Virginia Opossum - Didelphis virginiana
On Tuesday afternoon my neighbor called me and said there was an Opossum in their garbage can, if I wanted to take pictures! So of course I ran down to see it. They gently dumped it out of the garbage can when I got there, and unfortunately it had got a hind foot tightly tangled up in a mass of frayed nylon rope! We put a towel over it and I carefully cut the nylon off its swollen foot. It was hot in the sun so my neighbor, Tammy, hung the towel on their fence and the Opossum scooted behind it. Tammy then put a plate of fruit and a cup of water by the opossum, and it ate and drank!!! It was so cute to watch! After a while it started walking away, but it dragged its swollen hind foot. Because they have a dog, we decided to put the Opossum in our garden where it would be safer. We transported it in a dog carrier and let it out in our garden. It promptly scurried off, and its hind foot was actually working and not so swollen! It came to a brush pile and scrabbled into it, where it probably stayed until it was dark. We left some grapes for it to eat, and in the morning lots of them were gone! We haven't seen it since, and hope it's doing good out there in the wild! How fun it was to help and observe this lovely wild creature!
Virginia Opossum - Didelphis virginiana
Virginia Opossums are marsupials, in which the young are born incompletely developed and are typically carried and suckled in a pouch on the mother's belly. They are the only marsupials native to North America. Although originally found in the southern states and South America, they have been expanding their range to the north and west. This might be related to the warmer winters we've been having, and their ability to live around people where more food and shelter are available. However, they cannot live in extreme cold, as they do not hibernate, have furless ears and tails susceptible to frostbite, have inadequate thermoregulatory abilities, and poorly insulated fur. They prefer to live near water, in woodlands and thickets, from sea-level to 9,000'!
They are usually solitary, nocturnal, and terrestrial, but can also climb trees with a prehensile tail and big toes that work like thumbs!!! They are omnivores and eat vertebrates, invertebrates, plant material, fruits, grains, and carrion. In the wild they have a short life span of only 1.5 to 2 years! They are preyed on by owls, coyotes, foxes, raccoons, bobcats, and even large snakes!
Virginia Opossums begin breeding at 10 months, and have an 8 month breeding period! Males practice polygyny and mate with several females. Females only breed with one male. The females have 1-3 litters, depending on the climate where they live. After a really short gestation period of 12-13 days, females give birth to 1-25 "honey bee" sized babies that weigh 0.13-0.20 grams and are only 14mm long. So tiny!!! These newborns are not fully developed, but posses muscled front legs that make it possible for them to climb from the birth canal to their mother's pouch. A lot of the newborns don't make it to the pouch. Usually only 8 complete the journey! Once they get in the pouch they latch on to one of the 13 nipples and stay there for 50 to 70 days! They then emerge from the pouch and ride around on their mother's back as she forages for food!!! At 85 days they start to eat solid food, and are completely weaned in 93-105 days! They then begin their solitary life, but only about 40% live to be adults! They must fall prey to lots of predators! I find this all so interesting! How lucky to see one of these unusual marsupials in my neighborhood!
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus (juvenile)
Neighborhood Birds
On Wednesday morning there was an audible commotion going on among the local birds near our garden. I hung out and waited and watched and sure enough I saw a Sharp-shinned Hawk perch in a tree. The Steller's Jays were mildly harassing it, but it only shifted its position in the tree. Eventually it flew off and landed in the dead top of an alder tree that overhangs our garden! Luckily I was able to get some photos! What a beauty! I see these small hawks, only 11" in length, several times a year in our area. It is so similar in appearance to Cooper's Hawks that I always post my photos on iNaturalist.org to get a definite identification. Cooper's Hawks are larger, with a length of 16.5". In the field I find it quite difficult to determine bird size. It's great to have iNaturalist.org as a resource!
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest hawk in the US and Canada. They are forest predators, like the Northern Goshawk. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states, "These raptors have distinctive proportions: long legs, short wings, and very long tails, which they use for navigating their deep-woods homes at top speed in pursuit of songbirds and mice." Small songbirds are the main prey of this hawk species, and there are lots of songbirds in our garden right now! They use surprise attack as their main method of capture. They will eat birds as small as an Anna's Hummingbird, or as large as a Mountain Quail! They will pluck off most of the feathers of their prey before they eat them!
They are listed as a "vulnerable" species. Wikipedia states, "A vulnerable species is one which has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to become endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival and reproduction improve. Vulnerability is mainly caused by habitat loss or destruction of the species home." They do not live here year-round, and mainly breed up in Canada and Alaska.
Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus (juvenile)
Later that afternoon we were down in the garden and heard some alarmed, squeaking bird calls and this Sharp-shinned Hawk flew out of the garden with something in its claws! I also saw it fly down the road the following morning. How lucky it was to see this beautiful little hawk in our area!
California Scrub Jay - Western Meadowlark
Aphelocoma californica - Sturnella neglecta
We also had some uncommon songbirds stop by this week! There was one California Scrub Jay down by our garden for a day! Normally these birds inhabit the foothill area. I also saw three brilliant-yellow Western Meadowlarks in the dry grasses along the highway. My guess is that they have flown over from Sierra Valley on their migration to their winter residence in the foothills and central valley. So beautiful!!!
Common Raven - Corvus corax
Lakes Basin Birds
We've had two weeks of smoke-free weather and super-clear air, and I've been hiking in the Lakes Basin as much as I can! On one of our hikes we watched approximately 30 Common Ravens windsurfing above a small bluff!!! It looked like they were having a joyous time! Ravens are in the Corvid Family of birds, along with Crows, Jays, Magpies, and Nutcrackers. Corvids are highly intelligent, as well as the most playful of birds! Ravens are the most playful species of Corvids! They have been know to repeatedly slide down a snowy slope, drop and catch twigs in the air, as well as perform aerial acrobatics! I don't often see large groups of ravens, usually just one pair of them at a time. It seemed liked they had congregated together at this bluff just to play in the wind! About 14 of them flew past, perched in some nearby firs, and checked us out for a while. After a few minutes they flew back to the bluff and recommenced their wind surfing!!! Wow! What fun it was to watch these delightful, playful ravens! We are SO lucky!
Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis
To our delight the Sandhill Cranes flew overhead on two separate days in the Lakes Basin!!! We love hearing their loud, rubbery calls in the Fall, signaling their return from their breeding grounds in the Arctic. They will spend their winter in the Central Valley/Delta areas of California. Such joy it brings to see them again!
Red Osier Dogwood - Bog Asphodel - Quaking Aspen
Cornus sericea ssp. sericea - Narthecium californicum - Populus tremuloides
More Lakes Basin Beauty!
The Lakes Basin is still in gorgeous Fall color! The Aspens are at their peak and the ground cover and shrubs are glowing! Get out there if you can! Here's a few photos from our recent hikes! Enjoy!
Grassy Lake Aspens - 10/15/20
Silver Lake - 10/16/20
Mt. Elwell - 10/16/20
Little Deer Lake - 10/16/20
Nevada Bumblebee - Long-horned Bee
Bombus nevadensis - Melissodes sp.
Garden Bee Identification
Bugguide.net identified these garden bees for me. The blonde one is a Nevada Bumblebee and the one on the right is a Long-horned bee. These are only two of the 1,600 species of native bees found in California! Sheesh! The more you know the more you realize you don't know much!
We Still Need Rain!
Once again I am sending out a "Call for Art" in celebration of rain. My intention is to focus on the need for rain, and through collective positive energy invoke rain to fall. It is just a wish, a thought, and a hope. If you would like to submit some art, or writing, or a photo please check out my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. I will be posting new art weekly.
You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.
Check it out and pray for rain!
Yes, the bears are around eating the local apples!
I haven't seen one in person, but have seen lots of their apple-filled scat!
What's happening in Sierra Valley?
Will it freeze this week?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
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