Local Raptors!

Northern Pygmy-Owl (adult Pacific) - Glaucidium gnoma

Oh WOW an OWL!!!  While walking in our neighborhood one afternoon last week, I spotted a small silhouetted bird with a broad, round head in a bare tree.  It's an OWL I thought!  A Northern Pygmy-Owl!  I tried getting closer but a Steller's Jay arrived and chased the owl away!  Rats!  I did get a few photos (see center photo below), but not that great.  The owl had been perched on the edge of a big open field near the cemetery.  I thought it might be visible from the cemetery, so I walked up there and hung out for about 15 minutes.  I saw quite a few Western Bluebirds but no owl.  I decided to head home, but just then out in a distant part of the field a commotion of bluebirds began.  They were all calling and flying around, and then one flew towards me.  I watched it fly overhead and land in a big cedar tree in the cemetery.  I zoomed in on it with my camera, and to my delight it was the Pygmy-Owl!!!  WOW!!!  It watched me for about a minute and then took off!  That was SO exciting!  They aren't commonly seen in my neighborhood.  The last one I saw was in February 2018!  I was so lucky to see one of these beautiful little owls again!

Northern Pygmy-Owls are little, about 6.75" long with a wingspan of 12".  Unlike most owls, Northern Pygmy-Owls are diurnal (active during the day). They prey on small birds and mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. They perch and drop down on their prey, and often take prey up to 3x their size! They rely on their vision for hunting, rather than sound, and lack the facial discs of nocturnal owls

The Cornell Lab states, "Small birds such as nuthatches, robins, crossbills, wrens, creepers, hummingbirds, blackbirds, warblers, and jays frequently mob Northern Pygmy-Owls as they do other raptors—this behavior seems particularly bold considering small birds are what pygmy-owls eat. Some people have suggested that the eyespots on the back of the Northern Pygmy-Owl’s neck help deter mobbing birds."

 

Pygmy-Owl (adult Pacific) - Glaucidium gnoma

Apparently Northern Pygmy-Owls live in our area year-round, but are uncommonly seen. Not a lot of information is available on their breeding, nesting, incubating, and hatching times, as they are difficult to find and observe! They are seasonally monogamous, and pairs are known to allopreen each other!!! They never excavate their own nesting cavities, but instead rely on cavities caused by rot or woodpeckers.

Red-tailed Hawk (juvenile) - Buteo jamaicensis

Two weeks ago I spotted this juvenile Red-tailed Hawk in a tree on the edge of the river.  I've seen it a few times since then, always perched high up in a tree. They like to perch in trees, or posts on the edges of clearings or meadows, and watch for prey. Ground squirrels, gophers, rabbits, mice, snakes, lizards, kestrels, and meadowlarks are their main prey. Once prey is sighted they will drop from their perch, flap-and-glide downward, then thrust their legs forward when about 9' from prey, and grab prey with feet. Birdsoftheworld.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." 

Red-tailed Hawk (adult) - Buteo jamaicensis

Just a few days ago, an adult Red-tailed Hawk showed up in our neighborhood!  It was easily distinguished from the juvenile I have been seeing by its rust-colored tail feathers. If our area stays snow-free this winter, they might just stick around!

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 mostly commonly seen raptors in North America, and are found from coast to coast in the U.S. and as far south as Venezuela. 

Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

On New Year's Day a Bald Eagle showed up! Wow!! It was perched in a tree on the edge of the river, looking for prey!  It's probably the one that I've seen infrequently this past month.  What a thrill it was to see this commanding, handsome eagle in our neighborhood!

Bald Eagles are LARGE birds, measuring 31" in height, with a wingspan of 80" (6.5 feet!)! Fish, waterfowl, and mammals are their main prey. Congress made the Bald Eagle our national emblem in 1782. However, within approximately 200 years, illegal shooting, habitat destruction, and poisoning from DDT brought the Bald Eagle to the brink of extinction. 

Strong endangered species and environmental protection laws, as well as active private, state and federal conservation efforts, have brought back the U.S.A.'s Bald Eagle population from the edge of extinction. The use of DDT pesticide is now outlawed in the U.S. The Bald Eagle is presently protected by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, Bald Eagle Protection Act of 1940, Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and the Lacey Act. It is listed as a "threatened" species in the lower 48 states."

Currently there are approximately 10,000 breeding pairs in mainland U.S. and approximately 35,000 breeding pairs in Alaska. It is my sincere hope that they remain protected by laws, and that their population continues to thrive. 

Gray Lodge and Snow Geese - 12/04/20

Anser caerulescens

My Third Trip to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area!

About 5 days before Christmas we drove down to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area to check out the birds again.  I absolutely LOVE going there!  It is so full of life!  The day before we went it had rained quite heavily.  When we got to Gray Lodge, we were totally surprised to see that most of the Snow Geese were gone! I don't know why they left, but we did see several large groups of Snow Geese foraging in some plowed fields in the area.  We did, however, see LOTS of raptors!  They were everywhere!

Raptors are birds of prey that have strong curved talons for catching or killing prey, strong feet for holding prey, a strong curved beak for tearing flesh, and excellent eyesight for finding food. They are carnivores and eat only meat in a variety of forms, including fish, birds, small mammals, and snakes. In contrast to most other birds, they are almost always solitary, to avoid competition for prey.

Their are many classifications (or subgroups) of raptors, such as accipiters, buteos, falcons, eagles, harriers, kites, vultures, ospreys, and owls. It's harder for raptors to find prey while the weather is stormy, as the mammals and birds they prey on tend to stay out of the elements. There is also the risk that they could get too wet while hunting in heavy rain. Most birds tend to become inactive in heavy weather, and wait out the storm. Big birds have a better surface-to-volume ratio than smaller birds, and don't have to eat as often. Survival in the wild is a finely tuned balance of elements that can be challenged by heavy, winter storms.

Gray Lodge and no Snow Geese! - 12/19/20

Since there weren't the thousands of Snow Geese to distract us, 

we focused on the raptors!

Peregrine Falcon (adult) - Cooper's Hawk (juvenile)

Falco peregrinus - Accipiter cooperii

 

We came across this stunning Peregrine Falcon towards the end of the day! What a surprise! Peregrine Falcons are uncommon, but we saw one two weeks ago in Gray Lodge!  This one was a LOT closer and SO beautiful!

Peregrines are formidable predators that have speed and extraordinary vision on their side. They are the fastest animal on earth! Their top diving speed can reach 238 mph! WOW!!! For this speed they need to start their dive at at least 3,280' off the ground, and the dive must be vertical! Most of their dives, or stoops, start at 705' to 1049' off the ground. If their dives aren't vertical, their diving speed is typically 66-86 mph. As they dive they spiral down to their prey, rather than turn their head! They prey on 429 species of birds in North America!

Due to pesticides such as DDT, Peregrine Falcon populations declined drastically in the 1960's, across North America and parts of Europe. With the ban of these pesticides, additional stringent legislation, and by raising them in captivity and releasing them back into the wild, these magnificent birds have made a stunning recovery!  The birdsoftheworld.org states, "One of the most widely distributed of warm-blooded terrestrial vertebrates, the Peregrine Falcon occurs from the tundra to the Tropics, from wetlands to deserts, from maritime islands to continental forests, and from featureless plains to mountain crags."

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My friend, Nancy, spotted this juvenile Cooper's Hawks in a Cottonwood Tree along the wetland!  Wow!  Some of the brown plumage on its white breast looked like rain drops! How beautiful! I wasn't 100% sure that this was a Cooper's Hawk, but iNaturalist.org confirmed its identification!

Cooper's Hawks are uncommon and mainly live in dense forests, but can also be found in leafy suburbs and open fields. They can be found across the United States year-round. Their main food is other large birds such as doves, pigeons and robins. They will also prey on squirrels, rabbits, mice and reptiles. They can readily pursue prey through dense thickets or forests. Their short wings and rudder-like tail makes them able to make quick, sharp turns. They grab prey with their feet, and will drown or squeeze them to death! They can see 2-3 times farther than humans! 

Red-tailed Hawks (adults)

Buteo jamaicensis - possible "Harlan's" morph

Red-tailed Hawks were numerous, and in a variety of "morphs"!  The one in the above right photo, was identified as a "Harlan's" morph on iNaturalist.org.  The feather colors are SO different!

Turkey Vulture (adult) - Northern Harrier (adult male)

Cathartes aura - Buteo jamaicensis

Turkey Vultures were roosting throughout the area.  This one was sunning or drying out its huge wings! They are large birds, measuring 26" in length, with a wingspan of 67"! Using these large wings, they can soar for hours while searching for carrion. They have a keen sense of smell and can detect carrion for miles! Their red heads are featherless, which helps keep the carrion from sticking to them. They also have excellent immune systems and don't contract botulism, or salmonella from the carrion they eat. 

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We saw a Northern Harrier making its typical low-flight search above the reeds and tules.  I wasn't able to get a photo, but it was lovely to watch (the above photos is from a different wetland). Northern Harriers are uncommon but widespread in grasslands, as well as fresh and saltwater marshes. They can be found across most of the United States and Mexico in winter, and will migrate to Canada and Alaska to breed. They prey on medium to small sized birds and mammals, reptiles, and frogs. Unlike other hawks, they have an owl-like facial disc/ruff that helps them locate prey acoustically. 

Snowy Egrets (adults) - Egretta thula

We spotted these beautiful Snowy Egrets on our way home!  They were so elegantly perched on these leafless branches! 

Snowy Egrets feed on worms, aquatic and terrestrial insects, crabs, shrimp, prawns, crayfish, snails, fish, frogs, toads, snakes and lizards!  They have more foraging methods than any other egret species, including foot-stirring, walking slowly, hovering, striking, and disturb-and-chase. They can live in fresh or salt water wetlands, and probably live year-round in California's Central Valley.  

In the 1880's the Snowy Egrets population was in serious decline. Birdsoftheworld.org states, "This species was among the most sought-after of all herons and egrets for its delicate, recurved back plumes, used to adorn women's hats. In 1886, plumes were valued at an astounding $32 per ounce, twice the contemporary price of gold . Plundering for plumes began about 1880, peaked in 1903, and continued until 1910, when outraged citizens forced the passage of laws that reduced the slaughter. Hunting continued longer in Central and South America because of continued European demand. The species mounted a remarkable comeback following cessation of the feather trade, even extending its range beyond that of historical record."

White-faced Ibis (adult) - Sora (adult)

Plegadis chihi - Porzana carolina

We only saw a few White-faced Ibis. They were a dark, rainbow-iridescense in the sun! They use their long decurved bills to probe for aquatic insects, crustaceans, earthworms, and midge larvae. During their breeding season (April to mid-May) a white rim of feathers is displayed around the bare skin of their face, hence their name! They may stay and breed in California, or migrate to Idaho, Montana, N. & S. Dakota, or Iowa. We saw several lone Ibis, as well as one large flock. When they fly they look almost prehistoric to me, with their curved necks and bills.

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We lucked out and saw a Sora in the tules! These birds are secretive and more commonly heard than seen. They live in shallow, fresh water wetlands with emergent vegetation, such as cattails, and feed on seeds and aquatic invertebrates on the surface of the water. They prefer to run rather than fly, and do most of their foraging at night!  I only saw it for a few seconds, and then it disappeared into the tules. What a lucky sighting!

 Sierra Buttes - 12/28/20

Lakes Basin Update!

Last Monday I drove to the Lakes Basin and hiked up to Sardine Lake from the Sand Shed on Highway 49.  The sky was blanketed in patchy clouds, and there was about a foot of snow on the ground.  It was easy walking on the road that had been packed down by snow mobiles!  Luckily there weren't any people around at all.  I was amazed at the abundance of life written in the snow!  There were animal tracks everywhere!  

 Sierra Buttes from frozen Sand Pond - 12/28/20

The lakes were frozen, and the Sierra Buttes were capped in mist!  It was wonderful to be back in the Lakes Basin and its winter beauty!

Will the expected stormy weather bring a lot of rain?

Does lichen have the same relationship with rain/water that moss has?

What are the deer doing?

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

Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.

Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.

Wet Weather Again!

Common Goldeneyes (2 adult males & 1 juvenile)

Bucephala clangula

This past week we had 3 days of rain with a total rainfall of 2.20". The river is up and everything is soaked! Yahoo!!! We haven't got any measurable snow yet this year, but the Lakes Basin is blanketed. This week, I counted 3 groups of Common Goldeneye ducks, ranging from 6-12 in number, in a 7 mile, mid-elevation, section of the river. They were probably driven down from the Lakes Basin by the recent snows!

In California, Common Goldeneyes are the only ducks that regularly spend the winter on rivers and lakes above the foothills of the western Sierra. They are diving ducks and eat fish, aquatic vertebrates, seeds, and tubers. When diving, they keep their wings pressed to their sides underwater, and swim with their webbed feet! This species can fly up to 40 mph, and the wind "whistles" through their wing feathers! They will spend the rest of the winter here. In the spring they will leave for their northern breeding grounds in Alaska and Canada.

Common Goldeneyes (1 adult female & 1 juvenile)

Adult males have bright white dots on their greenish-black heads (see top photo) and white bodies.  Juvenile males and females both have brown heads and gray bodies.  Adult females have brown heads, without a white spot, and gray bodies, but the tip of their black bill is yellow.  

Common Goldeneyes - Bucephala clangula

They were so beautiful to watch, as they swam in a close-knit group along the river! Both males and females have golden eyes!

Pine Siskin - Spinus pinus

 Fast moving flocks of Pine Siskins were landing and feeding on the seeds in the female Alder cones this morning!  The flock I saw was probably 50+ Siskins in number!!!  They were amazing to watch, flying and landing in unison, hurriedly feeding, and then suddenly all taking off again! 

Lately I've been reading about how flocks of birds navigate as a group.  Here's what I learned from https://www.audubon.org/magazine/march-april-2009/how-flock-birds-can-fly-and-move-together.  

Each bird in a flock observes and responds to the movement of no more than seven neighboring birds.  Mainly birds to its sides and to its front!  This response by one bird creates a chain reaction that ripples quickly through the rest of the flock.  Members of a flock do not stay an exact distance away from each other, like dots on a grid.  This space fluctuates, with the priority being to maintain the space ahead of each individual, not so much the space to the sides or above and below. This "ripple effect" explains some of the flight behavior in flocks, but doesn't explain everything.  Researchers believe that other factors affect the behavior of flocks, such as sound or even rushing air from a close neighbor. There is still a lot to learn and discover!

Pine Siskins (the gray shapes) & Mountain Alder cones (insert) 

Spinus pinus - Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia

Pine Siskins are named for their preference for pine and other conifer seeds. They will hang from the tips of branches to glean seeds from the cones. They also feed on the ground for a wide variety of grass and shrub seeds, garden vegetable leaves and stems, and insects. Sap in tree trunk holes, that Sapsuckers have made, can also be part of their diet! They will also ingest minerals along the sides of roads! They range widely and erratically in response to seed crops. Their main food in winter is cone seeds and tree buds. Locally they've been eating the seeds from this year's alder cones.

 When food is plentiful they will store lots of seeds in their crop, which gets them through cold winter nights. Unlike hummingbirds, that go into a state of torpor overnight, Pine Siskins ramp up their metabolic rate to stay warm at night! They also put on a layer of fat for winter! I love watching these little birds and hearing their busy chatter as they forage and perch in the trees! They travel in small to large flocks all year. One morning two winters ago, 122 of them landed and feasted on thistle seeds that I had scattered on the snow!!!

One of my favorite descriptions of birds in small flocks, like these Pine Siskins, is the following poem by Brian O'Hara.

THE SPARROWS 

Away and out from branches, 

a handful of pebbles thrown, 

together arch and wing their way 

and down to earth again. 

Your oneness amazes me, 

that anticipates and follows movement. 

Together forever together.

Drinking at fountains, rolling in dust, 

chasing insects, 

weightless, defying gravity. 

Riders of wind waves, 

writing graceful lines with feathers, invisible. 

The innocence of children playing. 

Flute in the morning, under the eaves at night.

from Sparrowhawk by Brian O'Hara ©1990

Window Frost

Frosty Mornings! 

It's been cold at night lately, in the 20's! In the mornings if it's not raining, there's frost on the car windows, as well as on the leaves, grasses, and twigs that are on the ground. It can be surprisingly beautiful! Especially if you look closely! 

Water vapor, when frozen, forms crystals that begin as hexagonal prisms. These prisms can be flat small plates, or tall thin columns. These hexagonal prisms will change in shape as temperatures fluctuate, and/or particles of dirt/dust combine with the water vapor. There are several different kinds of frost. The most common are radiation/hoarfrost, advection, window, and rime. 

The following information is from the website at https://www.its.caltech.edu/atomic/snowcrystals/frost/frost.htm. 

"Frost is water vapor, or water in a gas form, that becomes solid. Frost usually forms on objects like cars, windows, and plants that are outside in air that is saturated, or filled, with moisture. 

Frost forms when an outside surface cools past the dew point. The dew point is the point where the air gets so cold, the water vapor in the atmosphere turns into liquid. This liquid freezes. If it gets cold enough, little bits of ice, or frost, form. The ice is arranged in the form of ice crystals. Frost usually forms at night, when the air temperature is cooler. Once the sun rises and warms the air around the frosted object, frost melts quickly. 

Radiation/Hoarfrost: When frost forms as minute ice crystals covering the ground, we just call it all frost. But sometimes the frost grains grow larger and are called hoarfrost crystals. Good hoarfrost is not that uncommon if you watch for it. Hoarfrost grows whenever it's cold outside and there is a ample source of water vapor nearby. 

Surface Hoar: The most common form of hoarfrost is called surface hoar. This consists of ice crystals that form on top of snow banks, usually overnight. The sparkles you see coming from a field of snow are often reflections off the facets of surface hoar crystals. Surface hoar typically forms when a snowbank warms up during the day and is then cooled again overnight. The night air cools the surface of the snowbank more than the inside, so that water can evaporate from inside the snowbank and recrystalize on the surface. By morning the snowbank is covered with a layer of faceted ice crystals, and they can be quite large. These usually melt again once the sun comes up, so the best time to find surface hoar is early in the morning. 

Advection Frost forms when a cold wind blows over the branches of trees, poles, and other surface, and forms a collection of small ice spikes.

Window Frost forms when a pane of glass is exposed to below-freezing temperatures on the outside and moist air on the inside. Water vapor from the air condenses as frost on the inside surface of the window. Window frost often makes elaborate patterns as the crystal growth is strongly influenced by the window surface. Scratches, residual soap streaks, etc., can all change the way the crystals nucleate and grow.

Rime Frost is frost that forms quickly, usually in very cold, wet climates. Rime also forms in windy weather. Rime sometimes looks like solid ice. Snow crystals accumulate rime when they collide with water droplets in the clouds. When the clouds are near the ground you have fog, and sometimes the fog is made from supercooled water droplets -- water at a temperature below the freezing point. Then the droplets freeze on contact to anything they hit, sometimes yielding some bizarre, wind-driven rime formations."

Does lichen have the same relationship with rain/water that moss has?

What are the deer doing?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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

Unfortunately you can no longer sign up to get my blog emailed to you.

Something changed at Blogspot.com. Oh well... However, my blog looks better if you just go to northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com, rather than get the emailed version. I suggest that you just bookmark my blog and visit it every Sunday afternoon!

Your questions and comments are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com.

Another Year!

Part of the Sierra Buttes

Nature is never boring.  It's alive, fascinating, and constantly changing! The more I learn the more amazing everything becomes, and I know so little!  Over the past four years, I've been learning how precisely it all fits and works together. Timing is critical!  The ripening of seeds, the falling of rain, and the heat of the sun are just a few parts of this finely tuned, wild ecosystem. Layer after layer of wild things, in their ecological niches, pulse and thrive in my neighborhood! As a daily observer, I am constantly surprised, amazed, and filled with their grace and beauty!

During this past difficult year of social, political, and environmental turmoil, nature has been my companion, my source of stability, and my inspiration. I am so grateful that I live where nature is right outside my door, and look forward to many more years of further observation, delight, and adventure!

Four years ago, on December 23, 2016, I started this blog!  It has been an incredible four years! I have learned so much, and have so much still to learn! I also enjoy sharing my discoveries and photos with the world!  This year I had 6,267 hits on my blog (almost a 1,000 more than last year), from 74 different countries!  Thanks go to all of you for following my blog, and for sending me your complimentary comments! 

Below are my photo collections from this past year, featuring newly seen species as well as some of the local regulars!  Enjoy!

 

Wood Duck

Osprey - Virginia Rail

Great Horned Owl - European Starling & Downy Woodpecker

American Bittern - Rough-legged Hawk

Lewis's Woodpecker - Sharp-shinned Hawk

Sora - Bald Eagle

Common Merganser & ducklings

Again, my thanks go to Cornell University for the incredible internet resources they provide for the public.  Their websites are numerous, my favorites are their newly posted birdsoftheworld.org, and birdsna.org. I am also so grateful for the input of other naturalists/scientists on inaturalist.org, who have identified many species for me.

American Pronghorn

Virginia Opossum - Black Bear

Grey Fox - Cottontail Rabbit

Yellow-bellied Marmot - Lodgepole Chipmunk

River Otter - Muskrat

Columbian Black-tailed Deer - Chickaree/Douglas Squirrel

Desert Bighorn Sheep

There are many websites about mammals available on the internet, my favorite is animaldiversity.org.  It has also been a fantastic resource for information on critters of all kinds, from mammals to tardigrades!

  

Sierra Primrose

Drummond's Anemone - Subalpine Shooting Star

Little Elephant's Heads - Rosin weed

Sugarstick - Whitestem Frasera

Elephant's Heads - Bog Asphodel

Peony - Spotted Fritillary

Anderson's Thistle & Rufous Hummingbird

I am also so grateful for the calflora.org website. It is an incredible resource for identifying flowers/plants, with 1,000's of photos.   Additionally, I am so thankful for my botanist friend, Peggy, who has identified many plants for me over these past years!  The bugguide.net website has been my source for identifying the local bugs. It too provides 1,000's of photos and an identification service!

Sierra Buttes

Smoke obscured sun - Smoke colored North Yuba River

North Yuba Trail - Sierra Buttes (detail)

North Yuba River - Long Lake (summer)

Silver Lake - Mt. Elwell

Smoke colored river sparkles in the North Yuba - Sunset in Sierra County

Sierra Valley

The landscape I live in is stunning! 

I never tire of watching the light change. Such beauty!

Best wishes to all of you for the coming New Year! 

Check back on Sunday, Dec 27th for the next edition of 

northyubanaturalist.blogspot.com!

Your comments and questions are greatly appreciated!

Please email me at northyubanaturalist@gmail.com

South Yuba River State Park

Upper arm of Englebright Lake

Last week we drove down to the South Yuba River State Park and went hiking.  This foothill park is located in an oak woodland, about 2,000' lower in elevation than my neighborhood.  It is one of my favorite places to go in the winter and the spring.  In the spring it is a riot of wildflowers!  In the winter it is snow-free, populated with birds, and quite a bit warmer than my neighborhood!  This time we hiked along the upper arm of Englebright Lake, where the combined North and Middle Forks of the Yuba River merge with the lake.  It was a little wintery but not cold, and still had some beautiful fall color!

Englebright Lake

Most striking were the willows that have lasted and lasted this year, and still glowed a deep, rich yellow along the lakeshore.

Bald Eagle - Haliaeetus leucocephalus

As soon as we got out of the car I spotted a big raptor in a distant tree!  I walked towards it and managed to get a few photos before it flew off.  

It was a Bald Eagle!!!  What an amazing start to the day!

Toyon - Pacific Madrone

Heteromeles arbutifolia - Arbutus menziesii

I live in a mixed conifer forest.  Down in the foothills, the vegetation is totally different!  We hiked through a mainly Blue Oak forest along the lake, that was interspersed with Black Oak, Canyon Live Oak, Interior Live Oak, Madrone, Toyon, Buckeye, and Gray Pine.  The Madrone and Toyon had tons of berries!

Toyon berries form in June or July, but don't ripen until December! When they are green they contain cyano-glucosides in their pulp. When a bird tries to eat a green berry, cyanide gas is released and deters the bird! The un-ripened berries are also full of bitter tannins that discourage foragers! Over time the cyanide compounds gradually move into the seeds and the tannins diminish. In December, when the berries are bright red, they aren't bitter and the pulp no longer contains cyanide compounds! Approximately 20+ species of birds eat Toyon berries during winter! In addition to Western Bluebirds, you might see Band-tailed Pigeons, Cedar Waxwings, Hermit Thrushes, and Varied Thrushes feeding on them! Foxes, Brush Rabbits, Black Bears, and Coyotes also feed on the ripened berries!

As for Madrone berries, Wikipedia states, "Native Americans ate the berries raw and cooked, but because the berries have a high tannin content and are thus astringent, they more often chewed them or made them into a cider. Overeating causes cramps. The Native Americans also used the berries to make necklaces and other decorations, and as bait for fishing. Bark and leaves were used to treat stomach aches, cramps, skin ailments, and sore throats. The bark was often made into a tea to be drunk for these medicinal purposes. Many mammal and bird species feed off the berries, including American Robins, Cedar Waxwings, Band-tailed Pigeons, Varied Thrushes, Quail, Mule Deer, Raccoons, Ring-tailed Cats, and Black Bears. Mule deer will also eat the young shoots when the trees are regenerating after fire." 

Ruby-crowned Kinglet - Regulus calendula

In the bushes along the trail we kept hearing a rattling call, but were unable to identify what bird was singing.  There were lots of little birds flitting around in the bushes. They were hard to identify or photograph because they kept moving around, resting a second or less in one spot.  Later on we got a clear view of a Ruby-crowned Kinglet making the rattling calll!  Ruby-crowned Kinglets are named for the bright scarlet "crown patch" the male exhibits when excited or antagonized.  Most of the time the crown isn't visible. These tiny birds mainly inhabit the snow-free foothills during winter, but move up to the Lodgepole/Hemlock forests to breed, around 9000' in elevation. I've seen these little birds all winter in my neighborhood this year. Their fluffy, thick plumage keeps them warm at night.  For food, they glean small insects off of twigs and branches.

What was most interesting about the day, was the number of bird feathers we saw on the ground.  They were scattered along the trail wherever we went!  Apparently birds were getting eaten on a regular basis!  Birds are eaten by mammals, such as foxes and weasels, as well as by other birds, mostly raptors.  

Some raptors will pluck the feathers off their prey before they eat them.  

Which is probably why all these feathers were in one spot.

Most raptors eat their entire prey, but feathers, fur, and bones aren't easily digested so they regurgitate them.  We found this big pile of feathers and bones on the trail!  We have no idea what kind of bird may have done this, but probably a raptor of some kind.  The following information on raptor regurgitation is from http://fauconeduc.biz/documents/pelletguide09_10.pd.

"Most raptors eat their entire prey. Some owls even eat them whole, in one gulp, when they are small enough of course! The bird’s stomach can digest the meat, the fat and other tissues but not the feathers, fur or bones of the prey. All these non-digested parts create a pellet in the bird’s gizzard, an organ of the digestive system. The process of digestion and of forming a pellet can take between 6 and 24 hours depending on the type and the size of the prey eaten. It is important the bird coughs up this mass of nondigested parts because it could get in the way of the absorption of nutrients and cause certain health problems. The pellet gets coated with protective mucus when it leaves the gizzard to be regurgitated; this prevents the throat irritation and makes it easier to regurgitate.

When dissecting a pellet you might find a wide variety of things inside: skulls, beaks, various bones, insect exoskeletons, etc. The content will allow you to identify the type and number of prey the bird ate. For example, if you find three skulls, this means that the bird ate three animals during the last day. Moreover, if the skulls are incomplete, they are likely to be from birds since their bones are fragile whereas if the skulls are intact, they are probably from rodents. Finally, it is usually easy to tell apart the two prey skulls since you can see small teeth on mammal skulls and none on the birds’.

Nocturnal raptors (owls) have a generally less efficient digestive system than that of diurnal raptors and as a result, produce impressive pellets. Owls’ pellets can contain up to 10 times more bones than those of diurnal raptors (eagles, vultures, hawks and falcons). They can measure between 2.5 and 10 cm and are good indicators of the prey consumed. Also, the size, color and content of a pellet can indicate what raptor produced it. If for example, a pellet contains a lot of insects, there is a good chance it was produced by an Eastern Screech Owl since they eat bugs, or if the pellet is very large, it would be from a Great Horned Owl which has

a larger stomach."

It was a peaceful, gray, overcast day, subdued in sound and light, and by the 

late afternoon it started to rain!  How wonderful!

Dogwood in the Rain

Weather Update!

It started raining the afternoon we were down at Englebright Lake, and by the end of the week, we had a total rainfall of 3.30"!  Yahoo!  The snow level was around 4,500' so I'm sure the Lakes Basin has several inches of new snow on the ground!  I hope this wet winter weather lasts and lasts!  The storms pretty much knocked off the last of the fall leaves, but I still found a few hanging on!  

Rose leaves in the Rain

We still need stormy, wet Weather!

Even though we got 5.13" of rain in November, and another 3.30" this past week, we still need a LOT more. I am once again sending out a "Call for Art", this time in celebration of winter weather. My intention is to focus on the need for rain or snow, and through collective positive energy invoke them to fall. It is just a wish, a thought, and a hope. If you would like to submit some art, or writing, or a photo please check out my blog at dampearthart.blogspot.com. I will be posting new art weekly.

You can view what was submitted last year at dampearth.blogspot.com.

Check it out and pray for rain!

American Dipper with smoke-colored Sparkles - Cinclus mexicanus

River Birds!

Back in my neighborhood, there is one Great Blue Heron, two Belted Kingfishers, a few Black Phoebes, one Bald Eagle, and several American Dippers that have been commonly seen along the river this winter!  Most of these birds live here year-round, except for the Bald Eagle who is a part-time resident.  I thought I'd focus on the American Dippers for this blog, as they are such amazing river dwellers!

American Dippers are the only aquatic songbird in North America!  Lately I've been hearing them sing some amazingly varied songs!  It turns out that fall, early winter, and early spring are when they sing the most.  They are quiet in spring and summer when raising their offspring.  They were John Muir's favorite bird.  The following passage from his book, The Mountains of California, has a lovely description of the American Dipper's song. 

"But as soon as the winter clouds have bloomed, and the mountain treasuries are once more replenished with snow, the voices of the streams and ouzels increase in strength and richness until the flood season of early summer. Then the torrents chant their noblest anthems, and then is the flood-time of our songster's melody. As for weather, dark days and sun days are the same to him. The voices of most song-birds, however joyous, suffer a long winter eclipse; but the Ouzel sings on through all the seasons and every kind of storm. Indeed no storm can be more violent than those of the waterfalls in the midst of which he delights to dwell. However dark and boisterous the weather, snowing, blowing, or cloudy, all the same he sings, and with never a note of sadness. No need of spring sunshine to thaw his song, for it never freezes. Never shall you hear anything wintry from his warm breast; no pinched cheeping, no wavering notes between sorrow and joy; his mellow, fluty voice is ever tuned to downright gladness, as free from dejection as cock-crowing."

(You can read John Muir's whole chapter on American Dippers at: https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/the_mountains_of_california/chapter_13.aspx)

American Dipper at nest with Nestlings - Cinclus mexicanus

Pair formation begins in winter.  Both the male and female sing quite loudly in order to be heard by their mate or potential mate, over the sound of the rushing water!  Although Dippers do not mate for life, they often mate with the same female several years in a row!  Some males will mate with more than one female.  A mated pair will defend their long linear "territory" on a river or stream, and keep intruders/competitors away from their nesting area.  Both male and female build the nest, and care for the fledglings. Pairs will live together year-round if food and habitat are available. 

 American Dipper Underwater - Cinclus mexicanus

For food, they dive underwater and eat aquatic insects and larvae as well as tiny fish.  They have powerful legs, long toes (NOT webbed) and streamlined bodies that makes walking on underwater rocks, in swift currents, possible.  They also swim underwater using their wings like flippers and their tail like a rudder.  With a heavy coat of oil on their outer feathers coupled with a dense coat of downy feathers underneath, Dippers can tolerate the frigid winter river.  They have twice as many feathers as any songbird their size, even their eyelids are feathered!  As they dive under the water, special scales slide to cover their nostrils and nictitating membranes cover their eyes!  The membranes are hinged at the inner side of the eyes and sweep horizontally across the corneas.  The scales keep water out of the Dipper's nose, and the membranes make it possible for it to see underwater.

American Dipper in Snow - Cinclus mexicanus

Their feet don't freeze in the frigid water, for a variety of reasons. 

In heat exchange, the closer two temperatures are (eg. creek water and bird feet) the less heat is exchanged. So if you have cold feet, you don't lose much heat to ice or snow. Their feet are cold because of the counter-current heat exchange system between the arteries and veins in their feet. Warm arterial blood flowing to the feet passes close to the cold venous blood returning from the feet. The arterial blood warms up the venous blood, thus lowering the arterial blood's temperature. This makes the arterial blood relatively cool when it flows through the feet, and less heat exchange occurs. The cooled blood provides just enough oxygen and food to tissues, and just enough warmth to avoid frostbite! Surprisingly most birds only lose about 5% of their body heat through their feet!

Does lichen have the same relationship with rain/water that moss has?

What are the deer doing?

What's happening in the Lakes Basin?

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

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