Caching in

I mentioned Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana) a few days ago, but didn't show any pictures.  Here are a few images taken near Monitor Pass (along Route 89).

 

These interesting corvids (related to crows and jays) are pine specialists — pine nuts are their preferred food.

 

This nutcracker was eventually successful:

 

Clark's Nutcracker's cache pine nuts for a year-round source of food.  Because of this, they affect the dispersal and distribution of pines, e.g., sometimes the pines grow in clusters as a result of a number of seeds (typically 1-30) stored at each cache site (most often underground).

When I read this, I wondered how many cached seeds are relocated and eaten and how many germinate and become new trees?  I suppose the nutcrackers "win" either way, although getting a new crop of seeds via the second route will take a lot longer!

P.S.  Facts above from the Birds of North America account (Tomback 1998).

East of the Sierras

I'm at a meeting near Mammoth Lakes, CA, for a couple of days.  Here are a few pictures from the drive yesterday (taken from Route 89 and Route 395):

 

I stopped briefly to stretch at ~8,000 ft. along Route 89.  When I stepped out of the car, I heard Townsend's Solitaire's (Myadestes townsendi) singing!  (See one perched above.)  The next bird I heard was a Clark's Nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), and then a Mountain Chickadee (Poecile gambeli).  A nice trio!

 

Cloud shadows

 

 

This damselfly flew in and landed in the parking lot at a rest stop in Antelope Valley (Mono County).  It's either a Great Spreadwing (Archilestes grandis) or a California Spreadwing (Archilestes californicus).  It flew off, and I couldn't find it again, so I'll need to check in with some experts to see if they can identify it from this photo.

 

 Mountain snow 

 

Mono Lake