A Blue Oak Woodland

Blue Oak Leaves - Quercus douglasii  

Last week we went for a hike in a foothill nature preserve around 1,000' in elevation, the Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area, managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The terrain was rolling, grass-covered hills with gullies and creeks, vegetated by Blue Oaks, Live Oaks, Gray Pines, Coyote Brush, and many other shrubs. It is designated as a "Blue Oak Foothill Pine Woodlands" ecosystem. It was so different from our neighborhood, that it was fascinating to explore!

Blue Oak and Gray Pines (in the distance) 

Quercus douglasii - Pinus sabiniana

Blue Oaks are found only in California.  They are named for the bluish-green cast of their deciduous leaves, which are currently a lovely, rich, brownish-yellow.  They are the most drought tolerant oak, of California's deciduous oaks, and have deep extensive root systems.  They usually grow between 3,000'-4,000' or lower, on dry hilly terrain where a water table is unavailable. They can live to be 400 years old!

 

Blue Oak with close-up of leaves

Quercus douglasii 

 They are usually 20'-60' tall, with a diameter of 1'-3', and a broad, rounded crown of branches.  The leaves are simple or slightly lobed.  They live where the winters are mild and wet, and the summers are hot and dry.  The trees are monoecious (both sexes on the same tree) and are wind pollinated.  The acorns are eaten by a wide variety of wildlife, including squirrels, birds, bears, and deer. 

White-breasted Nuthatch - Bushtit

Baeolophus inornatus - Psaltriparus minimus 

Birds of the Blue Oak Woodland

There were lots of birds in the Blue Oak woodland, that were all calling and singing! It was lovely to hear them! Other than the Western Bluebirds and Spotted Towhees, I never see these bird species in our neighborhood. We kept hearing a loud repeated call and finally figured out it was the White-breasted Nuthatches! Like the Red-breasted Nuthatches in our area, these little birds climb up and down the trunks and branches of trees, gleaning insects from the surface and crevices.

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We also saw a flock of tiny birds land in a Gray Pine.  They were quite difficult to photograph because they flitted around so rapidly, and were so tiny, only 4.5" long.  Bushtits live year-round in California. Most of the year they live in flocks of 10-40 birds. In the end of February to early March, they pair off to breed and build their nest. It will take both the male and the female a month or more to build their amazing, 6"-12", sock-like nest of spider webs and plant material! I've seen these nests in museums, but never in the wild. It would be fabulous to find one! They female lays 4-10 eggs in the nest, and may have two broods in a season. Interestingly, adult male offspring help the mated pair raise their young! Also, incredibly the whole family sleep together in the sock-like nest!

Western Bluebird (male) in Mistletoe - Sialia mexicana

We saw LOTS of Western Bluebirds while we were there. In the summer Western Bluebirds are primarily insectivores. In winter they eat fruits and berries, such as juniper, poison oak, wild grapes, and elderberry. They also particularly love to eat mistletoe berries, and will sometimes sleep overnight in a clump of mistletoe to defend their find!  They like to live on the edge of open areas, such as meadows or burned areas. They are short-distance migrants, and generally move down slope in winter. 

Western Bluebird (male - female) - Sialia mexicana

 Later in the day, we saw a pair of Western Bluebirds out in an open meadow. The males are mostly an incredible, luminous, royal-blue in color. The females are mostly gray with a blue rump, tail, and some wing feathers. 

 California Scrub Jay (adult) - House Finch (male)

Aphelocoma californica - Haemorhous mexicanus

California Scrub Jays usually live in brushy areas and oak woodlands, from the coast to the foothills of California. They are highly dependent on oaks and acorns. Acorns are their main food during fall and winter. One Jay will bury up to 5,000 acorns in small holes in the ground during the fall! These acorns will all eventually be dug up and consumed in the following seasons! Like other members of the corvid family, Scrub Jays are quite intelligent and have excellent memories. Some studies have shown that they not only remember the past (e.g. where they buried the acorns) but also think forward to the future (e.g. They will move their buried acorns if they think another bird saw them being buried, in anticipation of them possibly being stolen!) They will also eat insects, other nuts & seeds, ticks off of deer, as well as bird eggs and nestlings when available!

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House Finches are seed, berry, and fruit eaters. They travel in small to large flocks. The red color in the feathers of the male House Finch comes from the food it eats. This one must have found a lot of red berries!

House Finches raise up to 6 broods in a season, with 2-7 eggs per brood!!! 3 broods are the average number. Both the male and female choose the nest site. Only the female builds the nest and incubates the eggs. The male will feed the female while she is on or off the nest, during the incubation period. Both parents feed the nestlings. The male alone feeds the fledglings until they can fend for themselves, while the female builds a new nest and lays a new clutch of eggs! The young birds will reach sexual maturity within a year. 

Spotted Towhee (male) - Acorn Woodpecker (male)

Pipilo maculatus - Melanerpes formicivorus

Spotted Towhees are seed and small insect eaters. They search for food on the ground, using their characteristic hop forward followed by a back-thrust with both legs.  In spring and summer they mainly eat insects, as well as some plants. In fall and winter their diet consist of mainly seeds, especially sunflower-family plants and thistles.

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We also saw several Acorn Woodpeckers that day. They are one of the dominant species in the foothill oak woodlands. Acorns are the main food they depend upon in winter. They store acorns by drilling holes in dead tree trunks and putting an acorn in each hole! These acorn filled trunks are called "granaries". Granaries have been known to contain up to 50,000 acorns!

Each granary is only used by one "family" of Acorn Woodpeckers. It may take generations of use to create a large granary. The families consist of males, females, and offspring, ranging from 2 to 16 members. Usually there are about 5 members in a family. The adults practice "polygynandry", and breed with multiple females/males. All the females lay all their eggs on the same day, in the same nest cavity! The whole family helps incubate the eggs and raise the chicks!! At night, all of the family members roost in the same cavity!!

 The Trail

We walked through dense, shrubby forests, as well as open brush-free woodlands.  There were free-range cows wandering through the preserve, but they kept to themselves.  The trail was an old dirt road, that was easy walking.  We walked for several hours enjoying the scenery and birds!  We even saw a Bald Eagle fly by, but too far away for a photo!  After lunch we headed back home, with plans to return many more times this winter, as well as in the Spring, when the wildflowers should be gorgeous!  How fun to discover this new area to explore!

Joubert's Diggins 12/22/22

Local Pond Update

This week I also visited two of the three ponds I visit in the winter.   At Joubert's Diggins there were several Canada Geese and a pair of Hooded Mergansers. Just as we were driving home from the pond, a Mountain Lion crossed the road in front of us!  WOW!  Too quick to photograph, but lovely to see!

Canada Geese - Branta canadensis

Hooded Mergansers (female - male) - Lophodytes cucullatus 

Charles Marsh Pond

At the Charles Marsh Pond, there weren't any waterfowl.  However, there were Golden-crowned Sparrows and Oak Titmice in the shoreline shrubs!  Another pond watcher told us that an Otter had been seen there in the past two weeks!  Now that would be something to see!  Maybe next week...

Golden-crowned Sparrow (male) - Oak Titmouse(adult) 

North Yuba River 12-26-22

Damp Earth Art

It's been raining since Monday night and it's still raining.  Our total precipitation from this storm is currently 9.31"!  This brings us to a water year total of 27.68"! The river flow peaked at 8,020 CFS (cubic feet per second) early Saturday morning, and rose to a height of 12.91ft!  This storm is predicted to continue into next week as well!  Yahoo!

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com.  Any submissions would be greatly appreciated. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation!  Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

Have any mushrooms popped up in my neighborhood?

What's happening on the North Yuba River?

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.

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

Another Year!

Common Sheep Moths mating -  Hemileuca eglanterina

This past year has been another incredible year for observing nature!  Due to the lack of smoke from local wildfires, I was able to explore and wander to my hearts content!  I hiked in the Lakes Basin as often as I could, and went wildlife watching in Sierra Valley many times. It was wonderful to be out in the wild, my home away from home!

It was with great joy that I experienced nature's seasonal patterns this year.  The migration of the Sandhill Cranes, the blossoming of the meadows, the return of colorful tropical migrants, the emergence of bears and their young, the flight of dragonflies over water, the falling of rain and the movement of clouds, were all welcome familiar sights. I was so lucky to be surrounded by and immersed in all this beauty once again!

Below are photo-composites of my most memorable sightings for the year!  Enjoy, and thank you for your continued interest in my blog!

 

Landscapes:  Sierra Valley in the Spring

North Yuba River - Frazier Meadow

Meadow near upper Helgramite Lake

Round Lake - Sierra Buttes

Mt. Elwell and Long Lake

Indian Rhubarb on Rock Creek - Howard Meadow

Long Lake & Mud Lake

Birds!

I had a great birding year!  To my delight I saw some baby coots, or cootlings, for the first time ever in Sierra Valley! They are bald with bright yellow-orange downy feathers! A Bittern and a nesting Sandhill Crane were two more wonderful sightings in Sierra Valley. In the Lakes Basin I came across a pair of nesting Black-backed Woodpeckers, which are very uncommon! I revisted the nest and watched discreetly from a distance three times last summer! What a thrill! I also was thrilled to see a juvenile Cooper’s Hawk near the Lakes Basin Campground! 

Birds:  Mountain Bluebird

American Avocet - Sandhill Cranes

Yellow-headed Blackbird - Black-backed Woodpecker

Cooper's Hawk - Common Mergansers

American White Pelican - American Bittern

Nashville  Warbler - Sandhill Crane on Nest

American Coots (cootling & adult)

Wildflowers!

This year was an incredible year for wildflowers! There were more this year than in any previous years! We saw meadows filled with hundreds to thousands of Slender Primroses, White Brodiaeas, Paintbrushes, Fireweeds, Bistorts, Camas, Leopard Lilies, and Buttercups! To my delight I also saw Sugar Sticks blossoming for the first time ever, as well the fringed staminodes of the Grass of Parnassus! New to me this year were Jacob’s Ladders and Fringed Pinesaps! Such beauty!

Wildflowers:  Grass of Parnassus with fringed staminodes

Sugar Sticks - Crimson Columbine

Sierra Corydalis - Fringed Pinesap

Jacob's Ladder - Monkshood

Steer's Head - Western Eupatorium

Leopard Lilies  - Canyon Delphinium

Paintbrush meadow at Tamarack Lake

Mammals!

One of the most amazing sightings I had this year was early one morning in my own neighborhood! I was out on the bridge that crosses the No.Yuba River and as I looked down at the river, a doe and her two fawns appeared! She turned and looked at me and froze, and in just that instance her two fawns started nursing, right in the river!!! They stayed there nursing for about 20 seconds until their mom decided to move on, and they all crossed river! WOW!!!

Mammals:  Black Bear

Columbian Black-tailed Mule Deer Buck - Mule Deer Doe with Fawns

Yellow-bellied Marmot - Yellow-bellied Marmot

Pronghorns (males) - Pronghorns (female)

Northern River Otters - Northern River Otter

Coyote - Gray Fox

Gray Fox

Insects!

Sometimes insects are harder to photograph than birds or mammals.  They fly so erratically, and they're so much smaller.  This year I saw some brand new ones, including the Leaf Beetle, the Cyanid Millipede, and the Sierran Tiger Beetle! 

Insects:  Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

Leaf Beetle - Cyanide Millipede

California Sisters Butterflies - Bluet Damselfly

Dragonfly (species unknown) - Convergent Ladybird Beetles

Caterpillar (species unknown) - Pacific Spiketail Dragonfly

Anise Swallowtail Butterfly - Sierran Tiger Beetle

Two-stabbed Ladybird Beetle and Aphids

Rain!

This year, rain was certainly a focus for us, especially during fire season!  Luckily we didn't have any local wildfires!  With the idea that hoping and focusing on rain might cause wet weather to happen, I held a "Damp Earth Art Show" and maintained a "Damp Earth Art" blog.  Maybe it helped!

Rain:  Raindrops up close

North Yuba River Canyon - Rose leaves and rain

Black Locust leaves and rain - Cherry leaf and raindrop

Black Locust leaf and raindrops - Grizzly Peak

Incense Cedar in a downpour - Rose leaf and raindrops

Mists and Firs - Dogwood leaf and raindrops

More Raindrops

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Six years ago, on December 23, 2016, I published the first post of my North Yuba Naturalist blog! 327 posts later, I still love sharing my natural history observations and photographs with "the world"! This year, 7,650 people from 101 different countries visited my blog!  Thank you!

Winter's Solstice

To Feed or Not to Feed

 

Steller's Jay - Cyanocitta stelleri

We recently got an inch of snow and LOTS of rain in our neighborhood.  At the higher elevations it snowed and didn't rain, resulting in several feet of new snow on the ground!  Seeing birds in the snow is beautiful, but it also makes me worry about their survival. 

In May we got several inches of snow and cold temperatures that kept the flowering fruit trees from being pollinated. The only non-native fruits that weren't affected were the ones that weren't blooming at the time, mainly blackberries and grapes.  Hardly any of the apples, cherries, pears, plums, or persimmons bore fruit this year.  As a result, this fall there was a lot less food available for the wildlife in our neighborhood. 

What about the native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Were they in bloom in May when the snow fell?  Did their "crop" fail as well? Did they produce a lot less seeds and fruits?  The Black Oaks were definitely affected and didn't produce any acorns this year!  I'm guessing that most of the native plants experienced "crop failure", and that there is indeed a current shortage of these native, wild foods. This shortage could well be affecting seed-eating bird and rodent populations, and in turn rodent-eating mammal and raptor populations.  It is surprising how much an unseasonally late snow can affect so much, for months and months!

  

Steller's Jays - Cyanocitta stelleri

Because of these apparent food shortages, I have decided to occasionally feed our local birds this winter.  However, feeding birds can cause problems for birds.  Bird feeders can concentrate birds in one area, bring birds together that are not usually together, spread disease, and create waste. 

 To keep that from happening I am NOT using bird feeders, but am casting bird seed on the ground. I have two separate areas where I'm casting the seed. I am also changing the areas where I cast the bird seed on a weekly basis. I am not feeding the birds on sunny, warm days when they should be able to find food, but rather limiting my feeding to days when snow is covering the ground and temperatures are low. I am astounded at the number of birds that show up!  Recently, I counted 24 Steller's Jays eating the seed I had scattered!  I hope I'm helping, but I don't know that for sure,  For now, I think limited help is the best idea. Perhaps no help would be even better.

I am concerned with the number of websites that encourage feeding birds, especially in the winter.  Most of them don't mention the problems associated with bird feeders.  Please do your own research before you decide to feed any wild birds.  I would highly recommend  the following articles as a starting point;  https://www.audubon.org/news/to-feed-or-not-feed and https://www.fws.gov/story/feed-or-not-feed-wild-birds and https://thelocalreporter.press/to-feed-or-not-to-feed-is-that-the-question/.

Black Phoebe - Sayornis nigricans

What do songbirds eat in the wild?

During the spring and summer months, most songbirds eat mainly insects and spiders. Insects are easy to find and catch, and are very nutritious. During fall and winter, however, birds that don’t migrate must eat fruits and seeds to survive.  

There is one male Black Phoebes that is a year-round resident in our neighborhood.  Its diet consists mainly of a variety of insects, including dragonflies, damselflies, spiders, bees, wasps, beetles, and sometimes small berries. Maybe it's eating the dried-up blackberries. How do they survive here in the winter when these insects aren't out and about? I often see it perched above the river. Perhaps some aquatic insects hatch now?  

Spotted Towhee - Pipilo maculatis

During the breeding season Spotted Towhees feed on a variety of beetles, as well as a wide range of plant seeds and fruits. In the winter their diet is reduced to seeds and fruits. These birds live year-round in our neighborhood.  They use the hop-back-scratch method on the ground to uncover their foods. 

Mountain Quail - Oreortyx pictus

Mountain Quail are another of our year-round residents.  The primarily feed on nuts, seeds, leaves of plants, but will also eat insects, especially from galls!

Northern Flicker - Colaptes auratus

 

Another year-round resident is the Northern Flicker.  In the summer it primarily eats ants and beetles.  In the fall and winter it consumes fruits.

European Starlings and Mistletoe with berries

Sturnus vulgaris - Phoradendron leucarpum

When I state that birds eat "fruits", I don't just mean the domestic non-native fruits such as apples and cherries.  I mean the native "fruits" that contain the seeds of a plant, such as a rosehips and mistletoe berries. 

One of the most available fruits at this time of year is mistletoe. I took the above picture at Gray Lodge two weeks ago, but we also have this mistletoe in our neighborhood. Over 28 species of birds in California eat the berries, as well as gray squirrels, raccoons, pine martens, chipmunks, porcupines, and ringtails! Sheesh! 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.

Grizzly Peak - 12/`12/22

Damp Earth Art

We got an inch of snow on Sunday morning, after 24 hours of pouring rain! Sierra City and the Lakes Basin got 3+ feet of snow!  The total rainfall in our neighborhood for Saturday and Sunday was 3.95"!!!  This brings us to a water year total of 16.07". The river flow peaked at 1500 CFS early Saturday morning, and rose 2.5 ft in height!  Since then it's been sunny and cold, with lows in the 20's overnight. Possible rain is predicted for the beginning of next week!  Fingers crossed!

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

Is the Fall color all gone?

What's going on in the foothills?

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.

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

Winter Weather

No Yuba River - 12/8/22

Luckily it's been rainy and cold this week, and more is expected in the near future!  Our total precipitation for the past week is 5.75", for a water year total (since Oct. 1) of 12.12".  The river rose 2 feet, and went up to 800 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second) last Sunday!  It has since dropped 2 feet and decreased to 200 CFS.  More weather is in the forecast for today, tomorrow, and the week ahead!  In fact it's pouring right now, on Saturday morning!  Yahoo!  I hope the storms keep coming and wash this drought away.  Fingers crossed!  

American Kestrel (male) - Red-tailed Hawk (adult)

Falco sparverius - Buteo jamaicensis

North Yuba River News

New this week, the Common Goldeneyes have arrived, as well as an American Kestrel!!!  The Red-tailed Hawk is still hunting on the river corridor, some of the Common Mergansers are still here, and our year-round river residents are doing just fine!

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I was so surprised to see an American Kestrel in our neighborhood this week! In the past there has been a kestrel perching in the Open Slope, but the earliest I've seen one there is in January! I have no idea if this is the same one, or if it will be sticking around. I walked down to the Open Slope right after I saw it, but it wasn't there. I'll keep checking.

American Kelstrels are the smallest falcon in North America, measuring 9" in length, with a wingspan of 22", and a weight of 4.1oz. Their diet consists primarily of insects and small rodents such as: grasshoppers, beetles, dragonflies, scorpions, spiders, butterflies, moths, voles, mice, shrews, bats, snakes, lizards, frogs, and small songbirds! Right now there aren't many insects around, so it was probably hunting for rodents in the field.

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We've seen the Red-tailed Hawk several times along the river corridor this week.  It must be finding enough to eat!  Red-tails are medium sized hawks, measuring 19" in length, with a wingspan of 49", and a weight of 2.4 lb. They are one of the most commonly seen raptors in North America, and are found from coast to coast in the U.S. and as far south as Venezuela. If the winter is snow-free, they will live year-round in our neighborhood. They like to perch in trees, or posts on the edges of clearings or meadows, and watch for prey. Ground squirrels, gophers, rabbits, mice, snakes, lizards, kestrels, and meadowlarks are their main prey. They use the perch-and-wait method of hunting. Once prey is sighted they will drop from their perch, flap-and-glide downward, thrust their legs forward when about 3 m from prey, and grab prey with their feet.

Common Goldeneyes (female - males) - Bucephala clangula

Just this week the Common Goldeneye ducks arrived on the river! I've been expecting them! They always arrive around the 2nd or 3rd week in December, and spend the winter here. 

In California, Common Goldeneyes are the only ducks that regularly spend the winter on rivers and lakes above the foothills of the western Sierra. They are diving ducks and eat fish, aquatic vertebrates, seeds, and tubers. When diving, they keep their wings pressed to their sides underwater, and swim with their webbed feet! They are amazing to watch when they're underwater! This species can fly up to 40 mph, and the wind "whistles" through their wing feathers!

Right now the males are in their black and white mating colors, and the females have a yellow tip to their bill. Pair formation is just starting! They will migrate to their northern breeding grounds in the boreal forests of northern Canada and Alaska in the Spring. I am so thrilled that they have once again returned to our neighborhood for the winter!

Common Mergansers (females) - Mergus merganser

I saw a few of the Common Mergansers earlier this week. They will probably migrate down to the foothills and central valley as the winter weather continues.

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias 

The lone Great Blue Heron that I see year-round along our section of the river, is usually perched in a tree or in the river itself. 

Wednesday was sunny, so my friends Nancy, Diane, Bev and I went for a hike down in the foothills, at the South Yuba River State Park. It was a beautiful day with big puffy clouds in a brilliant blue sky. The park is a beautiful oak woodlands with the South Yuba River on one side and the combined forks of the North and Middle Yuba Rivers on the other.  It is at a much lower elevation (567') than where I live (2,674').  It is one of my favorite places to go in the winter,  because it is snow-free, populated with birds, and quite a bit warmer than my neighborhood!

We hiked  the loop trail to Point Defiance, and then we hiked along an old road to the upper arm of Englebright Lake, where the combined North and Middle Forks of the Yuba River merge with the lake. It was a little wintery but not cold, and some green grass was popping up in the dry grasses from the recent rains!

Pacific Madrone - Arbutus menziesii

This year the Madrone Trees were LOADED with berries! Many mammal and bird species feed off the berries, including American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Band-tailed Pigeons, Varied Thrushes, Quail, Mule Deer, Raccoons, Ring-tailed Cats, and Black Bears. These trees can grow up to 130' in height and 3' in daimeter.  They can also live for 400 to 500 years!

Band-tailed Pigeons - Columba fasciata

We saw several large flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons 

feasting on the Madrone Berries!

Toyon Berries - Heteromeles arbutifolia 

As we drove down to the park, we drove past 100's of Toyon bushes loaded with berries! 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 unripened 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 including Western Bluebirds, Band-tailed Pigeons, Cedar Waxwings, Hermit Thrushes, and Varied Thrushes. Foxes, Brush Rabbits, Black Bears, and Coyotes also feed on the ripened berries!

Black Bear scat containing berries

We came across this Black Bear scat full of Toyon berries, on the trail!  It certainly looked like they had eaten LOTS of them!

Willows along Englebright Lake showing the last of the fall color

When we got back to our car, the last of the afternoon light was on the river-edge willows. Such beauty!  Hopefully, we'll revisit this park in the near future, and walk along the Buttermilk Bar Trail with its stunning views of the South Yuba River.

Damp Earth Art

Winter storms have brought almost 6" of rain to our neighborhood this week, what a miracle!  Hopefully more storms are coming our way!

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

What's happening on the river?

Is the Fall color all gone?

How are the year-round avian residents doing?

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.

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