Lakes Basin Sightings!

Rufous or Allen's Hummingbird (male) on a Hemlock - Selasphorus sp.

Since the air has been clear this summer, I go up to the Lakes Basin to hike as often as possible.  One week, I even went up there 5 times! The more I get out there, the more I see!  I love seeing familiar birds, mammals, and plants all thriving together year after year.  I also love seeing new species of any kind!  This year I've seen quite a few new plants, more mammals than usual, and some birds that I haven't seen for a while.  It's been fabulous and fascinating! 

The humming bird pictured above might be a Rufous or an Allen's Hummingbird.  Apparently these two hummers are very difficult to differentiate in the field.  Neither one of them breeds in our area, but they migrate through in the spring and fall.  The Rufous Hummingbird is the more likely choice, as its broad migratory path includes our area.  The Allen's Hummingbird migrates through central California, but not so much up in our area.

I saw several of these beautiful orange and green hummers up on a rocky slope where there were so many Crimson Columbines blooming that they were a tangle of blossoms!  I watched them feed on the columbines, chase each other, and check me out, for an hour!  So glad they migrate through our area!  Such beauty!

Western Tanager - Piranga ludoviciana

Almost every time I've hiked in the Lakes Basin this summer, I've seen a male Western Tanager or two!  Their bold coloration makes them hard to miss! In comparison the females have dull, greenish-yellow heads and breasts, and are quite camouflaged!  The males will start molting their bright red feathers this month.  By October they will only have a reddish cast around their bill.  These gorgeous birds will migrate down to southern Mexico or Central America for the winter.

Black-backed Woodpecker (female) - Picoides arcticus

One late afternoon, just as I was getting into my car to head home, a female Black-backed Woodpecker landed on a nearby tree!  WOW!  It was only there for a few seconds before it flew off!  I noticed it because it had a very harsh call. I've seen these "uncommon to rare" birds several times in the last few years!  They mainly feed on wood-boring beetle larva in the trunks of recently-dead and dying trees.  Unfortunately, lots of trees are dying in our forests because of these beetle larvae. Will this make the local Black-backed Woodpecker population increase?  I hope so!  Since the early 1900's, the population has been in decline due to the practice of fire suppression and the logging of burnt forests.

Olive-sided Flycatcher (adult) - Cassin's Finch (female) - Mountain Bluebird (male) 

Contopus cooperi - Haemorhous cassinii - Sialia currucoides

The three birds pictured above are commonly seen in the Lakes Basin.

The Olive-sided Flycatcher repeatedly calls "What PEEVES you? according to the John Muir Laws natural history book.  We think he's saying "I LOVE you!"

This little flycatcher will fly all the way down to Bolivia to spend the winter!

The female Cassin's Finches are camouflaged quite well with their streaky breasts.  I'm pretty sure this one had a young fledgling nearby (see photo below). They will spend the winter in Nevada, Idaho, Utah, or even in northern Mexico.  

The male Mountain Bluebirds are such a brilliant sky blue! These beautiful birds are known to breed in the Lakes Basin!  They will migrate down to southern California, or northern Mexico for the winter.

Clark's Nutcracker (adult) - Nucifraga columbiana

I was also lucky to see and hear a Clark's Nutcracker up at one of the lakes last week!  I haven't seen any in several years!  It flew around the lake calling loudly, landed high in a dead tree, dropped down to a fallen tree in the lake, and drank some water!!!  WOW!!!  We only occasionally see them at the higher elevations in the Lakes Basin.  What a treat it was to watch and listen to this raucous member of the Corvid family!  The following information is from the website allaboutbirds.org at the Cornell Lab.

"High in the mountains of the West, gray-and-black Clark’s Nutcrackers swoop among wizened pine trees, flashing white in the tail and wing. They use their dagger-like bills to rip into pine cones and pull out large seeds, which they stash in a pouch under their tongue and then carry away to bury for the winter. Each birds buries tens of thousands of seeds each summer and remembers the locations of most of them. Seeds they don’t retrieve play a crucial role in growing new pine forests.

The Clark's Nutcracker feeds its nestlings pine seeds from its many winter stores (caches). Because it feeds the young on stored seeds, the nutcracker can breed as early as January or February, despite the harsh winter weather in its mountain home."

Dark-eyed Junco (juvenile) - Cassin's Finch (juvenile) - Green-tailed Towhee (juvenile) 

Junco hyemalis - Haemorhous cassinii - Pipilo chlorurus

Just this past week I've seen several juvenile songbirds in the Lakes Basin! Odds are quite slim that a baby bird survives, so I am so pleased to see these young ones that have made it!  I'm not positive that the juvenile on the left is a Dark-eyed Junco.  I've posted it on iNaturalist.org and I'll let you know what they decide.

California Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus californicus

To my complete SURPRISE I came across a buck on one of my cross-country hikes!  The buck was just as surprised!!!  He popped up and jaunted down the hillside, pausing to turn and look at me several times as he went. 

California Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus californicus

I rarely see deer in the Lakes Basin. This one had a black-tipped tail and HUGE ears, which identified him as a California Mule Deer.  Another local deer, is the Columbian Black-tailed Deer.  However, it's ears aren't as large, and the tail is black from the top to the tip.  Both deer are considered Mule Deer.

About a week before I saw this buck, I surprised a doe in the same area! I only got a glimpse of her, and wasn't quick enough to get a photo. Rats! Male and female deer don't hang around together.  They only get together in the fall to briefly mate. Females usually group together with other females.  Males may stay alone, or travel with a group of other males.

Yellow-bellied Marmot - Marmota flaviventris

One morning, on a hike with my husband, I spotted this lovely Marmot on a rock! It looked like a young one! It posed so beautifully for me!  WOW!!!  It's the second one I've seen this year.  

I've written a lot about Marmots in previous blogs. Use the "search this blog" bar on the top right to read more about them.

Chipmunks (unknown species) - Tamias sp.

There are several different species of chipmunks in the Lakes Basin, all in the Tamias genus, but it's difficult to determine which ones were visible. Individual species are determined by fur color, stripe color, ear size, distinctive markings, and geographic location. Some of the possible species are Lodgepole Chipmunk, Long-eared Chipmunk, Yellow-pine Chipmunk, and Shadow Chipmunk!

All chipmunks have black and white facial stripes, and 5 dark stripes separated by 4 pale stripes on their back and sides. They also have large, internal, fur-lined pouches to carry food. At this time of year, Chipmunks are busy storing seeds, nuts, fruits, and forbs for the winter. They do not hibernate. Instead, they sleep a lot and wake up periodically to eat their stored food. Their winter burrows are usually underground or in a hollow tree limb.

Crimson Columbine - Aquilegia formosa

Wildflowers!

Although the meadows and slopes are drying up, there are still LOTS of wildflowers in bloom!  Some of the ones pictured below are ones that I've never seen before. Others are ones that I haven't seen in quite a while!  Enjoy the beauty!

Hiker's Gentian - Sierra Corydalis - Mountain Larkspur

 Gentianopsis simplex - Corydalis caseana - Delphinium glaucum

I haven't seen the Hiker's Gentians in several years, the Corydalis I haven't seen for 13 years, and the last time I saw the Mountain Larkspur (which are 4 feet tall!) was 4 years ago in Yosemite!!  It was like reuniting with some old friends!

Heart-leaved Arnica - Seep Spring Arnica - Monkeyflower (unknown)

 Arnica cordifolia - Arnica longifolia - Erythranthe sp.

Up at the higher elevations I came across some Heart-leaved Arnica, Seep-Spring Arnica, and an unusual Monkeyflower.  I hadn't seen these before!  I'll let you know what the Monkeyflower is soon!

Sierra Primrose - Primula suffrutescens

 

And of course, I had to go back to the Sierra Primroses again!  This time all the snow was gone, but there were even more primroses!  I've only seen them in two areas in the Lakes Basin.  Such beauty!

Marsh Cinquefoil - Bud Saxifrage - Coulter's Daisy

 Comarum palustre - Micranthes bryophora - Erigeron coulteri

The Marsh Cinquefoil I've only found in one spot in the Lakes Basin, and only a handful of plants were there.  The Bud Saxifrage is more widespread.  The Coulter's Daisy I encountered for the first time this summer in a higher elevation wet meadow!

Western Eupatorium - Fringed Pinesap - Wire Lettuce

Ageratina occidentalis - Pleuricospora fimbriolata - Stephanomeria tenuifolia

The Western Eupatorium is one of our favorites with its "exuberant stamens"!  We've only found it in a few locations, usually on rocky ledges.  The Fringed Pinesap I had never seen before this summer!  The Native Plant Society states, "Rarely seen. Consider yourself lucky to come across a group of them.  This plant is a mycoheterotroph - obtaining all of its nutrients from the fungus it feeds on, hence, no chlorophyll."  Wow!!!  The Wire Lettuce we only noticed this summer for the first time.  They are not plentiful, but definitely visible here and there along the Lakes Basin trails.

Wooly Sunflowers in Lincoln Meadow

 Eriophyllum lanatum

 To my delight there were thousands of Woolly Sunflowers in bloom in Lincoln Valley last week!  I have never even seen one of them before! So pretty!

Damp Earth Art

More HOT weather has come in this week, with no rain in sight. 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's this?

What's changing 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!