Down in California's Central Valley

Sutter Buttes from Hwy 20 near Marysville

When I go down to California's Central Valley to go bird watching near Gridley, the dominant feature in the landscape is the Sutter Buttes.  Surrounded by flat agricultural fields, orchards, and wetlands, they are visible from many areas including Gray Lodge, the Marysville rice fields, The Bobelaine Audubon Sanctuary, and even the foothills.  They are the remnants of volcanic activity that occurred 1.4 to 1.6 million years ago!   Magma pushed upward through sediments of the Sacramento Valley, and stacked on top of itself rather than flowing away, forming domes and mounds. The Buttes are circular in configuration with a diameter of 10 miles, covering an area of about 75 square miles, and reaching over 2,000' in height.  

The following information is from https://www.parks.ca.gov/.

"Before modern levees and dams were built to contain the rivers, winter storms and spring run-off frequently turned the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea, making the Buttes an island refuge for California Indians, settlers and wildlife. The Buttes have had many names over the years. The Maidu Indians called them “Histum Yani” which translates as, “Middle Mountains of the Valley” or “Spirit Mountain,” depending on the source. According to Maidu legend, after death, the spirits of their people rest in the Buttes before the journey to the afterlife. Evidence of Native Americans can be found all over the Sutter Buttes, most notably bedrock mortar holes."

I have never explored these buttes, as they are mainly private property.  In 2005 the Sutter Buttes State Park was established, encompassing 1,785 acres on the north side of the Sutter Buttes, but public access has yet to be created.   Currently the only way to access these buttes is to pay to take a commercial tour with middlemountainhikes.org. One of these days I'll go on a tour, in the meantime I love how they enhance the landscape!

Sutter Buttes from Gray Lodge

Gray Lodge Wildlife Area

About two weeks ago, my friend Nancy and I headed back down to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area to go bird watching. It is situated to the north of the Sutter Buttes. I hadn't been there since December 3rd, and the bird population had changed a lot!  We were there about a week after all the heavy rains had ceased.  Immediately, it was obvious that the the Snow Geese were not as numerous.  They may have been out feeding in the Delta, but there was only a fraction of their usual population present.  We did however, see many ducks, songbirds, raptors and shorebirds!  Below are photos of the birds we saw, that I didn't mention in my December blog (except for the Green Heron!).

Snowy Egret (adult) - Green Heron (adult)

  Egretta thula - Butorides virescens

Right away we spotted a Snowy Egret and a Green Heron on the edge of one of the canals!  Like I mentioned in December, Green Herons are NOT common at all.  We were so lucky to see one of them again! Green Herons are the smallest of our local Herons, measuring only 18' in body length. Their neck and legs are also short compared to other herons.

American Wigeons (female + male)  - Mareca americana

The males were in their breeding colors, and most of the waterfowl had paired up, in anticipation of the coming breeding season.  

Pied-billed Grebe (adult)  - Podilymbus podiceps

We watched this Pied-billed Grebe submerge like a submarine again and again, in its search for food to eat!

American Coots (adults) - Fulica americana

I had never seen this many Coots together before! Apparently it's their typical winter behavior!  This is what the Cornell Lab has to say about this behavior at birdsoftheworld.org:

"On wintering grounds, [American Coots] may gather in large, densely packed rafts of >1,000 individuals in open water and when sleeping in emergent macrophyte cover. Coordinated swimming movements of birds within these densely packed aggregations suggest they may function in obtaining food."

Yellow-rumped Warbler (female) - Setophaga coronata

There were LOTS of Yellow-rumped Warblers "flycatching" insects in the air!

  

Yellow-rumped Warbler (female) - Setophaga coronata

They were hard to photograph, but I got a few in-flight shots!

Western Meadowlark (adult) - Phainopepla (male)

Sturnella neglecta -Phainopepla nitens

There were a few Western Meadowlarks foraging on the dry ground between the wetlands.  Surprisingly, we also saw a Phainopepla in a bare-branched tree!  I've see Phainopeplas in the Arizona deserts, but not one locally for years!  This is what the Cornell Lab has to say about their breeding behavior at birdsoftheworld.org:

"Phainopeplas breed in two distinct habitats at different times of the year, an unusual pattern among North American passerines. Between February and April the species breeds in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona and in the portion of the Sonoran Desert extending into California, called the Colorado Desert. As summer heat intensifies and berry supplies dwindle, Phainopeplas vacate the desert. In May, they arrive in the oak and sycamore canyons of Arizona and California, where they breed through July. The two distinct breeding seasons have prompted conjecture that the same individuals breed in both habitats each year. However, specific migratory routes are unknown, and it remains uncertain whether the same birds breed in both desert and woodlands."

Nuttall's Woodpecker (female - male) - Dryobates nuttallii

To our delight we watched a female Nuttall's Woodpecker drilling away on a tree trunk for some time!  We also luckily got a glimpse of a male Nuttall's Woodpecker in a different part of the reserve!!!  Aren't they lovely?!!

Black-tailed Jackrabbit - Lepus californicus

At the end of our day in Gray Lodge, to our complete surprise a Black-tailed Jackrabbit emerged out of the bushes and high-tailed it along one of the dirt embankments!  We had never seen one of these rabbits here before!  It moved SO fast and looked SO big we were amazed!!!  I couldn't get a photo of it, as was too quick!  What a treat to see!

(I photographed the above Black-tailed Jackrabbit down in the desert several years ago!)

Sutter Buttes from the Marysville Rice Fields

Marysville Rice Fields

On the way home we briefly drove through the Marysville Rice Fields to see what birds were there. The fields were full to brimming with the recent rainfall!  We saw Sandhill Cranes, Tundra Swans, White-faced Ibis, and many waterfowl.  I hope to get back there again this month and spend more time exploring the area. In the meantime here are a few photos from years past.  Enjoy!

White-faced Ibis in mating colors - Plegadis chihi

Tundra Swans  - Cygnus columbianus

Sandhill Cranes  - Antigone canadensis

Local Weather

It's been mainly sunny and cold this week with minimal precipitation. A short, snowy storm dropped about .5" of powder snow in our neighborhood last Sunday, and about 6" of snow in Sierra City. Right now it's Friday and it's raining (Yes! It's melting the sheet of ice in our parking lot!), and more rain is predicted over the next couple of days.  Yahoo!  Our water year total is currently 50.43"!

Sutter Buttes from the Darby Road Unit

What's happening in the Foothills?

How much snow did the Lakes Basin get this week?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

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