Summer on the River!

North Yuba River - 7/6/22

It's been HOT this week, with the temperatures in the 90's, so I walked down to the river and spent the day! The river is low now, which is typical for summer, and easy to cross and warmer in temperature. "Our" swimming hole is just down the river a bit, and easy to get to.  The water was perfect, the air was clear, the sun was hot, and life was thriving!  I live in paradise!

The Swimming Hole - 7/6/21

There's a lovely piece of bedrock that has caused a nice depth to our swimming hole.  It is almost an island, with water on three sides, and I love to explore it every time I visit. This time I found lots of River Otter crayfish-filled-scat, two small snake skins, leopard lilies, and to my utter amazement a rare plant, Lewisia cantelovii! 

Cantelow's Lewisia - Lewisia cantelovii

I first saw this rare plant, Cantelow's Lewisia, about 5 years ago on the North Yuba Trail!  I was SO surprised to find it thriving at our swimming hole!  It is in the Montiaceae or Miner' Lettuce family.  The flowers are tiny, about as big as a fingernail, and white with fine magenta stripes!  The stems as red, 12" tall, super thin, and end in a basal rosette of succulent-like leaves.  They are related to Miner's Lettuce, Pussypaws, Red Maids, Spring Beauties, Sierra Lewisia, and Three-leaf Lewisia!  How cool to have this rare beauty right in our "backyard"! 

Sierra Mountain Kingsnake - Lampropeltis zonata multicincta

Another surprise was seeing a Sierra Mountain Kingsnake on my way to the swimming hole!  It was sunning itself out on the dry river rocks!  The red-black-white banding was strikingly beautiful!  I've only seen these snakes twice in my life, and one of them was dead!  They are not rare, but they are secretive and spend most of their time under rocks or logs.  These colorful snakes are harmless to humans.  They are constrictors and prey on lizards, snakes, bird eggs & nestlings, and small mammals.  

Sierra Mountain Kingsnake  (head section - mid section - tail end)

Lampropeltis zonata multicincta

I watched this one for a few seconds before it headed off among the rocks and eventually disappeared under one of them!  What a lucky sighting!  WOW!!!

Belted Kingfisher (female) - Megaceryle alcyon

The loud rattling calls of a beautiful, female Belted Kingfisher declared her annoyance with my presence at the swimming hole!  I could tell it was a female by the rusty band across her chest, which the male lacks. We have a male and a female that live on our section of the river year round. They are probably a mated pair. They feed mainly on small fish which they catch in shallow water.  I love these elegant, strikingly-feathered birds!

Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius

I looked for young Spotted Sandpipers while I was at the swimming hole, but didn't see any.  The willows are thicker and more widespread than ever before, due to the lack of strong high-waters the past few winters, so the youngsters are probably just well hidden in all the vegetation.  I did see several adult Spotted Sandpipers, and got this fun photo of an adult performing an amazing one-legged neck-scratch!  Doesn't it look like it's enjoying it?!!

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

The Common Merganser population on the river has changed a little.  The family of 8 ducklings and their mother is doing fine!  They've gotten a LOT bigger, and I see them often on the river.  They sometimes spend the night on the two islands pictured above, and if I'm lucky I can photograph them waking up in the morning!

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

I don't usually see them down by the swimming hole.  I usually see them upriver, where there is a slow "pond like" part of the river in which they prefer to fish.  I love how they stay close together whether swimming, sleeping, or fishing!

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

The Merganser family with 5 ducklings and their mother, now consists of 3 ducklings and their mother.  The other two ducklings may be off on their own, or have become prey for another wild animal.  The 3 ducklings are definitely younger and smaller than the 8 ducklings pictured above.  They too stay together all the time in their family unit!

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

The merganser family of two tiny ducklings and their mother, now consists of one little duckling and its mother.  Again the other tiny duckling may be off on its own, or has become prey.  This duckling is indeed the youngest and littlest one on our section of the river. 

I find it so interesting that these three families have such differences in the age of the ducklings!  Perhaps the "oldest" family arrived the earliest on the river this spring, and the other females arrived later.

Canada Goose gosling - Branta canadensis

The Canada Goose population has changed as well.  I still see the couple that has no goslings, and the single goose that has two goslings.  The three geese, with two goslings must have moved on as I haven't seen them lately.  The goslings are almost full sized, but not quite!

Osprey - Pandion haliateus

I've been seeing an Osprey almost every day now on the river!  It has its favorite perches; the Cottonwood upriver, the Douglas Fir on the river bend, and the dead snag downriver!  I even saw it with a fish in its talons, but failed to get a photo!  They hunt by perching above a river or lake, scanning for prey, and then plunging down feet-first to catch a fish. They are the only raptor in North America that uses this method of hunting. The soles of its feet have scales with sharp points to help hold slippery fish.  I am so happy that it is back in our neighborhood!

Osprey - Pandion haliateus

It is so handsome!  The male and female are monomorphic, 

so I don't know if this is a male or a female.  So imposing!

Sierra Buttes and clouds

Damp Earth Art

It was hot and dry this week. Hopefully more rainstorms will come soon. We really need them. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated.

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

What are my neighborhood songbirds doing?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin ponds and lakes?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly. It looks better than the emailed version!

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

Uncommonly Seen!

Black-backed Woodpecker (male) at nest hole - Picoides arcticus

To my absolute delight, I came across an active Black-backed Woodpecker nest this week!  It was in plain view, right off a hiking trail in the Lakes Basin!  A pair of adults was feeding nestlings in a nest!  The nestlings weren't visible, but they would make a loud "churring" sound whenever a parent landed near the nest hole! The adults were definitely annoyed by my presence, and made loud protesting, aggravated calls if I lingered.  So I only stayed long enough to get a few photos, and then left the area.  Black-backed Woodpeckers are very uncommon in the Lakes Basin.  It was such a thrill to see them!!!

Black-backed Woodpecker (female) - Picoides arcticus

Black-backed Woodpeckers are primarily found in the cold climate coniferous forests of Canada and Alaska, and in southward extensions of these forests into the northern Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada range.  They prefer to feed on wood-boring beetle larvae in burned forests, but will also feed on beetle larvae in dying/unburned trees.  The practice of logging burned areas has negatively impacted their population, by depriving them of foraging and breeding habitat. In California they will live year-round in the higher elevations, but are not commonly seen.

Unique to these woodpeckers, are their three toed feet (most birds have four toes), the common practice of peeling the bark away from the area that surrounds the nest hole (they don't always do this, as evidenced in the photo above), and the yellow patch of feathers on the top of the male woodpecker's head (most woodpeckers have a patch of red feathers).

The male does most of the nest excavation. Both parents share in the incubation, and subsequent care and feeding of the nestlings.  The nestlings will leave the nest approximately three weeks after they hatch.  Parents will care for the fledglings for several more weeks after they fledge.  I hope to come back in a week or so, to see if any nestlings are poking their heads out of the nest!

Cassin's Finch (with possible pigment mutation) 

Haemorhous mexicanus

On one of my higher elevation hikes, we saw this golden-yellow finch feeding with an adult red-headed Cassin's Finch!  I couldn't figure out what kind of bird it was, so I asked several birding friends if they could identify it.  So far, they all think it must be a Cassin's Finch with a pigment mutation!  How cool is that?!!  I'm still waiting on inaturalist.org to identify it, and I'll let you know how it turns out!  In the meantime, what a beautiful bird it is!!!

Cassin's Finch (female - male) - Haemorhous mexicanus

Here are some photos showing the typical coloration of a female and a male Cassin's Finch. Quite different than the yellow one we saw!

Sugar Sticks - Allotropa virgata

Another uncommon sighting happened this week when we came across newly emerged Sugar Stick flowers. These flowers aren't that common in the Lakes Basin, but they aren't considered rare.  We have found one area where they have predictably blossomed every year.  Usually, we see them when they have gone to seed, and are maroon and navy-blue in color.  This week, when we found them, they were newly emerged and in their bright red-and-white coloring!

Newly emerged Sugar Sticks with their white leaves - Allotropa virgata

It turns out that these plants are in the same plant family (Heath - Ericaceae) as Snow Plants and Pinedrops, and do not produce chlorophyll. They are mycoheterotrophs, and are parasitic on the mycelia of fungi, specifically Matsutake fungus mycelium!

Sugar Sticks - Allotropa virgata

I had thought that the red berry-like shapes were the flowers of the Sugar Sticks, but they aren't!  They are only the stamens of the flowers!  The "flowers" don't have any petals at all, but they have five white sepals and 10 stamens!!!  The white sepals are surrounding the red stamens!  What an unusual, beautiful plant!

The following quote is from the California Native Plant Society book, Wildflowers of Nevada & Placer Counties, California. "Consider yourself lucky if you come across this rare and striking wildflower." We were SO lucky!

Yuba Pass Meadow filled with Whorled Penstemons 

I've been exploring all over the Yuba Pass and Lakes Basin areas lately. This week, dramatic cloud formations added light and shadow to the already amazing landscapes. New wildflowers keep popping up and now the shrubs are starting to bloom! The streams and lakes are full, and the air is filled with birdsong! Here are a few photos of what I happened across this week! Enjoy!

Jacob's Ladder - Lupines - Whorled Penstemon

Polemonium californicum - Lupinus sp. - Penstemon heterodoxus

Jacob's Ladder is a new one for me!  Although it is in the field guides, 

I've never come across it before!  It is indeed a beauty!

Ridge near Helgrammite Lake

 

This is one of my absolute favorite areas in the Lakes Basin!  Surprisingly, the wet meadow was still a bog and barely in bloom!  I'm going back again in a few weeks, to see what wildflowers will be blooming!

Alpine Shooting Star - Mountain Laurel - Little Elephant Heads

Primula tetandra - Kalmia polifolia - Pedicularis attolens

Mt. Elwell and Long Lake

This is one of the classic views in the Lakes Basin.  Just gorgeous!

Western Labrador Tea - Sierra Laurel - Macloskey's Violets

 Rhododendron columbianum - Leucothoe davisiae - Viola macloskeyi 

 

Damp Earth Art

We had three days filled with beautiful clouds this week, as well as cooler weather! Yay!  Hopefully more rainstorms will come soon. We really need them. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated.

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

What's happening in the Lakes Basin ponds and lakes?

Where do all the songbirds in my neighborhood overwinter?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly. It looks better than the emailed version!

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

Wonders never Cease!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

To my astonishment I spotted a doe and a little, spotted fawn in the river one morning this week!  The doe froze when she saw me, which prompted the tiny fawn to instantly nurse!  In another few seconds a second fawn joined the first fawn and also began nursing, right in the river!!!  After about a minute the doe moved, the fawns stopped nursing, and they all crossed the river!  Wow!!!  I haven't seen any little fawns for years, and I never ever watched them nurse before!  What a great sighting!  Just wonderful!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

I posted this information about fawns about a year ago, but thought it was totally relevant right now!  The following quote is from northernwoodlands.org.

"Young fawns’ scent glands are not well-developed. When a fawn is born, the doe licks it clean, removing odors that might alert predators. A few hours after birth, when the fawn can stand and walk, she moves it from the birth spot to a new hiding place. A fawn spends most of its first weeks of life bedded down alone. The doe stays away from her newborn except to nurse it periodically, and to lead it to new bed sites. That way her scent does not attract predators to the area where the fawn is hiding. If she has twins, which is common, the doe will typically hide them in separate places and make the rounds to nurse them. While the fawn nurses excitedly, its tail flicking, the doe licks its fur and genital areas to stimulate urination and defecation. She may also consume the fawn’s droppings to destroy evidence of its presence. Although secrecy is a fawn’s main defense, it has another: mom. If a fawn is in distress, it bleats, and the doe, which stays nearby, usually comes running, ready to defend it with her sharp hooves."

Fawns grow rapidly on their mother’s rich milk. By two to three weeks of age, they begin to nibble green vegetation. After a month, they will browse on tree seedlings. At this age, they begin to choose their own bedding sites and twins are reunited. By summer, young deer can outrun most danger, and trail their mother closely. Fawns usually are weaned at two to three months. In early autumn, a fawn’s spotted coat is replaced by the gray-brown winter coat of an adult deer. Female fawns usually stay with their mothers for two years; young bucks leave after a year. A buck fawn can be identified when only a few days old by the two round spots on its head where the antlers will grow."

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

I hope I run across this beautiful, little family again soon!

Black Bear - Ursus americanus

 

A few weeks ago, I came across this medium-small sized bear in my neighborhood one morning!  It was quietly eating grasses in a little meadow! I watched it for a minute or so until it scampered off into the woods!  It had a lovely, shaggy, cinnamon-colored coat!

Black Bear - Ursus americanus

This is the fifth bear I've seen this year!  I came across the bear in the right column, when I was driving up to the Lakes Basin a few weeks ago.  It was along the side of the highway and crossed the road in front of me.  It was darkish brown/black in color and was quite stocky!  I only had time to get a quick photo before I drove on.  How lucky I am to see these beautiful bears!

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

The beautiful Gray Fox was back on our property one early evening last week!  Wildlife is in and out of my view so quickly!  Just had time to get this quick photo! Such beauty!

Stream Orchid - Epipactis gigantea

Over the last few weeks the local orchids have started to bloom!  I found most of them in wet to damp seeps or bogs.  They are bilaterally symmetrical, with 3 petals and 3 sepals in various arrangements.  They also have species specific pollinators!  The Stream Orchids pictured above grow in large colonies, from seeds and rhizomes, in areas with constant water.  They are pollinated by Syrphid Flies, that are attracted to the honeydew scent of the flowers!  These orchid flowers are large, being approximately 1.5" wide! This is just one of the hundreds of orchids that are blooming in a wet, seepy area I found along Highway 49!  

Green Rein/Bog Orchid - Sierra Rein Orchid - Western Ladies Tresses

Platanthera sparsiflora - Platanthera dilitata - Spiranthes porrifolia

All of the orchids in the above photo were found in wet meadows.  The orchid flowers are small, usually less than .5" wide.  The Green Rein/Bog Orchid  and the Sierra Rein Orchid are both pollinated by moths.  The Sierra Rein Orchid has a lovely fragrance when it first opens! The Ladies Tresses are pollinated by native bees.  The Green Rein/Bog Orchid and the Western Ladies Tresses are not as common as the Sierra Rein Orchid. 

Mountain Piperia development over 6 weeks - Piperia transversa

The Mountain Piperia Orchid pictured above, doesn't grow in wet meadows or bogs.  Instead, it grows in shady areas of the dry forest floor!  I have been watching this plant for months!  About two months ago, a pair of leaves appeared.  After three weeks or so, a tiny floral stem emerged between the leaves.  It took weeks for the stem to grow to its full height of 12", with tightly clustered flower buds pressed to the stem.  The stem is only about as thick as an uncooked spaghetti noodle!  Gradually the buds started to stick out from the stem, and then finally this week they bloomed into tiny, tiny orchid flowers, no more than .3" long!  The flowers have a clove-like fragrance, which attracts moths.  It was so fun to watch and wait for these orchids to bloom!  They were quite a mystery to me!

Mock Orange - Philadelphus lewisii

Right now, the air in my neighborhood is filled with the lovely fragrance of blooming Mock Orange shrubs!  It's heavenly!  Whenever I look closely at the blossoms, there are lots of tiny black beetles feasting on the pollen.  Some of them even eat the petals!  This may be one of the last blooming shrubs, as the summer is heating up.  So glad that it grows profusely in our area!  

Below are photos of what's blooming currently in our neighborhood!  Enjoy!

Keckiella - Brewer's Snapdragon - Whitestem Frasera

 Keckiella breviflora - Antirrhinum vexillocalyculatum ssp. breweri - Frasera albicaulis

Washinton Lily - Leopard Lily

Lillium washingtonianum - Lillium pardalinum

Of these two lilies, only the Washington Lily has a fragrance.  

A strong, sweet Easter-Lily-like scent!  Just lovely!

Wickerstem Buckwheat (?)- Nude Buckwheat - Bear Buckwheat

Eriogonum vimineum (?)- Eriogonum nudum var. westonii -Eriogonum ursinum

Buckwheats usually bloom as the land dries out.  Their dried flowers/seed heads will persist until the fall rains knock them down.  I'm not sure if "Wickerstem Buckwheat" is the correct name, but it's my best guess.

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

River News!

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife dropped 100's of trout into the North Yuba River last week, and instantly an Osprey showed up on our section of the river!!!  I hadn't seen an Osprey for months!  I hope it sticks around! I so enjoy hearing their calls and watching them drop into the river feet-first to grab fish!  Maybe I'll get lucky, and get a photo this year!

Mallard (female) and eight ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

To my delight I spotted a Mallard momma with eight tiny ducklings on the river this week!  They were keeping to the shallow edge of the river, in among the willows.  I've never seen baby Mallards on the river before!  What joy!

Common Merganser - Mergus merganser

There are now three Common Merganser females with ducklings on the river!  The one pictured above, is the one I've been featuring with 8 ducklings.  She still has all of her ducklings, but they are much larger.  One of the other two females has 5 medium sized ducklings, and the other female has two tiny ducklings!  How fun!  I'll keep you posted on their development!

Recent raindrops

Damp Earth Art

Unfortunately we had some smoke this week, from a human caused wildfire about 40 miles away.  Luckily only four structures were damaged, but the fire apparently burned a lot of the South Yuba River State Park, one of my absolutely favorite foothill parks.  Approximately 900 acres were burned.  Fire Season is now here.  Hopefully more rainstorms will come soon. We really need them. Please join me in my continuing hope for precipitation! Perhaps our collective efforts may help it happen.

I'm going to keep posting rain inspired writings, art, etc. on my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. Any submissions would be greatly appreciated.

Wishing for peace in Ukraine and

an immediate end to this senseless war!

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

Where do all the songbirds in my neighborhood overwinter?

Check back next week for the answers to these questions and more!

Unfortunately, you can no longer sign up to get my blog via email. Just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com directly. It looks better than the emailed version!

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