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!