Birding Is Fun!

The Big Year Give-Away Winners!

2012-01-28T16:00:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Carol Casavant & Bree Janke, winners of The Big Year DVD and bino give-away here at BirdingIsFun.com. Thanks for playing!

The rest of us can go out and buy the movie on January 31st on DVD and Blu-Ray. I can't wait for the birders to start making lists of all the birds seen in the movie, lists of all the error and inaccuracies, and so on. It'll be fun!

Special thanks to Greg Miller (the real man that inspired Jack Black's character) and Mandy Rodgers of Think Jam for allowing me to host this give-away.

Birding by Staying Put

2012-01-28T03:00:00.000-07:00

from Learn Outdoor Photography

Yellow-rumped Warbler

When I was a beginning birder, my normal birding pattern was to go some place and walk around. Of course, walking around is essential for good birding. But too often as a beginning birder I would see a bird, try to photograph the bird, and then move on, without any consideration of why that bird might be there. It didn't occur to me that the bird may have chosen his location for a very good reason, like an abundance of food, and other birds may be sure to find the same spot as well.

Northern Cardinal

Cedar Waxwing

About a week ago, I was at Mead Gardens, and I happened to find a Cedar Waxwing in the top of a tall tree. This was the first Cedar Waxwing I'd seen this calendar year, so I stopped to take a terrible picture of the bird through lots of branches. As I did so, about a dozen more came to keep him company. Then I noticed that there were berries in the bushes at around eye level, and so I figured good things were going to happen, and I decided to stay put for a while. At first all I wanted was a good picture of a Cedar Waxwing, but over the next hour or so, I found myself in the midst of perhaps a hundred birds. There were so many that it was hard to follow just one. I ended up counting 20 species of birds from one location (including flyovers), and I even found a lifer there--an Orange-crowned Warbler.

Orange-crowned Warbler

Black-and-white Warbler

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker

Here's a list of what I found:

Red-shouldered Hawk 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 1
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker 1
Downy Woodpecker 3
Eastern Phoebe 1
Carolina Wren 1
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 1
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 1
American Robin 3
Cedar Waxwing 50
Black-and-white Warbler 1
Orange-crowned Warbler 1
Palm Warbler 5
Pine Warbler 1
Yellow-rumped Warbler 15
Northern Cardinal 2
White Ibis (flyover)
Turkey Vulture 1 (flyover)
Osprey 1 (flyover)
Mourning Dove 1 (flyover)

That morning reinforced what I believe is a good birding practice. When you see a bird, look around you and consider what may have drawn the bird to that place. It may be an area of significant bird activity. Stay put for a while, and you may find that there are a lot more birds in the area than you saw initially, and if you're observant, you may be richly rewarded for your patience.

My Snow(ish) Birds

2012-01-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Alberta weather has always been highly variable, but this month has given new meaning to the words.

For most of January we were basking in temperatures five to seven degrees above normal. The last day we had any measurable snow was Dec 21, meaning our winter has also been unusually dry. In mid January, a huge prairie grass fire, accompanied by strong winds, closed down major highways and caused the evacuation of a small town.

On January 3, we actually set a new temperature record, glorying in a sunny +15C (60F). Eight other centers in the province also set records that day. Many of us never bothered even digging out our winter coats.

The local rare bird alert has been an interesting read. Cinnamon teal, green winged teal, redhead, gadwall, lesser scaup, northern pintail, belted kingfisher, hermit thrush, varied thrush, turkey vulture, trumpeter swan and killdeer appeared on the January bird list. Except for the killdeer (15 reported at once), most of these sightings were of single birds.

All good things come to an end however, and on Jan 15 winter finally remembered we were here.

The temperature nosedived to around -20C (-4F) at noon, with a slight wind. You might imagine the yard would be quiet, with the birds huddling in the warmest spots.

So what did I see?

Maximum fluffing. Fluffing their feathers is one way birds keep warm, trapping more insulating air near the body. And boy did I have fluffed birds.

The grackle that has been making sporadic visits this winter showed up at the black-oil sunflower feeder in the morning. He wasn’t this big a week ago.

Two highly fluffed mourning doves appeared at the sunflower chip feeder on the deck.

The black-capped chickadees were more hyper active than usual so I couldn’t get a photo, but they’re even cuter in maximum fluffiness!

Then in the afternoon, I glanced out the window and counted eight robins. Really, really, fluffed robins. Poor things.

Even the normal winter birds were fluffed with the rapid change in temperature. This poor little downy was nearly twice his actual size, and the red-breasted nuthatch was a fluffball.

Unfortunately old man winter wasn’t satisfied with just -20C. That first cold night we had moon dog, an indicator of continuing clear, cold weather. Sure enough, the third week of January brought a couple days with a ‘high’ temperature of -29C (-20F), which dipped down to -35C (-31F) at night. The dog never got her walk on those evenings, but she didn’t seem to mind.

Our normal winter birds moved to the feeders enmasse. Feeders were being refilled as soon as they emptied, sometimes twice a day. Everyone is reporting a yard full of common redpolls, they’re still at all my feeders both front and back. If I haven’t found a hoary redpoll it wasn’t for lack of time spent peering at busy little red-topped birds all day.

Then the bohemian waxwing cloud moved in – I had about 20 in my mountain ash, but they were spread over several yards that I could see, and possibly the whole neighborhood. There is not a mountain ash berry remaining for blocks.

As I write this, temperatures are climbing back into the plus digits, meaning that small trace of snow we received last week will soon be gone. The grackle, doves and robins are still here. Now the local bird alert is reporting a possible early migration, with thousands of ducks showing up in the last few days.

Would anyone care if I just hid under the bed until things go back to normal?

I have no idea what to look for in my yard. Winter birds? Summer birds? Robins are usually a great indicator of spring, but seeing them on a -20C day kind of blew that out of the water. How will I know when it’s spring?

Ah, I know. It will be spring when the first insects show up in the yard. Of course!

Uncovering The Big Year With Avery Delacroix

2012-01-26T12:32:00.001-07:00

This just out from the publicists for The Big Year Movie coming to DVD. I don't know if I should be offended or just laugh. Decide for yourself.

Bufflehead: Photos and Migration Patterns

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Bufflehead composite image by Robert Mortensen

Check out those iridescent shades! A whole rainbow practically in one little face.

My eBird records indicate that I have only seen Buffleheads on 40 occasions. I thought it would be more than that. The handsome male Bufflehead featured in the photographs above was recently observed at my lunch hour birding patch along the Jordan River in Salt Lake City. I saw 100+ Buffleheads once at Bruneau Sand Dunes State Park in Idaho back in Nov 2009 and I have seen them in pretty good numbers at Farmington Bay WMA here in Utah.

Being a wintering duck in the places I have lived, I was curious about its migration patterns. Below is an animated eBird sightings map I made.

Stream of consciousness as I watch and ponder the animation:

Major migration movements occur in May and October, just like one might expect. Late fall and winter sightings in Hawaii are pretty cool to know. Not shown are some sightings in the UK too. Some Buffleheads make it all the way into Mexico during the North American winter. In June, they get very far north near the Arctic circle. The west coast appears to host Buffleheads year round. I still wonder how much the lack of eBirding in July-September affect the quality of the map, not too mention the less populated and the challenging logistics of birding in the extreme and vast north of this continent to collect data for eBird.

The quarter century bird

2012-01-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

If you stay with birding long enough, you begin to appreciate the significance of things -- things that you yourself have done or which other birders have done.

For me, one of the first times I experienced this was when I had been birding for just eight years. I was living in Tennessee at the time and was crossing the bridge over the Cumberland River at Dover, TN -- when approaching me I saw a large, white bird.

At first, I thought I was looking at a strange gull, then I guessed maybe it might be an albino Red-tailed Hawk. But right as we crossed paths, the bird turned its head and looked right at me, and I at it. It was only then I discovered I had witnessed my very first Snowy Owl in the wild!

I rediscovered the bird moments later, placed it on the Tennessee hot line, and had an opportunity to meet many birders from all around the country who travelled to see the bird. I soon discovered something else: it had been 26 years since the most recent Snowy Owl had been seen in Tennessee.

Now, it is January 2012. It has been 25 years since I made that sighting. Each year, I always add a new wonder to my birding life list, a wonder that perhaps can only be experienced once every quarter century. In 2010, it was bird having the opportunity to go birding in Great Britain (and driving on the left side of the road!). In 2011, it was visiting Freeport and seeing some of the unique birds in the Bahamas.

I wonder what my quarter century bird will be in 2012. Even more interesting, what will be your quarter century bird this year?

Wishing you the best in birds and birding!

/s/ John C. Robinson
Author, Birding for Everyone
www.birdsandnatureblog.com

Guest Post at Utah Birders

2012-01-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

I have a guest post up today at Utah Birders and I invite you to check it out!

The Beauty of an American Kestrel

2012-01-24T22:18:00.004-07:00

I always enjoy catching a glimpse of our smallest and most colorful falcon, the American Kestrel. Every now and then one rips through our side yard as I look out the window, his orange and blue feathers flashing, and the bold, black and white stripes on his face visible even at his breakneck speeds! When I was a kid, I was once lucky enough to watch one perch-hunting on a tall fence post. I did not know what the bird was, but even at a distance and without binoculars I could see the striking orange and blue feathers and the very noticeable pattern of black and white on his face. He remained motionless on the perch for a long time, so I was able to study him. Eventually he flew up and away and then I was really amazed as he hover-hunted. That was the first time I had ever seen a bird hover in the sky for any length of time, and it made a huge impression on me. So a week ago, when I was trying to decide what to post on Birding is Fun, the American Kestrel came to mind. I had just been out over the weekend looking for our resident kestrel at a nearby VOA park, but I hadn't had any luck finding him, so I decided to paint one instead using reference photos I had taken earlier this year...

A Watery American Kestrel

(watercolor)

Back in the autumn, Matty and I went on a photo shoot at RAPTOR, Inc. (a rehab facility for injured birds of prey). Most of the birds at RAPTOR are treated, rehabilitated and released, but some are so badly injured they can not heal well enough to survive in the wild.

"Steel" is an American Kestrel that is blind in his left eye, making it impossible for him to hunt. He stays on at RAPTOR, Inc. as a teaching bird.

"...it looks like a tiny aristocrat, with an intricate tapestry of white, blue, and reddish feathers..."

The above quote is from Robert Bateman's book "Birds." I love this book and pick it up and read it often. The book is a compilation of some of Bateman's most beautiful bird paintings, but what makes it even better, is he writes about each bird, supplying his inspiration for each painting and his encounters with the bird in the field. Last week, while eating breakfast I opened the book to his kestrel entry (page 84), and I liked his description:

"The American Kestrel is a superbly designed, compact falcon with unusually elegant plumage. I think it looks like a tiny aristocrat, with an intricate tapestry of white, blue, and reddish feathers on its upper body and a breast decorated with dark ermine markings."

The black bars under a kestrel's eyes are beautiful, but their purpose is more than just esthetic. The dark color absorbs bright sunlight to help reduce glare when the bird hunts.

...and the pair of large black spots on the back of his head....they serve a purpose too. They are ocelli (false eyes) and may make a predator think twice about attacking a kestrel from behind. Since ocelli look like a pair of eyes, predators may assume the bird is facing them.

I took this photo of a female American Kestrel back in October of 2010 at VOA park. Even though the bird was far away and detail lacks, I like it because it's a good example of a kestrel's tendency to perch-hunt. The field was ringing with the sound of grasshoppers, and I assume the kestrel was filling up on the insects!

...and just a little later, the kestrel took to the wing to hover-hunt.

American Kestrels use the wind velocity to hover. Even though they stay in the same spot while flapping their wings, they don't hover like hummingbirds (which use a figure-8 wing motion to hover). Instead, they fly into the wind at the same speed of the wind, which results in stabilized hovering.

Happy Birding!
Kelly from Red and the Peanut

Eurasian Collared-dove Expansion in North America

2012-01-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Eurasian Collared-dove - Farmington Bay, Utah

My fascination with the expansion of the Eurasian Collared-dove in North America continues. I was curious as to where they had expanded in the last year, so once again I resorted to eBird sightings maps which I animated. Amazing to see how much they have expanded in the last decade. I could try to verbally point out the pattern of northern movement, but you can just as easily see for yourself.

Flock of Eurasian Collared-doves at Farmington Bay, Utah

Wandering Through the Rio Grande Valley

2012-01-23T06:23:00.000-07:00

My brother Eric and I decided to start the New Year by birding our way though the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. This was all made possible by some free flights that we had received from AirTran from a prior delay over the summer. Our friend Chad Williams decided to join us for the adventure, and what an adventure it was! Although we had planned to bird for a few hours on our first day in the valley, some lost luggage delayed us by about three hours, so we arrived in Zapata after dark.

The next morning, our sights were set on a Brown Jay so we headed to Salineño. It was absolutely freezing for south Texas. The temperature in the car read only 30 degrees! After spending a few minutes along the river, we headed up to the feeding station and set up camp. We waited and waited and waited, but there was no Brown Jay to be found. Luckily, it was the best feeding station that I had ever seen, and there were plenty of other birds to keep us occupied!

Green Jay - One of the most common birds at the feeders

Great Kiskadee - I have never seen so many Kiskadees anywhere

Altimira Oriole - The most common oriole at Salineno

After a few hours, we decided to move on to look for other birds. We spent some time at the Zapata Library, where we found five White-collared Seedeaters and met Blake and Holly who aredoing a photographic Big Year to raise money for the Houston Audubon Society and the Katy Prairie Conservancy. We then headed back to Salineño to look for the Brown Jay again, but it alluded us again.

A terribly distant shot of a White-collared Seedeater

We returned the next morning and decided to spend a little more time along the river looking for Red-billed Pigeons and Muscovy Ducks, but they were nowhere to be found. Eric wandered down a side path and found a Zone-tailed Hawk perched up on an island in the Rio Grande. By the time he got back, it was time to head to the feeding station, but we hoped that the hawk would stay put for awhile. We settled into the chairs at the feeding station and began our vigil again. This time the Brown Jay did not disappoint! It appeared after just 45 minutes and posed for us in the sun. Afterward, we went back to look for the hawk and ended up with great views.

Brown Jay

Since it was still early in the day, we birded at Falcon State Park for a little while and then headed to Bentson-Rio Grande Valley State Park to look for the Black-vented Oriole that had been frequenting the feeders. It was the easiest rare bird of the whole trip for us! While watching the oriole, another birded alerted us to the presence of an Eastern Screech-Owl on a day roost. This was a lifer for Chad and helped to cap off an awesome day.

Black-vented Oriole

Eastern Screech-Owl

Over the next four days, we ran all over the Lower Rio Grande Valley and all the way up to Corpus Christi. We found all of the remaining rare birds that we were looking for including Rose-throated Becard, Golden-crowned Warbler, Crimson-collared Grosbeak, Tropical Parula, Mountain Bluebird, and Sprague’s Pipit! We especially had a great time birding at Estero Llano Grande State Park and the Frontera AudubonThicket and photographing ducks and waders at both the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center and the Port Aransas Leonabelle Turnbull Birding Center.

I can’t wait until my next trip to the valley!

-Rob

Western Oakwoods - Pied Flycatcher

2012-01-22T04:35:00.004-07:00

For my second post in this mini series on the Western Oakwoods of North Wales, I will describe my approach for photographing Pied Flycatcher. This is another of the summer migrant visitors, however timing is absolutely critical for any photography success.

One characteristic of these woods is a complete lack of ground vegetation except for lush growth of mosses that cover the boulder strewn forest floor. This makes the task of spotting these tiny charismatic birds, particularly the black and white males, relatively easy as they dash around in search of prey. However, the Pied Flycatcher, unlike the UK's other flycatcher species, does not use a regular perch from which to launch its attack on some unwary insect which makes it rather more tricky to select a spot to photograph them. Our other UK Flycatcher species is the Spotted Flycatcher which is sadly another bird that is sadly in rapid decline and shown, complete with prey, in the photograph below for comparison.

The key to photographing Pied Flycatchers is to find a nest. This is one of the very few birds I will photograph at the nest and so an extremely careful and considered approach is required. The welfare of the bird is always my primary consideration before any photo is taken. Timing becomes critical as the single brood go from hatching to fledging in two weeks around the end of May. After fledging the young and adults seem to completely disappear before embarking on their autumn migration back to Africa. I must admit I have not always got the timing right and last year got it spectacularly wrong resulting in a long journey for no results!

The Pied Flycatchers nest in tree holes, usually where a branch has snapped off the trunk, which are fairly common amongst the ancient oaks that are subject to the full force of the gales rushing in off the Atlantic. However, competition is high for these limited nesting sites with other species such as tits. Back in the late 70's and early 80's a concerted effort was made to provide nest boxes for the flycatchers, which they readily and successfully used, and the UK population showed some recovery. However, in recent years the populations have declined once more despite the availability of nest boxes remaining about the same. It appears the birds are struggling to respond to changes in climate and their arrival in the UK is now out of sync with late spring food availability. The birds have responded by laying eggs approximately 10 days earlier on average but this means that the adults have less time to recover from their long migration and are in generally poorer condition leading to reduced success. Unfortunately climate change appears to proceed at a much faster rate than evolutionary adaptation can respond with negative consequences.

The site I visit has been subject to a long-term nest box study making it ideal for photography, particularly as the nest boxes are usually only 3-4ft above the ground. Once I find an active nestbox, I watch and wait until both birds are away foraging before quickly moving a 'pop-up' hide (blind) into position. I can then happily sit there photographing the birds without causing disturbance. Generally the brown and white females are more difficult to photograph as they tend to fly straight in to the nest box hole while the males tend to linger outside before entering.

From a photography perspective the main problem is trying to achieve correct exposure of the black and white males under the constantly changing dappled light below the tree canopy. Keeping detail in the black feathers without over exposing the white ones certainly keeps the hands busy changing the camera settings. A perch that has good light on it, can 10 minutes later be plunged into dark shade. Conditions are made even more challenging if there is a breeze blowing the overhead tree canopy around which results in constantly moving patches of light across the birds and perches.

As if that was not enough to contend with, the swarms of local biting flies seem to ignore any repellent and always do their best to drain your blood. I know this doesn't sound like too much of fun day out but all these difficulties are more that compensated for by spending time in close proximity to these special little birds and sharing a brief moment and insight into their lives before they head once more back to Africa.

For my next and final post on the Western Oakwoods, I will be showing the most colourful of the summer migrant trio and the one with which I have spent most time, the Common Redstart.

I am not a chaser

2012-01-21T01:00:00.003-07:00

Recently, all the local buzz in the birding community was a Eurasian Wigeon seen at Fernald Nature Preserve. Since this would have been a life bird, I decided to "chase" it. Since I got off work early one day, I decided to make the one hour plus drive to try to get a look at the bird.

I made good time, getting to the spot at about 1pm. Other birders had informed me upon my arrival that the bird had not been seen that entire day up to the point that I have arrived. I scoped the ducks that were present only to find an odd drake wigeon that I could not ID. I thought that it could of been the Eurasian, however others had no comment at the time on the bird. One birder insisted that the odd bird was THE bird. I had mentally debated that the bird must be a hybrid. As the bird was far off, no conclusion was ever reached.

As I stayed at the location hoping for the Eurasian to show, more birders began to arrive and set up their scopes. As I was observing the people, I just felt out of place. It then became evident to me that I am not a chaser of birds. I am the type of birder that likes to go out and have that full experience rather then concentrate on one bird. Sure, I will go see a good bird that is close, but I prefer to just go out and watch birds. If I get lucky, good. If not, so be it.

Many birders are into keeping numbers and lists. As I look back, I can't even recall what my official life list stands at. There are some good birds being seen just to the north of me, however I am in the minority as one that has declined to get the urge to chase them. I don't have lots of fancy photography equipment or a fancy scope. Maybe I am not a "serious" birder.

Birding is about having fun, and I prefer a different style. You most likely won't see magazine quality pictures of rare birds from me. That being said, I am looking forward to see what spring migration has in store. Last fall had been very good to me, having seen two lifers within ten minutes from the house!

I have already had found my first Eastern Phoebes of the year. I don't know if they are birds that had over wintered or new arrivals. I suspect that they had overwintered, given the mild winter to date.

I don't know if Phoebes are like groundhogs or not, as one of them had seen its shadow and got spooked. I wonder if this means six more weeks of winter?

So, go out and see some birds, and make sure you have some FUN!

The Big Year - Big Give-Away at BiF!

2012-01-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

"The Big Year" movie comes to DVD on January 31st! Here at BirdingIsFun.com we are delighted to give away two prize packages, each containing a DVD of the movie as well as Big Year branded binoculars.

To enter the contest, using Twitter, send a tweet explaining how you are going to make 2012 your biggest year - be what it may.

Please use the hashtag #TheBigYear and include my handle @Birding_Is_Fun so I can track who enters. If you don't have a Twitter account, you can enter by commenting on this post with how you plan to make 2012 a big year. This contest is only open to residents of the United States and Canada.

On January 28th I will do a random drawing from among all participants and notify the winners.

One of the things I am most excited to watch are the Blu-Ray extra features:

Extended Feature Film

“The Big Migration” featurette

Deleted Scenes

Roger Tory Peterson
Bird Behavior
Stu Late for Boat
Bird Puns with Brad & Ellie
Stu Gets Bostick’s Autograph
Longer Boat End
Dock
Pretzels & Skippy
Nozzle Theft and Other Newscasters
Longer Cars to HI
Cereal Rat with Talk
Lanky Birder Makes Time with Ellie
Stu’s Summer Montage with Fire Island Fauna
Bostick Returns Home
Long Pelagic
Bostick Goes to China
Gag Reel

Nesting Black-billed Magpies

2012-01-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

Black-billed Magpie with nesting material ~ Antelope Island State Park, Utah
D200, f6.3, 1/1500, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR at 400mm, +0.3 EV, natural light, not a set up

On my own blog I have mentioned that the more I know about each species the better my chances are for creating wonderful images of the birds because I can anticipate what the birds might do next. I try to learn as much as I can about a subject I am interested in photographing through bird guides, reference books or on line at BNA (a subscription site) but my powers of observation, the ability to detect certain behaviors and knowledge about the habits of my target species are also very important skills that benefit my bird photography.

Black-billed Magpie in flightD200, f6.3, 1/1000, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR at 360mm, +0.3 EV, natural light, not a set up

These images of nesting Black-billed Magpies (Pica hudsonia) would not have been possible without my powers of observation. Black-billed Magpies are common in Utah, western Canada, the west and southwest US and can range as far north as Alaska. In some places, like Rocky Mountain National Park and Yellowstone magpies can be fairly easy to approach, I don't normally find that to be the case in my local parks, wildlife refuges and nature preserves. Magpies are very wary of people here in Utah but there are exceptions.

One day while out on Antelope Island State Park while looking for other birds to photograph from a distance I noticed a Black-billed Magpie in flight and it appeared to have something in its bill. Then I saw it land on a sagebrush and disappear inside the branches. I wondered about it for a few seconds then saw the bird leave the sage brush and it didn't look at all like it had anything in its bill. Then I saw another magpie fly into the sagebrush with a small twig in the bill. Also from that distance I saw what looked like a nest so I had to get closer.

Black-billed Magpie on top of the nestD200, f6.3, 1/800, ISO 320, 200-400mm VR at 390mm, +0.3 EV, natural light, not a set up

After slowly and carefully getting closer by using a vehicle as a mobile blind I was able to verify that my observations were correct, the magpies were constructing a nest in the sagebrush. If I had not been paying attention to the first magpie's activity I would have missed the opportunity to photograph these birds over the next several weeks.

After spotting the nest magpies the first time I did some research and found out that Black-billed Magpies take approximately 40-50 days to construct their nests. The nest I spotted was nearing completion so I will know next spring to look for nesting magpies about 4 weeks sooner to take full advantage of photographing them and their nesting activity.

Black-billed Magpie landing on the nest
D200, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR at 400mm, 0.0 EV, natural light, not a set up

Black-billed Magpies are loud and in urban areas their calls can be an annoyance to some people. There are some photographer's who won't raise their lens to photograph common birds like Black-billed Magpies, exotic European Starlings or the much maligned Brown-headed Cowbird. Not me, if it has feathers I will photograph it and do the best job I possibly can with the image too.

This locally common, but striking black and white bird has a beauty all of its own with its long tail and lovely pied plumage. Because of the high contrast between the blacks and the whites of the magpie's feathers they are challenging to expose correctly, but in my opinion they are well worth the challenge and if I can capture the beautifully iridescent greens, blues, golds and purples of the tail and wings I am extremely satisfied.

Black-billed Magpies use twigs to create their domed shaped nests then line the bottom with grasses cemented to the nest by either mud or manure from bison and or cows. I've wondered if the dome on the top of the nest is to protect the chicks from aerial attacks from predators, it would certainly hide the young birds from a hawk flying overhead.

Because of other photography trips I was not around when the chicks from this magpie nest fledged, I would have loved being there and seeing their first attempts at flight. Maybe next year.

Black-billed Magpie landing with nesting materialD200, f7.1, 1/1250, ISO 400, 200-400mm VR at 380mm, +0.3 EV, natural light, not a set up

These magpies gave me hours of enjoyment photographing them plus I learned more about the species by observing their behavior. I'll be even better prepared to take images next time I have them in my viewfinder.

Mia

Ethics on photographing nesting birds:

Do not approach too closely
If the birds show any sign of distress, back away
Don't trim leaves, twigs or branches to get a clearer shot, you may inadvertently attract predators or cause the eggs/chicks to over heat
Follow local, state and federal guidelines concerning nesting birds
Don't harrass the birds to get an action shot

Birding in Kaua'i

2012-01-18T06:14:00.000-07:00

My son Eric and I prefer to avoid the stress that is associated with Christmas, and so we banish ourselves to the Garden Isle of Kaua'i during the Christmas holidays.

Any discussion of birding in Kaua'i must begin with the Nene, or Hawai'ian goose. The official bird of the state of Hawaiʻi, the Nene is exclusively found in the wild on the islands of Maui, Kauaʻi and Hawaiʻi. The Nene evolved from the Canada Goose, which most likely migrated to the Hawaiian islands 500,000 years ago, shortly after the Hawai'ian Islands were formed.

I was fortunate enough to see several groups of Nene on this trip.

One highlight of our annual trip to Kaua'i is a visit to Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge. Kilauea Point National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1985 when the land and the historic lighthouse were transferred to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service from the U.S. Coast Guard. The ocean cliffs and open grassy slopes of an extinct volcano provide breeding grounds for native Hawai'ian seabirds and Nene, the endangered Hawai'ian goose.Kilauea Point gives visitors the unique opportunity to see Red-footed Boobies, Laysan Albatross and other seabirds in their natural habitat. In winter the National Marine Sanctuary waters off Kilauea are home to migrating Humpback Whales.

When you arrive at Kilauea Point the first thing that you notice is the astonishing numbers of huge seabirds circling around the point. There are many Great Frigatebirds.

The Red-footed Boobies are beautiful and graceful in flight, in sharp contrast to their ungainly and awkward behavior on the ground.

My favorite large seabirds at Kilauea Point are the Laysan Albatross. Because it flies so fast, it is difficult for me to get a sharp photo of this bird.

One of the attractions of Kilauea Point NWR is the recently restored historic Kilauea Lighthouse. The first phase of the restoration work was completed in November 2008 when the anchor bolts securing the lantern room to the concrete tower were repaired and replaced. The second phase of the restoration involved repairing the unique cast iron roof and lantern assembly and stabilizing the fragile lens. The final phase, which was finished within the past year, entailed repairs to the concrete tower, opening the closed vents and window openings, installing new windows, and removing some exterior coating to return the tower to its original appearance.

Here is a short video taken at Kilauea Point NWR:

We saw more seabirds on a catamaran trip to Lehua Island State Bird Sanctuary. Lehua Island is a Hawai'i State Seabird Sanctuary. As a sanctuary, many activities are prohibited on the island, but entry is not prohibited. Lehua provides habitat for at least 16 species of sea birds.

We saw many Brown Boobies in the air …

… and roosting on the Lehua cliffs.

As in Kilauea, we saw Red-footed Boobies …

… and Great Frigatebirds.

Another highlight of any trip to Kaua'i is a drive up Waimea Canyon. This spectacular drive on the western part of the island goes from sea level to above 5000 feet. In addition to beautiful canyon views there are views of the spectacular Na Pali cliffs from Koke'e State Park above the canyon.

Waimea Canyon is the largest canyon in the Pacific and truly a dramatic sight to behold. The canyon measures 10 miles long, 1 mile wide, and more than 3,500-feet deep. It was carved thousands of years ago by rivers and floods that flowed from the Mount Wai'ale'ale summit. The lines in the canyon walls depict different volcanic eruptions and lava flows that have occurred over the centuries.

Although many of the native Hawai'ian birds can be found only by hiking into the Alaka'i Wilderness Preserve, I was fortunate to see several 'Apapane foraging in the Ohia trees.

Beautiful Pacific Golden-Plover winter in the Hawai'ian Islands, and they are abundant in Waimea Canyon.

It is also home to several lovely species of introduced birds:

Erckel's Francolin, introduced in the late 1950's, native to East Africa:

Red-crested Cardinal, introduced in the late 1920's, native to South America:

Juvenile Red-crested Cardinal:

Zebra Doves, introduced in the 1920's, native to Southeast Asia:

There is very good birding on the golf courses in Kaua'i. I found a lovely variety of birds on several courses. These Nene were on a golf course near Koloa.

There were Hawai'ian Black-necked Stilt on the same golf course.

The Marriott Kaua'i Dunes golf course is a great place to look for birds. I found these birds: Nene, Hawai'ian Moorhen, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Red-crested Cardinal, Pacific Golden-Plover, White-rumped Shama, Northern Cardinal, Northern Mockingbird, Zebra Dove, Spotted Dove and Common Myna. Here are some photos:

On our last day in Kaua'i we went to McBryde National Tropical Botanical Garden. There were acres of beautiful tropical flowers there. Here is a cluster of orchids growing in one of the gardens.

There were also many birds in the gardens. We had another look at the White-rumped Shama and the Hawai'ian Moorhen.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention the birds that are found all over the island. Common Mynas are everywhere, and are considered to be pests.

Cattle Egrets are everywhere too.

The pretty Spotted Doves are often found alongside the Zebra Doves.

I must also give a fond nod to the Kaua'i chickens. Wherever you go on the island, the chickens are there, and they are beautiful.

These were at Koke'e State Park in Waimea Canyon.

These chickens were at Poi'pu Beach.

Kaua'i is a wonderful place for a vacation. Although it is not generally considered to be a birding destination, I think it is a fine place for birding. I will leave you with a lovely Kaua'i sunset.

All photos and videos © Linda Rockwell 2012. Email corralena@gmail.com for permission.

My Nemesis the Owl

2012-01-17T02:00:00.000-07:00

From 12-11

Until the last few months, I considered my nemesis bird all those in the Owl family. Although I am not a long time birder, I have been quite avid the last 5 years when I was bit by the birding bug. I have done a lot of reading and when out birding, I would always look in cavities in trees and likely owl perches, but to no avail. I had seen a Great Horned Owl once in someone's scope at 300 yards and for about 1 second, along with decent views on a cloudy day of a Snowy Owl 2 years ago from 200 yards. Never on my own or in my local area had I found an owl.
The luck was broken when my son (10 years old and interested in birds) and I went to an area to go birding along the CT river (Station 43) in November. The area was flooded so we went along a small backroad that often gives many species in the fields and trees along it until it hits the river where you can park and walk along a trail. I had read for years in the forums of owls there but never seen one. I knew of a knothole in a tree that had held owls before but not for a few years per the better birders. I still look in it every visit. This time I almost kept going before I realized there was an owl sleeping in the hole. Lo and behold it was an Eastern Screech Owl, allowing us wonderful looks from 40 feet. It would be easy to get closer, but I was afraid of disturbing it, and left it be after a lot of photos and looks.

From November 2011

Then in December, while out birding on a cold morning on my day off, while watching and photographing a flock of bluebirds, I heard a persistent group of cawing from crows. Many times before I would follow this sound to find a Red-Tail Hawk or just a group of crows, so I made my way towards the forest where they were but took my time thinking I likely would not find anything. When I arrived twenty minutes later, I found 2 crows calling a foot away from an absolutely gorgeous and very large Great Horned Owl. As I slowly approached, the crows flushed and flew away with a few coarse calls at me; the owl looked at me and closed it's eyes, likely thankful it could let it's headache start to fade. It allowed me an hour of close looks from 30 yards away, once again I did not want to disturb it, as it was resting. Many of my photos were taken in auto, many in semi-manual as I was just starting to get the hang of the settings, and this allowed me some decent shots despite the heavy shade in the tree top.

From 12-11

I include several shots as I have trouble deciding which is better, and each shows some different detail of the bird. It's plumage is just beautiful.

BiF! Reviews

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-07:00

BirdNote Podcast

I just recently discovered BirdNote when web content manager and writer Ellen Blackstone started following "Birding is Fun!". I'm so glad she did, because I really enjoy these podcasts. They are short and sweet, two minute vignettes for National Public Radio. They cover a wide range of fascinating birding subjects and have great voice people. The intro and concluding music is nice too. BirdNote.org also has supplemental information for each podcast. What a great outreach program to spark birding curiosity!

Larkwire

For those of you, like me, that want a fun and entertaining way to learn bird sounds to increase your field identification skills, Larkwire is a fantastic resource. You can try it for free online and purchase additional bird songpacks as you wish. I have been using it in on my iPhone and the website somewhat imitates a clunky app. Playing the bird sound games is challenging and addicting and you actually do learn the bird sounds well. I recommend playing it online for user-friendliness until a true and smooth functioning app is developed.

Peterson Birds of North America

This app has some really cool features that I've not seen on any other birding apps, like blurring out the other images on the plate when you tap on a specific bird illustration. It stays true to the Peterson field guide book. I found this app to be much less intuitive than other birding apps. It seems that you have to do a little more drilling down to find the birds you want information about and the icons aren't always self-explanatory. After some time with Peterson Birds of North America, it does become a pretty good little tool. Nigel from Appweavers is one of the friendliest, most likeable, and hardest working app developers and promoters out there.

A Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand

Julian Fitter, along with the late Don Merton, have pulled together a comprehensive and compact guide to "the land of birds." The guide contains over 600 photographs of more than 350 species that can be seen in and around New Zealand. This field guide also serves as a wonderful advocate for birding tourism for New Zealand and includes great tips for visitors. This is a place high on my list of beautiful places to see before I die and the birding there is spectacular.

Can anyone explain to me the segmented charts included with each species profile? They look important and interesting, but I couldn't find a key to understanding them anywhere in the book.

Disclosure: The developers of Larkwire kindly provided me with a free account to access more of the songpacks for this review. Appweavers provided me the Peterson Birds of North America app for this review. Apps are regularly being updated and improved, so I will likely revisit many of my birding app reviews in the future. Princeton University Press provided me a review copy of Birds of New Zealand.

What's For Dinner?

2012-01-15T04:00:00.002-07:00

The past few months I have written about bird behavior. I have decided to change it up a little and do a series on birds and what they choose for their diet.

I have a fascination in watching birds and their choices of food. It’s always interesting to see what they might return to the nest with and sometimes I find their choices quite bizarre.

My first photo shows a Great Blue Heron catching a crappie.

Now how in the world does this heron think he is going to swallow that big fish?

Herons live in and around freshwater and saltwater environments. So if you are interested in watching or photographing them, you should look around a water source.

Their diet includes fish, frogs, snakes, salamanders, small mammals and some land insects. However, the majority of their diet, over 70%, is fish.

Photographing birds, especially Herons, in their search for food, can be quite challenging. They are very skittish birds and very sensitive to humans.

Share your experiences with us. What have you seen birds bring back to the nest?

Post by Steve Creek

Cracking a Hard Shell

2012-01-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Red-breasted Merganser

All along the New England coast, diving ducks are common during the winter: eiders, buffleheads, goldeneyes, scoters, mergansers, harlequins. They ride the waves, disappear beneath the surface, then pop back up like so many corks. Occasionally one comes to the surface with something in its bill, pauses a moment, swallows, then resumes doing its duck thing.

Common Eider - female

I watched a female Common Eider come to the surface with something that looked like a flattened egg. It was dark, appeared solid, and was about as wide and almost as long as her bill. Only later did I realize that she had brought a shellfish to the surface. She was diving to find food. A favorite food for diving ducks is mussels, those two to three inch long, dark, oblong shellfish. They dive to the bottom, and rip the mussel, shell and all, from the colony. The eider I was watching brought to the surface an intact, tightly closed bivalve, something related to the mussel, but larger. I began to wonder: How did she get through the hard sea shell to the nutritious food on the inside?

A lot of food is protected by a hard outer shell. Plants and animals have developed defenses against those things which would eat them. The hungry foragers in turn have developed ways to breach the defenses.

Black-capped Chickadee

Let’s take a look at our bird feeders. If you do much bird feeding, you know that sunflower seeds are favored by many, perhaps most, of our feeder birds. The edible and nutritious part of the sunflower is inside its small, hard shell. Have you ever tried to open a sunflower seed? Putting aside the fact that we are big and clumsy when it comes to handling something that small, it is nevertheless a very difficult task to break open the seed.

Many birds have no trouble. The grosbeaks and cardinals can perch on the sunflower feeder or stand on the platform and shell half a dozen sunflowers seeds in the time it takes me to write this sentence. They have powerful beaks to crack apart the hard casing. Many smaller birds are equally adept. The finches, for example, will fill the nine perches on the sunflower feeder and consume seed after seed, scattering the husks to the ground beneath them.

Tufted Titmouse

Not all of our feeder birds are as adept at opening the sunflower seeds. These birds have beaks more suited to gleaning insects along tree trunks, branches, or leaves. But they are opportunists, and our feeder food is handy. Chickadees and titmice carry the seed to a branch, hold it between their feet, and drill it open with their sharp beaks. The seeds do not yield the tasty meat easily. These small birds have to pound repeatedly before the shell cracks open. Nuthatches have a similar problem, but are not designed to hold the seed between their feed. They carry it to a tree trunk, jam it into a crack, and then pound it open.

Blue Jay

As big and muscular as the Blue Jays appear to be, they also do not have a beak designed for opening seeds. I often see them carry a seed to a branch, hold it between their feet, and pound it open. The jays also have another way of dealing hard shelled seeds. They store them in their crop. I often see a jay’s throat swell as it scarfs seed after seed. The seeds which are stored in the crop get softened up in a kind of pre-digestive soaking.

There are a lot of different ways that birds have found to crack the hard shell of a nut. My favorite is the brainy solution used by native crows in New Zealand. They drop their favorite nut on a busy road, then wait for a car to run over the nut and crack it open. To avoid the danger of speeding automobiles, some crows drop the nut in a pedestrian crosswalk, and then wait for the light to change.

White-winged Scoter

But what about those hard shelled mussels favored by diving ducks? When I did some research, I learned that opening a mussel requires a special blade and considerable adeptness. Or, the mussels can be steamed; the bivalve opens and the tasty meat is then readily accessible. I remember one time on the Maine coast when we enjoyed a dinner that consisted of a huge plate of steamed mussels. However, the combination of place, occasion, companion, and the aphrodisiacal quality of mussels banished any curiosity I might have had about how diving ducks might get at the tasty meat, or whether it contributed to a duck randiness.

Omnivorous gulls occasionally exhibit an epicurean taste for mussels and other shellfish. They carry the tightly closed shellfish aloft, then drop it on rocks - or a roadway. They repeat this exercise until the shell finally opens, or breaks. Then they dine.

Common Eider with mussel

But how does the hen eider which I saw with a shellfish in her bill get at the meat. First of all, she swallows it whole. After a recent meal, I felt like the food I had consumed was resting in my stomach like a solid lump, a heavy brick weighing me down. But a mussel or mollusk, shell and all? That must really feel like a brick.

And yet, mussels are the favored food of diving ducks, and some dabbling ducks. The shellfish is swallowed whole and then the double stomach takes over. Complex contractions move the food back and forth between the glandular stomach (proventriculus) with its acids and enzymes which dissolve and digest, and the muscular stomach (gizzard) with its grit and stones which grind, pulverize, and mix. A study done on black ducks demonstrated that they can completely digest and pass a blue mussel in 30 - 40 minutes.

The hen eider which I watched with the large shellfish in her beak was unusual. Generally, they prefer smaller mussels which have less nutrition but which pose fewer problems when being swallowed.

Finally, I should add a disclaimer. Here and elsewhere I refer to the “tasty” meat, or morsel, inside the hard casing of a seed, nut, or shellfish. We may dine on mussels for their epicurean delight, perhaps their stimulus to the libido, and maybe their nourishment of the body. The hen eider which I watched was only concerned about the latter. Her complex and efficient digestive system quickly dissolves and grinds the hard shell and digests the meat. What taste buds she may have play no role in her menu selection. The diet of the eider has been determined by the remarkable and complex stomach which can digest a stone - or at least, food which looks like a stone on the outside.

Good birding!

Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area

2012-01-13T04:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about birding is sharing the wonder of birds with others. Every winter I look forward to visiting Whitewater Draw Wildlife Area in the Sulphur Springs Valley of Southeast Arizona. Up to 30,000 Sandhill Cranes can be found here during the winter. It's no Kearney, Nebraska but it's only a 90 mile drive for me from Tucson. Last weekend I decided to take my friend Geniece to see this spectacle for the first time. Somehow I convinced her and Gaby that we needed to leave at 5 o'clock in the morning to arrive before the morning lift-off at sunrise. We could hear their loud calls as soon as we got out of the truck. Thousands of cranes were waking up and getting ready to head for the fields to feed on the waste grain left after harvest, especially corn. Geniece was impressed with their numbers and gracefulness.

In 1997, the Arizona Game and Fish Department purchased this 1400-acre site to support the wintering population of Sandhill Cranes and waterfowl. Over 600 acres are intermittently flooded to provide the cranes with a roosting area of shallow water. According to a sign posted here, the Sandhill Cranes of the Sulphur Springs Valley represent two populations, the Rocky Mountain and the Mid-Continent.

Sandhill Cranes

The area is also great for sparrows and raptors. In fact, two of the most popular tours of the Wings Over Willcox Birding and Nature Festival are the hawk stalks and sparrow seeks. In my opinion, the most gorgeous hawks in the area are the Ferruginous Hawks.

Ferruginous Hawk

But last year on one of the hawk stalks, Tom Woods and Sheri Williamson found a Rough-legged Hawk that stole the show.

Rough-legged Hawk

The festival is happening right now through this weekend (Jan. 11-15). I highly recommend checking out the descriptions of the tours on their site and attending next year or in the near future.

After watching the cranes, Gaby retreated to the truck to get out of the cold. Geniece and I walked around in search of a Swamp Sparrow and a pair of American Bitterns. Both are rare in Southeast Arizona, but had been seen here recently. I pulled up an image of the bittern on my phone and showed Geniece what we were looking for.

At least seven species of ducks were around.

Green-winged Teal

A Curve-billed Thrasher was busy flipping over fallen leaves...

Curve-billed Thrasher

while a shrike soaked up the morning sun.

Loggerhead Shrike

Multiple harriers cruised over the grass.

Northern Harrier

Then I spotted what I had been looking for. Luckily my frozen index finger still worked so I could take this shot.

Swamp Sparrow

I noticed one person left in the area braving the freezing temperatures and scoping the distant cranes and geese on the observation deck. We walked over and greeted him. He offered us his scope and pointed out the Ross's geese mixed in with the Snow geese. Geniece told him this was her first time seeing the cranes and only her third time birding. After chatting a while, it was clear that when this man talks, you listen. I told him I was hoping for an American Bittern and asked him if he had seen one. He hadn't. I remarked that I would probably have to make multiple trips here to see it. We thanked him for the looks through his scope and continued on our way.

Two minutes later Geniece says, "Is that a stick over there?" She knew it wasn't a stick, she was just thinking out loud. "There it is!" she finally blurted out. I looked where she was pointing and could hardly believe my eyes. Among the reeds, an American Bittern was motionless with its bill pointed straight in the sky!

We enjoyed fantastic looks at the bird with the sun at our back. As I got some images of it, I told Geniece to go get the gentleman we had met earlier who was still on the platform. Just before they returned, the bittern disappeared into the reeds. But luckily it reappeared a few minutes later and we enjoyed watching it soak up the sun's rays. He set up his scope and I had the most incredibly crisp, close-up views of any bird I've ever had. It was breathtaking!

The three of us continued on together in great spirits and continued to talk. Well, mostly Geniece and I just listened. It turns out the gracious gentleman was Texas birding legend Ben Feltner. He told us about his Eskimo Curlew sighting of 1959 on Galveston Island. It was incredible! Luckily I'm not the only one that enjoys sharing the wonder of birds with others. What a treat! Not only had Geniece's first look through a scope been through Ben Feltner's Kowa, she had found him a new state bird! We will always remember this as our best birder sighting ever.

Birding Goals and a little Patch Birding

2012-01-12T08:32:00.001-07:00

Bald Eagle perched on a snag on my way to Decker Lake, West Valley City, Utah

Usually each year I make three challenging birding goals. Some ambitious personal and family goals as well as some increased responsibilities at work have really put a crunch on my birding and bird blogging time. That's okay though. "To everything there is a season" right?

So this year, one of my goals will still be to average at least one eBird checklist per day and I invite you to take the One-a-Day eBird Challenge too. Another eBird related goal will be to have a checklist submitted for each week for my regular birding patches. Then, when I run the bar chart in eBird it will show a complete week-by-week year of the bird comings and goings from my little corner of the world. It will help me and science better understand migration patterns. Now if all of you and your birding friends did the same, think of the increased understanding we'd all have. I also find it very fulfilling personally to enter and follow eBird data. It's not for everyone though. One Utah birder recently commented that counting birds sucks the life out of her. If that is the case, by all means, don't count the birds! Just enjoy looking at them. Other Utah birders have a little eBird competition brewing so my normal eBirding will contribute to that fun little game and friendly competition.

I had considered doing a Davis County Big Year, but I am postponing that for some future year. That half-hour drive north to Antelope Island will be too hard on family time and on the family budget this year. No goals related to life birds for me in 2012. I'll take whatever I get and can afford to chase. So all in all, my goals for this year involve a little more zen and a little more life balance.

One birding patch that I have visited a few times before, but plan to visit each week during the winter waterfowl season on my lunch hour is Decker Lake. Below are some recent images from birding at or near Decker Lake.

(Don't forget, you can click on the images to enlarge your viewing pleasure. A nice lightbox that Blogger now has as a standard feature now opens up on your screen so you can scroll through and better enjoy the images.)

The above and below photos reflect a pretty common winter scene at Decker Lake. Do you see the Cackling Goose in the middle of the photo above? How about the female Common Merganser in the photo below? Which other species can you pluck out of the pictures?

As common as Red-shafted Northern Flickers are, I can't explain why, but every time I see one, it takes my breath away and I get an adrenaline rush. Maybe that is part of why birding is so addicting.

Killdeer on Ice. I thought all the Killdeer would have headed out of town to warmer climes by now, but a few hardy (or dumb) birds try and stick out the cold of Utah's winter. One thing interesting to me about this photo is that I discovered that Killdeer have black toenails.

Not a great photo, but still the awe inspiring iridescence of Black-billed Magpie wings and tails constantly impresses.

Three Long-billed Dowitchers still hanging out in Utah in winter, just past the edge of the ice on the lake, doing what Dowitchers do best, bobbing for food.

The Big Year Movie coming to DVD

2012-01-12T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'll be giving away a DVD of the movie, so check back on January 20th for a chance to play to win!

Feather care: Common Merganser preening

2012-01-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

Preening is a vital activity that cares for a bird's feathers. Feathers are necessary to insulate, protect, and decorate a bird. If not properly cared for feathers become dirty and pest-ridden. Feathers in good condition are necessary for this female Common Merganser to fly efficiently and swim without becoming water-logged.

A gland near the tail provides an oil that she rubs on her feathers. She rubs her bill in the oil and then distribute it to other areas while preening. Evidently, the oil is not absolutely essential for waterproofing--the feather structure itself does that. But the oil does help keep the plumage healthy.

It's hard to reach everywhere!

She grasps feathers in her bill and removes dirt and insect pests. At the same time she pulls the feather through her bill and re-forms the feather vanes--zipping up feathers whose webs may have split apart.

All finished... beautiful!

Piracy in Our Friendly Skies!

2012-01-10T04:00:00.001-07:00

Here in Missouri, our January weather can be either mild or darned cold. Right now, I'm hoping for extreme cold! Why? To make more action images like these:

Missouri's population of wintering Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is quite high (our state consistently reports 2,000 eagles or more in the winter). Bald eagles are known as a stately bird, one that so magnificently symbolizes our freedoms and strengths. But bald eagles are very aggressive when it comes to food, especially in the winter. Whenever an eagle plucks a fish from the water, it is not uncommon to find one or more eagles begin a chase to steal the fish:

The following sequence of images was made 2 years ago along the Mississippi River, just north of St. Louis. Notice how the fish is lost in the melee, and caught, in mid-air, by another eagle as it falls toward the river:

So, you can see why I'm anxiously waiting for cold temperatures and for the Mississippi River to freeze over so I can make more piracy images over the Mississippi!

Winter Birding Traditions

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

It is such a big difference living on one of southern Utah's High Plateaus (I live at 8,000 feet) when compared to my first several years watching and photographing birds in Florida. Birds are few and far between - around home I've seen about 8 species. To see much of anything, I have to travel, at least a little to lower elevations where birds are more abundant. That being said, I have a couple of things I try to do here each winter, and the first of my winter birding "traditions" is one discussed in last month's post, the Christmas Bird Count. Had a pretty good year this time, too, besting my previous high of 24 species with a tally of 29. The "best bird" of the count was a White-winged Dove - they're kind of rare in Utah and, in fact, the one we counted is only the second ever eBird record for Garfield County.

White-winged Dove with Eurasian Collared-doves in Tropic, UT.

Though weather and sometimes work keep me from my other winter "tradition", that tradition is my New Year's Day "Raptor Fest." Though there are more than 30 species considered permanent residents in this area, there are only 12 species found in the "winter only" column - and 9 of those are not always seen every year. However, 3 of the 12 are raptor species that show up every year in winter. My first winter "Raptor Fest" here was in 2008 when I was off on the holiday and decided to see if I could add two of those raptors to my life list: Rough-legged Hawk and Ferruginous Hawk. It was -12°F (-24° C) that morning when I started out, but I went anyway, figuring I'd just drive along the area roads, stay warm inside my truck, and see what I could see. I did not get the Rough-legged that day, but did get Ferruginous. And a bunch of Bald Eagles:

13 Bald Eagles sharing a tree in southern Utah.

That same morning this immature eagle gave me a shot to nicely show the underside of a 2nd year bird's plumage:

Bald Eagle - 2nd year plumage.

Fast forward to this year and, just before Christmas, I stumbled across an area that I decided might be worthy of checking out once the New Year rolled around - and it turned out to be a pretty good morning looking for raptors.

There's a little rural road that leads for several miles out of the small city of Panguitch, UT past cattle farms and lots of wide open spaces. Cottonwood trees line the Sevier River that flows on the east side of the road for a little way before the river meanders off to the west side. Traveling north the river is, eventually, nearly a mile away, but you can still pick out the big dark birds with white heads perched in the trees from that distance. I had a total of 15 for the morning along that route. I can't say for sure, but have heard that most of the Bald Eagles that winter here are from British Columbia and southeastern Alaska.

Red-tailed Hawk.

Red-tailed Hawks are present all year and I spotted 3 of them on this day, one perched in a tree and a couple perched atop utility poles. And utility pole perches would be a common theme for most of the other hawks I would see.

Immature light morph Rough-legged Hawk

After the eagles, the next highest raptor species count, with a total of 6, was Rough-legged Hawks. These birds nest in the arctic tundra, so have certainly traveled a long way to reach southern Utah. Below is another image of the same bird pictured above after it flew and landed on a different pole.

Considering the route was only 5 miles long, a count of 5 Ferruginous Hawks wasn't bad either. Without very many trees, but lots of pasture land that must have a fair numbers of rodents to keep the hawks fed, there sure aren't many opportunities to get photos of the birds on a nice perch. The Ferruginous pictured below is another immature specimen, also a light morph.

Immature light morph Ferruginous Hawk

These next two were found at my turnaround point sharing a tree and they left me a little confused initially. My first thought was that it must be a pair of Ferruginous Hawks, one dark morph and one light morph. I snapped a couple of photos of them in the tree, then grabbed my bins and field guide trying to decide what the dark bird actually was. As I wrestled with the ID of the dark bird it decided to fly away, so I quickly grabbed the camera and snapped off a couple of frames. I knew I wasn't close enough for a great flight shot, but had a feeling that a good look at wing pattern might be my best clue. I've inset one of those flight shots in the photo of them perched and, unless I'm missing something, it's a dark morph Rough-legged. I'm also thinking it's probably a male based upon the wing patterns of male and female dark morphs as painted in the Sibley Guide.

For a 5 mile stretch of road, a total of 29 raptors isn't a bad haul at all - on average just a bit less than 6 raptors per mile! In addition to all of those, I saw a Golden Eagle and 2 other other Bald Eagles along the highway just a couple of miles before I turned onto my intended route. If there was any disappointment, it was not seeing any falcons - I've seen both Prairie Falcons and American Kestrels in that area in winter, but not on this day, unfortunately. I've got a pretty good idea where I'll be heading for my next New Year's Raptor Fest . . . and if you're planning to visit southern Utah in winter and need to see some raptors, send me a note and I will be happy to give you directions.