Sierra Valley is a little more than an hour east of where we live. I had read about it being flooded from all the runoff from the melting heavy snowpack. I had also watched a YouTube video of Sierra Valley filmed from the air this past March that showed how extensively it was flooded, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mor2HQeyfkU&t=67s)
To celebrate my birthday, my husband and I decided to drive over and see what was happening. To our astonishment it had turned into a HUGE LAKE!!! We had never seen this much water here before! Wow!!!
View north from the Steel Bridge - 4/23 This water is the headwaters of the Feather River, and there was just as much water to south, the east, and the west! It was incredible to see, and was such a contrast from last year! Compare the difference with my May 7, 2022 blog - Spring in Sierra Valley.
Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis
We were able to drive out to the Steel Bridge, where we usually go to watch birds, but the road was flooded just a quarter mile further east. Due to the high volume of water there weren't a whole lot of birds in the vicinity of the Steel Bridge other than Cliff and Barn Swallows, but in the slightly drier areas we enjoyed seeing a variety of birds. We saw five Sandhill Cranes in the distance that day! Always so elegantly beautiful!
Barn Swallow - Cliff Swallows getting mud for their nests
Hirundo rustica - Petrocheilidon pyrrhonota
There were lots of Barn and Cliff Swallows at the Steel Bridge. The Barn Swallows overwinter in Central and South America, as far south as the tip of Argentina! The Cliff Swallows overwinter in South America, as far south as northern Argentina. Both of these swallows make nests out of mud on the underside of bridges. Pictured above, Cliff Swallows are getting mud for their nests!
It takes approximately two weeks for the male and female to construct a nest out of 9,000 to 12,000 mud pellets. The breeding pair will start sleeping in the mud housing, as soon as it is partially finished. Inside the mud housing, they create a nest made of dry grasses and feathers. Females will lay 1-6 eggs, and brood them for 10-19 days. Swallows will also lay eggs and/or transfer their eggs into neighboring swallow nests. The young are altricial when hatched, and are cared for by their parents for 20-26 days.
Yellow-headed Blackbird - Red-winged Blackbird
Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus - Agelaius phoeniceus
Along the road to the Steel Bridge there were lots of male Yellow-headed and Red-winged Blackbirds! They were gorgeous in their bright contrasting colors. I just happened to to catch this Red-winged Blackbird in a mating display! How wild! The Yellow-headed Blackbirds were making their loud, coarse calls, but we didn't see many females in the area. The females of both species lack the bright colors of the males. Both of these birds will nest and raise their young in Sierra Valley. Both will make nests woven between upright stalks of vegetation such as cattails and tules, above water.
The Yellow-headed Blackbird overwinters in Mexico. The Red-winged Blackbird probably drops down to lower elevations in California for the winter, and is not a long-distance migrant.
Pied-billed Grebe (adult) - Ruddy Duck (male)
Podilymbus podiceps - Oxyura jamaicensis
Just past the Steel Bridge there is a smallish separate pond where we saw quite a few waterfowl. Lining the pond, there were tules to hide and nest in, compared to the area near the Steel Bridge. Perhaps that's why they congregated there.
Ruddy Ducks probably overwinter in California's Central Valley or down into Mexico. Pied-billed Grebe's probably do the same thing. Both will nest and raise their young in Sierra Valley, on floating platform nests made out of dried plants.
Horned Lark - Red-winged Blackbird
Eremophila alpestris - Agelaius phoeniceus
These Horned Larks probably overwinter in California at lower elevations. They will breed and raise their young in Sierra Valley. The female alone makes the nest. She starts by digging out a cavity in the ground, which may take 2-4 days! She then weaves a nest of fine plant material gathered nearby, such as grass, small roots, and shredded plant stocks. The inner part of the nest is lined with finer material such as down, fur, feathers, fine rootlets; even lint and string are sometimes used.
Here's a photo of a Red-winged Blackbird in a regular pose, not in a mating display! Such glossy elegance!
Redhead (male-female) - Aythya americana
Last year, in Sierra Valley, was the first time I ever saw a Redhead. I was so pleased to see several of them in the pond near the Steel Bridge this week! The males are so strikingly colored! They will breed and raise their young in Sierra Valley. Their nest is made by the female, usually among cattails, but not always. The female weaves together standing vegetation, and builds a cup-like nest out of dead vegetation, above shallow water, and lines it with down. These Redheads will probably move to lower elevations in California for the winter, or perhaps as far south as Mexico.
Willet - American Avocet
Tringa semipalmata - Recurvirostra americana
This Willet probably overwintered in California's Central Valley or coast. They will breed and raise their young in Sierra Valley. They nest on dry ground in shallow "scrapes" lined with plant material. We only saw one Willet in our visit to Sierra Valley.
American Avocets spend their winters in California's Central Valley, Baja California, or Mexico. In Spring most migrate to north-central United States and Canada to breed, but some will nest in Sierra Valley. When breeding, the feathers on the head and neck, of both the male and female, turn a rich rusty color, and the legs turn blue! Beautiful! I love their sky-blue legs, and their long, curved bills. They are SO elegant! They are ground-nesters and build a nest scrape in the soft substrate of wetlands, dikes/levees, or islands. Nests are often near the water's edge, and usually on unvegetated ground or in areas with short, sparse vegetation. Avocets nest on islands when available, which provides partial protection from predators.
American Coot - Fulica americana American Coots are not ducks, they are in the Rallidae Family and are classified as Rails! They probably spend their winter in lower elevations in California. They will breed and raise their young in Sierra Valley. They make floating nests out of tules and other dry vegetation, that are anchored to standing aquatic vegetation (cattails, tules etc.). Last year I saw baby coots for the first time at the Steel Bridge, with their bald heads fringed in bright red-orange downy feathers! Hopefully I'll see them again this year.
California Hesperochiron and Beckwourth Peak
Hesperochiron nanus
In the drier areas there were lots and lots of California Hesperochiron flowers blanketing the ground. More than I've ever seen before! Beckwourth Peak can be seen from almost anywhere in Sierra Valley, at 7,252' in elevation. I went up on the peak in 2020, and you can read all about it in my August 16, 2020 blog -Exploring Sierra Valley.
Bulbed Woodland Star - Lithophragma glabrum
To my surprise there were large patches of Bulbed Woodland Stars growing along the drier roadsides! I've only seen a few of these up in the Lakes Basin, so it was a pleasure to see an abundance of them. I've never seen them in Sierra Valley before!
Sooty Grouse (female) - Dendragapus fuliginosus
On our way home, I was thrilled to see a Sooty Grouse walking along the edge of the highway! WOW!!! In July of 2021 I saw a female with two chicks and a displaying male up near Yuba Pass. That same month I saw a female with two chicks up near Hidden Lake. However, I haven't seen any since then. So I was SO pleased to see this female! We pulled off the road and watched her as she walked along the edge of the highway!
Sooty Grouse (female) - Dendragapus fuliginosus
These birds are large, with a length of 17-22", a wingspan of 26", and a weight of 2.3 lbs. I loved the intricate feather pattern, that definitely provided camouflage. They are listed as "uncommon" in our area, although they live here year round. In the winter adults and juveniles feed exclusively on conifer needles. Right now they're eating the leaves and flowers of herbs; leaves, flowers, and berries of shrubs; conifer needles; and invertebrates.
Sierra Buttes - 4/29/23
Last Sunday we drove up the Gold Lake Road to where they had stopped plowing at Salmon Creek Campground. The road to Sand Pond and Sardine Lake was unplowed and covered with three feet of snow! I don't know how much further they have plowed up the Gold Lake Road, but we won't be hiking up there anytime soon! There is still so much snow on the ground!
What bugs and blossoms are showing up?
What new birds will arrive?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!
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