Nesting Time!

American Dipper at nest - Cinclus mexicanus

American Dippers are building a nest!

To my delight I came across a pair of American Dippers building a nest this week! Both the male and female were participating in the nest building. However, the female does most of the building and the male assists. As I watched, one would land with a beak full of moss and lichen. If the nest was empty, and it was presumably the female, it would go straight in. When the male landed it would wait outside until the female took the lichen/moss that it had brought, or it would just leave the nesting material and fly away! Their nest was large, about 10'' wide and 8" tall! Dippers make their igloo-shaped nest with a thick outer layer of moss, and a 5.5" inner chamber, globular in shape, composed of grass and leaves. I couldn't find the exact length of time it takes for them to build a nest, but I would imagine it would be at least a week or two. 

American Dipper at nest - Cinclus mexicanus

This nest was built on the ledge of a bridge pillar, out in the river, about 20' above the river.  The Cornell Lab of Ornithology states: 

"Natural sites commonly include cliff ledges and cliffs, behind waterfalls, under boulder piles, midstream boulders.  Occasionally among roots, in hollow tree stumps, and under overhanging dirt banks.  Readily uses human-made structures: under bridges, dam spillways and sluiceways, culverts, and buildings. Uses nest boxes placed on midstream stake or under bridge, if inaccessible to predators. Basic requirements for nest sites: close to water (usually fast water, usually with high noise level), inaccessible to predators, protected from floods, and a horizontal ledge or crevice for support. Locations close to fast water or deep water augment inaccessibility."

American Dipper at nest with nestlings - Cinclus mexicanus

4-5 eggs will be laid a week or two after the completion of the nest. The female does all the incubation for 14-17 days. The male feeds the female while she is on the nest. She also feeds herself. Young are born altricial, and remain in the nest for approximately 25 days. Both the male and the female parents feed the nestlings. Fledglings can feed, bathe, and have limited flight within one day after leaving the nest! Parents keep feeding fledglings for 4-35 days. Juveniles beg for food by fluttering wings rapidly, calling loudly, dipping, and then raising their head and gaping. Even when capable of foraging for itself, a juvenile follows its parents and waits for the parents to bring food. Forty-five days after fledging, the juveniles disperse into the wild!

American Dipper Nest

Last year I saw a nest in the exact same location, with nestling American Dippers in it! I watched the parents feed them on many occasions! Unfortunately, in the Fall the nest was no longer there. Someone must have taken it. It may seem tempting to collect bird nests, however it is totally illegal! The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 states, “No person may take (kill), possess, import, export, transport, sell, purchase, barter, or offer for sale, any migratory bird, or the parts, nests, or eggs of such bird except as may be permitted under the terms of a valid permit." It is also illegal for anyone to keep a nest they take out of a tree or find on the ground unless they have a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. So bring your camera or binoculars and enjoy what you see, but please leave wild things wild!

 

Downy Woodpecker (male) - Dryobates pubescens

Lots of other birds are building nests locally!  I've been seeing Robins, Steller's Jays, Brewer's Blackbirds, and Woodpeckers busy at their nest sites.  To my delight the Downy Woodpecker that nested in a snag outside my window last year has returned!  I saw him hammering on the same snag on April 2nd, just one day later than last year!  He hasn't been back every day, but every once in a while he shows up and starts hammering.  It would be so cool if the two Downy Woodpeckers nest there again.  It was fascinating watching them excavate the nest, chase off an intruding Starling, and feed their nestlings.  I'll keep you posted on what develops.  In the meantime you can read what happened last year in my May 9 and June 14 blogs. 

 

Brewer's Blackbird (female) with nesting material

Euphagus cyanocephalus

Steller's Jay with nesting material

Cyanocitta stelleri

Sierra Gooseberry - Ribes roezlii

Our local flora is gradually starting to bloom. One afternoon we came across this beautiful blooming Sierra Gooseberry!  What a surprise!  The flowers are wind pollinated, and don't rely on insects for fertilization.  It will produce round, reddish, bristly berries, that are eaten by Black Bears, rodents, Mule Deer, and birds.

Brewer's Rock Cress (?) - Sicklepod Rock Cress

Boechera breweri (?) - Boechera sparsiflora

Along the highway I found ONE purple Brewer's Rock Cress in bloom. Further up the road, I came across a dozen or more Sicklepod Rock Cress plants.  The Sicklepod flowers are tiny, and the whole plant is well camouflaged against the rocks. The  Brewer's flowers were thumbnail size and much showier.  Both plants are in the Mustard family, Brassicaceae, with flowers that have 4 petals. 

California Saxifrage (?) - Silk Tassel Bush

Micranthes californica (?) - Garrya fremontii

California Saxifrage was the first plant that bloomed on the Canyon Creek Trail.  You can find it blooming on the sunny, rocky seeps along the trail.  The Silk Tassel Bush finished blooming a few weeks ago.  These bushes are dioecious.  The one I found in bloom was a female!  The individual flowers are amazingly intricate, and together form a long hanging raceme.  Just gorgeous!

Kellogg's Monkeyflower - Vari-leaf Collomia

Diplacus kelloggii - Collomia heterophylla

I found a few Kellogg's Monkeyflowers up a wet slope at Canyon Creek.  With a hand lens the color is amazing, as are the stamens and pistils!  The Vari-leaf Collomia flowers are just a little bit bigger than a ladybug!  Tiny, but again,

lovely with a hand lens!  

Northern Flicker (female) in Cherry Tree - Colaptes auratus

More Damp Earth Art!

Since we are indeed in a drought situation, I am continuing to maintain this blog and am again sending out another "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 email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Check out what's already been submitted at dampearthart.blogspot.com

You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.

I will be posting new art weekly. Check it out and pray for rain.

Sierra Valley - 4/8/21

What's happening in Sierra Valley?

What kind of insects are out and about?

What birds have recently arrived?

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

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