Lakes Basin Life!

Howard Meadow - 6/19/22

I went up to the Lakes Basin four times this week!  It's so beautiful up there right now, I just can't seem to stay away! There are a few patches of snow in the shady areas and at the higher elevations, but most of it is gone now.  The trails have all opened up and the hiking possibilities are endless!  There were wildflowers and blooming shrubs, in every forest, meadow, and rocky slope I visited this week.  Here's a resulting rainbow of blossoms for you to enjoy!

Buckbean - Feathery False Lily of the Valley - Starry False Lily of the Valley

Menyanthes trifoliata - Maianthemum racemosa - Maianthemum stellatum

Buttercups - Mountain Mule's Ears - Primrose Monkeyflower

Ranunculus sp. - Wyethia mollis - Mimulus primuloides

Applegate's Paintbrush - Snow Plant - Crimson Columbine

 Castilleja applegatei - Sarcodes sanguinea - Aquilegia formosa

Mountain Pride - Penstemon sp. - Mountain Heather

 Penstemon newberryi - Penstemon sp. - Phyllodoce breweri

Common Camas - Velvety Stickseed -  Larkspur sp.

Camassia quamash - Hackelia velutina - Delphinium sp.

Snow Mushroom - Orange Peel Fungus - Puffballs

Gyromita montana - Caloscypha fulgens - species unknown

I recently came across these three kinds of fungi.  The Orange Peel Fungus and the Puffballs are everywhere in the forests, but I only came across three Snow Mushrooms so far.  All of these fungi "blossom" soon after the snow melts!

Sierra Tiger Beetle - Modoc Carpenter Ants - Cyanide Millipede

Cicindela tranquebarica ssp. sierra - Camponotus modoc - Harpaphe haydeniana

I've been watching the trail a lot lately, to make sure no one trips, and low and behold I've spotted some cool critters!  The Sierran Tiger Beetle was a total first!  It really stood out against the bare trail.  Turns out they're pretty cool insects!  

The following information about these beetles is from Wikipedia.,

"Tiger beetles often have large bulging eyes, long, slender legs and large curved mandibles.  Members of the genus Cicindela are usually diurnal and may be out on the hottest days. Cicindela, commonly known as common tiger beetles are generally brightly colored and  often with some sort of patterning of ivory or cream-colored markings. They are most abundant and diverse in habitats very often near bodies of water with sandy or occasionally clay soils; they can be found along rivers, sea and lake shores, sand dunes, around dry lakebeds, on clay banks, or woodland paths.  

All are predatory, both as adults and as larvae. The larvae of tiger beetles live in cylindrical burrows as much as a meter deep. They are large-headed, hump-backed grubs and use their humpbacks to flip backwards, for the purpose of capturing prey insects that wander over the ground. 

The fast-moving adults run down their prey and are extremely fast on the wing. Tiger beetles display an unusual form of pursuit in which they alternatively sprint quickly toward their prey, then stop and visually reorient. This may be because while running, the beetle is moving too fast for its visual system to accurately process images. To avoid obstacles while running they hold their antennae rigidly and directly in front of them to mechanically sense their environment."

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I came across the Carpenter Ants pictured above center, in a fallen dead tree.  They were spitting out mouthfuls of chewed wood.  Carpenter Ants don't eat wood. They excavate homes in damp, rotting logs, and remove excess wood mouthful by mouthful! They live in colonies of one or more queens and thousands of female workers. The workers forage for food at night, enlarge the size of the nest, and care for the queen and her larvae. They eat mainly dead insects, as well as honeydew from aphids. This food is subsequently regurgitated and fed to the queen and larvae! In the summer, 200-400 winged females and some males develop in the colony. These winged ants overwinter in the nest, and disperse in the Spring to mate. After mating the males die, and the females remove their own wings and search for a location to start a new colony!

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The unusually colored Millipede I saw on a damp rock near a creek.  It was about 1.5" long. I had never seen one of these before!  The following information about these milipedes is from Wikipedia.

"Harpaphe haydeniana, commonly known as the yellow-spotted millipede, almond-scented millipede or cyanide millipede is a type of flat-backed millipede. The dark coloration with contrasting yellow-tipped keels warn of its ability to exude toxic hydrogen cyanide as a defense. Harpaphe haydeniana is an important part of the forest ecosystem, breaking down leaf litter and freeing its nutrients for other organisms. Immature millipedes feed on humus."

Wild Turkey - Meleagris gallopavo

To my surprise a huge Wild Turkey bolted into the woods from Howard Meadow while we were there!  This is only the second time I've ever seen a turkey in the Lakes Basin!  Although Wild Turkeys usually inhabit the local foothills, they have been documented in the Sierra up to 10,000' in elevation!  They are not native to Calfornia but were introduced from Mexico in the early 1900's.  They were also introduced as late as 1997 into the higher elevations of Sierra, Nevada, and Placer Counties, by the CA. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Wild Turkey Federation.  This has proven to be a detrimental introduction, as the turkeys compete with the native grouse and quail. They do not stay during the winter snows, so they must walk quite a distance to their winter habitat in the foothills!  Perhaps the drier, hotter, drought years have driven them to higher elevations.

Wilson's Warbler (male - female) - Cardellina pusilla

To our delight, my husband and I encountered a small group of approximately 10-12 Wilson's Warblers on one of our hikes.  They were flying from tree to tree, in a fairly open, sunny slope around 6500' in elevation! Every once in a while one would land in a sunny spot, and I would get a few photos!  Such beautiful, all over, sunflower-yellow birds!  The males can be distinguished by a flat, black cap on the top of their heads.  We watched for several minutes as the flew, perched, and chased each other!  They have migrated from their winter home in Central America, to breed and raise their young here!  Apparently, they are fairly common nesters from about 4,000' and up in the Sierra!  I have only seen two other Wilson's Warblers in my life, so it was a thrill to watch this joyous, singing, little flock!

Yellow-rumped Warbler (female) - Western Tanager (male)

Setophaga coronata - Piranga ludoviciana

Beautiful Yellow-rumped Warblers have arrived in the Lakes Basin along with stunning Western Tanagers.  They will raise their young there, before they return to their winter home.  Tanagers overwinter in Mexico and as far south as Costa Rica. Yellow-rumped Warblers overwinter in Mexica and as far south as Panama!

Mallard female with six ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

At a small pond where we ate our lunch one day, I was delighted to see a female Mallard with six ducklings!  Wow!  So CUTE!

Mallard female with six ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

Initially they were out in the open, but then they swam into a tangle of branches where they were so camouflaged they were difficult to see!

Canada Geese adults with 5 goslings

This week I stopped at one of my favorite wet meadows along the road, which is currently a large vernal pond.  Right away I spotted a family of Canada Geese, with five goslings!

Three Canada Geese families, adults and goslings

On my way home, I stopped at the same pond and there were THREE families of Canada Geese visible, all with at least 4 goslings!  What a surprise!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer (buck) - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Other than chipmunks and squirrels, I don't usually see many mammals in the Lakes Basin.  I was surprised to see this young buck off a trail last week.  In the forest they will eat shrubs, flowers, and even mushrooms!

Recent raindrops on Grasses

Damp Earth Art

We got another quarter of an inch of rain last weekend!  Yay!  Hopefully more storms will keep coming. 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.

 

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

What's happening with the local Bears?

What's blooming locally?

What's happening on the river?

Where do all the songbirds in my neighborhood overwinter?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly. It looks better than the emailed version!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

Cootlings, Goslings, and Ducklings!

American Coot (cootling) - Fulica americana

I met some friends over in Sierra Valley this week, and we spotted this juvenile American Coot near the Steel Bridge!  It was SO wildly colored and feathered!  Its wispy, long, orange and yellow, downy feathers looked like a dyed feather boa!  And its bright-pink, bald head and orange bill added to its overall "flamboyance"!  What a cute, colorful surprise to find in the wetlands! 

American Coot (cootling - adult) - Fulica americana

 An adult Coot was diving repeatedly and surfacing with plants to feed the juvenile Coot or "cootling"!  Both male and female parents feed the young coots.  Since they are sexually monomorphic, I couldn't tell if this was a male or female Coot.  American Coots are not ducks.  They are rails, and belong in the Rallidae family.

American Coot (cootling - adult) - Fulica americana

American Coots make floating nests out of tules and other dry vegetation, that are anchored to standing aquatic vegetation (cattails, tules etc.) in wetlands.  The female lays 8-12 eggs, which both parents incubate for up to 23 days.  The newly hatched Coots are precocial, and can swim and dive.  They can also self-feed, but mainly rely on their parents to feed them for their first 30 days.  They feed mainly on aquatic vegetation and algae, aquatic invertebrates and vertebrates, and grains. It will take them two months before they can fly, and are independent. Both parents care for the cootlings!

Canada Geese - 5/29/22 (2 goslings - adult) - Branta canadensis 

Every year at least two mated couples of Canada Geese raise their young in our neighborhood.  This year I've seen one adult with two goslings, three adults with two goslings, and two adults with no goslings!  I'm sure there are three separate stories to tell why these three families are different, but I can only guess.  The one adult with two goslings probably lost its mate (they mate for life) to a predator.  The three adults with two goslings, must be a mated pair and perhaps a related adult.  The mated pair without goslings, may have lost their goslings to a predator.  Interestingly, I never saw any of the goslings when they were small, yellow and fuzzy this year.  The first ones I saw are pictured above, and were probably a month or two old.  Maybe it was snowing when the goslings were young?  Anyway, it's been a different year for the Canada Geese!

Canada Geese - (2 goslings per family - adults) - Branta canadensis 

I just saw the Canada Goose adult with two goslings a few days ago, and was astounded how big they've gotten! They're growing so fast! I came across the family of three adults and two goslings on the shoulder of the highway about 10 days ago.

Canada Geese are very protective of their offspring.  I never see the goslings without their parents. In fact, goslings will stay with their parents for their entire first year. It amazes me that they aren't all eaten by foxes or mountain lions.  They must be some tough defenders of their offspring!

Canada Geese (4 goslings - adults) - Branta canadensis

I've been promising to update you on the local ponds for a while now, so here's the update!  At the Charles Marsh Pond, the only waterfowl present are a pair of Canada Geese and their four goslings (pictured above). Unfortunately, a house located on the shore of this pond is the home to at least one young boy who now kayaks in the pond.  This is probably why there isn't a variety of waterfowl present anymore. Rats!

 

Wood Duck (female - 2 ducklings) - Aix sponsa

I was delighted to see a female Wood Duck at one of the ponds at Joubert's Diggins!  She had three ducklings, but one ducked for the above photo. The ducklings are born precocial.  They chiefly eat invertebrates for their first 2-3 weeks, then gradually change to plant foods as they grow older.  They will usually stay with their mother for 8 weeks, until they can fly.

Wood Duck (male) - Aix sponsa

On another day I saw the whole family, including the gorgeous, colorful male!

Mallards (6 ducklings - female) - Anas platyrhynchos

There was also a family of Mallards at Joubert's Diggins! Only female Mallards care for the ducklings, which are born precocial. The ducklings eat mostly invertebrates, small crustacea, mollusks, and fish eggs. They mostly catch invertebrates on the water surface or on land. They will stay with their mother until they can fly, approximately 50 days.   

Common Mergansers (8 ducklings - female) - Mergus merganser

On the river, the Common Merganser and her 8 ducklings are doing fine!  They are getting bigger, but not as quickly as the Canada Geese!  Ducklings eat mostly aquatic invertebrates, but switch to fish when approximately 12 days old. They will become independent in 60-75 days when they can fly. Only the female Mergansers care for the young.

Common Mergansers (8 ducklings - female) - Mergus merganser

It looked like the momma Merganser was keeping watch, while her 8 ducklings took a nap!  I never tire of seeing them on the river!  So delightful!

Incense Cedar in the recent Rain!

It poured!

Last weekend, the weather forecast was for 1/10 to 1/25 of an inch of rainfall.  Instead, we had a downpour for several hours, resulting in 2 whole inches of rainfall!  WOW!!!  What a gift!  I was out in our greenhouse when it happened and the sound on the roof, and the fragrance in the air was magical!  I was mesmerized!  And, it's raining again today!  Yahoo!

Here's a 6 second video of the downpour!  Enjoy!

Damp Earth Art

 Hopefully more storms will keep coming. 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.

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

Sierra Buttes 6/18/22

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

Where do all the songbirds in my neighborhood overwinter?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly. It looks better than the emailed version!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

Sierra Valley Birds & Blossoms!

The view north from the Steel Bridge - 5/30/22

In the last month and a half I've visited Sierra Valley four times!  Every time I go, I see amazing wildlife!  Last week I wrote about the Pronghorns we've seen. This week I'll focus on the wildflowers and the birds!  Right now there are lots of flowers in bloom, the valley is green and lush, and many different migratory birds have arrived for the summer.

Canal filled with blooming California Damasonium

Damasonium californicum

In addition to the main Feather River channel in Sierra Valley, there are miles of water-filled, small canals along the roadsides.  Right now some of the canals are overflowing with California Damasonium, a native pond-dwelling plant. The one inch, white flowers have delicately fringed petals!  Such abundant beauty! 

Porterellas with unidentified composites 

Porterella carnosula 

Stunning lavender swaths of blooming Porterella flowers, intermixed with yellow composite flowers, painted parts of the valley floor!  I have never seen this many Porterellas (millions!) before!  We were stunned and amazed by this show of flowers!  What a gift!

Western Blue Flag Iris - Larkspur sp. - Meadow Penstemon

Iris missouriensis - Deplphinium sp. - Penstemon rydbergii  

Many other flowers grew along the roadsides and out in the fields.  Although not as prolific as the Porterella and Damasonium, they were delightful to see! 

Tansy leaf Evening Primrose - Buttercups sp. - Yellow Owl's Clover

Taraxia tanacetifolia - Ranunculus sp. - Castelleja campestris

There were definitely more flowers in Sierra Valley this week than I've ever seen before! If you can, get over there and see this incredible spectacle before it dries out!

Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis

The birds were also incredible these past few weeks!  To our delight a Sandhill Crane couple built their nest in an area that was visible from the road, so we checked on it every time we went to Sierra Valley.  Sandhill Cranes mate for life.  Both parents share in the 30-day incubation of the eggs.  One time while we were there, the adult got off the nest and revealed two large eggs! (see inset photo above)!

Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis

Adult Sandhill Cranes are not sexually dimorphic, so I couldn't tell if it was a male or a female on the nest. It was such a rare treat to be able to see these nesting Cranes!

(I have written a LOT about Sandhill Cranes in past blogs.  If you'd like to learn more about them, just enter "Sandhill Crane" in the "search this blog" bar on the top right of this page.)  

Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis

Another time we were there both parents were off the nest and calling to each other!  Just this week, the eggs apparently hatched and the family is gone!  We saw one egg in the nest, which upon closer examination with my telephoto lens I realized was an empty eggshell!  We did see a very distant pair of cranes, perhaps they were the ones that had the nest, and are now raising their young!  

White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi

To our delight, last week there were hundreds of White-faced Ibis feeding in the fields!  In the right light you can see the maroons, browns, and greens of their iridescent feathers.  They have incredibly long, curved bills with which they probe the wetlands for insects, crustaceans, earthworms, and fly larvae.

Willet -  White-faced Ibis

 Tringa semipalmatus - Plegadis chihi

Willets also forage in the wetlands for insects, mainly beetles, as well as aquatic insects, spiders, and fish.  We only saw a total of three Willets in our visits to Sierra Valley.  I love the busy brown and white barring in their plumage.

American Bittern - Botaurus lentiginosus

To my TOTAL delight, just yesterday we came across an American Bittern! WOW!!! They are secretive and uncommon, so every time I see one I am thrilled!  This one fortunately froze in position and didn't move for five minutes!!!  I was able to walk past it and back again, at a distance, and take tons of photos.  Bitterns are large birds, though not long legged.  Their body is 28" long, and they weigh 1.5 lbs!

American Bittern - Botaurus lentiginosus

The photo above shows their traditional pose, with their beak pointing up.  The striping on their chest works like camouflage when they're in the tall reeds.  We just lucked out seeing it out in the open!

(I have written a LOT about American Bitterns in past blogs.  If you'd like to learn more about them, just enter "American Bittern" in the "search this blog" bar on the top right of this page.)  

American Coot - American Coot baby - Pied-billed Grebe

  Fulica americana - Podilymbus podiceps

There were many kinds of waterfowl in the wetlands, but I don't have time to write about them all today.  I did want to mention that the insert photo above is a bad photo of a very secretive baby Coot, with a bright orange-red bill! We also saw a baby Pied-billed Grebe, but it was too quick to photograph! How exciting!

Redhead (male-female) - Aythya americana

I had never seen a Redhead before, so I was thrilled to see several, 

including a couple!  Apparently, some of the females practice "nest parasitism", and will lay their eggs in other ducks nests, just like the native Brown-headed Cowbirds!

Ruddy Duck (female-male) - Oxyura jamaicensis

These broad-billed ducks are hard to photograph, as they duck underwater if they sense you're looking at them!

Yellow-headed Blackbird (male - female) - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

There were lots of songbirds but the species that stood out the most were the male Yellow-headed Blackbirds.  They were SO stunning!  Their loud, coarse, calls filled the air along the wetlands!

Yellow-headed Blackbird (male - female) - Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus

In comparison, the female is quite drab!  These birds will nest and raise their young in Sierra Valley.  In the fall, they will migrate as far south as southern Mexico to overwinter!

A recent raindrop! 

Damp Earth Art

We got an AMAZING 1.25" of rain over last weekend!!!  YAHOO! The petrichor was such a welcome fragrance!  Just wonderful!  More rain is predicted for the next 48 hours! I hope it POURS! Hopefully more storms will keep coming. 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.

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

 This is a Red-tailed Hawk wing feather!  Check out the following website if you need to identify a bird feather, https://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas.  It's amazing! 

Where did all the songbirds in our neighborhood overwinter?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly. It looks better than the emailed version!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!