A Bit of the Boreal Forest in Northern California

Earlier this January, we spent several days exploring the lush, ferny redwood groves and mossy Sitka spruce forests of northwestern California, and while hiking though this enchanting habitat, observing the plants, birds and other wildlife, it occurred to me that in a sense, winter in California's Humboldt and Del Norte counties is a little bit like summer in North America's vast boreal forests.  

Varied Thrush


Also called taiga, the world's boreal forests form a lush, green ring around the top of our planet, covering much of Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia and Russia.  These dense forests are comprised largely of coniferous trees, particularly pine, fir, and most notably, spruce.  At such high latitudes, long, cold winters are characteristic of the boreal forest, but even so, these often-snowy forests are vital to the health of our planet.  Boreal forests are massively important on a global ecological scale, as they hold more surface freshwater than any other biome, function as the "lungs" of the planet, store carbon and provide a home for a wide variety of species, including over 300 species of birds and some of North America's most iconic mammals, like wolves, grizzly bears, moose and caribou.  Though winter lasts for many months in the boreal forest, the short, sun-drenched summer is amazingly productive, as migratory birds return by the billions to breed in these northern woods and wetlands, taking advantage of long days and a booming insect population.  

North America's taiga remains the most intact of all the world's boreal forests, with over one billion acres of essentially untouched wilderness.

Map showing the extent of North America's extensive boreal forest
https://www.borealbirds.org/boreal-forest


While examples of all six of the world's major biomes can be found in California, the state does not really have true boreal forest.  However, the coniferous forests of northern California, as well as those at high elevations in the Sierra Nevada range, can function like little islands of the boreal biome, where the dominance of coniferous trees, a moss-covered understory and long, cold, damp winters all mimic conditions found farther north in the taiga proper.

While hundreds of species of birds breed in the boreal forests during the brief summer months, relatively few stick around all year; most migrate south, and many of those spend the winter in northern California, where a mosaic of forests, meadows, wetlands and even pastureland present a suitable substitute for their summer boreal home.

Below are some of the species we saw while hiking and birding in Humboldt and Del Norte counties.  It was this assemblage of species that made me start thinking about this interesting relationship between the boreal forests of Alaska and Canada and the forests of northwestern California.  It also reminded me how blessed we are to live in a state with as much biodiversity as California!  While I would love to get up to Alaska one day (in the summer) to see these species (and plenty more) on their breeding grounds, it's such a treat that we're able to see them in the winter, right here in our own state.

Varied Thrush
Varied Thrush Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Varied_Thrush/maps-range




The Varied Thrush is a somewhat enigmatic songbird of the Pacific Northwest's dense, dark, damp forests, where some populations remain year-round.  This is one species that seems as much at home in the boreal forests of Alaska and western Canada as it does in northwestern California, where it can be heard during the spring breeding season singing its haunting and somewhat dissonant one-note song.  





Fox Sparrow (Sooty subspecies)

Fox Sparrow Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Fox_Sparrow/maps-range



Four distinct populations of Fox Sparrows are found across North America, all preferring slightly different types of shrubby forested habitat for breeding.  The most boreal subspecies is the Red Fox Sparrow, which breeds from Alaska to Newfoundland, while Sooty Fox Sparrows are birds of the damp Pacific Northwest.  Slate-colored Fox Sparrows breed in the mountains of the interior West and Thick-billed Fox Sparrows are restricted to the Sierra Nevada mountains. 






White-throated Sparrow

White-throated Sparrow Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/White-throated_Sparrow/maps-range

White-throated Sparrows are birds of coniferous forests across Canada, the upper Midwest and northeastern U.S.  Like most songbirds, they move south during the winter and are familiar backyard winter birds for many bird feeder enthusiasts.  

While it was a joy to hear them singing their sweet "Oh Sweet Canada-Canada-Canada" song in Maine a few summers ago, it was equally special to watch them foraging quietly for berries in the cold, dark understory of a Sitka spruce forest in Del Norte county!







Palm Warbler

Palm Warbler Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Palm_Warbler/maps-range



Another bird I first met in Maine, the Palm Warbler spends the short summer breeding season in boreal forest bogs, and in the winter they enjoy similarly damp, often shrubby or weedy places.  In Humboldt county, I found a pair of Palm Warblers, content to hang out along an overgrown fencerow and damp ditch in the expanse of pastureland known fondly to birders as the Arcata "Bottoms."







Red Crossbill

Red Crossbill Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red_Crossbill/maps-range


Red Crossbills are a widespread and often nomadic species of seed-eating finch that wanders widely across North American coniferous forest following productive cone crops.  I almost always hear crossbills before I see them, and their various "kip-kip-kip" calls can be used to separate them into ten or more distinct "types."  

The photo above, taken at Sue-Meg State Park, is certainly not going to win me any awards; check out this slightly better one from Grand Teton National Park! 







Where's Waldo-style Canada Jay

Canada Jay Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Jay/maps-range

Across much of the boreal zone, Canada Jays tend to be nonmigratory residents, their wide and varied diet, coupled with their skills of caching food, allowing them to ride out the harsh northern winters.  Looking like overgrown chickadees, these cute and curious birds have also learned that where there are humans, there is food, earning them the nickname "Camp Robber." 

Once again, forgive the horrible photo quality (these birds can be tough to find in California!!)  We got much better looks at these adorable jays in Washington a few years ago!







Horned Grebes

Horned Grebe Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Horned_Grebe/maps-range


Songbirds aren't the only birds that breed in boreal forests!  The extensive freshwater lakes and wetlands that thickly dot the region are perfect habitat for a wide variety of waterfowl and shorebirds as well.  

During the breeding season, flashy Horned Grebes take up residence in shallow freshwater ponds with plenty of emergent vegetation.  Here, they sport shiny black and rufous plumage, with dazzling yellow-orange "horns" or tufts of feathers on either side of their heads.  These colors fade to muted black and white in the winter, when they can be found on either fresh or salt water.









Green-winged Teal (male)

Green-winged Teal Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Green-winged_Teal/maps-range



Dazzling little Green-winged Teals are just one of many species of North American ducks to breed in the productive and valuable wetlands of the boreal zone.  Estimates are that some 12 to 15 million ducks, belonging to 23 different species, breed in and around the wetlands within North America's boreal forests. 







Bufflehead (female)
Bufflehead Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Bufflehead/maps-range




North America's smallest diving duck, the Bufflehead is another boreal-breeding duck, though it is dependent on coniferous forests in a slightly different way from most other species of duck.  While they still choose nesting habitat near ponds and wetlands within the boreal forest, Bufflehead are cavity nesters, laying their eggs well above the ground in hollows excavated by Northern Flickers in the trunks of trees.





Long-billed Dowitcher

Long-billed Dowitcher Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Long-billed_Dowitcher/maps-range
A wide variety of shorebirds breed in the boreal forest's extensive wetlands as well, including dowitchers, sandpipers and yellowlegs, among others. 

Long-billed Dowitchers nest in wet meadows near freshwater ponds where they forage along the shallow edges by probing in the mud with their bills.  While Long-billed Dowitchers tend to breed along the northern edges of the boreal forest where taiga gives way to tundra, their close relative, the Short-billed Dowitcher, breeds slightly father south, in the heart of the boreal zone.  








Merlin
Merlin Range Map
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Merlin/maps-range




A fierce little falcon of the north, the Merlin prefers open areas for hunting the avian prey it most often pursues.  (While birding at Arcata Marsh in Humboldt county, we watched the Merlin pictured above fly in over the mudflats, low, straight and fast, to snatch away an unwary sandpiper!)  The boreal or taiga subspecies nests near wetlands, lakes and other openings within the boreal forest; this is the subspecies most likely to be found wintering in California.  







Winter presents an unparalleled opportunity to see so many breeding birds of northern boreal forests up close; often this is the only time of year the average birder gets to see them at all!  It's also the perfect time to reflect on the amazing journeys these birds have been designed to undergo each year, flying back and forth from remote boreal forests to the woodlands and wetlands right in your own backyard!  Next time you see one of these species - or one of the other 325 North American species of bird that breed in the boreal forest - take a minute to appreciate the little feathered miracle that is before you and marvel at the intricate interconnectedness of our beautiful planet.


Read more about the mysteries of bird migration here.

And learn more about birds of the boreal forest here and here.

Comments

Post a Comment

About Me

Named after the Sierra Nevada Mountains, I am a naturalist and avid birder based in Central California. Above all, I am a follower of Jesus Christ, our amazingly good Creator God whose magnificent creation is an unending source of awe and inspiration for me. I hope to inspire others to appreciate, respect and protect this beautiful earth we share, and invite you to come along with me as I explore the nature of California and beyond!
- Siera Nystrom -



You Might Also Like:

All The Ducks!

Image
On a recent birding trip to Merced National Wildlife Refuge, I tallied up a list of sixteen different species of ducks.  Only a few more species, around twenty in total, are expected in the Central Valley of California's freshwater marshes during the winter, so I consider that to be an excellent day for ducks! North American ducks are broadly separated into two categories, largely based on their methods of foraging for food.   Dabbling ducks , also known as "puddle ducks," tend to frequent shallow water, where they are commonly seen tipping bottoms-up to feed on plant matter and invertebrates in the water and on the muddy bottom.  They are most at home in water, but walk easily on land as well, as their legs are positioned near the center of their bodies.  The wings of dabbling ducks are relatively large, which allows them to take off from the surface of the water, straight up into their air.  Dabbling ducks almost all nest on the ground, near water....
Read more

North America's Most Iconic Wildlife

Image
Summer is upon us, and with any luck, that means vacation.  For those of us who love nature and the great outdoors, that usually means traveling to visit North America's beautiful National and State Parks.  And for the binocular-toting crowd in particular, an experience in the outdoors is not complete without a few memorable encounters with the wonderful wild animals that call these places home.  Visit any National Park in North America and a traffic jam is sure to mean one thing: Wildlife.  (Or, possibly, lack of parking spots.  But hopefully it's wildlife.)  A critter pauses along the roadside anywhere from Acadia to Joshua Tree, and all the break lights flash on. We can't help ourselves.  Wildlife enthralls us. I roll my eyes at tourists who stop their cars in Yosemite Valley to gawk at Mule Deer, a common, ho-hum species here in the West.  Yet when we visited Great Smoky Mountains National Park last year, I did the exact same thing when I sp...
Read more

Birding in Adverse Weather Conditions: Wind and Rain

Image
Though I often extol the virtues and merits of winter in the Central Valley , especially when it comes to birding, the whole truth is that we experience "bad" weather also, just like anywhere else.  But even when the winter weather rolls in, the birds are still out there!  And sometimes, despite our best planning efforts, a birding day happens to coincide with crummy weather.   In that case, what's a birder to do?  Usually, we go birding anyway!   Birders far more intrepid than I regularly brave the ice and snow of northern winters to see their favorite birds, so perhaps you should look to them for real tips on winter birding!  For those of us in the valleys of California, the worst weather we see - wind and rain - is really comparatively mild.  Birding on an extremely windy day! I don't know of anyone who actually likes birding in the rain.  But I would argue that birding in the wind is just as aggravating as trying to bird in the rai...
Read more

A Shorebird Primer: Godwits, Curlews, Willets and Whimbrels

Image
For those of us living in the Great Central Valley, autumn is the time to head to the coast.  Of course, there is no bad time to visit California's magnificent coastline.  But as the heat and haze of summer drag on in the Valley, the sea becomes increasingly tantalizing: September and the onset of autumn bring sunny weather and an abundance of migratory seabirds and shorebirds to our coast. A new birder visiting California's Central Coast will undoubtedly be met with a splendid array of very confusing birds.  Among these are small shorebirds like  "peeps" (sandpipers), Sanderlings and various  plovers .  But the larger birds can be just as confusing, until you learn a few distinguishing features.  Four large shorebirds that are commonly seen (and commonly confused) along California's Central Coast are Godwits, Curlews, Willets and Whimbrels. Marbled Godwit (upper left), Whimbrel (upper right), Long-billed Cu...
Read more

Birds of the Desert: Residents & Spring Migrants

Image
Nearly everyone knows the desert as a barren, desolate land of extremes: high heat, low precipitation; little available food and water; prickly, spiny, unfriendly plants growing in a sea of rocks and sand as far as the eye can see.  But for those who stop and look closer, the desert reveals itself as the beautiful, incredible, mesmerizing place it truly is, teeming with unexpected life. Juvenile male Costa's Hummingbird visiting chuparosa blooms next to our campsite in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. I particularly love the desert in the spring, when the annual wildflowers, cacti, flowering trees and shrubs are all in bloom.  (I've experienced the desert in the searing 120 degree heat of summer, and the rainy, even snowy cold of winter... and spring wins every time!)  Eric and I just returned from a week in the Colorado desert, exploring the imperiled, accidental Salton Sea (more on that coming soon), the vital wetlands of the Sonny Bono Salton ...
Read more

Joshua Tree Woodlands: A Tale of Sloths, Moths and the Trees that Need Them

Image
In 1844, early California explorer John C. Fremont gave a somewhat scathing review of Joshua trees when he wrote, "...their stiff and ungraceful form makes them to the traveler the most repulsive tree in the vegetable kingdom."  Rather unkind, don't you think?  But when Joshua trees were formally described by scientist William Trelease in the 1890's, he noted that Joshua Trees are "the most attractive of all the Yuccas."  I am inclined to agree with this sentiment, and must disagree most heartily with Lieutenant Fremont! I, for one, adore Joshua Trees, with their whimsical shapes and great ecological significance!  If you struggle with plant identification, the iconic Joshua tree, hallmark of the Mojave Desert, is a good place to start.  With densely spiked tufts protruding from the ends of gangly arms stretched towards the heavens, this looks like a plant straight from a Dr. Seuss book....
Read more