North Yuba Naturalist: A Cherry Festival!

Western Tanager (female) - Piranga ludoviciana

Our neighborhood is full of non-native fruit trees. This year they all bloomed while the weather was warm! Last year it snowed and stayed cold while they were in bloom, so no insects could pollinate them and we had an overall crop failure! I'm so glad that this year it's looking good for the availability of fruits, berries, and seeds. Right now the Cherries are RIPE!

American Robin (adult) - Turdus migratorius

A "Cherry Festival" has been going on in our neighborhood for the past two weeks! A whole variety of birds have been eating the local cherries and they're just about all gone! Tanagers, Grosbeaks, Robins, Orioles, Steller's Jays, Towhees, Pigeons, Cedar Waxwings, and Doves join in the feast! Their constant chattering and movement is fascinating to watch and hear! It's a beautiful sight to see, and enchants me for hours!

Black-headed Grosbeak (female) - Pheucticus melanocephalus

Some birds swallow the cherries whole, some peck bites from them, others pick the whole cherry, roll it around in their beaks, and then spit out the pit! Towards the end of the "Festival" the birds all feed on one particular tree one day, and then move on to another tree the next day!

Hairy Woodpecker (male) - Dryobates villosus

For the first time ever, I saw a Hairy Woodpecker eating cherries this week! I didn't know that they ate cherries! I looked it up and they do indeed eat "fruit" but it is a minimal part of their diet. I'll bet cherries are quite a change from their usual insect fare!

Band-tailed Pigeon (adult) - Columba fasciata

Once the cherries are ripe, the bird population seems to increase 10 fold! Band-tailed Pigeons can de-cherry a tree in a day! It's been quite a commotion in the trees, with birds flying back and forth looking for the last cherry in the neighborhood!

Steller's Jay (adult) - Cyanocitta stelleri

There are a few different kinds of cherry trees growing here. Queen Anne Cherry Trees produce medium/small cherries that are rosy/blond in color. Another kind produces lots of small dark cherries that are mostly pit, but I don't know its name. The birds enjoy them all!

Steller's Jay (adult) with Cherry pits - Cyanocitta stelleri

Interestingly, Steller's Jays also gather the discarded cherry pits! I watched a Jay bury several pits, one at a time, in different locations this week. I don't know why they do this! Do they soften up underground and are eaten later? I have to do some research on this and get back to you!

Tree Swallows (fledglings) - Tachycineta bicolor

A Few Fledglings!

I've seen a few fledglings in my neighborhood this week! I find it so amazing that they survived through the nestling stage! There are so many factors that can adversely affect nestlings, such as extreme weather, lack of natural food (eg. too cold for insects to be active), parasitic mites, disease, and predators. Lots of critters prey on bird eggs and baby birds, such as tree-climbing snakes, Pine Martens, Raccoons, squirrels, and other birds. Nesting periods can be as short as 12 days or as long as 55 days!

The following information on fledglings is from the website toughlittlebirds.com.

"Fledglings are at one of the most dangerous time in their lives, facing an average mortality rate of 42% over just a week or two. Most of that mortality happens early, just after the little guys have left the nest. New fledglings have almost no skills: they can't feed themselves, can't fly well (or, in many cases, at all) and can't do anything to defend themselves if something terrifying like a weasel, snake, crow, or even chipmunk decides to eat them.

So why do they fledge at all? Because staying in the nest would be even more dangerous. A flightless baby bird's chief defense is being hidden, and a nest, while it is often hidden, has disadvantages. After two weeks of the parents feeding their chicks, there is a lot of evidence around indicating where the nest is: the nest will smell like birds; the parents will be in the area noticeably frequently; and if an intelligent predator like a Steller's Jay gets the idea to watch parental movement, it will quickly learn where the nest is. A baby bird out of the nest can do better, as long as it is capable of running and perching, since it can change hiding places and can hide separately from its siblings."

Tree Swallow (fledgling) - Tachycineta bicolor

Three Swallow nestlings fledge in 15-25 days. Fledglings may have poor feeding and flying skills, and receive post-fledgling feedings by parents for several days. However, fledglings are also seen flying and feeding independently of parents soon after they leave the nest.

Steller's Jay (fledgling) - Cyanocitta stelleri

One morning this week I was about to load a brush pile into our truck, when I noticed this young Steller's Jay perched on top of it! It was so cute! It hopped off the pile of branches to the ground and then hopped up from branch to branch into a hawthorn bush! What a fun sighting! The following information about young Steller's Jays is from the Cornell website birdsoftheworld.org.

"Young remain in nest for about 16 d. Both parents continue to feed the young for about a month after they fledge; dependent fledglings beg loudly and chase parents. Independent fledglings can remain with parents in family group into fall or winter.

Steller's Jay (fledgling) - Cyanocitta stelleri

"Weak flights begin at 15–22 d of age; bird tended to stay on perch; unable to take off from ground, but hopped up to higher perches and flew from there; frequently exercised wings from about 27 d, mainly at dawn and dusk; sustained flights occurred at about 30 d."

American Robin (fledgling) - Turdus migratorius

I've also seen several young American Robins in our neighborhood this week! They are easily identified by their spotted breasts and bellies. The following information about young American Robins is from the Cornell website birdsoftheworld.org.

"Chicks begin to lose weight on day 9 or 10 of development, fledge on about day 13. Nestmates leave the nest within a 24-h period, wander off a short distance, and are followed and fed by parents. When the brood is partially fledged, young remaining in the nest are fed primarily by the female.

After fledging of the complete brood, first the female and then the male follow the young and provide food as they wander about within 150 m of the nest for at least 3 wk. When a female is on a second nest, the male may take fledged young to a communal roost at night.

At fledging, young birds cannot maintain level flight and spend next 10–15 d in cover before becoming independent."

Helgramite Lake at 7,040' in elevation - 6/29/23

Lakes Basin Update!

The snow is melting fast in the Lakes Basin! Here are photographs of four different areas that I visited twice in the past two weeks. The difference in the amount of snow cover from one week to the next is amazing!