Natural History Journal

Maybe I just have a thing for redheads.  I am married to one, after all!  That would explain the great affection and admiration I feel toward the Rufous Hummingbird ( Selasphorus rufus ), the little ginger sprite of the Pacific Northwest. Rufous Hummingbirds pass through California's San Joaquin Valley twice each year, on their spring and fall migrations to and from their breeding grounds in the Pacific Northwest.  Their northward spring migration takes place during March, April and early May, while their southward fall migration begins as early as late July, and lasts through August and September. Chasing the wave of blooms, Rufous Hummingbirds show a strong affinity for mountain meadows.   Observers have noticed a clockwise pattern to the annual migration of the Rufous Hummingbird: the majority of northbound migrants travel through California, but return south later in the summer along the Rocky Mountain chain.  This isn't a hard and fast rule, of ...

It is the height of summer, and I often feel that at this time of year there is no place I would rather be than in the Sierra. Summer in the meadows and forests of the Sierra Nevada mountains is one great rush of all that is poetic, romantic, magical and sublime in this world: the heady scent of resinous pine and mountain misery hanging thick in the warm mountain air; riotous colors of wildflowers bedecking green meadows surrounded by spires of tall conifers; thickets of lush and verdant dogwood, willow and alder bisected by clear, cold streams murmuring as they flow over smooth stones; the ethereal call of thrushes rising from the undergrowth as the chatter of chickadees and warblers drifts down from the canopy above; billowing thunderheads rising in the azure sky to crest snow-capped peaks. Tunnel View, Yosemite National Park Here in the Sierra, as John Muir once wrote, "... The sun shines not on us but in us.  The rivers flow not past but through us, thrilling, tingl...

Of all the birds in the Sierra, perhaps none is more handsome, more regal, more raucous than the Steller's Jay.  Stop at any picnic table or parking lot in the Sierra Nevada at any time of year, and you're almost guaranteed a good look at the crested silhouette of this fine forest dweller.  Like other corvids (the family consisting of crows, ravens and jays), the Steller's Jay is not shy, not subtle, and not silent.  The Steller's Jay commands attention, and usually gets it! The Steller's Jay ( Cyanocitta stelleri ) inhabits coniferous forests in the western United States where its dark blue and black coloration blends in with the deep shadows of the woods.  In California, they are found living in flocks from the forests of coastal and northern California to the Sierra.  (In the eastern United States, they are replaced by the ubiquitous and closely related Blue Jay of the same genus.) Like most other corvids, Steller's Jays will feed on nearly anythi...

Last summer, somewhere between buying a house and ripping out the entire kitchen and most of the bathroom within days of getting the keys, I managed to squeeze in a trip or two to one of my favorite places in the world, the mid-elevation mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada, and wrote up a quick series about a few of the more common birds encountered in that habitat, birds whose songs contribute to the voice of the forest: flame-colored  Western Tanagers , melodious  Black-headed Grosbeaks , whistling  Western Wood-pewees , and diminutive  Red-breasted Nuthatches . This summer, between trips to the deserts and sky islands of Arizona in May and a visit to the swamps of South Carolina coming up in August, I plan to make a little more time for the mountains and forests closer to home!  We spent the weekend of the 4th of July far from the madding crowds and fireworks of the valley, taking refuge in the quiet woods high in the Sierra.  (But of course....

Summer has officially drawn to a close, and autumn is upon us, despite the lingering heat.  Soon, some of my favorite winter migrants will be showing up in the San Joaquin Valley, like Cedar Waxwings  and Sandhill Cranes . The summer has flown by (no pun intended) in a whirlwind of activity, as I have found myself up to my ears in new projects, like demolishing our kitchen, building shelves for our library, and beginning a complete overhaul of our new quarter-acre property!  But I did manage to squeeze in exactly two birding trips to the Sierra Nevada (which is not nearly enough).  One of my most memorable encounters was with a diminutive denizen of mixed conifer forests, the Red-breasted Nuthatch.  The photo below is not the best quality, but it will have to do since it's the only one that turned out at all! Red-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta canadensis ) Predominately birds of coniferous forests, the Red-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta canadensis ) is found ac...

Experiencing a dawn chorus in the forests of the Sierra Nevada is a soul-stirring experience I wish everyone could appreciate.  Snuggled in a downy sleeping bag, the first rays of golden light peek over mountain ridges and pick their way through conifer boughs, sending streaks of color through the gray pre-dawn sky.  At the first signs of dawn, diurnal songbirds begin to stir, a chorus of glorious birdsong beginning quietly and gradually growing to fill the trees with earth's sweetest music. And one of the key musicians of this dawn chorus is the Black-headed Grosbeak ( Pheucticus melanocephalus ), a handsome black-and-orange bird, with a sturdy bill and sweet song.  Like the Western Tanager , the Black-headed Grosbeak is a member of the Cardinal family (Cardinalidae).  They are birds of western forests, where they inhabit high treetops, gleaning insect prey from foliage.  In the winter, Black-headed Grosb...

With bright red heads and brilliant yellow bodies, Eric calls them "Popsicle Birds."  Western Tanagers ( Piranga ludoviciana ) are abundant in the mixed conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada during the summer months, filling the canopy with their beautiful song.  (For a few weeks during migration, they can be seen in the Central Valley, particularly along riparian corridors.)  Though they are one of our most brilliantly colored songbirds and their voice is a staple part of any summer soundtrack in the Sierra, they tend to keep to the canopy and are not as frequently glimpsed as might be imagined.  You have to really want to see a Western Tanager - or just get lucky, like I did with this bird that was having a snack at our campsite's picnic table when we pulled in. While true tanagers are birds of the neo-tropics, Western Tanagers are more accurately placed in the Cardinal family, along with Grosbeaks and Buntings.  The Western Tan...

Mountain Bluebirds ( Sialia currucoides ) are one of the West's dazzling surprises; no bright Painted Buntings or Northern Cardinals* for us Californians, but we do have our own little collection of brilliantly-colored birds, which happily includes two bluebird species (Western Bluebirds ( Sialia Mexicana ) being the second).  Female Mountain Bluebirds, pictured below, are doe-eyed beauties in their own right, modestly showing only hints of bright blue along their wings and tails.  Female Mountain Bluebird at Tuolumne Meadows Male Mountain Bluebirds are the real lookers: they are as vividly blue as the clear sunny heavens above the alpine firmament they call home.  To see one of these gems flutter from above to perch on a branch, you may even believe a little piece of the sky has just fallen before you.  They are absolutely breathtaking. The unfortunate and less poetic truth of the matter is that as of yet, no male Mountain Blue...

As temperatures drop and hours of daylight decrease, autumn steals quietly across the Sierra Nevada.  There is no pomp, no great fanfare to accompany the change of seasons, like there is in the east.  Here in the west, the change is more subtle, but perhaps all the sweeter in its humility.  Undoubtedly, the star of the western autumnal show is the Quaking Aspen ( Populus tremuloides ).  All across the mountainous west, stands of delicate aspen trees burst into glorious autumn color: liquid gold and pure sunshiny yellows are most common, but under the right conditions, leaves become brilliant shades of flame orange, salmon pink and even vivid crimson.  Each heart-shaped leaf is attached to the branch by a long, flattened petiole (leaf stem) which allows the leaves to dance and shimmer at the slightest breeze, hence the common name "quaking" and Latin specific epithet "tremuloides." Aspens prefer moist soil and abundant sunlight, and ...

Summer in the high Sierra is rapidly coming to an end.  Nighttime temperatures are already dipping below freezing, and daytime highs remain in the sixties (Fahrenheit) or lower.  The seasons are changing, grading gently from summer into autumn, and Sierra Nevadan wildlife are busily preparing for the long winter ahead.  On a recent visit to Yosemite's Tuolumne Meadows, the Belding's ground squirrels ( Urocitellus beldingi , syn. of  Spermophilus beldingi ) were particularly busy.   Belding's ground squirrels live in high meadows between 6,500 and nearly 12,000 feet in elevation.  Other open areas favored by Belding's ground squirrels include sagebrush flats and areas of mixed shrubs and grasses.  In addition to the Sierra Nevada, Belding's ground squirrels can be found in eastern Oregon, southwestern Idaho, and parts of Nevada.  They typically remain fairly close to a source of water. Belding's ground squirrels eat a var...

You wake before dawn, hike miles uphill through forests, scramble boulders and steps etched into granite on your journey up, up, up.  You glimpse the summit ahead, still far above.  Finding hand-holds in the rock, you climb; gathering your courage, take hold of a cable and tow yourself up a ridiculously steep slab of granite.  At last, after half a day's worth of sweat, several liters of water and a few packages of trail-mix, you have arrived: the glorious granite summit of a peak in the High Sierra.  You take a deep breath, savor the moment, begin to take in the view. And you are amazed by the sight before you: the lofty summit is populated by what look like giant ground squirrels.  The plump critters size you up at once and approach brazenly, eyeing your peanut butter sandwich. Yellow-bellied Marmot ( Marmota flaviventris ), at home in the High Sierra. These large rodents, weighin...