Amazing Pond Life!

Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon

I've been visiting three small ponds on a regular basis this winter.  I never know what I might see!  All of them have one Belted Kingfisher that seems to preside over "his/her" pond.  Their rattling alarm call, and accompanying flight, happens as soon as I approach a pond.  They mainly eat small fish, but will also eat crayfish, amphibians, reptiles, small mammals, and even birds!  The males lack the rusty-chestnut band across their chest, which is present in the females.  Soon they will mate, and the pair will begin excavating an underground burrow in an earthen bank.  The burrow will be 1-2 meters long, ending in an unlined chamber where the eggs are laid.  It may take the two kingfishers 7 days to 2 weeks to create the burrow!  

Bufflehead (4 females - 2 males) - Bucephala albeola

In the same pond where I saw the Kingfisher pictured above, I was delighted to see a group of six Buffleheads.  The males have the bright-white bodies and "wedges" on their heads.  These diving ducks feed on aquatic insects, amphipods, snails, clams, seeds, and bulrushes.  They are the smallest diving duck in North America, measuring 13.5" in length.  Buffleheads mainly breed in Canada and Alaska, but since 1996 a small percentage of them have been found in small mountain lakes in the northern Sierra Nevada.  Last summer I came across several female Buffleheads with their ducklings in the Lakes Basin.  These ducks are tree-cavity nesters, primarily in abandoned Northern Flicker nests.  The ducklings are born precocial and jump from their nest to the ground, within 24-36 hours after they are born!  The mother then leads them to water, and stays with them and defends them for the next 5-6 weeks!

Northern River Otter - Lontra canadensis

While I was watching the above Buffleheads, I noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye in another part of the pond.  To my absolute amazement it was a River Otter!!!  WOW!!!  I never thought I'd see a River Otter in this pond, which is quite a distance from any river!!!   I have since read that otters will travel 10-18 miles on land in search for food!  WOW!!!  Luckily I got to watch this otter swim the perimeter of the pond and catch fish for 10 minutes!!!!  I also realized that the Buffleheads were no longer visible.  They were probably VERY aware of the River Otter and were hiding and ready to take flight!  River Otters usually eat slow moving fish, as well as turtles, crayfish, mussels, aquatic beetles, and waterfowl.  No wonder the Buffleheads disappeared!  What a surprising, amazing experience!  Such a privilege to see! 

  

Northern River Otter - Lontra canadensis

When I first spotted the River Otter it was in an algae and plant-choked section of the pond.  Within a minute it had moved out to the deeper clearer water.  I was amazed by its size!   Adult otters can reach a total length of 5' (including a 20" tail) and weigh up to 33 lbs!!!  This one looked big to me, and it moved through the water at an amazing speed!

Belted Kingfisher - Megaceryle alcyon

Another pond I've been watching is the Charles Marsh Pond in Nevada City.  The resident Kingfisher usual announces my arrival to the pond residents.  What a beauty she is with her rusty-chestnut band across her chest!  There are lots of fish and frogs in this pond for her to eat.  I've watched her now for two years, and am so glad she's still here!

Hooded Merganser (male & female) - Lophodytes cucullatus

 Earlier this year I saw 3 pairs of Hooded Mergansers in this pond.  Lately there has been only one pair.  They are so unusual with their large wedge-shaped heads!  They eat small fish, aquatic insects, and crustaceans.  This pair bonded sometime last fall!!  They will leave for their breeding grounds in western Canada soon.  Nesting will begin sometime between late March or early May.  How lucky we are to have them as winter visitors!

Water Strider - Pacific Tree Frog (green & brown phase)

Gerris remigis - Pseudacris regilla

We came across a small pond in the foothills that rang with frog song, until we approached.  As soon as we were about 10' away, the frog song stopped!  Although it had sounded like there were LOTS of frogs, we only saw a few brown Pacific Tree Frogs.  The rest of them must have hidden under the muddy bottom!  These frogs will change their skin color to match their environment, but it takes a few hours to a few weeks.  Only the male frogs are the ones that sing!  Right now they are singing to attract females for mating.

I was surprised to see a few active water striders in a tiny neighborhood pond this week!  It looked like they were actually mating!  The warm weather must have warmed them up enough to become active.  Wikipedia states, "Gerrids that live in environments with winters will overwinter in the adult stage. This is due to the large energy cost which would need to be spent to maintain their body temperature at functional levels. These water striders have been found in leaf litter or under stationary shelters such as logs and rocks during the winter in seasonal areas. This reproductive diapause is a result of shortening day lengths during larval development and seasonal variation in lipid levels.

Shorter day length signals the water strider of the coming temperature drops, also acting as a physical signal the body uses to store lipids throughout the body as food sources. Water striders use these lipids to metabolize during their hibernation. The length of the hibernation depends when the environment warms and the days become longer again."

White Alder - Alnus rhombifolia

What's Blooming?

Our bees have been flying due to the warm, dry weather, and are coming back to the hive with pollen on their legs!  They're probably getting the pollen from the alder catkins that are currently tasseled out.  Alders are monoecious, with both the male and female parts on the same tree.  The catkins are the male part, and the tiny cones (right above the tassels) are the female part.

Pussy willows - Salix sp.

The pussy willows are in bud, but not totally open yet.  Willows are dioecious, with separate male and female plants.  Right now you can't tell if the pussy willows will be male or female.  When they bloom in a week or so I'll take pictures to show you the difference.
   

Weather Update

Warmer temperatures, partly cloudy skies, and dry weather was the pattern this week. More warm and sunny weather is predicted for the coming week, which I hope is just a temporary break. We certainly don't need another drought year!  I'm hoping it rains and snows and gets cold again!  We need winter to stick around!

Are any insects out and about?

Have any new birds arrived?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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

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