Speed Birding

Headed Down South to the Land of the Pines...literally...

2011-12-12T22:48:00.003-05:00

It is always bittersweet to finish a field season (check out a post about my last few days of hawk watching on Nemesis Bird). I'm looking forward to my next job, but sad to leave the current one. But, I will be back in Centre County next season to do more raptor work, so I have that to look forward to!

Next, I'll be working for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission out of Gainesville, Florida, until July. I spent a lot of time in and around Gainesville back in 2007 and 2008 when I tracked Whooping Cranes in Florida, and I'm looking forward to spending even more time there! I'll be working for Karl Miller, who is the Upland Nongame Bird Lead, on a project monitoring the threatened "Southeastern" subspecies of the American Kestrel. This subspecies has been declining in Florida, and like most Florida birds, is faced with habitat loss due to development; in this case, Karl ties the decline to loss of natural nest cavities created by Northern Flickers, as there has also been a decline that species. I'll also be doing some work with Florida Scrub-Jays on the side.

On the kestrel side, I'll be installing and monitoring nest boxes and banding nestlings. In addition, I'll be searching for woodpecker and kestrel nests in natural pine snags, and monitoring those nests. I'll also be helping out with color-banding and territory mapping of Florida Scrub-Jays, which is a species I've been wanting to work with for awhile! I'm really (obviously) looking to the Florida sunshine, and not having to wear 17 layers of clothing. I forget what its like to be able to move my arms freely! I'm also looking forward to upping my Florida list and birding the unique habitat of Florida that most people don't even know exists.

Florida Scrub-Jay: Avon Park, FL CBC January, 2011

Also, it pains me to say it, but it's getting too tough to write on two blogs! I'll most likely be shutting down Speed Birding, and devoting posts exclusively to Nemesis Bird. That is, unless my one reader out there has any objections :o)

Owls

2011-11-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

My favorite order of birds is by far the owls, also know as Strigiformes, which includes Tytonidae (the Barn Owls), and Strigidae (the "typical owls," all other owls besides Barn Owls). I recently bought a new camera body, but haven't had time to go searching for any birds to photograph. So until I can get back out there, enjoy some of my favorite owl photos taken with cameras I have retired!

Burrowing Owl: Boise, Idaho

Northern Saw-whet Owl: King's Gap State Park, Pennsylvania

Elf Owl: Madera Canyon, Chirachua Mountains, Arizona

Western Screech-Owl: Santa Barbara County, California

Snowy Owl: Cambria County, Pennsylvania

Great Gray Owl: Sax Zim Bog, Minnesota

Northern Hawk Owl: Sax Zim Bog, Minnesota

This week of raptor watching...

2011-11-14T00:43:00.005-05:00

While I was hoping for a Rough-legged Hawk to make its was down ridge this week, my site wasn't incredibly productive over the last few days for raptors. Admittedly, less raptors moving through the state in general means that I will probably not see as many as the bigger sites anymore; my site has a poor viewshed, and I count alone, increasing the chances that a few are getting by me. The week started out very warm, and despite the great thermal production, no buteos were taking advantage of them. I guess in November, warm weather might mean "I made it!" to a raptor. While a lot of raptors end up in South America and southern North America for the winter, a decent number of them actually stay in Pennsylvania and other "northern" states, finding enough food and space to suit their needs. Meanwhile, most of the local Turkey Vultures have left the area, leaving me with an empty sky. Later in the week a small cold front moved through, but I wouldn't have known it based on raptor numbers, except for the fact that I was freezing my butt off. Friday and Saturday were the kind of days where you can wear basically every article of winter clothing you own, but the wind still finds its way right through you. And, November can be a bitter-cold month in PA. The winds are very inconsistent; one second you are enjoying the sunshine like a fat duck sunning on the bank of a pond, and the next second you are nearly knocked over by a 30 mile an hour gust of wind. If you are lucky, its also snowing, and the fun fluffy snow you were just enjoying, nearly thinking "I love winter!" turns into tiny little ice pellets in a snow squall that seems to find the few places of bare-skin that you haven't covered. Needless to say, at the end of the day you can feel a little frost-bitten. So, the highlights of this week were not raptors for once. My first Tundra Swans of the season came through, and Common Loons were fairly numerous. My favorite non-raptor to watch was a porcupine that wanders pretty aimlessly around the area. If he's not rustling around the field pulling down the remaining green vegetation he can reach, he's sitting high up in a maple gnawing on its branches. Meanwhile the rut is in full swing, and deer are everywhere. I've been visited most days this week by a huge 8-point buck, and he is always hot on the trail of any doe that wander by. There is also a set of older fawns and their mother that visit the nearby field, eating anything left that is green and out of reach of the porcupines. Thankfully for them, I am not a hunter, and I'll continue telling the hunters I see that I haven't seen much of anything besides birds :o)

Zone-tailed Hawks

2011-11-13T17:07:00.003-05:00

After hawk watching mostly in the east over the past few years, I really love going out west and seeing the raptors that just aren't present on the east coast. I spent part of the last two summers in Arizona, and my favorite raptor to see there is the Zone-tailed Hawk.

Zone-tailed Hawks breed from Northern Mexico into New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. EBird also shows records in California, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma, in addition to a sighting from October of 1976 in Nova Scotia! (This particular bird was present from September 24th through October 4th). Any well-planned birding trip through Texas should include a small detour off I-10 on the "Sheffield Loop," also known as Hwy 290. The Ft. Lancaster Overlook at the Sheffield Rest Area is one of the most famous and well-known areas for Zone-tailed Hawks. Alex and I made a stop here in the summer of 2010, and within 5 minutes of being at the rest stop, Alex spotted a Zone-tailed Hawk! At first, I didn't really believe that it was one; their flight behavior is almost exactly the same as that of a Turkey Vulture, with a strong dihedral and plenty of "rocking" movement. But through the scope, I could clearly see its black and white barred tail (also down the road from here, we found a pair of Scissor-tailed Flycatchers on a nest!).

Zone-tailed Hawk - adult

Frquency of Zone-tailed Hawk Reports

(darker purple=more frequently reported) see eBird for complete interactive map

Many people are using eBird lately, so probably the best way to find a Zone-tailed Hawk is to search for recent sightings in the breeding season, go there, and wait it out.

I've only ever photographed one adult Zone-tailed Hawk. Apparently juveniles appear more brownish than adults. Also, juveniles have many light bands on the tail, while adults only have three.

I've only ever seen four Zone-tailed Hawks. One was on the Sheffield Loop in Texas, and that was an adult. While working on the Yellow-billed Cuckoo Project near Cibola NWR, Alex and I saw a juvenile Zone-tailed Hawk. And this past summer in south east Arizona, on our 5 day birding trip, we saw one in the Chiracahuas, and one in Tucson (the one in the pictures below). Both were adults.

Zone-tailed Hawk - adult (molting)

Note 3 white bands on tail, and two-toned underwings with black trailing edge

Zone-tailed Hawk - adult

Note dihendral. At a distance the "two-toned" appearance of the

underwings can appear like that of a Turkey Vulture.

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Harlan's Hawk X Rough-legged Hawk hybrid

2011-11-08T18:00:00.000-05:00

If you haven't seen this article yet on E-bird, you need to check it out. This buteo is beautiful!

Possible hybrid Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk x Rough-legged Hawk in Kansas

American Robins, Eastern Bluebirds, and the Asian Lady Beetle...

2011-11-07T22:15:00.001-05:00

Since last weeks Golden Eagle push (check it out over at Nemesis Bird), raptor migration has been fairly slow. About the only thing I've seen in any large numbers are Harmonia Lady beetles, also known as the Pumpkin Beetle, or Asian Ladybug. Apparently this is the time of year they seek a warm place to spend the winter (preferably, your attic), and their jumping off point seemed to be my hawk watching tower. On one day, it looked like it was literally raining lady bugs. I'd put the binoculars up to my face only to see a massive bug on the lens, then rightfully plink it away. I've spent a good amount of time plinking them off my tower over the last few days, but the warm temperatures are just really encouraging them to explore every nook and cranny of it. Spiders like to use the tower as a jumping off point, too. I've never been a big fan of any spiders, but its hard not to watch a spider throw its body off the edge of what I can guess is the spider-equivalent of a million story building. Spiders of all sizes walk to the corner of the tower, stick their little abdomens into the air, then shoot out a few strands of silk that get carried off into the wind. The spider continues sending off strands while it spins in a circle, and eventually, it has created a parachute that is strong enough to lift it off the tower. And, it goes sailing off into the open sky. This happens in a very short time period of about 30 seconds. I'm hoping if I force myself to watch this enough times, I can get rid of my unjustified arachnophobia.

Other migrants this past week have included a ton of American Robins. It seems like every few hours, a massive flock descends into the forest, and it sounds like an army of people approaching as they rustle through the leaf litter for insects and worms brought out by the sun. Meanwhile, Eastern Bluebirds have been passing overhead, and often stop on the wires of the nearby meteorlogical tower to catch a few things to eat themselves. By the time they move on, their bellies usually look quite full.

Eastern Bluebird

A fat and happy Eastern Bluebird

American Robin taking its turn on the diagonal wires

Many Eastern Bluebirds didn't take the time to stop...

At least they gave me something to photograph!

Another EABL coming in for a landing...

And while I haven't had any Snow Buntings land, I've had quite a few pass over in small flocks. While hawk watching at Jo Hays Vista the other day, Alex actually had a few land right in front of him! They are really attracted to the gravel parking lots that are usually adjacent to roadside hawk watches, as are American Pipits and Horned Larks. Check out the Snow Bunting pics over at Nemesis Bird.

And finally, reports of Rough-legged Hawks are coming in for the state, and I can at least hope one will get blown my direction sometime soon.

Eastern Screech-Owl at Bear Meadows

2011-11-06T17:36:00.004-05:00

Two nights ago, I joined a group of local young birders on an "owling" trip to Bear Meadows. Our goal was to draw out Northern Saw-whet Owls, Eastern Screech-Owls, Barred Owls, and Great-horned Owls. It was a chilly night, and the full moon probably kept most of our small owls quiet and hidden, who would rather go unnoticed by the larger owls on such a bright night. In the distance, we were answered by a Great-horned Owl, but it wasn't concerned enough with the territorial intrusion of our playback to make an appearance. At one of our last stops of the night, we were finally answered by a territorial red phase Eastern Screech-Owl, likely the same one the group had here about a month ago. While we all thought his "trilling" and "whinny" calls were pretty darn cute, he meant business, and is likely constantly defending his territory from a stream of migrant small owls that were almost certainly hidden nearby. Believe it or not, this was the first good look I have ever had at a Screech Owl! I've only seen them in my headlights late at night, and I've never been present on a night of 'Saw-whet banding when one was inadvertently captured. While I have heard plenty while doing owl work at night in PA's woods, it is nearly impossible to approach a small owl at night without disturbing it.

Red phase Eastern Screech Owl: Bear Meadows, PA

Eastern Screech Owl calling

Try finding a bright rufous owl on roost in the fall...nearly impossible! Check out this post on Alex's old blog where he found 2 Screech Owls on roost in an oak tree.

Eastern Screech Owl giving us one last look before he headed off back into the darkness

Be sure to check out Tim Schreckengost's photos over at Words About Birds of the same owl!

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Yellow-headed Blackbirds

2011-10-20T23:56:00.000-04:00

I've recently started full-time work again hawk watching, which has made for a pretty busy week! I've been neglecting my blog, and I feel bad, so here is a quick post about Yellow-headed Blackbirds!

Yellow-headed Blackbirds are fairly common in marshes and wetlands of the mid-west and western states during the breeding season. Before you even see them, you will likely hear their robot-like calls (check out some calls on xeno canto!). They often join mixed blackbird flocks in migration, so always keep your eyes open for their bright yellow heads, as they do often appear on the east coast. Adult males have extremely bright yellow heads and breasts, and show a white patch on the wing, usually noticeable in flight, or when perched at the right angle. Females are more brownish with similar yellow markings that appear very dull brownish yellow, but lack the white patch on the wing. The dull yellow on the throat of females leads down into the darker brown breast with some white feathers that appear as white streaking. Immature males appear similar to adult females, but have more yellow on their heads, in addition to a white patch on the wings. While most of their foraging time in the breeding season is spent in wetlands, they also take advantage of agriculture and pastures, and can often be seen feeding on the ground in flooded fields and amongst cattle.

My first encounter with Yellow-headed Blackbirds was in the sandhill region of Nebraska. These prairie marshes can be absolutely full of them, and the sound of a bunch of males singing on territory can be extremely loud!

Yellow-headed Blackbird - adult male

Yellow-headed Blackbird - adult male, feeding near Cinnamon Teal (Idaho)

Yellow-headed Blackbird - adult female

Yellow-headed Blackbird - adult male

Ferruginous Hawks in Idaho

2011-10-05T09:56:00.006-04:00

While working in Boise, Idaho this summer, we came across many Ferruginous Hawks in our travels. Ferruginous Hawks are the largest hawk in North America. While they exist in both light and dark phases, I only saw light phases this summer in Idaho. I've seen dark phases in Nebraska, back in the days when a 400mm lens was a far away thought, so no good photos! (just gives me a reason to go back!) Like most raptors of the mid-west and west, Ferruginous hawks main prey are ground squirrels and prairie dogs. If you find yourself in a colony of either of these rodents, chances are a Ferruginous Hawk isn't very far away, and is likely plotting his next attack on another cute-and-furry. A very important thing to remember about Ferruginous Hawks is that they are EXTREMELY sensitive to disturbances at their nests. NEVER approach a Ferruginous Hawk nest, as they are likely to abandon it.

This past summer, our Long-billed Curlew study area had at least one nesting pair of Ferruginous Hawks, and others were attracted by the abundant supply of ground squirrels. While roaming the rolling hills, it was a common occurrence to be circled by a hunting Ferruginous Hawk, especially on days when you thought it was a good idea to leave the camera in the truck. We found this nest on one of our first days of work in April; clearly it has been used for many years! When we went back to check on it in June, the nest had 2 fluffy babies on it with mom nearby, while dad was defending their territory from an over abundance of Swainson's Hawks.

Ferruginous Hawk (female) at nest with 2 chicks;

note rufous shoulders and dark back of adult

Ferruginous Hawk - adult male

Note red leggings and rufous underwing markings,

in addition to wide "gape"

Ferruginous Hawk - adult male

In the agricultural fields between Boise and the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, we found this nest in April. By June, two large fledglings were literally jumping all over the nest, stretching their wings, and getting ready to jump.

Ferruginous Hawks - 2 fledglings and adult

Probably the best place to photograph Ferruginous Hawks was the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area. This place is huge and also has an abundance of ground squirrels, which are always an attractive food source for opportunistic raptors. This adult Ferruginous Hawk was one of the most beautiful birds I have seen in my life! Within about 600 meters of this bird, there was also a Rough-legged Hawk, a Golden Eagle, a Prairie Falcon, and a Swainson's Hawk...which is why you should start planning your trip to the Snake River Birds of Prey Area!

Adult (left) Juvenile (right)

Note red "leggings" of adult (not seen on juvenile),

appearing as dark "V" when viewed from below

Adult (left) Juvenile (right)

Juvenile lacks red "leggings" and has a lightly banded tail.

Juvenile appears very pale/white at a distance, as it lacks most rufous markings on

underwings and shoulders as seen in adult. Wide "gape" visible on both.

Distinct "shape" of Ferruginous Hawk when flapping is visible at quite a distance

Ferruginous Hawk - juvenile

The photos of the perched bird below were taken in June at the Snake River Birds of Prey Area.

A nest was visible in the distance on transmission line towers.

Ferruginous Hawk - adult

Note large "gape"

Ferruginous Hawk - adult

Note rufous shoulders and dark back creating a "two-toned" appearance

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!!!

Also, can't get enough raptors? Check out Jerry Jourdan's post about his "Hawkfest 2011" where he witnessed an absolutely huge flight of Broad-winged Hawks!

Jo Hays Vista Hawk Watching, September 14, 2011

2011-09-14T22:50:00.000-04:00

I got a late start today at Jo Hays Vista, but it didn't matter because the valley was covered in a thick blanket of haze until about 3:40. I arrived at 12:00, and I was joined by Chuck Widdman shortly after. The wind was nonexistant, and local Turkey Vultures weren't even flying around. Monarchs just seemed to float in mid air with no help from any updrafts or thermals. At 2:00, Chuck spotted our first bird of the day, a far away accipiter, trying to get some lift near a Turkey Vulture. The bird never came back into view and took the southern edge of the ridge versus flying over us. About half an hour later, Chuck spotted an adult Bald Eagle in a quick powered flight right over tree level and the road. Apparently he couldn't find any thermals either in the thick haze. A few local Red-tailed Hawks cruised over the valley eventually, and while they got some height, they were never able to break through the haze. Eventually, some clouds started to break, and after a few gray clouds passed, they were replaced with a bunch of nice fluffy white clouds. I got a text from Drew Weber on campus that said he had between 100 and 200 Broad-winged Hawks circling over the stadium. We were worried we would miss them in the thick haze that was only slowly lifting over the valley, but within about 25 minutes, a huge kettle of Broad-wings was visible way out over the valley against a white puffy cloud. Todd Stawser had showed up just before this and was able to help us count this kettle, as they glided off to the west and towards our ridge. While this was happening, Chuck was on another kettle that was gliding off to the east, comparable in size to the first at about 190. Eventually, smaller kettles of new birds started forming just west of the radio towers, and before we knew it, our Broad-winged count was at 453! An Osprey, a few Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels also flew through during this push when the weather cleared, and in the last few hours of the day, Chet and Sue Gottfried showed up to help us spot a few more kestrels, 2 more Bald Eagles, and a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Our total count of Broad-wings was 456, and our total raptor count was 469. Thanks to Chuck, Todd, Chet, and Sue for their help today! While tomorrows weather looks grim from the morning to early afternoon, the weather is likely to break between 3:00 and 4:00, which will likely result in another good push of Broad-wings.

Jo Hays Vista Hawk Watching, September 13, 2011

2011-09-14T11:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I spent most of the day hawk watching at Jo Hays Vista hawk watch. While I didn’t get nearly as many raptors as Hawk Mountain (more than 1600!), I more than doubled Jo Hays season count. This was mainly due to small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks that consistently came through between 1:00 and 2:00. Kettles ranged in size from around 10 to 20 Broad-wings each. After gliding in over the “Happy Valley” of State College, kettles usually formed right over the radio towers. Here, they would rise high into the sky and glide off to the east above the ridge. A few Sharp-shinned Hawks came into view near the kettles, and two Cooper’s Hawks were also mixed in throughout the day. Occasionally, single Broad-winged Hawks would fly through, after a number of kettles had formed and left, as if they had missed the memo that it was peak Broad-winged migration week and they were hurrying to catch up. I also counted 8 Bald Eagles today, including 2 juveniles, a subadult, and 5 adults. One adult flew right through the “vista” overlook and over the road in full powered flight. Unfortunately there were no visitors to see it. If you really want to see a Bald Eagle here, you’ve got to put in the time. Only 2 of my eight were visible with the naked eye today. I’ll be up at Jo Hays for the remainder of the week if anyone would like to join me and help me count Broad-wings!

Broad-winged Hawk - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Turkey Vulture - adult

Monarchs migrate too!

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Hawk Watching SLUMP!

2011-09-07T18:08:00.000-04:00

This past week has been another bust if you've been trying to hawk watch in PA. Our persistent south winds couldn't keep us away from Jo Hays Vista, so on Sunday, Drew, Alex, and I headed up around mid-day. In town, we found a juvenile Bald Eagle circling the highway, so we thought things might be active up on the mountain. Alex and Drew walked the 1/2 mile to the powerline cut, while I stayed at the road overlook. We wanted to see what was happening on the ridge during a south wind, and if we had a better chance of seeing raptors at the cut versus the road. A black Vulture soared around me when I first got there, but the guys didn't get him until about an hour later! He had headed out over the valley, and not surprisingly took his time before heading back to the ridge. While I saw the Black Vulture, Alex and Drew had an adult Bald Eagle that I never saw, flying low and hugging the ridge, as we suspected. They also got two Sharp-shinned Hawks that I missed. However, I got 2 Osprey, one each on the south and north side of the ridge, but both far out over the valleys, that they never saw at the powerline cut. So, the only thing we really learned is that it would be best to have people stationed at multiple points on the ridge to get the best idea of what is happening on a particular day/wind.

This week, any hawk watching attempt was literally a wash out. Our area is plagued with flood warnings and any mountain road you attempt to drive at the moment has raging rivers coming down the sides. Apparently over the next few days, rain is supposed to taper off, but that doesn't help us right now! I guess the only good thing to come out of this will be a good push of waiting migrants; today, soaking wet raptors dotted the highways, and I found a sharpie that had been recently hit on a foggy road. Alex found 7 Caspian Terns at Bald Eagle State Park yesterday, and I found 7 Caspian Terns at Shawnee State Park today (maybe the same 7?!), along with a Least Sandpiper and 3 adult Bald Eagles with nothing to do but steal eachothers fish. Birds really don't have anywhere to go when the rain is this persistent and the fog is this heavy, so keep your eyes open over the next few days at your state park beaches and reservoirs. Rare birds are out there, just looking for somewhere to sit down.

Pictures soon!

Jo Hayes Vista September 2, 2011

2011-09-03T13:20:00.000-04:00

After warbler watching yesterday, Alex and I headed over to Jo Hays Vista hawk watch. I’ve been seriously neglecting hawk watching this fall, so it felt really nice to get out…even though it just made me a little bitter that I am still not going to be hawk watching full time this fall. Unfortunately, the two days I was out hawk watching this week were cursed with a south wind, including today. A few ravens and local Turkey Vultures sailed by, but otherwise it was very quiet. Eventually a raven started calling, as I saw a large dark bird fly low through the treeline on the south east side of the ridge. It finally popped out and we got a quick glimpse of an adult Bald Eagle heading away from us. Because of the south winds, birds were hugging south side of the ridge, so we repositioned at the powerline cut where the spring count is done (the “Tussey Mountain” count). The winds were pretty strong here and it actually looked promising for migrants even though the skies were completely overcast and the air was really thick. Eventually, a Turkey Vulture shot through and he was really flapping unusually hard. This usually only means one thing; an Adult Bald Eagle is about to ruin his day. Or, at least that is what he thinks, as he tries to get out of the way. Within a few seconds our second adult Bald Eagle of the day came gliding through, and joined the now panicking Turkey Vulture on a thermal. Besides the two adult Bald Eagles, we saw two local Red-tailed Hawks, one a juvenile and one an adult.

Scotia Barrens Warblers, 9/2/2011

2011-09-02T17:55:00.003-04:00

This morning I FINALLY got out and did some proper birding in Centre County. Alex and I woke up early and headed to Scotia Barrens, which is an absolute warbler hot spot in the fall, getting up to 25+ warbler species at a time. Around this time last year at Scotia, I took photos of obscene numbers of warbler species sharing the same trees...check out that post here!

The morning started out a little slow, as we met Tim Shreckengost at the Scotia Ponds, where he had a few shorebirds scoped out, including a Lesser Yellowlegs, 6 Least Sandpipers, 2 Spotted Sandpipers, and a Solitary Sandpiper. On Sunday, as the hurricane passed, someone had reported a Red-necked Phalarope here, but not many people had a chance to see it before it apparently zoomed off. There were also a few Canada Geese and Wood Ducks, and a few Common Nighthawks flew over, along with a male Northern Harrier. Tim spotted a flycatcher on a snag, and it turned out to be an Olive-sided Flycatcher…a new Centre county bird for Alex and I, and a new state bird for Tim! Nate Fronk and Drew Webber stopped by too, to check it out.

Warblers were slow as the sun rose on the dreary horizon, but a Tennessee Warbler made a brief appearance. Everyone else left, but Alex and I headed up the road to the warbler hot spots. As soon as we arrived at one of the hotspot clearings, a mixed flock was moving through. It was a little overwhelming at first, since I haven’t birding in PA much this year, but whoever says the skill of identifying fall warblers can leave you must not go birding enough in the fall. In my opinion, once you learn them, you can never forget them. Red-eyed Vireos were darting around, as were Magnolia Warblers, and a male Hooded Warbler was singing nearby. It the near bushes amongst Gray Catbirds and Eastern Towhees, loads of Chestnut-sided Warblers were bouncing around, posing nicely for photos. A few Pine Warblers made brief appearances, and I thought I got a quick glimpse of a Cape May Warbler (Alex later spotted a pair!). High in the tree tops, a Black-throated Green Warbler darted away with the majority of the flock, and in the distance where the flock headed, we picked out a few Blackburnian Warblers chasing each other. Titmice and Chickadees were also darting around eating berries, as a Downy Woodpecker investigated some dead trees nearby, and a Least Flycatcher fluttered above our heads. A Blue-winged Warbler made a brief appearance, reminding me that the majority of these birds are not only Centre County birds for me, but also year birds! (Have I mentioned that I love PA in the fall?!) In the distance, Great-crested Flycatchers were calling, and I briefly got looks at their large bodies dropping through the branches, looking more like large clumsy bats in comparison to the fast and skillful branch crawling and hopping of the warblers. Eventually a few American Redstarts came into view and few and started calling, and Black-and-white Warblers were jumping around an apple tree fighting over worms. At this point I was in warbler overload mode, and started snapping photos of anything that moved; this was our third large flock of the morning! Chestnut-sided Warblers and Common Yellowthroats were the most oblivious warblers, staying very close to the road…so close that I wish I had my 300mm lens on versus my 400mm. Eventually, Alex spotted a Canada Warbler where I was photographing American Redstarts, and within a few minutes I was surrounded by more Chestnut-sided Warblers, Black-and-white Warblers, Common Yellowthroats, and angry Magnolia Warblers who were intent on getting rid of a single Canada Warbler. Blue-gray Gnatcatchers also hopped around nearby with a Hooded Warbler. Somehow I managed a few decent shots of most of the warbler species we saw, but the Blackburnian and Cape May Warblers stayed high in the trees out of reach of my lens. A Bay-breasted Warbler made a very brief appearance, and as fast as they had arrived, they were all gone, leaving Scotia silent except for the calls of a few Gray Catbirds.

Black-and-white Warbler - first fall male

Chestnut-sided Warbler - female

Chestnut-sided Warbler - first fall male

Hooded Warbler - male

American Redstart - first fall male

Magnolia Warbler - first fall male/adult female

Better brush up on your warbler booty IDs....Common Yellowthroat

Another bird booty....Blue-gray Gnatcatcher

Star of the day! Canada Warbler - probable female

Canada Warbler - probable female

Sick looking bird of the day....Pine Warbler? This little guy looked a bit rough and was noticeably slower than his flock mates. He was so slow, we saw him at least 5 different time, almost unheard of for a healthy fall warbler! I am fairly sure it is just a Pine Warbler, possibly on the edge of death.

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!!!! :o) :o) :o)

Scotia Barrens....15 warbler species!

2011-09-02T10:18:00.000-04:00

I'll post later but in the meantime check out our post over at Nemesis Bird about our very productive morning of warbler watching!

SE Arizona Birding: Day 5

2011-08-27T13:36:00.001-04:00

After spending the night in the "Rooster Cabin," a cabin owned by Mt. Lemmon Cabins (a great place to stay!), we headed up hill to a nearby ski resort to do some high elevation birding. Red-faced Warblers were abundant, as were Black-capped Chickadees. Pygmy Nuthatches were chattering all over the place, but we didn't spot any until we headed down the mountain. We also spotted a number of Olive Warblers, a lifer for everyone! Dark-eyed Juncos and Virginia's Warblers were also abundant.

Red-faced Warbler

Pygmy Nuthatch

Down in the city, Chris spotted another Zone-tailed Hawk. We pulled over to watch it and got great up close views as it soared above us!

Zone-tailed Hawk

Our next stop was the Sonoran Desert Museum. It was already mid-day, so birds were not very active. I suggest going there early in the morning as soon as it opens, so you can get great looks at the common desert birds that frequent the grounds (like Cactus Wrens, Gila Woodpeckers, etc.). You can also watch the injured/rehabbed birds get fed in the aviaries if you arrive early. Most of them were just lounging around by the time we got there.

Gila Woodpecker

White-winged Dove - fledgling

Cactus Wren

Inca Dove (in the aviary, not in the wild!)

Of the 163 species we found on this trip, 5 were lifers for me and Alex! Mark got 83 lifers,

while Chris got 100!

Watch out for banded birds as fall migration sets in!

2011-08-27T08:02:00.001-04:00

On January 27 of this year, while studying Crested Caracaras in Florida for Virginia Tech, I came across a banded Sandhill Crane. At this particular location, a flock of around 150 individual cranes spent the winter. Most of the time, they were a few hundred meters from the road around a big farm pond on a cattle ranch, but sometimes a few would land short of the pond near the road. One morning, some bright colors caught my eye, and I noticed a few colorful bands on the legs of one crane.

hard to miss these bands....

In 2007 and 2008, I worked with Whooping Cranes for 14 months. I tracked them on their breeding and wintering grounds, and in migration, so I know how valuable a good re-sight can be! I contacted my friend Eva Szyszkoski of the International Crane Foundation because I know she is the go-to-girl for anything crane related! She got me in contact with the right people, and this is what I found out:

"This crane was originally banded just south of Rydal Bank, ON while we were banding birds near Thessalon, ON in the summer of 2009. It was banded with its sibling as a flightless chick on our last capture day (7/9/09) in Ontario.

This is the first time this crane has been seen since banding. With this sighting we have now seen 6 of the 12 cranes we banded in Ontario, including this birds sibling which was seen by Bob Huguenard in JP last October. All of the other sightings of these birds are from JP as well."

And here is the map I made, showing how far this crane got without being detected for over 2 years! The location where I saw it is approximately 1,326 miles from where it was hatched and banded! Chances are that it also flies over and stops at Jasper-Pulaski in Indiana, as the other members of its cohort have done.

SO! With fall migration upon us, it is always worth it to scan that huge flock of geese or cranes or shorebirds, or whatever, for a few colorful bands. Also keep your eyes open for the metal USGS bands that most birds get if they are not part of a color band re-sight study. It is possible to read the tiny engraved numbers on these bands if you are persistent. On shorebirds, if you see bright colors, look for a band with an extended piece of plastic on it known as a "flag," since they usually have an extra alpha-numeric code. On cranes, make sure to check for letters and numbers as well, and also radio and satellite transmitters that will be noticeable because of large antennas. Check out this page on the ICF website to find out who to contact and to get a better idea of where your banded crane came form. Most importantly, ALWAYS TAKE A PHOTO!

Unfortunately, the ranch land this crane was on is going to be turned into a massive sugarcane field to be used for so-called "green energy production" at a newly constructed ethanol plant. While ranch lands are not the native habitat in this area of Florida, many species of wildlife depend on them, as they get pushed farther and farther back by the sprawling development of Florida. Ranch land is proving to be the last place wildlife can retreat to in Florida, and in my opinion, it has much more value than the profit these "green" energy companies will see from excessive government subsidies. Think twice before you jump on board with "alterative energy" and do your research.

Chinquapin makes it to Bahamas!

2011-08-26T18:58:00.003-04:00

Check out this article describing Chinquapin's flight through Hurrican Irene! (Apparently those are Alex's hands.....)

Watch out for Hurrican Irene, Whimbrels!

2011-08-26T12:37:00.004-04:00

The following is a press release sent to me by my former boss, Fletcher Smith. Alex and I worked with Fletcher on a Whimbrel project last summer on the eastern shore of Virginia, capturing Whimbrel and helping put on radio and satellite transmitters. It seems as though some of the Whimbrels will be greatly affected by Hurricane Irene. This is not a new thing though, as we have all watched other Whimbrels fly directly into off-shore storms before. As these birds fly right into the storm (including Hope, the most well-known Whimbrel in the world!), be thankful you have a roof over your head and that you don't have to migrate thousands of miles every year...through giant storms.

Fletcher says... "Check seaturtle.org tomorrow to see the current status. We expect transmissions around 4pm eastern time today, though maps won’t update until tomorrow. You can also follow the other 3 live birds, including Goshen who flew around the east edge of the storm and landed in Montserrat (in the volcano exclusion zone), and Hope and Machi that are directly in Irene’s path in coastal Virginia. Chinquapin was captured and processed by our partners at Georgia Department of Natural Resources Non-game Division in spring 2010."

Check out a few of my blog posts from when I worked with Fletcher trying to capture Whimbrels...

Whimbrel Capture 1
Whimbrel Capture 2
Whimbrel Capture 3
Whimbrel Capture 4
Whimbrel "Watch"

Scientists Track Shorebird into Hurricane Irene

(Williamsburg, VA)---Scientists have tracked a migrating shorebird into Hurricane Irene. The shorebird, a whimbrel migrating from Canada to South America left Southampton Island in upper Hudson Bay on Saturday, flew out over the open ocean and appears to have encountered the outer bands of Irene on Tuesday. The bird named Chinquapin flew through the dangerous northeast quadrant of the storm during the day on Wednesday. It is being tracked by a small satellite transmitter and is scheduled to transmit a new set of positions within the next day. In 2010 this same bird flew around Tropical Storm Colin while a second bird flew into the storm and did not survive.

The long-term tracking study has documented several previous encounters between whimbrel and major storms. Earlier in August one of the birds flew through Tropical Storm Gert in the North Atlantic. This bird encountered high headwinds for 27 hours averaging only 9 miles per hour. Once through the storm, flight speed increased to more than 90 miles per hour as the bird was pushed by significant tail winds and made it back to Cape Cod, Massachusetts. In 2008, a bird was tracked into Hurricane Hanna and landed in the Bahamas only to be hit later by Hurricane Ike.

Updated tracking maps may be viewed online.
http://www.ccb-wm.org/programs/migration/Whimbrel/whimbrel.htm
How migratory birds navigate around and survive major storm systems has been an open
question to science. Achieving an understanding of this process is important because the

Caribbean Basin is a major flyway for many bird species moving from breeding grounds in North American to winter in South America and their migrations coincide with the period of highest hurricane formation. Changes in storm frequency, intensity, or distribution may have implications for timing and routes of migratory movements.

This tracking project is a collaborative effort between The Center for Conservation Biology, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Non-game Division, The Nature Conservancy, The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Virginia Coastal Zone Management Program, and Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences.

SE Arizona Birding: Day 4

2011-08-25T10:09:00.003-04:00

On our 4th day of birding in south east Arizona, we woke up at the George Walker House to a Rufous Hummingbird party. There were more Rufous Hummingbirds here than anywhere else I have ever seen! Check out a recent post I made about Rufous Hummingbirds on this trip. In addition to Rufous Hummingbirds, Magnificent, Broad-tailed, and Black-chinned Hummingbirds were present, along with a few male Anna's and Calliope Hummingbirds. At the feeders, Mexican Jays and Juniper Titmouse made appearances, while a single Rufous-crowned Sparrow hopped around on the ground. Black-throated Gray Warblers hopped around the juniper trees, a lifer for Chris and Mark.

Hummingbird party....Magnificent, Rufous, Black-chinned Hummingbirds

Unknown moth....anyone know what kind?

Calliope Hummingbird - male

Juniper Titmouse

Rufous-crowned Sparrow

Rufous Hummingbird - male, Black-chinned Hummingbird - female, in background

Calliope Hummingbird - male

Next, we headed deeper into the Chiracahuas to the well-known Herb Martyr area in search of Buff-breasted Flycatchers. We didn't find them, but Chris had a great spot on a distant Zone-tailed Hawk. We also heard a family of Northern Goshawks calling, but couldn't get a look at them. We did, however, find a very cute baby horn-tailed lizard.

baby Horn-tailed Lizard

At the Southwest Research Station, Say's Phoebes were abundant. We watched this juvenile being fed ants by one of its parents. Cassin's Kingbirds were also abundant, a a few Scott's Orioles flew by.

Say's Phoebe - juvenile

The highlight of the research station was the hummingbirds, as usual. This is one of the only spots you can see Blue-throated Hummingbirds, and a pair was even nesting on one of the wooden deck structures. Magnificent, Rufous, and Black-chinned Hummingbirds were also present.

Magnificent Hummingbird

Black-chinned Hummingbird - female

Black-chinned Hummingbird - female with healed broken bill

Western Wood Pewee

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - male

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - female

Blue-throated Hummingbird

Our next stop was the intersection just before the Onion Saddle. The road was closed beyond this point due to recent fires, but birders had been seeing Mexican Chicadees here recently. We had just missed a mixed flock that included Mexican Chicadees, but instead saw this young bear roam out into the road, then into the woods, eating grass along the way.

young Black Bear

Our next house was Dae Jasper's house just outside of Portal, AZ. We were able to see a Curve-billed Thrasher and a Pyrrhuloxia before a huge storm came and we got drenched!

Curve-billed Thrasher

Pyrrhuloxia

Our next stop before heading back to Tucson was Lake Cochise near a golf course in Wilcox. There were tons of American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts, Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs,Wilson's Phalaropes, and Long-billed Dowitchers here, in addition to Least and Western Sandpipers. There was also a Baird's Sandpiper mixed in and a few Stilt Sandpipers, both very good finds for this part of Arizona. Black Terns were also numrous and made a few close passes as we scoped the flocks. Over at the golf course, we got our lifer Scaled Quail! At the end of the day, we headed up to Mt. Lemmon and called owls along the way, but we didn't end up hearing any.

Sandpiper mixed flock at Lake Cochise

Black Tern

Wilson's Phalaropes

Hawk Watching Essentials!

2011-08-21T13:28:00.002-04:00

Very unfortunately, I won't be hawk watching every day this fall as planned. I hope to make it to Jo Hayes Vista a few times a week, but there really is no substitue for being able to see how raptor migration works at one site, every day, all season.

I've met a lot of people who want to start hawk watching. The best piece of advice I can give is that you must really put in a lot of time to improve your hawk watching skills! Anyone can learn to hawk watch if you put in enough time. The best way to start is to find someone who already knows how to hawk watch and has at least a few seasons of hawk watching experience. It is best to learn by example, and learning from someone will be much less frustrating than trying it alone. If you miss ID a raptor, it is great to have someone around who can tell you exactly why your ID was wrong, and how to improve on it for next time. Don't get discouraged! I've been hawk watching for a few years now, and every season, I learn something new.

Pick a location!

Check your states bird list serv for popular areas to hawk watch. Most sites post to the list serves every day with daily totals. Also check out HMANA's website. Here you can find a hawk watch, and review past years data for tons of hawk watches around the country. Get your hands on an electronic copy of the HMANA datasheet so you can record your raptor and weather data in a standardized way, and eventually find someone who can enter your data directly onto the site.

If you aren't close to any established hawk watches, make your own! Download google earth, and check out the landscape in 3D (go to "tools" then "options" and set vertical exageration to 3). This can show you the lay of the land and how different ridges feed into eachother, and you might be able to find a ridge overlook that will turn out to be a great hawk watch. Also, try your yard for a few hours! I've seen Bald Eagles, Red-shouldered Hawks, and all three accipiters from my mom's yard!

To start off, you will need two extremely important pieces of equipment...

BINOCULARS and a SCOPE!

I own two pairs of binoculars. The first pair I bought was the Eagle Optics Rangers 8x42. I prefer these for forest birding, when birds are closer than they would be in a more open environment. I really liked the Rangers, so I also invested in Eagle Optics Rangers 10x42. I really like the extra magnification of these bins for long distance birding like hawk watching, and scanning lakes for waterfowl. Both Rangers are light weight and waterproof. I've dunked mine in salt water, fresh water, mud, and sand, and they are easily rinsed off under running water. Both are backed by an Eagle Optics lifetime guarantee. If you accidentally break your bins, you just send them in the mail and they are back to you in a few days, as if they were brand new. I reccommend having two pairs of binoculars, especially if you are hawk watching, in case your first pair breaks.

You NEED binoculars! While some raptors pass close enough to see and ID with the naked eye, there are many that are passing at a distance either high above the ridge or out over nearby valleys. It is important to continually scan all open sky and white space to make sure you don't miss the high fliers!

When you spot the high/far fliers, it helps to have a spotting scope. A few years ago, I got a great deal on an older model of the Vortex Skyline 20-60x80 Spotting Scope. The views have always been clear and I've used it to help me ID some pretty far away raptors in challenging light. Unfortunately, this model is discontinued! The replacement model is the Vortex Viper. I'd love to try it out but I am sure it is even better than the skyline! Vortex also has a great "VIP" warranty. You can basically break your scope into multiple pieces (as I did), and they will send it back to you in one piece, no questions asked. Not that you want to break your scope into pieces, but accidents happen. You'll also want to decide if you want a "straight" or "angled" spotting scope. I prefer the straight scopes for hawk watching, but others prefer angled.

You'll also need a sturdy tripod to withstand the gusty conditions you'll find on most ridges. I suggest any Manfrotto tripod.

Hawk watching field guides! and a field journal...

You MUST own a copy of the following three books! Basically this set of books is equivalent to a hawk watchers bible. There are many different behavioral patterns to watch for, flight styles, and ID pitfalls in the books to consider. I cannot count how many times I've looked to these books for help in the field while hawk watching.

1. Hawks in Flight
2. Hawks from Every Angle
3 Hawks at a Distance

Here are some great reviews of Jerry Liguori's newest hawk watching guide, "Hawks at a Distance." I love this book...being able to ID raptors at a distance is almost an entirely different skill set than IDing them up close.

Nemesis Bird Review
Jerry's Birding/Digiscoping Blog Review

It also helps to have a field journal. If there is time, I like to write down A LOT about what I saw each raptor do, and make any notes about particular individuals that may stay around for a few hours/days. A few things to consider are:

-flight path; which side of the ridge did the raptor favor?
-flight style; did it show just powered, gliding, or soaring flight, or some combination of the three?
-molt/age; this can help you pick out individuals or local birds that are sticking around your site for a few days or more.

Last fall, while hawk watching at a wind farm, I wrote down all of this information and more about the raptors I saw. I found that flight style really helped me ID raptors at ridiculously far distances. For example, I noted that Merlins almost exclusively showed powered steady-height flight while passing through my site, while American Kestrels showed more sporadic "crazy" flight at different heights, switching between quick powered flights and short glides. Each site is different though, so pay attention to how birds move through your site under different field conditions.

A COMFY CHAIR AND SNACKS!

If you want to really understand raptor migration, you should try to spend your entire day at the hawk watch. You'll see things like early morning or late afternoon pushes of raptors, and you'll see how different species mingle (or don't mingle) in migration. So, you'll need a comfy chair. Any camp chair is fine, but a lounge chair is ideal. You can lean back and really scan the area right over your head! Swivel stools work great too.

You'll also want to bring plenty of snacks and lunch. Sometimes there just isn't time to eat, so you'll be really grateful for the little snacks you brought! Also bring a cooler in the hotter months, and thermos full of something hot in the winter. If you aren't comfortable, you aren't happy, and hawk watching can turn into a pretty unpleasant experience! Also, don't forget your rain gear (I love FROGG TOGGS!) and blaze orange clothing for hunting season. Bring plenty of layers. Hawk watching requires about zero moving, so you can get cold very quick.

If you are PREPARED, hawk watching can be a great experience and turn into a great (life-consuming) hobby!

Linked on ABA blog, woo!

SE Arizona Birding: Day 3

2011-08-21T12:21:00.002-04:00

On the third day of our trip to south east Arizona, we woke up and headed for Ft. Huachuca to bird Sawmill and Scheelite Canyons. Hutton’s and Plumbeous Vireos were abundant, and we saw our first Yellow-eyed Juncos of the trip, but we missed out on a few Buff-breasted Flycatchers that a few birders saw just minutes before we arrived. We got great looks at a loud family group of Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers, my favorite south east Arizona bird! The adults were feeding berries to a bunch of noisy youngsters, and didn’t seem to care that we watched them for awhile! In Scheelite Canyon, we searched every tree for a Spotted Owl but came up empty.

Hutton's Vireo

Yellow-eyed Junco

Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher - juvenile

Our next stop was Mary Jo Ballator’s Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast. A few months ago, fire came very close to Mary Jo’s, literally right up to her windows, but her house was saved and the birds have returned. In fact, it seemed like there were way more hummingbirds than normal. Highlights here were male and female Lucifer Hummingbirds, and a very interesting hybrid hummingbird that we’ve determined to be a Broad-billed x Black-chinned hybrid. Check out photos and a post about it here. We also saw the Black-chinned x Anna’s hybrid while we were there. And as always, the seed feeders were loaded with Mexican Jays, Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, and Lesser Goldfinch, with quick appearances by Curve-billed Thrashers, Blue Grosbeaks, and Scott’s Orioles.

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - female

Lucifer Hummingbird - female

Scott's Oriole - male

Lucifer Hummingbird - male

Our next stop was Portal, Arizona, and on the way we tried for a variety of sparrows. Our target bird was the Greater Roadrunner, but surprisingly, we just couldn't squeeze one out of the desert on our entire trip! It was a huge miss. There was a large storm approaching, so I think this is why all the road-runners were in hiding.

Black-throated Sparrow

After dinner, we drove in the dark to the George Walker House, a GREAT place to stay while you bird the Portal area and the Chiracahua Mountains. This place has two large bedrooms with plenty of beds and a full kitchen. There are load of hummingbird feeders, and at night, one of the most amazing things happens! Nectar feeding bats come into the feeders, by the hundreds! There are three species of nectar feeding bats in the U.S., and the two that you can see here are the Mexican Long-toungued Bat and and the Mexican Long-nosed Bat. This was a great way to end of great day of birding in SE Arizona.

Mexican Long-toungued and Long-nosed Bats

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Last day of Yellow-billed Cuckoo Project...headed back to PA for the fall!

2011-08-11T01:49:00.001-04:00

Today was our last day of work on what was a quick month on the cuckoo project! We tried catching a very sneaky bird, but somehow he managed to avoid our nets even though he sat within only a few feet of them. And, a few days ago, Shannon and I finally found Black Annie's nest....more on this later, but it already had a chick in it, and it was less than 15 meters from where her nest was last year! Shannon also resighted a bird from last year, LJ, on one of our nests, and we have found a few cuckoos from previous years, still using the same sites. This is great news, as we have put out a number of geo-locators this year, and hope to recover them next year, telling us loads of great info about where these western Yellow-billed Cuckoos spend the winter.

Meanwhile, check out this awesome animated map from E-bird that summarizes the annual migration of Yellow-billed Cuckoos. Take note of the sightings in the desert south west, where Southern Sierra Research Station focuses their cuckoo work!

A Yellow-billed Cuckoo named "Richard Simmons"...more on this later!!!

I've still got a ton of stuff to post about from this summer in Idaho and Arizona, so stay tuned! Next week I start hawk watching again for a consulting firm in Pennsylvania in relation to wind energy projects, and while I can't post details, I look forward to posting about raptor migration in PA again! Hopefully next week at this time I am counting at least a few Broad-winged Hawks and some early migrant passerines....

SE Arizona Birding Trip: Day 2, Madera Canyon and Patagonia

2011-08-10T19:57:00.000-04:00

Our first stop on the first full day of our trip was Carrie Nation Mine Trail. After waking up early from the Madero-Kubo cabins, we tried to ignore the Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers and Acorn Woodpeckers that were calling outside the house. Trogons get up early, and it would be a sin to bird Madera Canyon without seeing one! As soon as we stepped out of the car at the upper parking lot, we heard the unmistakable "bark" of a male trogon. We quickly walked up the hillside, and passed the trogon since he was off trail. There are usually a few male trogons active on the trail this time of year, so I was sure we would have a chance to see another. We kept hiking up trail, picking up new birds like Painted Redstart, Western Wood Pewee, Brown-crested Flycatcher, and Arizona Woodpecker, and finally another trogon started calling. He was close, so Chris, Mark, and Alex (my fellow 6 foot tall birding pals) quickly ran up the trail in 6 foot strides leaving me in the dust. When I got to a bend in the trail, there it was...a beautiful male trogon sitting on a low branch, eating choke cherries. He was only a few feet away, giving Chris and Mark a great look at a pretty special lifer. After he realized we were there, he moved up trail a bit, and we caught a few more glances as he patrolled the trailside, talking to other male trogons in the distance. We followed him up to the sycamore cavity where we saw a trogon last summer, and he flew far out of sight up into the canyon. On the way down, another trogon was on his way up the trail, and perched on an overhanging branch to eat choke cherries, giving us another great look. We also picked up new birds like Grace's Warbler, Magnificent Hummingbird, and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers on our way down the trail, and Western Wood Pewees were everywhere.

Elegant Trogon

Western Wood Pewees

Lesser Goldfinch

With one of our biggest target birds on our list, we headed down to Chuparosa Inn in hopes to catch a glimpse of a few specialty hummingbirds seen there recently, including a male Lucifer's Hummingbird, a male Rufous Hummingbird, and a female Allen's. We saw both the Rufous and Allen's, but the Lucifer's did not make an appearance. Magnificent Hummingbirds and Black-chinned Hummingbirds were the most common here. The seed feeders, suet, and oranges were also attracting Black-headed Grosbeaks, Western Tanagers, and loads of Mexican Jays.

Black-chinned Hummingbird (female) trying to chase Magnificent Hummingbird (female) from feeder

Magnificent Hummingbird - female

Just down the road, we stopped back at Madera-Kubo cabins where we had spent the night. Our target bird here was the Berylline Hummingbird that had been frequenting the feeders. It took about half an hour, but it did show up, and sat in a nearby tree, giving everyone a great look. A Violet-crowned Hummingbird also made a brief appearance, but Black-chinned and Rufous Hummingbirds were the most abundant here, in addition to Magnificent Hummingbirds. A Hepatic Tanager came into the feeders, but unfortunately I was making my morning cup of tea when this happened! (Don't worry, I got it later in the trip). We also got our trip Bronzed cowbird here, a male who was displaying for a few females.

Bronzed Cowbird - male

Summer Tanager - male

Towards the end of Madera Canyon, we stopped at the Whitehouse Picnic area. This place is loaded with Bell's Vireos, and we saw our first Phainopepla of the trip here. I also got my lifer Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, but he didn't stay around longer for photos. Nearby, Botteri's, Rufous-winged, and Cassin's Sparrows (lifer!) were singing like crazy, and this Botteri's came in for a close look on a nearby fence

Botteri's Sparrow

Our next stop was Patagonia, after a quick stop at the Kino Springs Golf Course. Common Ground Doves were all over the place here, and there were also a few pairs of Vermillion Flycatchers. We got great looks at a Cassin's Kingbird here, and also tracked down a begging juvenile Gray Hawk. Unfortunately his parents were nowhere to be found. Next, we made a quick stop at Patagonia Lake State Park, but our target birds (Neotripc Cormorant and Black-bellied Whistling Duck) were not around. And no one can bird in Patagonia without stopping at the famous "Roadside Rest" where Thick-billed Kingbirds nest. A Yellow-billed Cuckoo answered our calls here and gave Chris and Mark a great look at an otherwise hard-to-see lifer! Rock and Canyon Wrens were also calling nearby, as were Yellow-breasted Chats, and Phainopepla and Bridled Titmouse were all over the place.

Rock Wren (center of photo)

Thick-billed Kingbird

Our final major stop of the day was the Patton's famous hummingbird feeders. Unfortunately mosquitos were buzzing all over the place, and I have had just about enough of those little blood-suckers this year. Fortunately, we found a Violet-crowned Hummingbird very quickly, because this is the best spot for them in Arizona. There seemed to be a ton of Phainopepla around, and we found another Cassin's Kingbird here along with our trip Black Phoebe! We checked nearby for the Gray Hawk that usually nests nearby, but only found his large chick.

We headed to Sierra Vista that night, and stayed at The Ramsey Canyon Cabins in the "Hummingbird" House, a very beautiful and spacious house with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms at a great price. I highly recommend staying here while birding in and around Sierra Vista!

Violet-crowned Hummingbird

SE Arizona Birding: Day 2

2011-08-03T12:30:00.000-04:00

In awhile I'll write my post about our second day of birding in SE AZ, but in the meantime you can check out Alex's post over at Nemesis Bird

SE Arizona Birding: Day 2 at NEMESIS BIRD

Rufous Hummingbirds

2011-08-03T11:53:00.007-04:00

We saw 12 species of hummingbirds on our trip to south east Arizona, but by far the most striking male of any of these species is the Rufous Hummingbird. Both the male and female seem exceptionally aggressive at feeders, as if they already didn't stand out enough with their brightly colored feathers! Rufous Hummingbirds breed very far to the north, as high as Alaska (the most northerly breeding hummingbird), and can now be seen in great numbers at feeders in the south west as they migrate south for the winter. The male is bright orange all over with a very bright red irredescent gorget (without sun, the gorget appears black), and can have a green back (like an Allen's Hummingbird).

Note all over rufous/orange color, dark wings, white neck,

white spot behind eye, and red to black gorget. Also note "pointed" narrow tail feathers.

Note black/dark gorget when not in direct sun

Note bright red gorget with irridescent green to yellow in full sun

4 Rufous Hummingbird males and 1 female at feeder at George Walker House in Paradise, AZ

(this week marks the start of an influx of Rufous Hummingbirds from the north!!!)

The female has a bright white breast leading into rufous flanks, green back, and red to orange central patch on the throat (unlike the very similar female Broad-tailed Hummingbird that has regular spots on the throat). Both the male and female have unmistakable red and black tail feathers that appear very pointed and narrow, and the female has white-tips on the outer rectrices (very similar to female Broad-tailed Hummingbird, but lacking the green of the inner tail feathers).

Rufous Hummingbird - female

Note central orange/pinkish throat spots/patch, white breast and rufous flanks

CAUTION! Female Broad-tailed Hummingbirds appear very similar to female Rufous Hummingbirds!!!!! (See next two photos)

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - female

Note green on inner tail feathers and "lobed" versus "pointed" tips of tail feathers

Broad-tailed Hummingbird - female

Note regular "neat" spotting on throat versus central throat patch of female Rufous Hummingbird

Rufous Hummingbirds are very similar to Allen's Hummingbirds, and can only be distinguished by feather measurements, close examination, or flight calls.

Many Rufous Hummingbirds have been showing up in the fall and winter months in the east in the past few years. These birds may be migrating from the west to the east over the winter, or may be coming from an unknown breeding population in the far north east. Or, because awareness of this phenomena has been increasing, more sightings are being reported, and subsequently more Rufous Hummingbirds are being banded in the east.

It is completely untrue that hummingbirds will not migrate if you keep your feeders out in the fall and winter. Their instinct to migrate is very great. In fact, your feeders will provide a much needed energy source for late migrants and rare visitors (such as the Anna's that visited eastern PA last year!) as they move south for the winter. Be sure to keep the feeders clean and take them down overnight to avoid freezing temperatures. You may just get a Rufous Hummingbird at your feeder (or some late Ruby-throated Hummingbirds), or who knows what else!

Check out these great maps that Robert Mortensen of BIRDING IS FUN! made on E-bird about migration patterns of Rufous Hummingbirds....not to be missed!

SE Arizona Birding, Day 1: Sweetwater Wetlands and Madera Canyon

2011-08-02T19:50:00.004-04:00

On July 28th after work, Alex and I headed east to pick up our friends Chris and Mark (from Pennsylvania) from the Tucson Airport. A few months ago, Mark joined us on a 4 day birding trip in Idaho, and we were glad Chris was able to make this trip. Chris and Mark hadn't spent much time birding in the south west, so this trip had the possibility of getting them a huge number of lifers. Alex and I were hoping for a few too. We missed a few species on our last trip to Arizona, like Buff-breasted Flycather and Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, to name a few. But more than the possibility of lifers, I was looking forward to visiting the numerous hummingbird "havens" that you can find all around south eastern Arizona.

Before we picked up Chris and Mark, we made a quick stop in Phoenix to pick up Peach-faced Lovebirds. Yes, these are the little lovebirds you can buy in pet stores, but because there are so many that have escaped, they have a well established breeding population at Gilbert Water Ranch in Phoenix, and are countable (I wasn't really mad that we couldn't find any). The pond here had a few different shorebirds on it, inlcluding Black-necked Stilts and a few American Avocets, in addition to a few small flocks of resting Long-billed Dowitcher. We also picked up a great year bird...Neotropical Cormorant...a species we wouldn't see anywhere on the rest of our trip, unfortunately for Chris and Mark.

Black-necked Stilt

Long-billed Dowitchers

Great Egret with Neotropic Cormorants

After picking up Chris and Mark in Tucson, we quickly added a few urban birds of the desert, like White-winged Doves and Great-tailed Grackles. Our first major stop was Sweetwater Wetlands. This place can be pretty stinky (literally-since it is part of a wastewater treatment system) on a hot day, but luckily there was a breeze. It was mid-afternoon, which is the time of day when birds hate their lives, seeking refuge in the shady mesquite trees. We picked up more common desert birds including Ladder-backed and Gila Woodpeckers, Lesser Goldfinch, Gambel's Quail, and Abert's Towhee. Not much waterfowl was around, but we did manage to pick out a few Cinnamon Teal and Ruddy Ducks amongst the Mexican Mallards. A good species that is reliably found here is Tropical Kingbird. On our way in, I heard a pair calling, and we caught a glimpse of them as we were leaving. They look fairly similar to Western Kingbirds, but have a noticeably thicker bill.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Ruddy Duck - male

Great-tailed Grackle - females

Gila Woodpecker

Desert Cottontail

Tropical Kingbird

After stopping for dinner in Green Valley, we headed towards Madera Canyon, picking up a few Chihuahuan Ravens on the way. They are extrememly similar to Common Ravens, but can be picked out by their higher pitched crow-like calls.

Chihuahuan Raven

After checking in at Madea-Kubo B&B (a great place to stay for easy/early access in the canyon), we headed over to Chuparosa Inn where Elf Owls were being seen or heard regularly each night between 8:00 and 8:30. A few critters flew by in the darkness, including large beetles, hummingbirds, and bats, but eventually we heard/saw something fly in and land nearby. Alex shined the light on a branch, and amazingly this tiny little Elf Owl was sitting there, staring at us. A few minutes later, another flew in, and both disappeared into the darkness. A lifer for everyone!!!

Elf Owl - Chuparosa Inn, Madera Canyon AZ

Next, we headed up to Carrie Nation Mine Trail to find some Mexican Whip-poor-wills. After fighting bugs off our head lamps for a few minutes, we got responses from at least 2 individuals, and were about 20 feet away from one of them. We couldn't get close enough to see them, but it was great to add another nightjar species to all of our lists, even if we didn't officially "count" it (since we didn't see it). We missed out on a few other owl species, but we went to bed that night with thoughts of seeing Elegant Trogons on the same trail in the morning.

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!!!!

and can also be seen at ....Nemesis Bird where we will be posting about the rest of our trip!

Hybrid Hummingbird at Mary Jo's July 30, 2011

2011-07-31T01:11:00.004-04:00

Alex and I are currently on a 4 day birding trip in SE Arizona. We’ve seen a lot of great birds that I will post about later, but today at Mary Jo’s Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, we found a pretty interesting hummingbird. When I first saw it, my initial thought was Magnificent Hummingbird because it was so dark. I quickly realized it was the wrong size, and was actually the size of a Broad-billed Hummingbird. It fed with a male Broad-billed Hummingbird numerous times and gave a great size comparison, and also perched in nearby branches. Its lower mandible is slightly orange, like that of a Berylline Hummingbird, and its body is all dark. At first, I thought it was the Black-chinnedx? hybrid that had been reported there, but it didn’t look like the one that had been described. Other possibilities include Broad-billedxMagnificent (if that could even happen!) or BeryllinexMagnificent (which I have heard has happened, oddly enough). This bird looks very, very similar to this mystery hummingbird photographed by Bill Schmoker in Ramsey Canyon in August 2006 (first hummer on page).

The final consensus on this bird is Broad-billed X Black-chinned Hummingbird!

Please look for this bird if you visit Ash Canyon over the next few days, and email me at annafasoli@gmail.com or comment here about what you think it is!!!

My first look at the bird....very Magnificent Hummingbird-looking but too small/not right...

Mystery hummer perched

mystery hummer left, adult male Broad-billed Hummingbird right

mystery hummingbird perched on branch

notice orange lower mandible

back of mystery hummer

(glad for the link on ABA so more people can comment on this great bird! Look for a post soon about SE Arizona's hummers)

ABA blog!

2011-07-25T21:38:00.000-04:00

My Peregrine Falcon post got linked on the ABA blog a few days ago, woo!

Check it out:
ABA Blog: Blog Birding #38

A few days off

2011-07-25T15:47:00.001-04:00

I am taking a few days off of blogging to catch up on data entry from my current and previous jobs, more soon!

Road trip from Boise, ID to Blythe, CA: Calfornia Condor and other finds

2011-07-20T12:51:00.002-04:00

On July 12th, Alex and I started on our trip from Idaho to California. The drive is about 900 miles, but after driving across the country earlier this year, this didn't really seem like a far distance. We drove through Salt Lake City on our first day, and made it fairly close to the Grand Canyon. On the next day, we stopped at some great patches of juniper to look for Gray Vireo and Black-throated Gray Warbler. We immediately heard the vireo, but couldn't spot him. Nearby, a few Western Scrub Jays were catching grasshoppers on the side of the road. Farther up the road, we found about 10 Black-throated Gray Warblers hopping around the junipers. Most were females, but a few males were also in the flock.

Western Scrub Jay

Black-throated Gray Warbler - female

Black-throated Gray Warbler - male

At a river, we stopped and checked the area for birds. It was a rest stop, so we ran into some Great-tailed Grackles, which are known for living in urban areas. Nearby we got our FOY Ash-throated Flycatcher, one we missed out on in Idaho for our state list.

Great-tailed Grackle - female

After an hour so of driving through the hot desert, we finally made it to the Colorado River. We stopped at the Navajo Bridge Overlook, and started scanning for California Condors, a target for our trip because we had never seen one. It didn't take long to spot someone with a huge camera pointed at this Condor that was roosting under the road bridge! (check out his website at Wildlife Photos). We stayed for about an hour hoping it would jump off and fly. Every few minutes, the Condor would stretch its wings, or yawn, but it never flew off! This one was tagged with number "73" and you could see his radio transmitter and antennae on his right wing when he stretched.

California Condor stretching

California Condor - notice radio-transmitter antenna on right wing

Our next stop was the Grand Canyon. The place was loaded with tourists, but the views were great. The most common birds we came across at all the overlooks were Juniper Titmous, Common Raven, Bewick's Wren, and Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Colorado River in the Grand Canyon

Grand Canyon overlook

Bewick's Wren

Juniper Titmouse

Common Raven

Next we drove to Lake Havasu where another cuckoo crew is stationed. We spent the night, and in the morning drove to the Willow Flycatcher crew house because they've been getting a Ring-turtle Dove at their seed feeder, mixed in with White-winged Dove and Eurasian Collared Doves. Sure enough, after spreading some seed around, the Ringed-turtle Dove was one of the first to come in. These are usually escaped pets, but they are known to hybridize with Eurasian Collared Doves. I saw one a few years ago in the south while doing Wilson's Snipe surveys, but this was a new one for Alex.

Our next stop was at a Cottonwood Restoration area where two Tropical Kingbirds have been nesting. I've never seen this species before, and they are pretty rare in this area. It was on the way, so we made the quick stop and immediately found the pair. They were carrying food, but we couldn't pinpoint a nest. They look almost identical to Western Kingbirds, but have a noticeably thicker bill and different call notes.

Tropical Kingbird pair

Tropical Kingbird - note thick/long bill

We arrived in Blythe, CA later in the afternoon...more posts to come about remaining days in Idaho and first days in Blythe!

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Survey and Telemetry (@Cibola)

2011-07-18T17:59:00.002-04:00

Two days ago, I did a Yellow-billed Cuckoo survey at one of our Cibola National Wildlife Refuge sites called “Crane Roost.” I had vague/traumatic memories of this site from last year, running away from very small yet annoying mosquitoes. This survey was no different. As soon as you even think about entering the mesquite or cottonwood/willow stands, mosquitoes are buzzing in your ear and finding any inch of bare skin to bite. These little bloodsuckers were not nearly as large as the ones I just had to deal with in Idaho, but they were still a pain! Regardless, the survey went very well! As soon as I played my first call on my first stop, a nearby cuckoo started its “coo” call, and another started in the distance. It is thought that only females make the “coo” call (almost like a dove but more repetitive), but no one knows for sure. I encountered 3 other coo-ing cuckoos throughout the site, all of which were very responsive, which makes them good candidates for capture. On my last survey point, one flew right over to me, and started excessively coo-ing. It was unbanded, and probably un-paired, since it didn’t show any aggression or territoriality. I moved on and found 2 more of my coo-ing birds, and those were unbanded as well. All three birds seemed to have a defined territory, and often called back and forth to each other, probably letting the other know it was still there. While looking for the fourth bird I detected on my survey, my playback call was answered by a contact call (the classic “kuk-kuk-kuk-kuk-kowlp-kowlp-kowlp” cuckoo call). This area overlapped with the territory of a coo-ing bird, so there is potentially a pair in the area. At one point, there was a delayed voice exchange. But after walking all through the thick mesquite, the birds quieted down and never alarm called at me. Cuckoos are a hard nut to crack though, and it is really hard to say what is going on at a site from only one day of observation

Three days ago, I radio-tracked a bird that has been jumping around one of our sites, named GRE. It was caught near a known nest that was being sat on by DG, another transmittered bird, so there was potential that it was DG’s mate. I sat near the nest in some camo, but of course DG figured out I was there and I had to reposition in the thick willows where he couldn’t see me as I radio-tracked. With my view of the nest obstructed, I wasn’t quite sure what was happening, but it sounded like GRE was very nearby DG’s nest after she had come off her roost about 200 meters away. The birds were doing vocal exchanges, and switching places near the nest quite a bit, so it looked like GRE was probably on the nest. DG is very smart though, and very territorial, so I had to be super sneaky and quiet under my camo; because he knew I was there, he didn’t go very far away.
Eventually when it seemed like DG left the nest area, GRE came back in. It really sounded like GRE was on the nest, so I walked in for a better look since DG seemed to be out of earshot. Sure enough, a bird with a transmitter was sitting on it, and GRE’s signal was coming right from the nest; DG was at least 150 meters away! Within minutes, DG arrived, as if he somehow knew an intruder was near his nest. He started knocking (a cuckoo alarm call), so I backed off and let them figure things out. DG took GRE’s place on the nest (as if to say “I’ll do it you nincompoop!”), and GRE went off foraging. It really looks like DG is the more territorial of the two birds, and spends much more time on the nest than GRE. There is one other nest with unknown ownership, so sitting by it may be the best option to find out if any of our other telemetry birds are sitting on it. Cuckoo telemetry is very tricky. You have to stay far enough away so that you aren’t disturbing the bird, but close enough to understand what is happening. The best thing to do is to find a small open area in good cover (like the short/dense willow!), and stay there as long as possible. As long as you aren’t moving, you can get a good sense of the places your cuckoo is visiting/re-visiting, or sitting for long periods of time. Of course, this is easier said than done, and just when you feel like you get into a great position, your cuckoo books it. If a cuckoo re-visits its roost location a few hours after getting off roost, chances are it is returning to a nest. Or, if it doesn’t seem to be doing much at sunrise, it may be taking over a nest-sitting shift.

Peregrine Falcons at Cibola NWR

2011-07-17T15:53:00.000-04:00

While working near Cibola National Wildlife Refuge south of Blythe, California last year, Alex and I saw a number of juvenile Peregrine Falcons. The cottonwood/willow restoration plots attract tons of migrant passerines, but I think it is the nearby flooded fields that lure these young raptors in with their favorite food…shorebirds. The fields are adjacent to the Colorado River, so birds are funneled down the valley, and pulled in by the prime foraging habitat within a few miles of the river. We’ve also seen a number of Peregrines north of the refuge, including this subadult we found yesterday. He is molting from juvenile to adult plumage, so he looks exceptionally awesome!

Peregrine Falcon - subadult

new adult feathers are dark blue-gray in comparison to the faded juvenile feathers; note juvenile outer rectrices and juvenile feathers throughout flight feathers

Replacing the "streaked" juvenile plumage for the adult "barred" plumage

Cibola is a hot spot in the middle of agricultural fields and deserts because of the well-managed network of flooded fields in combination with the nearby Colorado River. Not surprisingly, the same fields that are hotspots for Peregrines are also hotspots for dowitchers, Long-billed Curlews, Least Sandpipers, and other migrant shorebirds (To view other hotspots in the area for shorebirds, go to the "Explore Data" page on E-bird, and scroll down to "Graphs and Maps". Then select up to 5 species to map in a region/county of your choice) . To get to a few of the flooded fields near Cibola where you may currently see a Peregrine hunting, follow signs to the nature trail area by taking the dirt road just north of the visitor center that leads west. Check the first field on the south side of the road, pass the cottonwood/willow restoration areas, and look for more flooded fields to the north and west.

All sightings of Peregrine Falcons near Cibola NWR, Arizona/California, recent sightings in yellow

Yellow-billed Cuckoo Field Work...first 2 days...

2011-07-16T16:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Alex and I started our first day of work for Southern Sierra Research Station on a Yellow-billed Cuckoo project (check out a post about our road trip here). This is the same project we worked on last summer. We are based out of Blythe, California, and have field sites on both the Arizona and California side of the Colorado river. The sites are Cottonwood and Willow restoration sites managed by the Bureau of Reclamation for the benefit of Yellow-billed Cuckoos and other riparian species. Mainly due to overpopulation and agricultural practices, the Colorado is a pretty sad looking river in this region, and important riparian areas that many bird species depend on have suffered. Because there are not many other trees around, our sites are loaded with tons of bird species, including the endangered subspecies of the South Western Willow Flycatcher in migration.

On our first day of work, Alex and I joined Shannon and two other technicians for banding. We help set up the net, but then Alex and I just roamed around in the distance, on call incase any birds needed to be flushed into the net. We ended up catching 3 cuckoos! I didn't stick around to take pics, because I was kind of antsy to start looking for cuckoos. I ventured to the infamous "Black Annie" territory, a cuckoo we banded last year. She'd been recaptured this year, but not given a radio-transmitter, as she had the year before. She is clearly faithful to her territory, so any resight is very valuable information. Unfortunately a Yellow-billed Cuckoo is just about the hardest bird to resight color bands on. They sit low on branches and crouch over their feet, hiding their brightly colored bands..so, you have to be looking at the bird *as* it lands, or *as* it takes off. Black Annie nested last year, but we couldn't capture her mate. I was hoping to see the pair, but only got a brief glimpse of a cucko near her old nest. It could have been her, her mate, or a fledgling from last year. Nearby, a fledgling from last year was recaptured and given a radio-transmitter, showing natal site fidelity! (this bird is nicknamed "Fuzzy Jr." since his dad was named "Fuzzy." Even though these sites are small, we are learning a ton of information about cuckoos because of them. I was also able to check on a nest found a few days ago by Shannon that miraculously has 4 eggs in it (Yellow-billed Cuckoos typically have 3). Here is a picture of the bird on the nest. Despite having caught 2 birds near this nest, neither seem to be associated with it (one of them is "Fuzzy Jr." and the other was a cuckoo that migrated out of the site last night).

Yellow-billed Cuckoo on nest

Today Alex and I tracked Fuzzy Jr. He stayed near his roost tree for awhile, but didn't seem to be responding to any contact calls in the area. He sometimes called, but got no answers. He is probably unmated, but we followed him anyways. He showed himself a few times, foraging in the tall cottonwoods on the edge of the road, and he didn't move around very much. At one point, he did a voice exchange with another cuckoo (potential mate?!), but he didn't move towards the bird. Hopefully in the next few days we can start tracking birds on roost, which may lead to some nest finding!

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Headed south...

2011-07-13T21:17:00.000-04:00

Alex and I finished work for Idaho Bird Observatory a few days ago, and go figure, on our last day of work, broke a wheel bearing on our truck. We got a quick repair at B&B Auto Body and Towing out of Mud Lake, Idaho (They come to get you VERY fast and get repairs done quick! Give them a call if you are stuck near Mud Lake/Dubois (208) 663-4745), and finished things up in Boise yesterday. We then headed through Utah, heading for the Grand Canyon where we got our lifer California Condor! Pictures to come soon....also, I'll still be posting about Idaho birds for awhile, as we start work on a Yellow-billed Cuckoo project for Southern Sierra Research Station in Blythe, California (where we worked last summer).

American Coot Chicks, Market Lake WMA

2011-07-11T17:37:00.001-04:00

Two weeks ago at Market Lake WMA, west of Rexburg Idaho, we came across a few different famlies of American Coots. Coot babies are pretty bizarre-looking, which makes them fun to photograph.

Two American Coot chicks following their parent

American Coot chicks floating down the canal....I imagine this is what baby dinosaurs may have looked like

American Coot chick anxiously awaiting more nummies

American Coot feeding its chick

Here is a quick/poor video of a coot feeding its baby. You can see that the chick uncontrollably flaps its little wings with happiness as it is fed, as most unattractive babies birds do.

Woodpeckers of Idaho: Part 2

2011-07-10T14:46:00.001-04:00

See Woodpeckers of Idaho: Part 1 for the first post in this two post series about the 10 species of woodpeckers in Idaho!

Lewis's Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis)

My favorite Idaho woodpecker is Lewis's Woodpecker. They are an exceptionally beautiful bird with a dark red mask, and a gray collar that leads down into a rosy pink breast. Their back and head are all dark and appear glossy and iridescent in sunlight. Unlike most other woodpeckers, they prefer to flycatch for insects, sitting on a high perch, nabbing insects out of the air as they pass. This spring we anxiously awaited their arrival near Boise, and in late April and early May, we were finally seeing them regularly at our local parks and in our yard. According to e-bird, their numbers in the state typically peak during the second week of May during spring migration, and again in the first week of September during fall migration. In between these periods, they are a little harder to come by. Look for them at Discovery Park south of Boise, Idaho, and watch for them flying over reservoirs in migration periods!

Lewi's Woodpecker (male and female similar)

Lewis's Woodpecker: note pink breast, red face, and overall dark color

Lewis's Woodpecker: note pointed tail feathers and 'crow-like' flight pattern

Lewis's Woodpecker: note 'bounding' woodpecker-like flight

Click for map of recent sightings and numbers reported through seasons

Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)

The most recent woodpecker that we added to our state list was the Black-backed Woodpecker. This woodpecker has an all black back, and the male has a yellow spot on its head. We were about to go hiking in the woods to a spot where a friend suggested we might find some, when we found a pair nesting at the Island Park library! The female was excavating a cavity while the male sat nearby. We've seen them here on three occasions, so I imagine this would be a reliable spot to find them if you are visiting the area. This is a pretty uncommon species, so it is strange to find them them in such an easily accessible area. Typically, these woodpeckers like recently burned areas, where they feed on wood-boring beetles.

Black-backed Woodpecker - female

Black-backed Woodpecker - female (excavating nest cavity)

All locations in Idaho where Black-Backed Woodpeckers

have ever been reported on E-bird

(yellow markers are most recent sightings reported) Click for interactive map

American Three-Toed Woodpecker (Picoides tridactylus)

The only woodpecker in Idaho we haven't gotten great looks at is the American Three-toed Woodpecker (although we've heard a few). We saw these for the first time two years ago at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. We've heard a few near Island Park and have caught quick glimpses, but they haven't stuck around long enough for any photos. These woodpeckers are all black and white, with no red or yellow markings. You can find them in localized areas of high elevation forests, in areas with many burned/dead trees.

All locations in Idaho where Three-toed Woodpeckers have ever been reported on E-bird

(yellow markers are most recent sightings reported) Click for interactive map

Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus)

In Idaho and other places west of the Rockies, you can find the Red-shafted Flicker (east of the Rockies, you can find the Yellow-shafted Flicker). Both are fairly similar besides the color of the shaft of the flight feathers; red-shafteds flash red in flight, while yellow-shafteds flash yellow. In addition, Red-shafted Flickers do not have a red nape, have a brown wash to the head (versus more gray in yellow-shafteds), and have gray throats (versus more brown in yellow-shafteds). Also, the "moustache" mark that is present in males is red in red-shafteds (versus black in yellow-shafteds). I wish I had more photos comparing the two subspecies, but Northern Flickers are surprisingly hard to photograph!

Northern Flicker (Red-shafted) - female (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus)

The tenth and final woodpecker species of Idaho is the Pileated Woodpecker. This is another common North American woodpecker, but in Idaho, they are a little harder to come by. The most reliable place to see them is in the Ponderosa Pine forests near McCall (try Ponderosa State Park, Bear Basin Road, Lake Cascade), and other higher elevation forests in north western Idaho, up through the panhandle. Pileated Woodpeckers are unmistakable in the field, and after looking at Idaho's smaller woodpecker species all spring and summer, Pileated Woodpeckers look absolutely huge!

Pileated Woodpecker (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

All locations in Idaho where Pileated Woodpeckers have ever been reported on E-bird

Click for interactive map

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!!!

Vortex Sklyine ED 80 Discontinued....

2011-07-09T17:39:00.000-04:00

IT IS TRUE the Vortex Skyline ED 20-60x80 is discontinued; you can no longer buy it on http://www.eagleoptics.com/, but it appears as though you may still be able to buy it from a few online retailers. Stay tuned for the new scope I will be reccomending.... In the meantime, I guess try to buy them at other online retailers if you can before they are gone :o(

Woodpeckers of Idaho: Part 1

2011-07-09T14:49:00.002-04:00

There are 10 different species of woodpeckers in Idaho, some common and some a little harder to find. Alex and I were able to find all ten species while we were here this spring and summer. This is part 1 of a two part post summarizing a few good places to find each species.

For a few of the more uncommon/specialty woodpeckers, I've included range maps that I created using e-bird. E-bird is an essential tool for ALL birders. It helps you keep track of your own personal sightings, and more importantly, gives you a means for sharing what you've seen with other birders and the scientific community. If you aren't using e-bird, you should start.

White-headed Woodpecker (Picoides albolarvatus)

White-headed Woodpeckers are the most unique-looking woodpecker I have ever seen (and I've seen all of North America's Woodpeckers except for the Red-breasted Sapsucker!). Both male and female have an all black body with white wing patches, and a white head. In addition, the male has a red crown. They forage mostly on pince cones, wedging pine seeds into tree cracks and hammering them until they break. In Idaho, a great place to see them is in Idaho City, where they are known to regularly visit suet feeders. Beware though...you may have to wait all morning for just a quick visit from one! This species is hard to come by elsewhere in the state, but check E-bird for a few places to start looking.

White-headed Woodpecker - female (note lack of red on top of head)

White-headed Woodpecker - male (note red on top of head)

All locations in Idaho where White-headed Woodpeckers

have ever been reported on E-bird

(yellow marker is Idaho City/most recent sightings reported) Click for interactive map

Downy Woodpecker (Picoides pubescens) and Hairy Woodpecker (Picoides villosus)

Two of the most common woodpeckers in Idaho are the Downy and Hairy Woodpeckers, the classic "black and white" woodpeckers. These guys are the species that most people are probably familiar with, since they are found all over North America. If you have suet feeders up, these two species are likely to be its main visitors. The species are best distinguised by over all size and bill size (Downy Woodpeckers are small with a small short bill, while Hairy Woodpeckers are large with a longer bill), general behavior (Downys are a little faster and more agile when moving), and call/drumming. You can find them in just about any city park, yard, forest edge, or pine plantation in Idaho. Check out this post by David Sibley comparing geographic drumming sounds of each species. There are also geographic variations in appearance of both species.

Downy Woodpecker - female

Hairy Woodpecker - male

Hairy Woodpecker - female

Red-naped Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis)

There are two kinds of "sapsuckers" that are found in Idaho. The first species that we came across was the Red-naped Sapsucker. They have the typical "sapsucker" look, with faded/whitish barring on the back and a white stripe on their sides. In addition, males have a completely red throat. A very reliable place to see them throughout the year is on the west side of Lake Cascade. They were all over the place in the early morning on our first trip there in April, and again in June. Otherwise, keep an eye out for them at local parks, and groves of aspen and willow. These woodpeckers are reliably seen at low elevations in the Rockies, unlike a few others of Idaho's specialty woodpeckers that can only be found at higher elevations.

Red-naped Sapsucker: note all red throat

Red-naped Sapsucker: note all red throat, white strip down side, and mixed black/white barring on back

Click for map of recent sightings and numbers reported through seasons

Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus)

Idaho's other sapsucker is the Williamson's Sapsucker. Like the Red-naped Sapsucker, this bird drills holes in the sides of trees creating lines of "sap wells." Williamson's Sapsucker is a very unique looking woodpecker. The male is mostly black with some white barring, has a white rump, white eye-line and moustache, in addition to a red throat and yellow breast. The female looks completely different, and appears overall brown with black and white barring, with a yellow breast. A very reliable place to see this species is on Bear Basin Road just north west of McCall Idaho. We've also heard a few, with their distinct drumming, in various places around Island Park (see the recent sightings in yellow below on the e-bird map), and two weeks ago on the South Hills bird census, I heard the distinct drumming of a territorial male far away on a hillside. I am not sure how to embed sound files in a blog, but visit xeno canto to hear the unique calls and drumming of the Williamson's Sapsucker.

Williamson's Sapsucker - male

Williamson's Sapsuckers - males in territorial display

All locations in Idaho where Williamson's Sapsuckers have ever been reported on E-bird

(yellow markers are most recent sightings reported, near Island Park, Idaho)
Click for interactive map

Come back tomorrow for a post about the remaining 5 woodpecker species!

Short-eared Owl and other night-time finds!

2011-07-05T16:13:00.003-04:00

We've spent the last two nights driving back roads through Birch Creek Valley and its surrounding canyons, and completed two surveys grids in this area. While we didn't come across any Flammulated Owls, we did detect one Common Poorwill. Also, driving through the sagebrush provided an excellent opportunity to find some other interesting species. On our first night out near Surret Canyon, we flushed a female Sage Grouse from the side of the road. She was blinded by our lights, and like most other grouse species we've found in Idaho, she didn't move an inch as we snapped a few photos.

Sage Grouse - female

Just a few miles down the road, we came across a male Short-eared Owl hunting in the road. As we watched him on the side of the road, a mouse ran out, and he nabbed it! He quickly carried it off into the sage brush, and within minutes he was back, hunting in our headlights. Chances are he took his prey to a waiting female at a nearby nest, since he came back so soon. He used our headlights to hunt for about 10 minutes before flying off into the darkness. A little ways down the road, we flushed another Short-eared Owl.

Short-eared Owl

We also came across this tiny rabbit...I think it is a baby Jackrabbit because it has huge ears with black tips!

(photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Tonight we head to another survey grid nearby, and will have 5 remaining nights of owl surveys to find more nocturnal animals!

Moon "setting" over Surret Canyon

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

FLOW Survey Update

2011-07-02T17:55:00.001-04:00

If you are thinking of planning a trip to Island Park in late June or early July, you might want to reconsider. This place is swarming with mosquitos. If the mosquito buzzing/bloodsucking isn't enough to drive you nuts, then the constant buzzing of hundreds of ATV's might do it. PLEASE....there are enough ATVs riding around this town, and to add anymore is probably a safety issue. It is beyond me why anyone would let their small child ride their small ATV across a highway with a posted speed limit of 65 mph...or pile 4 of their kids onto one ATV (with dad as the driver) down the shoulder of this same road. Also, good luck finding a place to stay. Motels/hotels/cabins are constantly booked...we were lucky enough to find a small cabin last night at Lazy Trout Lodge, when Alex was feeling a little under the weather. This place is a little more north of the crowds, so I highly suggest staying at this place! Do yourself a favor and go far, far into the woods to avoid the people here. And brings lots of mosquito netting.

On a happier note..I guess the bright side of this place in the summer is the abundance of wildflowers (where ATVs and tractors haven't plowed them down). Make a stop at the Nature Conservacy's Flatt Ranch Reserve to check them out.

Flatt Ranch Reserve

We've been starting a little later at night to avoid the swarms of mosquitos that come out at dusk, and we've been coming up short with no owls. We still can't squeeze a Boreal or Great Gray Owl out of this place, but I guess we could still get lucky. In two nights we will head just a little more west to do some grid surveys near Dubois, then come back to Island Park to wrap up a few "repeat" surveys.

Raptor posts to check out

2011-07-02T16:27:00.000-04:00

Over at Nemesis Bird, Alex has made a pretty awesome series of posts (Part 1 and Part 2....Part 3 to come soon) about how to age and sex Swainson's Hawks of various color types. Being from the east, I hadn't seen many of these until I made a few trips through Nebraska and Kansas, and now have lived in Idaho for about 3 months now.

Also check out this post by Jerry Liguori over at Utah Birders for a few photos of subadult Broad-winged Hawks. These birds appear to be adults, but at close range can be determined to be subadults (still transitioning from juvenile to adult plumage)...yet another cautionary tale about trying to age/sex every raptor that you see at a distance!!!

Perched Nighthawks

2011-06-30T17:07:00.003-04:00

Over the last month, I've been lucky enough to find a number of Common Nighthawks perched in various places while on their day-roosts. Nighthawks are actually pretty active during the day, especially during dawn and dusk over large open flooded meadows, fields and wetlands, where they can find plenty of bugs to eat. If you look in the right places, you might be lucky enough to find a few. Some nighthawks use natural roosts locations (like fallen or live trees), while others take advantage of man-made structures, like buildings, corrals, and fences.

These nighthawks were perched high in Cottonwood trees at Market Lake WMA west of Rexburg, Idaho. At least 25 more were flying overhead.

Common Nighthawk - male

Common Nighthawk - female

Common Nighthawk - male

In 2009 on a trip through the Nebraska Sandhills, Alex spotted this Common Nighthawk roosting on a fallen tree. So far, this one has had the best camouflage!

Common Nighthawk (probably female) roosting on fallen tree (photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

Over the past two months, Alex and I have been doing breeding bird surveys at Duck Valley Indian Reservation in Nevada. About 3 weeks ago on our second round of surveys, Common Nighthawks had showed up and were everywhere. It didn't take long to find this one perched high in a tree above the house we stay at.

Common Nighthawk - male

This one was nearby on the metal pole of a corral. According to the reservation biologist, these poles can sometimes have 5-10 nighthawks lined up at once!

This nighthawk(male) rested awhile, flew around to hunt, then came back.

Meanwhile, this male could not be bothered at all, and let me approach fairly close!

Despite the beak appearing small in this photo, nighthawks actually have a

huge gape that helps them catch bugs while flying.

Nearby this nighthawk basked in the sun on some fence railing. Wooden fences are also great places to look for nighthawks. As soon as the sun lowered in the sky and the shade hit him, he was off for an evening of bug hunting.

Common Nighthawk - male, roosting on fence

Both Common and Lesser Nighthawks (and Common poorwills) also roost on rocky/gravel roads, and can be found on most night-time drives through proper habitat. If you are in the south west, keep an eye out for roosting Lesser Nighthawks while you are walking through rocky areas of the desert.

Lesser Nighthawk roosting on road at Imperial NWR near Yuma, AZ

When you approach nighthawks to photograph them, be aware of their behavior so that you do not disturb them. If they start opening their eyes wider or raising their head, you are getting too close and should back off. If there is one nighthawk on roost, chances are there are more nearby, so keep your eyes open!

Nighthawks are also fun to try to photograph whle they are flying. Again, stake out flooded fields/meadows at dusk. If you are in the south west, look for Lesser Nighthawks hunting over rivers and especially small man-made canals.

Check out Alex's post over at Nemesis Bird for some tips on sexing Common Nighthawks. Also check out this post on his old blog about aging and sexing Lesser Nighthawks in the hand.

South Hills Census near Twin Falls, Idaho

2011-06-27T19:24:00.000-04:00

Check out my post over at Nemesis Bird for a summary of a bird census Alex and I helped out with these weekend! We got 99 species on the count, and I added 5 new state birds!

More Flammulated Owl Surveys near Island Park, Idaho

2011-06-22T16:44:00.000-04:00

Two nights ago, we met up with Cory, a field technician for Idaho Fish and Game. Cory and his boss will be helping us complete our Flammulated Owl surveys this season, so we are very grateful! Unfortunately for Cory, we made him tag along on our 3.5 km hike in to one of our high priority grids, Grid 4. In grizzly bear country, there is safety in numbers! Grid 4 is at about 8200 feet elevation, and it still had a few feet of thick snow pack on it. Surprisingly this made hiking very easy, for the most part, especially on downhill slopes, since we could slide right over it and the tangle of fallen trees hidden beneath it. On our way up, we heard what we later figured out to be a Dusky Grouse call, which sounds pretty much like someone blowing air into an empty glass bottle. We also came across a number of Clark's Nutcrackers, heard a Three-toed Woodpecker, and saw a Williamson's Sapsucker. We didn't hear any owls on our survey unfortunately. On the way down, I was navigating with the GPS, and nearly stepped on a roosting male Dusky Grouse! It was the best look we've had yet at a Dusky Grouse; he just froze and stared into our blinding lights. Later that night on a road survey, we came across a young male moose running down the road, and were happy to be in our truck!

Last night, Cory joined us again for what should have been another long hike. However we found a road into our grid area and only had to walk about 800 meters. Unfortunately the habitat was extremely poor for Flammulated Owls...a thick Lodgepole Pine plantation that had been selectively cut. I think we found one Douglas Fir near a survey point, but the habitat was pretty lame. On our second to last point, a stomping deer came running past us on a steep slope. Instead of running away, he stomped more, and scared the ba-geezus out of us. He left, then came back, but after seeing his deer-like eye shine, we knew it wasn't anything too crazy. Back out on the road, we saw a huge pile of fresh Grizzly Bear scat, but didn't get a look at the bear. I'd rather wait until we are done doing Flammulated Owl surveys to see one, though :)

Flammulated Owl Surveys near Island Park, Idaho

2011-06-18T16:21:00.003-04:00

Last night, Alex and I discovered the grid we wanted to head to required a 3.5 km walk in. It is pretty much at the base of the continental divide west of Island Park on a steep slope, and as far as I can see, there is still a ton of snow just above the grid. Not a good sign! The road towards the grid was full of mushy mud puddles, and we finally hit one that was too big about 3.5 km in. At this point in the day we didn't have enough time to make the hike...3.5km really isn't that far, but with a name like "Steep Gulch," I wasn't planning on making good time. We will give the big mud puddle a day or two to dry out and try again, but will probably end up hiking it. At nearby Henry Lake while scoping out a road point, our truck was swarmed by blackflies as we watched a pair of Red-necked Grebes on the lake. The warm weather has really brought them out lately, along with mosquitos, which are a treat in the evening as we walk to our points.

Blackfly swarm

Nearby at a reliable spot for Black-backed and Three-toed Woodpeckers, we came across this huge footprint in the road. After finding this, I wasn't really interested in finding woodpeckers anymore.

You don't have to be an expert to know that this is from a massive Grizzly Bear. The other prints in the snow looked a little melted over, so I think the bear passed through a few days ago, but I personally do not want to be there when he passes through again!

Speaking of massive intimidating animals, on the grid we completed last night near Island Park, we were carefully watched over by a few moose. The grid was in a young Lodgepole Pine plantation where the trees were packed in over recently cut younger trees that had been left on the ground. Even though the terrain was flat, it was a challenge to hike through while avoiding tons of stumps and fallen trees. It didn't help that you could only see about 5 feet in front of you! To make matters worse the plantation was on top of a flooded marsh interspersed with pockets of willow, making perfect foraging habitat for moose. Every now and then, we'd come across a well-worn moose/deer trail, which seemed to be loaded with moose/baby moose tracks. At our first grid, we heard a Great-horned Owl amongst a few winnowing snipe, and throughout the 10 minutes we heard a large antlered-animal rubbing its antlers on a tree. On the way to our next point, we were paralelled by a very large mammal that broke branches as it walked. And on our way out and back to the truck, we were paralelled on both sides by what we can only assume were huge tree-chrushing moose. At our last point of the grid, a huge animal came running through a nearby puddle, and then slowly walked towards us. A few seconds after it stopped, the huge moose let out a few loud moosey-bellows before walking away from us into a flooded meadow. I love moose, don't get me wrong, but I'd much rather observe them from the safety of my truck in daylight!

Later that night on road surveys, we detected 3 Northern Saw-whet Owls and flushed a Great-horned Owl from the road. We aren't exactly in the best Flammulated Owl habitat, but at least we are detecting owls...and large mammals. Tonight we'll head for Driggs and do our second survey at Grid 5, and hopefully re-detect a Great-horned Owl we found there last time.

You can also view this post over at Nemesis Bird!

FLOW Survey near Ashton, Idaho

2011-06-17T15:56:00.002-04:00

Last night we did our closest Flammulated Owl survey yet to Yellowstone National Park; just 3km from the south west corner! Grizzly bears and moose were on our minds, but we didn't run into any large mammals in the dark (phew!). We had a 1.2km walk in, which was made easy by a trail that led us to 2 of our survey points. While doing vegetation surveys just before dark, Alex finally got his year Northern Pygmy Owl when it started its slow "toot" by a small pond in the middle of the woods. After he stopped, a few rounds of thunder broke out, and the rain started. Feeling a little dejected, we suited up in rain gear and hiked to our last vegetation point where we would begin our survey. The rain turned into hail as we worked on classifying vegetation. We can't survey when there is thunder, and anything over a sprinkle can also cancel a survey, so we were relieved when the hail finally stopped and thunder died out. If I've learnedd anything about weather forecasts in eastern Idaho, it would be to ignore any percent chance of rain under 60% (last night was 30%). Half hour after sunset at 9:49, we started our 10 minute survey, and heard Wilson's Snipe calling in the distance. Half way through the survey, we heard a Northern Saw-whet Owl scream (scroll down to "agitated whine"....a fairly eerie sound if you haven't heard it before). This noise is very different than their consistent song of toots. I'm not sure what triggers the scream versus the territorial song, but clearly our "fake" Flammulated Owl was unwelcomed here by the saw-whet. This grid will need to be surveyed 2 more times to estimate the abundance/presence of both species we found.

This morning, the first bird I heard when I woke up was a Swainson's Thrush, followed by incessant flocks of squeaky Pine Siskins flying over. Tonight we head a little north past Island Park, and will hope for a new owl species like Boreal or Great Gray!

NSWO at King's Gap State Park, Pennsylvania: Fall 2008

(part of radio-telemetry study headed by Scott Weidensaul)

I think I over-post these photos but I'll probably never get better looks at

saw-whets on roost as I did when I worked for Scott :)

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

4 day birding trip around Idaho!

2011-06-15T19:45:00.000-04:00

Alex beat me to it and made a huge post about our 4 day long trip all over Idaho and part of Nevada, with our friend Mark who was visiting from Pennsylvania. Check it out over at Nemesis Bird!!!

American Dipper and Trumpeter Swan Nests (plus a few mammals) in Caribou-Taghee National Forest, Idaho

2011-06-08T19:18:00.003-04:00

While doing owl surveys this week in Caribou/Targhee National Forest, we came across a variety of wildlife during the day time. I saw my first moose (and baby!) while doing vegetation surveys for our points, and soon after, a baby Black bear ran right out in front of our truck (too fast for a photo!). Later that day, we saw a larger Black Bear but we think it was still very young. At another location, we came across a moose happily eating a salt lick, posing for the few vehicles that drove by.

baby moose running behind its momma

moose at salt lick

Driving north towards Island Park, we came across "Swan Lake" where, ironically, a pair of Trumpeter Swans are nesting.

Trumpeter Swan on nest

After camping in the national forest overnight near a stream, I found an American Dipper in a mountain stream. He quickly grabbed some yummy food and carried it up and under a bridge, where I could hear baby dippers begging. Eventually his mate came out and both were hard at work feeding their babies!

American Dipper with food

American Dipper about to go "dipping"

Also, all week I heard a bird calling in the lodgepole pine forests that I cannot place. It sounds very much like Juniper Titmouse, but their range is not in the area I was in. If anyone can think of a bird that sounds like Juniper Titmouse but isn't, please let me know while I have a temporary memory lapse. It is a very common bird and was at pretty much every site I stopped at, staying high in the tree tops out of view. The song does remind meof a Rock Wren, but it was for sure not Rock Wren habitat, either.

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Loads of Owls...5 species!

2011-06-06T14:23:00.002-04:00

Morgan and I have been powering through owl surveys for about a week now with great results. Mother nature smacked us in the face on our last survey grid near Soda Springs on Friday night, with a huge tree fall area on the steep slope of a mountain. It took about 45 minutes to get through just a few hundred meters of tree falls before we started our surveys, but we were rewarded with a Long-eared Owl responding to our call on the edge of the downed trees. This is the first Long-eared Owl I've heard in Idaho! Our other grid near Soda Springs is still snowed in, so we will have to re-visit it later in the season.

On Saturday, we headed north towards Ashton, and spent the day doing vegetation surveys for about 10 road points we would survey later that night. Our grid points were extremely accessible, with roads less than a hundred meteres or so from each point. Most of the habitat in this area was dense pine plantations with scattered openings and small meadows. On our third survey point, we heard the unmistakable repetetive "toot toot toot" of a Northern Saw-whet Owl, and I thought for sure Scott Weidensaul would appear out of the woods with a tape player; when I've heard this sound in the past, it was always from a recording used to lure NSWO's into mist nets in Pennsylvania. The sound was engrained into my memory while I tracked saw-whets in PA with the audio lure constantly playing as a back-drop for banding and trying to lure in more owls to put transmitters on. Morgan thought she saw the owl fly in just as I thought I heard it land, so I think it came in to check out our call. On two different road surveys within a few kilometers, we heard a Flammulated Owl, but didn't find anymore that night. At 3:00 am we called it a night, and morning came too soon at 9:00 as the sun turned our tent into a sauna. We spent most of the day again doing vegetation surveys for that nights road surveys, which were just under 10km from the western edge of Yellowstone National Park. We came across a Moose and its baby, and at our closest point to Yellowstone, a baby Black Bear darted out in front of our truck!!! When we got to our grid survey points, we found young Black Bear eating roots in a wet meadow. He turned into a black flash though when he saw our truck...I am truely amazed at how fast they run! Our grid survey points were on the edge of a big wet meadow, and as we arrived at our first survey point, we heard a slow repeating "toot......toot.......toot" from an aspen grove. Basically it sounded like a slow saw-whet call, but it was a Northern Pygmy Owl! (Eat it, Alex!) He called until a few minutes before our survey, but didn't make any sounds during it. Later that night on road surveys, we came across a few Great-horned Owls (but no more bears!) and called it a night at 2:00 am. The hot sun woke us up by 8:00 today, but birds around our camp were pretty active (Yellow Warblers, Juniper Titmouse, White-breasted Nuthatch), and I found a pair of dippers feeding their chicks at a nest under a bridge.

Today we are waiting in Ashton for some rain to arrive, and hope to squeeze in surveys regardless.

FLOW Surveys near Soda Springs, Idaho

2011-06-02T22:47:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, Morgan and I drove from Boise east towards Soda Springs, Idaho to start a week of Flammulated Owl surveys. The weather was great last night, and we actually started off on our survey in t-shirts! Unfortunately the warm weather brought out mosquitos and ticks, but we weren't complaining (ok we complained a little still). The route gave us a few steep climbs, but we ran into a few Stellar's Jays and Dark-eyed Juncos along the way, and at least 2 Ruffed Grouse were drumming in the aspen. We came across a freshly killed baby deer carcass, and at least 3 other piles of bones that must have been winter kills, including an elk. The site is at 7000 feet elevation, so I am sure it was a rough winter. Most of the snow was gone, but up a few nearby mountains at 8000 feet elevation, snow still covered a few areas. Unfortunately we didn't hear any owls on the grid. We ventured off to find some road points to survey, but most were inaccessible. The streams are extremely high right now, and the county is in a flash flood watch. One of our roads was completely caved-in over a culvert that couldn't handle the raging water that flowed around it. We scoped out other survey areas today, and found the road to one grid still snowed in 10 kilometers from the point. Hopefully in a few weeks the snow will be gone. We have one more grid survey in the area and one accessible raod point, but we are holding off tonight due to forecasted high wind gusts and probable snow. The weather forecast over the next few days looks great, and once we get done here in Soda Springs we will head north to Ashton, Idaho, where Alex and I ended surveys last week.

Our points were very close to Gray's Lake NWR, so we stopped and scoped the huge wetland/flooded field complex to check out what was there. We found a pair of Long-billed Curlews, tons of Franklin's Gulls, a few Willets, Redheads and Mallards, and of course a few pairs of Sandhill Cranes. In the 1970's, Sandhill Cranes at Gray's Lake NWR were given Whooping Crane eggs to raise, but the reintroduction failed when the Whooping Cranes inprinted on the Sandhill Cranes. Whooping Cranes are clearly a challenging species to recover. On a similar note, the current reintroduction in Wisconsin is still being dragged out despite a lack of success over a 10+ year period, mainly due to nest abandonments. Reintroductions are soon planned at Horicon Marsh, and the established flock at Necedah seems like it is going to be abandoned. Lets all ask ourselves why a completely new effort is being started without fully understanding why a similar effort failed. And lets all question the current and future management of the Necedah flock, and keep our fingers crossed that those in power don't turn the Necedah pairs into a source for egg harvesting.

FLOW Survey near Ashton, Idaho

2011-05-31T20:27:00.001-04:00

Our survey near Ashton, Idaho, was indeed delayed one night due to bad weather, mainly wind. The wind died down over the next day, and we spent most of the day birding at nearby Chester Dam and the riparian area that leads to it. It turned out to be one of our best warbler days in Idaho, including lots of Yellow and Yellow-rumped Warblers, a few Wilson's and Orange-crowned Warblers, and a single MacGillivray's Warbler. We also picked up a new state bird (for me!), Eastern Kingbird.

Yellow Warbler

Pine Siskins were the most abundant species, moving around in small flocks from 20 to 50 individuals. A lot of flycatchers were out, too, including Cordilleran, Dusky, and Hammond's. A single male Bobolink was also in the riparian area.

Pine Siskin

Dusky Flycatcher

Bobolink - male

Eastern Kingbird

With the weather looking better, we were able to complete our Flammulated Owl survey that night. Before dark, we heard Ruffed Grouse and Hermit Thrush, and spotted a few Calliope Hummingbirds during our vegetation surveys. We didn't hea any Flammulated Owls during our survey, but we did flush a Great Horned Owl on the way to our last point. We finished the survey in record time since the elevation change was not very drastic and we were able to start very close to our points with only a short walk in. Just as we set up our tent for the night, the wind picked up, and we were treated to another night of the tent wall smacking us in the face. The rain persisted through most of the morning, but we made a quick stop at a marsh where we called out a Sora, and finally got a great look at a species that has been avoiding us for a long time! Check out Alex's post about the Sora for more photos.

Sora

On our way home in the rain, we didn't make many stops for birds, but found these Cliff and Bank Swallows lined up together on barbed wire near American Falls Dam.

Cliff and Bank Swallows

Later this week I will head out with our new co-worker Morgan to continue owl surveys where Alex and I left off.

Flammulated Owl and a few Great-horned Owls: Surveys near Malad City and Driggs, Idaho

2011-05-27T12:49:00.002-04:00

Two days ago, Alex and I completed an owl survey grid near Malad City, Idaho. Our survey grids consist of 4 points spaced 500 meters apart on national forest land. Sometimes there is a road that can get you close, but sometimes not. On our Malad City grid, we did have a road that got us within 500 meters of our points, but we had to pretty much slide down a steep rock scree to get to the points. We try to do the lowest elevation points first, so we don't have to do as much steep hiking at night. In general this plan worked out at this site, with a few steep scrambles every now and then that were unavoidable. The site was mostly juniper forests, interspersed with meadows and sage here and there. In the meadows, wildflowers were abundant, and we found our FOY Blue-gray Gnatcatchers flying around. Dusky Flycatchers were all over the place, too. On the way to each point, we've been running tracks on our GPS, so we have an "easy" path to follow on the way back. Following this has been pretty important because of streams that don't have many stream crossings due to snow melt.

At our second survey point of the night, we got a Flammulated Owl to respond to our calls! At first he was pretty far away and only gave us two hoots...but eventually he moved in and became pretty vocal. He was very chatty as we walked to our next point, but it seems like he stayed in his small canyon since we didn't hear him at our next point. The way out of this site was of course the steep rock scree, which was pretty challenging to climb in the dark...but the thought of a big jar of peanut butter kept me going (although very slowly). We then continued on to a road point down a muddy road, and flushed two Great-horned Owls on the way. Our final road point of the night was inaccessible due to lots of snow, but we found a nice place to camp. The ground was a little wet, so we put our tent in the bed of the truck. I am VERY grateful for my tent that sets up in under a minute, because at 2:00 am after a night of steep hiking, I am borderline delirious. As soon as we got in the tent, it started raining. If you were anywhere in south eastern Idaho two nights ago trying to sleep in a tent, you probably had the challenge of sleeping through wind gusts that were nearly blowing your tent away. Despite the tent wall smacking me in the face all night, I slept like a rock. The next day we checked out Oxford Slough, which was loaded with great birds like Snowy Egrets, White-faced Ibis, and Willets, and we watched an adult Peregrine Falcon hunting a flock of phalaropes (he missed).

We drove about 3 hours north towards Driggs Idaho, where we scoped out our road and grid points for the evening. The grid points were bisected by a major road, which meant we only had to walk a few hundred meters to get to each. This thought was a little reassuring because this site apparently put us in Grizzly Bear country. Unfortunately, there was an overflowing river in our way, and even though we could pretty much see the points from the road, we had to hike in on an 800 meter long detour. It turned out fine though, since there wasn't much underbrush and the elevation changes weren't very drastic, and the chances of running into a big angry bear are pretty slim. On one of the points, I heard a distance Great-horned Owl, but we didn't hear anything else. The road points also turned out to be uneventful, even though they seemed to be located in excellent Flammulated Owl habitat (mixed conifers with large patches of aspen).

Today we will head a little north towards Ashton, Idaho, and hope the predicted rain/snow/wind holds off.

Check out this link to see some info about our target species, the Flammulated Owl. Despite being a very small owl, these guys have a pretty low "hoot" that they repeat over and over every 2-3 seconds (they can sound pretty similar to a Long-eared Owl).

First Night of Flammulated Owl Surveys - near Inkom, Idaho

2011-05-25T14:28:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, Alex and I drove toward Inkom, Idaho to start out first night of Flammulated Owl Surveys. Our goal was to complete a survey grid consisting of 4 points on the western edge of the Caribou-Taghee National Forest, and complete 4 road points afterwards.

When we arrived at 6:30, it was snowing on the mountain. Luckily, our points were about 1/2 mile below the fresh snow. Unfortunately there was still some snow pack left, and it was just enough to get into your boots. The mountain was pretty steep...just looking at it almost gave me an asthma attack, and I don't even have asthma. The closest road to our first point was almost a kilometer away. This doesn't sound far, but we had to hike up and down a few steep slopes and slide down a few snow banks to eventually get to our first point around 7:45 pm. It didn't help that at the bottom of each slope was a small raging river. It was time-consuming to find crossings, but we saved ourselves from wet feet. We crossed mostly through shrub-steppe habitat and thick riparian areas, but our first point was surrounded by a clump of Aspen and Douglas Fir, with a tangle of undergrowth. It looked like really good Flammulated Owl habitat, and a few Ruffed Grouse were drumming nearby. We moved through and did vegetation surveys on the second point, which was more out in the open sage and rabbit brush. Between the second and third point, we had pretty energy-draining nearly-vertical climb that kicked my butt, and had me really regretting that beefy-five layer burrito I scarfed down earlier at Taco Bell. About half way up this slope we flushed a Dusky Grouse, and through my huffing and puffing and random swear words, I could hear a few Green-tailed Towhees calling as the sun set. Points 3 and 4 were our highest elevation points, so the plan was to start owl surveys at them (half hour after sunrise) and work our way down slope to points 1 and 2. Unfortunately, there was a massive ravine with a few cliffs between points 3 and 4, and the slope above it was a steep snow bank, likely to turn to ice after sunset. At that point we didn't have time to turn back and find a new route, so we sat at point 3 for about 20 minutes, while I pretended my peanut butter crackers and granola bars were big juicy hamburgers. We didn't hear any owls at our points, and only really heard a far-away dog barking down in the valley. The hike out took about an hour and a half. We got tangled up in a few riparian areas, but eventually found our way back to the road and our truck. We made an attempt to get to the road points, but gates blocked our way. Our truck started smoking around 1:00 am, so we decided to call it a night and head for Pocatello where we could get it looked at in the morning. My body wasn't quite ready to stay up past 1:30 am, but hopefully over the next few days I can get back into a nocturnal schedule. I am unsure if I am sleepy today or not, but when I look at our topo maps for tonights surveys, I just want to curl up in my sleeping bag and take a nap!

I really like nocturnal work; I spent a few months back in 2008 tracking Northern Saw-whet Owls (look up the 2008 archives!) at night in Pennsylvania with Scott Weidensaul. In fact, I thought about Scott a few time last night as we bush-whacked through some thick underbrush. I think the best nights tracking saw-whets were when I could actually hear the Saw-whets talking around me. So I am looking forward to coming across any owls on our surveys, and hope I get to hear a few saw-whet "toots" at some point. It obviously can be extremely challenging to walk around at night, but the owl encounters always make it worth it. On top of that, we had a great view last night at our highest elevation point, and I can honestly say I would have never climbed that mountain if I wasn't looking for owls.

No photos today!

Orange Overload

2011-05-25T13:18:00.001-04:00

After coming home from work in the evenings, I usually refill my bird feeders and put out new oranges. Two nights ago, the colorful birds were going absolutely crazy over the oranges, and yellow and orange streaks where darting everywhere in between angry chatters.

Six male Western Tanagers dominated the oranges, while a female Western Tanager chased every Bullock's Oriole that even looked at the suet feeder away. Both male and female Black-headed Grosbeaks stuck to the seed feeder, but occasionally sneaked over to an orange when no one else was looking. By far these are the most colorful yard birds I have ever had!

Western Tanager - male

Western Tanager - male at suet

Western Tanager - male

Bullock's Oriole - male at suet

Black-headed Grosbeak - male

Black-headed Grosbeak - female sneaking a bite of orange

Black-headed Grosbeak - female at feeder with peanut

This blog post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Birding Update for Boise, ID parks

2011-05-23T18:37:00.005-04:00

I've been staying fairly close to Boise over the last few days for birding. There are a few species out right now that you are pretty much guaranteed to see if you visit any of Boise's parks, especially Foote Park and Discovery Park. Bullock's Orioles are very numerous and have begun nesting, and are the most numerous yard bird we have at the moment. They devour about 5 oranges a day up at our camper.

Bullock's Oriole - immature male

Bullock's Oriole - male

Black-headed Grosbeaks are also everywhere, and seem to jump around in flocks with orioles and Western Tanagers. No one really touched the suet feeder in our yard the first few weeks we had it out, but the Black-headed Grosbeaks surprisingly love it!

Black-headed Grosbeak - male

Black-headed Grosbeak - male at suet feeder

Western Tanagers are also here in full force, and we noticed a surge of them with a storm two nights ago. Surprisingly, they also really like the oranges at our feeders, but are easily bullied by the Bullock's Orioles that dominate the oranges. House Wrens and Magpies also visit our oranges throughout the day.

Western Tanager - female

Western Tanager - male

If you've been birding in the foothills near Boise, you've likely come across huge flocks of Chipping Sparrows in the past week and a half or so. There were hundreds on the hillsides by Foote Park a week ago, and the numbers seem to be dropping off just slightly.

Chipping Sparrow

While birding with local birder "RL" at Foote Park a few days ago, we came across our FOY Wilson's Warbler and Warbling Vireo!!! Both species are pretty much a guarantee this week at Foote and Discovery Parks.

Wilson's Warbler

RL and I also found about 6 different Dusky Flycatchers. Gray flycatchers have been reported here, but we haven't yet been able to spot one.

Dusky Flycatcher

And although they've been around for awhile, I still enjoy seeing Lewis's Woodpeckers in our yard and at Discovery Park. They may be turning into my new favorite woodpecker species!

Lewis's Woodpecker

Yesterday, while birding with Alex and our new co-worker Morgan, we found our first MacGillivrays Warbler at Foote Park. We didn't get photos, but we are sure we will come across more. Yellow Warblers are still packed in as well, and are now busy nest-building at Foote Park.

Another guarantee is now Lazuli Bunting, which are one of the most common birds at Foote Park and are easily spotted foraging low in the willows.

Lazuli Bunting - male

Yellow-breasted Chats are now on territories as well, and are chatting their little hearts out at Foote Park. They are a lot more visible and less sneaky now that they are defending territories, and can be easily spotted when they do their crazy displays.

Yellow-breasted Chat - male

Spring has arrived in Boise, Idaho

2011-05-22T15:32:00.004-04:00

We've been pretty busy lately, but have been birding here and there and adding a few more state birds (like Red-necked Grebe, Wilson's Warbler, Warbling Vireo, and MacGillivray's Warbler). While birding, we typically come across mammals, and in the past few days, we've encountered a number of cute baby mammals. In addition, most trees have now leafed out, so the combination of baby animals and leafy trees is a pretty good sign that we are leaving bad weather behind us until the fall.

In Idaho, the most common mammals we have come across while birding are Mule Deer, Coyotes, Yellow-bellied Marmots, and Red Fox. At Discovery Park just south of Boise, Idaho, a trio of Yellow-belled Marmot babies have emerged, and hang out near the paved path eating grass. Yellow-bellied Marmots, Marmota flaviventris, are 1 of the 6 species of marmots found in North America (in the east, we have "Groundhogs," Marmota monax-also known as Woodchucks). Typically, Yellow-bellied Marmots have 4 pups, and only about half survive. At the park, the babies are getting a little more wary as they get older, but for now you can take photos from a distance until mom or the oldest baby realizes you are watching.

This baby looks like the runt of the litter...cute overload!

an older but still cute baby

The third baby marmot..looking more like an obese squirrel than a marmot

baby marmot

Across the dam at Foote Park this morning, we came across this adorable baby Red Fox. We had seen an adult in the area a few weeks ago, but this is the first time we saw one of its babies. It was hiding in a storm drainage, likely waiting for its mom to return. It had no fear of us, and it was very young, so I think this is one of the first times its been out of its den.

baby Red Fox

Meanwhile, birds are nesting and some already have fledged chicks. At Foote Park, there are a number of American Robin nests that are easily observed, and Bullock's Orioles are hard at work constructing their intricately designed hanging basket nests. Females build most of the nest, but males are known to help out. Today we watched a female hard at work adding thin material to her nest.

American Robins feeding chicks at nest

female Bullock's Oriole constructing nest

In another area of the park, a young male Bullock's Oriole was constructing a nest that is nearing completion. You can only really see his tail in the photo, but this nest is a good example of the shape of a completed nest. This one will be filled in a little more and within a few days will have eggs in it.

Sub adult male Bullock's Oriole constructing nest

And of course, baby geese are getting larger and have infiltrated most of Boise's parks.

Canada Goose chicks

And don't forget to check out this post about baby Horned Larks!

Lapland Longspur in Canyon County, Idaho

2011-05-20T20:11:00.003-04:00

Today while rope-dragging to look for Long-billed Curlew nests, we stumbled upon a great state/year bird, a female Lapland Longspur. Check out Alex's photos and story over at Nemesis Bird!

A not-so-wild Wild Turkey...

2011-05-18T18:09:00.001-04:00

A few days after we drove to Idaho to start work for IBO in early April, we came back to our camper trailer to find a huge male Wild Turkey walking around the yard. We thought maybe he was a pet, kind of a Fish and Game mascot. You could walk right up to him and he would just make his way slowly in the other direction. He seemed to be in no real hurry to go anywhere and seemed to be enjoying his little vacation in our yard. Turkeys really aren't supposed to be in the foothills, but from what we heard, someone down the road had him in their yard for a few days, and we were the next lucky people to be graced with his strange presence. He was a wild, Wild Turkey. Over the next few days, I really started liking the turkey. He followed me around a lot, and was like my little own pet Turkey (not that I have ever said outloud that I want a pet turkey). On day 2, he puffed up his feathers for me for a few seconds, and he looked even bigger. Borderline intimidating, but he settled down and shrunk back down to normal turkey size within a few seconds.

Turkey Dinner? Pet? So many feelings...

On day 3, things got a little strange when I sat on my step to put my shoes on. Apparently, getting down at "turkey height" was a bad idea. Mr. Turkey got overly excited, and began a pretty elaborate mating display. He moved his way closer and displayed just a few inches away. I tried not to encourage him, but Alex came out and started flapping his human wings at him. Mr. Turkey got pretty livid, and no more was he quietly displaying to a potential turkey mate, but defending his potential turkey mate from a strange turkey-human. His actions changed drastically, and he went into territorial mode. I think this was the point in time when he put a big target on Alex's back.

I finished putting on my shoes and going about my activities with Mr. Turkey following close behind, still displaying, a bit happier now that Alex was out of the picture. When I went in the camper, he displayed outside my window, like he knew I could see him. You could hear his loud turkey gobbles echoing through the valley.

This is what a turkey looks like *before* he falls in love with you...

(photo by Alex Lamoreaux)

This is what a turkey looks like *after* he falls in love with you...

Turkey or dinosaur?

A little later in the day, Alex was out at his car, unpacking some things from our trip. Within seconds the turkey jumped on his back and was violently kicking him. I walked out the door just in time to see Alex running for the broom, the turkey hot on his trail. Believe it or not I ran out to defend the turkey from an inevitable broom whack, but Alex was the one that needed defended. I felt like a school teacher breaking up the fight, getting between the two sparring males, eventually having to 'walk' the turkey away from Alex. It was clear that Alex made an enemy here, and from that point on I had to escort Alex around the yard, keeping the crazed bird at bay. The turkey even started attacking Alex's car, but I think he was only going after his own reflection. Eventually the turkey attacked our co-worker Eddie, and started liking a female Fish and Game employee that works in a nearby trailer. He would puff out his feathers as soon as we drove our truck up the driveway, and would disappear into the night, still displaying. Over the next few days, he finally stopped displaying, and became more like a big yard chicken again. In a few more days he disappeared, just as I was about to plan a turkey re-location effort to help him find a real mate. Even though we found a few turkey feathers in a nearby meadow, I can only hope he continued his quest into the valley for a more suitable non-human mate!

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Yellow-billed Cuckoos just around the corner...

2011-05-17T19:52:00.001-04:00

When it comes to finding field work, you've got to be on the ball and apply for jobs a season in advance. Right now, you should have a summer job lined up (if your spring job doesn't continue through summer), and pretty soon, you should start thinking about fall work, as employers start advertising fall positions. Alex and I had so much fun in Arizona and California last summer tracking Yellow-billed Cuckoos that we are going to do it again, starting in mid-July, to end out the summer field work season. I am getting pretty excited to make the trip to California and jam pack in a bunch of work and birding in a month before we have to head back to Pennsylvania for the fall. Yellow-billed Cuckoos are pretty awesome birds to work with, and we should be arriving when the tree tops are full of fledglings and hopefully a few hidden nests! Check out this post about one of our last days of work in Arizona, when we caught a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in the net with a praying mantis in its mouth!

Meanwhile, until we get there, check out our friend Tims blog, Words About Birds. Tim just arrived a few days ago to start work on a Willow Flycatcher project, and is living in Blythe, California with some of our co-workers and our bosses Shannon and Diane. He's already got a pretty sweet yard list, living a little closer to trees than we did last summer!

Barn Owl in Bank Swallow Colony

2011-05-17T17:16:00.004-04:00

Following a tip from our friend Gary Worthington, Alex and I were headed for a location where Gary has reliably seen Bewick's Wren. It was late in the day, so we didn't see it, but we did stop at a massive Bank Swallow Colony. This is the biggest I have seen. There are multiple layers, and I am sure a few thousand Bank Swallows are nesting in it. I didn't have my small lens, so the picture doesn't really do a good job showing it's size. Bank Swallows seem to be the only species in the small cavities, besides a few European Starlings.

Bank Swallow Colony

In the largest cavity on the bank, Alex spotted a Barn Owl, which is a favorite bird for both of us (Barn Owl is the first species I worked with). It looks like it might be on a nest, but it could also just be sitting a little lower. In western Pennsylvania, Barn Owls are pretty much nonexistant, but they are becoming more abundant in eastern Pennsylvania because of nest boxes that are provided for them. We see many road-killed on the roads here, unfortunately, so it was nice to finally see one alive.

Barn Owl roosting in Bank Swallow Colony

close-up of Barn Owl...on a nest?

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY! Share your bird blog and photos :o)

Horned Lark Nest and New Snake

2011-05-16T21:14:00.003-04:00

Last night I was kept up by loud rain showers most of the night. I just pretended it wasn’t raining; all the roads to our sites get pretty horrible after a long night of rain. About half an hour into my hour drive in the morning, it was pouring, but there was no way I was going back. Since we finally found a few nests last week, I was hoping other pairs have started nesting also. I headed for our site that has a decent gravel road right through the middle of it. This road had two little rivers flowing down the sides of it, with a nice puddle at the end of it that a few ducks were enjoying. I didn’t find any curlew nests, but did have some promising observations of two different pairs that don’t seem to be nesting yet. Or, their nests floated away. I also saw a male curlew attacking raptors on the edge of one of our sites. Access roads were a muddy mess, so I walked around most of the day. This is a site that is usually full of people shooting ground squirrels (or "sage rats," a new name I learned today), but the rain kept most people away today. One plinker told me he hasn't seen it rain like this in 70 years. What a reassuring thought.

For about an hour I tried to figure out what a particularly sneaky male curlew was doing…I think he is up to something, but he was extremely hard to figure out. Two badgers were really driving him crazy, so he didn’t seem to be revealing much of anything as long as they were around. I'm sure my bright pink rain jacket didn't help, either, but I have to admit that Frogg Toggs makes the best rain gear I have ever worn in my life. Their gear for men is pretty shapeless and ridiculous-looking but I am a big fan of their women's line.

I saw some pretty cool things today, including a badger that was running around with a dead ground squirrel in his mouth, and a snake I’ve never seen before. I can't decide what it is. It is probably a Gopher Snake, but it reminded me of a not-so-friendly Bull Snake that I encountered once in Kansas. Your snake ID help would be appreciated.

Gopher Snake? Or Bull Snake?

Also, while walking through some native bunch grasses, I flushed a Horned Lark that flew off in a crazy injury display. Alex and I found a Horned Lark nest in Nebraska once like this, so I started looking around, and found this little nest at the bottom of some bunch grass. At first all I could see was a big yellow puff ball.

Then the puff ball opened to reveal two horrid yet cute-looking baby Horned Larks.

Lucky for them, a break in the clouds gave them some warm sun to sit in and they yawned lazily as I snapped a few photos. I wish I would have GPS'ed it so I can go back when they look like this...and this.

Two Horned Lark chicks

Birding at Foote Park near Boise, Idaho

2011-05-15T16:02:00.002-04:00

If you live in Boise, Idaho, a great place to catch migrants is Foote Park. This seems to be the first place we've found a lot of state birds as they have been arriving. Park near the bathrooms and head uphill along a small stream and riparian area. Warblers and Lazuli Buntings are very common in the willows, and one time we spotted a Hermit Thrush foraging along the stream. Keep an eye out for Chipping Sparrows, California Quail, raptors, and flycatchers on the hillsides ajdacent to the trail.

Drive up Rt. 21 towards Lucky Peak Dam and cross the bridge over the dam (blue).

Bird along the path (orange) on both sides of the riparian area.

Yesterday morning, Alex and I didn't find anything extraordinary, but the park was loaded with Yellow Warblers. Two males in particular were singing extremely loud and chasing eachother across the path. There was an obvious territorial dispute, but a passing female Yellow Warbler pretty much ignored both of the males and just continued foraging in the willows.

Yellow Warbler - male, patrolling territory

Yellow Warbler - male, foraging

Yellow Warbler - male, singing on territory

Yellow Warbler - female

Nearby, we also found our FOY Western Wood Pewee, who got chased out of the Yellow Warblers territories very quickly after they realized he was there.

Western Wood Pewee

We counted 6 Yellow-breasted Chats as well, who seem to be spending a little more time out in the open proclaiming their territories.

Yellow-breasted Chat

Dunlin at Black's Creek Reservoir

2011-05-15T14:46:00.002-04:00

A few days ago, we got a call from our friend Cheryl who had just found a Dunlin at Black's Creek Reservoir. The bird was in full breeding plumage, and was foraging around the waters edge with a few Spotted Sandpipers and a Least Sandpiper. He had a pretty strange injury on his bill where it meets his forehead, and was also missing a toe. In my travels, I've seen many shorebirds with fishing line wrapped around their feet, which I am sure leads to missing feet and toes, unfortunately. Not too sure how he got his bill injury, but it really could have been anything. Check out Alex's pictures over at Nemesis Bird for a better look at the missing toe.

Dunlin and Least Sandpiper

Dunlin

Dunlin with bill injury

Two More Long-billed Curlew Nests!

2011-05-13T18:51:00.002-04:00

For a curlew update as of yesterday, visit The Nemesis Bird for a summary of how we found our first two nests.

Fortunately, there is more good news today. We arrived at our curlew hotspot early this morning with volunteer Gary Worthington, and got to rope-dragging early. We decided to save behavioral observations until it got a little warmer out, when females may get off their nests and be more visible.

While taking a break from rope-dragging, males were displaying on territories, but it seemed like a few were acting a little different. From a distance, I saw one male mob a Red-tailed Hawk, and made a mental note to revisit that spot later. Then we spotted three curlews in the air that turned out to be a female being pursued by 2 males...a potential new arrival? Speaking of arrivals, check out this photo that compares a Whimbrel with a female Long-billed Curlew. It was taken by Darren Clark, in Roberts, Idaho. The two were apparently in a field together with Sandhill Cranes. Pretty cool comparison shot! Maybe this means a few female curlews will still be arriving at our sites?

When we were about to stop rope-dragging for the morning, we spotted a pair of curlews on the ground in front of us. They were foraging around, and it looked like a solid pair; the female was actively following the male, and the male wasn't calling excessively. While the guys searched the ground for some eggs, the pair flew a short distance to a nearby hillside, where I watched the female make a bee-line to a scrape. She was getting pretty cozy in it, standing and sitting repeatedly, and scraping her feet to make it the perfect shape for a few eggs. The male helped out by putting very small pieces of grass in it, which she continually rearranged. She sat on the scrape while the male foraged nearby. This scrape may have an egg in it, but since they were actively constructing it, we decided to back off in case she hadn't laid any eggs yet. I will revisit the scrape on monday and hopefully find at least 1 or 2 eggs in it! It is only a few hundred meters away from the nest we found yesterday.

At this point, it was getting a little warm out, so we broke up into pairs to do some observations. I headed across the road with Alex, where we had rope-dragged over a week ago with Jay. In the distance, there was a pair foraging around a hill side, and they look like they will soon have a nest. The female of this pair is pretty massive and you can tell she is a female from quite a distance because of it. While I was watching this pair to the south, a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk flew in a few hundred meters to the west, and a different male curlew immediately took flight from the ground and thermalled up towards the hawk. He then dive-bombed the Red-tail repeatedly and escorted it away. He landed just out of view over the next hill, so I left Alex with the previous pair and headed over. At the top of the hill, I found the male foraging alone, and a quick scan over the horizon revealed the head and long bill of a female sitting on a nest! While I waited for Alex and the gang to arrive with egg floating supplies, the female kept her head up as the male pursued any raptor that came within about 300 meters of the nest. His alarm calls at a female harrier were particulary full of rage as the raptor passed low over the hidden female. He seemed to be doing a great job of keeping the raptors away, who seemed to be genuinely surprised by his sneak attacks from the ground. Each time, he landed within a few hundred meters of the hidden female.

Long-billed Curlew (male) standing guard near his nest

When Alex and Gary approached, the female hunkered down pretty tight to the ground and became nearly invisible. Even as we approached the nest, we could only see her tiny eyeball staring at us through the short grass. The male was actually ignoring us, and took his foraging a little farther from the nest. I guess he saves all his energy for chasing raptors.

Long-billed Curlew (female) hunkered down on nest; head/eye visible at bottom of arrow

The female held tight to the nest until we were only a few feet away. She then flew low off the nest and half ran/flapped for about 10 feet in a distraction display, mostly with her wings outstretched. She made herself look pretty huge and weird, and if I was a predator, I would have headed towards her for an apparent easy meal.

Long-billed Curlew (female) distraction display away from nest

She then "snuck away" very low to the ground, even though her large body was barely hidden in the grass. Any predator would be hot on her trail by now, getting led away from the nest.

Long-billed Curlew (female) "sneaking" away from her nest

She watched pretty impatiently but at a safe distance while we floated the single slimy egg that apparently had just been laid. It didn't take her very long to "sneak" right back to her nest. The awesome thing about this nest is that it is right next to a massive, perfectly circular cow pattie! We had heard that curlews will nest near large objects like cow patties but hadn't yet seen it. This scrape isn't lined at all, but we think maybe nest construction continues throughout egg-laying, since our 4 egg nest was prefectly lined with a fluffy layer of grasses.

Long-billed Curlew nest #3 (top left side) next to cow pattie

Long-billed Curlew (female) waiting to go back to her nest

Alex and Oly are headed out to do owl surveys next week, and we are getting a new co-worker who is lucky enough to be starting right when it looks like things are getting started!

Thanks to Gary Worthington for helping us out today! We covered a huge amount of ground!