.  Bigger birds like this Red-tail have a better surface-to-volume ratio than smaller birds, and don't have to eat as often. Survival in the wild is a finely tuned balance of elements that can be challenged by heavy, winter storms.  I always worry about wildlife, but I'm happy to say that I saw a Red-tail the next morning about 1/2 a mile away!  Perhaps it was the same one!

Red-shouldered Hawk - Buteo lineatus

On Valentine's Day it POURED!  Since the roads weren't snowy, we went to Grass Valley to do errands.  In the late afternoon it stopped raining for a little while, so we stopped by the pond where I had seen the Hooded Merganser.  I didn't see any ducks, but I saw this hawk land in the top of a distant tree.  I zoomed in with my camera and realized that it was spreading its wings and trying to dry off!  How cool!  I wasn't sure what kind of hawk it was, until I was able to see its head and breast.  I'm pretty sure it is a Red-shouldered Hawk!  The dark eye, the black & white banding on the wings and tail, and the red head and breast are all indicators that it is a Red-shouldered!  It stayed perched with its wings outstretched for about 10 minutes!  Wow!  How lucky to watch this beautiful hawk taking advantage of a short dry spell during a week of storms!

Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon subspecies) - Junco hyemalis

Project FeederWatch Update!

During this week of heavy weather the birds have been feeding non-stop at our bird feeding station.  We had our usual 50-70 Juncos, 15 Steller's Jays, 2 Song Sparrows, 5 Spotted Towhees, 1 California Towhee, 2 Varied Thrushes, and 6 Mourning Doves!  The perched Juncos looked like music notes on the fence wire! 

Mourning Dove and possible remains

Zenaida macroura

Just this morning, I spotted a small hawk on the ground right near the feeders!  It was dark and small, so it was probably a Sharp-shinned Hawk, but it took off before I got a good look at it!!!  I went to where it had been on the ground and there was a lot feathers and some blood!  It looked like possibly dove feathers, but I'm not sure.  Wow!  Survival in action!  One dies, the other survives!  Amazing!

Mountain Quail - Oreortyx pictus

New this week, I saw 6 Mountain Quail scurrying away from our bird feeders as I approached!  They are really beautiful birds!  Hopefully I'll get some more photos soon! 

Hairy Woodpecker (male) - Northern Flicker (male)

Hairy Woodpeckers live here year round.  There are two dead pine trees in our neighborhood that I've frequently seen and heard them pecking on.  They eat wood boring beetle larvae that are living right under the bark or in the heartwood of a tree trunk.

Northern Flickers live here year round as well.  They do not peck on tree trunks for food.  They usually forage on the ground for insects, mainly carpenter ants.  In winter Flickers search for dormant insects on the ground, but will also eat berries, fruit, and seeds!

Both of these birds are in the Woodpecker family of birds, Picidae.  In the winter woodpeckers excavate roosting cavities for resting and sleeping.  They are usually made in rotten tree trunks, about 6' off the ground.  They use the same roost throughout the winter, and usually return to it every night!!!  I haven't seen one of these roosts, but I haven't looked for them either!  I'll have to get out there and look for them soon!  A new assignment!!!

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Four Foxes!!!!

Monday was a beautiful blue-sky, sunny day and I saw 4 Gray Foxes that afternoon!    This one was so camouflaged in the briars and brambles I didn't notice it at first!

While watching the fox in the brambles, I saw another fox behind it!!!!  I think the 2 of them had been sunning themselves on the sunny edge of the brambles.  Other than a mother fox with her young, I haven't seen 2 or more foxes together!!!  Foxes mate for life, and this is mating season, so maybe these two foxes could be a "couple"!!!  Wow!  

They left less than a minute after I showed up, but what a treat it was to watch them!

Later that afternoon, two more foxes passed by!  I'd seen this one for the first time just last week!

I've seen this fox off and on throughout the winter.  This is the one that posed so nicely for me about a month ago!  What a day of fox sightings!  How wonderful!!!

Another Gorgeous Grizzly Peak Sunset 2/10/19

How many more inches of precipitation will we get this week?

Where are the deer?

What other birds will show up at our feeders?

What's it like up in the Lakes Basin?

Where is the heron?

The frogs I posted last week were both Pacific Chorus Frogs (treefrogs).

I'll write more about them and the Red-eared Slider in the Spring!

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!

Winter Weather!

Grizzly Peak 2/5/19

It's been a snowy, wet week! We woke up to a foot of powder snow last Tuesday morning!  It shrunk and compacted down to 5 inches in a few days. Yesterday it slushed heavily all day, with the temperature hovering around 36°. It was not a good day for taking pictures! This morning there was 5" of new snow on the ground, and the sun was trying to come out! Our total precipitation for the week was 5.08", which brings our "water year" total to approximately 35.55". The river is up and the flow rate peaked on Tuesday at approximately 1550 cfs.  We're really glad that we're finally getting some winter weather!  More snow is predicted for this coming week. Up at Yuba Pass there's probably 10' of snow on the ground! WOW!

Spotted Towhee, Mule Deer, and Chickaree Tracks

There weren't any tracks in the snow at first.  The deep powdery snow must have been hard for the local wildlife to navigate!  By the next day, after the snow had compacted a little, there were quite a few tracks!  There was a mystery track (above middle photo) that I'd never seen before.  It looked like whatever it was had dragged its tail.  I thought it might be a Mountain Lion, but the distance between the footprints didn't seem to be big enough for a lion.  The actual footprints weren't clear in the powdery snow.  I just went out for another walk, and found a similar track.  It was a deer track!  I could see the hoof prints clearly!  The drag marks are from their hooves not their tail! 
   

Our bird feeding station on Tuesday morning!

Project Feeder Watch Update!

 As you can see, our bird feeding station got buried in snow!  After I cleared it off and put out some seed, it was quickly covered with hungry birds!  

Dark-eyed Junco - Oregon subspecies

Junco hyemalis

About 50 to 70 Dark-eyed Juncos visit our bird feeder daily.  They also glean sunflower seeds out of the dried sunflower heads in our garden.  There are six subspecies of Dark-eyed Juncos in North America.  The ones we have locally are the "Oregon" subspecies.  Males have black hoods.  Females have gray hoods.  They are common and widespread across the U.S. in winter.  Seeds are their preferred food, such as sunflower, millet, and nyjer seeds.  They will also eat cracked corn and oats!  They will spend the winter here, and migrate up to higher elevations to breed in the spring.  They are commonly seen in large flocks, except during the breeding season.

Varied Thrush (female) - Ixoreus naevius

We have a green house (with a heater!) down by our bird feeders and that's where I watch and count birds for Project Feeder Watch.  This week I was totally surprised to see a pair of Varied Thrushes visiting our feeders!  I've only seen them in our neighborhood once before, probably 15 years ago!  I was thrilled to see these lovely, strikingly-colored  birds again!  Varied Thrushes don't live here, they only occasionally visit in the winter.  They breed north of here, in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska, as well as in western Montana and Idaho.  In winter they eat acorns, seeds, nuts and berries. 

Varied Thrush (male-left and female-right) - Ixoreus naevius

(The photos are a bit distorted because I photographed through window glass.)

 I looked up what food I should put out for them at  the Cornell website https://feederwatch.org/learn/common-feeder-birds/.  They recommended hulled sunflower seeds and suet, but I didn't have either one.  Luckily they seem to be eating the seeds I put out!  Next time I go to town (1 hour away) I'll get the right stuff!  I sure hope they stick around!

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Much to my surprise I spotted a new fox down by the bird feeders this week!  Apparently it was staying under our greenhouse for a few nights!  Two mornings in a row, it ran out from under the greenhouse as I approached!  What a beauty it is!  Look at that incredibly fluffy tail with the dark black stripe on top!!!  Now I know that foxes will take advantage of human structures for shelter!  Hope I see it again soon!

North Yuba River 2/5/19

On the River!

The river looks so cold it's hard to believe that any critters could be living on it, but there are!  I'll take the temperature of the water sometime this week!  Brrr!

American Dipper - Common Goldeneyes

Cinclus mexicanus - Bucephala clangula

There are two American Dippers along one stretch of the river in my neighborhood!  Snow and cold water don't seem to affect them at all!  One morning this week, I watched the dipper above left repeatedly dive underwater to find prey!  They have a thick coat of down feathers under their outer feathers, that apparently keeps them warm!  Unbelievable!

I photographed the Common Goldeneyes above right just this week.  It looks like they are a female and a first-year male.  They are  found across the U.S. in winter, and across Canada and Alaska during the breeding season.  In California, Common Goldeneyes are the only ducks that regularly spend the winter on rivers and lakes above the foothills of the western Sierra.  I saw a group of Common Goldeneyes last fall up in the Lakes Basin.  Perhaps the ones above are from that same group!  

Common Goldeneyes - Bucephala clangula

I photographed the Common Goldeneyes above, about 2 years ago.   

These 4 males are in their breeding colors. One female is partially visible in the back.

Hooded Merganser - Lyphodytes cucullatus

I didn't travel down to any foothill or valley wetlands this week, but I did stop by a pond in Nevada City near the Madelyn Helling Library.  To my delight there was a female Hooded Merganser swimming around!  Wow!!!  I had photographed one of them on the North Yuba River back in December, but it was so far away that it was hard to see.  Seeing it up close, I was astounded at the crazy looking bunch of feathers it has on its head!  They reminded me of a big, expensive, watercolor brush!  How exciting to see one so close!  I looked around for a male but didn't see one.  I'll keep checking this pond and maybe I'll get lucky and see a male Hooded Merganser or possibly a Wood Duck!  My friend Walt says he sees some there every year!

This turtle is a Red-eared Slider! 

 What kind of frogs are these?

Where are the deer?

Where is the Heron?

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!

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area - 1/28/19

Last Monday, we made our annual drive down to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in California's Central Valley, near Gridley. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife states, "The property was designated as a wildlife area by the Fish and Game Commission in 1953. The principal land use currently practiced at Gray Lodge is the provision of seasonally flooded wetlands for migratory birds. The 600 acres of riparian woodlands that remain here include cottonwood, willow, blackberry, and wild grape. They provide food, shelter and shade for aquatic and terrestrial species like the garter snake, great blue heron, ringtail, and river otter."  

Currently Gray Lodge includes 9,100 acres of land acquired mainly through the cooperation of local ranchers and the California DFG. It is planted with crops to attract waterfowl, and to keep waterfowl out of privately owned rice/agricultural fields. Hunters are allowed to hunt on some sections of Gray Lodge, and their fees are used to maintain the wildlife area. Bird populations have dramatically increased, and illegal hunting has been curtailed since its establishment. Gray Lodge is a success story on many levels!

Snow Geese with Northern Pintails (foreground) and various waterfowl

Anser caerulescens - Anas actua 

Geese!

Snow Geese roost in Gray Lodge by the thousands!  Their constant loud calls permeate the wetland, and are as much a part of our experience as the physical presence of the birds.  They roost on water and forage in the local fields for grains and marsh plants.  Most feeding is done from early morning to late evening.  They will begin their 5,000 mile migration to the arctic in February, arriving in their breeding grounds in mid to late May.  If you haven't visited Gray Lodge yet this winter, now is the time to go!

Snow Geese with Ross's Geese (foreground)

Anser caerulescens - Anser rossii

We also saw the smaller Ross's Geese mingling with the Snow Geese.  They looked like miniature Snow Geese!  Apparently these two species of birds migrate together from the arctic and back!  Ross's Geese are also vegetarians, and feed on grains and aquatic vegetation.  

Great White-fronted Geese - Anser albifrons

Greater White-fronted Geese were also prevalent at Gray Lodge. They are similar in the migration and feeding habits of Snow and Ross's Geese.  They are about the same size as a Snow Goose.  Primarily diurnal feeders, they will occasionally feed in late Spring on a full-moon night!

Snow Geese with Northern Shovelers & Northern Pintails

Anser caerulescens - Anas clypeata - Anas actua 

Ducks & other Waterfowl

We also saw LOTS of other waterfowl species. Most of the males were in their mating colors. I wondered why many of the ducks were sleeping. It turns out that most of them roost on water during the day, feed on dry land in the morning and evening, and forage on wetlands and flooded fields at night! 

Northern Pintail (male) - Northern Shoveler (male)

Anas actua - Anas clypeata

The Northern Pintails and Northern Shovelers are dabbling ducks.  This group of ducks feed at the surface of a pond or marsh by "dabbling" (partially submerging and moving their bill) and upending to feed below the surface.  The ducks we saw probably live year-round in California, although these species are found across North America.  The Pintail's diet consists mainly of plants, insect larvae, invertebrates, fish, and frogs.  The Shoveler eats mainly invertebrates and seeds. We were amazed at their dramatic plumage!  Right now is their breeding season.

Blue-winged Teal (males & female) - Anas discors

The Blue-winged Teal is another dabbling duck.  Unlike the Pintail and Shoveler ducks, these ducks feed during the day on seeds, snails, aquatic insects and crustaceans, and roost on shallow water at night.  They will migrate soon to their breeding grounds in the mixed-grass prairie and parklands of north-central U.S. and the prairie provinces of Canada.

Black-necked Stilt - White-faced Ibis

Himantopus mexicanus - Plegadis chihi

Wading Birds

The Black-necked Stilt pictured above is probably a year-round resident at Gray Lodge. It eats small fish, tadpoles, brine flies, brine shrimp, water boatmen, crayfish, and beetles.  It has the second longest legs, in proportion to body size, in the bird world!  Only Flamingos have proportionately longer legs!  I love to watch their slow and delicate movement along the shore!

The White-faced Ibis use their long decurved bills to probe for aquatic insects, crustaceans, earthworms, and midge larvae.  During their breeding season (April to mid-May) a white rim of feathers is displayed around the bare skin of their face, hence their name!  They may stay and breed in California, or migrate to Idaho, Montana, N. & S. Dakota, or Iowa.  We saw several lone Ibis, as well as one large flock.  When they fly they look almost prehistoric to me, with their curved necks and bills.

Green Heron - Butorides virescens

Without a doubt, the most unusual bird we saw at Gray Lodge was a Green Heron.  These small herons are uncommonly seen along secluded marshes, lakes, ponds and slow-moving streams, that are shaded by riparian trees. They are small herons, only 18" in length, and have short legs. They eat small fish, crustaceans, insects, frogs, and rarely small mammals. They hunt for prey day and night! They wade into shallow water and wait patiently for prey to pass by. They will also dive for prey from a perch, head first, and become totally submerged!!! 

Green Heron - Butorides virescens

We were fascinated as we watched this hunched up heron suddenly stretch it's neck way out and fluff up its crest feathers!  It slowly and methodically walked across the pond weeds and then quickly darted forward and caught some invertebrate!  WOW!!!

We were so lucky to see this unusual, strikingly-colored Heron!

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodius

In comparison the Great Blue Heron is 46" tall and has long legs.

Turkey Vultures - Cathartes aura

Perching Birds

We saw lots of birds in the trees surrounding the Gray Lodge wetlands.  At the end of the day, Turkey Vultures started roosting together in small groups. These are large birds, measuring 26" in length, with a wingspan of 67"!  Using these large wings, they can soar for hours while searching for carrion.  They have a keen sense of smell and can detect carrion for miles!  Their red heads are featherless, which helps keep the carrion from sticking to them.  They also have excellent immune systems and don't contract botulism, or salmonella from the carrion they eat.  I was amazed at how quiet they were, while watching us from their roost!

Red-winged Blackbird - Northern Mockingbird

Agelaius phoeniceus - Mimus polyglottos

Red-winged Blackbirds were also roosting in large groups at the end of the day.  Although you can't see the red epaulettes on this bird's shoulders, the black iris indicates that it is a red-wing and not a Brewer's Blackbird.  In winter these blackbirds mainly eat weed seeds, as well as grain and insects if available. 

This Northern Mockingbird is a new species for me, although they are commonly seen in the Central Valley and foothills. Their name means "many tongues" as they are proficient mimics!  During a lifetime, a Northern Mockingbird may learn up to 150 songs!  They will mimic other birds, as well as cats, dogs, crickets, squeaky gates, toad, and frogs!  In winter they mainly eat wild berries and fruit, such as rose hips.  The rest of the year, they mainly eat arthropods (insects, spiders, crustaceans).

Red-tailed Hawk juvenile(?) & adult

Buteo jamaicensis

There were lots of hawks surveying the wetlands for prey. It is often quite difficult to identify raptors, especially juveniles.  I'll have to post my photos on www.inaturalist.org, to see if I identified these hawks correctly.  Waterfowl are often the prey of red-tails. They like to perch in trees or posts on the edges of clearings, wetlands, or meadows, and watch for prey.  We enjoyed looking at them through a spotting scope that one of us had brought.  Their feather patterns were incredible!

Great Horned Owl - Bubo virginianus

Another incredible bird sighting happened at the very end of the day, when this Great Horned Owl was spotted!  It was hooting and lead us to its location!  I was so excited!  I haven't seen an owl in a LONG time!  Amazingly it posed for us for several minutes!  Such beauty!!!

Great Horned Owls are the top predator of North America!  They can be found throughout North America and as far south as Costa Rica.  Their body length is 22", with a wingspan of 44".  They eat hares, rabbits, rodents, voles, mice, coots, geese, snakes, gophers, porcupines and skunks!  They can carry prey that is 3x their weight, including cats and dogs!!! WOW!  They regurgitate pellets of undigested fur, hair, and bones.  They hunt at night, and have acute senses of sight and hearing.  They are one of the earliest nesters in the area, and can begin laying eggs in January!  They do not build their nests, but rather reuse the nest of another bird species. How lucky we were to watch this strikingly beautiful owl!!!

What kind of turtle is this?

The track I posted last week was a Mountain Lion track!

The willows have partially bloomed, but the alders still have closed catkins.

The red foreheads on the Sandhill Cranes is their skin, not their feathers!  In adults, Sandhill Cranes' unfeathered crown is covered with dull reddish to begonia-rose papillose skin, and  scattered dark, short, hair-like bristles!

I'll talk more about Common Goldeneyes, and local happenings next week!

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!