Lots of Snow!

Steller's Jay (adult) - Cyanocitta stelleri

In the last forty-eight hours, 24" of powder snow has fallen in our neighborhood!!!  A lot of the time it was falling, it was a whiteout blizzard!  Roads closed due to the heavy snow, and many places experienced power outages.  Luckily we didn't have to go anywhere, so we stayed home, went for walks in the snow, and fed the local birds! 

To our delight a few avian surprises showed up in our backyard!

Varied Thrush (male - female) - Ixoreus naevius

It has been several years since a Varied Thrush has showed up in our area, but winter is when I usually see them. I have always only seen one pair of them in our neighborhood at a time, and this year was no exception!  Yesterday, a male and a female showed up in the heavily falling snow and started feeding on the bird seed I had scattered on the ground!  They were there again this morning!  The male is more darkly marked than the female. They are both just beautiful!

Varied Thrushes have irruptive winter behavior, which means they don't stay in one area all winter if the food supply is low.  Rather they will travel to find food, often for quite a distance.  These birds breed and raise their young in western Canada and into Alaska.  In the winter they often live on the Pacific Coast from southern Alaska to southern California, and/or in the central valley of California.  Their main winter foods are seeds, nuts (acorns), berries, and fruits.

I have no idea why they show up in our neighborhood!  Maybe they just go exploring and one seed leads to another!

Red-winged Blackbird (male) - Agelaius phoeniceus

Another surprise was this single Red-winged Blackbird that showed up in our backyard late yesterday afternoon!  These birds don't usually come here in the winter, nor do they nest here.  I have seen a few pass through in the early Spring, but never in the winter before. My neighbor has a small cattail rimmed pond where some Red-wings visit in the spring.  Perhaps the warm weather that preceded this storm lured him up here!  

Today we are having a break in the weather and it's not snowing.  More heavy snow is predicted to start again tomorrow, and continue through Wednesday.  Hopefully, this little beauty will head back down to the foothills today!

North Yuba River - 2/24/23

I walked down to the river every morning to see what was happening!  It was so blizzardy that I couldn't really keep my camera out for any length of time, without it getting too wet.  Just when I got to the middle of the bridge, some waterfowl landed in the river below it!

Common Goldeneyes (3 females - 1 male) - Bucephala clangula

These Common Goldeneyes didn't seem bothered by the blizzard conditions and just carried on with their usual behavior of diving for food.

Common Mergansers  (female - male) - Mergus merganser

There were also a pair of Common Mergansers on the river! This was the first male Merganser I've seen this winter!  I have seen three female Mergansers on the river for months, but this male must have just joined them!

Pipevine - Aristolochia californica

Before the Storm!

Just a few days before the storm hit, we hiked down in the South Yuba River State Park to see if any wildflowers were blooming.  To our delight there was a scattering of a variety of wildflowers in bloom!  This cold weather has probably curbed any further blossoming, but the moisture from the storm is a gift! 

We were delighted to find some Pipevine in bloom!  They are such unique beautiful blossoms!  The Pipevine or Dutchman's Pipes is one of the earliest blooming native wildflowers. We were lucky to find many of the flowers, being green and brown in color they are somewhat hard to detect! These plants are not carnivorous, but they have an odor that attracts carrion-feeding insects that crawl inside the pipe-shaped flower and pollinate the blossom! Amazing!

 We didn't see any Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies on our hike. They overwinter in a chrysalis, and perhaps they haven't emerged yet.  Maybe we'll see them the next time we visit the park.  In the spring, Pipevine Swallowtail Butterflies mate, the female lays her eggs (which contain toxic acids) on the underside of Pipevine leaves. When the caterpillars first hatch, they stay together in small groups and feed on Pipevine leaves. When they grow larger they head out on their own to feed and pupate. It takes approximately one week for a caterpillar to change into an adult and emerge from its chrysalis. The adults usually live for a month, feeding solely on wildflower nectar.

Blue Dicks - Red Maids - Common Fiddleheads

Dichelostemma capitatum - Calandrinia menziesii - Amsinckia intermedia

Bald Eagle (adult) - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

To our complete surprise we heard and then saw a Bald Eagle perched above the South Yuba River!!! These eagles are known to nest in the park!  Perhaps this one was calling for its mate!

Manroot - Lacepod - Canyon Nemophila

Marah fabacea - Thysanocarpus curvipes - Nemophila heterophylla

South Yuba River State Park - Ground Iris - Iris macrosiphon

The trees hadn't leafed out yet, but new green grasses were covering the hillsides!  It was a joy to see the beginnings of spring.  We'll have to go back soon!

Weather Update

This week, the two feet of powder snow that fell contained 1.75" of water.  This brings our water year total up to 55.16"!!!  A lot more cold snow is coming over the next 4 days!  We need all the moisture we can get, so I am grateful for these winter storms!

 

What's happening in the foothills and Central Valley?  

How much snow did the Lakes Basin get?

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 Green!

In the winter our neighborhood is filled with greens!  The river is an incredible, crystal clear, jade-to-apple green color.  The moss, ferns, liverworts, and lichens are flourishing in the damp, filling the shaded forest and roadside bluffs with a multitude of greens ranging in color from yellow-to-blue green.  It's gorgeous!

 

Mossicles!

Despite the cold, these plants can grow and flourish in the winter as their cells contain glucose that works like an anti-freeze and keeps the cells from freezing! 

Western Polypody Fern - Fern on Mossy rocks - Dendroalsia Moss

Polypodium hesperium - Dendroalsia albietina

Our winter garden!

Common Goldeneye (male) - Bucephala clangula

Neighborhood News!

The Common Goldeneyes are still in residence on our section of the North Yuba River. 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! Right now the males are in their black and white mating colors, and the females have a yellow tip to their bill. They will migrate to their northern breeding grounds in the boreal forests of northern Canada and Alaska soon!

Red-shouldered Hawk (adult) - Buteo lineatus

I spotted this Red-shouldered Hawk perched along the river's edge this week.  What a beauty!  As soon as it saw me it took off (see inset photo)!  These raptors feed on small mammals and birds at this time of year.  Last year I photographed one eating a dead quail!

Lesser Goldfinch (male) - Pine Siskin (female) 

Carduelis psaltria - Spinus pinus

To my total delight, there have been flocks of Lesser Goldfinches and Pine Siskins feeding on the ground in our neighborhood this week!  I have never seen them together in flocks like this before, but the bird guides say it is common!  What a beautiful surprise!

Lesser Goldfinches (females) - Carduelis psaltria 

 

The female Lesser Goldfinches are not as brilliantly yellow as the males, and lack the black forehead and cap.  So lovely!

Convergent Ladybird Beetles - Hippodamia convergens

There are still large groups of Convergent Ladybird Beetles in our neighborhood.  On one of the warmer, sunny days many of them were flying from the shaded areas to the warm sunny areas!  They'll probably stick around for a while, before they head down to lower elevations for the spring.

American Robin (female) - Turdus migratorius

Just this week a few American Robins showed up!  They are almost always the earliest migratory songbirds to land in our neighborhood.  Some of them will stay and raise their young here. 

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus 

We spotted this Gray Fox in another part of our neighborhood one afternoon.  I'm not sure how many live here, but I would imagine probably no more than ten in the immediate area.  It's always a delight to see them!

 

Alder and Willow in bud

Alnus incana - Salix sp.

Almost all of the local shrubs are in bud, just waiting for the temperatures to warm up before they blossom. Some of the willows have just a tiny bit of their fuzzy blossoms showing.

Greenleaf Manzanita - Whiteleaf Manzanita

Arctostaphylos patula - Arctostaphylos viscida

The local Manzanitas are also still in tight bud.  These buds were formed back in the Fall, and will remain closed-up until Spring.  Most of the local trees and shrubs contain glucose in their cells that keep them from freezing in the winter, just like the damp mosses, lichens, ferns etc.

Lately I've been visiting the three ponds that I always check on in the winter.  I'm happy to report that there are waterfowl on all on of them!  Some of them will migrate to higher elevations in the Spring, while some will stay and nest. All three ponds have different residents!

 

Bufflehead - Bucephala albeola

Right now there is one pair of Bufflehead ducks at Joubert Diggins.  More may show up in the near future.

Mallards (female - male) - Anas platyrhynchos

There is also one pair of Mallards, which is the usual population for this pond.

 So far I haven't seen any boys in a boat on this pond.  I hope it stays that way!  Last year they were quite disruptive to the local waterfowl population.

Hooded Merganser (female) - Lophodytes cucullatus

On the day I stopped by, there were three female Hooded Mergansers on the pond!  They are so unique with their big "hoods" of feathers!  

Hooded Merganser (females) - Lophodytes cucullatus

 They will leave soon for their breeding grounds in western Canada!  I love seeing them every year!

Wood Duck Pond is lower in elevation so I usually see different waterfowl in this pond, compared to the other two ponds I visit.

Wood Ducks (male - female) - Aix sponsa

On Wood Duck Pond, there were three pairs of Wood Duck!!  Yay!  I think the male's coloring is astonishing, especially his brilliant red eyes!  The females look Egyptian to me, with the white oval around their eyes.  It's always such a thrill to see these beautiful ducks!

Sierra Buttes from Sierra City - 2/9/23

I finally went up to the Lakes Basin last week and walked on the snow up to Sardine Lake!  I stopped in Sierra City on the way, and took this photo of the Buttes!

Sardine Lake - 2/9/23

Sardine Lake and Sand Pond were both still totally frozen and beautiful!  We lingered as long as we could enjoying the gorgeous view.  It was so nice to spend the day in the Lakes Basin.  More snow is predicted for this coming week!  Yay!  Winter needs to last at least another month!

What's happening in the foothills and Central Valley?

Is anything blooming?

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!

Mating for Life!

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

I've been wondering how scientists figure out how some birds and mammals mate for life. I've asked a few biologists how the studies are done, but haven't as yet got an answer back! I'm not having any luck searching the internet either, which is quite surprising! It's probably done by taking DNA samples of the parents and offspring. The question is, "How long do they take samples to determine if the species mates for life?" Hopefully I'll get an answer sometime soon! In the meantime, in the spirit of Valentine's Day, here is some info on the local species that uncommonly mate for life. As it turns out, most species don't!

Some birds mate for life such as Bald Eagles, Ospreys, Red-tailed Hawks, Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes, Snow Geese, Canada Geese, Barn Owls, Pileated Woodpeckers, and probably Common Ravens! The birds that tend to mate for life are large birds. Some scientist think that this is because large birds tend to have large territories to defend and it's better to not waste time on finding a new mate every year.

However, most birds only mate for one season or several seasons. There is monogomy (one mate in a season, eg. Goldfinches and most songbirds), polyandry (when a female has more than one mate in a season, eg. Spotted Sandpipers), and polygyny (when a male has more than one mate in a season, eg. Hummingbirds).

Common Ravens - Corvus corax

Scientists don't think "love" is an issue with birds, rather it's all about procreating and survival of the species. However, we non-scientific humans tend to see "caring" between birds and their mates. Are we projecting our emotions on wildlife? Probably! However, when I watched two Ravens allopreen each other it really seemed so gentle and loving to me! Who knows for sure? In the meantime, I am absolutely amazed that a Sandhill Crane can live up to 35 years in the wild, travel hundreds of miles annually in migration, and stay with the same mate the whole time! WOW!!!

Canada Geese with goslings - Branta canadensis

In a lot of bird species both parents help raise the young, such as the Canada Geese pictured above. In the case of our local ducks only the female cares for the young.

Common Merganser (female) and ducklings - Mergus merganser

Columbian Black-tailed Deer Doe and Fawns

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Motherly Love

Lifelong partnerships are rare in wild mammals. Of the roughly 5,000 species of mammals on the earth, only 3 to 5 percent are known to form lifelong pair bonds. Typically most mammals in our area (including Mule Deer, Black Bears, Mountain Lions, Raccoons, Skunks, Opossums, Ringtail Cats, and Squirrels) mate briefly, the male leaves, and the female raises the young.

After mating, female and male Columbian Black-tailed Deer go their separate ways. Only the female raises the young. Female fawns usually stay with their mothers for two years; young bucks leave after a year.

Columbian Black-tailed Deer Doe and Fawn

Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

American Mink female and three young - Neogale vison

Male and female American Minks only come together briefly to mate. The female raises their young. They remain with the mother through the summer until fall, when they leave to establish their own territories.

American Black Bear female and three cubs - Ursus americanus

American Black Bears only come together briefly with females to mate. The female raises the young. The cubs will stay with their mother through their second winter, until they are about 17 months old.

Gray Fox with a young Kit - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

Gray Foxes are an exception to the rule. Some websites state that Gray Foxes mate for life, others don’t. However, the male and female raise their kits together. Gray Fox kits will stay with their parents for approximately 10 months, and then disperse to find their own mates.

Gray Fox with Kit - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

I'll post the answer to my question about "mating for life" as soon as I get it!  

In the meantime, Happy Valentine's Day!

View of the Sutter Buttes from the Darby Road Unit

The Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area is approximately 7,000 acres of rolling hills covered with blue and live oak, gray pine, and thick brush. There are four units and the approximate acreages are: Daugherty Hill (3,200 acres), Donovan Hill (1,800 acres), Quail Valley (1,300 acres), and Darby Road (700 acres). It is managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

This week we decided to check out the Darby Road Unit, which we had never been to before.  All four units are very similar, with Blue Oaks, dry grassy slopes, shrubbery, and cows.  This unit had a lovely, flat trail alongside a water ditch in the woods!  No one else was there besides the cows and birds!

Yellow Chanterelle (?) - Turkey Tail (?)

Trametes versicolor - Cantharellus cibarius (?)

Surprisingly we came across what we thought were Yellow Chanterelles, and lots of tiny turkey-tail like fungi on the oak trunks!  Most of the mushrooms in my neighborhood came and went about a month ago!

Cattle

As usual, there were cows grazing on the dry, grassy slopes.  All of the units in the Daugherty Hill Complex were private ranches at one time.  Through an arrangement with the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, the land has become a nature preserve, but the cows are still allowed to graze.  The following excerpt from ANR Publication 8517 at the University of Calif. Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (located at http://anrcatalog.usan.edu) discusses the reasons why they have allowed the stock to remain.  

"Because livestock grazing (primarily by cattle) can effectively reduce the biomass, height and thatch accumulation produced by non-native plants, it has become and essential tool for managing California's grasslands. Grazing has been shown to benefit California's annual grasslands in many ways - by reducing the risk of a catastrophic wildfire, maintaining and enhancing habitat for many native grassland plants and animals, and maintaining the open character of our iconic grasslands and oak savannas. Grazing can be managed to targets specific habitats, pest plants, fire hazards, and encroaching shrubs."

White-crowned Sparrow - Nuttall's Woodpecker (female)

Zonotrichia leucophrys - Dryobates nuttallii

We didn't see a lot of birds that day, maybe because it was gray, cold, and overcast.  There were small flocks of White-crowned Sparrows near the pond, and we luckily saw a beautiful female Nuttall's Woodpecker in the woods.

Hooded Merganser (female) - Lophodytes cucullatus

There was a good-sized manmade pond in the unit!  To our surprise there were Buffleheads and Hooded Mergansers in it, which unfortunately took off as soon as we approached.

Acorn Woodpecker (female) - Western Bluebird (male)

Melanerpes formicivorous - Sialia mexicana

We heard more Acorn Woodpeckers than we saw, and there weren't many Bluebirds out and about.  In another month, when things warm up, they should both be more plentiful.  

Mistletoe - Phoradendron spp.

The Black Oaks hadn't leafed out at all yet, so the only color in the winter woods were the clumps of mistletoe in the trees!  Most of the berries are gone, which explains why we didn't see as many birds this time.  It was a lovely day in an area we'd never been to before, and we'll be back again soon!

Weather Update!

We got 1.82" of rain last weekend, and the Lakes Basin got another 6" of snow!  Yay!  This brings our water year total to 52.52".  A few small storms are predicted over the next 5 days, mainly rain.  Luckily it's warmed up into the 30's and it isn't SO cold. 

What's happening down in Spenceville?

Is Sardine Lake still frozen?

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!