Black-backed Woodpecker (male) at nest hole - Picoides arcticus
To my absolute delight, I came across an active Black-backed Woodpecker nest this week! It was in plain view, right off a hiking trail in the Lakes Basin! A pair of adults was feeding nestlings in a nest! The nestlings weren't visible, but they would make a loud "churring" sound whenever a parent landed near the nest hole! The adults were definitely annoyed by my presence, and made loud protesting, aggravated calls if I lingered. So I only stayed long enough to get a few photos, and then left the area. Black-backed Woodpeckers are very uncommon in the Lakes Basin. It was such a thrill to see them!!!
Black-backed Woodpecker (female) - Picoides arcticus
Black-backed Woodpeckers are primarily found in the cold climate coniferous forests of Canada and Alaska, and in southward extensions of these forests into the northern Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada range. They prefer to feed on wood-boring beetle larvae in burned forests, but will also feed on beetle larvae in dying/unburned trees. The practice of logging burned areas has negatively impacted their population, by depriving them of foraging and breeding habitat. In California they will live year-round in the higher elevations, but are not commonly seen.
Unique to these woodpeckers, are their three toed feet (most birds have four toes), the common practice of peeling the bark away from the area that surrounds the nest hole (they don't always do this, as evidenced in the photo above), and the yellow patch of feathers on the top of the male woodpecker's head (most woodpeckers have a patch of red feathers).
The male does most of the nest excavation. Both parents share in the incubation, and subsequent care and feeding of the nestlings. The nestlings will leave the nest approximately three weeks after they hatch. Parents will care for the fledglings for several more weeks after they fledge. I hope to come back in a week or so, to see if any nestlings are poking their heads out of the nest!
Cassin's Finch (with possible pigment mutation)
Haemorhous mexicanus
On one of my higher elevation hikes, we saw this golden-yellow finch feeding with an adult red-headed Cassin's Finch! I couldn't figure out what kind of bird it was, so I asked several birding friends if they could identify it. So far, they all think it must be a Cassin's Finch with a pigment mutation! How cool is that?!! I'm still waiting on inaturalist.org to identify it, and I'll let you know how it turns out! In the meantime, what a beautiful bird it is!!!
Cassin's Finch (female - male) - Haemorhous mexicanus
Here are some photos showing the typical coloration of a female and a male Cassin's Finch. Quite different than the yellow one we saw!
Sugar Sticks - Allotropa virgata
Another uncommon sighting happened this week when we came across newly emerged Sugar Stick flowers. These flowers aren't that common in the Lakes Basin, but they aren't considered rare. We have found one area where they have predictably blossomed every year. Usually, we see them when they have gone to seed, and are maroon and navy-blue in color. This week, when we found them, they were newly emerged and in their bright red-and-white coloring!
It turns out that these plants are in the same plant family (Heath - Ericaceae) as Snow Plants and Pinedrops, and do not produce chlorophyll. They are mycoheterotrophs, and are parasitic on the mycelia of fungi, specifically Matsutake fungus mycelium!
Sugar Sticks - Allotropa virgata
I had thought that the red berry-like shapes were the flowers of the Sugar Sticks, but they aren't! They are only the stamens of the flowers! The "flowers" don't have any petals at all, but they have five white sepals and 10 stamens!!! The white sepals are surrounding the red stamens! What an unusual, beautiful plant!
The following quote is from the California Native Plant Society book, Wildflowers of Nevada & Placer Counties, California. "Consider yourself lucky if you come across this rare and striking wildflower." We were SO lucky!
Yuba Pass Meadow filled with Whorled Penstemons
I've been exploring all over the Yuba Pass and Lakes Basin areas lately. This week, dramatic cloud formations added light and shadow to the already amazing landscapes. New wildflowers keep popping up and now the shrubs are starting to bloom! The streams and lakes are full, and the air is filled with birdsong! Here are a few photos of what I happened across this week! Enjoy!
Jacob's Ladder - Lupines - Whorled Penstemon
Polemonium californicum - Lupinus sp. - Penstemon heterodoxus
Jacob's Ladder is a new one for me! Although it is in the field guides,
I've never come across it before! It is indeed a beauty!
Ridge near Helgrammite Lake
This is one of my absolute favorite areas in the Lakes Basin! Surprisingly, the wet meadow was still a bog and barely in bloom! I'm going back again in a few weeks, to see what wildflowers will be blooming!
Alpine Shooting Star - Mountain Laurel - Little Elephant Heads
Primula tetandra - Kalmia polifolia - Pedicularis attolens
Mt. Elwell and Long Lake
This is one of the classic views in the Lakes Basin. Just gorgeous!
Western Labrador Tea - Sierra Laurel - Macloskey's Violets
Rhododendron columbianum - Leucothoe davisiae - Viola macloskeyi
Damp Earth Art
We had three days filled with beautiful clouds this week, as well as cooler weather! Yay! Hopefully more rainstorms will come soon. We really need them. 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 in the Lakes Basin ponds and lakes?
Where do all the songbirds in my neighborhood overwinter?
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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