A Multitude of Mushrooms!

Hare's Foot Inkcap - Coprinus lagopus

All plants have certain conditions in which they thrive. Technically mushrooms aren't plants, but they grow and thrive when temperatures are cool and rain has saturated the forest floor. In the past two weeks we have had 5" of rain, 3.5" of it in the last 48 hours!!! As a result of this cool, wet weather, mushrooms have been popping up everywhere!

There are over 11,000 named mushrooms in California, and 3,000 different types of fungi (including yeasts, rusts, smuts, mildew, molds, and mushrooms). Identifying mushrooms can be quite challenging. Following a key in a mushroom field guide is a good beginning, but then it gets complicated. There are lots of key elements to a mushroom that need to be studied before it can be identified. You need to know where the mushroom was found (what kind of habitat), what kind of spore bearing structures it has (gills, pores, teeth etc.), what does its base look like, what color and shape are its spores etc. etc.  I personally haven't dedicated my time to identifying mushrooms. I've found the best way to identify mushrooms is to go out in the field with an expert. Definitely don't eat any mushrooms unless an expert has identified them for you.

Although I don't know many of the local mushrooms I still delight in looking for them. Some of them are so unusual and intriguing! Here is a collection of the photos I took in my neighborhood in the past two weeks, since the rains have fallen. 

 

Hare's Foot Inkcap - Coprinus lagopus

 

The Hare's Foot Inkcap pictured above, and at the top of the page, is so unique that it is fairly easy to identify. I had never seen these delicate, gray, slender mushrooms. Apparently I came across them at the end of their life. When it first comes out of the ground the cap is a super-fuzzy, longish, bell shape. Over a period of several days this cap flattens out, and then rolls inward.  I went back to look at them after we got 3.50" of rain, and there was no trace of them! They were so delicate, they must have been pummeled by the rain!  

Unidentified Mushroom

I don't know what kind of mushroom this is, but I found it intriguing as it appears to have another fungus growing on it!  All those fine "hairs" with tiny droplets on their ends are probably a different type of fungus that has invaded this mushroom! I've never seen this before! I need to ask an expert about this! I'll get back to you about it soon!

 

Unidentified Mushroom

I like the shagginess of this mushroom!

Unidentified Mushroom

This mushroom was HUGE!  The stalk was a good inch and a half wide, and the cap measured six inches across!  There are a LOT of these mushrooms in our neighborhood!

Shaggy Parasol - Lepiota magnispora

Because of the dark spot in the middle of this mushroom's cap that gives it a "nipple-like" appearance, it is easy to identify. I hadn't noticed how shaggy the stems were until I got home and looked at this photo on my computer.

Unidentified Mushroom

I took this photo to show how numerous some of the mushrooms are in our area right now! These mushrooms were fairly small, but I counted 63 of them in this one location

Unidentified Mushroom

These mushrooms were like tiny little parasols!

Unidentified Mushroom

These little ones were salmon colored!

Unidentified Mushroom

These petite mushrooms had found a perfect wooden ledge to grow on!

Unidentified Mushroom

These mushrooms had slightly peaked caps!

Unidentified Mushroom

I found this unusual fungi growing on the cut end of a fallen, dead, log.  It had just rained, so that's why this is beaded with moisture. I have no idea what it is called, but found it to be fascinating! Up close, the tube ends look like tiny trees in a snow covered forest! 

Shaggy Mane - Coprinus comatus

Shaggy Manes are easily identified because they are so unique!

They are related to the Hare's Foot Inkcap pictured at the top of this blog.

They grow quickly and dissolve to a thin black stalk within days! The photo on the right shows a Shaggy Mane beginning to dissolve!

Common Puffball - Lycoperdon perlatum

These puffballs are about an inch in width. When they dry out, a small hole opens on the top of the cap, through which spores are dispersed. They are super common in our area.

Questionable Stropharia - Stropharia ambigua

This mushroom is really common in my neighborhood. I really like the lacy, 

zigzag remnants of a veil around the rim of the cap.

Helicopter Logging

An Assault on my Peace of Mind

For the past month, the Forest Service has been performing a "Forest Mitigation" helicopter-logging operation in my neighborhood. Unfortunately, the main landing is directly up the hill behind our house, and the noise is deafening. The helicopter is so loud it shakes the windows in our house. I find it totally unbearable. They are scheduled to keep this operation going, six days a week, from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, until December 15th!!!  

Trees being hauled away by a helicopter

It makes me wonder how all the wildlife is doing with this constant thunderous racket. It can't be a welcome change for them either. Flying above the river corridor has got to be disturbing for its residents. It is all very unsettling and has really curbed my neighborhood walks and observations. All I can hope for, is that they finish earlier than Dec 15th. Maybe more heavy rain will come and end it sooner than later. Fingers crossed!

What will the weather bring?

Where are all the mammals?

What's happening in the foothills?

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks. Check back on November 29th for my next natural history blog.

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

Local Color!

Big Leaf Maples - Acer macrophyllum

Local Color!

Up in the Lakes Basin there are still a few astounding groups of golden Cottonwood and Aspen trees, but the majority of of the trees, bushes, and ground cover have lost their leaves and color. However, at lower elevations the trees and shrubs are still in vibrant warm hues!  In my neighborhood the Black Oaks, Big Leaf Maples, Creek Dogwoods and Indian Rhubarbs are glowing with oranges, golden-yellows, and even some pinks! It's a photographers paradise!

Black Oaks - Quercus kelloggii

The best fall colors happen after a spring and summer that are somewhat wet, followed by a sunny autumn with warm days and cool, but frostless, nights.

As the nights get longer in the fall, the transportation of chlorophyll from the leaf to the branch, and from the roots to the leaves becomes blocked. As the chlorophyll is blocked from the leaves, it disappears completely.

This lack of green chlorophyll allows the yellow (xanthophylls) and orange (carotenoids) pigments to be visible. The red and purple pigments (anthocyanins) are manufactured from the sugars that are trapped in the leaf. These pigments are what cause the vivid color changes in leaves!

So far we've had the perfect weather for vivid fall colors! Rain is in the forecast for this week, so hopefully the fall colors will last a while longer!

Black Oaks on Highway 49 - Quercus kelloggii

The beautifully colored Fall leaves don't last forever. As the days shorten and temperatures drop, not only do the leaves change color, but a process called "abscission" begins. The leaves don't just fall off the tree, they are actually being pushed off the tree by the tree itself! Keeping lots of dead leaves on a tree could cause breakages from the weight of snow accumulating on them. As Fall progresses a layer of cells, known as the abscission layer, starts to grow between the end of the leaf stalk and the twig supporting it. These cells slowly grow and cut the leaf off from the tree without leaving an open wound.

I was wondering why oak trees retain their leaves longer than other local deciduous trees, and this is what I found out. Oak leaves last longer because oaks form an abscission layer much later than other species of deciduous trees. Oak leaves often remain attached to the tree throughout the winter. This retaining of dead leaves is called "marcescence." Trees that exhibit marcescence are called "everciduous."

Indian Rhubarb & Willow - Darmera peltata & Salix sp.

Indian Rhubarb grows along rocky streams and river beds throughout the Sierra, up to 6,600' in elevation. The leaves are huge, up to 2' wide, and the leaf stalks can be 1-3' tall! They grow from rhizomes that hug the underwater rocks. In fall, the leaves turn yellow-orange and sometimes a lovely salmon pink in color! They are one of my absolute favorite river plants!

Indian Rhubarbs - Darmera peltata

 

In a few weeks, depending upon the weather, these leaves will collapse and start to break down. Heavy rains will speed up their decline. In the Spring, new leaves will grow from their thick, underwater rhizomes that cling to the river rocks.

Mountain Dogwood - Cornus nuttallii

If you see some brilliant pinkish-red in the forest, chances are it's Mountain Dogwood, one of my favorites! 

Golden Pholiota - Pholiota aurivella

Fungi!!!

Due to the recent rain and cooler temperatures, Fungi have started popping up in our neighborhood as well as in the Lakes Basin! Golden Pholiota are found on logs, stumps, or wounds of living trees, and occasionally on woodchips!  They are gilled fungi. The following information about fungi is from the website at:

https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/fungi/fungilh.html.

" Fungi are heterotrophs, because they are not able to ingest their food like animals do, nor can they manufacture their own food the way plants do. Instead, fungi feed by absorption of nutrients from the environment around them. They accomplish this by growing through and within the substrate on which they are feeding. Numerous hyphae network through the material in which they are growing. The hyphae secrete digestive enzymes which break down the substrate, making it easier for the fungus to absorb the nutrients which the substrate contains.

This filamentous growth means that the fungus is in intimate contact with its surroundings; it has a very large surface area compared to its volume. While this makes diffusion of nutrients into the hyphae easier, it also makes the fungus susceptible to desiccation and ion imbalance. But usually this is not a problem, since the fungus is growing within a moist substrate.

Western Varnished Conk - Ganoderma oregonense

The Western Varnished Conk is aptly named with its glossy surface. To me, its surface feels like polished leather, and isn't slimy or wet like it looks!  It is a pore fungi, with millions of tiny pores on its under-surface, and is usually found on dead or dying conifers.

"Most fungi are saprophytes, feeding on dead or decaying material. This helps to remove leaf litter and other debris that would otherwise accumulate on the ground. Nutrients absorbed by the fungus then become available for other organisms which may eat fungi. A very few fungi actively capture prey, such as Arthrobotrys which snares nematodes on which it feeds. Many fungi are parasitic, feeding on living organisms without killing them. Ergot, corn smut, Dutch elm disease, and ringworm are all diseases caused by parasitic fungi.

Mycorrhizae are a symbiotic relationship between fungi and plants.

Most plants rely on a symbiotic fungus to aid them in acquiring water and nutrients from the soil. The specialized roots which the plants grow and the fungus which inhabits them are together known as mycorrhizae, or "fungal roots". The fungus, with its large surface area, is able to soak up water and nutrients over a large area and provide them to the plant. In return, the plant provides energy-rich sugars manufactured through photosynthesis. 

Because mycorrhizal associations are found in so many plants, it is thought that they may have been an essential element in the transition of plants onto the land." 

Gills - Pores - Teeth

To reproduce, mushrooms produce spores. Basidia are the microscopic, club-shaped, spore-bearing structures in mushrooms. There are four main structures in mushrooms that contain the basidia; gills, pores, teeth, and clubs or branches! Most people are familiar with the gill structure pictured above left. Pores are found on Bolete fungi and others, and are the small holes (actually tubes) on the smooth underside of the mushroom cap. Teeth are found on Lion's Mane fungi as well as others, and look like tiny hanging icicles. Clubs and branches are found on Coral Fungi. Thousands and thousands of basidia are arranged along the outside edges of the gills, the insides of the tubes that end in pores, and on the outside of the teeth, clubs, and branches!

Yellow Coral Mushroom - Ramaria rasilispora

Coral fungi have upright branches which are covered in microscopic spores!

Club/Thumb Fungi - Spathularia neesii

These odd shaped fungi are only about half an inch tall. I've only seen them growing in wet mossy areas. They do kind of look like naked thumbs! Spores are born on the outside of these club-like fungi!

Webs of the Bowl & Doily Spider - Frontinella pyramitela

Spiders and their Webs!

After we got 1.5" of rain in two days, we decided to go down to the Canyon Creek Trail for a short hike. As soon as we started our hike, spider webs caught our eye! They were beautifully backlit by the morning sun! Just gorgeous!!! 

Bowl & Doily Spiders (pictured above and below) are sheet web weavers. Sheet webs are horizontally spun, flat sheets of silk between tufts of grass or tree branches. These webs are made with individual strands or are woven as a thick sheet of silk, and the spider will also spin separate criss-crossed threads about the sheet. There are over 4, 600 species of sheet web weavers in the world! They are very tiny and don't use sticky thread, but rather entangle and snare prey in their dense webs.

Webs of the Bowl & Doily Spider - Frontinella pyramitela

The following information about the unusual habits of Bowl & Doiley Spiders is from two different websites. 

https://whatnext10.com/: "These spiders are pretty cool because they capture their prey in a rather unusual way. They are a very small spider, so stalking prey or actively hunting is difficult for them since some of their prey is bigger than they are. Instead, they build an intricate web that is made up of two parts. The top layer is a pretty tightly woven sheet that is somewhat concave instead of being completely flat. This sheet is the bowl. The bottom part of the web is more delicate and more loosely woven. That part is the doily, and it is where the spider lives. The web itself isn’t sticky like some spider webs are, but the tight weave of the bowl helps to trap small flies, gnats, and mosquitoes that fall into it. The concave shape also helps to hold them in the web. When the prey falls into the bowl, the spider comes from underneath and injects it with venom.

Interestingly, males of this species don’t build webs. Instead, they will “move in” with a female and the length of time that they stay depends on several factors. If a female has her web in a good spot for prey capture, there may actually be several males in the web with her. This is more common later in the spring and into the summer since that is the mating season. Female bowl and doily spiders, unlike the orchard web weavers, do not kill and eat their mates, and they may mate with more than one male. Similarly, males will often mate with multiple females. This time of the year, most of the webs, including the one I found, are only inhabited by one female spider."

https://u.osu.edu/:"This beautiful little spider, only about 1/8 inch long when full grown, builds webs throughout the prairie. They are most conspicuous on dewy mornings, where they are sometimes revealed in their thousands! The main web itself does appear to be bowl-shaped, but there are two other important components to this trap. There is a thin tangle of non-sticky threads above the bowl, and a second loose sheet of silk an inch or so below the bowl. The tangle sometimes intercepts flying insects, and when they hit the lines they tumble down into the bowl. The spider is waiting under the bowl, it feels the vibrations of the tumbling insect and rushes over to a point just below. If the insect hits the bowl, the spider lunges up through the bowl and bites it. We think that the function of the sheet below is to protect the spider from potential predators approaching from below, but nobody knows for sure."

Female Orb Weaver on her Web

The Orb Weaver web above was made by a female spider. The female spider doesn't get stuck in her own web because she mainly travels on the non-sticky structural lines. Sometimes she has to walk on the sticky spiral lines, but her hairy legs have an oil that keeps them from sticking! Male Orb Weavers don't make webs. They spend their time cruising for females to mate. At this time of year, the females are laying their last clutch of eggs, and will die at the first frost. The eggs will overwinter, up to several hundred eggs in one egg sac, and hatch in the spring.

A perfect Orb Weaver Web!

Male Orb Weavers don't make webs. They spend their time cruising for females to mate. At this time of year, the females are laying their last clutch of eggs, and will die at the first frost. The eggs will overwinter, up to several hundred eggs in one egg sac, and hatch in the spring, The eggs will overwinter, but the female and male spiders will die at the first frost. We haven't had a frost yet, so hopefully we'll see more spider webs tomorrow!!

What will the weather bring?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks. Check back on November 15th for my next natural history blog.

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

Whether you celebrate it or not,

I hope nature casts a spell on you!

Happy Halloween!

Check back this coming Sunday, Nov. 2nd, for the latest natural history news from my neighborhood!

A drive, a hike, and a walk!

Cattail -Typha latifolia

On Monday, October 13, our friend Mary, drove my husband and I to Sierra Valley for the day. It was warm and sunny, with big puffy clouds in the blue sky! One of my absolute favorite kind of days! We had a lovely picnic at the Steel Bridge where the cattails were all releasing their seeds in the fall breeze, and the view was spectacular!

I looked up how many seeds are in one cattail, and the answer was astounding!!! Here's what I learned from the website at https://extension.usu.edu/

"[Cattail] Seedhead: Plants are monoecious, with each flower stalk being topped by two sets of minute flowers densely packed into a cylindrical inflorescence. Yellowish male (staminate) flowers are located at the top of the inflorescence and greenish female (pistillate) flowers are located underneath. In this species, the staminate and pistillate flowers are not separated by a gap. Flowers bloom in summer and after bloom the male flowers rapidly disperse, leaving a naked stalk tip. The pollinated female flowers turn brown as the seeds mature, forming the familiar cylindrical, sausage-like, cattail fruiting spike (to 9” long in this species).

Broadleaf cattail is a prolific producer of minute seeds. Each spike may contain 117,000 to 268,000 seeds. At maturity, the spike bursts under dry conditions, releasing the fruits. Each fruit has bristly hairs that aid in wind dispersal. When the fruit comes in contact with water, the pericarp opens rapidly, releasing the seed, which then sinks. In wet weather the fruits often fall to the ground in dense mats." 

View to the south, from near the Steel Bridge

This time we didn't see very many birds in the area, but it was still an extreme pleasure to be there, out in this beautiful big-sky valley! 

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodius

We did see one Sandhill Crane take off, as well as a Great Blue Heron wading in the aquatic vegetation! I don't remember seeing any waterfowl, not even Coots! They must have left for their winter habitats already. We lingered for some time, then headed east toward Frenchman Canyon.

American Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana

As we drove through Sierra Valley we came upon a huge alfalfa field, and reclining along its edge was a group of 11 American Pronghorns!!! WOW!!! It was one male and ten females!!! In the early fall, male bucks will fight for harems of up to 15 female does during a two-week breeding period, from mid-September to October. Most Antelope mate for the first time at 15-16 months old and then breed annually. This was the first time I had seen a male with a large harem! It was SO exciting!!! We took a zillion photos, from behind the car, until they started getting up and looking agitated. Then we reluctantly left and continued on to Frenchman Canyon. What a wonderful sighting!

American Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana

Pronghorns are not antelopes, and are not related to antelopes, but are often known colloquially in North America as the American antelope, prong buck, pronghorn antelope, prairie antelope, or simply antelope. They are the ONLY species in their Antilocapridae Family, and the only animal on earth that has branching horns that are shed annually. Many (but not all) pronghorn herds are migratory, traveling long distances to warmer climates in the fall, and back to greener locations in the spring.

American Pronghorn - Antilocapra americana

Their horns are keratinized sheaths which cover extensions of the frontal bone. The sheaths are shed annually. Both male and female have these horns. The horns of the males grow up to 11.8–19.7 inches, female horns are smaller at 2.9-3.9 inches. Males have lyre-shaped horns that curve inwards whereas females usually have straight horns. The female's horns are generally smaller than their ears, or absent, and aren't pronged. Additionally males have short black manes on their neck, as well as a neck patch and a black stripe that runs across their forehead from horn to horn. Females lack these black facial patches, but have a small mass of black hair around their nose. 

Mary looking west across Sierra Valley to Mount Beckwourth

We stopped along the way to enjoy to the cloud show in the valley! 

Such beauty!

Frenchman Canyon

Frenchman Canyon is off the northeast corner of Sierra Valley. It is a fairly short, narrow, steep-sided canyon along Little Last Chance Creek. The walls of the canyon are volcanic in origin and look like petrified flowing mud, with lots of columns! It is definitely worth driving to, especially if you're fond of geology!

Quaking Aspens regenerating in a burnt grove

The lower part of the canyon had been burned in the Dixie Fire in 2021, so there were a lot of black, dead-standing pine trees in the beginning. We also passed through several burnt groves of Quaking Aspens, where young aspens had regrown and were in glorious Fall color! Wow! As we progressed through the canyon there was less evidence of fire. 

California Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus californicus

Along the way I noticed two mule deer running up a dry hillside. In the photo above, one is super camouflaged in the landscape! 

California Mule Deer - Odocoileus hemionus californicus

In this photo, the one in the shade really stands out, while the sunlit deer really blends in! Shortly after I took this photo we headed back home, filled with beauty once again! What an incredible day out in nature!

Bilberry Basin

Back in the Lakes Basin!

Two weeks ago I took my friend Keith for a hike up to two of my favorite spots in the Lakes Basin, with the main goal of getting to "Bilberry Basin" to see the Fall color! It is a shallow basin between Silver Lake and Round Lake, on the Round Lake Trail. In the spring it is flooded with snowmelt, in the fall it can be ablaze in the fall colors of Douglas's Spirea and Dwarf Bilberry. When we got there, it wasn't quite in full brilliant fall color, but it was still lovely!

Dwarf Bilberry & Douglas's Spiraea -Vaccinium cespitosum & Spiraea douglasii

The Dwarf Bilberry turns a brilliant red in the fall! Douglas's Spiraea turns a lovely golden yellow!

The Meadow 

Our next destination was the Meadow beyond Helgrammite Lake. It is one my favorite off-trail areas in the Lakes Basin. We hiked up one slope after another, enjoying the dry fall colors, the clear air, and the warm sun!

spider threads

Everywhere we went that day, there were spider threads attached to the vegetation and glistening in the wind!  They were probably from spiders that were "ballooning"! The following information about ballooning spiders is from the website at https://mdc.mo.gov/ .

"Spiders use silk to catch prey and to anchor themselves against falling. But spiders also use their silk to fly. Spiders fly by a process called ballooning. It’s the young spiders that usually balloon, chiefly to disperse after hatching.

Ballooning is possible for a young spider because of its extra-light weight. To take flight, a spider must catch a breeze. Next, the spider faces into the wind and stands on the tips of its legs with its abdomen raised high in the air. The spider releases silk from the end of its abdomen, and the silk increases in length as the spider waits. When the strand of silk catches enough wind, the spider lets go of its hold and the wind carries it aloft. When large numbers of spiders balloon at the same time, their silk strands may become entangled and form a large mass.

Spiders can drift long distances, but only the lucky ones land in favorable places. Those who survive the flight and landing usually begin to hunt immediately."

Here's a video of some glistening spider threads in the wind!

Lewis's Woodpeckers -Melanerpes lewis

To my delight we spotted several Lewis's Woodpeckers near Helgrammite Lake, when we were on our way back to our car!  They were SO dark that I wasn't able to identify them immediately, but eventually I saw a telltale hint or flash of magenta that distinguished them!  I usually see these birds in the local foothills in the winter. It was a real treat to see them up in the Lakes Basin! They may have been passing through from their breeding grounds in Montana, Wyoming, Idaho or northern Nevada.

These birds are unique in several ways. Unlike most woodpeckers, Lewis's Woodpeckers do not drill holes in tree trunks looking for insects. They mainly catch insects in the air during the summer. They will however, glean insects from tree trunks and branches year-round. Fruits and berries are also eaten in season. In the winter, when flying insects are scarce, they mainly eat acorns, nuts, and corn. They usually harvest acorns off the trees, rather than off the ground. They will hammer an acorn open and then store individual pieces (rather than the whole acorn) in the natural crevices of tree trunks. Acorns and nuts are also stored for consumption in winter. These winter caches are vigorously defended!

Sierra Gartersnake -Thamnophis couchii

A little further down the trail we almost stepped on this Sierra Gartersnake, that was stretched out in the sun! I have seen plenty of Gartersnakes in my life, but never this species! How cool!  The following information about them is from the website at https://californiaherps.com/.

"Activity: Active during daylight.

A highly-aquatic snake - more likely than most garter snake species to be found in the water.

Can also be found basking at the edge of water or lying on mats of floating vegetation.

Can be active 10 months of the year at lower elevations, but as few as 3 - 3.5 months per year at very high elevations.

Able to crawl on stream bottoms.

Defense: When threatened, this snake will often strike repeatedly and release cloacal contents.

Diet and Feeding: Eats mainly fish and amphibians and their larvae, including frogs, tadpoles, and aquatic salamander larvae.

Sierra Gartersnakes have an immunity to newt toxins as they have been observed consuming juvenile Taricha torosa in Tulare and Calaveras Counties. (Herpetological Review 38(3), 2007)

Forages for food in slow-moving water and usully drags its captures on to shore to eat.

Toxic Newts:

This species has been observed eating adult Pacific Newts (genus Taricha) which are deadly poisonous to most predators.

Gartersnakes Can Become Poisonous:

There is evidence that when Common Gartersnakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) eat Rough-skinned Newts (Taricha granulosa) they retain the deadly neurotoxin found in the skin of the newts called tetrodotoxin for several weeks, making the snakes poisonous (not venomous) to predators (such as birds or mammals) that eat the snakes. Since California Newts (Taricha torosa) also contain tetrodotoxin in their skin, and since gartersnake species other than T. sirtalis also eat newts, it is not unreasonable to conclude that any gartersnake that eats either species of newt is poisonous to predators."

North Yuba River - 10/16/25

River News!

Almost every day I walk along the beautiful North Yuba River. It is fairly low right now, even though we've already had 2.85" of rain this month. Of course, it was running fairly fast right after the rain, but the it has slowed down again, and the low water makes it possible for mammals to cross. Every couple of years I see a bear crossing the river, but I didn't this year. I did however see a doe and her fawn crossing the river just a week ago! I failed to get a photo, but here's one from September 2021!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

Although most does give birth to two fawns, this doe only had one. Male fawns usually stay with their mother for their first year. Female fawns usually stay for two years. 

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

There's a dead, standing tree on the river's edge that the local birds often perch in. In my last blog I posted a photo of this Osprey, perching in that tree. In this photo it looks like it has something in its mouth that it's trying to swallow! I watched it for a few minutes, but it still had something in it's throat when I left. Maybe it was the last bit of a huge trout! They are such big, handsome raptors! Check out the size of those fish-grabbing talons!!!

Common Merganser - Mergus merganser

I have only seen one Common Merganser on the river lately. They must have left for their winter habitat in southern California or Arizona!  

I don't know if this is the Common Merganser that was hanging around with that female Wood Duck, but I haven't seen the Wood Duck at all lately. Perhaps she left for her winter home in southern California as well.

 

Great Blue Heron (juvenile) - Ardea herodius

To my delight I spotted a full-grown juvenile Great Blue Heron on the river a week ago!  Unlike adults, juveniles have striped breasts. Quite lovely! I wonder if he or she will become a permanent resident here in our neighborhood! 

These large Herons search for food day and night! In addition to fish, they eat crayfish, frogs, aquatic insects, amphibians, small mammals, and other birds! They are usually solitary except during breeding season. They are the only species of Heron seen above the foothills.

 Where are these birds going?

What else is turning Fall colors in the Lakes Basin?

Have the Indian Rhubarb changed to their fall colors on the North Yuba River?

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks. Check back on November 2nd for my next natural history blog.

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