Sooty Grouse (chicks) - Dendragapus fuliginosus
This week my friend Judy and I went up to the high-elevation meadows I mentioned in my previous "Wet Meadows" blog. About two miles before our destination, a Sooty Grouse female hopped out onto the dirt road along with her two chicks! What a surprise!!! The female quickly ran across the road and flew up into a nearby Douglas Fir tree. The two chicks crossed after her and disappeared into the bushes. We slowly got out of the car and looked for the female. We quickly spotted her fairly high up in the tree. To our utter amazement, we also spotted a big male in the same tree doing a full-on mating display for her! WOW!!!
Sooty Grouse (female head and male tail) - Dendragapus fuliginosus
The mating display went on for about two full minutes! The male inflated its warty-looking golden-yellow air sacs, raised up its bright-red crest feathers, spread its tail in a broad semi-circle, and paraded back and forth on a branch, while emitting a series of loud and low "hoots". The female looked on from a lower branch while emitting a few whinny-like calls!!! We were entranced as we watched from 50' below!
Sooty Grouse male, in mating display - Dendragapus fuliginosus
During mating season males sing almost continuously during the day and sometimes into the night! They sing to attract females and to warn off competing males from their territory. The sound is like no other birdsong. I think is sounds like a loud and low "galump, galump" mixed in with a throaty swallow! Definitely not your usual owl "hoot"!
David Lucas describes it perfectly in the following quote from his book Sierra Nevada Birds. "...males give eerie, booming calls that resonate all day through the somber forests. Their calls are ventriloquial and deep in pitch, sounding somewhat like someone thumping on a waterlogged tub in the distance."
Sooty Grouse male, in mating display - Dendragapus fuliginosus
At one point the two birds seemed to converge, but they were hidden by a tangle of branches so we don't know if they mated. Apparently, a male Sooty Grouse will attempt to mate with any female that comes into its territory, even females that already have chicks!!! Males mate with lots of females, but it is not known if females mate with more than one male.
Sooty Grouse female and two chicks - Dendragapus fuliginosus
After mating, the female alone makes a nest, incubates the eggs, and broods the young. The nest is just a shallow "scrape" on the ground either out in the open or under the cover of a log, stump, or shrub. They lay one clutch a year, containing 1-12 eggs. After 26 days of incubation, the eggs hatch. The chicks are born precocial, and leave the nest within 12-24 hours. The female will brood the chicks at night when they are small. For their first ten days chicks feed on insects, but then switch to a diet of flowers, leaves, berries, conifer needles, and seeds. The chicks stay with their mother until late summer or early fall. She doesn't feed them but acts as a watchman/guard while they self-feed. In the winter adults and juveniles feed exclusively on conifer needles.
So that's a brief synopsis of what I've learned about the Sooty Grouse! To see them in person was an amazing experience! Apparently it's quite uncommon to witness a mating display! We will remember and treasure this incredible wild encounter forever!
Western Bistort - Elephant's Head - Sierra Rein Orchid
Bistorta bistortoides - Pedicularis groenlandica - Plantathera dilitata
A Spring-fed Meadow!
After the Grouse flew off, we headed down the road to a meadow I hoped was still in bloom. We were in luck! It turns out that this particular meadow is fed by three different springs, and was still lush, green, and filled with wildflowers!!! There was so much water that it was bog-like and our shoes got soaked! There were more Elephant's Heads, Rein Orchids, and Shooting Stars there than I have ever seen in any meadow! It was gorgeous!
Alpine Shooting Star - Sierra Rein Orchid - Elephant's Head
Primula tetandra - Plantathera dilitata - Pedicularis groenlandica
Monkshood - Marsh Marigold - Sparsely Flowered Bog Orchid
Aconitum columbianum - Caltha leptosepala - Plantathera sparsiflora
Wilson's Warbler (male) - Cardellina pusilla
The meadow was surrounded by willow thickets and distant, rocky, forested ridges. We took a break in the shade and watched these beautiful little Wilson's Warblers feed in the willows. They are a brilliant golden-yellow overall, with a light gray-brown back. The males have a small black cap on the crown of their heads. They eat all kinds of insects (including caterpillars) as well as spiders. Right now they should be nesting on the ground under overhanging shrubs. They migrate up here to breed, all the way from Costa Rica! It was delightful to watch these brilliantly colored songbirds!
Western Wood Pewee (adult) - Contopus sordidulus
Local Nests, Nestlings, and Fledglings
I've found a few more nests in my neighborhood recently! One of them is the Western Wood Pewee nest pictured above. We had spotted the pewee a few weeks ago, always perched in the same tree. This week I finally saw the nest, also in the same tree! Western Wood Pewees are flycatchers. The typical feeding behavior of flycatchers is to fly from a perch to "hawk" an insect in the air, then return to the same perch. This behavior is then repeated over and over, usually from the same perch. The nest in made by the female, with lots of spider webs and dry plant materials. There are 2-4 eggs in a clutch, which the female will incubate for 15 days. The nestlings are fed by both parents, until they fledge at the age of 16 days! These delightful flycatchers will migrate as far south as Bolivia for the winter! I am hoping to see some nestlings in the near future!
Brewer's Blackbird (male) guarding a nest in the Clematis
Ephagus cyanocephalus
I also spotted a nest that is barely visible in my neighbor's Clematis vine. What a beautiful spot for a nest! The pair of Brewer's Blackbirds that were always near the vine, indicated that a nest was nearby. However if I was visible, even at quite a distance, they wouldn't visit the nest. They would wait on the telephone line, often with bugs in their beaks, until I left. Just by chance I saw one of them fly into the Clematis! They must be feeding nestlings! Sure hope I see them soon!
Black-headed Grosbeak (juvenile) - Western Tanager (juvenile)
Pheucticus melanocephalus - Piranga ludoviciana
The calls of young Black-headed Grosbeaks are filling the air! They start calling in the morning and continue for most of the day. They are also very visible! I also happened to see a juvenile Western Tanager this week! How fun!
Hairy Woodpecker (male - inset photo of juvenile - male) - Dryobates villosus
After many weeks of being fed by its parents, the fledgling Hairy Woodpecker has left its nest! There may have been more than one fledgling, but I wasn't there to witness their departure. All I know is that the adults are no longer at the nest, and no young birds are sticking their heads out! Another success story! Yahoo!
Cherry Trees in last week's Rain
More Damp Earth Art!
It was TOO hot this week, over 100° for 5 days!!! It's dropped down into the 90's now, which is a relief. No rain is in the forecast, but anytime I think of it, I focus on rain, rain, 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 rain inspired 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!
Are the bears back?
Where are the deer?
Are there fish eating mammals in the river?
How often does the California Department of Fish and Wildlife stock the river?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
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