Got Owls?....

I know you're all dying for the update on the backyard owls, so here goes. In mid-May near 7:45 PM we got our first indication that "kids" were around. As I stared at "mama owl" hanging her head out of the nest box, "dad" swung in with a Cuban tree frog in tow. He perched on the swing set eating a bit while the female protested heartily.

Eastern Screech-Owl female, digiscoped Leica C-Lux 2 through Leica APO Televid 77, Florida 23 May '07

After eating his fair share, he flew up to a branch near the nest box. "Mom" quickly joined him, seized the prey, and shot back into the box... a clear indication we have youngsters in there. For the past week, "mom" has been spending much time balancing in the mouth of the box or on branches nearby. Undoubtedly because the growing chicks are forcing her out.

Eastern Screech Owl female at backyard nest box, FL 23 May '07

Apparently, teen-aged owlets not only make a mess (note the crud on the feet) but they keep a mother owl from sleeping giving her a striking resemblance to Popeye! These images were taken on the 23rd when "Mom" spent more time in the mouth of the box than out. Now, she seems to prefer hanging outside on the branches within a reasonable distance and eyeshot of the nest box.

adult Eastern Screech-Owl, digiscoped 24 May 2007, Florida

The references I have suggest that the young owlets take close to a month to fledge. Since I don't have an exact date as to when these youngsters hatched, I'm uncertain how old they may be. They are certainly at least two weeks old, but I suspect they are much older from past experience as a "foster owl parent". If my hunch is right from watching mama owl's behavior, then I should see fuzzy owlets perched in the mouth of the box soon. This will signal the "beginning of the end" of our time with these amusing little owls this season.

The youngsters will quickly move from the mouth of the box to the trees and shrubs on my side lot where we will catch glimpses of the adults coming and going and hear the youngsters begging for food for another week and then it will end for another year.

Eastern Screech-Owl digiscoped with Leica C-Lux 2 camera through Leica APO Televid 77 spotting scope, 24 May '07, Florida

My son and I built this box at a local bird festival 5 years ago, and hung it over that winter. We were lucky and had a family of owls fledge just months after hanging the box! Since then it has played host to Flying Squirrels, Gray Squirrels, Honey Bees, Virginia Opossum, Pileated Woodpecker, and I've even seen Great Crested Flycatchers going in and out!

This is the 4th time Owls have nested here and we hope it will be the third time young are fledged successfully (but we'll know in a matter of weeks).

So I ask again "Got Owls?..." If not, have you tried?... Boxes are inexpensive and easy to make so why not give it a whirl? If you get lucky, you too will have owls and have a ton of fun watching as the family grows! Screech-Owls are found throughout the continental US with Western Screech-Owls taking over west of the Great Plains. Here is a link to an easily built Screech-Owl nest box:

http://mdc.mo.gov/documents/nathis/woodwork/ww5.pdf
For friends in the "Great White North" you can still attract Northern Saw-whet and/or Boreal Owls with this same nest box. Or for the more adventurous here is a whole list of nest boxes & platforms that have worked effectively for a variety of different owl species:

http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/owl_box.php

Have fun!

"White-cheeked" Goose woes

Canada or Cakling?!?.... let's hash it out here!

In my last blog post I wrote about the leucistic or light goose I digiscoped in Anchorage. Given the very short-necked appearance I leaned toward Cackling Goose over Canada Goose, but have to admit. I'm not wholly sure. One disadvantage of living in Florida.... I never see either one here at home!

There has always been a wide range of variation in size amongst the "white-cheeked" goose complex. Formerly all called Canada Goose, these have more recently been split into two separate species Canada Goose (larger) and Cackling Goose (smaller) much like the Snow and Ross' Geese.

Cackling generally have shorter necks and stubby bills than Canada but the smallest Canada Geese (subspecies parvipes) and largest Cackling Geese (subspecies taverneri) are very similar in structure and size and difficult to separate. Guides suggest taverneri Cackling average darker... not real helpful on this bird. At any rate, all wanting to partake in an ID discussion, please comment.

I think it would be fun, and I've never been afraid to be wrong so let's talk it out.

Stark Contrast

Probably the best part of travelling, is the opportunity to experience new things. New places, new foods, meeting new people, and of course for the birder new and different birds!!! Since I lived in Alaska for 7 years and worked as a professional bird guide throughout the state, I didn't see any NEW birds on my trip, but it is always great to see "old friends" (of the avian persuasion and otherwise) once again. Since Florida is home base now, an Alaskan trip is about as far a stretch from home turf as I can get without leaving the country.

For example, at the beginning of my trek I had both Magnificent Frigatebird and Swallow-tailed Kites fly right over my car. The former (a female bird) sailed elegantly overhead as I crossed the harbor, while 6 of the latter wheeled after insects over the airport parking lot in Fort Myers.

Glaucous-winged Gull eating starfish or growing multiple t0ngues! Digiscoped with Leica C-Lux 2 through Leica APO Televid 77 spotting scope, Homer, AK 13 May 2007

I had a 4 hour lay over at the Seattle airport. and as I sat looking out at the distant mountains I watched a Glaucous-winged Gull glide by. Deja vous! I thought back to a memory of an excited young man soaking up that very same view nearly 16 years ago to the day. I was making a long anticipated first visit to Alaska and got my first life bird of the trip staring out these same airport windows on an evening just like this... my first Glaucous-winged Gull!

Red-necked Grebes display in Anchorage, Alaska digiscoped 9 May 2007

The following AM I'd awake in Alaska, a magical place with special memories. In the seven years I lived here, I met my loving wife and celebrated the birth of my son! I've spent as much of my adult life here as anywhere, so I still feel a sense of home in Alaska when I visit. Of course the nostalgia faded quickly as my attention inevitably shifted to the birds. From the hotel parking lot, I'd first view Mew Gulls and Violet-green Swallows overhead, Yellow-rumped warblers sang their looped songs from tree tops and Siskins "jheeered" nearby.

Before long, I found myself on a predictable routine of visiting favorite birding spots as I drove out of town. Lake Hood offered a great assortment of waterfowl and courting Red-necked and Horned Grebes. Spenard Crossing (or "Eastchester lagoon" as it was often called nearly a decade ago), offered an interesting leucistic (light-colored) Canada/Cackling Goose along with the more typical waterfowl and gull species. Black-billed Magpies were a refreshing sight, but along with these were one obvious change over the past decade... European Starlings were actually common now! Believe it or not, there was a time in the not too distant past where this was a hotline bird in the area! Chugach State Park offered moose and Gray Jays on a quick drive by, while roadside stops at Potter Marsh provided views of the first Sandhill Cranes, & Red-necked Phalaropes, along with even more waterfowl and Arctic Terns displaying and copulating.

leucistic Canada/Cackling Goose in Anchorage, Alaska digiscoped 9 May 2007

Even birds commonly seen at home act completely differently here. Lesser Yellowlegs, for example, sing endlessly from spruce tops. Something I'll never see in Florida for sure! Homer was my target this day though, so despite the glorious scenic distractions, I had to press on. From the road, I'd add Dall's Sheep, Wandering Tattlers, and speckle-breasted, dark "Harlan's" Hawks among others.

female Harlequin Duck at roadside, Ninilchik, Alaska. Digiscoped 9 May 2007

I could watch the amusing little Harlequin Ducks' stream bound antics for hours, but on this day I'd have to settle for just a few quick images taken from the car as I continued my trek south. The female birds are wonderful to look at but unfortunately pale by comparison to the gaudy-plumaged males.

male Harlequin Duck takes a rest on a small gravel bar. Digiscoped in Ninilchik, AK 9 May 2007

It would be near 10 PM before I finally hit the paved Homer Spit. Here, Kittiwakes perch on pilings, and Sea Otters, Murres, and Murrelets can be easily viewed en masse from land. A very different scene from the palm trees and white sand beaches of home. I'd spend the next 3 wonderous days here soaking this up, eating halibut and marvelling over views and sights that locals would likely take a bit for granted, as surely as I had casually marvelled at the Frigatebird and Swallow-tailed Kites just two days before!

Eagle fest!

I recently attended the Kachemak Bay Shorebird Festival in Homer, Alaska. As the name suggests, the shorebirds co-operated wonderfully, but it is real hard for a visitor to ignore the abundance and tameness of the lingering Bald Eagles in and around Homer spit.

a recently fed immature Bald Eagle, digiscoped in Homer, AK with Leica APO Televid spotting scope and Leica C-Lux-2 camera

The eagles were very prevalent and all plumage types were represented. The bird above was likely born last summer and you can see from its bulging crop that it has fed recently!

this youngster was digiscoped with the Leica APO Televid 77 & the Leica C-Lux 2 camera in Ninilchik

I was too close to fit the entire bird above in the frame and backing up would have meant falling down a steep 20' bank and landing in the Ninilchik River. I know what you're thinking, "tough life!" I couldn't agree more. The locals don't really even pay any attention to these birds and many even consider them as a nuisance. I heard comments like, "...at least most of the Eagles are gone now". It's funny how the grass is always greener...

Note how in all plumages the Bald Eagle's prominent beak is always notable. This is one of many characters that can help you separate Golden Eagles from young Bald eagles in a perched view and closer views in flight.

4 year old Eagle digiscoped on a Homer, AK rock pile

Leica APO Televid 77 & Leica C-Lux 2 digital camera

By the fourth year of life, Bald Eagles start to resemble the more familiar adult plumage. The head has begun to whiten up, the bill has begun to turn yellow and the tail is mostly white with a dark tip. The bird above was included for scenic value but the image below shows plumage characteristics better.

4 year old Bald Eagle, digiscoped Homer spit

Leica APO Televid 77 & Leica C-Lux 2 camera

After giving seminars, and working the booth each day, I'd slowly bird back toward the hotel at the end of the Homer Spit. Along with other great birds like Marbled Murrelets, Glaucous Gulls, Common Murres, and even Fork-tailed Storm Petrels (among others) this was also a great spot to observe the Eagles as currents would often wash food up on the rocky beach behind the hotel.

adult Bald Eagle digiscoped at Land's End, Homer spit, Alaska

Leica APO Televid 77 & Leica C-Lux 2 digital camera

An adult Bald Eagle gazes fiercely at other nearby eagles as it gobbles scraps left by the tide.

adult Bald Eagle digiscoped Leica APO Televid 77 & C-Lux 2

When another eagle came close, the eagle above would puff up, waddle, throw its wings up, chitter at the intruder, and sometimes grappel. The bird above was trying to look as big and as mean as possible..... Sure, I was scared, but I took the image anyway! ;p

On one evening, I watched with a couple other birders as a Black-legged Kittiwake fed an adult Bald Eagle... well sort of. The adult below plucked this adult kittiwake out of the air and proceeded to eat it. At first it was unclear as to how the Eagle was able to catch the deft Black-legged Kittiwake out of the air so easily, but as the eagle lifted to a nearby perch it became obvious. The Kittiwake trailed a long piece of monofilament with a heavy lead weight attached 5 feet below.

We watched as the eagle proceeded to eat its prize hoping it wouldn't get hooked as well, but it seemed to avoid this somehow. (check out the birds neat white talon on the right foot)

adult Bald Eagle eats a Black-legged Kittiwake, Homer, AK

Homer, Alaska never ceases to amaze me and if you have never been I highly recommend a visit. The eagles are just one of the many highlights which include views of Harbor Porpoise, Sea Otters, and numerous sea birds from land, but more on that later.

More than just hot sauce!

While in Louisiana we made a trip to Avery Island. Home of Tabasco brand hot sauces, but the salt dome is also well known in the area as a birding hotspot. We stopped at the "Bird Island" rookery. An amazing bit of engineering, these table like platforms were built to allow Herons & Egrets spaces to build nests. It wasn't perhaps the most "natural-looking" rookery I'd ever seen, but the Great Egrets sure didn't seem to mind. They built their nests side by side covering every inch of available space on these long platforms.

Common Mooorhen adult feeding chick, Avery Island 4/28/07

While at the overlook, we were entertained by a family of Common Moorhens. We watched as an attentive adult fed each of the 6 chicks in turn. Before long though the serene scene turned more dramatic marked by the sharp staccato notes from one of the adults.

American Alligator eyes a Common Moorhen, Avery Island, LA 4/28/07

It didn't take long to spot the source of the Moorhen's alarm. A 7 foot long gator was lounging in the shadows doing it's best to remain as hidden as possible. Just after this image was digiscoped, the gator lunged and snapped at the adult, causing the adults and youngsters to scamper into the reeds. This gator knew the drill though and before long the staccato notes were repeated followed by a large splash and snap! While it is unclear what exactly happened in those weeds I can say definitively that both adults emerged in a hurry with 4 chicks on tow. We continued to watch as the gator stealthily crept past breaks in the weeds, if the other chicks were in there we didn't see them, much to the dismay of some in our group. Real life drama in the land of hot sauce!

The Blues,alive and well in Louisiana

While in Lafayette for the ABA Convention, the fantastic International Music Festival was in town. I heard it was spectacular but between guiding, working the booth, and the aforementioned lively bird banter that results at these events, I never made it downtown to enjoy the festivities. None the less I did manage to enjoy my own brand of Louisiana "blues". There were Great Blues and Little Blues mixing with egrets and ibis. The swampy bottomlands were thick with blue winged Prothonotary Warblers and Blue Jays were abundant throughout.

male Eastern Bluebird digiscoped at Lake Fausse, LA 04/28/07

This male Eastern Bluebird seemed out of place in this Cypress tree. The group was torn having to decide between watching him, the 20+ Ruby-throated Hummingbirds performing an aerial circus at the nearby feeders, or tracking down the numerous singing birds which included Prothonotary Warbler and Yellow-throated Vireo among others. I took a few moments to soak up this bird's subdued version of blues before moving on to the others.

male Indigo Bunting digiscoped on an Atchafalaya roadside 4/24/07

Of course, it is very difficult to top the wide range of varying blues offered up by an adult male Indigo Bunting in sunlight. Especially when served up "in your face" as this fellow did.

Indigo Bunting feeding on grass seeds digiscoped 4/24/07

As this little Indigo performed for us, numerous Mississippi Kites and Broad-winged Hawks peeled over the tree-lined road. Nearby a Yellow-breasted Chat performed a little "sky dance" as he joined the morning chorus. A diminutive male Ruby-throated Hummingbird settled on the wire above us to enjoy the show. Not far away a male Painted Bunting sang and showed off his "purplish-blue" cap but was a bit too shy to remain for pictures after all participants had gotten their scope views. He did continue to entertain us with his song though even while out of sight. Gone but not forgotten perhaps?!?...

adult Purple Gallinule at La Cassine NWR, Louisiana, 4/26/07

While the name implies all purple, when you see an adult Purple Gallinule you soon realize that this bird has as much blues as any. The range of blues here run through the entire spectrum. While the singing voice isn't as spectacular as some of the others I'd appreciated this day, it was still great hearing the rail like calls as these birds performed their springtime rituals. Perhaps it was the season bringing them out on to the stage or just the sheer multitude of numbers but I was thrilled to see at least 40 individual Purple Gallinules at La Cassine NWR. It was spectacular!

adult Purple Gallinule displaying, La Cassine NWR, Louisiana 4/26/07

When shadowed you can even see the wonderful powder blue coloration on the unfeathered bill shield further complementing my appreciation of Louisiana's "blues". Certainly, more people attended the annual music fest than went birding in the area this day, but I for one was not at all disappointed with my choice of venue and the appreciative performer above even stopped and bowed for us at the end of this show!

American Birding in Louisiana

I recently attended the American Birding Association Convention held in Lafayette, Louisiana. Here I learned you can find ways to add crawfish to nearly every imaginable dish! More importantly however, I had ample opportunities to spend quality time with many of the participants talking about products, digiscoping, and birds & wildlife (including crawfish).

The shot above is not really the man on the moon. This was a fortunate accidental image gotten while demonstrating digiscoping. I was explaining that all zoom eyepieces show a dark vignetted circle when first mounted when one of my associates stepped in front of the window as he presented a different digiscoping demo. I quickly snapped off an image and was thrilled by the cool effect! This could be the first digiscoped image of a digiscoping demonstration ever...

Green Anole displaying outside the host hotel.

As mentioned a lot of time was spent at the venue talking about optics, but the 4th floor windows offered opportunities to see some interesting birds. The local Red-tailed Hawk pair was regular and there were other local birds like Blue Jays, Starlings, Rock Pigeons, and a constant stream of egrets flying by. More interesting to me though were the regular Mississippi Kites and other highlights like Broad-winged Hawk, Red-headed Woodpecker, and Roseate Spoonbill that added excitement for birders "trapped" indoors.

Critters like Green Anoles were common just outside the hotel doors and made for good digiscoping subjects. The Inca Dove nesting just out the back door on the pool deck was a nice subject for participants interested in digiscoping techniques as well. Apparently this species is a relatively recent arrival to this area.

Inca Dove nest at host hotel.

Of course we only spent half of our time at the convention at the booth talking shop. Every other day we spent in the field on near full day field trips. ABA always attracts a wonderful crew of very knowledgeable, professional tour leaders and authors, so the banter after dinner can be very interesting for anyone who likes birds.

Inca Dove at nest, Lafayette, Louisiana 4/28/07

Oh yeah for those interested in the vignetting I glassed over above (pun intended)... no manufacturers produce "wide angle" zoom eyepieces for their scopes and most digital point & shoot cameras show "wide angle" views (often near 25 mm equivalents) when you first turn them on. As such, a digital p&s camera mounted behind a zoom eyepiece offers a vignetted or dark circular-framed image until you run the zoom up to near 2x or 50 mm. When the wide angle camera is mounted behind a wide angle, fixed power eyepiece it shows a typical rectangular frame. Just in case you were thinking, "Hmmm, why is that?"