Greater White-fronted Geese - Anser albifrons
Due to the Covid 19 pandemic my friends and I have missed going to the Sacramento Delta for the past two years. It looked like we weren't going to be able to go again this year, so my husband and I took a quick trip to the Delta last week! It was wonderful to be back! Every year that we've gone it's different. Some years there are thousands of birds close by and a big variety of species. This year the number of birds was less, and they were mostly far away! Nevertheless it was still gorgeous with its big sky and extensive agricultural fields, lush with new green growth, stretching on to the horizon. Although the birds weren't as plentiful, there were many species to watch as they foraged in the flooded fields.
These three Greater White-fronted Geese, along with several hundred more geese, were grazing in the corn stubble fields near the road . These large geese breed in Northern Canada and Alaska. They can be easily identified by their size, pink bill, and white feather patch on their forehead. Although they don't mate for life, Greater White-fronted Geese form long-term pair bonds and stay together year-round. Pairs are often accompanied by their young for the first year or more, and the young often help their parents defend the nest.
Canada Geese - Branta candensis
There were also several thousand Canada Geese in the fields. These birds have become extremely well-adapted to human developments and tend to stay year-round across the U.S., although some still migrate to Canada to breed. They feed on grasses and sedges in the spring and winter.
Like the Snow Geese in Gray Lodge, the Canada Geese in the Delta fly up in huge flocks whenever they are startled! It's so lovely to watch them as they circle around and then drop back down one-by-one into the wetlands!
Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis
Unlike Gray Lodge, there are many Sandhill Cranes foraging in the stubbled corn fields of the Delta. They prefer to forage on damp ground, not in the wetlands. These huge graceful birds are fascinating to watch as they slowly walk through the fields! The best time to see large numbers of them is to be there at dusk when they return to roost together overnight in the wetlands, after foraging in distant parts of the Delta all day.
American Coot (adult) - Ruddy Duck (females)
Fulica americana - Oxyura jamaicensis
In the wetlands we saw many species of waterfowl. Similar to Gray Lodge, they were mainly dabbling ducks, except for the two Ruddy Ducks pictured above. Ruddy Ducks are diving ducks and feed on underwater midge larvae, leeches, annelids, and amphipods, and occasionally plants and seeds! This species breeds primarily in the prairie pothole region of North America and are common winter residents of brackish to saline coastal habitats and large inland bodies of water.
American Coots are not ducks, they are in the Rallidae Family and are classified as rails! They eat mostly aquatic vascular plants and algae; some grasses, other terrestrial vegetation, and grains; aquatic invertebrates (mollusks, crustaceans, insects and their larvae) and vertebrates (fish, tadpoles, even some carrion). They breed in the same prairie pothole region of North America, that the Ruddy Ducks breed in!
Tundra Swans (adults) - Cygnus columbianus
Unlike Gray Lodge, Tundra Swans are commonly seen in the Delta. They do not dive, but tip their bodies or submerge their heads to forage for the leaves, stems, seeds, and tubers of aquatic plants, such as rice. These large swans have 7' wingspans, are about 4.5' tall, and can weigh up to 16 lbs! I find them to be beautifully elegant! They will spend their winters in the Central Valley. In the spring they will begin migrating to their breeding grounds in the High Arctic. Their annual migration route is a 5,000 mile round trip!!!
Sierra Buttes - 1/14/22
A Windy Hike in the Lakes Basin!
Yesterday, my friend Nancy and I decided to go up to the Lakes Basin for a hike, we hadn't been there in more than a month! Luckily Highway 49 was bare and ice free. The roads in the Lakes Basin were packed with several feet of snow and groomed, so we could easily walk on them. We decided to hike up to Upper Sardine Lake, a round trip of about 5.5 miles. It was SUPER windy and pretty darn cold so it wasn't surprising that we didn't see any other hikers all day! The last uphill mile of the hike was an icy slip-and-slide, but luckily we made it to Upper Sardine Lake without injury!
Sierra Buttes - 1/21/22
Because of the cold and wind, the contrasty light, as well as the need to watch where I was stepping the whole way, I didn't take many photos. But the close-up view of the Buttes was gorgeous from the frozen lake, with snow being blown into the air by the tremendous wind! It was an invigorating gorgeous day back in our home away from home! We're so glad that there was several feet of snow on the ground from the beginning to the end of our hike! For the last few years, we've been able to hike up to Upper Sardine Lake in January with just a few inches to NO snow on the ground!
Dyer's Polypore - Phaeolus schweinitzii
A Few Follow-ups!
I have been neglecting to follow-up on some of the things I've written about in the past, so here are a few updates!
I observed the Dyer's Polypore for nine days after I found it on 11/2/21. On the tenth day when I went to check it out, it had been uprooted by a wild animal! Over the next few days it shriveled and hardened up to a dark mass, and that was the end of that observation!
Orbus-seeded Liverwort - Targionia hypophylla
Back in December I wrote about finding some fern gametophytes. Since then my botanist friend Peggy, as well as iNaturalist.org have identified them as liverworts NOT gametophytes. Apparently fern gametophytes are more heart-shaped than these rather ruffly liverworts. I apologize for my mistake! I'll have to go in search of fern gametophytes once again!
Non-biting Midges - Chironomidae Family
I first saw some Non-biting Midges on 11/19/21 and promised to let you know how long they were present. The last time I saw them was a week ago, on 1/14/22! So apparently batches of non-biting midges have been hatching for almost two months! That's a LOT of midges!
Sun halo around the Sun
Damp Earth Art
This week we had sunny days in the 50's, cold nights in the 30's, and some very WINDY days! Our local snow has become hard and cement-like, and is gradually evaporating/melting away. I'm really hoping for more rain and snow in the near future. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! 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.
What else is inhabiting the damp rocky slopes in our neighborhood,
besides the ferns, lichen, and moss?
What's happening down in the South Yuba River State Park?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more.
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Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!
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