Berry Eaters

American Robin (male) - Mountain Dogwood

Turdus migratorius - Cornus nuttallii

This past week, American Robins and Cedar Waxwings have been flocking to several dogwood trees in our neighborhood and eating all the "fruits"! I've really enjoyed watching them for hours as they descend on the trees. It's taken a week, but they have effectively stripped the trees bare of their fruits! Once the berries are all gone, they will probably head down to the foothills and the Central Valley to spend the winter.

Cedar Waxwing (adult) - California Rose 

Bombycilla cedrorum - Rosa californica

 

Cedar Waxwings are fruit eaters year-round. They migrate through our neighborhood in flocks, several times a year when fruit becomes available. They also eat insects, flowers, and buds. I photographed the one above down in the Central Valley last year, where there was a small flock of them that appeared to be eating the rose hips off the leafless bushes!

Their name comes from their habit of eating "cedar" (actually "juniper") berries, and for the red waxy tips on the ends of their secondary flight feathers. The reason for the waxy tips, found on both males and females, is uncertain. Cornell University states, "Red secondary tips may be important status signals that function in mate selection." These handsome birds migrate down to lower elevations during the winter. Some even travel as far south as Costa Rica!

Oak Mistletoe - Phoradendron leucarpum

Another favorite food for many critters during the winter months are Oak Mistletoe berries! Over 28 species of birds in California eat the berries, as well as gray squirrels, raccoons, pine martens, chipmunks, porcupines, and ringtails! Mistletoe plants are dioecious, with the male and female species being separate plants. The female plants are the ones that produce berries! Apparently mistletoe berries are so popular that some mammals and birds, including Bluebirds, actually spend the night in them! They may do this to establish "ownership" of the berries, or for the warmth of the dense clumps, no one knows for sure! If you squish a mistletoe berry between your fingers, it will stick to your finger and you can't shake it off! They have a thick, viscous substance that makes them sticky. Being sticky, the seeds are easily transported to new areas by birds and mammals.

Western Bluebirds (2 males - 1 female) - Sialia mexicana

We just saw a flock of Western Bluebirds yesterday, up in a mixed conifer/oak forest near Sierra City.  They were just beautiful to watch!  There was lots and lots of mistletoe visible in the bare-limbed Black Oaks. The ones above, I photographed in my neighborhood last fall. 

Toyon - Western Bluebird (male)

Heteromeles arbutifolia - Sialia mexicana

Toyon bushes grow in the foothills, where I photographed this Western Bluebird feeding on the berries several years ago.  The Toyon berries form in June or July, but don't ripen until December! When they are green they contain cyano-glucosides in their pulp. When a bird tries to eat a green berry, cyanide gas is released and deters the bird! The un-ripened berries are also full of bitter tannins that discourage foragers! Over time the cyanide compounds gradually move into the seeds and the tannins diminish. In December, when the berries are bright red, they aren't bitter and the pulp no longer contains cyanide compounds! 

Approximately 20+ species of birds eat Toyon berries during winter! In addition to Western Bluebirds, you might see Band-tailed Pigeons, Cedar Waxwings, Hermit Thrushes, and Varied Thrushes feeding on them! Foxes, Brush Rabbits, Black Bears, and Coyotes also feed on the ripened berries

Big-leaf Maple leaves - Acer macrophyllum

Fallen Leaves

Almost all the leaves have fallen off of the deciduous trees and have carpeted the forest floor.  It made me wonder what happens to all those leaves over time.  The following information, from https://soilsmatter.wordpress.com/, briefly explains the decomposition process.

"Invertebrates, such as earthworms, beetle larvae, millipedes, mites, slugs and snails, that live in the soil shred plant materials into smaller and smaller pieces, increasing the surface area on which soil bacteria and fungi can prey.

Next up is fungi. Fungi can “send out” filamentous threads, called hyphae, that operate much like plant roots. These hyphae release acids and enzymes necessary to break down dead plant material. This makes nutrients available to plants to sustain their growth.

As the leaf fall is consumed by the decomposer food web, water and inorganic nutrients (i.e. nitrogen and phosphorus) are released into the soil, where they can be taken up again by plants to foster new growth."

fungal hyphae

Chantrelles maybe - species unknown

More Fungi!

There are still lots and lots of mushrooms popping up in our neighborhood! I recently came across a cluster of over 50 Questionable Stropharia mushrooms, and a log covered with large Chantrelle-like mushrooms! More rain is predicted for the coming week as well as some snow.  The colder temperatures may put an end to the fungi season.  We'll just have to see what happens.  

Puffballs and Puffball look-alikes

species unknown

Toothed Jelly Fungus - Questionable Stropharia 

Pseudohydnum gelatinosum - Stropharia ambigua

Dark-eyed Junco (male) in the rain

 Junco hyemalis

Damp Earth Art

The past two weeks have been dry, with daytime temperatures in the 70's.  It reminded me that we are indeed still in a drought.  More rain is predicted for the coming week, but not a lot.   So once again, I'm going to start focusing on hoping for rain.  Please join me!  Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen. I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated. In the meantime pray/wish/hope/dance for rain!

What's happening in Gray Lodge?

Is there any Fall color left?

What mammals are around?

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

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