Rufous Hummingbird (juvenile) on Anderson's Thistle
Selasphorus rufus on Cirsium andersonii
Due to the hot and dry weather we've been having, we've been hiking in the higher elevations to see wildflowers still in bloom. One morning this week, we went up to a meadow around 6700' in elevation. My friend Mary had told me about a particular patch of blooming Anderson's Thistles where lots of Rufous Hummingbirds were feeding. Luckily we found the area, and it was an absolutely incredible sight! Dozens of Rufous Hummingbirds were zooming around and feeding on the thistles! It was SO beautiful!!! There was also a constant chattering going on between them! Usually, I've only seen one or two of these beautiful, little hummers at a time! WOW!!!
Rufous Hummingbird - Selasphorus rufus
I only saw females and juveniles, no males. I turns out that these hummers breed from southern Oregon to southern Alaska, and then return to southern Mexico for the winter. They don't breed in our area. Right now the females and juveniles are migrating through, on their way to Mexico! The males probably passed through sometime in late June or early July. (The two photos of males, on the bottom left, were taken in my garden.)
Brewer's Angelica - Angelica brewerii
More Wildflowers
The wildflowers are still numerous in the "Upper Montane Forest Zone". This area is one of the five life/biotic zones found in the Sierra Nevada, from the foothills to the alpine. These 5 zones are not totally separate from each other, and change gradually from one zone to another. There are many variations in these zone descriptions online. I've chosen the following website as my reference, http://snrs.ucmerced.edu/natural-history/life-zones. It describes what basically typifies each zone. The Lakes Basin is primarily in the Upper Montane Forest Zone, from 6,000'- 8,000' in elevation.
"The upper montane forest begins at higher elevations near 6,000 feet (1800 m), where the montane climate is characterized by short, moist, cool summers and cold, wet winters. Snow begins to fall in November and may accumulate to depths of six feet or more and remain until June. Pure stands of red fir and lodgepole pine are typical of this forest. Jeffrey pine, which has bark that smells like vanilla, and the picturesque western juniper can also be found in this zone. Beautiful wildflowers bloom in meadows from June through August."
Right now, Brewer's Angelica (above photo) can be found in lacy cascades in most creek beds around 6,000'. I don't remember ever seeing them quite so numerous before! Just gorgeous!
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Elephant's Head - Oregon Checker Mallow - Little Elephant's Head
Pedicularis groenlandica - Sidalcea oregana - Pedicularis attolens
In one meadow I came across hundreds of Elephant's Heads! The majority of them were the "little" species and were growing out in the wet meadow. The other species was fewer in number and were found on the edge of the meadow. A week later I returned to the same meadow, and they had all gone to seed!
Fireweed - Arrowleaf Groundsel - Paintbrush
Chamerion angustifolium - Senecio triangularis - Castilleja sp.
One of my absolute favorite wildflowers is Fireweed. It is a tall plant, reaching 3'-4' in height, with delicate, rosy-purple blossoms. It usually grows in groups of 5 or even 50 individual plants. I love watching them sway in the breeze. They are also a favorite of many hummingbirds!
Primrose monkeyflower - Erythranthe primuloides
This year there are large carpets of Primrose monkeyflower along the edges of all the wet meadows. Their super-hairy leaves collect dew overnight, and glisten like jewels in the morning sun!
Yellow-bellied Marmot (juvenile) - Marmota flaviventris
A Few Mammals!
To our delight we saw a young Yellow-bellied Marmot this week, around 6,500' in elevation! I've never seen a young one before! It posed nicely for us on a granite rock. What a surprise! Yellow-bellied Marmots usually have one litter of 4-5 young, per year. They are born in April or early May, and are blind and naked at birth. Within two months they leave their underground burrow and disperse. I wonder if this one has recently left its burrow! It was so cute and fluffy!
Yellow-bellied Marmot (juvenile) - Marmota flaviventris
We also saw an adult Yellow-bellied Marmot in another area around 7,000' in elevation! These are the most common large rodent in the Sierra, and generally live underneath rocky talus slopes from 5,400' to 14,000'! Years ago, a marmot tried to steal a book out of my backpack, just below the summit of Mt. Whitney (14,505')!
Chipmunk - Tamias sp.
This cute, young Chipmunk watched us warily from the trail side last week. Chipmunks are numerous up in the Lakes Basin, and there are several different species. This one hasn't developed its adult coloration, so it's hard to determine what species it is. My guess is that it is a Lodgepole Chipmunk.
Osprey chasing a Bald Eagle!
Pandion haliaetus - Haliaetus leucocephalus
Twice in the last two weeks I've seen a Bald Eagle in the Lakes Basin! I haven't seen one up there before! Both of the eagles were seen flying over a lake. They are large birds, with a wingspan of 80", a length of 31", and a weight of 9.5 lbs! In comparison an Osprey has a wingspan of 63", a length of 23", and a weight of 3.5 lbs. Ospreys are the better fish catchers, and Bald Eagles are known to steal a fish from an Osprey rather than catch their own fish! The Osprey in the above photo relentlessly pursued the Bald Eagle, despite its smaller size! It was amazing to watch!
Bald Eagle - Haliaetus leucocephalus
On another day, we watched a young Osprey circle a different lake. It left the area after circling the lake a few times, and then this Bald Eagle showed up! Wow! It circled the lake once, made an attempt at catching a fish, perched for a while, and then left the area! How lucky to see this magnificent bird so closely!
Cassin's Finch on Alpine Knotweed
Haemorhous cassinii - Aconogonon phytolaccifolium
These beautiful Cassin's Finches are quite numerous in the higher elevations right now. They can be distinguished by the bright red crest that is redder than its head and breast, as well as the lack of streaks on its belly. Usually, they travel in flocks. They love eating seeds and conifer buds. I watched the one pictured above feast on Alpine Knotweed seeds for 15 minutes! Such beauty!
Cassin's Finch (males) - Haemorhous cassinii
This pair of males were feeding on the ground near a wet meadow. The females are mainly dark brown with a brown-streaked white belly, and really well camouflaged.
What's happening in our garden?
Are the bears still around?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
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