Sierra Valley

Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis

The weather was sunny and warm and the roads were bare this week, so we decided to drive over to Sierra Valley to see how Spring was progressing. The valley was snow-free but the surrounding mountains were still snow covered. The average annual rainfall is less than 20" in the valley, most falling as snow. At 117,292.42 acres, Sierra Valley is the largest intermountain (between the mountains) valley in the Sierra Nevada! 

It became obvious right away that we were a bit too early for wildflowers and waterfowl. The grasses were still all brown, with just a tiny bit of green showing on the ground.  It was warm, and the heatwaves were distorting the distant views. There were however, more Sandhill Cranes than we've ever seen before!  We saw about 24 cranes over the course of the day and we usually only see about 6!

Sandhill Cranes - Antigone canadensis

The majority of the cranes we saw were in groups of 5-7 adults, along one particular waterway. These birds are huge, with a length of 46" (almost 4' tall), a wingspan of 77" (almost 6.4' wide) and a weight of 10.6 lbs!!! I'm guessing that most of these Sandhills will fly north into Idaho and Oregon to breed, rather than nest in Sierra Valley. It will be interesting to see what happens!

Sierra Valley from the Steel Bridge 3/17/24

There wasn't as much water at the Steel Bridge as last year, but this past winter was a lot milder than the previous winter. I love the big-sky expansive view from the Steel Bridge, where the headwaters of the Middle Fork of the Feather River flow. The valley floor is a grassland/sagebrush ecosystem, and the site of extensive freshwater wetlands. These wetlands provide migratory and breeding habitat for more than 17 rare or threatened species of birds. It is also a critical migratory stop for 230 species including Greater Sandhill Cranes, Black Tern, White-faced Ibis and raptors.

American Coot - Fulica americana

At the Steel Bridge the main waterfowl present were American Coots. There weren't any swallows, shorebirds, wrens, Yellow-headed Blackbirds, ducks, or raptors present!  We'll be coming back in April and hopefully the birds will be back by then!

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.

Mt. Beckwourth - 3/17/24

To the west of the Steel Bridge, Mt. Beckwourth at 7,234' is the dominant geologic feature. I tried to find some geology about it online, but only found this quote from "Ron Wolf" on Flickr;

"Beckwourth Peak is an eroded volcanic feature with slopes formed by andesitic tuff and breccia from eruptions in the region during the Miocene about 11-13 million years ago. The peak is capped by mafic andesite flows that are about 9 million years old."

Redhead Ducks and a Pied-billed Grebe!

To the east of the Steel Bridge, there is a large wetlands that had lots of birds in it in the FAR distance. I was able to zoom in on more Coots, as well as a few Redhead Ducks and one Pied-billed Grebe! Readheads overwinter in coastal areas along the Gulf of Mexico, but it isn't clear where the Pied-billed Grebes from Sierra Valley go in the winter. I need to contact the Plumas Audubon Society to find out. 

Sierra Valley Preserve - Feather River Land Trust

Since there weren't many birds at the Steel Bridge, we decided to go for a walk at the Sierra Valley Preserve, just a few miles away. The views there were lovely of the entire valley and it's surrounding mountains, but unfortunately it was flooded in one area that we couldn't get past. We'll be back again soon!

Horned Lark (male) - Red-winged Blackbird (male)

Eremophila alpestris - Agelaius phoeniceus

On the way home we spotted a Horned Lark taking a dust-bath on a side road! I love their little, black, feather "horns"! These birds are sexually dimorphic, with the male being more colorful. 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. Usually they travel in flocks of several hundred birds, except during the breeding season. Right now they are pairing off, mating, and making nests.  

We also spotted a few Red-winged Blackbirds at another wetlands! I've seen huge flocks of Red-winged Blackbirds in Sierra Valley. They come to Sierra Valley to nest and raise their young. The female alone builds the nest, by weaving cattail leaves and grasses around upright woody plant branches, and then adding an inner cup made from mud and lined with fine grasses.

White Pelican - Pelecanus erythrorhynchos

Neighborhood Bird Sightings

I spotted this gorgeous White Pelican on the North Yuba River just two days ago.  Flocks of these Pelicans migrate over our area in the Spring, on their way to their breeding grounds in Pyramid Lake, Nevada.  Occasionally, some of them land in the river.  Sometimes they don't make it, due to lack of food. These Pelicans don't dive for fish, they herd them to shallow waters and scoop them up. The North Yuba River isn't a good area for that style of fishing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that somehow this one keeps going. It's not easy surviving out there in the wild. I'll keep checking on it!

They are one of the largest birds in North America, with a length of approximately 4', a wingspan of 9', and a weight of 16.4 lbs! During breeding season the color of their feet, bills, and the skin around their eyes becomes a really saturated-orange color! Also, the males and females both grow horns on their upper bills, which are shed once their eggs are laid.

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

More and more Common Mergansers are showing up on the river!  They come here to breed and raise their young.  So far I've see 6 adults on the river! Some of them are paired up, and some aren't. I sure hope they raise some babies this year, I just love watching them throughout the summer!

Common Goldeneyes - Bucephala clangula

There's a nice group of 6 Common Goldeneyes that are still on the river!

I was lucky enough to watch them swim underwater this week.  The inset photo above is of an underwater Goldeneye!  In California, Common Goldeneyes are the only ducks that regularly spend the winter on rivers and lakes above the foothills of the western Sierra. They are diving ducks and eat fish, aquatic vertebrates, seeds, and tubers. When diving, they keep their wings pressed to their sides underwater, and swim with their webbed feet! They are amazing to watch when they're underwater! Right now the males are in their black and white mating colors. The females have a yellow tip to their bill during mating season. Right now pair formation is just starting! They will migrate to their northern breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada in the spring.

Red-breasted Sapsucker - Sapsucker drilled holes

Sphyrapicus ruber

To my delight I watched a pair of Red-breasted Sapsuckers chase each other  through the trees this week.  I noticed them because one of them was making an unusual call that I hadn't heard before.  It turns out it was making "Squeal Calls" to attract a mate! I watched them for a couple of days!  The male also drummed loudly on the local telephone poles!  How fun!  Hope they nest in our area like they have in the past.

Their name comes from their habit of drilling rows of small holes in the trunks of trees. They will eat the sap that oozes out of the holes, as well as any insects that get stuck in the sap! They will also eat the cambium layer of the tree, that is just under the bark!

Anna's Hummingbird (male) - Violet-green Swallows

Calypte Anna - Tachycineta thalassina

Along the highway, a male Anna's Hummingbird shows up every Spring on this one particular bush.  He just arrived today!  Yay!  He hangs out in this one, open, grassy slope and advertises for a mate!  He's a real beauty! I love seeing him return year after year. Nature is so astounding!

The Violet-green Swallows have returned recently from their winter residence in Mexico or Central America, to breed and raise their young here! There is a small colony of less than 20 pairs of swallows, that nest in the same cutbank on the highway every year. I'm so thrilled that they've returned!

Mystery Moth photo by Rochelle Bell

What the heck is this?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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