itchy and scratchy....

Bobcat digiscoped through Leica Televid spotting scope 02/17/07

I had the great opportunity to digiscope a wild Bobcat recently. I know what you're thinking, I must have been in some incredibly wild, far-flung location, but the reality is I was home. This cat sat just to the left of my bird bath mid-day! Sure, I would have preferred less harsh, early AM lighting but what the hey....

Upon seeing him I raced to my office to grab my scope, tripod, and camera and dashed back to the side door. I got the whole set-up assembled inside the house. Eyeing the beast cautiously as I extended each leg of the tripod and then mounted the camera to the adapter and the adapter to the scope.

I cracked the door ever so slowly and carefully, but didn't notice my black lab eagerly waiting to go out behind me. When the door was open enough the lab bounded out and went about his business, naturally assuming I was opening the door for him. The cat remained and looked over to the silly dog who NEVER noticed the still cat! Given this turn of events, I assumed it was likely OK for me to go out as well. I first got the dog back in the house and finally began shooting (potential crisis averted).

At first the bobcat stared me down but within moments it proceeded scratching itself like mad! Given the lack of fur on either side of the neck and scabs on the forehead I think it's safe to assume this critter had more than a mild case of fleas bugging it! I don't know if it had gotten into some poison ivy or similar, or if there is a cat equivalent to mange. Either way it definitely was not the prettiest Bobcat I'd ever seen, and it was clearly sidetracked by its itchiness as it stayed scratching for ~3 more minutes before finally slinking back into the bushes. Any Vets/wildlife biologists out there familiar with such things that could provide some insight?!?...

very itchy and not so attractive Bobcat!

some desert birding

After a taste of mountain birding, I wanted to soak up some desert birds as well. So I made my way to Anza Borrego Desert State Park. As promised, Costa's Hummingbirds were present near the visitor's center near Borrego Springs. This male sang his song from on high at the edge of the parking lot. To my ears, it reminded me a bit of a dentist's drill... or perhaps a backfeeding hearing aid.... At any rate, it was a real high-pitched noise from a VERY tiny bird.

male Costa's Humingbird digiscoped Borrego Springs, CA

From behind the VC, a Black-throated Sparrow gave a muted "whisper" song from atop its precarious perch. It made for an interesting photo though and provided a great opportunity to review various shapes of gray!....

adult Black-throated Sparrow, digiscoped Borrego Springs, CA

I headed west toward Clark Dry Lake in hopes of spying the localized, Le Conte's Thrasher. This is a very difficult bird to see most places but I was hoping the sparsely vegetated margins of the Dry Lake would reap benefits. As I walked through the bleak arid habitat an occasional chip signified the presence of a Sage Sparrow but there was no other birdlife for a long time.

Patience is a virtue though and finally after much zig-zagged hiking the pearl-gray stunner appeared. I watched and followed as it dashed from shrub to shrub tail cocked, head down, & running full tilt across the dusty terrain. When it finally stopped and teed up briefly, I was surprised at how dramatically different it was from the similar Crissal Thrasher. As typical, the guides didn't do this stunning bird justice.

LeConte's Thrasher digiscoped Anza Borrego, CA, Feb '07

I was real excited at picking up a life bird and was surprised by the subtle beauty of this odd desert denizen. However, the highlight of my entire trip came when I got a surprise view of another rare desert dweller. Not far from the car, after an exhausting desert hike, a tiny Kit Fox popped up from a burrow. I was able to stop, set up my scope, mount the camera and rattle off a couple of shots before it quickly disappeared.

Kit Fox, Anza Borrego, CA, digiscoped Feb 2007

This was a great bonus to a wonderful day of birding!

In Celebration of Cranes

Sandhill Cranes in sunset Bosque del Apache NWR, November 2006

Cranes are one of those groups of birds that hold a unique appeal. They are large, elegant, and migrate in spectacular groups. Not surprisingly there are at least 4 different festivals in North America celebrating crane migration or cranes in general. I will be attending the Port Aransas Whooping Crane Fest this weekend actually and will also be at the upcoming Rivers & Wildlife Festival in Kearney, Nebraska March 16-18. I will be offering talks on digiscoping and shorebirds at the latter should you find yourself in the area drop by.

A Florida Sandhill Crane upclose and personal

I recently digiscoped a cooperative pair of Sandhill Cranes here in Florida and thought I'd share some crane anecdotes as I prepare to head to these various festivals.

digiscoped with Leica D-Lux 3 camera and Leica APO Televid 77 spotting scope

The bird above scored what appeared to be a large grub of sorts. I always wondered what they were feeding on out there.


Here in Florida some Sandhills have adapted to suburban living, and occasionally a pair will raise its family in the middle of a new housing development. A great anecdote came from Floridians riding out one of the hurricanes a couple years ago. They told how their "neighborhood" Sandhills simply faced into the wind and hugged the ground with necks and heads stretched out. Apparently their aerodynamic shapes allowed them to endure the winds. It was a great story. They even turned when the winds did.

The birds shown here though are "respectable" Sandhills nesting in wet pine woods.




Ever wonder why the birds show all that brown staining?... I scanned past this brown lump three times one afternoon looking across this marsh before the odd red spot drew my eye. I've zoomed in tremendously here with the scope and camera zoom, but to the naked eye this nest was not obvious at all. You can imagine how much different the story might have been if that were a pale steel grey lump!

One of the other great Crane Festivals is held in Socorro, NM at Bosque Del Apache NWR in mid November. This is another fabulous spectacle and well worth visiting for the spectacle of cranes and other migrant species. I'm a bit of one myself... I'll see you out there!

Sandhill Cranes in flight digiscoped at Bosque del Apache NWR, Nov 2006

Southern California mountain birding

female Western Bluebird, digiscoped near Cuyamaca SP, CA 6 Feb 2007

One advantage to travelling is the ability to see new sites, meet new people, etc. For a wildlife enthusiast though this also offers the opportunity to get into different habitats which equates to seeing different wildlife than you see on "home turf". I certainly wanted to take advantage of this when I visited southern California for the San Diego Bird Festival. So on my first morning, I decided to get into the hills a bit. Something I don't get enough of in Florida obviously!

I drove to nearby Cuyamaca State Park first, stopping as I climbed through the foothills to soak up the local birds and wildlife. Western Bluebirds, Western Scrub Jays, Band-tailed Pigeons were obvious as they liked to perch on the dead branches of the Oaks. The loudest sounds came from the ubiquitous Acorn Woodpeckers, who gave "Woody Woodpecker-esque" calls and chased each other around.

male Acorn Woodpecker, Cuyamaca SP, CA digiscoped 6 Feb 2007

Abundant White-crowned & Golden-crowned Sparrows were joined in the understory by Spotted and California Towhees. Bushtits, Lesser Goldfinches, Oak Titmouse, and White-breasted Nuthatches predominated in the oaks. I was reminded of how extremely different the West coast White-breasted Nuthatches sound from those in the East. California Quail sat atop nearby rocks and gave their, "Chi-CA-go!" calls.

Acorn Woodpeckers drill holes in trees and cache acorns in these to get through adverse weather periods and times when food may be scarce.

I continued to climb eventually reaching areas where oaks were replaced by pine forests. I searched here for one West Coast specialty I had really hoped to see, White-headed Woodpecker. I saw lots of great birds here: Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches, Nuttall's Woodpeckers, Steller's Jays, and others.

Steller's Jay digiscoped at Cuyamaca State Park, CA 6 Feb 2007

It was great birding in this habitat once again and seeing many of the species that inhabit the area, but White-headed Woodpecker had once again eluded me. Over the past 20+ years of birding around the country, time and time again I had missed opportunities to see this very attractive bird. It is a higher elevation bird, fond of areas predominated by Ponderosa Pines along the West coast. I'd been in proper habitat only infrequently prior to this and typically at the wrong time of year. Despite this, I'd made noble attempts traipsing through snow packs in search of this little bird. It had clearly become a nemesis though, being the only regularly occurring woodpecker in the United States that I had never seen. I'd hoped for success this morning but it looked as though it wasn't going to happen here.

After thoroughly checking the area and adding many great sightings and memories to the trip list, the beautiful White-headed remained unseen. I returned to the rental car and checked through some notes I'd collected from knowledgeable birders in the area. I found a tip for a "NO MISS" spot for White-headed Woodpecker.

Those two words are always dangerous when describing the ability to see a dynamic living creature, but still, I was having fun, had time and was up for the adventure. So I left Cuyamaca and headed north through Julian, toward Idyllwild... land of the "NO MISS" White-headed Woodpecker. It was afternoon by the time I arrived and I'd been birding long enough to remain a fair deal of skepticism of a "NO MISS" or "Guaranteed" bird. None the less, before I even parked the car at the Idyllwild Nature Center lot, the first of 6-7 White-headed Woodpeckers was in view. I was able to digiscope a female bird to commemorate the event. They really do exist and they are every bit as stunning as I had imagined!

female White-headed Woodpecker, Idyllwild Nature Center, CA 6 Feb 2007

digiscoped with Leica D-Lux3 camera through Leica APO Televid spotting scope

Chasing

One aspect of birding I enjoy is chasing a rare bird. There is some appeal in being able to find that one odd bird amidst the thousands out there. I suppose it makes the experience more personal in some ways. Instead of going out to see some generic nameless birds, you are going to see that one individual bird. The other element that comes into play here is the game of listing.

Listing is when you keep a checklist of each bird species you've seen in a specific geographic area, be it the continental US, your home state, your county, your backyard, etc... The "game" of listing is different from keeping lists to monitor bird distribution, because in listing, each species seen is merely a single check in a box. It's not quantitative, merely a "yea" or "nay"... "seen" or "not seen". This is why I refer to listing as a game.

A rare Asian Waterfowl species had been reported in the days preceding my arrival. A gorgeous duck known as a Smew. I wouldn't have much time, and most of the free time I had would be spent driving if I opted to go....

Many criticize listing, as a myopic endeavor and a waste of time. Some will suggest that those who TRULY enjoy birds wouldn't spend so much time driving to see one silly duck but would use that time to appreciate the common birds around them instead. I see both sides of this debate and certainly enjoy all aspects of birding, but for me the thrill of the chase was what I was interested in. In my 20+ years of birding all around the US, I've never had an opportunity to see this species, so you could say this represented a once in a lifetime opportunity for me and I decided to take it.

The chase was on and I left before first light to get to the town of Sonora, CA in the foothills below Yosemite NP at an early hour. I made one wrong turn leaving Sonora, but it did provide me with a fantastic opportunity to see an unexpected "bonus" bird. When I stopped to turn around I spied a woodpecker in the tree.

female Red-naped Sapsucker, near Sonora, CA 02/01/07

The unexpected bird wound up being a female Red-naped Sapsucker. It's a bird more typical of the Rocky Mountains and one I hadn't personally seen in over 15 years. So I was thrilled to have the opportunity to reacquaint myself with this old feathered friend. After some intent study, I made me way to the small pond that had played host to the celebrity duck. Other birders stood around the edge of the tiny pond with long faces. Never a good sign for hopes of a successful chase but in reality my day had already been made.

odd duck in "Smew-less" pond

There was this one crazy domestic hybrid duck that was kind of white and gray with a bit of a crest. If only it had been at the far side of the pond maybe I could have squinted real hard and pretended it was the bird.... But alas not with great optics! ;) There was no Smew here this day and my time was up. Not disappointed, I chalked this one up to "Next time!" and drove back toward Vallejo thoroughly enjoying my morning in the field.

adult male Tufted Duck, Vallejo, CA 4 Feb 2007

While the Smew disappeared the day before my arrival, I was still able to see one odd Eurasian waterfowl before leaving the Bay area. The adult male Tufted Duck was once again in the slough between the show site and my hotel. It was great to see this guy again, even if i did have to miss 10 minutes of the Superbowl to see him!

Falcon Fest

I had a great time birding at the recent San Francisco Bay Flyway and the San Diego Bird Festivals over the past two weeks. Beyond the many specialty birds, I was afforded excellent views of four species of falcon. Despite less than stellar lighting in some cases I still managed to pop the camera on the scope and capture images of these awesome birds.

adult female Peregrine Falcon takes a break from preening

This co-operative adult female Peregrine Falcon, took a break from preening to give me a glance over her shoulder. Then she turned around to show me her other side. You gotta love the stare!... I imagine that is the last thing you want to see if your a Green-winged Teal or some other small waterfowl species!

"Hey buddy, did I say you could take my picture?"

I was also treated to views of as many as 4 perched Prairie Falcons on this trip. While I love watching the Peregrine Falcon, it is widespread in distribution so I get to observe these birds often. I rarely see Prairie Falcons so was thrilled with the opportunities to study these birds up close and personal again.

adult Prairie Falcon with prey

It's always better to review comparative field marks on live birds in the field rather than just with images in a book. I was reminded of how much lighter the brown-backed Prairies are compared to an immature Peregrine Falcon. I was able to admire the thin brown "moustache", and noted the Prairies appeared slimmer-winged to me in flight. It also appeared that the wingtips fell short of the tail tip on the Prairies which made me wonder if the Prairie Falcons have proportionately longer tails.... or perhaps Peregrines are comparatively longer through the wing. In flight Peregrines certainly appear very long in the primaries. Hmmmm?!?... another little puzzle to research. Regardless, it makes birding fun. No matter how long you've been at it, there are always new things to discover and learn!

female American Kestrel puffed up on a drizzly morning

While I saw MANY American Kestrels, I only photographed this one. Given the lighting (or lack there of) in the early morning drizzle/misting rain, I should have selected another one to photograph. Of course, as I've stated before I'm always a birder first and photos are almost an afterthought with me. Often, I'll be soaking up the view and suddenly remember, "Oh yeah I have a camera...." This is one of the things I love about digiscoping, it allows me to still be a birder first and foremost and I can quickly & easily pull my little point & shoot camera from my hip and fire away.

This little female Kestrel just seemed so photogenic (in a miserable sort of way) that I couldn't resist! American Kestrels are fairly ubiquitous across the United States and while they prefer agricultural areas and fallow fields, they can be found in suburban areas, city parks, and even in the middle of busy city intersections at times. This female shows the typical pale, "brick-colored" wings and back. Males are downright gaudy with a brighter red back and blue wing coverts contrasting with black flight feathers.

I saw 2 Merlins on this trip and even had a wonderful opportunity to photograph a stunning male of the lighter "prairie" sub-species, but chose to photograph the Yellow-billed Magpie on the same tree first. Both flew after 2 quick images of the magpie, but I at least still have a vivid memory of the scene! Good birding all!

more Bay birding

Hermit Thrush digiscoped 2 Feb 2007 w/ Leica D-Lux3 camera & APO Televid scope

One advantage of being a travelling birder is the opportunity to explore new areas that offer different habitats. So as the adage goes, "When in Rome..." or in this case, in and around the San Francisco bay area.

male Varied Thrush - digiscoped 2 Feb 2007

One morning I was treated to a bush full of berries and the birds that eat them. Pine Siskins "mewed" from the tree tops, while "Oregon" (Dark-eyed) Juncos sang bubbling whisper songs. Lincoln's Sparrows fed along the side of a wet ditch, watching the Thrushes and other sparrows feed on the berries. Among these berry-eaters were "Sooty" Fox Sparrows and the superficially similar Hermit Thrush, White-crowned & Golden-crowned Sparrows, Song Sparrows, Purple Finches, and perhaps one of my favorite song birds, the Varied Thrush. Unfortunately, the Varieds were not singing their full buzzy songs, but it was still wonderful just seeing these birds again.

female Varied Thrush - Leica digiscoped image

Further along, Winter Wrens called and sang from the wet wooded slopes, and Purple Finches "dip-dipped" over head. Chestnut-backed Chickadees added squeaky phrases and Towhees uttered breathy "siiiiiip" notes from the hearts of the bushes. The woodland birds were great of course, but I did have work to do this day so I had to bide my time and the nearby waters of Tamales Bay that were also chock full of birds.

An amazing spectacle was taking place out in the bay. Apparently there was a Herring run occurring (or so I was told by one local), and following the unseen school of fish was a huge number and variety of fish-eating critters. The most obvious were the gulls and cormorants, and one could very easily observe the differences between the Pelagic, Brandt's, and Double-crested Cormorants in the group. In between these seals and (I believe) sea lions bobbed like corks in between dives for food. It was fascinating to track the movements of the fish as evident by this black line that "marched" across the water, while gulls wheeled and dove overhead. Also nearby were Pacific Loons, Horned & Western Grebes, and all types of waterfowl which I appreciated in turn as I panned my scope across the expanse of water.

adult Ring-billed Gulls offer a nice comparison with the adult California Gull (left)

The last group of birds I looked at were the gulls. I have to admit that this is a group of birds I least enjoy looking through compared to the others. As such, it is also a group that I need more opportunities for study and the group assembled here offered a fantastic opportunity. On the nearby docks and railings sat as many as 60 Thayer's Gulls, with a handful of Ring-billed and California Gulls mixed in here and there. Dark-backed Western Gulls were well represented as were Glaucous-winged and various hybrid combinations keeping things interesting. It was wonderful for a birder from Florida to be able to absorb the images of the various plumage and structural differences between these west coast gulls. It was certainly a unique experience for me to be scouring through the Thayer's Gulls looking for a Herring Gull rather than the reverse. When I finally assigned myself to looking, it was a fantastic learning experience, but as I said there was work so I had to bring the lesson to an end and head back back to Mare Island for the vendor expo.

Bay Birds

I arrived in Vallejo, CA after midday and drove toward my hotel in Vallejo. I made good time and the sun was still shining brightlywhen I arrived. I decided to pad the old year list and hopefully see some old (feathered) friends.

I couldn't really remember how to get there but had a rough idea so I hit the road while lighting was still good. Some 40+ miles later I was heading south on 113 from Dixon. Red-tailed Hawks were VERY numerous here, along with Northern Harriers and an occasional Red-shouldered Hawk.

immature Northern Shrike, Clark Road.

My first planned stop was at Clark Road to look for the reported Northern Shrike (a local rarity and one I see very infrequently these years). It didn't take long to see the bird and I was able to add the bird to my digiscoped lifelist as well. WOOT! Note the long bill, barred breast, and brownish back on this Northern. Loggerheads are much cleaner over all with stark white breast (lacking barring), more pronounced black mask, smaller bill, and uniform gray mantle.

Yellow-billed Magpie - digiscoped w/ Leica D-Lux3 camera through APO Televid spotting scope.

Yet another digiscoping lifer! This local Yellow-billed Magpie posed beautifully for me. Above sat an adult male Merlin of the light "Prairie" race (Falco columbarius richardsoni). I was torn as to which I should photograph first but the YB Mag won out in the end. Unfortunately, the Merlin zipped off as I took my pic, but you can't catch them all.

Between the numerous Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers, I saw at least two Ferruginous Hawks and two different light morph Rough-legged Hawks along Flannery Road. A Prairie Falcon sat on dirt mounds in the middle of a field here as well.

Mountain Plover flock

The second Ferruginous Hawk sat in a field just beyond the intersection of Robinson Road. When I pulled off to see the chesty buteo, I saw oodles of warm brown "lumps" in the short grass field. I counted just under 200 in all in the warm evening light. Sleepy Mountain Plovers were scattered in a loose line disecting the field.

sleepy Mountain Plover digiscoped through Leica APO Televid 77 spotting scope w/D-Lux 3 camera

I watched the plovers tuck their heads in one by one in the fading light and finally, turned my car back toward Vallejo. I drove back fullfilled after a few hours of birding and as always I was happy I discovered birding!

Shoulders

At two back to back shows in Florida and California respectively, I was afforded great studies of one of my favorite North American raptors, the Red-shouldered Hawk! Both California and Florida have very different looking races and I'd like to share an example of each below.

adult female "Florida" Red-shouldered Hawk

digiscoped with Leica D-lux3 camera and APO Televid spotting scope

The "Florida" Red-shouldered is the "strawberry blonde" of North American buteos. It shows a faded, pale orange wash that is lighter than all other races of Red-shouldered Hawk. The head tends to be much lighter as well. This bird is actually a female which has a darker head as compared to her mate which sat nearby. The males will often show a nearly pure gray head without the brown tones. Florida birds also average lighter on the back and the black and white "checkered" pattern is more apparent.

adult (male?) "California" Red-shouldered Hawk

If the Florida race is the "strawberry blonde" then the California race is the true redhead of the bunch. Even on a gray day without sunlight you can see that this bird is very bright orange, and the orange extends up on to the head. The barring on the upper breast is so dense that it actually more of an orange collar than individual bars. I'm not as familiar with this race, but I assume that (like the Florida breeding birds I've observed) the males show the lighter heads with more orange, and the females tend to be more brown headed. As such I'd guess this to be a male as it is toward the bright extreme with much orange on the head. Perhaps some of the west coast folk could chime in here though with opinions.

At any rate, stuff like this makes the life of a travelling birder fun.

Spacecoast

Last week I had the opportunity to bird with friend Bill Thompson of "Bill of the Birds" and "Bird Watcher's Digest" fame at the Spacecoast Bird & Wildlife Festival. While difficult to see in this photo, Bill is actually helping to demonstrate the majesty of a Florida "mountain". In the distance between Bill's finger and thumb sits the ever impressive Mount Dora!...
…well, at least we have palm trees.

Bill Thompson attempts to capture distant Mount Dora!

While it was not very sunny and my guiding didn't allow me to capture many images, Bill and I had a great time birding (as usual) with a great bunch of folks. We saw the ever predictable Purple Gallinule, and a wintering Least Flycatcher at Zellwood. We had Barn Owls in boxes, and great views of Harriers, Red-tailed & Red-shouldered Hawks, Bald Eagles and more.

female Ring-necked Duck, Viera Wetlands, FL -digiscoped with Leica D-Lux3 through Leica APO Televid spotting scope

On a gray day with a cold front looming we visited Viera Wetlands to see the common sites. Limpkin and Crested Caracaras are always a treat, especially for a guy taking a break from a cold Ohio winter. A pair of playful River Otters humped over a dyke separating two pools, offering nice views.

ornery Loggerhead Shrike gives me the evil eye.

The lack of sun made for lackluster imaging, but still it's fun to shoot an image of a cooperative subject. This Loggerhead Shrike seemed a bit dubious of my intent, but since he was sitting so pretty, I couldn’t resist the photo op.

Hooded Merganser male digiscoped with Leica D-Lux3 and APO Televid scope

Amongst the common waterfowl which included stunning Hooded Mergansers, Ring-necked Ducks and hoards of Blue-winged Teal, was an unusual hybrid Blue-winged X Cinnamon Teal that offered wonderful opportunities for study.

Since this was birding on home turf for me, I was not as excited as I am when I get to someone else's "backyard". But it was nice to be birding with folks fresh from Northern climes to vicariously benefit from their appreciation of some of this "regular" Florida stuff. One of my favorite parts of birding and guiding has always been the opportunity to share birding experiences with friends (old and new)!