Grizzly Peak - 8/10/19
This week we had cooler temperatures, clouds, and even a sprinkling of rain! It was such a fresh and moist change from the hot and dry days we've been having. In the mornings it seemed hushed and quiet. I watched clouds for hours as the sunlight played on them. The river has slowed down to 300 cfs., and is clear, green, and peaceful. How wonderful it all is!
Great Blue Heron - Common Merganser (female)
Ardea herodias - Mergus merganser
There are fewer mergansers on the river, probably because they've eaten most of the recently planted fish. However, the Great Blue Herons are still here, as well as the Common Merganser and her duckling. I was so thrilled to see the juvenile Common Merganser with its mom! This must be the pair that I have seen sleeping on a beach downriver! I watched them foraging in the water, along the edge of the river several mornings in a row!
Common Merganser (female) and juvenile - Mergus merganser
One morning another female merganser engaged in what appeared to be a short "battle" with the mother merganser! The mother was able to drive off the intruding female! The whole incident lasted for less than a minute, and the mom and duckling just went back to foraging like nothing had happened! It happened so quickly that I didn't manage to get a photo. I have no idea why the "battle" happened. I'll have to do some research!
Common Ravens - Corvus corax
There has been a pair of Common Ravens in our neighborhood for many years. During the past two weeks I have seen 6-7 ravens in the immediate area, and 3 of them seemed to always stick together. It also seemed to me that 1 of the group of 3 ravens was always cawing! I think, but I don't know this for sure, that the talkative one might be the juvenile offspring of the other two! It was amazing how much it cawed! This week the number of ravens is down to 3, and the juvenile isn't talking as much. I hope the juvenile is the offspring of our 2 long-time resident ravens! That would be wonderful!
Common Ravens - Corvus corax
Peregrin Falcon - Falco peregrinus
A Peregrin Falcon!!!
On Wednesday morning I went down to my regular spot on the river to see what was happening. To my delight there was a Peregrin Falcon in the fir tree across the river!!! It was plucking feathers off a dead bird it had in its talons! I think it was a dead Brewer's Blackbird! Peregrin Falcons have speed and extraordinary vision on their side. They are the fastest animal on earth! Their top diving speed can reach 238 mph! WOW!!! For this speed they need to start their dive at at least 3,280' off the ground, and the dive must be vertical! Most of their dives, or stoops, start at 705' to 1049' off the ground. If their dives aren't vertical, their diving speed is typically 66-86 mph. As they dive they spiral down to their prey, rather than turn their head!
Peregrin Falcons are formidable predators! The following quote from the Cornell website birdsna.org explains their hunting methods in detail. "They have several methods of attack, including stooping (diving), ringing up, direct pursuit, contour-hugging, shepherding, running or hopping, and flapping on ground. Most often stooping falcon pulls out of dive some meters behind escaping prey and shoots forward at great speed to grab or strike prey, or repeatedly stoops to force it down into water or onto open ground where it can be grabbed. Sometimes stoops directly down on prey, striking it in head, wing, or back, killing it or breaking wing. They usually grab prey with their feet and bite into the neck. Sometimes prey is killed by strike of impact, but usually they are only stunned. Captures mainly by grabbing prey with feet (binding) but rarely kills small prey by forcing talons into body as accipiters do. Instead, falcon bites into neck, disarticulating cervical vertebrae and severing nerve cord; even with prey killed in stoop, falcon bites into neck before feeding begins." It was thrilling to see this amazing falcon right in my neighborhood! WOW!!!
Howard Meadow - Sierra Buttes - Lincoln Meadow
The Lakes Basin is BLOOMING!
I went on several hikes in the Lakes Basin this past week including the Sand Pond loop trail, Round Meadow Trail, Lincoln Meadow, and a re-visit to Howard Meadow. Even though it's August, there are wildflowers everywhere! If you can go, it's definitely time to get up there! It's incredibly gorgeous!
Pedicularis groenlandica - Pedicularis attolens
Epilobium angustifolium - Lillium pardalinum - Aconitum columbianum
Orthocarpus cuspidatus - Sidalcea glaucescens - Sidalcea oregana
Agastache urticifolia - Ipompsis aggregata - Heracleum lanatum - Senecio triangularis
What kind of fish and insects are in the river?
Are the Tanagers, Orioles, and Grosbeaks all gone?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
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