Sierra Valley!

Light Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

This week I luckily had to travel over to Sierra Valley to help hang up my art for the upcoming Art Show at the  FRLT Sierra Valley Preserve and Nature Center! On the way home I saw several raptors perched on posts and fences! It turns out that the ones I saw were possibly Light Juvenile Red-tailed Hawks. Unlike adults, their eyes are light in color, and they have black and brown banded tails and no "red" coloring at all! The do have the characteristic white chest of an adult. I find the feathering absolutely beautifully complex and striking!!!

Light Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawks are classified as "buteos" which are medium to large, stout bodied hawks, with broad wings and fan shaped tails. Many species have a variety of color phases. Red-tailed Hawks are large birds with a wingspan of 49", a length of 19", and a weight of 2.4lbs. They are one of the most common buteos seen in North America.

Light Juvenile Red-tailed Hawk - Buteo jamaicensis

Red-tailed Hawks do not eat fish, but rather hunt in meadows and fields for small mammals, snakes, lizards, and other birds. They use the perch-and-wait method of hunting. Once prey is sighted they will drop from their perch, flap-and-glide downward, thrust their legs forward when about 3 m from prey, and grab prey with feet. Birdsna.org states, "During the ensuing struggle, mammalian prey frequently bite the toes and legs of hawks (especially juveniles); many Red-tails bear scars of these encounters."

View North of Sierra Valley from the Steel Bridge - 10/16/26

And of course, I drove out to the Steel Bridge to see what was going on. The vegetation had dried to beautiful rusts and blond colors, and most of the birds were gone.

American Coot -Pied-billed Grebe

Fulica Americana - Podilymbus podiceps

However I did see one American Coot, and one Pied-billed Grebe! I also spied some very distant ducks that were too far away to identify. 

Beaver Lodge by the Steel Bridge

What was interesting was that the Beaver Lodge was quite a bit bigger, with a distinct mountain shape!

Beaver Dams

And, the Beaver dams were taller and were causing water to flood the previously drier areas near the lodge! Although I didn't see any Beavers it was interesting to see how busy they had been!!!

 The FRLT Sierra Valley Preserve + Nature Center

The Feather River Land Trust is a an amazing preservation/conservation organization. Sierra Valley is one of my favorite places to visit and see wildlife, and thanks to the FRLT it will stay like it is forever! The following information about them is from their website at frlt.org. 

"The Feather River Land Trust protects critical headwaters and habitats for thousands of wildlife and plant species in the Sierra Nevada’s largest watershed—a source of drinking water for 27 million people. Since 2000, FRLT has protected over 110,000 acres of ecologically and culturally important landscapes in the Feather River Watershed.

Together with visionary landowners, we’re protecting priority private lands for fresh water, wildlife, working ranches, outdoor classrooms, and community spaces where people from all walks of life can cultivate a love of place. Our knowledgeable team works on the ground with experts, partners, and communities to ensure important ecosystems remain intact.

As a nationally accredited land trust, we’re experts in conserving lands forever. Our diverse partnerships—from local landowners and tribal communities to state and federal agencies—make us effective at permanently protecting crucial lands and water resources at a landscape scale.

We conserve land in two ways: Conservation easements and Land We Own.

Conservation easements are voluntary legal agreements between landowners and the land trust to permanently protect their land and limit development.

We purchase land when we want to ensure community access to a beloved place and conserve unique wildlife habitats and cultural resources."

"American Kestrel" Ⓒ k.ohara kelly 2026

The Art Show I'm in is being held by the Feather River Land Trust at their Sierra Valley Preserve + Nature Center (see the above photo)! We just hung my art up on October 16th, and it will be on view till sometime in the end of October! Here are three of the 21 pieces of mine that will be on display. Several other artists will also be showing their artwork.  The reception for the artists is on Saturday, October 24th, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM. Hope you can join us there!

"Carman Valley" Ⓒ k.ohara kelly 2026

"Yellow-headed Blackbird" Ⓒ k.ohara kelly 2026

No time to hike or explore last week, just too busy with the Art Show preparations!  Hope to get out there this coming weekend, and I'll report on what I see in my next blog on Sunday, November 1st!

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

Cloud Watching!

 

These past two weeks I've been super busy getting ready for an Art Show that I, and several other artists, will be featured in this month! It will be at the Feather River Land Trust's visitor center, the Sierra Valley Preserve and Nature Center on road A23.  The reception for the artists is on October 24th from 4-7 pm. If you live locally come and enjoy the show! (the painting above, and the painting to the right, are both my artworks!)

Cyclone Cloud

Since I was SO pressed for time, I didn't get out and hike last week. Instead, my friend Mary drove my husband and I out the Church Creek Meadows road, to see what we could see! The fall colors were just starting, but the sky was filled with gorgeous clouds and the wind was blowing! We found a small wind-protected meadow where we had our picnic lunch. As soon as we sat down a cloud show started!!! We watched one unusual cloud after another stream by for an enchanted hour!!! Each one was totally unique and amazingly beautiful!  Here's a collection of photos of what we saw, with titles that were inspired by their varying forms!

 Misty Snowy Mountains

Leaping Luminosity

A Trout Carrying Clouds

Double Exposure

I walked down the road a little from our picnic area, and discovered a giant meadow I thought we had never been too. So we packed up our picnic, and Mary drove us all down to the meadow, where we blissfully lingered and watched clouds for another hour!  How lucky we were to witness this amazing cloud show! We drove home from there, and realized that we had been at the far north end of Howard Meadow!!!  Now that was a surprise! We'll definitely be back soon!

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

In my next blog, in two weeks from today, on Sunday, Oct. 18, I promise to give you an update on the North Yuba River, as well as the Lakes Basin!

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