Birding Is Fun!

Books for Birders

2013-05-19T17:00:00.000-06:00

The Warbler Bible has come forth! This is easily the most comprehensive and fantastic warbler specific guide covering North American Warblers. I am amazed and impressed with each of its features.

The first few pages teach you how to use the book followed by another 100 pages of darn useful stuff you need to become a warbler i.d. expert. I really enjoyed the sectioned called "What to Notice on a Warbler". The "Visual Finder Guides" are perfect for showing warblers from a variety of angles, especially those you are most likely to come across in the field.

Sonograms feature prominently in comparisons and in species profiles. Seeing those sonograms really helps me internalize the sounds.

Each species profile has icons the quickly communicate great information like behavior, color, undertail view, range, and where on the tree you're most like to see the species. Tons of photos of each species from all angles including age, sex and molt. A helpful selection of comparison images for similar looking species is included too.

I could say more about this must-have book, but the authors made videos so you can see for yourself by clicking here.

The Warble Guide by Tom Stephenson and Scott Whittle is published by Princeton University Press as is list priced at $29.95, but is available for only $18.99 at Amazon.

Jamie Bastedo has been an enthusiastic supporter of the American Birding Association's Bird of the Year and we've just rolled with the celebration embracing his new book "Nighthawk!"

This is fun little story about a Nighthawk born in Canada that likes to break with the norm and do his own thing. It follows his journey south and back north again and all of the challenges and peril he faces. While a work a fiction, it does bring to the forefront the grueling nature of migration and proposes scenarios that delight, charm, scare, and inspire.

I thought this book may have been written for children, but there is some foul language and even a couple adult innuendos such that if I were reading it to my kids, I'd probably edit out on the fly.

I had fun reading this book which is available for $11 on Amazon.

I'm usually sycophantically positive in my reviews, but I had a hard time with this one. I only made it three quarters of the way through and put it down out of frustration, so my opinions are not benefited by a complete reading. I found this fake bird in conservation peril by evil greedy natural resource harvesters to be extremely cliche. The author chose to use real places, including my own state of Idaho and my beloved Argentina, but then references some birds in Idaho as if they were common and regularly occurring. Frankly, I just couldn't overcome all this mingling of pseudonyms and real names in addition to the overdone story line. If you want to give this book a shot, you can get the Kindle version on Amazon for as little as $5.49.

I like this little pocket guide with its key facts, a fun photo and an illustration from the big NatGeo field guide. I learned that Goldfinch may in fact migrate as one was found 1000 miles from where it was banded. Interesting! When a book is limited to 160 species, it must be tough making decisions about what to include and what to leave out and we could all debate this for years, but I think they did a decent job. There are some mistakes. For example, the claim that the House Sparrow is decreasing in North America while increasing in Europe is certainly a simple reversal.

This is a great book for beginning birders as it will help them get pointed in the right direction and they will sense from its pages the wonder and excitement of birds. You can get it for under $10 on Amazon.

The World's Rarest Birds is a beautiful coffee table book featuring the most threatened birds around the globe. Gorgeous photography, cool maps, graphs and tables, all will entice you to learn more about these birds and to care. The book divides the birds into regions for the convenience of reference. This hardbound large and stunning book is available for $30.34 on Amazon.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

2013-05-19T08:02:00.000-06:00

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
With the bird numbers swelling,
They seem to be telling you "Be of good cheer!"
It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's the hap-happiest season of all!
With those warblers arriving and empids contriving,
Oh birds come to call
It's the hap- happiest season of all.

There'll be orioles for hosting
And grosbeaks for toasting
And tanagers all in a row
There'll be awesome bird stories
And tales of the glories of
Great birders long, long ago!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!
There'll be much mate displaying
But no tapes a'playing
When migrants are near.
It's the most wonderful time of the year!
It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time
It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Every May morning is like Christmas morning to me and thousands of birders in the northern hemisphere! Something new and surprising around every corner.

Here's a sampler of what I've been seeing in my patch:

All of these were digiscoped with a Swarovski ATX 85mm and handheld iPhone 4s.

Spotted Sandpiper Stand-off

2013-05-18T16:00:00.000-06:00

So a couple of Spotted Sandpipers meet up at a local pond with a lovely waterfall nearby. From the picture, it looks like they might be about to have a friendly chat about how migration went, but oh no. Had you been there, as I was, you would have heard them screaming and yelling at each other. Stretching out their necks and bodies to posture and try to dominate one another. Fanning out their tail feathers in anger.

Flaring out the wing and tail feathers in an attempt to intimidate.

The one on the right is underwhelmed by the visual display and seems to have gained the high ground and to yell the loudest. The one on the left steps back a pace.

...and defeated scurries away.

I'd never seem that before. It was pretty cool to watch. Birding is fun!

The Biggest Week in American Birding 2013

2013-05-18T04:00:00.000-06:00

I just returned from The Biggest Week in American Birding, 2013 edition. If you haven't been, this is a wonderful festival on the south shore of Lake Erie in northwestern Ohio, held in May of every year.
The birds are fabulous, and the Ohio birders are wonderful and welcoming. You should go!

Everyone goes to see the many warblers that rest and feed at and around Magee Marsh to prepare to fly north over Lake Erie. They decorate the trees like lovely jewels.

Blackburnian Warbler male

Blackburnian Warbler female

Palm Warbler

Chestnut-sided Warbler

Northern Parula

Nashville Warbler

Cape May Warbler

Black-throated Green Warbler

American Redstart

Black-and-white Warbler

Bay-breasted Warbler

Magnolia Warbler

There were, of course, many other lovely warblers. With some I missed the shot entirely; with others my photos turned out badly. I was disappointed that I saw no Prothonotary Warblers, as they were my favorite warblers last year. Perhaps their arrival was delayed by the late spring. I will look forward to hearing their cheery song next year.

Prothonotary Warbler

Warblers weren't the only birds that attracted attention. One of my favorites was this American Woodhen with chicks. Her nest was near the parking lot. Although this image looks close, I used my enhanced point and shoot at the equivalent of 840 mm. The image is heavily cropped.

American Woodhen and chicks

CBS News Sunday Morning was filming at The Biggest Week. I love this photo of Kimberly Kaufman and Serena Altschul, Contributing Correspondent to CBS Sunday Morning. The story is scheduled to air on May 26, 2013.

Kimberly Kaufman and Serena Altschul

This New Mexican took about 40 pounds of New Mexican food to Ohio. I hosted a New Mexican dinner for The Biggest Week blog team one evening. The following morning I took New Mexico breakfast burritos to the boardwalk at Magee Marsh. You may recognize this birder behind the burrito.

Greg Miller y NM breakfast burrito. (Photo credit Donna Madrid-Simonetti)

The Biggest Week is over for another year. I am already looking forward to next year's festival. If you did not attend this year, you should certainly make arrangements to attend next year. Please be sure to visit me at Casa Nuevo Mexico en Ohio!

Lake Erie sunset

Raptors in Vermont

2013-05-17T04:18:00.000-06:00

From 2-13

Due to my more casual nature of birding and not having a lot of time, I tend not to get many big trips or uncommon birds. A common theme for me is to watch the feeder birds and get a good feel for the local birding environment. One interesting thing about my area in Vermont, is the amount of raptors about. On any drive to work or into town, it is typical to see a Red-Tail Hawk or 2 and likely at least one Kestrel sitting on the wires. The Kestrels seem quite shy and don't seem to have trouble seeing inside a car, where-as some birding can be done from a closer vantage point using the car as a blind. Usually once a month I catch a Peregrine swooping in low trying to catch a swallow or earlier this year, flocks of Snow Buntings on the fields. Carrying my camera in the car is a must and how I captured all of these shots, pulling over and quickly shooting.

From 2-13

This Black Morph Rough Legged Hawk, gave some great views as it hovered above a field flying into the wind.

From 2-13

This Osprey flew right over the parking lot where I was watching a Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher from the car, making me jump out and start shooting (and losing the Gnatcatcher).

From 2-13

Although this Red-Tail Hawk is back-lit, the views give a neat look at it's feathers, almost like an x-ray.

From 2-13

Blue Grosbeak: My Favorite Summer Passerine

2013-05-16T04:00:00.000-06:00

I like and love lots of things and really don't have favorites of very many things. However, I do consider the Blue Grosbeak to be my favorite summer passerine. It is a highlight during late spring or early summer when I see my first male of the year. I'm glad to have them back from Central America for the summer. I love the dark blue color and the contrasting rufous wing bars. After seeing my first male Blue Grosbeak a few years ago I decided I would not let another summer go by without locating a few males singing on their territory. The male below had set up its territory and was singing from a Russian Olive tree along a dirt road we call Swede Lane in Utah County, Utah.

Male Blue Grosbeak Singing Along Swede Lane in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Here is a full view of the same male after he flew across the dirt road and perched on a barbed wire fence post.

Male Blue Grosbeak Along Swede Lane in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

A good birding friend, who knows my love for the beautiful birds, located the male below near Lindon Beach in Utah County. True to our friendship he sent a text message to me to provide the location. I was able to hear this bird sing and get a few decent images to add to my collection of images. The image below shows a nice profile highlighting its "gross" beak, rufous wing bars, and dark wings and tail feathers.

Male Blue Grosbeak Singing Near Lindon Beach in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

First-summer males look a little messy as they sport their "tween" plumage, morphing from the pale rufous/buff color to a dark blue with contrasting rufous wing bars and black lores. The bi-colored beak can also be distinguished in the images below.

First-summer Male Blue Grosbeak Singing Near American Fork Boat Harbor in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Male Blue Grosbeak Lindon Beach in Utah County, UT (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Once I've located a few males I know I will be able to return in a couple of months to see juveniles. The image below shows at least two siblings down low.

This juvenile was found a couple summers ago in an open field in American Fork, Utah.

Juvenile Blue Grosbeak Near American Fork Boat Harbor in Utah County, UT

I wish I could have gotten closer to the bird below. I loved the dark blue contrast against the green of the grain. This bird sang its way to the perch below as I was trying to photograph a male Bobolink in an adjacent field of tall grass.

Male Blue Grosbeak Near Palmyra, Utah (Photo by Jeff Cooper)

Conservation Incentive for Land Developers and Home Builders

2013-05-15T21:13:00.000-06:00

My entire life has been financed by the creation of places for people to live. As a birder, I am conservation-minded, so imagine the internal conflict I face. I deal with it my using my influence to keep habitat preservation in the forefront of our decision making. I have long believed that a community developed with the preservation of beautiful natural habitat benefits the quality of life and therefore increases property values. Now I have some support for my theory.

A study that shows that homes in neighborhoods with protected open space sell for 20% to 29% more than neighborhoods without open space.

Here's a video from the Wall Street Journal. Unfortunately the news anchor lady didn't get it right and all the images they show weren't what the reporter was really talking about...but the study is very important for conservation-minded people to use when working with land developers.

Miller Canyon: The High Life

2013-05-15T04:00:00.001-06:00

Miller Canyon...with its perfect location, beautiful habitats, and relative accessibility, it is so often the object of birders' hopes and dreams, and so often the subject of many heartbreaks. The attractive qualities of Miller Canyon are superlative. The Beatty Guest Ranch in Miller Canyon is world-renowned for its variation in hummingbirds, with a North American record 14 species seen there in a single day. Additionally, it hosts an annual pair of breeding Spotted Owls, a majestic and endangered species that is not reliably found anywhere else in the state.

Despite the Owls being largely sedentary, I've made the drive down south and missed the Owls on three separate occasions, and once while joining forces with an outstanding birder ally.

There enters the heartbreak, the spiraling depressions and benders, the broken commitments, the total total nadir of an Arizona birder's soul...a binge in Miller Canyon and leave one reeling for days.

Heading into the belly of the beast. So young...so naive

After the most recent miss on the Owls, I was back in the Canyon within a month. I knew that this time I would find the Owls, in addition to a great many great birds, and I knew that because this time they were not the main reason for the trip back to Miller Canyon. I returned with my birding buddy Tommy, at the expense even of doing a Maricopa County east side Big Day, because there was an almighty concatenation of birds in that Huachuca Mountain pass the weekend of April 27th.

When Western Tanagers are some of the less remarkable bids seen on your trip, you know it's a good birding day.

Not only was Miller Canyon still hosting the Spotted Owls, and not only was it now receiving its normal influx of Blue-throated and Magnificent Hummingbirds, along with Dusky-capped and Buff-breasted Flycatchers, but the Canyon also had two reported Crescent-chested Warblers, a Flame-colored Tanager, Pygmy Owls, Goshawks...add in a Lucifer Hummingbird next door at Ash Canyon, and it was a feathered paradise.
A young Scott's Oriole perched on ocotillo? Not even a big deal...

Just to avoid any later disappointment, the Crescent-chested Warblers did not show that day, though we did hear some suspicious, Parula-like trilling on the trail. Thundering up and down Miller Canyon, even with dozens of other eager birders from around the southwest, including California, New Mexico, and Nevada, the odds were always heavily against finding those little birds, and we will likely hav eto wait a few more years to try again.

But searching for Crescent-chested Warblers in Miller Canyon is like trying to find the perfect diamond in a jewelry store: there are plenty of other gems around. Also, you shouldn't eat the merchandise, nor put it in your pocket and try to leave.

The stationary Hummingbird feeders are great attractions at the Beatty Ranch in Miller Canyon, but finding and photographing some of the Hummers away from the feeders, like this female Blue-throated below, presents an enjoyable challenge, especially when warblers are being all anti-social.

Like the other southeastern Arizona mountain ranges, Miller Canyon and the Huachucas host the brown-backed Arizona Woodpecker. The Cactus Wren is a mighty mascot for state bird, but this fellow would've done well too, even if it is esoteric in its location. With an ability to climb, eat, and fight crime while upside down, these Woodpeckers, like Nuthatches, make Spiderman seem blasé.

Every birding trip of 3+ hours driving needs to produce a rarity of some sort, and that rarity must have a grainy, backlit portrait taken. Miller Canyon is peculiar in that is hosts so many great birds, and so many birds that are not found much elsewhere in the country, but within the mountain range they're locally common. Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, this Flame-colored x Western Tanager applied for a job in the 'rarity' department. With the yellowish wingbar and weaker orange coloration (seems like a crime to say, doesn't it) disqualifying this bird as being a pure Flame-colored, it is in the odd position of being rarer than either a Western or regular Flame-colored, and yet, as far as the lister is concerned, more or less useless. This is the plight of the hybrid bird, but a plight that does not at all extend into the realm of aesthetic enjoyment.

On the drive down from Phoenix, Tommy and I stopped to do some owling on Mt. Lemmon in Tucson the night before. It cost a good night's sleep, but we heard Flammulated, Western-Screech, Mexican Whip-poor-will, Great-horned, and N. Saw-whet Owl (nice!) all on the mountain. This fortunate prelude of owling could've been interpreted two ways. Either it was going to be a very owl-y weekend, or we used up our Owl luck in Tucson.
It was the first possibility that proved true, and we made sure right away. Before hours of hiking up and down Miller Canyon, scouring every bush and analyzing every trilll for the CCWA, we spotted the Spotted nemesis sitting in a choke-cherry tree.

Knowing he could thwart us no longer, that we had his number, that his ticket was up, the Owl still did its best to frustrate, ducking away and pretending to scratch an itch on its back. I could just be bitter, since I too get itches on my back and cannot scratch them in this fashion, thus begging the question, what the heck good is our spinal chord anyway?

When the perch has been found, the hard part is done. though the morning light was behind the bird, we eventually had some great, overdue face-time, and I should also stress that the Owl was not stressed or harassed in any way beyond our unavoidable proximity, perched as it was fairly near the trail. For better or worse, we gawking birders were business as usual for this freckled hooter.

In our subsequent Warbler search, which did turn up just about every other possible warbler in the area, including Red-faced and Virginia's, we did a fair amount of exploring around a bend in the wash where another birder reported seeing a Northern Pygmy Owl being mobbed the day before. Exploring the pine trees around the trail, I found whitewash deposits but all the elevated staring in the world couldn't produce that little eight inch poof ball I was looking for.

Later in the afternoon, while quintouple-checking that same area for the elusive Warblers, we met up with fellow Arizonan and fantastic birder Kurt Radamaker, who spotted a small but well-worn hole in a nearby scrub oak. A little patience...and there it was.

"Who dares to disturb my slumber!?"
Our sixth owl species in 12 hours, this was a super find and one of the highlights of the day. On one hand, the bird's limited visibility kept it from being a perfect sighting, but on the other hand, actually getting the Owl-in-a-hole isn't as common a treat as common consensus and Halloween decorations would have us believe.

With Ash Canyon and Sierra Vista grasslands beckoning after Miller Canyon, there was no time nor desire to crack open a few of the High Life when we finally called it quits on the Warbler (nor time and desire for smokes after Ash Canyon, nor Sierra Nevadas after Sierra Vista, etc). No no, there were birds to see. We saved all the prodigious drinking for the drive home.

Water that is! Ha ha..ha...

Miller: it's the Champagne of Canyons.

Posted by Laurence Butler

Butler's Birds

The Day Spring Came

2013-05-14T05:45:00.000-06:00

At my home in South Newfane, Spring came on April 8.

There are many different ways by which people determine that Spring has arrived. For some it is the first daffodil that blooms. Others hurry Spring’s arrival with the first blooming crocus. Ice-out in the West River might be the arrival of Spring, or ice-out on the Retreat meadows. Fishermen opt for the opening of trout season, skiers the closing of the favorite ski area.

Birders, of course, look for the arrival of certain birds. “The Red-winged Blackbird,” says one birder, “always shows up in my yard on March 8. That is the arrival of Spring.”

Palm Warbler

On April 13, while monitoring the passage of waterfowl, I crossed paths with two other birders. We swapped sightings. We had all seen our first Palm Warbler. A yellow little bird with a rusty cap, it sings a rapid chipping-buzzing from low branches and thickets, while ceaselessly bobbing its tail. Someone said, “When the warblers start coming, you know its Spring.”

That is very true. The arrival and passage of the two dozen plus species of warblers is the anticipated event for eastern bird watchers. They are the beauties, the sought-afters, the wonders of Spring. They are like the dessert menu in a fine restaurant - rich, tempting delicacies that cannot be passed over.

But the first warbler is not the day Spring comes - not even when the Palm Warbler drops to a low branch so that I can see, without the aid of binoculars, his fresh yellow plumage perched on a drab branch against a gray tree trunk. Not even when he wags his long tail in avian greeting.

Eastern Phoebe

For me, the day Spring comes is the day when I am standing in my yard and hear for the first time in many months the simple name-saying of a small, plain, gray and white bird - “fee-bee ... fee-bee ... fee-bee.”

This year, I heard “phoe-be ... phoe-be” as I went out for the mail mid-morning on April 8. Hurrying back inside, I called out, “I just heard the phoebe!!” From somewhere came the answering echo, “Wonderful! It’s Spring!” The exchange rolled through the usually calm rooms of our home, causing one of our cats to raise her head and wonder about all the fuss.

The Eastern Phoebe arrives in my neighborhood some time between the very last days of March and the middle of April. The ground squishes beneath the step. The retreating snow waters the snow drops. The winter rye is greening up and the garlic is emerging. The river behind our home runs high and fast, its sparkling water crystal green with minerals carried along by the snow melt. On a branch above the river, the gray-backed, white-breasted Eastern Phoebe wags his tail with each spoken “phoe-be,” his “song” as unimaginative as his plumage. But maybe that is not fair. He does vary his song. Sometimes he puts a slight emphasis on the first syllable, sometimes on the second: “Phoe-be ... phoe-Be ... Phoe-be ... phoe-Be.”

The phoebe is a flycatcher. It forages from its perch, flying out to catch insects in mid-air, sometimes dropping to the ground to grab a bite, or hovering briefly to grab something out of the foliage. Wintering in southern North America, it may turn to a diet of berries, but in the north during the summer it goes for the protein contained in wasps, bees, beetles, flies, bugs, grasshoppers, spiders, ticks, millipedes and such like.

Eastern Phoebe

It is usually found near streamsides or woodland edges near water. Its native nest sites were probably streambanks or rock outcrops where there was some support below and cover above. Now it often nests under bridges, on a beam in a barn, or under a house eave. Some small support, such as a slightly protruding window lintel or trim provides just enough support for the female to build her mud base. Moss and leaves are mixed into the mud, and then the open cup is lined with fine grass and animal hair.

The phoebe nests early. Forbush reports that the “first brood often requires six or seven weeks, or even more, from the beginning of the nest until the young have flown; but when the same nest is used for the second brood, a month is ample time, as this brood is reared in warm weather, when food is plentiful and storms usually are few. Both parent birds take part in incubation and in feeding the young, and within one or two days after the first brood leaves the nest, the female begins another or starts repairs on the old nest, while the male cares for the first brood.”

Eastern Phoebe

For such a plain, drab bird, our Eastern Phoebe is a much loved bird. It goes about its business in and around our homes, our garages, and our barns, quite unperturbed, perpetually repeating its name and wagging its tail. The simple song is one of the most easily recognizable bird song; its tail bobbing a distinctive field mark among all of its drab flycatcher cousins.

My regard for this small, gentle bird goes back twenty-five years to when I was just beginning to watch birds. I was building a small house in western Pennsylvania. While I was nailing down sub -flooring and nailing up paneling, a pair entered the basement garage and built a mud nest on a beam. As I came and went with tools and materials, they came and went with food for their young. They were such friendly neighbors, busy with raising their family, but always having the time to add a friendly greeting - “phoe-be” - and never too busy that they couldn’t wave tail feathers from a tree branch perch.

Eastern Phoebe

Years later, the first “phoe-be” of the year banishes the last of winter’s bone chill - promises roadside chats with neighbors and woodland walks with friends. The first “phoe-be” intimates the garden’s bountiful produce, and the splashy color of spring and summer blossoms. The first “phoe-be” is Persephone stirring, life returning - the coming of Spring! This year Spring came on April 8.

Good Birding!

Chris Petrak - Tails of Birding

Springtime in Wisconsin!

2013-05-13T04:00:00.000-06:00

Here we are, middle of May, the buds are sprouting, the grass is green, and the migrating birds are heading back to the Midwest. Just this morning I saw the Ruby-Throated Hummingbird drink thirstily at my Hummingbird feeder.

Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

The Ruby-Throated Hummingbird, Wisconsin's smallest bird, migrates from Mexico and Central America, usually showing up in this part of the Midwest about the end of April to the beginning of May. Today, May 12, is the earliest that we have seen it in our backyard.

American Goldfinch

One of my favorite small birds, and a favorite in most Wisconsinites' backyards, the American Gold Finch, is a partial migrator, here in the state. This means you can find some of them in their Winter coats sticking around the feeder all year.

American Goldfinch

The Gold Finch does migrate, but doesn't migrate as far as some of the other migrating birds, spending its Winters in the deep South, Florida and Southwest USA.

Baltimore Oriole

Another favorite backyard bird is the handsome Baltimore Oriole. With its flaming orange color and fantastic songs, the Oriole is one of the last migrators to make its way back to Wisconsin, usually making it to our parts around mid May.

Baltimore Oriole

Traveling from Mexico, Central America, and northern parts of South America, the Baltimore is sometimes mistaken for its close cousin the Bullock Oriole. The Baltimore stays around our parts through the month of September.

Palm Warbler

What is Spring without the horde of Warblers heading back to the Midwest? This Palm Warbler showed up down by the Lake Michigan waterfront looking for bugs.

Common Yellowthroat

We spotted this handsome Common Yellowthroat Warbler at Horicon Marsh in Central Wisconsin. Horicon is a haven for all sorts of amazing species of Warblers including Yellow-Rumped, Black & White, Cape May, and many, many others.

Great Egret

One of the prettiest birds I think in all of Wisconsin is the Great Egret. This tall and elegant bird shows up in Wisconsin just about this time of year, early to mid May. You can usually find them in large pools of water in county parks, state parks, and on river banks, slowly stalking around looking for small crustaceans or small fish.

Great Egret

The Great Egret, named after the word aigrette, which means "ornamental tufts of plumage" was once hunted almost to extinction in the 1800s, but now are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty of 1918.

Sandhill Crane

Probably my favorite bird, and one of the more exciting to photograph, the Sandhill Crane, starts showing up here in Southeast Wisconsin about the the middle of April. You can often hear them before you even see them with the familiar "kar-r-r-r-r-o-o-o" call.

Sandhill Crane

In the Spring and Summer you can find Sandhills all over, including any small body of water, along the side of a road, like this mother Sandhill, sitting on her nest, only feet from the side of the road.

Family of Sandhill Crane

This family of Sandhills was foraging for food just off the highway, feet from the road. This is a very common sight in the Spring and Summer. They are just a delight to watch, and listen to. I've only touched a few great mitigatory birds that come to Wisconsin in the Spring.

This it for me, if you are interested in seeing any more of my work please checkout my blog at Ricky L Jones Photography, or on Flickr or Twitter, or Facebook or Google Plus. Take care.

It's Spring, so Sing!

2013-05-12T17:00:00.000-06:00

Vermilion Flycatcher - A True Beauty

2013-05-12T04:00:00.000-06:00

Vermilion Flycatchers are one of my favorite birds. They definitely rank in my Top 5, maybe second to the Snowy Owl. Who's to judge though? All birds are awesome! The males are downright beautiful, with their bright red plumage, and their song is music to my ears. The females are equally as easy to look at, but definitely do not give off the same "boom" the male does. In the southwest, Vermilion Flycatcher are rather common in local parks with mesquite and much less common in native mesquite bosques.

Vermilion Flycatcher eBird records for the past 10 years (credit - eBird)

Our backyard in Blythe, CA consists of similar habitat to the local parks and therefore supports three breeding pairs of Vermilion Flycatchers. The Palo Verde Cemetery in town has at least two as well. Over the past few weeks, I've been able to Phone Skope nesting activity and perched birds.

Vermilion Flycatcher at Palo Verde Cemetery, Blythe, CA. iPhone photo by Tim Schreckengost.

Vermilion Flycatcher nest at The River Estates, Blythe, CA. Photo by Tim Schreckengost.

Vermilion Flycatcher nest at The River Estates, Blythe, CA. iPhone photo by Tim Schreckengost.

Vermilion Flycatcher at Martinez Lake Camground, AZ. iPhone photo by Tim Schreckengost.

If you haven't seen a Vermilion Flycatcher, you need to check out the areas from the eBird records pictured above. Go. See. A. Vermilion. Flycatcher. It will change your life. I'm sure everyone that has seen one, will agree with me, right? Who's seen one? Let me know where you have seen Vermilion Flycatchers in the comments!

All images, except for the second Vermilion Flycatcher on nest, were taken with the following setup:

iPhone 4s + Celestron Regal 80 F-ED & iPhone 4s Phone Skope Adapter. I also use an app called StillShot to take HD video grabs.

Cheers,

Tim of thermalbirding.com

Name this preening beauty

2013-05-11T17:00:00.000-06:00

Digiscoped with a Swarovski ATX 85mm spotting scope

Tide pools and birds

2013-05-11T04:00:00.000-06:00

Many visitors to the Oregon coast enjoy tide pools--puddles in rocky substrates left behind at low tide. There they can examine sea life. Tide pools are covered in various sea weeds, barnacles, mussels, sea stars, and anemones. Sea snails, crabs, and small fishes scurry about. You may even find an octopus!

Sea anemones in tide pool near Newport, Oregon, 6 May 2012, by Greg Gillson.

There are several "rockpipers" found on rocky ocean shores. These interesting shorebirds are specialists in this habitat. Thus, even if you are "tide pooling" with non-birding friends, you'll have some birds to watch... along with the intertidal flora and fauna.

Black Oystercatcher grabbing a snail, Seal Rock, Oregon, 31 March 2013 by Greg Gillson.

Chief among the tide pool birds is the crow-sized Black Oystercatcher. They pry shellfish from the rocks and dispatch them quickly with their knife-like bill. Their piercing high calls are easily heard above the roaring surf. Usually seen in pairs or groups of less than 5 individuals, up to 50 may sometimes roost together at favored spots in winter.

Black Oystercatchers, Seal Rock, Oregon, 31 March 2013 by Greg Gillson.

In spring the oystercatchers have quite a unique courtship ritual as they bob an weave in unison. The male has an interesting courtship flight with wings held in a strong 'V' as he flies after the female. This is so much different than the normal flight with direct wing strokes, mostly below the horizontal. Keep an eye out for the chicks--they are truly cute with over-sized bill and legs.

Wandering Tattler, Newport, Oregon, 2 October 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Next up is Wandering Tattler. These are often found on jetties during both spring and fall migration. They are fairly large (between Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs in size). Their plumage is quite plain gray-brown with no pattern in wings or tail in flight. They blend in very well on the rocks.

Wandering Tattler, Yaquina Head, Newport, Oregon, 12 September 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Tattlers are often found singly or in small scattered groups of no more than a dozen.

Black Turnstone, Barview Jetty, Tillamook, Oregon, 17 January 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Black Turnstones flock together on jetties, tide pool areas, and rocky cobblestone beaches. They can be found on wharfs and docks in estuaries.The average count is about 15 birds, but it is not unusual to have several such flocks working in nearby areas totaling up to 200 individuals.

Black Turnstones, Bay City, Oregon, 16 January 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Though camouflaged on the rocks, their unique harlequin flight pattern is very distinctive. When they take flight they call an excited high-pitched rattle.

Surfbird, Yaquina Head, Newport, Oregon, 12 September 2008 by Greg Gillson.

Flocks of Surfbirds often mix together with flocks of Black Turnstones. They are a bit larger than Turnstones with thicker legs and bill.

Surfbird, Barview Jetty, Tillamook, Oregon, 8 January, 2011 by Greg Gillson.

In flight these birds sport white rumps and upper tail, as well as bold white wing stripes. On the rocks they are quite plain in their winter plumage. Unlike the noisy turnstones, surfbirds are usually silent.

Rock Sandpiper, Barview Jetty, Tillamook, Oregon, 17 January, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

The most sought after of the rocky shorebirds is the winter-visiting Rock Sandpiper. When the flock of Surfbirds and Black Turnstones fly, look for the plain Dunlin-like bird with only a faint wing stripe for pattern. In Oregon they are often found singly, mixed in with turnstones and surfbirds. Rarely up to 15 birds have been encountered.

Rock Sandpiper, Barview Jetty, Tillamook, Oregon, 17 January, 2009 by Greg Gillson.

Rock Sandpipers on the Pacific coastline are very similar to Purple Sandpipers on the Atlantic coast. One of the best techniques for finding these birds is to look right along the water. They feed as close to the water's edge as possible. When a wave comes they briefly fly up higher on the rocks, then hop back down as the wave passes. Thus, on a jetty, watch the incoming wave for shorebirds flying out of the way.

Ochre sea stars and sea anemones await high tide to be submerged. Newport, Oregon, 6 May 2012 by Greg Gillson.

So the next time you get invited to go tide pooling, be sure to go along!

Black Scoters, Newport, Oregon, 6 May 2012 by Greg Gillson.

While birding the tide pools don't forget to look to sea! Black Scoters dive for shellfish off rocky shores. They are often very close to shore in the wild surf. Who knows what else you may find?

The Birds of Los Islotes (Baja, Mexico)

2013-05-10T04:00:00.000-06:00

During a winter Baja trip in late February and early March, we were able to spend a couple of hours at Los Islotes, a very small, but productive birding area in the Sea of Cortez (Baja, Mexico). Actually, this area is a protected area for the California Sea Lions and our main objective was to snorkel with some of the juveniles, who love to play with snorkelers. Our boat made a stop here so that we could photograph the birds that call this place home, as well as snorkel with the juvenile California Sea Lions. Here are some of the great birds we were able to see.

As we neared the rocks that make up Los Islotes, the first bird we saw was the Brown Pelican. Note the breeding coloration of this colorful bird:

There were lots of Cormorants on the island, too:

... and a Great Blue Heron, stalking fish in the shadows of the island rocks:

... and a gull sitting peacefully on the rocks:

While another one chased a third gull for a fish (sorry, don't know the species ... the gull is not a staple in the Midwest, where I live!):

And a juvenile Heermann's Gull resting on the rocks:

There were also some Magnificent Frigatebirds in the area:

... and plenty of boobies. Brown ones:

... and even some Blue-footed ones:

Being at Los Islotes for only a couple of hours made it difficult to get lots of good bird images, but we did the best we could.

Oh, and remember the California Sea Lions I mentioned? They were there and ready to snorkel with us, but that's a different story!

This post was authored by Jim Braswell of Show-Me Nature Photogaphy.

Spring Comes to the Plateau

2013-05-09T10:49:00.000-06:00

Such a great time of year! A lot friends are enjoying "The Biggest Week", Doppler radar images show birds on the move across the continent, and I move from my winter to spring/summer "quarters" here where I live here at Bryce Canyon.

One of the first things I do at the beginning of April is set up my bird bath. I don't use my dripper right away because those small water lines tend to freeze every night - winter doesn't leave in a real hurry at 8,000 feet. Among the first to find it are the American Robins and I'm not sure if they are the dirtiest birds or the cleanest, but they are always taking baths and I constantly have to refresh the water when they are through.

Right behind the robins come the Townsend's Solitaires, but they're not so much into bathing as just wanting a drink. I see them in pairs most of the time and have often wondered if it is the same pair every year.

Love my Red Crossbills and they usually come in flocks, especially as we get into the summer after the young have fledged. Seeing quite a few of them around, so it should be a good year for them as some years they seem to disappear, probably moving to other areas where the cone production is better.

One of the most skittish visitors are the Northern Flickers. Year-round residents, they always seem to present a challenge to photograph, even when I think I'm safely hidden away in my photo blind.

My first warblers arrived about 10 days ago, though I'm only seeing male Yellow-rumped Warblers at the bath so far. Haven't seen a Grace's Warbler yet, but did hear one singing this morning so it won't be long.

While the bird bath has been attracting more and more birds for a little over month now, I put the hummingbird feeders out April 29. I was actually a little surprised to see them this early, but had a male Black-chinned Hummingbird (top) within 30 minutes of hanging the feeder and about two hours later a male Broad-tailed came for a sip. And, was promptly chased away by the Black-chinned - the feeder wars begin.

This bird, though I wasn't able to get a great photo, is the highlight of my spring so far. Fact is, all I really wanted for this little bird was a photo that just good enough to at least document it and for positive identification. The bird in question is a White-throated Sparrow and I'd actually seen it two days before I got this picture and on that occasion it flew off before I could get to my camera. Why was the photo so important? While they have been seen in Utah from time to time, it's a first record for Bryce Canyon National Park. It's my third "first record" over the last decade or so; the first was White-crowned Pigeon in Volusia County, FL (and was also the northernmost record on the eastern Atlantic seaboard) and the second was first record for Greater White-fronted Goose in Garfield County, UT. They don't come often, but I like getting stuff like that.

Hope some good birds are coming your way and we'll see you next month!

The Wonder of Wings

2013-05-08T03:30:00.000-06:00

Whatever the direction may be,

With wings, birds are free.

Free to fly to where they choose,

Through the skies they roam and cruise.

Some wings must withstand a daily crash,

while others just a little splash.

One way or another, wings must dry.

Some can dry them on the fly.

Others prefer to just sit and wait,

As they have no worry of being late.

Despite their wings, some birds never roam,

From the small square of which they call home.

Even if their habitat is taken away,

It is there the birds will stay.

Hence, the plight of the Florida Scrub-Jay,

In danger of disappearing away.

In contrast to those jays,

Exist birds whose mileage will amaze.

Like the journey of the Red Knot,

20,000 miles, that's a lot .

Wings help important work get done,

They even help birds have some fun!

Tammy Karr
http://www.iheartfloridabirds.blogspot.com/

Troublemakers

2013-05-07T17:35:00.001-06:00

A dialogue between me the birder and the Brown-headed Cowbirds...

"Uh oh. You're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"

Don't you dare do it you nest parasites!!!

Doh! You did it. I wonder whose nest you're going to lay those eggs in? Troublemakers!

More Birds I Thought I'd Never See

2013-05-07T04:00:00.000-06:00

Pacific Loon, Tucson, AZ 1-19-2013

Last year I did a post on Birds I Thought I'd Never See. Since then I have seen even more birds I thought I'd never see, so it seemed a perfect post to do again. some are new birds, and some are birds I did not include the last time for various reasons. It's one of the amazing things about birding to me, discovering new species, or seeing species that I once thought would be impossible for me to see. The bird in the above picture is one such species. I did not know if I would ever get out to the Pacific ocean to see a Pacific Loon. Well, as it turns out, I did not have to go to the Pacific because the Pacific Loon came to me and everyone else in Tucson AZ when it landed in a lake at Christopher Columbus Park earlier this year on the west side of town!

Rufous-capped Warbler, Florida Canyon 2-24-2010

The Rufous-capped Warbler is a totally different story. It is a species I did not know even existed and I would not have seen it if it weren't for Jeff and Dawn Fine from Birders Who Blog Tweet and Chirp inviting me to go hunting for it with them. Though I lived in Tucson at the time, and though I had heard of Florida Canyon, I had never been there myself. The Rufous-capped is known to frequent this canyon on a regular basis and we hiked up through the brush, climbed the dam and waited. Jeff went on ahead of us while Dawn and I hung out just above the dam and it was she who first spotted the small but colorful bird working its way up through the dense brush. We snapped away, all the time hoping that Jeff would get back in time to see the bird. He did. Since then Chris Rohrer and I have gone looking for it twice without any luck. This qualifies as "A-bird-I-did-not-even-know-I-wanted-to-see-but-I-am-sure-glad-I-did!"

Mexican Spotted Owl, Miller Canyon, AZ 3-23-2013

Owls. Who doesn't love them. Every birder I know has them on their list of species they most want to see. Most of the owls I have seen I have seen by accident, but the Mexican Spotted Owl ranks right up there with the snowy owl as a species I never thought I would see. But then my new birding buddy, Chris Rohrer, made it a must have species. I had read that this species could be seen in Miller Canyon in SE Arizona, but every description I read about Miller Canyon talked about how steep and rocky the trail was. Since I knew I would never attempt it alone, I figured I would never go and I would never see this species. I read the accounts of others who had made the journey and drooled over their photos, but decided that was the best I would ever be able to do. Then Chris took me there. And yes, the road up to the parking lot is rocky and bumpy with lots of wash-outs. And yes, the hike up was step and rocky, but it wasn't that far up, and when we found the owls it was amazing!

Snowy Owl, Plum Island, MA 1-10-2012

Oh, and as for that other elusive owl? Well, I happened to be living in Massachusetts during the snowy owl irruption of 2011-2012. I saw this species several times, but this my my closest encounter on the beach at Sandy Point on Plum Island. Please realize that I took these photos with a zoom lens from a safe distance and the photos are cropped and enlarged. One must NEVER disturb an owl just to get a better photograph!

Clay-colored Sparrow, Whitewater Draw 1-3-2013

Sparrows. We all love them and we all hate to identify them. Some sparrow species I have just given up on as species I will never be able to safely identify or see for myself. Clay-colored is one of them. It just seemed too tricky. But, then I found this sparrow mixed in with a flock of Brewer's Sparrows at Whitewater Draw in SE Arizona in January. I could tell it looked different than the Brewer's, but assumed it was a Rufous-winged due to what looked like two dark whisker marks or malar stripes along the sides of its throat. I initially reported it to eBird as such, only to discover that Rufous-wings are just as rare in Cochise County as Clay-colored sparrows. Then, another experienced birder from the area started to question me on my I.D. and a few other helpful birders chimed in. Photos were posted and in the end we realized that I had seen a Clay-colored sparrow! How do I know this is a Clay-colored Sparrow? Well, here is what I learned: It's a little bit more contrasty than a Brewer's, it has a gray nape, a striped crown with a central crown stripe, those two whisker marks, the pale beak, and while it has a line from its eye towards the back of its head, the eyeline does not continue towards its beak like it does on a Chipping Sparrow, a species with which it is often also confused when it is in winter plumage.

Leucistic Vermillion Flycatcher, Sweetwater Wetlands 1-4-2010

Another bird I thought I'd never see is a Leucistic Vermilion flycatcher! I was not even looking for this bird when I saw it at Sweetwater Wetlands in Tucson in January of 2010. I was just going there to count birds for a Big January when I met other birders who were talking excitedly about it. As it was right near the entrance to preserve I did not even have to go looking for it. It just sat and posed for me! Leucism is when the pigment is not deposited in the bird's feathers for some reason. You can read more about it in the link I have posted below.

Since I first became a better birder while living in the desert I learned mostly desert species before moving back east to Massachusetts for two years. While I now live back in Tucson it was a real treat as well as a challenge to see and identify shore birds and other sea going birds while living on the east coast. Still, there are groups of seabirds which are rarely seen from shore. Jaegers and Shearwaters are some of them. So it was absolutely amazing to me when I went on a birding expedition to South Beach in Chatham MA and saw my first jaeger. Jaegers are predatory birds related to seagulls. They will often chase other birds and try to steal their food, but sometimes they will actually kill and eat smaller birds and eggs. While they look somewhat similar to immature seagulls, they have more pointed wings and they usually have two long central tail feathers. This bird appears to have recently molted them. You can see the empty space where they should be.

Parasitic Jaeger, South Beach, Chatham, MA 9-13-2011

Not only did I get to see a Parasitic Jaeger, but I was able to see it involved in its predatory behavior of hunting a much smaller Forster's Tern! I must admit, I was rooting for the tern and it did get away! You would not believe how fast these birds were flying! It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life!

Manx Shearwater, Revere Beach 5-12-2012

When I first saw the above species at Revere Beach in Massachusetts, I did not even know what family group to put it in. I did not even know where to look for it in my bird guide! All I could do was describe it to my birding friends on Facebook who quickly directed me to the shearwaters. That is when I learned I had just seen a Manx Shearwater! They are known to hang out at Revere Beach and they classically turn sideways when they fly with one wing pointed towards the sky and the other pointed towards the water. I was just lucky to get a picture of one in this classic posture with an airliner in the background that had just taken off from Boston's Logan Airport!

Harris Sparrow, Oklahoma 3-18-2010

While I have lived on the East Coast and in the Rocky Mountain West, I have never lived in the Central Plains, so I just assumed I would not see many of the plains species. However, it was on a trip back from a visit to see my new grand-daughter in Kentucky that I stopped at the house of a friend in Oklahoma. T.R. took Gus and I birding in his neck of the woods and I was able to add yet another sparrow species to my Life List. This Harris Sparrow is much prettier in real life than in any photo or illustration I have ever seen.

Northern Jacana, Casa Grande, 2-3-2008

I had barely gotten my camera and started eBirding when I heard of a rare bird hanging out at a golf course in Casa Grande, AZ. It was Superbowl Sunday and we were on our way to go watch the Superbowl with my son, who lived in Coolidge, AZ at the time. Since Casa Grande was on the way I asked my non-birding husband to stop on the way north. It paid off when we found and photographed this Northern Jacana hunting along the edges of one of the golf course ponds. Until then I had never even heard of this rare tropical shorebird!

Scaled Quail, Corona de Tucson 1-29-2010

Once of the most sought after species when visiting SE Arizona is the Scaled Quail. While I saw my first one on a Tucson Audubon outing to Whitewater Draw in 2008, I got this photo of one in a friend's backyard in Sycamore Canyon back in January of 2010. While doing research for this post I learned that they are also called "cotton-top" quail!

Rosy-faced Lovebird 2-22-2013

Until this year, the Rosy-faced Lovebird was high on my list of bird species I thought I would never see. This species I had looked for before when birding at Gilbert Water Ranch in Gilbert AZ. Every time I went there I would look for this bird. I would meet other birders who saw it on the same days, but this bird eluded me...until this year. It was on my birthday when my husband and I went to the Phoenix Art Museum first, then stopped by a nearby park where the species is roosting and nesting. We walked up and down the street looking for the bird without any luck. I thought I was going to miss out once again. The sun was starting to set and we were heading back to the car when I heard a strange call. I focused in on some palm trees at the corner of the park and there it was! What a perfect birthday present for a birder! It made my day!

Swainson's Thrush, Norridgewock, ME 5-13-2011

When I was in Maine in May of 2011 I never expected to see and photograph a Swainson's Thrush in my in-law's backyard! This is why Birding is Fun, because there are birds everywhere, and often in unexpected places! Hopefully by this time next year I will have more birds to report that I thought I would never see!

Links:

Birds of Spring, and a new camera

2013-05-06T04:00:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we, a local VT Audubon group, met in the evening to watch a Woodcock's mating dance. It was close to 8 PM and dusk was descending fast over the large bumpy field of faded grass, when we heard the first peenting. We moved closer to the source of the sound and stood in a half circle listening and waiting. The peenting continued at regular intervals sometimes closer, sometimes farther away indicating that the bird was walking about.

After several minutes of peenting the bird finally took to the air. It went up fast and high - a member of the group indicated the flight pattern by the zig-zag motions of his hand. It was too dark by then for me, but we all heard the fluttering song of his wings. I had made a recording a couple of years ago. (If you use the Chrome Browser the sound starts right off and the browser lacks an on-off feature.)

When you listen carefully you'll hear the following sequence: the thin nasal buzzy "peent" call preceded by a barely audible "tuko" sound, the twittering made by the wings during sharp turns, and the vocal chirping during aerial flight which becomes louder as the bird descends. The last part of the descent is silent. Then a soft fluttering of the wings as the bird lands.

I also took some photos of the bird on the ground, rotating in place while peenting.

During the last week of April spring had arrived and migration had started. On a recent walk I saw and heard a couple of Blue Gray Gnatcatchers calling to each other across the trail.

The male sports a uni brow which gives it that fierce look.

Also present were Palm Warblers and Myrtles (Eastern Yellow-Rumps)

A pair of Blacks and White Warblers were flitting through the trees, One of them was a male, the other probably an immature bird or a female.

The Ruby-crowned Kinglet is considered a migrant in VT, but I have also seen it here during a Christmas Bird Count. This the first one since last summer.

The new camera
After reading Lillian Stokes enthusiastic review of the Canon Powershot SX50SH I had to have it, because its telephoto lens could zoom out from my current 400mm to 1200 mm, a feat that for my Nikon D300 would cost me thousands of dollars, and anyway would be way too heavy to carry. So I sold my Powershot S95 and bought this camera instead. I found out, though, to utilize this power I have to spend hours of practice. At such high power magnification with resulting small field of vision it's impossible to keep track of small birds on their foraging trips through the trees. So for that I went back to my large Nikon.

Maybe I will yet the hang of it, anticipate, move faster... The camera works great for stationary birds, like the juvenile Red-throated Loon below which showed up on a sheltered bay of the CT River, or the Great Blue Heron about the snag his breakfast, or the Eastern Towhee below or the White-throated Sparrow.

Have you noticed when the waiter brings the plates with food to the table, the diners' eyes pop out just like this?

Eastern Towhees were present in large numbers. This one was at Montague Sandplains WMR where, at dusk, I saw a whole flock of around 30 to 40 birds flying overhead east to southwest

The backyard is teeming with White-throated Sparrows. I have been scattering black oil sunflower seeds on the grass to avoid having them all at once sitting gobbled up by grey squirrels.

This White-throated sparrow has unusual bright yellow alula feathers at the shoulders, which I haven't seen on any of the illustrations in my guide books. Alula feathers are often hidden; it's probably a variation, not a hybrid.

Happy Birding!

The Biggest Week in American Birding, in NW OH, is Now Going on May 3-12th, Come Visit!

2013-05-05T04:00:00.000-06:00

Bay-breasted Warbler is just one of the many eye-candy avian treats waiting for you at The Biggest Week in American Birding which is going on now from May 3rd to 12th at Magee Marsh, OH, the warbler capital of the world. We will see you there! We are giving the keynote address on Friday, May 10th. The Biggest Week is a mega-birding happening with lots of birders, guided walks, evening socials, lectures, workshops, events, field trips, birding celebrities like Kenn and Kim Kaufman, and tons of fun.

Magee is just an awesome place to see and photograph warblers because the birds are so close. Birders stand on the boardwalk that goes through the wooded area at the edge of Lake Erie, where all the warblers congregate. It seems like warblers are just dripping from the trees.

Magnolia Warbler is one of my favorites

Here's an American Redstart, male,

and a Black-throated Green Warbler

Nashville Warbler

Blackburnian Warbler

If you are anywhere near northwest Ohio this week, then get yourself over to Magee Marsh and the festival. They are still accepting walk-in registrations at Maumee Bay Lodge and Conference Center and Black Swamp Bird Observatory. We hope to see some of you there!

Lillian and Don Stokes

A Hybrid Dusky Grouse x Sharp-tailed Grouse

2013-05-04T04:00:00.000-06:00

A Dusky Grouse x Sharp-tailed Grouse hybrid, photographed by the author in northern Utah on 7 Apr 2013.

I love hybrids. Some birders can be disappointed by hybrids, especially when a locally rare species turns out to not be "pure" (and thus can't go on a list). But for me, they have everything you could look for in a bird: They are generally very rare: even the more common hybrids are rarer than their parent species. They are often a challenge to identify. And they give us a peak into the process of evolution: why don't we see more hybrids, and if two species can produce hybrids, why are they considered species?

I was hiking around a local birding spot (Hardware Ranch W.M.A.) a couple weeks ago, and I saw what I thought at first was a Sharp-tailed Grouse. This bird was running through the sagebrush, with its tail held high, showing bright white undertail coverts, like Sharp-tailed Grouse do. It had a slightly crested head, and an overall yellowish tone, also fitting Sharp-tailed Grouse. But when I got my binoculars on it, I could see the black tail feathers with broad charcoal tips, a clear mark of a Dusky Grouse. I was able to grab a couple photos before the bird flushed, and flew off through the sagebrush.

Later, I became suspicious that I had photographed a hybrid. Hybridization between these species had been documented once before, by Allan Brooks in 1907 (illustration below). I sent the photos around to a few grouse experts I knew, and a few people who knew grouse experts, and all the replies came back that this was indeed a hybrid Dusky Grouse x Sharp-tailed Grouse. Interestingly, although I haven't been able to find any other photographs of this hybrid, one biologist indicated that this is the most frequently observed hybrid combination between wild grouse. Local biologists have told me that they have seen a male Dusky Grouse displaying among a lek of Sharp-tailed Grouse about 25 miles (40 km) north of where I photographed this bird. That same male Dusky, in fact, even tried to mate with a Sharp-tailed Grouse while the biologists had it caught in a trap!

A Dusky Grouse x Sharp-tailed Grouse hybrid, illustrated by Allan Brooks and published in the Auk in 1907.

The same Dusky Grouse x Sharp-tailed Grouse hybrid shown above. This is the second of the only two photos I was able to take before the grouse flushed.

(Thanks to Mike Wolfe, Timothy Taylor, Scott Gardner, Mike Schroeder, and Jack Connelly for sharing their thoughts on this bird.)

Change is inevitable

2013-05-03T04:00:00.000-06:00

Each time we relocate between our first and second homes in south Florida and northeastern Illinois the time lapse of several weeks or months amplifies our awareness of changes that have taken place. Like Rip Van Winkle, we see the full impact but fail to perceive the gradual transition from what was then and what is now.

Change is inevitable, from the destruction of our quiet sitting spot, now in full sunlight and overgrown with grasses, to the clearing of the prairie in front of our Illinois townhouse.

When we returned to Florida only a month ago we saw that vandals, who earlier removed the only 5 mature native Trema trees, had carved an ATV road through the heart of the last small patch of woodlands that we called our "Fake Hammock." Click on this link to see it before it was disturbed. They also ignited a small wildfire. Now the canopy has disappeared and high grasses flourish.

The quiet dark and cool spot under the canopy has become a nighttime gathering place with a fire pit, where "Birding WAS Fun."

Upon arrival in Illinois I captured this view from the top floor of our Illinois condo. The scene has changed radically. Where meadowlarks, Spotted Sandpipers and Horned Larks nested and Sandhill Crane families once visited we now stare upon a drastically altered landscape. See Illinois "Yard" Birds. Construction of additional townhomes was not unexpected, but delays in completion of the project allowed us to grow accustomed to the scarred but bountiful prairie that developed as the land lay fallow over the past nine years.

On a positive note, there were interesting creatures to be seen in Florida during the week prior to our departure for Illinois. As usual, Mary Lou and I got out before sunrise, and she beat me home by over an hour. This is a view looking to the northwest just as the early rays are reaching the high clouds.

The lake held a welcome surprise. A noisy flock of Black-necked Stilts flew across the water in front of me.

An Osprey occupied its usual roost.

A Common Nighthawk, probably getting ready to nest at the side of the path, watched me from its perch on a wire.

Gray Catbirds were everywhere, but not a single warbler had migrated in. Southeasterly winds seem to be encouraging migrants from Cuba to follow north along the west side of the Florida peninsula or even cross the open water of the Gulf of Mexico.

Least Terns have arrived, and within two days I observed their mating rituals. The male brings a little fish to the female who adopts a bill-up posture. If he proves to be a good provider, she will accept him as a mate within a week or so. See the full ritual in: The Least of the Terns.

Duck migration was in progress. Several small flocks of a dozen or so flew rapidly to the north, high overhead and illuminated from beneath by the first rays. Most were teal and shovelers. This flock consisted of Blue-winged Teal.

Cormorants were mirrored in the early morning calm.

The humidity was high, and this immature Red-shouldered Hawk spread its well-worn feathers to dry them in the rising sun.

All was well in the Yellow-crowned Night-Heron rookery, with at least six nests in various stages of completion and at least three pairs incubating.

There were two immature birds among the dozen or more adult herons.

An Eastern Box Turtle ambled across the path. I would have missed him, but Mary Lou pointed him out.

This Opossum was crossing the gravel road. When it saw me it started moving away. Suddenly it stopped and picked up a freshly-killed rat. It proceeded to eat it in large bites, right down to its tail.

We made a last stop at the local Bald Eagle nest to check on the welfare of the recently-fledged eaglet. It was roosting just adjacent to the nest tree, calling to be fed.

The eaglet swooped down right in front of me, heading for a tree where an adult was resting.

The adult did not even look up at its demanding offspring, and continued preening.

A young Gray Squirrel scurried up a tree in my neighborhood as I finished my walk. ¡Hasta la vista!

The Breakfast Menu

2013-05-02T04:00:00.000-06:00

I absolutely love to photograph birds! I am especially delighted when I happen to capture images of birds that have been successful in their food foraging. Let's see what is on the breakfast menu for today.

A fillet of flounder suits this Great Blue Heron

A tasty finned treat for this striking Horned Grebe

I think the eyes of this Green Heron are definitely bigger than its stomach

A deep dive produced this crunchy crustacean for a male Hooded Merganser

One lucky House Wren nestling will snack on this leggy crane fly

Fluffy seeds appeal to this beautiful Yellow Warbler

A Yellow-bellied Sapsucker takes a break from sap sipping (If you look closely, you can see the beak is slick with tree sap)

Ripe, red berries are the food of choice for this handsome Cedar Waxwing

An American Coot fancies a bit of algae

Two Ruby-throated Hummingbirds on a liquid sugar diet

An Eastern Phoebe with a whopper of a moth

Crunch!

A Willet happens across a delectable crab leg

A Ruddy Turnstone extracts the tender clam from a coquina shell

A very berry Northern Cardinal

It's May. Bring on the Birds!

2013-05-01T04:00:00.000-06:00

Here are some digiscoped images of birds from my patch over the last few days using the Swarovski ATX 85mm scope and handheld iPhone 4s. Every day I seem to be adding new first-of-year (FOY) birds right in my very own patch.

Can you name all the birds shown in this post?

Now I'm expecting Bullock's Orioles, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and migrating Wilson's Warblers. What are you seeing in your patches now? and what are you expecting any day to arrive?