This week of raptor watching...

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

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

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...

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

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

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

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

Yellow-headed Blackbird - adult male

Ferruginous Hawks in Idaho

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

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!