A few Mammals!

Black Bear - Ursus americanus

I don't often see large mammals in my neighborhood, but in the last month I've lucked out!  About a month ago I went for a late afternoon walk and came upon this young Black Bear in the woods! Surprisingly, it stared at me for a few minutes through a tangle of young cherry trees but didn't take off! It definitely was only a couple of years old and not an adult. I left after a few minutes, as I didn't want to alarm it. Half an hour later, I went back to the same sight and it was gone. This was the first bear I've see all year!  

Black Bear - Ursus americanus

I think this Black Bear was a youngish bear because of its size and behavior. It wasn't aggressive at all, and more curious than an adult would be. The following information about bear cub behavior is from two different websites.

https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Black-Bear

"Cubs will follow their mother everywhere she goes, learning from everything she does, including how and where to find food, what food sources are safe, what is dangerous and to be avoided. Unruly cubs are often disciplined by their mother's growling, grunting, and swats. Mothers may carry their cubs in difficult or steep terrain when they are small. Upon independence, cubs will disperse to find new home ranges to settle in."

https://bear.org/bear-facts/family-breakup

"[Black Bear] Family bonds remain strong right up to the day of family breakup. In the days before family breakup, they play together, groom each other, sleep together, and suckle. Like human youngsters, yearling bears sleep very soundly, trusting their safety to the alertness of their mother.

Family breakup happens suddenly during mating season in May or June when the mother is nearly ready to mate.

The sudden presence of a male can precipitate family breakup. At first, the mother is torn between her yearlings and the persistent male, but within a day after family breakup, she will chase her yearlings away whenever she encounters them.

Littermates also separate from each other. Each settles in a separate area within its mother’s territory. The mother then avoids those areas, giving the yearlings nearly exclusive feeding rights.

Without their mothers, the yearlings are initially skittish, spending long periods up trees. They become covered with ticks. By the end of the summer, they develop into confident little bears.

Most sons voluntarily leave within a couple years after family breakup. Most daughters eventually establish territories in or near their mother’s territory."

Columbian Black-tailed Mule Deer (doe) - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

For the past five mornings, I've seen two Mule Deer does eating the rotten apples in our yard!  The apples have been on the ground for more than a month, but I've only seen a few bear scats full of apple chunks in the area. Usually, the bears eat them all up, this year they didn't. They did, however, eat about 300 pears off of our pear tree as well as a ton of wild domestic grapes!

Columbian Black-tailed Mule Deer (doe) - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

I really enjoyed watching them every morning. Sometimes they were eating in the pouring rain! Female Mule Deer usually travel in multigenerational family groups of related females, and their offspring. Bucks older than yearlings will often leave their family groups and travel independently or in small groups with other bucks.

Grey Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

To my delight I briefly saw a Gray Fox a few weeks ago! These beautiful animals live here year-round, but I haven't seen one in a long time! I have written about them a bunch in my previous blogs. You can search for the blogs that they are featured in, by typing in "Gray Fox" in the search bar on the top right of my home page.

Muskrat - Ondatra zibethicus

An Evening in Sierra Valley!

Last week we went over to Sierra Valley for a dinner picnic at the Steel Bridge! It was an absolutely beautiful evening with clouds and shadows racing over the snowy peaks and valley floor. The light changed so fast that it was exciting to watch! Shaded ridges would be suddenly lit-up by low sunlight piercing through the clouds. It was enchanting! It was also COLD! My friends dropped me off so I could walk, photograph, and observe the changing beauty, while they watched from the warmth of the car! What a gift it was to be out there surrounded by such beauty!!!

To my absolute delight a Muskrat appeared in one of the ponds off the road! I quickly snapped a photo, and then it dove underwater and didn't resurface. I haven't seen a muskrat here for four years! I was thrilled!!! 

These aquatic mammals measure 12.5" in length, with a 9.5" tail, and a weight of 24-63 oz! They live in swamps, marshes, and wetlands in large family groups. Marshes where the water level remains constant are their preference. They are proficient swimmers, can stay underwater for 12-17 minutes, and have partially webbed hind feet! Their fur is thick and traps air, which provides insulation and adds buoyancy! The roots of aquatic plants, and other vegetation is their main diet. They eat one third of their weight daily! Burrows are dug in the banks of wetlands, to stay in during the heat of the day as well as at night. Nests are built out of piles of vegetation on a base, such as a tree stump, typically surrounded by water. What amazing little critters these are!

Northern Harrier (male) - Circus hudsonius

Before the sun went down, we were thrilled to watch a Northern Harrier hunting nearby! It flew over the grass for quite awhile, with it's head tilted down to the ground looking for prey. It was identifiable as a male by its gray and white feathering. Females are overall brownish in color, with a streaky brown and white breast. Northern Harriers typically fly low, skimming over the grasses, tules, and sagebrush while hunting for prey. They are a medium size raptor, measuring 18" in length, with a wingspan of 43", and a weight of 15 oz. They eat medium to small birds and mammals, as well as reptiles and frogs. Unlike other raptors, they rely on auditory clues from their owl-like facial disc of feathers, which helps them locate prey acoustically! They can be found in Sierra Valley year-round.

Sierra Valley to the east

Here is a selection of photos that I took that evening. Hope you enjoy them!

The same view a minute later!

A wider view from farther away!

A similar view 10 minutes later!

An eastern ridge, lit up by the sunset!

The last of the light!

What's happening in the Marysville Rice Fields?

What does the Ramshorn Trail look like this year?

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 December 13th for my next natural history blog.

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