Northern Pygmy-Owl - Glaucidium gnoma
I has been a little more than a year since I've seen a Northern Pygmy-Owl in our neighborhood. I've been on the lookout for one this past month, as winter is when I usually see them. To my surprise I spotted one on Friday, right in the same area I've seen a Pygmy-Owl before! Yay! They are beautiful little owls, measuring only 6.75" in length, with a 12" wingspan, and weighing only 2.5 oz! Their main food is songbirds!
Unlike most owls, Northern Pygmy-Owls are diurnal (active during the day). They prey on small birds and mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. They perch and drop down on their prey, and often take prey up to 3x their size! They definitely benefit from bird feeders, by preying on the birds that feed there. Right now there aren't any insects, reptiles or amphibians to eat, as they are inactive at this time of year.
The Cornell Lab states, "Small birds such as nuthatches, robins, crossbills, wrens, creepers, hummingbirds, blackbirds, warblers, and jays frequently mob Northern Pygmy-Owls as they do other raptors—this behavior seems particularly bold considering small birds are what pygmy-owls eat."
Northern Pygmy-Owl with dead Junco, 2019 - Glaucidium gnoma
I came across this Pygmy-Owl back in February of 2019. It had killed a Dark-eyed Junco, that had probably been feeding on the bird seed I had put out. The Junco was quite a bit bigger than the Pygmy-Owl, but it flew away with it in its talons, just a few seconds after I took the above photo!
I love seeing these tiny little owls! Their golden eyes and striking feathers are just beautiful! Hopefully I'll see some more, or the same one, again this winter! What a thrill!
Cooper's Hawk (adult) - Accipiter cooperii
On one of our neighborhood walks this week, I spotted this Cooper's Hawk perched in a dead tree. I only got this one photo before it took off. I think it was a Cooper's Hawk because of it's size, and the feathering on its breast. Sharp-shinned Hawks look a LOT like Cooper's Hawks, but they are quite a bit smaller. Cooper's Hawks have a length of 16.5", a wingspan of 31", and weigh 1lb. Sharp-shinned Hawks have a length of 11", a wingspan of 23", and weigh only 5 oz.
Cooper's Hawk (adult) - Accipiter cooperii
I photographed this Cooper's Hawk just last summer. What a beauty! These hawks are predators on small birds and mammals. I love their reddish eyes and their light rust-colored breast feathers.
Osprey - Pandion haliaetus
I also happened to see this handsome Osprey on one of my morning walks this month! It was perched above the river, scanning for fish! It will probably leave before the snows come, as I never see them here in the winter.
Non-biting Midges - Chironomidae Family
Winter Insects
There are only two kinds of insects that I know of that are "active" in my neighborhood, at this time of year, Non-biting Midges and Ladybird Beetles.
To my joy, some non-biting Midges were in their mating "clouds" above some pine trees on the open slope last week. I didn't see any midges last year. I'm so glad they're back! Most midges are active from Spring through Fall, but some orders fly in the winter. Adult midges are known for their large mating swarms. Often, these cloud-like swarms congregate just above some tall object such as a bush, tree, hilltop, or over a pool, stream, or lake. How lucky I was to watch this incredible spectacle again!
Ladybird Beetles - Hippodamia convergens
The Ladybird Beetles arrived in our neighborhood more than a month ago. I ocassionally come across areas where there are thousands of them! Usually they are in the crevices in the trunks of trees, on the ground underneath shrubs or among pine needles, or on the stems of leafless plants. They congregate in the Fall to mate, and them become inactive when the temperatures cool. They will stay here all winter! The name "Ladybug" is a misnomer, as these insects are not "true bugs".
Fluted Black Elfin Saddle Mushroom - Helvella lacunosa
A New Fungi!
I came across a few Fluted Black Elfin Saddle Mushrooms for the first time ever this week! They are in the Morel and False Morel Fungi Group. What made this odd looking fungus identifiable was it's odd cap and fissured stem. I only saw three specimens of this fungi in the area. I'll keep looking for more in my neighborhood.
Silhouetted Blue Oaks with Mistletoe clumps
My husband and I decided to drive down to Daugherty Hill Wildlife Area two weeks ago. It is around 1,000' in elevation, and is a designated "Blue Oak Foothill Pine Woodlands". I love going there in the winter, it's so different from where we live!
Gray Pine cone, young tree top with branches and needles, and adult tree
Pinus sabiniana
Gray Pines are one of the main species of trees, besides Blue Oaks, that grow down in Daugherty Hill. The cones are huge (6" -10" long), heavy (.75lb-2.2lb in weight!), and have super sharp bracts that would definitely hurt if one landed on you! The trees themselves are thinly needled, long limbed and tall! Their overall appearance is wispy! Mature trees are 40'-80' tall, with a 12"-36" diameter, and can live for 200+ years.
Acorn Woodpecker - California Towhee - Bushtit
Melanerpes formicivoros- Melozone crissalis - Psaltriparus minimus
We saw the beautifully colored Acorn Woodpeckers and Western Bluebirds that we always see down there, as well as some Bushtits and a few California Towhees.
California Towhees usually live here year-round. They are overall grey-brown in color, with an apricot blush on their face and undertail. They eat seeds, berries (especially Poison Oak!), and insects on the ground.
We also saw a flock of tiny birds land in a Gray Pine. They were quite difficult to photograph because they flitted around so rapidly, and were so tiny, only 4.5" long. Bushtits live year-round in California. Most of the year they live in flocks of 10-40 birds. They feed on tiny insects and spiders that they glean from branches. They need to eat 80% of their body weight every day!
Blue Oak with an inset of their leaves and an acorn
Quercus douglasii
Blue Oaks are found only in California. They are named for the bluish-green cast of their deciduous leaves, which are currently a lovely, rich, brownish-yellow. They are the most drought tolerant oak, of California's deciduous oaks, and have deep extensive root systems. They usually grow between 3,000'-4,000' or lower, on dry hilly terrain where a water table is unavailable. They can live to be 400 years old!
Sardine Lake and the Sierra Buttes 1/1/24
On Monday we drove up to the Lakes Basin to see what was happening up there. To our complete surprise the Gold Lake Road was open to Graeagle, there was no snow on the ground, and the lakes weren't frozen!!!
The Sierra Buttes and a snow-free forest! 1/1/24
There was some snow on the Sierra Buttes and higher ridges, thank goodness! It certainly looks like we might be heading into another drought year! However, it's snowing right now in our neighborhood, and the prediction for the Lakes Basin is 7"-11" of snow today! I hope this snowy weather will continue for the next three months, and create a good snowpack. Fingers crossed!
What's happening with the local ferns, mosses, and lichens?
What's happening in the foothills?
Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more.
Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated,
please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.
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