Another Year!

Part of the Sierra Buttes

Nature is never boring.  It's alive, fascinating, and constantly changing! The more I learn the more amazing everything becomes, and I know so little!  Over the past four years, I've been learning how precisely it all fits and works together. Timing is critical!  The ripening of seeds, the falling of rain, and the heat of the sun are just a few parts of this finely tuned, wild ecosystem. Layer after layer of wild things, in their ecological niches, pulse and thrive in my neighborhood! As a daily observer, I am constantly surprised, amazed, and filled with their grace and beauty!

During this past difficult year of social, political, and environmental turmoil, nature has been my companion, my source of stability, and my inspiration. I am so grateful that I live where nature is right outside my door, and look forward to many more years of further observation, delight, and adventure!

Four years ago, on December 23, 2016, I started this blog!  It has been an incredible four years! I have learned so much, and have so much still to learn! I also enjoy sharing my discoveries and photos with the world!  This year I had 6,267 hits on my blog (almost a 1,000 more than last year), from 74 different countries!  Thanks go to all of you for following my blog, and for sending me your complimentary comments! 

Below are my photo collections from this past year, featuring newly seen species as well as some of the local regulars!  Enjoy!

 

Wood Duck

Osprey - Virginia Rail

Great Horned Owl - European Starling & Downy Woodpecker

American Bittern - Rough-legged Hawk

Lewis's Woodpecker - Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sora - Bald Eagle

Common Merganser & ducklings

Again, my thanks go to Cornell University for the incredible internet resources they provide for the public.  Their websites are numerous, my favorites are their newly posted birdsoftheworld.org, and birdsna.org. I am also so grateful for the input of other naturalists/scientists on inaturalist.org, who have identified many species for me.

American Pronghorn

Virginia Opossum - Black Bear

Grey Fox - Cottontail Rabbit

Yellow-bellied Marmot - Lodgepole Chipmunk

River Otter - Muskrat

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Chickaree/Douglas Squirrel

Desert Bighorn Sheep

There are many websites about mammals available on the internet, my favorite is animaldiversity.org.  It has also been a fantastic resource for information on critters of all kinds, from mammals to tardigrades!

  

Sierra Primrose

Drummond's Anemone - Subalpine Shooting Star

Little Elephant's Heads - Rosin weed

Sugarstick - Whitestem Frasera

Elephant's Heads - Bog Asphodel

Peony - Spotted Fritillary

Anderson's Thistle & Rufous Hummingbird

I am also so grateful for the calflora.org website. It is an incredible resource for identifying flowers/plants, with 1,000's of photos.   Additionally, I am so thankful for my botanist friend, Peggy, who has identified many plants for me over these past years!  The bugguide.net website has been my source for identifying the local bugs. It too provides 1,000's of photos and an identification service!

Sierra Buttes

Smoke obscured sun - Smoke colored North Yuba River

North Yuba Trail - Sierra Buttes (detail)

North Yuba River - Long Lake (summer)

Silver Lake - Mt. Elwell

Smoke colored river sparkles in the North Yuba - Sunset in Sierra County

Sierra Valley

The landscape I live in is stunning! 

I never tire of watching the light change. Such beauty!

Best wishes to all of you for the coming New Year! 

Check back on Sunday, Dec 27th for the next edition of 

northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com!

Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com