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!

Jo Hays Vista Hawk Watching, September 14, 2011

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

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

Broad-winged Hawk - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Bald Eagle - adult

Turkey Vulture - adult

Monarchs migrate too!

This post is a part of WORLD BIRD WEDNESDAY!

Hawk Watching SLUMP!

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

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

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

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

American Redstart - first fall male

Magnolia Warbler - first fall male/adult female

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)