It's Summer!

Osprey - Pandion haliateus

The weather has been in the 90's with clear blue skies, it's summertime! There's been a lot more wildlife activity on our beautiful river corridor. I've found that mornings and evenings are the best times to observe wild animals. Every morning I go down to one particular spot on the edge of the river to see what's happening. Twice this week, I saw an Osprey perched in a fir tree across the river! 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. Look at those sharp talons!!! 

Osprey - Pandion haliateus

The first time I saw this Osprey, it had a large trout in its talons that it was eating!  You can see the open pinkish mouth of the fish right under the only visible talon above.  Its tail can be seen hanging to the left and below the branch the Osprey is perched on.  It was a good sized fish!  99% of an Osprey's diet is fish.  Last Wednesday, the California Department of Fish and Game just planted the North Fork of the Yuba River, where I live, with Rainbow Trout!  This morning I saw an Osprey in the river!  It had just caught a fish!  I watched it flap its wings, rise up and out of the river, and fly away with a fish in its talons!  Wow!!! It was amazing to watch!  Such strength and agility!

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

I've been seeing two separate Great Blue Herons on the river this week.  I never see them together.  Apparently these birds only live colonially during breeding season.  The rest of the year they hunt and roost on their own.  They are the tallest bird on our river, being 5' tall, with a 6' wingspan!!  They have very keen eyesight, like most wildlife, and fly off as soon as they see me. I love their elegant, long, graceful feathers!

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

The local Common Merganser population has doubled in size!  Every day now, I usually see 12-15 Common Mergansers together on the river!  My neighbor says that there are 9 juveniles in the group!  I haven't seen them that closely.  I have however seen a single mom with one little duckling (photos below) sleeping on a beach about half a mile downriver!  I've seen them twice in the same area.  The first time I saw them, they were sleeping together about two feet away from a sleeping Canada Goose!  I saw them again a week later, just by themselves, sleeping away on the same beach!  I have read that Common Mergansers are social birds, and generally stay in groups.  I have no idea why this single mom and her one offspring are separated from the large group up-river.  Also, I never realized that these ducks sleep until 9:00 or so in the morning!!!  Do they have tiring nights, being on guard for predators?  So many questions...

Common Mergansers - Mergus merganser

Usually the Common Mergansers females on our river have 5-9 ducklings swimming right behind them in the Spring.  This year we didn't see any young fuzzy ducklings!  It was probably due to the late heavy rains we got this past Spring, and the high flow of the river at that time.  The duckling above is the only little duckling I've seen this year.  I sure hope it survives. It was definitely bigger the second time I saw it!  Look at his cute, little, webbed feet!

American Dipper - Cinclus mexicanus

The bird that I asked about at the end of last week's post is an American Dipper.  It has a caddisfly larva case, in its beak!  It probably ate it, or pecked the case off and ate it.  I'm not sure what it did, because it flew off with the whole thing in its beak.  Dippers probe, walk, and swim underwater looking for invertebrates to eat.  Usually you will only see one dipper at at time, as they are territorial and keep other dippers off their section of the river or stream.  This week I saw three dippers repeatedly fly and stop together along the edge of the river!  I was quite curious about what was happening!  I zoomed in with my camera and was thrilled to see a dipper fledgling begging for food from its parent!!! Wow!  I've never seen young dippers before!  Both parents will feed the fledglings.  I went back a few days later and saw the three of them still together, with the fledglings begging anytime a parent was near!  The feeding by the parents varies from 5-30 days!  Perhaps depending on the availability of food?  

 Golden Stonefly nymph exoskeletons - Spotted Sandpiper

Hesperoperia pacifica - Actitis macularia

On the dry river rocks, that edge the river, there are a lot of Stonefly nymph exoskeletons.  These aquatic insects live underwater up to a year or more, feeding on algae, detritus, other aquatic invertebrates, and plant material.  When they are ready to turn into adults, they climb out of the river onto dry rocks.  The sun dries them out and the back of their exoskeleton splits open.  The adult then pulls itself out of its exoskeleton, unfolds its wings, dries out and flies off.  Sometimes hundreds of Stoneflies emerge at the same time!  The adult Stoneflies live for about a month, feeding on nectar and algae, mating, and laying eggs!  

Spotted Sandpipers search the shoreline for insects to eat.  Adult Stoneflies are one of the many insects they consume!  I saw a Sandpiper on the river about a month ago.  Back then it didn't have any spots, its breast and belly were pure white.  Now the Sandpipers I see are all spotted, indicating that it's their breeding season.  I love how they bob up and down while searching for insects!  They are the only shorebirds that live up in the Sierras!  I've even seen them up in the Lakes Basin!

 Mule Deer (doe) crossing the North Yuba River - Odocoileus hemionus

Mammal Update!

I was out photographing the Common Mergansers on the river, when I noticed a distant deer fording the river!!!  That's a new one for me!  The river is pretty shallow right now, and it looked like the deer just walked across, and didn't even have to swim!  Wow!  How surprising to see!

Columbian Black-tailed Deer (buck) - Odocoileus hemionus columbianus

This beautiful buck has been hanging around the human habitation in my neighborhood, for the past week or so.  We think it might be because there is a Mountain Lion in the vicinity!  A neighbor has seen a lion with a cub this past week!  Wouldn't that be something to see?!!  In the meantime, we really enjoy watching this handsome buck, with his antlers all in velvet, graze in the immediate area!

Gray Fox - Urocyon cinereoargenteus

A fox, that really looks like the one that had the two kits, has been hanging around our property!  Its coat looks a bit mangy. I sure hope that fox family is doing good!  Maybe I'll get lucky, and see the little foxes too!

 Gaping Keckiella - Lemmon's Keckiella

Keckiella breviflora - Keckiella lemmonii

Local Blossoms!

Although it's pretty hot and dry, there are some flowers blooming in our neighborhood. Here are some of my favorites!

Alaska Rein Orchid - Rattlesnake Plantain Orchid

Piperia unalascensis - Goodyeara oblongifolia

Blazing Star - Scarlet Monkeyflower

Mentzelia laevicaulis - Mimulus cardinalis

Metallic Sweat Bee - White-lined Sphinx Moth

Agopostemon texanus - Hyles lineata

Interesting Insects!

Down in our garden there is an abundance of flowers attracting lots of insects!  Here are a few of the unique ones!  I know that there are lots of native bees (1,500+) that don't look like honey bees.  I've seen several collections of bees in museums.  The variety is astounding!  I was always surprised to see bright green bees in the collections.  I was super surprised to see a green bee feeding on the lavender flowers in our garden!  Wow!  They were really tiny, but their bright green color was gorgeous!  Some species of Sweat Bees are attracted to human sweat, hence their name!

The Sphinx Moths are always fascinating to watch.  They flap their wings so fast, they blur like a hummingbirds' wings!  These moths will have two broods between February and November.  The larvae (caterpillars) feed on a variety of plants, and pupate underground.  Some years they are in our garden as soon as the first flowers bloom.  This year they arrived about three weeks ago. Unlike butterflies, they stay out feeding in our garden until way past dusk.  

Common Whitetail Dragonflies (males) - Plathemis lydia

I have never seen this kind of dragonfly before, with its transparent black markings on transparent wings!  It was stunning!  The photo on the left makes it look like it has 8 wings, but its really only four wings with four shadows!

Orange Sulfur Butterfly - Goldenrod Crab Spiders female & male (inset)
Colias eurytheme - Misumena vatia

Newly arrived this week are the bright yellow Orange Sulfur Butterflies!  So pretty!   I also luckily found a male Crab Spider in our garden.  They are super tiny, just a fraction of the female's size!  The wide-spread banded legs are distinctive for the male. Female crab spiders do not spin webs.  They wait and ambush their prey, then paralyze them with a toxic venom.  I couldn't find any definitive information about whether or not the female crab spider eats the male. I did find information that stated that 65% of all female spiders eat the males, before, during, or after copulation!  Sheesh! 

What kind of flowers are these?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

Are the Tanagers and Orioles all gone?

What kind of fish and insects are in the river?

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

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A Cherry Festival!

American Robin in cherry tree - Turdus migratorius

There are many wild cherry trees in my neighborhood, which have been slowly ripening over the past two months.  Apparently this week they were ripened to perfection!  Lots of American Robins, Western Tanagers, Black-headed Grosbeaks, Band-tailed Pigeons, Steller's Jays, and many other birds ate them for days!  They would all feed on one particular tree one day, and then move on to another tree the next day!  Some birds swallowed the cherries whole, some pecked bites from them, others picked the whole cherry, rolled it around in their beaks, and then spit out the pit!  It was so fun listening to and watching all the birds feasting together in the trees!  Such beauty! 

Western Tanager (female) - Piranga ludoviciana

The Western Tanagers were such a delight to watch 

as they daintily ate cherries bite by bite!

Western Tanager (male) - Black-headed Grosbeak (female)   

Piranga ludoviciana - Pheucticus melancephalus

As you can see the trees were LOADED with cherries this year!  Young Black-headed Grosbeaks and young Robins were the most numerous cherry eaters.  You could hear them calling and chirping throughout the day.  Gray Squirrels, Chickarees, Foxes and Black Bears also dined on them!  I haven't seen any Black Bears yet this year.  However, this week there was a lot of bear scat full of cherry pits on our property!  

Black Bear scat

 If we got a game camera we could get photos of the mammals that are active at night, like Black Bears.  I'm thinking about it.  I'll keep you posted.  One of the best night camera blogs is cameratrapcodger.blogspot.com.  Check it out!  It's a fabulous blog, and his photography is amazing!

Sierra Buttes from the Deer Lake Trail 

Lakes Basin Update!

The Lakes Basin is more or less snow free now!  I went hiking to Deer Lake, Smith Lake, Howard Meadows, and Haskell Peak in the past few weeks.  I've seen thousands of wildflowers, lots of birds, and several mammals!  It's gorgeous up there!  Here's a little information about about each hike, in case you're interested in trying them.

The Deer Lake trail is approximately a 4.5 mile round-trip hike, with about 1,500' gain in elevation.  It's in sun and shade, through rocky terrain and forest, with an incredible view of the Sierra Buttes.  Deer Lake itself is a large, clear water, rock-edged lake in a gorgeous setting. The swimming can be heavenly!  The trail is now part of the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) and we surprisingly passed about 20 backpackers on our way out!

Smith Lake and Beckworth Peak - Howard Meadow - Haskell Peak

The first part of the Smith Lake Trail is hot and uphill, but after less than a mile you'll be in the shaded forest.  The trail then follows a meandering stream through the woods to Smith Lake, passing a wet meadow filled-to-the-brim with wildflowers!  We saw Death Camas, Bog Asphodel, False Asphodel/Tofieldia, Little Elephant Heads, White Brodiaea, Corn Lilies, Sneezeweed, Leopard Lilies and much more!  Smith Lake is a good size lake with easy access, and is definitely warm enough to swim in.  Although it is large, it is more like a pond with plants along the edge and a muddy bottom.  We pressed onward and upward to several more lakes and eventually swam in Maiden Lake, another pond-like lake.

Howard Meadow is a huge wet meadow, about a 4 mile drive down a rough dirt road off the Gold Lake Highway.  We drove our truck there, and it was easy going.   The meadow was in full bloom with Water Plantain Buttercups, Camas, Marsh Marigolds, Larkspurs, Gilia, Pretty Face, and lots more!  In the drier areas surrounding the meadow there were large sections covered in Dodder, Yampah, and thousands of Mule Ears.  We also saw Black Elderberry bushes, Mariposa Lilies, and Stickseeds to name a few!

Haskell Peak is only a 4 mile round trip hike, but you climb about 1000' (in 2 miles) up to the 8,120' peak!  Luckily you're in the shaded forest most of the way.  We saw several plants along the trail, that we had never seen before including Bulbed Woodland Star, California Waterleaf, and Mountain Snowberry!  The last climb to the actual peak is through a steep boulder field.  The view is spectacular from the top, with views of the Sierra Buttes, Sierra Valley, Mt. Elwell, and Mt. Lola!  It's incredibly expansive and lovely, well worth the climb!

Lodgepole Chipmunk - Chickaree/Douglas Tree Squirrel  

Tamias speciosus - Tamiasciurus douglasii

Lakes Basin Mammals!

Chipmunks seem to be everywhere in the Lakes Basin!  I've often seen them busy eating and foraging for seeds on the forest floor. They usually live in underground burrows, or hollow branches.  They live off of stored food over the winter, so they start stashing seeds early in the season.  Chickarees are also active all winter, but usually live in a nest up in a tree.  They too collect food for the winter and do not hibernate.  The chickaree above is probably a juvenile!  

California Mule Deer - Yellow-bellied Marmot

Odocoileus hemionus californicus - Marmota flaviventris

Although not as common as chipmunks and squirrels, I can usually count on seeing a Mule Deer browsing in the Lakes Basin.  They are herbivores and spend their time eating flowers, grasses, shrubs and tree buds!  Yellow-bellied Marmots are also vegetarians.  They eat lots of plants during the summer, and build up their fat reserves for winter.  They are true hibernators, and will basically sleep throughout the winter in an underground burrow.  Deer will migrate down to the snow-free areas for the winter.

Sugar Stick - Allotropa virgata

Lakes Basin Wildflowers

The Lakes Basin is in full bloom!  I've seen several species that I've never seen before, most notably the Sugar Stick pictured above.  It was off of the Mt. Elwell trail in the old growth, Red Fir forest.  There was only one of them and looked a little past its prime!  It turns out that these plants are related to Snow Plants, and do not produce chlorophyll.  They live off of dead plant material with the help of underground fungi.  Apparently they are not that common!  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." Wow!!!  How exciting!!!  

Hot-rock Penstemon - Mountain Pride - Spreading Phlox  

 Penstemon deustus - Penstemon newberryi - Phlox diffusa

Black elderberry - Marsh Marigold - Stickseed sp.(?)

Sambucus melanocarpa - Caltha leptosepala - Hackelia sp.(?)

Mariposa Lily - Gilia - Yampah sp.(?) with California Dodder ground cover

Calochortus leichtlinii - Gilia leptantha - Perideridia bolanderi sp.(?) & Cuscuta californica

Western Spring Beauty - Mountain Snowberry - Bulbed Woodland Star

Claytonia lanceolata -  Symphoricarpos rotundifolius - Lithophragma glabrum

Red-breasted Sapsuckers (adult and juvenile) - Syraphicus ruber  

Lakes Basin Birds!

There are lots of birds up in the Lakes Basin right now!  In the forest near Smith Lake I saw two Red-breasted Sapsuckers on the same tree trunk!  They were an adult and a juvenile!  The adult was hammering away on the trunk while the juvenile watched!  These sapsucker create small wells in a tree trunk (see above photo).  They eat the sap that pools in these wells, as well as the insects that get stuck in the sap! They also eat the cambium layer of trees, seeds, and fruit. There's not much information on the behavior of newly fledged Red-breasted Sapsuckers.  The website https://birdsna.org states, "Parents appear to try to lead just-fledged offspring to higher elevations or to the vicinity of sap wells. Young fed by parents after fledging but not regularly; young try to feed on their own almost immediately."  I guess I was lucky to see these two sapsuckers together!  In the Fall, they will drop down to the coast and/or central valley of California to spend the winter. 

Fox Sparrow - Western Wood-Pewee - Green-tailed Towhee 

Passerella iliaca - Contopus sordidulus - Pipilo chlorurus

I usually see these three bird species every time I go up to the Lakes Basin.  If you see and hear a bird singing from the top of a tree, it is most often a Fox Sparrow.  These birds are year-round residents of the Sierra, but move down to lower elevations in the winter.  They mainly forage on the ground for seeds and berries, but will also eat insects, plant buds and fruit. The gray head, spotted breast, rusty-brown wings and tail are definitive markings for this species.

The Western Wood-Pewee is the most common Flycatcher in the Lakes Basin.  It is almost all dusky-gray in color, including its breast.  It is usually seen perched on a branch, from which it will hawk insects out of the air.  It breeds in the western half of North America, and spends the winter in the northern parts of South America!

Green-tailed Towhees are a striking sight to see with their olive-green tails and red crests.  They usually pass through my neighborhood in the Spring, while migrating to their breeding grounds in the Sierra, from their winter grounds in Mexico.  They are primarily seed and insect eaters.  They prefer to breed and nest in open brushy areas from 6,000'-10,000'! 

Mallard female with ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

Several of the lakes we visited had ducks with ducklings!  On Deer and Grass Lakes, we saw Malllards.  Mallards nest on the ground, and will lay 1-13 eggs per clutch.  Only the female hen will incubate and care for the young. The ducklings hatch within 28 days.  They are born precocial with downy feathers and open eyes.  They usually leave the nest within 24 hours of hatching, and start feeding immediately!!  They will stay with their mother for approximately 52-70 days, until they can fly.  During that time the mother will lead them to abundant food sources, issue alarm calls when danger is present, and watch over them.  The photos are of two different Mallard hens and their broods.  We were so lucky to see these little ones!

Mallard female with ducklings - Anas platyrhynchos

Bufflehead female with ducklings - Bucephala albeola

On Kinsey and Maiden Lakes we saw Bufflehead ducks.  Buffleheads nest in tree cavities!  Their clutch can range in size from 4-17 eggs!  Incubation is solely by the female, and lasts 30 days.  The ducklings are born precocial, with downy feathers and open eyes.  They leave the nest within 24 hours and begin feeding right away.  The mother cares for the ducklings until they can fly, in approximately 50 days!  The photos are of two different hens and their broods!  It was so fun to watch them follow their mothers around the lakes.  All of the ducklings in the smaller brood were diving underwater for food! Wow!!!

Bufflehead female with ducklings - Bucephala albeola

What is this bird doing?

What insects are out there?

What's happening on the river?

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

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Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!

River Life!

Common Merganser (female) - Mergus merganser

I had an incredible week of wildlife sightings on the North Yuba River this week!!! In these days of environmental uncertainty, it is with relief and joy that I watch the wildlife return to our river. It is wonderful to see this local ecosystem still intact and thriving! The river has warmed up, the water level is a lot lower, and the flow rate has dropped to 400 cfs. This has made it a lot easier for a variety of fish eaters to catch their prey! 

The Common Mergansers (above) returned a while ago, but their numbers have increased in the past week. They are diving ducks, and hunt underwater for fish, aquatic mollusks, insects, crustaceans, worms, frogs and even some small mammals. They can stay underwater for up to two minutes! Their bills are serrated for grabbing slippery prey. The females nest primarily in tree cavities made by woodpeckers! I haven't seen any baby ducks this year. However, merganser eggs have been known to hatch as late as the end of July, so we may still see some ducklings!

Mink (female with 3 young) - Neovision vision

We were on the river one morning this week, when I noticed some movement in the Indian Rhubarb plants on the opposite shore.  To my absolute delight, it was a female Mink with 3 young!!!  WOW!!!  They were moving really fast upstream, in a compact group along the edge of the river.  They would occasionally scramble up on the rock slabs, rustle through the bushes, and then re-enter the river!  We got to watch them for almost 4 minutes!  They eventually crossed the river and swam out of sight.   It was so incredibly amazing!!!  This is first time, in the 32 years I've lived here, that I've seen Mink!  It was such a pleasure to watch these incredible wild animals swim past!  A few days later I saw one very distant River Otter swim across the river with a fish in its mouth!!  WOW!!!  I live in paradise!

Mink (female with 2 young) - Neovision vision

The young Mink weren't newborns.  They were about half the size of their mother, and probably several months old. These young mink will stay with their mother for 6-12 months.  They will then split off to start their own families.  I have never seen live Mink before!!! How exciting!

Mink (female with 3 young) - Neovision vision

If you see a group or pair of Mink together, it is usually a mother with offspring.  Adult male and female Mink, do not stay together.  They only come together briefly to mate.  The female alone raises the pups.

Gray Fox with young kit! - Uryocyon cinereoargenteus

The morning after I saw the River Otters I went back to the same area, hoping to see them again.  I didn't see any otters, but I saw some movement on the opposite shaded bank.  I zoomed in with my camera and was totally astounded to see a Gray Fox with 2 young kits!  WOW!!!  The kits were so cute!  They moved off quickly into the shade, where they were really camouflaged and hard to photograph.  I was able to watch them for a minute or so, until they disappeared into the brush.  These young kits will stay with their parents for approximately 10 months.  Gray Foxes mate for life, and both parents raise the kits!  

Two Gray Fox kits - Uryocyon cinereoargenteus

From a distance, the young foxes looked like young Mountain Lions, 

with their long tails and rounded ears!

Spotted Sandpiper - Actitis macularius

Every year a few Spotted Sandpipers return from their winter grounds in the southern U.S. or South America, to our section of the river to breed and raise their young.  I spotted one along the shore just this week!  The females sometimes practice polyandry, and will breed with more than one male.  The males will incubate the eggs and feed the young after they hatch!  In the meantime, the female defends the breeding/nesting territory from predators and other sandpipers!  Last year I was lucky enough to see two fledgling sandpipers!  Maybe I'll see some this year as well!

Belted Kingfisher (female) - Megaceryle alcyon

For many months, I haven't seen or heard a Belted Kingfisher on the river.  Luckily I spotted this female a week ago flying down river.  She stopped and checked me out  from a dead branch for a few seconds, before taking off again.  I've seen and heard one several more times since then.  Kingfishers catch prey by diving from perches into the water.  They eat small fish, crayfish, bullfrogs, tadpoles and insects.  Most fish are caught in shallow water or near the surface, usually no deeper than 60 cm.  Clear water and an unobstructed view of prey are essential for successful foraging.  Since they grab prey with their bill, they do not usually submerge.  They regurgitate pellets of undigested fish bones and exoskeletons!  

Great Blue Heron - Ardea herodias

There has always been at least one Great Blue Heron year-round on our section of the North Yuba River.  However, I haven't seen one for months, probably due to the late occurrence of Summer weather and the extremely wet Spring.  Just this week, one has shown up!  I've seen it on the river the past two mornings.  They are large birds, measuring 4' tall, with a wingspan of 7'!  Their method of hunting is to stand motionless in running water, wait for prey to go by, and grab them with their bill.  They will quickly eat fish, frogs, crayfish, aquatic insects, and even ducklings.  They regurgitate pellets of undigested hair, but can digest fish bones.

  

Osprey - Pandion haliaetus

Last summer there was an Osprey that frequented our section of the river for months.  I took tons of photos of it during that time.  It was so fun!  Just this week, I spotted an Osprey on the river!  I'll never know if it's the same one as last year, but it could be!  Ospreys overwinter in the fish-rich coastal areas of southern California and Mexico, as well as the, coast, lakes, and rivers of South America.  In the spring, they fly north to breed, mainly in Alaska and Canada.  Ospreys are the only raptors that dive feet first to catch fish.  Fish are 99% of their diet!  Last year I saw one flying with a fish in its talons, as well as one diving into the river!

Blue Dasher Dragonfly - Widow Skimmer Dragonfly

Pachydiplax longipennis - Libellula luctuosa

Dragonflies!

Dragonflies are as much a part of our river as River Otters and birds!  In the late afternoon, I like to go down to the river and watch the dragonflies glinting in the sun.  Sometimes there are hundreds of them!  They are incredible flyers, and can hover, zoom forward, and even fly backwards!  Dragonflies catch other flying insects with their legs, while flying.  They also consume their prey while in the air!  They lay their eggs in or near slow-moving water, often on plants. The eggs hatch into nymphs that live underwater for up to several years, depending upon the species!

Four-spotted Skimmer - Western Meadowhawk Dragonfly

Pachydiplax longipennis - Sympetrum occidentale

Northern Pacific Rattlesnake - Crotalus oreganus ssp. oreganus

Reptile Weather!

Reptiles are ectotherms, and are dependent on external sources to maintain their body heat. To regulate their body heat they will bask in the sun when it's cool, and hide in the shade when it's too hot. With the hot temperatures we've been having, I've been wondering if snakes would be out during the day. It turns out that extremely hot temperatures can kill a snake within 10-20 minutes. So when the air temperature reaches the high 90's and into the 100's, snakes seek out shade and wait for the temperature to drop.  We spotted the Northern Pacific Rattlesnake (above) on our property this week!  Although rattlesnake bites are not usually deadly for humans, they can be fatal for pets.  We have a small dog, so we hosed this snake and it quickly scooted off our property and went back toward the creek.   

Its rattle had 8 segments. Rattlesnakes create a new segment on their rattle every time they shed their skin. Snakes shed their skin more than once a year when young, and less than once a year when old, so the number of segments in a rattle does not indicate their age. Additionally, segments can get broken off during a snake's lifetime.  Most Northern Pacific Rattlesnakes are active from dusk to dawn, looking for prey!  They eat birds, lizards, snakes, frogs, insects, and small mammals, including mice, rats, rabbits, hares, and ground squirrels. 

Spiny Lizard (?) - Sceloperus sp.

Lizards seem to be everywhere these days!  I photographed these three lizards down by our garden.  I'm not a herpetologist, so I'm just guessing what kind of lizards they are.  The website www.californiaherps.com is a great resource for identification of herptiles (reptiles and amphibians).  Even so, I still find it difficult to identify some lizards!  Apparently their colors can change with temperature changes!

Spiny Lizard (?) - Sceloperus sp.

Is this a female?  Let me know if you know!

Northwestern Fence Lizard - Sceloperus occidentalis occidentalis

The following information is from www.californiaherps.com.

"These lizards are diurnal. Often seen basking in the sun on rocks, downed logs, trees, fences, and walls. Prefers open sunny areas. Active when temperatures are warm, becomes inactive during periods of extreme heat or cold, when they shelter in crevices and burrows, or under rocks, boards, tree bark, etc. Found in a wide variety of open, sunny habitats, including woodlands, grasslands, scrub, chaparral, forests, along waterways, suburban dwellings, where there are suitable basking and perching sites, including fences, walls, woodpiles, piles of rocks and rocky outcrops, dead and downed trees, wood rat nests, road berms, and open trail edges. Common and easily encountered in the right habitat. This is probably the species of lizard most often seen in the state due to its abundance in and near populated areas and its conspicuous behavior."

 I photographed this Black Bear in the river last year!  

I haven't seen any bears yet this year.  Where are they?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

What insects are out there?

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

If you suddenly stop getting my blog in your email, you need to sign up again. This is a problem with blogspot.com and I can't figure out how to fix it.

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com. Thanks!