Thursday, November 26, 2020

In Gratitude!

                                            Forest Collection - 2017

...for all the beauty that surrounds us, including the rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, waterfalls, mountains, valleys, ridges, canyons, meadows, mist, rain, wind, smoke-free air, clouds, snow, raptors, ospreys, merlins, bald eagles, songbirds, hummingbirds, woodpeckers, ravens, nuthatches, steller's jays, kinglets, orioles, dippers, owls, shorebirds, buffleheads, hooded mergansers, common mergansers, wood ducks, kingfishers, sandhill cranes, waterfowl, bugs, dragonflies, butterflies, lady-beetles, spiders, fish, frogs, snakes, lizards, newts, salamanders, tadpoles, fairy shrimp, deer, marmots, opossums, bobcats, ringtail cats, skunks, squirrels, bears, minks, otters, mountain lions, mice, shrews, gophers, muskrats, foxes, oaks, firs, cedars, hemlocks, pines, madrones, dogwoods, aspens, cottonwoods, locusts, willows, manzanitas, ceanothus, silk tassels, dwarf bilberry, wildflowers, pitcher plants, mushrooms, lichen, moss, ferns, mistletoes, mountain ash, cattails, elderberries, choke cherries, and...

...don't forget the fragrance of damp earth, crushed wild ginger leaves, little princess pine blossoms, wild roses, spreading phlox, washington lilies, warm jeffrey pine bark, and the baked-pine-needle-summer-warmed forest floor...

...as well as the sound of aspen leaves in the wind, the rubbery calls of sandhill cranes, the river cascading down the canyon, the delightfully fun calls of the yellow-breasted chat, and the rain falling in the forest!

For all this and much, much more I am so grateful!
Have a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving!


I'm going on a road trip, so check back in two weekends (Dec. 5-6) 
for the latest Natural History News from my neighborhood!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated.
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Saturday, November 21, 2020

Moss in Winter

Dendroalsia Moss on California Black Oaks
Dendroalsia albietina - Quercus kelloggii  
                                                                                                        
I just read a fascinating book, Gathering Moss, by Robin Wall Kimmerer, for which she received the John Burroughs Medal for Nature Writing in 2005!   In Gathering Moss, Kimmerer's avid curiosity and delight in mosses is beautifully conveyed. Here are some of the facts I learned! 

Winter is the time that mosses flourish in our area. The recent rains have revived them from their dried-out, dormant state. Mosses have no roots or vascular system. They can only absorb water directly through their cell walls. Their leaves are only one cell thick and have no waxy coating, so they can instantly absorb water. To retain water as long as possible, the moss leaves will roll up, twist, or fold to expose as little surface as possible to the sun. They also grow in dense colonies, and can be very hairy, which also helps retain water.

There are approximately 20,000 species of moss in the world! Dendroalsia ("Companion of Trees") Moss is the most commonly found species in our neighborhood. It grows on rocks, tree trunks and branches, deadwood, cement, and even fences!
 
North Yuba Trail 11/19/20

We went for a hike on one of the lower elevation trails this week, that took us through a forest (primarily Canyon Live Oak) along the south side of the North Yuba River.  The forest was covered in moss!  Moss was growing on all the trees, dead or alive, and on all the rocks!  It was lush, damp, and gorgeous!  It felt like we were in a rain forest!

Dendroalsia Moss sporophytes & possible budding protonema
Dendroalsia albietina

Water is important for moss reproduction. Moss has three ways to reproduce; sexual, asexual, and cloning.  In sexual reproduction, male and female parts are found on the same plant.  The female part is called an archegonium and contains one egg.  The male part is called an antheridium and contains LOTS of sperm!  The sperm need water to travel to the egg or else they dry out.  Some of the sperm actually produce surfactants (like dish detergent!) that makes water less viscous and easier to travel in!!!  Some antheridium absorb so much water that they burst and expel the sperm. Additionally, some antheridium are surrounded by a flat disc of radiating leaves that raindrops hit and cause the sperm to be propelled to the egg!  If a sperm reaches an egg (most of them don't make it), the fertilized egg develops into a stalked sporophyte which releases spores.  The spores land on soil and send out thin branching green threads, protonema, on which buds form and new mosses grow!  Mosses also spread asexually by sending out new shoots in the spring from last years plants. They can also regenerate from fragments, through cloning!

 Dendroalsia Moss   -    Tardigrade Photograph: ©Science Photo Library 
 Dendroalsia albietina  -     Steve Gchmeissner/Getty Images

Within the leaves of mosses live tiny creatures!  Tardigrades, also called Water Bears or Moss Piglets, and are tiny 1mm, eight-legged animals that live off of the cells of moss.  They pierce one cell at a time with a stylet and suck out the contents of the cell!  They can dehydrate like moss, and live for years in anabiosis, a temporary state of suspended animation or greatly reduced metabolism I've never seen one of these tiny critters, but I'm going to examine some of our local mosses with a hand lens and see what I can find!

Steller's Jay in the Rain
Cyanocitta stelleri

Weather Update!

We got another 3.36" of rain this week!  Yahoo!!! 


It really soaked the forest and the river rose a few inches!  I have become quite a pluviophile, and just can't get enough rain!  
I hope more rain keeps coming!

Pine Siskins - Spinus pinus

Project FeederWatch

 I've decided to join Project FeederWatch again this winter.  It began last Saturday, Nov. 14 and ends on Friday, April 9. This program is created and  managed by the Cornell Ornithology Lab.  As a "Feeder Watcher" my job is to count the number of birds, and their species, at my feeder for two days in a row.  I can count them twice a day, or less, and every week or less.  The number I report to FeederWatch is the highest number of birds seen at one time, per species.  This information provides statistics for the Cornell Ornithology Lab that they wouldn't have been able to gather on their own. The following quote from Project FeederWatch explains how this citizen science project works. 

 "The main goal of Project FeederWatch is to combine the interests of backyard bird watchers with the needs of ornithologists who study bird populations. By making simple, standardized counts of the birds in their yards and reporting them to the FeederWatch database, Feeder Watchers are contributing directly to the scientific understanding of bird populations.

 FeederWatch data shows which bird species visit feeders at thousands of locations across the continent every winter. The data also indicates how many individuals of each species are seen. This information can be used to measure changes in the winter ranges and abundances of bird species over time. Importantly, FeederWatch data tells us where birds are as well as where they are not. This crucial information enables scientists to piece together the most accurate population maps.

 Because FeederWatchers count the number of individuals of each species they see several times throughout the winter, FeederWatch data is extremely powerful for detecting and explaining gradual changes in the wintering ranges of many species." 

 So I will be feeding the birds this winter, and will regularly clean my feeding station to prevent build up of feces and mold.  So far I've seen Pine Siskins, Steller's Jays, White-crowned Sparrows, Golden-crowned Sparrows, Fox Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and Mountain Quail.  If you're interested in joining Project FeederWatch go to the website, www.feederwatch@cornell.edu.  It's fun and you'll be helping the birds!

Pine Siskin - Fox Sparrow 
Spinus pinus - Passerella iliaca

What's happening with the local lichens?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What are the Lady-beetles doing?

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

Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Cold, Wet Weather at Last!

North Yuba River - 11/8/20

This week it was down in the 20's at night, and in the 50's during the day!  We also got 1.27" of rain on Friday!!!  More rain is predicted for next week as well!  So I do indeed believe the fires season has ended!  Yahoo!!!  I'll never know if our cumulative wish for rain helped, on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com, but my thanks go out to all of you who contributed to that effort!  I'll keep the blog up for a while, so if you haven't checked it out you still have time!  We are SO grateful for the rain!  It is such a relief to not be worried about fires.  My thanks also go out to all the firefighters who worked so hard to save people, property, and wildlands from fire!  You were amazing!  I hope this winter is a wet, snowy, long one!  Fingers crossed!

Rain drips!

 Hooded Merganser (3 females - 1 male)
Lophodytes cucullulatus

Surprise Visitors!

Sunday night it rained, although it snowed at higher elevations.  On Monday morning I was out wandering when I spotted some unusual waterfowl on the river!  They probably came down to get out of the snow up in the Lakes Basin or Sierra Valley! 

First I spotted a male Hooded Merganser with three females!  Now that was a surprise!  I've only seen one Hooded Merganser on the river the whole time I've lived here!  They watched me warily as they sped downriver!   They are uncommonly seen in our area, although they have apparently become more prevalent in the past ten years.  I've observed them on local low-elevation ponds in our area, especially near the library in Grass Valley.  You can read my previous blogs about them by entering "Hooded Merganser" in the "Search This Blog" bar at the top of the right column.  It was exciting to see these four in our neighborhood!

Northern Shoveler (males/females) - Green-winged Teal (males/females)
Spatula clypeata - Anas crecca

Just a little further upstream I came across a small group of Northern Shovelers and Green-winged Teals!!!  These birds normally live on ponds and marshes where they sift the water for tiny crustaceans, or Cladocerans, such as DaphniaLike all Dabbling Ducks they sift water with their "lamellae", comb-like projections around the inner edge of the bill.  They will also consume seeds, molluscs, swimming invertebrates, and plant remains.  

Both species breed up in Alaska and western Canada, and migrate down to our Central Valley or as far south as Central America for the winter.  Northern Shovelers migrate during the day and night.  Green-winged Teals migrate at night.  Has this small group of ducks been traveling together from their northern breeding grounds?  Wouldn't that have been beautiful to watch them land in the North Yuba River on a snowy night?!!  
                                                                               
Green-winged Teal (male/female)
Anas crecca

Green-winged Teals are the smallest dabbling duck in North America, measuring 14" in length.  In comparison, Northern Shovelers are 19" long.  I had never seen them before!  The males were already in their mating colors!  Apparently social courtship begins in late September-November, and by January most over-wintering females in California have mates!  

I returned several times that day to watch them.  Fortunately, they stayed in this one "pond-like" section of the river all day!  I went back the following morning to see if they were still there, but they were gone.  How lucky to see them during their short visit to our neighborhood!

Nancy and a HUGE California Black Oak!

The Halls Ranch/Fiddle Creek Ridge Trail

Due to the recent snowfall in the Lakes Basin, my friend Nancy and I hiked in the lower elevations this week.  It still had gorgeous fall color!  On Wednesday we hiked the Halls Ranch/Fiddle Creek Ridge Trail through a mixed conifer/deciduous old growth forest, with outstanding views of the North Yuba River Canyon.  It's a steep climb in the beginning, with a gain of 1600' in elevation in the first two miles!  However, the view from the top of the ridge is amazing!

Calif. Black Oak - Sierra Buttes - Canyon Live Oak & Calif. Black Oak
Quercus kelloggii - Quercus chrysolepis & Quercus kelloggii 

Once you get to the ridgetop there's a distant view of the Sierra Buttes, and a plummeting view of the North Yuba River Canyon!  From there we followed the ridgetop trail another 7.5 miles, up and down to Indian Valley.  I don't know the history of the trail, but it was probably originally constructed by miners in the late 1800's.  Now it's used by hikers, mountain bikers, and motorcyclists.  We didn't see anyone else the whole day, so it doesn't seem to get much use, but there was evidence of a lot of recent trail work.

Downy Woodpecker - Giant Sawtooth Mushroom - Townsend's Solitaire
Dryobates pubescens - Neolentinus ponderosus - Myadestes townsendii

A few birds came by and checked us out while we were eating our lunch!  The first arrival was a pair of Downy Woodpeckers!  They live in this area year-round.  A little later a Townsend's Solitaire perched nearby.  It was probably on its way down to the snow-free foothills for the winter!  

We also saw our first mushroom of the year, a Giant Sawtooth!  Neither of us were familiar with this mushroom.  We actually saw them in two places, both times they were near a dead stump. The mushroom was at least 12" wide and pretty flat on the ground.  We didn't see any other kinds of mushrooms.  It is probably a bit early in the fungi season, more should be showing up soon!

California Black Oak - Quercus kelloggii 

The dominant trees we saw were California Black Oak, Canyon Live Oak, Douglas Fir, Incense Cedar, Ponderosa Pine and Madrone.  The Black Oaks are deciduous (the Live Oaks aren't) and their golden-orange leaves were stunningly backlit and contrasted beautifully with the shadowed blue canyon!  

A lot of the forest we hiked through had HUGE oversized trees and not much undergrowth, so we think it might be an "Old Growth" Forest that has never been logged.  It was beautiful!  The only tree stumps we saw were right alongside the trail, and the trees may have been cut to just keep the trail open.  

Wikipedia states that an Old Growth Forest, "Is a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance and thereby exhibits unique ecological features and might be classified as a climax community.  Typical characteristics of old-growth forest include presence of older trees, minimal signs of human disturbance, mixed-age stands, presence of canopy openings due to tree falls, pit-and-mound topography, down wood in various stages of decay, standing snags (dead trees), multilayered canopies, intact soils, a healthy fungal ecosystem, and presence of indicator species. Old-growth forests are often biologically diverse, and home to many rare species, threatened species, and endangered species of plants and animals."

Convergent Lady-beetles - Pacific Madrone - Whiteleaf Manzanita (?)
Hippodamia convergens - Arbutus menziesii - Arctostaphylos viscida (?)

On another day we hiked to the confluence of Canyon Creek and the North Yuba River!  It was damp and mossy with lots of beautiful Big Leaf Maples shedding their leaves.  There were some big Madrones and large tree-like Manzanitas along the trail, that had beautiful peeling bark.  At the confluence, there were lots of Convergent Lady-beetles under the logs, rocks, and leaves on the ground!  It was another lovely day out in nature!

Nancy with a BIG Leaf Maple leaf!!!
  
Gray's Lovage seed heads - Ligusticum grayii

Lingering Fall Color!

Here are a few photos of the incredible fall beauty in our area!  Enjoy!

California Black Oak - Quercus kelloggii 

Frosty Leaves

North Yuba River - 10/8/20

Black Locust  - Robinia pseudoacacia

Indian RhubarbDarmera peltata
 
What is Project FeederWatch?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What are the Lady-beetles doing?

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

Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well...  However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version.  I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

Saturday, November 7, 2020

A Mist Filled Morning!

Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

It rained on Friday morning for about half an hour, for a total of a little under .25"!  We were THRILLED to get it!!!  Everything was damp and glistening and nature's camphor filled the air!  It has been 153 days since it last rained!  The next few days are supposed to be cold and cloudy with a chance of light rain and snow showers.  More of the same weather is predicted for later in the week.  It looks like the "storm door" has possibly opened up for us!  Yahoo!

Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

I went out this morning into a heavily misted landscape!  It was so, so beautiful!  I walked down to the bridge to see if any wildlife was around.  To my astonishment there was a Bald Eagle perched in a nearby tree!!!  I've only seen a Bald Eagle on the river once before, several years ago!  It was scrutinizing the river from its perch, probably looking for fish. I watched it for several minutes, until it took off downriver.  I thought it might perch on that dead tree where I've seen Ospreys and a Merlin perch, so I hotfooted it down the highway to check it out.  Sure enough I lucked out and there it was!  Wow!!!  How lucky to see this imposing raptor in our neighborhood!  I was amazed!

Bald Eagles are LARGE birds, measuring 31" in height, with a wingspan of 80" (6.5 feet!)!! Fish, waterfowl, and mammals are their main prey. They are uncommon in our area, and it's a rare privilege to see one!  I have written about Bald Eagles in previous blogs, most notably in my March 30, 2019 blog.  

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

I also saw two Columbian Black-tailed Deer on the gravel bar in the river!  They were young bucks!  Deer season ended November 1st, so glad these two made it!

Sharp-shinned Hawk - Accipiter striatus

At the end of my morning wander I was delighted to see a Sharp-shinned Hawk perched above our garden again!  Yahoo!  What and incredible morning!

Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout

Hiking to the Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout

My friend Nancy and I hiked to the top of the Sierra Buttes (elevation 8,587') last Wednesday!  She had never been there before, and it has been several years since I hiked it.  It was a beautiful blue-sky day, warm and breezy.  The views were amazing even though the sky was a bit hazy!  I should have taken more photos, but being photographically biased to natural scenes I didn't!  (Just Google "Sierra Buttes Fire Lookout", and you'll find a lot more photos!) This may have been our last hike up in the Lakes Basin for the season, as the weather forecast is for snow!
 
Informational sign at the base of the lookout stairs

The fire lookout was originally built in 1915, but was not accessible to the public until after the summer of 1964 when the metal stairs, with 178 steps, were built.  This lookout was manned until 1995 when it was decommissioned by the Tahoe National Forest.  If you suffer from vertigo don't climb the stairs. They are sturdy but you can see the drop below you as you ascend!  

Another informational sign at the base of the lookout stairs

The Sierra Buttes with the Fire Lookout being the highest point
Young America Lake (detail)
Young America Lake and Upper & Lower Sardine Lakes
 
I first went up to this fire lookout back in the early 90's.  At that time you could 4WD up to about 1/2 mile from the lookout.  I'm not sure how close you can drive nowadays.  I would highly recommend hiking the trail (not driving) to the lookout, as there are beautiful views along the way. It is an uphill hike of approximately 2.5 miles, with an elevation gain of approximately 1600'.  It was a bit of a workout, but well worth the effort.
 

We Still Need Rain!

Even though we got a little rain, I am still 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!


Are there still Fall Colors to see?

Will it freeze this week?

Will the birds stick around?

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

Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.
Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!


Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!
Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com