Unsettled Weather

Clouds & Black Locust - Robinia pseudoacacia

We had more rainy days this week, interspersed with several beautiful sunny days. It was also a lot warmer. Next week, the rain showers are supposed to continue but the daytime temps are supposed to be in the 70's. Hopefully a dry period will occur in the near future! Last night there was a crazy storm with booming thunder, lots of lightning, and pouring rain! It was so loud, it sounded like the storm was right over us! The total rainfall for this week was 2.97". That brings us to a water-year total of 76.67"!!!

Black-headed Grosbeaks 6/08/17 (female and nestling)

Baby Birds!

Right now, there are probably lots of baby birds in our neighborhood.  Right out of the egg, newborn birds are called hatchlings.  Except for waterfowl, most hatchlings are altricial, or born in an undeveloped state, and require care and feeding by their parents. While the hatchling is growing in the nest and being fed by its parents it is called a nestling. Usually nestlings remain in the nest for approximately 2-3 weeks. When a nestling grows its flight feathers and is ready to leave the nest it takes its first flight or fledges, and flutters to the ground. A bird that has just fledged is called a fledgling. Since these young fledglings cannot fly, most will live on the ground for a week or more, while their flight feathers continue to grow and their wing muscles get stronger. The parents will continue to feed the fledglings on the ground, until they are able to fly. Once fledglings can fly and feed themselves they are called juveniles.

American Robin with nestlings 6/3/17 - Turdus migratorius

IF YOU FIND A FLEDGLING ON THE GROUND, 
PLEASE JUST LEAVE IT ALONE!

If you pick it up, your human scent will make it easier for it to be found by a predator. The parent birds will continue to care for the fledgling until it can fly. If you have a cat, keep it inside and away from the fledgling. The best thing to do is to leave wild things wild!

There is a local group of experts, Wildlife Rehabilitation & Release, that can care for injured or abandoned birds, but only those found in Nevada County. If necessary, please call them for more information at (530) 432-5522 or check out their website at www.cawildlife911.org. I am currently volunteering with this organization and am learning a bunch about the care of baby birds. Perhaps in the future, a few of us

could start a local Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, as nothing currently exists in Sierra County.

American Robin - Red-breasted Sapsucker
Turdus migratorius - Sphyrapicus ruber 

Nesting News!

The survival rate of baby birds is surprisingly quite low, sometimes as low as 20%! There are lots of animals that prey on young birds, such as squirrels, weasels, raccoons, foxes, snakes, and even other birds!  The weather can also adversely affect their survival, as well as the ability of the parent birds to find food.  Nest parasites and avian diseases can also contribute to baby bird mortality.  Unfortunately, the baby Steller's Jays that were nesting right off our porch have disappeared.  They were probably eaten by a local animal.  Hopefully, the parents of these young Steller's Jays will attempt to nest again, in a new nest and new location.

The Blackbirds that were nesting also lost their eggs/young, but for a different reason.  Their nest was in a lilac bush that was in full bloom.  The heavy rains we experienced lately weighed the blossoms down so much that their nest was severely tilted down towards the ground.  I don't know what happened to the eggs or baby birds, but the parents are no longer visiting their nest.  They too will probably start a second clutch soon.

The good news is that the Robin and the Red-breasted Sapsucker are still on their nests!  They have survived the weather and predators so far!  My fingers are crossed that their nestlings survive!  I'll keep you posted.

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Mammal Update!

Late one evening this week I saw a Gray Fox crossing our road!  I ran up to get a photo, and found that the fox had settled down in my neighbor's field!  Wow!  I think it was one of the ones that I used to see on our property.  I watched it for several minutes before it rambled off.  What fun!  Right now, this fox may be caring for some young.  Gray Foxes mate for life, and right around now is the time for them to have their offspring.  Both parents feed and care for the young. The kits are weaned in 2-6 weeks, but remain dependent on parents until they are 10 months old.  Foxes are primarily nocturnal, but can be seen at any time of the day.  At night their highly developed senses of hearing, touch, and smell make them efficient predators.  They also have more rods than cones in their eyes, which makes them able to see in very dim light.  

Western Gray Squirrel - Douglas Tree Squirrel/Chickaree

Sciurus griseus - Tamiasciurus douglasii

Since the weather has been so rainy and cold, I've been putting out a table with bird seed on it.  I've attracted lots of birds as well as squirrels!  Both of these squirrels are active all year, and do not hibernate.  In the winter they forage for nuts, berries, and acorns.  They also eat from caches of food they stored in the fall. Right now they are busy with their offspring!

 Western Gray Squirrels breed sometime from December to June.  A litter of 3-5  kits is born approximately 43 days later.  The young are weaned in 10 weeks, but stay with their mother for 6 months or more!  Any young Western Gray Squirrels you see now, were probably born several months ago!  

I think the Chickaree is a mom, because I can see nipples on her belly!  These squirrels have one mate per year, and will mate sometime between May to June.  A litter of 1-8 kits is born approximately 40 days later.  The young are weaned in 6-9 weeks, but depend upon their mother for another 2-3 months.  

I was happy to provide some seed for these hungry squirrels!
  

Striped Skunk - Mephitis mephitis

I've seen this skunk foraging on birdseed in the evenings lately! There are several skunks in our area. Last year we saw one with 5 babies!  Primarily nocturnal, skunks forage for a wide variety of food at night.  They eat mice, gophers, rats, birds and their eggs, insects, fruit, nuts, corn and seeds!  They live in underground dens year-round.  They will breed sometime between February and April.  A litter of 4-7 kits are born  59-77 days later.  The kits are weaned in 6-7 weeks. The young males will leave the nest in July or August.  The young females stay with their mother until the following spring.  

 Sierra Buttes 4/30/18

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What other birds have nests with babies?

What bugs are out and about?

Where are the bears?

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

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

Cold Rain!

North Yuba River 5/16/19

This week the weather totally changed!  We had day after day of clouds and rain, and the daytime temperature dropped into the 60's.  Our total rainfall this week, as of Sunday afternoon, was 3.92"!  The river is a chilly 42°, and is flowing at 3700 cfs!  Up at Yuba Pass it even snowed a few inches! The forecast is for more rain this coming week, and even cooler temperatures.  Overnight lows are predicted to be in the 30's at our elevation, and in the 50's during the day!

Today we woke up to an inch of newly fallen snow, and the power was out!  That's why this blog is late!  All the snow melted by 9:00 am, and the power came back on at 5:00 pm.  Yahoo!  

Raindrops on Pine needles

Brewer's Blackbirds (male, left - female, right)

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Nesting News!

This rainy, cold weather is coming just when many birds have eggs or nestlings in their nests.  It will make it difficult for the birds to find insects to feed their nestlings, as it will be too cold for most insects to be active.  Keeping warm is also going to be more difficult for them in the cold rain. I must confess that I am worried about them!  I've been putting out extra seed for the adults birds to eat.  Luckily everything is leafed-out, so there is a lot of protective canopy.  I've also done some research, and have found that birds are not as vulnerable as I thought they might be.  They have several strategies to survive cold, wet weather.  They tend to remain inactive as much as possible to conserve energy.  They perch out of the wind and rain in sheltered areas.  They also eat as much as they can during breaks in the weather, to hold them over during the night or further storms.  It turns out that they are also "waterproof" to a point!  The following quote, from https://ornithology.org, explains it well. 

"Birds are waterproof. Their feathers, made of protein similar to our fingernails, have interlocking barbs to make them both flexible and water resistant. Feathers overlap one another like roofing tiles to make the bird both aerodynamic and water repellent. Birds also have an oil gland at the base of their tail which they use to put a waterproof coating on their feathers. You may have seen a bird reach over its back as if it was scratching an itch on its tail; it is actually squeezing oil from the gland which it then spreads over the feathers. The outer feathers of birds protect the insulating feathers underneath, just if they were wearing a down jacket with a waterproof shell. Some birds, like egrets, have what is called “powder down”, fine granules like talcum powder that are produced by the decomposition of special down feathers and repel water." 

This morning all the birds were just fine, despite the weather! Yahoo!

American Robin - Brewer's Blackbird

Turdus migratorius - Euphagus cyanocephalus

The Steller's Jays that are nesting off of our back porch, are feeding their nestlings now!!!  Yahoo!  We've been watching them fly in and out from their nest, through the screen door on our porch!  I haven't taken any photos, because I don't want to disturb them.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the nestlings thrive!  It's so exciting!

I also spotted two new nests that are occupied!  One is an American Robin nest, and the other is a Brewer's Blackbird nest!!!  I can zoom in on both of the nests from quite a distance, so I can take a photo without disturbing them!  I still only go and look at the nests every few days, and then only for less than a minute.  If you repeatedly  look at the same bird nest, you can give away its location to a predator. 

Red-breasted Sapsucker  - Sphyrapicus ruber

The Red-breasted Sapsucker down the road is no longer chipping wood out of it's nest in the telephone pole.  Maybe it is incubating its eggs right now!  I just happened to see it poke its head out one evening!  Wow!!! Cavity nests are probably nice and snug in stormy weather!  I'll keep you posted on future developments!

Bullock's Oriole (female, left - male, right) - Icterus bullockii

Bullock's Orioles on Hummingbird Feeders!

For the first time this week I saw a pair of Bullock's Orioles repeatedly feed at our hummingbird feeders!!!   I have read that Orioles frequently feed at hummingbird feeders, but never saw it happen before!  It was so fun to watch!  

Western Fence Lizard (male) - Sceloporus occidentalis

Reptiles!

Before the weather got cold, I was seeing lots of lizards and snakes in our area, way more than usual!  I've seen several Garter Snakes and two Yellow-bellied Racers.  My neighbor saw one Rattlesnake and a Rubber Boa!  I saw lots of Western Fence Lizards on the rocks down by the river, and up at the cemetery.  It was turning out to be a big reptile year!  That's all changed since the weather got cold, but they'll be active again once it warms up.

All of the following quoted information is from www.californiaherps.org., a great website for information on reptiles and amphibians, and lots of good photos.

Western Fence Lizard - Sceloporus occidentalis

"Males have blue markings on the sides of the belly edged in black, and two blue patches on the throat. Females have faint or absent blue markings on the belly. Males establish and defend a territory containing elevated perches where they can observe mates and potential rival males. Males defend their territory and try to attract females with head-bobbing and a push-up display that exposes the blue throat and ventral colors. Territories are ultimately defended by physical combat with other males. Courtship and copulation typically occurs from March to June. Egg laying occurs 2 - 4 weeks after copulation. Females dig small pits in loose damp soil where they lay 1 - 3 clutches of 3 - 17 eggs usually from May to July. Eggs hatch in about 60 days, usually from July to September.

They eat small, mostly terrestrial, invertebrates such as crickets, spiders, ticks, and scorpions, and occasionally eats small lizards including its own species.

In California, western black-legged ticks (deer ticks) are the primary carriers of Lyme disease. Very tiny nymphal deer ticks are more likely to carry the disease than adults. A protein in the blood of Western Fence Lizards kills the bacterium in these nymphal ticks when they attach themselves to a lizard and ingest the lizard's blood. This could explain why Lyme disease is less common in California than it is in some areas such as the Northeastern states, where it is epidemic."

Southern Alligator Lizard - Elgaria multicarinata

"Southern Alligator Lizards have large scales, a long alligator-like snout, light-colored eyes, and a longitudinal fold on the lower sides of the body.  They can be fairly large in size. Active during daylight, they are frequently seen moving on the ground, and occasionally up in bushes. Alligator lizards do not typically bask in the sun out in the open or on top of a rock like many other lizard species."

I saw this Alligator Lizard down at Rice's Crossing in the foothills.  There's not much difference in appearance between the male and female Alligator Lizards. Eggs are usually laid between May and June, and hatch during late summer and early fall.  Females lay two clutches of eggs per year, often in decaying wood or plant matter to keep them warm. Females will guard the eggs until they hatch.  They eat small arthropods, slugs, lizards, small mammals, and occasionally young birds and eggs.

Western Yellow-bellied Racer - Coluber constrictor mormon

"Diurnal, often seen actively foraging in the daytime with head and forward part of the body held up off the ground searching for prey with its acute vision. Climbs vegetation and seeks shelter in burrows, rocks, or woody debris. Very fast-moving and alert, quickly fleeing when threatened, this snake is difficult to get close to.

Eats lizards, small rodents, small birds, frogs, salamanders, small snakes. Lays eggs in late spring or early summer which hatch in two to three months."

I photographed this dead Yellow-bellied Racer a few years ago. They move so fast it's impossible to get a "live" photograph! These snakes are non-poisonous but will bite if handled.

Rubber Boa (young) - Charina bottae

"Rubber Boas are nocturnal and crepuscular, sometimes active in daylight.

Sometimes active in weather that would be too cold for most reptiles, with surface temperatures in the 50's. A good burrower, climber and swimmer. Often found under logs, boards and other debris, sometimes on roads at dusk. The tail is short and blunt and looks like a head. When threatened, the snake hides its head in its coiled body, and elevates the tail to fool an attacker into attacking the tail. Snakes with scarred tails are common. Known to live as long as 40 - 50 years in the wild. Eats small mammals, birds, salamanders, lizards, snakes, and possibly frogs. Bears 1-9 live young between August and November. Young snakes are pink or tan, and can be brightly-colored."

I photographed this young rubber boa up in the Lakes Basin a few years ago. These snakes are non-poisonous and quite docile when handled.

Sierra Valley wetland 5/17/19

Sierra Valley Revisited

On Friday, there was a break in weather so we drove over to Sierra Valley. We saw lots of wildflowers and birds!  The rain clouds heightened the dramatic beauty of the valley!  It was just gorgeous! 

Red-winged Blackbird - Yellow-headed Blackbirds - Yellow-headed Blackbird 

male - females - male

 Agelaius phoeniceus - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Red-winged blackbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds often associate with each other.  Both species like to live in agricultural fields and wetlands, and feed on the insects and grains found there.  They are both polygynandrous, males and females have multiple mates.  Red-winged Blackbirds will have up to 15 female mates, while Yellow-Headed Blackbirds have up to 6 female mates.  In both cases only the females make the nests, incubate the eggs, and brood the young.  Both parents feed the nestlings, but the females do most of the feeding.  The Red-winged Blackbirds live across the U.S. year-round.  The Yellow-headed Blackbirds spend their winters in Mexico!  The males of both of these birds are strikingly colored.  They are just gorgeous!

Sierra Valley dry land 5/17/19

Wildflowers! 

All though the valley wasn't in full bloom, there were still quite a few wildflowers to enjoy.  The flowers differed from the wetlands to the dry land areas.

Hooker's Balsam Root - Lemmon's Onion - Common Camas Lily

 Balsamorhiza hookeri - Allium lemmonii - Camassia quamash

Hooker's Balsam Root was blooming profusely in the dry areas.  I'd seen it in Carmen Valley a few weeks ago, but not in Sierra Valley.  The flowers smell like chocolate!!!  They REALLY do!  Check them out the next time you see one!

Lemmon's Onion and a few Camas Lilies were growing in a damp area.  Both of these plants were used by the Native Americans.  They used the onion like we use onions.  The camas bulbs were probably the most important bulb utilized by the Native Americans.  They were used as a trade item between tribes.  Areas where these bulbs were abundant were sometimes fought over.  The bulbs were roasted and then dried or mashed, and baked as cakes.  I only saw five of these flowers in one area.  I've been in other local, wet meadows where thousands of camas bloom!  Sierra Valley is grazed by cattle, which might be the reason I only saw a few camas plants growing there.

Caterpillar - Ceanothus Silk Moth 

species unknown - Hyalophora euryalis

  There were lots of theses caterpillars climbing on the willows at the edge of the wetlands.  I don't know what kind of caterpillar this is, but I posted it on www.bugguide.org, and hopefully they will identify it for me. I'll let you know what they determine.

This Ceanothus Moth cocoon was also on the willows.  I didn't see any of the adult Moths, so maybe this is an old cocoon in which a caterpillar overwintered.  I didn't check to see if it was occupied or not.  The adult moths are over 5"-6" wide!   They are the largest of the Saturniid, or Giant Silkworm, Moths.  As adults their mouth parts are reduced and adults do not feed.  They exist to mate and lay eggs!

Native Americans used the cocoons to make ceremonial rattles.  Several cocoons were attached to one or both ends of a stick, which was sometimes decorated with feathers. 

 Ceanothus Silk Moth - Hyalophora euryalis

   

What other birds have nests with babies?

Are bugs are out and about?

Where are the foxes, deer, and bears?

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

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

Local Color!

Sunset Clouds 5/4/19

We got a couple of early-evening rain showers in the last 10 days, that added up to almost a tenth of an inch of rain. It hasn't rained since April 5th! The rain-dampened earth smelled wonderful, and the dramatic sunset-colored clouds were incredible! Most of the days have been sunny and warm, with temperatures ranging from the 70's during the day to the 40's at night. Just perfect!

Rainbow 5/6/19

 To our delight, a rainbow appeared briefly as the sun was setting on Monday!

Yellow-breasted Chat - Western Tanager

Icteria virens - Piranga ludoviciana

Local Birds

Colorful new birds keep arriving in our neighborhood!  This week I spotted a Yellow-breasted Chat and a Western Tanager!  Both of these birds have migrated approximately 4,000 miles from Central America to (hopefully!) breed and nest in our neighborhood!  WOW!!!

Yellow-breasted Chats are really uncommon in our area.  They usually nest in the foothills!  At one time, these birds were common in the foothills and central valley of California during the breeding season.  However, brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds and habitat destruction have reduced their numbers.  I was so excited to see one in our neighborhood this week!  They are more often heard than seen, as they are secretive and tend to live in dense tangles of vegetation.  In the morning and evening, this male's LOUD, constantly-changing song makes me smile!  The Cornell Ornithology Lab describes their song as, "a collection of whistles, cackles, mews, catcalls, caw notes, chuckles, rattles, squawks, gurgles, and pops."  It is so fun to hear!  Only the males sing.  I initially thought that chats must be big, because they have the loudest song in the neighborhood, but they are only 7.5" long, about the size of a Mountain Bluebird!  The males arrive at the breeding ground ahead of the females.  Mating occurs as soon as the females arrive.  Only the female builds the nest (low to the ground in tangled vegetation), incubates the 3-5 eggs, and broods the young.  Both parents will feed the nestlings.  I have only seen one singing male in our area.  I sure hope there's a female around too!  

Tropically-colored, male Western Tanagers showed up just a few days ago!  Their beautiful red feathers are colored from pigments found in the insects they eat, that have themselves acquired the pigment from plants!  I watched two males (one immature, one adult) hawk insects out of the air on Wednesday evening!  They will also eat fruits and berries in season.  They are about the same size as a Yellow-breasted Chat.  Just the males sing, but their song isn't as loud or as variable as a Chat. Only the females build the nests (usually high up on the branch of a conifer), incubate the eggs (3-5), and brood the young.  Both parents will feed the nestlings.  We have had a pair of nesting Western Tanagers in our neighborhood for several years.  We are so lucky to have them here!  Such beauty!

Yellow Warbler (male) - Setophaga petechia 

I spotted this male Yellow Warbler in a willow thicket, where it was gleaning insects off the leaves.  Its bright, sunflower-yellow feathers made it easy to spot!  This is another long-distance migrant.  Yellow Warblers overwinter as far south as Panama!  In the summer, they breed and nest across North America, even up to the arctic!  Maybe this one will nest in our neighborhood!  They are small birds, only 5" in length, with a soft buzzy song.  They feed on midges, caterpillars, and other insects in the summer.  In the winter they also feed on nectar and pollen, down in Central America.  Only the females build the nests (in the fork of a bush or sapling), incubate the eggs, and brood the young. Both parents feed the nestlings. 

Males:  Evening Grosbeak - Bullock's Oriole - Black-headed Grosbeak

Coccothraustes vespertinus - Icterus bullockii - Pheucticus melanocephalus

A few weeks ago I featured photos of the above bird species, but only the males. Below you will find the corresponding females.  As you can see, these birds are all sexually dimorphic, with the males being the most dramatically colored.   

Females:  Evening Grosbeak - Bullock's Oriole - Black-headed Grosbeak

Coccothraustes vespertinus - Icterus bullockii - Pheucticus melanocephalus

However, the females themselves are gorgeous and quite colorful on their own! 

Arroyo/Suculent Lupine - Applegate's Paintbrush - Silverleaf Lupine

Lupinus succulentus - Castelleja applegatei - Lupinus obtusilobus

Wildflowers!

Wildflowers are blossoming everywhere!  The highway is bordered with lupine, paintbrush, Blue Dicks and more!  In the forest, buttercups and several different lilies are blooming!  More flowers will show up soon!  Now is the time to get out and explore!  It's lovely! 

Scarlet Fritillary - California Buttercup - False Solomon's Seal

Fritillaria recurva - Ranunculus californicus - Maianthemum racemosa

Arrow-leaved Balsam Root - Blue Dicks - Yellow Cat's Ear/Star Tulip

Balsamohriza sigittata - Dichelostemma capitatum - Calochortus monophyllus

South Yuba River and Poppies 5/15/17

South Yuba River State Park

We went for hike down in the foothills to catch the last of the Spring bloom and were amazed at the hundreds of flowers we found, especially on the north-facing slopes!  I highly recommend going there in the near future before it dries up!  It's gorgeous! 

Chinese Houses - Pretty Face - Twining Brodiaea

Collinsia heterophylla - Triteleia ixioides - Dichelostemma volubile

Hairy/Winter Vetch - Indian Pink - Globe Gilia

Vicia villosa - Silene californica - Gilia capitata

(American Lady Butterfly - Pipevine Swallowtail Butterfly -  Beetle, unknown species)

Western Kingbird - White-breasted Nuthatch - Oriole (sp)

Tyrannus verticalis - Sitta carolinensis - Icterus sp.

 We saw a White-breasted Nuthatch, a year-round  foothill resident, as well as a Western Kingbird and an Oriole, both long-distance migrants!

Yellow-headed Blackbirds (males)

Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

Sierra Valley & Carmen Valley

This week we  went to Sierra Valley and Carmen Valley to check out the birds and flowers.  We saw many birds as well as the beginning of the Spring bloom. I love the big sky and the crowds of swallows at the Steel Bridge!  The whole area is so alive!  We'll be going back again soon and I'll let you know what we find.  Can't wait!

Hooker's Balsam Root - California Hesperochiron - Water Plantain Buttercup

Balsalmorhiza hookeri - Hesperochiron californicus - Ranunculus alismifolius

All of these flowers were growing in a damp area on the edge of a wetland.

White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi

Bullock's Oriole (female) - Steller's Jay - Red-breasted Sapsucker

Icterus bullockii - Cyanocitta stelleri - Sphyrapicus ruber

Nesting News

We were down in our garden one evening when a female Bullock's Oriole landed in our neighbor's garden across the street.  I took a few quick photos, and only realized later that she was getting a piece of fishing line off his fence!  They use fishing line a lot in their nests, and will often take it out of an old nest to use in a new nest!  How fun to see her collecting some!

To my surprise we have a pair of Steller's Jays nesting right out our back porch (center photo above)!  A female is on the nest all day, with a male occasionally showing up to feed her!  How exciting!  A few years ago, I watched a tree squirrel rob the eggs out of a Steller's Jay's nest, while the parent birds hopped and screeched at the squirrel.  I really hope that doesn't happen with this nest!  I'll keep you posted!

The Red-breasted Sapsucker is still hammering away at it's nest.  The female should move in soon and lay her eggs!  It's so exciting to have them in such a visible area!

North Yuba River 5/9/19

How cold and fast is the river?

What bugs are out and about?
Where are the foxes, deer, and bears?

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

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!