Rosyfinch Ramblings

Virtual New Mexican, who winters in Florida and migrates annually to Illinois, remembers growing up, birding and practicing in New Jersey, and finds birds and beauty close to home.

Links

RSS Feeds

Categories:

Search:

Archives:

Meta:

July 2010

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Jun
	1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31

07/26/10

Watching behavior and other little things

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 10:16 am

Finding and identifying birds can be an end in itself, but paying special attention to what birds are doing adds an important dimension to birding. As you can tell from the following photos, we are back in our Florida home. On our first day back, in between the usual chores associated with relocation, I glanced out the back patio window.

Three male Boat-tailed Grackles were assembled breast to breast, their bills pointing to the sky:

In our neighborhood there are many nests of this conspicuous and noisy species. But the nests are hard to find, as most are hidden high in the base of palm fronds. We know the nests are there when adults start carrying food to the nestlings. Just as bull Elk collect harems of cows, the male Boat-tails stand guard over a group of females, and confront other males that enter their territory, which they advertise by calling (”singing”) and flapping from some high vantage point. One male has selected the peak of our roof to conduct such a display.

Conflicts are frequent, but they are almost always non-violent.Instead of engaging in battle, the dominant males rule by intimidation. Subordinate males often are accepted peacefully, as they may be permitted to forage within the territory. The ruling male seems to recognize subtle signs that certain other males pose a threat, and he may chase them away. As I watched the three birds in the above photo, it appeared that they were engaged in an aggressive display. After a minute or so, one of the males stopped displaying and simply walked away. The other two continued displaying. Then one of the resulting pair departed, and the “winner” stayed in place. Although I could not tell the differences between the nature of each bird’s posture and vocalization, it appeared that the remaining bird had indeed prevailed over the other two in a bloodless contest.

Wild creatures have evolved ways to conserve precious energy, and this “Cold War” is probably an example of one such adaptation. (I wish we humans could make such progress!) Interestingly, studies have shown that a significant majority of the the females in a “harem” of Boat-tailed Blackbirds are actually impregnated by males other than the dominant one– the equivalent of “spies?” (See: http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Boat-tailed_Grackle/lifehistory )

A young Boat-tailed Grackle, as big as its mother and actually able to find food on its own, pesters Mama for a handout:

This photo shows an interaction between two Common Grackle males, part of a large flock that gathered in the wetlands adjacent to our property. This exchange seems not to be hostile:

Here, a Fish Crow seems to enjoy harassing a Black Vulture atop the handball court of a nearby park:

Along the edge of our lake, I saw another interesting behavior. Wood Storks are tactile feeders, with bubble-gum colored toes. Maybe their toes look like worms to attract prey into their waiting open jaws.

A pair of Wood Storks were stirring the water with their feet, which startles small fish into the trap:

Snowy Egrets hunt by sight, but they also stir their “golden slippers,” driving fish out of hiding places:

Behavior-watching provides insights into the many aspects of the life history of birds. The best places to find birds is in areas where prey is most abundant. This makes identification and better understanding of prey species a valuable asset for birders.

I was puzzled about the identity of this very large grub as it struggled in the beak of a Loggerhead Shrike:

I recognized the grub as an arthropod larva of some kind, but had never seen one this big– over two inches long. With some help from an online friend, I learned that this creature is the larval form of a Horsefly. These insects develop in the mud on the bottom of canals, and the larva can deliver a painful bite. The shrike had just carried its prey from the edge of a nearby ditch.

Mockingbirds have conspicuous white patches on their wings. When foraging in the grass, they often open their wings, presumably to scare insects into moving.

This immature Northern Mockingbird has breast streaks which will fade over the next couple of months:

While the wing patches of the mockingbird appear to serve a useful purpose, why does this Common Nighthawk have white wing bars?:

When a friend asked me this question, I speculated:that, as with almost anything in nature, those wing spots must have a purpose, or they would not have evolved. Perhaps some ornithologist has already done research, such as covering the patches to see if they provide some advantage. Maybe they are vestiges of a trait that has become less useful as feeding habits evolved. The male has more prominent white wing bars than the female, which suggests they may provide a reproductive advantage.

Since nighthawks are crepuscular feeders and also perform courtship when the sky is quite dark, perhaps the white bars provide recognition. White-tailed deer use their white “flags” in this manner, so the members of a herd can follow each other in the dark. But, honestly I do not know, and it is a good question, for which I will try to find an answer. (Here is a link to a Blackfeet Indian legend about how the white got onto nighthawks’ wings, and also why the bird’s beak is so short)

Small things about birds can also be quite fascinating. Look at the eyes of the birds in the above photos, Boat-tailed Grackles in Florida have dark eyes, while those to the north and west have straw-colored eyes. Those Common Grackles have bright yellow eyes. See how the nighthawk’s eyes face forward to provide binocular vision,

Most of the Eastern Towhees in South Florida have yellow eyes. This red-eyed one is either an exception or an early migrant from the north:

Speaking of eyes, check out those of this immature Yellow-crowned Night-Heron that I flushed from the trailside ditch:

When birding gets dull, I tend to pay more attention to the insects. Interactions between butterflies can be interesting. For example, the White Peacock butterfly males can be seen patrolling back and forth along the paths. Almost like the grackles, the male will protect its territory against other males, and attempt to mate with any females that enter it. Since the females of this species can mate only once, they will spurn the advances of any male who did not get to her first.

The color of White Peacocks is said to change from very pale during the dry (winter) season to darker after the summer rains begin. I have taken quite a few photos of this species and cannot see a clear trend. However, the lighting conditions can produce quite different impressions of their color.

This White Peacock was photographed in full sun:

A few minutes later, I shot this one in a shady spot:

comments (0)

07/18/10

Prairie Song and Color

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 8:47 pm

As soon as we arrived back in Illinois after our two-week trip to three Western states , we were anxious to catch up with the local birds that, in our absence, had returned north to nest. Since we missed seeing any Henslow’s Sparrows or Bobolinks before departing, we headed back to nearby Dick Young/Nelson Lake Forest Preserve in Batavia.

Recent rains had fed the creek at the west end of Nelson Lake:

From Audubon Bridge-Nelsons Lake 20100630

After parking at the north entrance of the Preserve, we walked the path that leads into an extensive area of restored tallgrass prairie. Blackbirds were chasing an American Kestrel that was carrying prey.

The kestrel landed on the roof of the north picnic shelter. Through our binoculars, we could not tell whether the kestrel had caught a bird or a small mammal. After viewing the photo on the computer screen, we could identify the prey item as a rodent, probably a vole:

As we walked the two mile loop through the prairie, We were greeted by the songs of meadowlarks, Song and Savannah Sparrows and Red-winged Blackbirds.

From a low bush we heard the “witchity-witchity” serenade of a Common Yellowthroat:

Another flash of yellow in the prairie– an American Goldfinch:

Male Dicksissels, guarding their nesting territories, sang “DIK DIK, chi-chi-chi:”

The Sedge Wrens were now busy feeding their nestlings. Their songs were less frequent than when we last saw them a couple of weeks before.

One wren scolded us as we passed by:

At last, we saw a Henslow’s Sparrow, a species that we missed seeing before we left on our trip.

The Henslow’s Sparrow sings a weak little “chil-ipp,” but with energy befitting a virtuoso:

This Henslow’s Sparrow approached us unusually close, probably because it had a nest near the path:

At the far end of the loop, we finally saw our second target species, this male Bobolink:

The female Bobolink bears little resemblance to her mate:

Beauty in an unlikely place– a Pearl Crescent butterfly extracts essential nutrients from a deposit of raccoon dung:

Pearl Crescent butterflies on dung 20100630

Later, we checked on the progress of the two Bald Eagle chicks in the nest near our daughter’s home in Batavia. Only about two miles from our condo, this is the first recorded eagle nest in Kane County since DDT was banned in the early 1970s. Coincidentally, we have also been monitoring the first post-DDT nest in Broward County, about two miles away from our Florida home.

The eaglets, about 11 weeks old, are ready for free flight, but they will return to the nest to be foed for another 6 to 8 weeks:

Across the highway from the eagle nest, in Hawk’s Bluff Park, this Eastern Wood-Pewee is bringing an insect to nestlings:

Numerous Indigo Buntings sing loudly:

Another bit of scat from an unknown carnivore attracts this Summer Azure:

A female Common Whitetail dragonfly rests on the wood chips of the path:

Before departing for Florida, we made two trips to the Aurora West Forest Preserve, hoping to find the Clay-colored Sparrows that had been reported there while we were back in California. We spent a couple of hours searching for the sparrows without success. We did see a Yellow-breasted Chat, but it was too far away for me to obtain a decent photo. We did see a small flycatcher that had distinct wing bars but no visible eye rings. This narrowed the identification down to either an Eastern Wood-Pewee or one of the two small “Traill’s” flycatchers, the Alder or Willow Flycatchers. These are distinguishable only by voice and are found in slightly differing habitats. Our bird did not have streaked undertail coverts as does the the wood-pewee, and it occupied a dry brushy area in the open prairie. Since it did not sing or call, our educated guess is that it was not an Alder Flycatcher, which favors a stream-side habitat.

This is probably a Willow Flycatcher:

Finally, we thought we had seen and photographed a possible Clay-colored Sparrow. We had only fleeting glimpses, so our identification was tentative.

Upon reviewing the photos, it looked rather nondescript and young, and lacked the plumage characteristics of a Clay-colored Sparrow:

Field Sparrow immature SOOC cropped 20100705

Another photo showed that it was perching near an adult Field Sparrow, so this clinched our impression that is was a young Field Sparrow, not a Clay-colored after all:

This Red-eyed Vireo sang as it hunted for caterpillars:

Share on Facebook:

2 comments

07/13/10

Two New “Lifers” in California

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, NM & SW US, Grandchildren, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 3:28 pm

(This is a continuation of the previous post)

We topped off our two week 50th Anniversary trip with 5 nights at the Hilton Sonoma Wine Country Hotel in Santa Rosa, California. Transportation and lodging were a gift from our younger daughter and her husband, in exchange for our agreement to mind their two daughters while they attended the wedding (and several associated gatherings) of a friend and business associate. Needless to say, we welcomed the task and found it to be a most pleasant “burden.” The younger set enjoyed sleeping late on their vacation, while we persisted in our habit of being up and out at the crack of dawn. This provided a nice window of “prime time” for birding. Since we did not have a car, we had to find a nearby place to bird.

California Quail:

Mornings started out quite cool and foggy, but once the skies cleared, the temperature rose rapidly, and Our granddaughters enjoyed the hotel pool:

As soon as we arrived at the hotel, Mary Lou and I scouted out the neighborhood in search of the nearest patch of natural habitat that might be a convenient birding site. Only about a block from the hotel entrance, we found an undeveloped hill that was covered by grass and had patches of shrubs and trees. Blackberry thickets laden with near-ripe fruit bordered an old trail that led to a long-abandoned building. We were greeted by California Towhees and two California Quail. Unfortunately, I did not bring my camera, so the above image was taken from a much greater distance a couple of days later,

California Towhee:

We had birded in California a couple of times before, so we did not expect to see any new species. Since we tend to be more “bird-watchers” than compulsive “listers,” this was not a concern. Birding in a new and less familiar location is always exciting, and we looked forward to get re-acquainted with species not present back in our Florida and Illinois homes.

Almost immediately, we heard the calls of a colony of Acorn Woodpeckers. This fascinating species breeds cooperatively, with one or two dominant males in charge of a group of subordinate males and females (the latter usually siblings from a previous brood). All assist in maintaining the colony. They store acorns, as well as other nuts and seeds, individually in holes they drill in the bark of trees in their territory. Most of the holes were created by many previous generations of Acorn Woodpeckers, and are used year after year. Telephone poles and fence posts, and even cracks in boulders and stone walls may serve as “granaries.” They are even known to drill storage holes into rock themselves. For much more information about this behavior, see this article (PDF) from the University of New Mexico SORA collection of ornithology literature: http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/wb/v23n04/p0165-p0170.pdf

Two Acorn Woodpeckers took positions at the top of one of their larder trees:

A Spotted Towhee sang a weak trill. Its bright red eyes differed from the yellow eyes of the closely related Eastern Towhees in South Florida:

The area surrounding our new-found birding “patch” is mostly developed, with office buildings and medical clinics, as well as vineyards. Open land appeared to be fragmented, and our birding spot was an island of wildness.

We did see several deer, including this young Black-tailed buck. This species is smaller and darker than the Mule Deer (which is believed to have evolved thousands of years ago from hybrids of White-tailed and Black-tailed Deer):

On our last morning in Santa Rosa we got a late start, and the day quickly turned quite warm. Mary Lou was anxious to get back to bring the girls swimming, but I stayed out for another hour. I was rewarded by the appearance of a small flycatcher. It had the tear-drop shaped eye ring of the Cordillerian Flycatcher, a familiar and common species around our former home in the mountains of New Mexico. However, this was my first sighting of a West Coast specialty, the Pacific-slope Flycatcher. I felt bad that Mary Lou missed out on a “lifer.”

The Pacific-slope Flycatcher was classified as a subspecies of the Cordillerian until taxonomists “split” it into a new species. But for its unique calls and song, it is practically indistinguishable from its eastern counterpart:

This view better displays the “tear drop” eye ring:

That same morning, a few swifts flew over. I paid them little mind until I realized that they were not Chimney Swifts, so common east of the Rocky Mountains, but Vaux’s (rhymes with “boxes”) Swifts. While they are smaller than the Chimney Swift, and are said to fly with more rapid wingbeats, all I could say, without any basis for comparison, is that they did fly fast and were small– so fast and small that my attempts to capture photos of them produced only blue sky and a few clouds! We had seen the species before from a distance, flying into a chimney roost in Portland, Oregon, but that view was unsatisfactory. I had to go back to my records to see if we had ever entered it as a new “life” bird. We had not, so with some hesitancy I added it this time as my Life Bird Number 574. At my age, I believe there is little hope for me to reach the 600 species milestone.

We saw a few Bewick’s Wrens, but they were quite elusive:

We drove down to Point Reyes National Seashore, where we visited the Visitors Center, and the girls hugged an Elephant Seal:

The spectacular drive down to Muir Woods followed State Route 1:

At Muir Woods, the girls were given Junior Ranger badges and they recorded their observations in notebooks. A wary Chipmunk is under study:

An endangered Leopard Lily grows in John Muir Woods:

The Redwoods were impressive:

(This series of three posts begins at this link)

1 comment

07/08/10

Estes Park to Albuquerque

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, NM & SW US, Grandchildren, Sandia Crest
Posted by: Ken @ 3:34 pm

YMCA entrance sign:

(Continuation of previous post)

We last visited the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado several times in the 1970s and ’80s, when I attended continuing medical education conferences of the American Academy of Family Physicians. I combined the trips with a few vacation days. We’d pack our children into the station wagon and drive up from Dallas. The children were kept busy with Day Camp programs, and the conference schedule allowed us for family fun, such as hay rides, hiking and sightseeing. Although the facility is now much larger, the cabins are stil fairly secluded. As their parents had before them, our grandchildren also enjoyed a wonderful selection of Day Camp activities.

Our cabin (Robin’s Nest), at 8,500 feet elevation, was flanked by those of our children and grandchildren:

Missing from this photo of the Schneider clan are our daughter Karen and her husband Randy, who had to return home because of his brother’s sudden death, and our son-in-law Roly, who took the picture:

Bachelor groups of elk gathered near the cabins. In the fall they will fill the air with their bugling, and compete with each other as they assemble the females into harems:

A Pine Siskin gathered nesting materials beside our cabin:

This Tiger Swallowtail provided a photo-op::

Having left my butterfly guide back in Florida, I found this Common Ringlet, a species that has expanded its range southward from Canada:

We joined our younger daughter and family on a scenic drive through southern Colorado to New Mexico, staying two nights at The Inn on the Delta in Espanola:

The rooms were cozy and luxurious:

A male House Sparrow perched in the Inn’s courtyard:

We made side trips to Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch, NM, and to Taos Pueblo. The vibrant colors and forbidding topography of Ghost Ranch inspired many of Georia O’Keefe’s paintings:

The hills, sculpted by wind and water, are rich in fossils:

Remarkably, a pair of Barn Swallows had plastered their mud nest on the smooth metal surface of one of the portal lights at the museum at Ghost Ranch:

After two nights in Espanola, we departed for Albuquerque by way of Santa Fe, where St. Francis of Assisi Cathedral loomed over the old city:

In Santa Fe’s Central Plaza, our granddaughters made friends with two vendors and a macaw:

Following the Turquoise Trail southward, we drove up to Sandia Crest before descending into Albuquerque. The hummingbird feeder at Crest House attracted quite a crowd of Broad-tailed Hummiingbirds. Here, a male hovers, a mile above the City of Albuquerque:

Before departing for California, we visited the ancient Acoma Pueblo, situated west of Albuquerque, high on an arid mesa. At bottom of this page, view a slide show of the Pueblo (select full screen mode). This is the Acoma mission church:

Tour of Acoma Pueblo:

2 comments

06/29/10

Colorado Rockies Reunion

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, NM & SW US, Grandchildren
Posted by: Ken @ 9:15 am

On the occasion of our 50th Wedding Anniversary, Mary Lou and I have just completed an exciting two weeks of travel out west. Our trip began with a family reunion at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, Colorado.

This platter was a gift from our oldest daughter, her husband and her son and daughter-in-law, who is expecting our first great-grandchild in October. It is positioned to reflect the snow-capped Rocky Mountains outside the window of our cabin:

All eight of our grandchildren and two of our children and spouses spent most of the first week in adjacent cabins at this beautiful retreat. Our oldest daughter and her husband had driven only as far as Colorado Springs when they received news of the sudden and unexpected death of his younger brother. Only about 2 hours away, they had to turn around and drive back to Arizona. Despite this sad news, we all spent long days filled with day camp for the kids, trail rides, sightseeing, plus lots of visiting together and and eating too much.

On the day of our arrival it rained all morning, with episodes of thunder and hail, and the mountaintops received a fresh coating of snow. By afternoon the weather turned deligtful, and we enjoyed mild sunny days and cool nights at 8500 feet elevation.

The view from our cabin the next morning:

For six days, we existed without TV, cell phones and the Internet (though weak Wi-Fi hotspots were available in a few places around the YMCA compound and within the Village of Estes Park).

The fireplace was a wonderful substitute for a boob tube:

All of us, especially the children, enjoyed watching the wildlife. Serious birding had low priority, but it always finds a place in our schedule, no matter where we are. Early each morning, after igniting some logs in the fireplace, before most of the others were out of bed, I was able to squeeze in a little birding, mostly from the wrap-around porch of our cabin. The morning air was filled with the songs of Green-tailed Towhees, Chipping Sparrows and Dark-eyed (Gray-headed) Juncos. Pygmy Nuthatches foraged in the pines. Mountain Bluebirds sang weakly from the treetops. Elk and Mule Deer often appeared just outside our door.

We felt we were celebrating a second reunion, with many bird species
that were so familiar in our former home in the mountains of New Mexico. (Click on photos for more views).

Pygmy Nuthatch:

Green-tailed Towhee:

This Chipping Sparrow perched on the porch railing:

The juncos sported reddish brown “saddles,” and were quite tame:

Several pairs of Mountain Bluebirds occupied territories around our cabin:

Common Ravens croaked from rooftops and utility poles:

Black-billed Magpies, more brightly plumaged than their raven relatives, were on the alert for food scraps around the administration buildings:

Naturally, the children liked to watch the furry creatures, such as this young bull Elk that approached an adjacent cabin:

Mule Deer were abundant…

…as were Wyoming Ground Squirrels…

…and chipmunks:

Early the first morning, I caught a glimpse of a Coyote as it stalked in the forest behind our cabin:

Overview of the main campus of the YMCA of the Rockies, as the clouds lifted on our first afternoon:

All five of our granddaughters posed in back of the “YMCA” statues:

CLICK HERE for continuation of our trip
from Colorado to New Mexico and then California

3 comments

06/12/10

Summer resident birds return to the Illinois prairie

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 9:24 pm

Mary Lou and I had time for one final bird walk before our trip to celebrate our 50th Wedding Anniversary with all our children and grandkids (plus a great-grandson in the womb!).

Once again, before departing from Illinois, we searched for Henslow’s Sparrows at Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve in Kane County, Illinois. We failed to hear a single “Ch-Leep” song along the path that climbs the hill where at least four pairs nested last spring. As I mentioned, it may be that the controlled burns have fragmented the former territory of this threatened species. They prefer to nest deep in the center of favorable habitat, which generally means a prairie that was burned between 2 to 5 years previously. They wait for the ground litter to build up, but will abandon an area where there are many emerging shrubs and saplings and too great an accumulation of dried grasses on the prairie floor. Then again, maybe they have moved to less accessible areas, away from the foot paths

We were pleased to find that many Grasshopper Sparrows had returned from the south; some ran across the path in front of us:

Note the proportionally long legs of this sparrow:

This Grasshopper Sparrow posed on a dried mullein stalk:

The numerous American Goldfinches also extracted seeds from the stalks:

I never fail to be impressed by the exuberant vocalization of the Song Sparrow:

Dicksissels have returned to the prairie:

There must have been over twenty singing male Dicksissels along the first mile of the north path through the grassland. The amount and pattern of the males’ black and yellow breast markings varies quite a bit:

They are one of my favorite birds. This one landed briefly on the path, and I caught it just as it was ready to fly off:

I loved this Dicksissel’s pose and the color:

Sedge Wrens were singing in the tall grass. This one was interacting with another– I was not sure whether it was an aggressive display or perhaps part of a courtship or pair bonding ritual:

These little wrens can be difficult to photograph, as they are so active. With patience, I may catch one on an exposed perch:

Just after I took the above shot, the Sedge Wren launched into flight:

We first heard, then spotted two Willow Flycatchers.

I caught this one during the second syllable of its “Fitz-Byew” song:

Capturing this Great Crested Flycatcher in flight involved just dumb luck:

Here it roosts in a rather distant treetop:

The severe backlighting washed out most of the rufous color on the Great Crested Flycatcher’s wings and tail:

Yellow Warblers were fairly abundant in the trees along the south side of the Preserve, but they have a habit of hiding behind the leaves:

This Yellow Warbler briefly perched out in the open:

2 comments

05/28/10

White Peacocks, Snowy Egrets, and a White Mountain in Florida

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 11:55 am

As the day of our departure from Chicagoland drew near, our birding concentrated on woodland migrants. We still had not explored the prairie habitat at Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve near our Kane County second home. We used the last of our free time to walk the two mile loop around the grasslands, hoping to see returning Dicksissels, Bobolinks and threatened Henslow’s Sparrows. We saw none of these three species. It may have been a bit early for them, and extensive controlled burns had reduced the amount of cover.

Henslow’s Sparrows prefer to build their nests where there is an accumulation of dead grass stalks from at least one previous summer. They also abandon a grassland after too much litter accumulates on the ground, so a cycle of wildfire or controlled burns is essential to provide them with suitable breeding habitat. Researchers have found that Henslow’s Sparrows tend to shun islands of apparently favorable habitat that are surrounded by freshly burned or overgrown grassland. Last fall, the area of controlled burns at Nelson Lake was much larger than in previous years, but there are still some sections of prairie that look favorable for this species. I just hope that the spared areas are not too fragmented. Bobolinks also seem to like more expansive areas of high grass, while Dicksissels appear less selective, being found along overgrown fence rows as well as the open prairie.

Last year, I photographed this Henslow’s Sparrow in mid-June at Nelson Lake:

The morning was clear and the temperature was in the mid-60s, although a stiff northerly breeze made us feel chilly. Red-winged Blackbirds were nesting, and singing “Conk-Ra-Lee.” We also heard songs of American Goldfinches and Savannah Sparrows.

The songs of Common Yellowthroats filled the air:

Eastern Meadowlarks added to the chorus:

Sedge Wrens found the edges of the trail and the margins of burned areas particularly inviting. We heard them about every 100 yards along the path:

In a small willow tree along the creek at the west end of the lake, an aptly named Willow Flycatcher perched:

It was easy to photograph him singing, as the song has two syllables: “Fitz-Byew.” I simply clicked the shutter when I heard the “Fitz.”

Maintaining two homes that are 1400 miles apart creates some inconveniences. It means that you must have two of everything, from can openers to vehicles and major appliances. We waste time flying between Florida and Illinois and back again– not only an entire day on limos and airplanes, but days before and after the trip. First we have to pack and get ready to travel, then unpack and shop for groceries at the other end. We often plan around important events such as birthdays, dance recitals and medical and dental appointments. Arriving in Illinois in early spring, we wanted to rush out and greet the migrating birds. Before departing we squeezed in as much time in the field as possible.

Once back in Florida, after several days of necessary domestic chores, I grew increasingly restless and in need of my minimum daily requirement of 20 bird species (BirdChaser’s “Birding RDA”)

Finally, I broke free and walked my local “patch” of recovering Everglades. Although I began my walk a little after 7:00 AM, the sun bore down and the temperature quickly climbed into the low 90s.

During our absence, had a snow-covered mountain appeared on the South Florida horizon?

For a moment, I thought I was in Oregon or Washington State! No, this is not photoshopped– this mountain of “coral” (limestone) rock is being mined from the bottom of a deep flooded quarry at the foot of the 196th Avenue canal, about 1 1/2 miles to the south. Over 15 square miles of wetlands in far NW inhabited Miami-Dade County have been permitted for rock mining. In addition to the threat to the Everglades ecosystem, groundwater pollution of several nearby water wells is a concern of conservationists. Nearby homeowners blame the daily blasting for cracks in foundation slabs.

I’ve never before seen the stone piled this high. This photo is taken from 1 1/2 miles away, and you can’t really see the bottom of the “mountain.” I wonder if this is the highest topographic point in South Florida. Demand may be down and they are stockpiling it. Much gets exported– Panama is said to be a big customer. The lake formed by this quarry must be very deep– at least 100 feet. Surely it penetrates the aquifer. I don’t know how they can keep from contaminating the ground water this way.

Along the canal, Deer Flies ignored the insect repellent and bit at my face and neck.The jaws of this Robber Fly appear menacing, but it prefers to eat other insects:

The Red-winged Blackbirds made me feel as if I were back in Illinois:

I disturbed a male Northern Flicker eating ants along the levee, and from the seclusion
of a small tree, he waited to resume the feast :

Surprise! The flicker has blue eyelids:

This Northern Cardinal looked and sounded just like those in Illinois:

However, an Eastern Towhee’s weak song (”ti-ti-te-e-e-e-e-e” instead of “Drink Your Tea!”) and calls (”treee?” instead of “Chew-ink?”) differed markedly from those in the north, and its eyes are straw-yellow instead of red as in its Illinois counterparts:

This Loggerhead Shrike scolded the mockingbirds that were harassing it:

Unusually, a Common Nighthawk foraged in the daylight. I was lucky to capture it in erratic flight:

White Peacock butterflies patrolled small stretches of the path, chasing after females and repelling rivals:

An Anhinga reminded me that I was back in Florida:

A Great Egret was the only long-legged wader I encountered, and by now I had only seen 18 of the 20 species that would satisfy my “RDA.”

A Mottled Duck enlarged my list to 19…

…and, on the way back, a Eurasian Collared-Dove lofted gently from the top of a Royal Palm, bringing my total to 20:

Back at the house, I later saw a Blue Jay and a Little Blue Heron. That evening, a high-stepping Snowy Egret walked the lake at the edge of our back lawn, the 23rd species for the day. I had exceeded my RDA:

1 comment

05/16/10

It’s Beginning to Feel Like Summer

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Illinois, Birding "Patches", Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 10:43 pm

Here in Illinois, the trees are almost completely leafed out. This, combined with a series of overcast days, has made it difficult for me to ID warblers high in the trees. Resident birds now dominate the scene, the more colorful of which are Baltimore Orioles, Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers and Indigo Buntings.

Mary Lou and I have visited our local “patches” nearly every morning, hoping not to miss the spring migration warbler bonanza. Frankly, too many of the warblers we encountered ended up in the “unidentified” column. This morning I saw an Orange-crowned Warbler in Hawk’s Bluff Park, Batavia, Illinois.

Hawk’s Bluff Park observation and fishing deck on a bend of Mill Creek:

The broken eye ring, yellow undersides and grayish head help distinguish the Orange-crowned Warbler from other similar warblers such as Common Yellowthroat and female Yellow Warbler:

While I was trying (unsuccesfully) to get photos of a small flock of Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, these two Gray Catbirds suddenly appeared. They were displaying and interacting in a manner that suggested courtship rather than hostility, but they flew off before I could better interpret their actions.

This image makes it look like an angry confrontation, but they did not attack each other and seemed to be engaged in a mating ritual or “dance’ (click on the photo for another view):

Nearby, an Indigo Bunting appeared to be jumping for joy:

A Red-tailed Hawk floated overhead:

American Redstarts were the most common of the warblers at Hawk’s Bluff:

From the south end of Hawk’s Bluff, two eaglets are clearly visible in this shot of the Mooseheart nest, the first in Kane County since DDT was abolished in the 1970s:

Here is a male Yellow Warbler, seen at Les Arends Forest Preserve in Batavia, also a rather poor image due to the heavy overcast:

An Eastern Kingbird appears ever vigilant…

…while an Eastern Phoebe seems to be at peace with the world:

A third species of flycatcher, this Great Crested, calls from the upper canopy:

A White-eyed Vireo sings his heart out:

At Jones Meadow Park near our North Aurora home, we often heard and sometimes caught glimpses of several Soras that nest in the wetlands. This time I was lucky. High water had forced them up the berm near the trail. It was difficult to focus on them through the high grass, but two ventured so close to me that I could not get their entire bodies in my viewfinder.

This Sora walked right out in the open, almost at my feet (click on photo for more views):

A resident Muskrat munches on cattail sprouts:

Also at Jones Meadow, this Northern Cardinal seems to be wearing a set of false teeth! On closer examination, his mouth is full of seeds, probably intended for a nestling:

American Goldfinches abounded:

Sporting a bright reddish cap, a Chipping Sparrow visited the play area at Jones Meadow Park:

A late White-crowned Sparrow pecked at dandelion seeds along the path:

The sparrow missed this perfect dandelion seed head:

A Tree Swallow guards its nest box:

Wildflowers add their color to the scene…

…as does this Red Admiral Butterfly:

…and a Baltimore Oriole:

This afternoon, as I was cooking a BBQ at our daughter’s home, a Savannah Sparrow put in an appearance in their back yard:

1 comment

05/08/10

Ruff– A Lifer!

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 10:42 pm

On May 4, a Ruff was discovered at Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve in Kane County, IL, one of our favorite birding “patches.” The preserve is dominated by a shallow lake that is rimmed by marshes and woodlands.This would be a new bird species for Mary Lou and me.

We could not get out until 8:00 AM the next day, and were only able to spend about an hour there. Others were armed with spotting scopes, but none of us located the vagrant Old World sandpiper. Discouraged, we departed to complete some essential chores. We were not free again until 5:00 PM, and this time we had better luck.

As soon as we arrived at the east entrance of Nelson Lake, we saw a couple of birders gathered on a bluff overlooking the wetlands, peering intently through a scope. Quickly, we joined them and were pleased to learn that the Ruff had been under observation for over an hour. Dave offered us eye-popping views of the target bird, which at first glance seemed quite similar to the scores of Lesser Yellowlegs gathered in the shallow water and exposed mud flats.

On closer inspection, the Ruff, on the right, has a brownish rather than gray back, and tends to stand more upright than the Lesser Yellowlegs. It appears pot-bellied, with an almost duck-like chest. The Ruff is a bit larger, and its neck is thicker than that of the yellowlegs, there is no suggestion of a line over the eye, and its bill, unlike the straight and narrow sabre of the yellowlegs, is heavier and seems to droop downward ever so little.

Click on both photos to see more Ruff images:

This was my ABA (The American Birding Association Area encompassing the continental 49 States and Canada) Life Bird number 572. For Mary Lou it represented number 505. Although Mary Lou started birding fairly recently, we now are usually both picking up new lifers simultaneously. Our previous life birds have been the La Sagra’s Flycatcher and the Ivory Gull. Although it has not been our habit to chase after rarities, we hate to pass up the chance to see an unusual bird if it shows up near to where we happen to be at the time.

Poor photo of La Sagra’s Flycatcher:

On September 12, 2003 a vagrant Piratic Flycatcher from southern Mexico suddenly appeared at Bosque Redondo near Fort Sumner, NM. At the time, we were visiting our son and family in Amarillo, Texas. On September 16, on our way back to our home near Albuquerque, we stopped there at about 8:30 AM to hear that it had been seen only 20 minutes earlier. Luckily, we re-found it at 9:10 AM and observed it for almost an hour. The bird ate Russian Olive fruits. It hovered (fluttered rather clumsily) as it plucked the olives from the tree. Once it made a brief foray and caught and ate a medium-sized dragonfly. We did not hear any vocalizations.

This was only the third confirmed sighting of a Piratic Flycatcher ever recorded in the USA, the second for New Mexico:

In September of 2006 there was a rare bird alert for a Northern Wheatear, the first ever of this northern and eastern European species to be seen in Everglades National Park. We drove right down and enjoyed great views. I was not into photography at that time, but I captured a shot of it with my 2 megapixel Canon A-40 point-and-shoot– fuzzy, but a nice souvenir (See: Chasing the White-Arse Bird)

We were not always so lucky. A Loggerhead Kingbird, the first of its species ever recorded in Florida, showed up in Key West in mid-March, 2007. We had prior plans to visit the Keys for a few days with my brother and his wife, and we arrived on March 25, 2007. On our way, we took our time sightseeing, arriving later than planned. The kingbird had been seen about an hour before we got there that afternoon, and we looked for the bird for a couple of hours, to no avail. That bird was never seen again!

Presently, we are enjoying the arrival of the spring migrants.

A Louisiana Waterthrush, an early migrant, was singing along the creek in Lippold Park in Batavia, Illinois:

This week, we knew that “birder’s spring” had finally arrived, when we were greeted by some popular residents.

At Lippold Park, we saw our first Scarlet Tanager of the spring season…

…the first Rose-breasted Grosbeak…

…and Baltimore Oriole:

These female Brown-headed Cowbirds, though much maligned, struck a graceful pose in the branches:

A male cowbird displayed next to the females:

We also “discovered” a Bald Eagle nest not far from our home. We knew that it had been reported in the general vicinity, but thought it was probably in an inaccessible location. While walking in Hawk’s Bluff Park in Batavia, I saw a large raptor in at tree across a busy highway. The bino view made it clear that it was a Bald Eagle at its nest. We subsequently learned that this is the first Bald Eagle nest to be reported in in Kane County, Illinois, since before DDT was banned in the 1970s. Coincindentally, the nest near our Florida home is the first in Broward County over the same time span!

The lone eagle stands watch over the nest. This behavior suggests that the eaglets have hatched, and they do not require brooding by the parent, as they are now capable of regulating their body temperature, at least two weeks old:

In a few minutes it was joined by a second eagle:

The other parent did not bring in any prey, and it also settled down in the nest tree:

At Jones Meadow Park near our home, in North Aurora, a Sora lurked in the marsh. Its bright yellow bill gave away its position in the shadows:

1 comment

04/29/10

The Eyes of a Thrasher

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 1:51 pm

The recently burnt field in the foreground, at Nelson Lake/Dick Young Forest Preserve in Kane County, Illinois, will soon harbor the nests of Savannah Sparrows and Sedge Wrens:

As a child of about 10, I often tried to locate active birds’ nests. This could be difficult, and it took patience and some careful behavioral observation. If I saw a bird gathering nesting materials or food, I would try to follow it to the nest site. Another clue was that birds with nestlings often carried white fecal sacs away from the nest after feeding the young, discarding them some distance away to keep the nest clean and also deter predators. I took photos of many nests with a liitle Kodak Brownie box camera, and hurried to get the film developed. I was almost always too close and they were out of focus:

Some nests were relatively easy to find. If I came across a Killdeer that tried to distract me and lead me away by calling and feigning injury, I knew its nest was nearby. I would simply walk directly opposite from the way that the Killdeer wanted me to go. The bird would become more frantic the nearer I approached the nest or its chicks. Since both eggs and young are so well camouflaged, I stepped very carefully so as not to crush them underfoot. Now I know that it is generally not a good idea to approach the nest of any bird, as this causes them great anxiety. You also may attract predators to the site.

Recently, this Killdeer ran across the path when I was walking the dog in nearby Hawk’s Bluff Park, in Batavia, IL:

It then showed me its bright orange rump and tail feathers as it fluttered on the ground, all the time calling “dee-dee-dee…” to attract my attention:

I did not try to pinpoint this nest, but I assume it was very close to where it was last year:

In Florida, using the same technique of “reverse logic,” I found these Killdeer chicks on the shoulder of a gravel road:

In contrast to the distraction display of the Killdeer, some birds defend their nest aggressively. In an earlier blog (The Goshawk and the Bear), I recalled the angry response of a Northern Goshawk when I innocently stood under its nest tree The Goshawk and the Bear. While robins tended to flee from the nest site and just vocalize from a distance, I discovered that Blue Jays, Catbirds and thrashers threatened to attack me when I moved close to their nest.

Cooper’s Hawks are known for sometimes attacking humans who simply walk under their nests. This one, incubating eggs at Hawk’s Bluff Park (so named for the persistence of nesting hawks in its oak trees) tends to ignore hikers on the trail beneath its nest:

Not far away, a Red-tailed Hawk keeps watch over its young:

Birds are unable to change their facial expressions to show emotion. Some birds of prey, notably eagles, have fierce-looking faces because of the bony ridge that shades their eyes produces a permanent frown. This Bald Eagle is nesting near our Florida home:

While his expression appears to be angry and fierce, this eagle is merely calling to his mate:

The plain face of the Eastern Bluebird conveys a sort of innocence…

...contrasting with the extravagant painted face of the White-throated Sparrow:

The body language of these two Tree Swallows leaves little doubt that they are engaged in a territorial dispute:

The eyes are often the most interesting feature of a photograph, and they must reflect some light in order to stand out. Black faces give me the most trouble, as dark eyes will blend into the plumage if they do not catch the light. Usually, yellowthroats skulk in the darkness of thickets, and their eyes melt into their black masks.

Luckily, this Common Yellowthroat briefly hops into the sunlight, and his eyes sparkle.

I will never forget the angry response of one Brown Thrasher that flew
right in my face. That was the last time I ever ventured near one of
their nests. Even today, the fire in the stare of a thrasher brings back
that childhood memory.

This Brown Thrasher was actually just
foraging when I photographed it, but oh those scary eyes!:

2 comments