Sierra Valley and Table Mountain!

Virginia Rail (adult) - Rallus limicola

Sierra Valley

Last week, my husband and I drove over to Sierra Valley to go bird watching! It was a beautiful blue-sky day, and to our delight there were quite a few birds, and birders, out by the Steel Bridge. A group of female birders said that they were watching a Virginia Rail in the tules near them! They pointed it out to me on the water's edge and I was able to get a few photos!  WOW!!! These birds are very secretive and hard to photograph, so I was thrilled to see one of them! What a beauty! We saw many other birds during the course of the day. It was wonderful to be back in one of my favorite natural areas once again! Enjoy the photos below!

Virginia Rail (adult) - Rallus limicola

The following information about Virginia Rails is from the Cornell website https://birdsoftheworld.org/.

"The Virginia Rail is a secretive freshwater marsh bird that is more often heard than seen. A brief glimpse of a reddish bill and legs, banded black-and-white flanks, and a short, upturned tail is often all that is afforded observers. A habitat generalist, this species probes mudflats and shallow water with its long, slightly decurved bill searching for invertebrates, small fish, and the occasional seed. Vagrancy and generalist habits allow it to exploit a highly ephemeral niche. A laterally compressed body, flexible vertebrae, and modified feather tips in anterior regions of the head (to prevent feather wear) are adaptations for passing through dense marsh vegetation. Virginia Rails are agile on their feet and most often escape danger by running, but they may also dive and swim, using their wings to propel themselves underwater. Rails live in shallow fresh water wetlands with emergent vegetation, such as cattails, and feed on seeds and aquatic invertebrates. They are usually solitary. They prefer to run rather than fly, and migrate at night!"

White-faced Ibis - Plegadis chihi

Tree Swallows - Tachycineta bicolor

I'm not sure if these two Tree Swallows were performing some mating or territorial ritual. It looked like the one on the right was showing off to the one on the left. It was hard to tell if the one on the left was saying "yes" or "no"! Soon after they were joined by a third Tree Swallow! I was actually quite surprised to see them as there aren't any trees in the area. There may have been some wooden posts nearby, that they are known to nest in, but I didn't see any.

  

Willet (adult) - Tringa semipalpatus

Pied-billed Grebes (adults) - Podilymbus podiceps

Sandhill Crane - Antigone canadensis

Another female birder pointed out this Sandhill Crane on a nest!!! The only way you could tell that it was there was by the red skin of its forehead. Otherwise it was totally camouflaged in the tules!

Ruddy Duck (male -female) - Oxyura jamaicensis

Cinnamon Teal (male - female) - Spatula cyanoptera

Sky Lupine - California Goldfields

Lupinus nanus - Lasthenia californica ssp. californica

Last week my friends, Rod & Rochelle, and I traveled to North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve to see the wildflowers. Every year it's different, but it's always gorgeous and bursting with blooms! This year there was an overabundance of Sky Lupine, California Goldfields, and Glassy Wild Hyacinths! 

North Table Mountain Ecological Preserve is a butte that is a prairie-like expanse of flowering grassland, interspersed with tiny creeks, valleys, and waterfalls! The top of it is capped by an ancient lava flow. It is one of the few places in California that has never been impacted by agricultural crops. Some cattle are allowed to graze there in the wet months, but apparently cause little impact on the native wildflowers. It became an ecological preserve in 1993, when Francis Carmichael, a local rancher, sold 3,315 acres of it to the State of California, to be managed by the California Department of Fish and Game.

Sky Lupine - California Goldfields

Lupinus nanus - Lasthenia californica ssp. californica

The rolling "hills" and valleys of Table Mountain are covered in large patches of wildflowers. Instead of being uniformly mixed, individual wildflower species grow in separate patches. The following explanation for this pattern is from the book "Wildflowers of Table Mountain a Naturalist's Guide" by Albin Bills and Samantha Mackey.

"The artistic arrangements that color Table Mountain are created by a network of micro-environments that partition the diverse flora into a patchwork of mini-plant communities, or associations. Each of these associations has its own types of wildflowers. The result is a patchwork quilt of interlocking shapes and colors."

The mini-plant communities are listed as; Bedrock Outcrops, Outcrop Edges, Thin Soils, Dry Cobbles, Wet Cobbles, Cliff Faces, Fractured Basalt, Low Mounds, Thick Soils, Shaded Soils, Ruderal (disturbed areas), Vernal Pools, and Stream Courses and Seeps.

White-tipped Clover - Trifolium variegatum

Spotted Cucumber Beetle on Red Maid  

Diabrotica undecimpunctata on Calandrinia ciliata 

Spotted Cucumber Beetle adults overwinter under leaves and debris around woodlands and buildings. Adults leave their hiding sites in late March and females oviposit from late April to early June. Larvae feed on roots and stems under the soil where they mature for two to four weeks before pupating. First generation adult emergence occurs from late June to early July. Adults feed on flowers and pollen.

Purple Owl's Clover - Castilleja exserta ssp. exserta

Bitterroot with Spider Mites! - Lewisia redivia var. rediviva

Spider Mites are in the Arachnid Class, in the subclass Acari (Mites and Ticks). They have piercing/sucking mouth parts that they use to live off of plant juices. They are non-native, originally from Europe, and are considered plant pests! They looked quite lovely on the petals of the Bitterroot flowers!

Bitterroot - Lewisia redivia var. rediviva

Glassy Wild Hyacinth - Triteleia lilacina

The center of these flowers looks as if it is beaded with glistening drops of water, but it's actually the structure of the plant!  A hand lens is the way to see this amazing beauty!

Glassy Wild Hyacinth - Triteleia lilacina

Kellogg's Clarkia - Clarkia arcuata

Sky Lupine and Clouds! - Lupinus nanus

Throughout our day on Table Mountain, beautiful clouds formed to the east! What a treat it was to watch them build up! Such beauty!

What's happening in my neighborhood and on the River?

Check back in two weeks for the answer to this question and more!

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks from now on. Check back in two weeks, on May, 10th for my next natural history blog.

Also, check out my latest post on my newly re-opened Damp Earth Blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com

Spring Beauties!

Rock Cress - Boechera sp.

Wildflowers!

After weeks of rain, snow, and cold temperatures, followed by sunny, warm days, wildflowers have suddenly burst into bloom in our area! In the deep shady forests I've found Grand Hounds Tongue, Nemophila, Western Rue Anemone, Scarlet Fritillaries, Western Wallflowers, and Milkmaids! Along the highway, Sky Lupines, Kellogg's Monkeyflowers, Round-toothed Ookow, Rock Cress and Buttercups are blazing in the sun! On partially shaded seeps I've come across blooming tangles of Meadowfoam, Nemophila, Broomrapes, and Seep-spring Monkeyflowers! Spring has arrived in a rainbow of color! Such beauty! 

Western Wallflower - Scarlet Fritillary

Erysimum capitatum - Fritillaria recurva

Kellogg's Monkeyflower - Diplacus kelloggii

Small White Nemophila - Milkmaids - Western Rue Anemone

Nemophila hterophylla - Cardamine californica - Enemion occidentale

Round-toothed Ookow - Grand Hounds Tongue - Naked Broom-rape

Dichelostemma multiflorum - Adelinia grandis - Aphyllon purpureum

California Saxifrage - Prairie Star - White Meadow Foam

Micranthes californica - Lithophragma parviflorum - Limnanthes alba

Mountain Violet - Seepspring Monkeyflower - Buttercup

Viola purpurea - Erythranthe guttata - Ranunculus sp.

Mylitta Crescent Butterfly - Phyciodes mylitta

I came across a pair of mating Mylitta Crescent Butterflies this week! Very cool!

Soon after mating, a butterfly usually lays 200-500 eggs which vary in shape and size depending on the species. She lays the eggs on or near the host plant on which the caterpillars will feed. Mylitta Crescent caterpillars feed on plants in the the Thistle family. Most species hatch in four to five days, while others may take as long as three weeks.

The following information about butterfly eggs is from the website at https://ottersandbutterflies.co.uk.

"The eggs are usually laid on a particular part of the plant, e.g., on the leaves, flower heads, or in crevices on the bark. Usually they are laid on the underside of the leaf where they are protected from bad weather and predators. They may be laid singly, in clusters or in large masses several layers deep. Some butterflies though, are known to scatter their eggs at random as they fly over grassland. The shape of butterfly eggs can vary greatly from family to family, but most are pale yellow or green in color, although the color can darken before hatching. Just before hatching the young larva can sometimes be seen curled up inside the transparent eggshell. After hatching the young caterpillar often eats the eggshell that contains valuable nutrients needed for healthy development."

Anna's Hummingbird - Calypte anna

Early Birds!

To my delight, familiar birds are returning to our neighborhood! This particular male Anna's Hummingbird has been returning to the same perch in our neighborhood, for the past five years! He probably spent the winter in the foothills or maybe even down in nothern Mexico! What a welcome sighting!

Red-breasted Sapsucker (male) - Downy Woodpecker (female)

Sphrapicus ruber - Dryobates pubescens

This is the first Red-breasted Sapsucker I've seen this year. They usually spend the winter in the foothills, valley, or coastal areas of California. They come back to our area to nest in the Spring.

Downy Woodpeckers live here year-round, but I'm always thrilled to see them!

White-crowned Sparrow (adult) - Brewer's Blackbird (male)

Zonotrichia leucophrys - Dryobates pubescens

Every year these birds fly up to our neighborhood to mate and raise their young. The sparrows probably spend the winter in the Central Valley or even across the southern U.S., or into Mexico!  The blackbirds probably just migrated down to the foothills or California's Central Valley for the winter.

Sierra Newt - Taricha torosa sierrae

Herptile Update

Since I wrote about that incredible Sierra Nevada Ensatina sighting in my last blog, a lot of people have been asking me questions about them. Most people think that they've seen Ensatinas, but when I question them they'd actually seen Sierra Newts NOT Ensatinas. So what's the difference between a Newt and an Ensatina? Well it turns out that Newts and Ensatinas are BOTH SALAMANDERS, but they have different life styles! So what makes a critter a salamander?  

Wikipedia states:  "Salamanders are a group of amphibians typically characterized by their lizard-like appearance, with slender bodies, blunt snouts, short limbs projecting at right angles to the body, and the presence of a tail in both larvae and adults. Their permeable skin usually makes them reliant on habitats in or near water or other cool, damp places. Some salamander species are fully aquatic throughout their lives, some take to the water intermittently, and others are entirely terrestrial as adults.

This group of amphibians is capable of regenerating lost limbs as well as other damaged parts of their bodies. The remarkable ability of salamanders to regenerate is not just limited to limbs but extends to vital organs such as the heart, jaw, and parts of the spinal cord, showing their uniqueness compared to different types of vertebrates. ⁤⁤This ability is most remarkable for occurring without any type of scarring."

Last week I wrote all about the Sierra Nevada Ensatina. This week it's the Sierra Newt's turn! 

Unlike Ensatinas, Newts have lungs, slightly rough skin, and they mate and lay their eggs in ponds or pools in creeks. Their eggs hatch into larva that breathe underwater with gills. (Ensatina young hatch from jelly like sacs or "eggs" on land, and are fully formed tiny adults when they emerge, not larvae with gills!) The Newt larvae gradually morph into adults and hike out of the water to find a place to stay cool in the summer (under leaf litter or logs, or in an underground burrow) and eventually to survive the cold of winter in a dormant state. The following information is from the website https://www.californiaherps.com/

Life History and Behavior

Defense: When threatened, a newt will assume a swaybacked defensive pose, closing its eyes, extending its limbs to the sides, and holding its tail straight out. This "unken reflex" exposes its bright orange ventral surface coloring which is a warning to potential predators that the newt is poisonous.

Toxic Secretions: Sierra Newts have poisonous skin secretions containing the powerful neurotoxin tetrodotoxin that repel most predators. The poison is widespread throughout the skin, muscles, and blood, and even the eggs. It can cause death in many animals, including humans, if eaten in sufficient quantity. The poison can also be ingested through a mucous membrane or a cut in the skin, so care should always be taken when handling newts. Larvae are not poisonous and are preyed on by adult newts and other predators. Chemical cues from adult newts trigger larvae to seek cover. 

Diet and Feeding: Adults eat small invertebrates such as worms, snails, slugs, sow bugs, and insects. They also consume amphibian eggs and larvae, including newt larvae and newt eggs. A small nestling bird was found in the stomach of one newt. Larvae eat small aquatic invertebrates, decomposing organic matter, and possibly other newt larvae.

Eggs: Females lay and attach a spherical egg mass to the sides and bottoms of stones and sticks in relatively fast-flowing water. Egg masses contain from 7 - 47 eggs. It is estimated from ovarian counts of 130 - 160 that females lay from 3 - 6 masses each. Egg masses are attached just below the surface of the water. If the water rises significantly or lowers and strands the eggs, the eggs will die. Incubation times may vary at various locations, from 14 - 52 days.

Larvae: The larval stage lasts several months. The average larval period at one location in the Bay Area was observed to be from March to October. Larvae transform and begin to live on land at the end of the summer or in early fall. Metamorphosis may be triggered by pond drying in some waters, but other factors that influence metamorphosis have not been determined. Meta-morphosis takes about 2 weeks, as the tail fin is absorbed and the gills are reduced.

Transformed juveniles leave the water with adult coloration and characteristics and with a trace of gills remaining. At this time they cannot survive if kept in the water. Juveniles leave the natal pond and travel overland where it is assumed they take refuge and do not return to the water until they breed."

Sierra Nevada Ensatina - Western Fence Lizard

Ensatina eschscholtzii platensis - Sceloporus occidentalis

This week our friend Keith showed me another Sierra Nevada Ensatina that he had discovered in a neighbor's damp woodpile! WOW!!!  This one was quite a bit smaller, just a little more than an inch long, with dull yellow coloration on its limbs and no orange blotches on its body. It was probably a "baby" Ensatina!

How lucky to see another one of these fascinating amphibians!

And it's definitely herptile weather! I've seen one Common Garter Snake and many Western Fence Lizards in our neighborhood this week!

 

What's happening on the River?

What other herptiles are becoming active?

Check back in two weeks for the answers to these questions and more!

After 8 years of posting my blog, I've decided that I'm only going to post my blog every TWO weeks from now on. Check back in two weeks, on April, 26th for my next natural history blog.

Also, check out my latest post on my newly re-opened Damp Earth Blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com