Late Winter & Early Spring!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

A Late Snowstorm!

Two weeks ago on the morning of Saturday, March 2nd, the power was out and a blizzard was happening in our neighborhood! I went out for a walk first thing in a couple of inches of new snow, and luckily ran into this doe on our bridge! What beauty!  I stopped walking and turned away from the doe and it kept coming across the bridge.  It turned left, away from me, into a grassy forested area right after the bridge, and started browsing right away! What a lucky sighting! 

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

It snowed most of that day, with a total snowfall of 6". The next couple of days we got rain instead of snow, but up in the Lakes Basin, they got over 6' of snow!  The total precipitation for our area from the 4 day storm was 3.85".

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

That same morning I heard and saw several hundred Sandhill Cranes flying west overhead! WOW!!! They were calling and calling, circling and circling, and then eventually flying west!  Hopefully they found somewhere to land in the foothills!  It was a real blizzard when they flew by!

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

Usually at this time of year they would be flying east and north!

Mountain Quail - Oreortyx pictus

Tracks were abundant that morning in the snow.  I saw squirrel, deer, fox, and Mountain Quail tracks all over our neighborhood.  I was struck by the similarity of the Quail tracks in the snow and the pattern of the distant Sandhill Cranes in the snowy sky!

Western Bluebird - Sialia mexicana

The Western Bluebirds that had recently arrived waited out the blizzard, and puffed themselves up to stay warm!  

American Robin - Turdus migratorius

A large flock of American Robins arrived just before the storm. They come here to nest, after spending the winter in the California foothills or coast, or even as far south as Mexico. Their diet consists of fruit (mainly berries) and invertebrates, such as worms and insects.  It must have been tough to find food during the snowstorm.  Most birds will shelter themselves away from the wind, snow or rain, and become less active on stormy days, to conserve energy.

Varied Thrush (male) - Ixoreus naevius

We were also surprised by the arrival of two gorgeous Varied Thrushes!  They usually show up in the winter, and we hadn't seen them yet this year!  They are so strikingly and beautifully feathered!  They breed north of here, in Washington, Oregon, British Columbia, and Alaska, as well as in western Montana and Idaho. In winter they eat acorns, seeds, nuts and berries.

Fir Cap - around 6,000' in elevation - 3/2/24

The new snow was beautiful and dramatic! It was the snowiest it had been all winter!

I loved watching the sunlight travel over the stormy forest! Such Beauty!

Grizzly Peak 3/6/24

Signs of Spring!

The snow storm was followed by several days of rain, bringing our water-year total to 41.11". Then the weather changed and we got sunny blue-sky days and the temperatures warmed up! I had several surprising sightings in the week after the snowstorm!

Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte Anna

To our delight a male Anna's Hummingbird showed up in our backyard this past week!  I quickly filled up my feeder with sugar water (1 part sugar to 4 parts water) and hung it outside.  It didn't take long for the hummer to find it, and he has been there every day since. I love how his brilliant, iridescent feathers change in the sunlight. The following information at https://www.sciencedaily.com explains how iridescent colors occur in hummingbirds.

"Hummingbirds are some of the most brightly-colored things in the entire world. Their feathers are iridescent -- light bounces off them like a soap bubble, resulting in shimmering hues that shift as you look at them from different angles. While other birds like ducks can have bright feathers, nothing seems to come close to hummingbirds, and scientists weren't sure why. But a new study in Evolution shows that while hummingbird feathers have the same basic makeup as other birds', the special shape of their pigment-containing structures enables them to reflect a rainbow of light.

All birds' feathers are made of keratin, the same material as our hair and nails, and they're structured like tiny trees, with parts resembling a trunk, branches, and leaves. The "leaves," called feather barbules, are made up of cells that contain pigment-producing organelles called melanosomes. We have melanosomes too -- they produce the dark melanin pigment that colors our hair and skin. But pigment isn't the only way to get color. The shape and arrangement of melanosomes can influence the way light bounces off them, producing bright colors.

In birds, you get layers of melanosomes, and when light bounces off the different layers, we see bright colors.

But even among birds, hummingbird melanosomes are special. Ducks have log-shaped melanosomes without any air inside, but hummingbirds' melanosomes are pancake-shaped and contain lots of tiny air bubbles. The flattened shape and air bubbles of hummingbird melanosomes create a more complex set of surfaces. When light glints off those surfaces, it bounces off in a way that produces iridescence."

American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus

I had been wondering if the American Dippers had started building their nest yet.  Last year I was lucky to watch the building of their nest from start to finish, in seven days!  That was from March 24-30 last year.  So I drove down to their nest site this past week to see what was happening.

American Dipper Nest - Cinclus mexicanus

To my complete surprise the nest was already built!!!  I saw one adult on the rocks in the nearby river, but didn't see any action at the nest itself.  The female may be incubating the eggs on the nest!  I'll keep checking and update you on their progress!  What an early pair of nesters these American Dippers are!

Hermit Thrush - Catharus guttatus

My husband and I were walking in our neighborhood when I spotted a small bird on the ground ahead of us.  I thought it might be a Hermit Thrush and it was! The Hermit Thrush name comes from its solitary elusive behavior. Right now they are migrating through to their breeding grounds in the higher elevations from their winter habitat in the foothills. Currently they're foraging on the ground for berries and any insects they can find. They are well camouflaged when foraging in shrubs. Hermit Thrushes flit their wings about and pump their tails when they're perching.

Sierra Alligator Lizard - Elgaria coerulea palmeri

I decided to see if the Canyon Wren was back on its section of the North Yuba River this week. I hiked down the steep path to the river, but no Canyon Wren was in sight. However, I came across a Sierra Alligator Lizard that was "frozen" in motion. Being cold blooded, most lizards can't move when the temperatures are 45 degrees or lower. My car temperature gauge said it was 41 degrees outside. So I was able to pick up this lizard without getting bitten!!!  How lucky!    Usually these lizards dart away so fast, I never get a good look at them! It was a real treat to hold one in my hand! Within seconds, the warmth from my hand made the lizard able to move, so I let it go and watched it climb into a mossy cavity.  The following information about this lizard is from californiaherps.com.

"Sierra Alligator Lizards have large scales, a long alligator-like snout, light-colored eyes, and a longitudinal fold on the lower sides of the body. They can be fairly large in size. Active during daylight, they are frequently seen moving on the ground, and occasionally up in bushes. Alligator lizards do not typically bask in the sun out in the open or on top of a rock like many other lizard species."

Unknown Spider - Convergent Ladybird Beetles - Mourning Cloak Butterfly

 species unknown - Hippodamia convergens - Nymphalis antiopa

This largish spider was cruising on the sun-warmed road when we went for our walk.  I don't know what kind it is, perhaps a Wolf Spider, but I will ask BugGuide.net for an identification.

The Convergent Ladybird Beetles are still hanging out in our neighborhood, waiting for the temps to rise before they migrate back down to the foothills.

I was amused at how they had converged on the tip of this broken branch!

Mourning Cloak Butterflies overwinter as adults and migrate up from the Sacramento Valley to breed at higher elevations. They can live for 11-12 months, one of the longest-lived butterfly species!  They will lay their eggs on willows, which their caterpillars will feed on.  This one had its wings pressed down, maybe to keep from being blown away in the wind.  I was amazed how hairy its abdomen was!

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What's happening in Sierra Valley?

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

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated.  Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.  Thanks!