Another study in Blues

Steller's Jay, digiscoped @ Cuyamaca State Park, CA

On a recent trip to the San Diego Bird & Wildlife Festival, an early AM trek into the nearby mountains of Cuyamaca State Park offered some fun and exciting birding opportunities. A cold front had just passed and despite the latitude, the temperatures on this March morning hung just above freezing at 33 degrees F! A stiff wind blew and birds and birder alike were hiding from the blistering effects of the damp air heavily laden with patches of fog and passing clouds.

The diffuse morning light helped to showcase the many shades of blue I'd enjoy this morning on the mountain. One of these stunners was the lovely Steller's Jay which I was all too happy to digiscope in the image above. The lovely cobalt blue chest and dark slaty-black head were highlighted by the electric blue "racing stripes" that ran up either side of the bird's steep crown. I've been busy enough t hat I've had precious little opportunity to put the new Leica APO Televid 82 mm scope through it's paces, so this was a welcomed field trial. The fact that I had to endure a wonderful morning of birding to accommodate this is just the cross I have to bear sometimes. It's always work, work, work with me! ;p

female Western Bluebird, digiscoped with Leica APO Televid 82 mm scope w/ zoom & C-Lux camera

The subtle hues of blue showing on the lovely female Western Bluebird above contrasted nicely with the warm brown back and buffy orange breast. Slight tinges of blues were evident on the bird's slaty cap as well. So it was clear that color rendition is not an issue in low light conditions and the level of details visible around the eye and on the individual feathers was stunning as well. If only all work was so enjoyable!...

male Western Bluebird digiscopedw/ Leica APO Televid 82, Cuyamaca Park, CA

While the female Bluebird offered subtle hints to its true name through its plumage, the stunning males left no doubt. Even someone completely oblivious to birding and proper bird names, would stand a fare chance of stumbling across this bird's name by accident. The blues on this male Western Bluebird absolutely popped when backlit in diffuse lighting created by the slight overcast. The deep burnt orange tones on the breast and back were a marvelous compliment as well. Note the rich new breast feathers growing in the breast compared to the old worn and more faded feathers surrounding these.

The wind was uncomfortable and I sought the shelter of a dense stand of Manzanita bushes in the lee of a hillside. Apparently many of the birds had the same idea as Juncos, and a small band of Juncos fed intently in here. Mountain Chickadees, Pygmy Nuthatches, and woodpeckers were about as hummingbirds sped by doing high speed tail chases. The latter appeared to be mostly migrant Rufous Hummi ngbirds but I wasn't certain. I never did see one perched or even flying very well so they could have been local Allen's as well. Not sure which would be more likely in this habitat at this time of year honestly!

On another day, I would have been intent to track these down and make a definitive identification but after a long stretch of extended "office time" without many outdoor experiences of late, I was really just enjoying the air, the mountain and of course the spectacular views of the numerous birds that were cooperating. As I said, there were many woodpeckers about and I tallied 5 species here to include: Hairy, Nuttall's, Acorn, Northern "Red-shafted" Flicker, and Red-breasted Sapsucker. Unfortunately despite excellent close up views of many of these I was never able to get an in focus image as they were all feeding like mad and in the low light conditions, I always wound up getting an image of a woodpecker body with a big blur where the head should be. After a few unsuccessful attempts though I did get wise and spin the mode dial on my compact camera to "movie" and captured some fun digital videos.

Pygmy Nuthatch digiscoped @ Cuyamaca Park, CA - Leica APO Televid 82 & Leica C-Lux camera

Even the nuthatches sought respite from the bitter winds and came down to sun on the ground when the clouds broke near 9 AM. This bird offered yet another hue of blue with its blue-gray back. Despite enjoying the few AM hours immensely, it wasn't too long before it was time to turn tail and head back to the venue at the San Diego Bird Fest and open the booth for displaying. I reluctantly made my way to my rented car and wound my way back toward San Diego's warmer temps on scenic Mission Bay. Right outside the venue was one last opportunity to capture yet another shade of blue on the crown of the established exotic Lilac-crowned Parrot below with a marvelous blue sky behind. Oh if all work days could be like this one!...

Lilac-crowned Parrot, digiscoped with Leica APO Televid 82 scope, Mission Bay, CA

Scopes at Last!!

new Leica APO Televid 82 mm scope, digital adapter 3, and C-Lux camera!

I finally received a final version of the NEW Leica APO Televid 82 mm angled scope, with the revolutionary 25-50x wide angle eyepiece! This is the first comercially available eyepiece to couple the versatilty of a zoom, with the eye-pleasing wide field of views formerlly reserved to fixed power models.

As soon as I was able, I took it and my new Leica D-Lux 4 camera out to get some initial test shots with one of these first production model pieces (as opposed to just a prototype).

test subject as seen with naked eye, C-Lux 2 @ 58 mm equivalent

As soon as I found a suitable test subject I took a test shot, by running the optical zoom on my C-Lux 2 camera to near "2x". At near "2x" the subject appears near the same size as it appears in the field. The actual 35 mm equivalent of the subject in the image above was 58 mm, meaning it is even slightly larger than it appeared in life! The subject appears as a slight gray spot near dead center of the image along the left bank of the canal.

adult Little Blue Heron digiscoped Babcock Webb WMA, FL

The image above is the same subject taken from the same location as the first image. In this second image, I coupled the D-Lux 4 camera to the front of the APO Televid 82 using the new digital adapter 3. I ran the camera zoom up to a max 2.5x, the equivalent of a 60 mm lens. Then I ran the scope eyepiece zoom up to a maximum of 50x magnification. When coupling two lenses in an afocal system like this, the overall focal length is easily calculated. Using the focal length listed in the EXIF data of the image above (60 mm equivalent), we simply multiply this by the power of magnification of the scope eyepiece (50x). So the image above was shot at the equivalent of a 3,000 mm (50 x 60 mm) telephoto lens.

Saying this is a 3,000 mm lens equivalent is impressive, but as always images speak louder than words. The dramatic examples above, show the amazing magnifying properties of digiscoping. It also shows the wonderful clarity the scope and camera are capable of!

adult White Ibis digiscoped @ Babcock Webb WMA, FL

Here is another dramatic example of the capabilities of the new Leica APO Televid 82 mm spotting scope and the D-Lux 4 camera. The first image is again taken with the Leica C-Lux 2 camera again at 58 mm as before. The white subject above is more obvious on a brown dirt mound with dead grass and again appears as it does to the unaided eye.

adult White Ibis digiscoped @ 3,000 mm equivalent, with Leica APO Televid 82 @ D-Lux 4 camera

The image above was once again taken from the same location as the test shot. The White Ibis image at bottom was taken with camera and scope zoom at maximum which in this case equates to a 3,000 mm telephoto lens equivalent. Beyond simple magnification, the lens quality is VERY apparent when looking at the subsequent image.

more CBC fun

After my fun with Screech-Owls in "the Webb" it was time to get busy once again and go cover my officially assigned area. I was a team in of myself at this point and had a fair amount of ground to cover. Of course I still took time to stop and smell the ros... err, um... flowers, like the one below. I'm not much of a botanist, I know enough to be dangerous but not much more. At any rate, the flower I stumbled across below looked really out of place among the wire grass in a sea of pines. I assumed it was an exotic rather than a native species, but hopefully some of you can enlighten me. Please feel free to leave a comment if you can.

mystery flower photographed at Babcock Webb WMA, 12/14/08

As I drove back toward the lake I enjoyed a couple massive mixed species feeding flocks that held hundreds of individual birds. My typical M.O. for winter birding at the Webb, is locate the flocks and you find the birds. You'd think these flocks would be painfully obvious in the relative openness provided by the habitat here, but at a distance even large flocks can be mostly hidden in the grasses and pineey canopy. Eastern Bluebirds are typically the indicator species for me. Their calls are easier for me to detect at greater distance than the other species in the group, and the fact that they prefer to sit on open exposed perches helps as well. Also it seems they are almost never alone, they always attract friends!

Each time I detected B luebirds, I'd head toward them and invariably I found other species with them. The bulk of these flocks were made up of Pine Warblers, with lesser numbers of Yellow-rumped & Palm Warblers numbering into the triple digits. In the biggest flock there were >100 warblers, 8 individual Bluebirds, 4 Brown-headed Nuthatches, 3 Red-bellied Woodpeckers, & 2 Downy Woodpeckers. I got lucky in one flock and had a Blue-headed Vireo and a Pileated Woodpecker mixed in. Eastern Towhees, Northern Flickers, and Eastern Meadowlarks could invariably be heard nearby but they don't seem to join these mixed species flocks.

Loggerhead Shrike with Gulf Fritillary butterfly, digiscoped @ Webb 12/14/08

Loggerhead Shrikes are commonly seen foraging throughout the open flatwoods habitat. This small predatory songbird does not (obviously) join the feeding flocks and is another one of the loners out here. It might try to join in, but likely only to attempt to capture one of its smaller feathered brethren. With their sharply hooked beaks the Loggerhead will rarely capture and eat a small bird, but for the most part they nab insects like the Gulf Fritillary shown above. Grasshoppers and crickets are a favorite. Slightly larger Northern Shrikes found (as you'd guess) across many northern states in winter do take a higher percentage of birds and rodents though.

Shrikes are a curios predator. They lack the talons of a true raptor (bird of prey) so are reliant on their hooked beak for capturing and killing their prey. They also have the unique habit of wedging their prey in a forked branch or impaling it on a long thorn or barbed wire fence. This habit has earned them the nickname "Butcherbird". The bird below put on quite a show and I felt obligated to shoot some images and video through the spotting scope since it was being so accommodating.

Loggerhead Shrike digiscoped with Leica APO Televid scope & Leica C-Lux 2 camera

My assigned area included the large "Babcock Lake" that runs three miles south from the park entrance. Along it's length is a mix of young open flatwoods and marhes perfect for all kinds of critters like the toothy resident below.

American Alligator digiscoped Babcock Webb WMA 12/14/08

As I stood at the lake's edge another large feeding flock swept through the area and disappeared to the south slowly rolling through the vegetation like a slow motion tumble weed. It dawned on me how this type of birding was kind of like fishing. You're in the right habitat there's miles of it and the birds are in tight packs here and there. To my eye at least there was very little difference in the habitat from one spot to another either. These birds just roam through these habitat areas and you need a bit of luck to find them. My Bluebird trick has seemed to help me stack the odds in my favor a bit and it seems this home court advantage likely helps me detect more than the uninitiated birder visiting for the first time. Unlike fishing though birding is non-consumptive so once I see the bird it will still be there for the next birder or my next visit. Also, since my seeing it does not make it more wary and harder to see on future visits (unlike catch and release fishing perhaps), I happily share my secrets to success with other birders. Something the local fisherman might take to his or her grave to insure their secret spot and techniques continue to work for them on every visit. This spirit of open sharing is one of the great things about the birding community actually that is not as common in other outdoor recreational pursuits.

Double-crested Cormorant "T65" digiscoped @ Webb Lake 12/14/08

One of the other great things about birding is seeing old friends. As I reached the southern part of the Lake I saw Double-crested Cormorants perched on some familiar exposed rocks and thought, "I wonder...". A quick scan with my trusty Televid spotting scope and my suspicions were confirmed; one of the three birds wore a bright yellow leg band reading "T65". Good ol' "T65" and I go way back. I actually encountered this bird in this very spot back on March 12, 2004. I got images and submitted the record to the bird banding laboratory and discovered that "T65" was banded as a chick on the nest on July 15, 2002 near Willsboro, NY. So I like to think we are old friends now!

female Belted Kingfisher, digiscoped image, Babcock Webb WMA 12/14/08

Hard to know if this girl was an old friend since she wore no bands, but I was more than happy to meet an accommodating Belted Kingfisher. Bird photographers wil l tell you these birds have a well deserved reputation for being a bit wary and difficult to approach. So I was tickled to have one perch still and in good sunlight like this. Even though my job on this day was to count birds, I certainly wasn't going to pass up a photo op like this!

Of course, she still might not have been cooperative enough for the typical bird photographer with a 400 or 500 mm lens though. The biggest advantage of digiscoping is that of reach and magnification. In optical terms (generally speaking) every 50 mm in lens equates to near 1 power of magnification. As such a 400 mm & 500 mm lens offers the equivalent view you would receive from an 8x or 10x binocular respectively. Spotting scopes deliver up to 6x the magnification as binoculars though, so the DSLR photographer with a 500 mm lens would have to be up to 6 times closer for the subject to be the same size in their viewfinder! Hard to say if she was that tolerent. Ididn't stalk her in that way she seemed plenty aware of me even though I was nearly 60 feet (~20m) away.

female Belted Kingfisher - digiscoped Leica APO Televid scope

Belted Kingfishers are another one of the unique stories from the birding world, they are o ne of the VERY few examples (along with Phalaropes) of a bird species where the female is more colorful than the male! I have no idea why this is, but the males show only the upper blue neck band and none of the reddish coloration found below on the belly and flanks. Phalaropes are actually a polyandrous species where the more colorful female attracts a mate, breeds, lays eggs and then leaves the male to tend for the nest and raise the chicks. When she has had enough mating she simply returns to sea and joins a flock of other single bachelorette phalaropes! The male's more subdued, cryptic coloration is then understandable as he will be doing all of the incubation and brooding of small young. I don't know what the story is with the Belted Kingfisher though. Anyone care to jump in to offer more enlightenment here?...

adult Osprey digiscoped Babcock Webb WMA 12-14-08

The sad looking Osprey above played a part in one of my final memorable moments at the Webb. I heard him first (likely a male by plain unmarked breast - most females show a "necklace" of dark streaks) giving typical piercing single notes of protest. I looked up and was not surprised to see this guy carrying a fish with an adult Bald Eagle closing in on him fast. It all happened so quickly I never even bothered or thought about snapping a picture, I just enjoyed the show through my binoculars. The Osprey attempted to stave off the inevitable and allude the Eagle's piracy by going into a steep dive toward the surface of the lake. However, he was heavily laden by a large fish and was no match for the agility and power of an unburdened adult Bald Eagle. The eagle closed in fast leaving our sad Osprey with only one option; to release his quarry just above the lake's surface.

Very often when this happens the eagle will be able to snatch the falling fish out of the air, but there was not enough space in this instance and the heavy prey splashing into the lake looked like a depth charge being released from some WWII airplane in old film footage. The eagle broke off the chase and spiralled back around to look for its quarry but not before two other eagles who had detected this less than quiet exchange came barrelling in as well. Now all three eagles were spiralling low over the lake's surface chittering madly at one another: one adult, a three year old bird (by plumage), and a youngster hatched this year. After a while they all peeled off and perched. The adult selected a short 12' high pine close to the splash down site, while the two younger birds landed in the same large pine on the opposite shore. It seems no one ever got the fish (at least not while I was there) but it was a wonderfully fun event and one of the many memorable highlights of this day.... although the Osprey likely disagrees!

Florida CBC Fun in Charlotte County

For the past few years, I've been busy during the local Audubon Christmas Bird Count season. So I was tickled to discover I'd have ample time to join this year after a too long hiatus. I was even more excited when the local coordinator asked me if I'd be willing to help in my favorite birding area in the entire county, Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area in Punta Gorda, FL.

Babcock Webb is primarily pine-flatwoods habitat broken up by marsh areas in low spots. It is known as the best spot to see federally endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, & Bachman's Sparrows along the entire central to southern Gulf coast and certainly the southernmost location for the RCW! As such, it was not surprising that at first light my fellow bird counters and I headed directly for the closest Woodpecker roost site to insure we tallied this bird on the count. They are comparatively easy to see at first light when they leave the roost and socialize a bit before heading off to feed in the open woodlands. After this they could be wandering anywhere in a sea of pines.

It was overcast and as we waited for them to make an appearance, we began tallying other species like fly over American Goldfinches, American Robins, and Common Grackles, among others. I managed to locate a single Bachman's Sparrow which (as usual) was very uncoope rative and skulky. I was able to see movement in the palmettos, hear it's high-pitched call notes, and even hear the rustle of the dead fronds, but never really saw it. This is not atypical at all for this species in winter though... they are so much kinder after February when they actually come out of hiding and will tee up to sing their melodic phrases! Then some Brown-headed Nuthatches squeaked in the trees overhead following a fast moving flock of Eastern Bluebirds, mixed with handfuls of Pine, Palm, and Yellow-rumped Warblers. So far the birds were not offering good views but again this isn't unexpected of birds first waking up.

A distant Downy Woodpecker let out a descending "De-de-de-de-de-de-dee!" and two Red-bellied Woodpeckers "churred!" to our right. The harsh "Kiyoo!" of a Northern Flicker helped to round out our woodpecker list that morning, but we were still waiting on the rarest one.

Pine flatwoods at Babcock Webb WMA, Punta Gorda, FL

Surely these other woodpeckers waking up was a good sign though, I thought. In the distance there was a noise, "Was that it?!?..." I cocked my head and strained my ears to the gentle breeze. Yes! a high shrill, "Kiir!" followed by an answer. Our Red-cockaded Woodpecker couple had left their roost holes and were saying "Good morning!" (or at least that's the way I took it). They were on the opposite side of the road from where I was still struggling to get the Bachman's Sparrow to cooperate. I quickly gave up on this mouse of a bird and dashed back to the road. I spied the woodpecker marked by its large white circular face patch as it hitched up a tree not far off the road, then quickly trained the scope on it and leapt out of the way so Larry in our group could add this stunning bird to his lifelist. It was a brief view but definitive as the bird flew much further back and joined another on a more distant tree. I swung the scope around again and ran the zoom up a bit and once again surrendered the scope so Larry could enjoy his first views of this bird once again.

Eastern Screech-Owl in natural snag @ Babcock Webb WMA 12/14/08

By now it was well past 7 AM and I was real surprised to hear the staccato trill of an eastern Screech-Owl, both because it was so light at this point and in my quarter century of birding I'd never encountered them in habitat like this. The pines here are separated by 20 feet at least on average and it is a VERY open habitat. I've always seen Screech-Owls in dense thickets in the past. Of course, this is what makes birding so fun and interesting as well; the surprises never end. One thing that was certain was that if this bird kept singing it would be cinch to find. There were very few dead snags large enough to accommodate this bird for one thing and second the woods are so open you can easily see hundreds of feet in any given direction.

Eastern Screech-Owl digiscoped through Leica APO Televid scope w/ C-Lux camera

With a little coaxing the birds continued calling first a lower-pitched female then a more distant, higher-pitched male. Each time they called, I'd get a bearing and move quickly toward them then stop and wait again.... they'd call again, I'd close in again.... After 3 or 4 of these avian chess moves I stood in front of a tall dead snag about 40 feet away. I raised my binoculars and glassed up the trunk..."There she is!" About 20 feet up looking right at me was the female screech doing her best to imitate the broken off branch right above her was staring out at me. I quickly got her in the scope inviting the others to join me for a quick view, before mounting my digital camera and adapter to document the sighting utilizing the powerful magnification of the scope!

At this point, I was already late to get on with my "true assigned" area so I bid the crew adieu and headed off by myself to see what else this day had in store...

...and evenings with Sea Turtles!

As I mentioned in my last post, the day had already been made following the stellar morning with the Pawi's, but the staff at Asa Wright wanted to push my over the edge apparently and had another fabulous life experience in store for me that same evening.....





My companions and I were driven to the scenic seaside village of Matura, (as the sign reads) "Home of the Leatherback Turtle"! Sometimes in life you never know where hype ends and reality begins, and being a cynic by nature I often enter situations with lower expectations when heading toward a great unknown. It was unknown because I'd done a bunch of research on birds and birding trips in the months prior to the trip, but I hadn't noted much regarding the other wildlife in the region. In addition, I found almost no summer birding reports for the area, so I was hoping we may see a Turtle but again wasn't holding my breath.

sundown @ the entrance to Matura's beach, Leica V-Lux camera

As we were just finishing a marvelous picnic meal at the pavillion at the entrance to the beach at Matura. A rainbow arched across the sky falling on the nearshore waters. A pot of gold p erhaps?!?... or maybe a Turtle just waiting for darkness to fall.

female Magnificent Frigatebird, digiscoped Trinidad, July 2008

As I scanned the horizon I saw numerous Vultures and Magnificent Frigatebirds coursing up and down the beaches. Soon I began noticing that one after another these birds passing the trail from left to right (as seen in the rainbowed image above) were all carrying small ovate disks... "Holy hell!" I thought, "...they had baby turtles!" I hollered to the rest of our crew and we hurriedly made our way down the beach to where a large mass of Black Vultures were scrapping of the tiny hatchlings. I know nature has to take its course and all, but Vultures aren't endangered and would as surely pick through a garbage dump. Baby Leatherbacks are a rare commodity, plus their babies... we couldn't help but chase the vultures off and then searched the area for survivors.

one of the casualties of a daylight hatch!

Here and there scattered amidst the vultures tracks at the scene of the crime were a few carcasses of those we hadn't been quick enough to help, but within moments additional hatchlings began emerging from the sand.

3 freshly emerged Leatherback Turtle hatchlings spared from the vultures

We stood our ground as the daylight waned, insuring these last few turtles made it at least as far as the surf.

After emerging the long crawl began first came the "downhill slide" where the beach dropped steeply (for a 2" long turtle at least) from the higher dunes to the transitional area of the littoral zone....

Then they worked their way through the hightide line littered with algae and debris like the water bottle above....

Leatherback baby making tracks, Leica V-Lux camera

The trek to the water was long and arduous for these little critters and it took them >10 minutes to "flip" their way down the beach. I couldn't help but smirk at their comic nature. They hardly seemed real moving in stiff jerks with each flipper stroke, almost like some cheap wind up toy!

2 Leatherback Turtles finally reach the water, July 2008

Upon finally reaching the water, the exhausted turtlettes would get spun around by the first wave, having to quickly regroup and catch as much of the retreating waters as possible with their (comparatively) large flippers...

Upon catching the 2nd wave though that was typically enough to drag them out of sight into the murky depths of the water now shrouded in darkness.

a Leatherback Returns, Matura, Trinidad July 2008

After watching two groups of hatchlings "swim" across the sands and reach the ocean our guides said, "Now we need to find an adult..." There was one we'd seen who like the early hatchlings hadn't survived the process. It can be a gruelling process dragging an enormous many-hundred pound carapace through sand and clearly not all lived to tell the tale. The turtle carcass above ha d been here for a few weeks apparently.

adult female Leatherback Turtle, Matura, Trinidad July 2008

Biologists were already on the scene and were walking up and down the beaches searching for adult females coming up to lay eggs. I listened intently to the information we were given as we joined them on a patrol up the beach. I was so interested in the life history information and the descriptions of the studies, that it almost didn't register when he said, "Ahh, here's one now..."

female Leatherback Turtle lays a clutch of eggs

She had been digging for a while apparently when we approached with no lights save the dim green filtered light carried by our biologist & guide. He mentioned how the hole was almost as deep as her hind flippers were long as she deftly scooped sand out with alternating strokes. wasting no time our biologist was dutifully scribing notes, noting tag numbers, and implanted microchips, taking measurements of the length & width of the carapace, while constantly educating us about what was happening, what was coming up, and who this girl was. "She l ikely weighs close to 900 pounds from her size... she was first tagged at this beach 13 years ago... she will begin laying very soon now that the hole is nearly dug..." He explained further that when this begins they enter a near hypnotic state where they are oblivious to their surroundings. At this point, we can turn on our flashlights and take flash photos quickly, until she has completed the task.

Not wanting to disappoint and eager to capture some digital memories of this spectacular event, I rattled away in the short period we had with flash and flashlights, preserving some fantastic memories while trying to also capture the wonderful gems of knowledge our guide was providing. He explained how the eggs were soft-shelled (the size of a ping-pong ball perhaps) and that the occasional smaller ones (note the two just below the tail tip above) contained only air. These were believed to be "fillers" and provided some extra spaces I believe for the hatchlings... As I said I was multitasking and only catching some phrases so if anyone out there can add more or correct me please submit a comment!

female Leatherback Turtle, Matura, Trinidad, Leica V-Lux camera, July 2008

Then in a flash (or two or three) it was over and lights were turned off. We watched as this old gal back filled the hole and patted it down trying to camouflage the signs of excavation. I imagined that this old pro had been doing this same routine at this same beach for at le ast 13 years, and as our guide explained he had walked this same stretch of beach every night of every nesting season since the project began. It was great that these two "old friends" let me monopolize their meeting seeing as how they only get to see each other once a year. I felt privileged and elated, and couldn't imagine having any more wildlife adventures on this night. With memories preserved, I went to bed exhausted but happy!

BTW - while this isn't exactly a great digiscoping op, the 2009 Leica Digiscoping Workshop naturally includes an evening trip to the magical beaches of Matura! for more information see:

www.caligo.com/trinidad

A morning with Pawis!

Flashback to Trinidad.... Well I've already posted a bunch of stuff about my now long gone by trip to Trinidad in July, but I still haven't written about perhaps my most memorable day (and night) that I enjoyed while there.

the wonderfully wild Blanchiseusse Road

The morning started early with a short drive up hill from our headquarters at Asa Wright lodge in Trinidad. This scenic road climbs up and over the northern range toward quaint seaside towns like Blanchiseusse but for now we weren't going too far. Once again, I was impressed by the extent of bird habitat throughout this area!

another view from the Blanchiseusse Road in Trinidad's Northern Range

... and the scenery up here is nothing to sneeze at either! Of course all of this was the icing on the cake, I had another specific goal in mind on this day. I had high hopes of seeing Trinidad's only endemic bird. A species locals call Pawi, known to ornithologists as Pipile pipile, and that visiting birders refer to as the Trinidad Piping Guan.

the sign says it all... a conservation billboard sponsored by Asa Wright & local gov't

Birders visiting as recently as a decade ago had almost no hope of seeing this spectacular specialty bird. Their numbers had dropped so dramatically that only a handful were known to occur and they were rarely (if ever) seen in remote forests to the extreme NE corner of the island.

Guans, are like big turkeys that feed in the canopy not surprisingly they taste good! ;p Facing critically low numbers, Asa Wright partnered with the Forestry Department of Trinidad and started a public education campaign using roadside billboards like the one seen above and other means of outreach to attempt to save the Pawi years ago. These programs have proven successful as my initial impression was that seeing Pawi was a mere pipe dream, yet I now know this is a reality. Especially once I realized they sometimes see these within a short 20 minute drive of the center. I was thrilled!

Blue-black Grassquit digiscoped with Leica APO Televid scope & C-Lux 2 camera

We completed the short drive to a high area near the center as fi rst light broke. We parked at a clearing and stepped out as the birds were first waking up. There were large numbers of the ubiquitous Palm Tanagers here, a Long-billed Gnatwren called, Gray-breasted Martins sailed overhead, and Scaled Pigeons perched up to soak in the first rays of light. A Blue-black Grassquit was displaying and doing its short "jump up" display here as well.

As I continued down the trail I turned my attention back toward the task at hand and began searching for a familiar shape I'd seen throughout the American tropics, the unmistakable shape of a guan! I hadn't walked very far when I spotted a large dark ovate figure in the tree tops. I half suspected I'd found a paper wasp or termite nest at first.

the Pawi in the flesh! digiscoped near Asa Wright NC, Trinidad

I brought my binoculars to my eyes and was thrilled to find this was indeed the real deal, a living breathing Pawi! What a wonderful treat! Here was a bird I'd been led to believe I had no hopes of seeing from those who had come before me and even from reading the recent texts. But there was no denying this bird.

Pawi digiscoped w/ Leica APO Televid scope & C-Lux camera

Before long the bird began foraging on small berries in the canopy and was joined by a second bird. We watched the two for a while before they both moved to the edge of the road and then set their wings disappearing into the tree tops opposite.

Pawi digiscoped near Asa Wright Lodge, July 2008

The clock hadn't even struck 8:30 AM and the day was a complete and utter success. Over the next couple hours we explored more of the lovely northern range and added a whole bunch of fantastic birds to our list: Common Black Hawks, Black-faced Antthrush, Short-tailed Pygmy Tyrant, Streak-breasted Spinetail, Streaked Xenops, Collared Trogons, White-necked Thrush, and Turquoise & Speckled Tanagers were just a handful of birds we enjoyed before returning to Asa Wright for lunch!.... the evening held another great surprise though.... more to follow!

If you'd like to join Leica for our 2009 Trinidad digiscoping workshop, see:

www.caligo.com/trinidad

Utah's Critters

As is typical of the busy migration season, I have much to write about but often don't find/take the time to ACTUALLY "git 'er done". Skimming through recent images, I'm reminded of many great experiences I've had of late. For example, the great assortment of birds and critters seen at the American Birding Association's annual convention held in Snowbird, Utah.

Yellow Pine Chipmunk?...

The assortment of readily seen mammals was as much a highlight as the birds. The tiny chipmunk above I've tentatively named a "Yellow Pine Chipmunk", but I wasn't wholly convinced. If any out there with more experience with these montane chippies want to chime in with opinions I'd love to hear them! I found it fun to watch as this little critter would grab big chunks of this "fluff" and work through it extracting seeds. Marvelously entertaining!

Uinta Ground Squirrel watches from a rock, Snowbird, UT

Moving up in size, the ever present Uinta Ground Squirrels presented a continuing source of entertainment all around the venue. Including one resourceful individual who would sometimes sneak in the back door and visit us at our booths. Again, I realize locals likely take these for granted (much as I might seeing yet another alligator here in Florida), but the novelty of watching these antics was not lost on me. I very much enjoyed observing these behaviors. The grass is always greener I guess...

an alert Uinta Ground Squirrel, poses for a digiscoped shot

Every evening, a small army of marmots would come out of hiding and join the ubiquitous Ground Squirrels on the resort lawns. I realize these aren't rare, but again one of the great things about travel is that common local sights are new & different for those of us far from home. These creatures seemed to have a near endless range of variation in markings, which I enjoyed studying.

Yellow-bellied Marmot digiscoped in Snowbird, UT

The evening hours were also the best time to see the local ungulates which included many Mule Deer which would appear out of the scattered tree stands and taller shrubs lining the sloped sides of the beautiful canyon. The buck below takes a moment while grazing to give me a look as I hike a scenic hillside trail. In the summer months the male muleys' antlers are still growing in "velvet" and furry hide covers the living tissue below as the antlers grow back in.

male Mule Deer grazes on the slopes of Snowbird Resort

Another common sight around the grounds were Moose and some would reliably feed in the algae laden ponds near the Steakhouse on the grounds. I never actually digiscoped one of these but did snag a photo of a big yearling with my camera phone after enjoying a nice dinner! Some lucky observers also found Mountain Goats here but I was never at the right spot at the right time to enjoy this. At any rate, the place was definitely crawling with wildlife. A pleasant departure from the typical venue in a hotel in the middle of a concrete jungle.

"Muley" digiscoped at snowbird with Leica APO Televid scope and C-Lux 2 camera

Further afield, along the shores of the Great Salt Lake, Pronghorn Antelope mixed with reintroduced Bison. We even saw a distant Desert Bighorn Sheep on a relatively small rocky rise. This mammalian smorgasbord was a pleasant distraction for me though living in the semi-tropical lowlands.

American Bison snapped through a bus window with a Leica V-Lux camera in passing