Rosyfinch Ramblings

Virtual New Mexican snow-birder divides his time between Florida and Illinois

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July 2009

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06/30/09

Friendly Fire and the Prairie Pygmy: Henslow’s Sparrow

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 7:09 pm

(Click on images for larger views)

After a hot spell, the Illinois mornings have turned cool, and yesterday morning’s walk in nearby Nelson Lake Forest Preserve was sunny, breezy and a chilly 65 degrees. The wind rustled the prairie grasses and attenuated the sounds of the birds. The voices of many Red-winged Blackbirds, meadowlarks, Dicksissels, yellowthroats and Song Sparrows rose above the wind.

Dicksissel singing:

Common Yellowthroat:

Eastern Meadowlark:

Savannah and Grasshopper Sparrows were strangely silent, as they foraged along the path. The warm morning light enhanced the yellow on this Savannah Sparrow’s brow:

The bright highlights in this Grasshopper Sparrow’s plumage surprised me:

The rollicking song of a single Bobolink caught my attention as he flew overhead. I had hoped to get some better photos of Bobolinks, but there were none in the area where we suspected they were nesting only a couple of days before.

I photographed this Bobolink on our previous Nelson Lake walk, on June 22. Its hindcrown appeared much more yellow in life:

We listened for the elusive Henslow’s Sparrows, but if any were singing, they could not be heard above the whistling wind. To human ears, the “song” of a Henslow’s hardly deserves to be called that, as it consists only of a single “chir-lip,” delivered monotonously at intervals of about 10 seconds. The bird seems to put its whole heart and soul into each brief rendition, thrusting up its bill and often closing its eyes as if enjoying the sound of its own voice. The song resembles the call of a House Sparrow, somewhat shortened, rather loud but often muffled by the tall grasses swaying in the breezes. It has a ventroliqual quality, seeming to come from very nearby, but getting ever louder as one approaches the vicinity of the songster. At one point it was so hard to localize that it sounded as if the bird were sitting right on top of my hat!

Only a few days ago, two territorial Henslow’s Sparrows serenaded us from low perches close to the path:

Note the rusty wings and distinctive olive-greenish cast to the head of the Henslow’s Sparrow:

This is our second summer in Illinois, and last year we were delighted to find several singing Henslow’s Sparrows. This year there were none in their old haunts, probably for a good reason. A controlled burn had altered their habitat. The fire had cleansed the prairie of woody plants that can quickly change it into a savannah and then a woodland. It also returned valuable nutrients into the soil. As a result, the grasses had sprung up fresh and green, and wildflowers bloomed profusely. Why were there no Henslow’s Sparrows?

These tiny birds, only 4 1/2 inches long and weighing less than a half an ounce, once were very numerous on the central plains. As has been the case with other grassland birds, the population of Henslow’s Sparrows declined sharply around the middle of the 20th Century. In Illinois, studies suggest that the population of Henslow’s Sparrows declined as much as 94% between 1957 and 1979. Partners In Flight designated this species as its highest priority among all grassland birds for conservation in the midwestern United States. The greatest decreases in songbirds have occurred among grassland species, and the Henslow’s Sparrow has been the hardest hit of all.

Large open expanses of tall grass prairie are essential for the breeding success of Henslow’s Sparrows. They will not nest in smaller patches of otherwise suitable habitat. Most important in the decline of these birds was the conversion of the prairies into cropland. In the midwest, over 99% of the original grasslands have disappeared. Disruption of the natural cycle of prairie fire has also been detrimental. These sparrows will not nest in an area that has been burned over in the previous year, as they require an accumulation of dead grass left over from at least one winter. The second through the fourth year after a burn seem to supply just the right amount of ground litter. In subsequent years, as woody plants and taller forbs thrust up above the chest-high grasses, the birds fail to return to the same place to nest. Since they are loosely colonial, they may all disappear at once, only to show up somewhere else, where the succession from fire to lush grassland is at just the right stage. That probably explains why I no longer found them nesting in last year’s haunts.

Coneflowers bloomed on the prairie:

A Sedge Wren popped up unexpectedly, quite a distance from the wetland:

In a small tree near the north entrance to the prairie, a family of Tree Swallow chicks waited to be fed:

An adult hovers while feeding its fledgling:

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06/20/09

Can Eagles Open Eyes?

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 7:27 am

Pair of Bald Eagles at nest on December 11, 2008, two days before the first egg was laid:

Our eldest daughter just paid me a compliment that I almost let go unnoticed. We parents want so much to provide good example and instill values and lofty aspirations in our children. So often, we fall short. We learn from our mistakes, and hope that our kids do likewise. We do a lot of preaching and coaching, but maybe the most important signals we send are much more subtle.

At the end of the school year, Karen and her husband embarked on an extended camping trip from Arizona through the heart of our nation, visiting our son Ken’s family in the Texas Panhandle, and then hopping from one campground to another to Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park, Montana, and the Dakotas. On their way back, in Utah, they parked the camper in a particularly isolated and scenic location. Deprived of a WiFi hotspot and unable to pick up a TV signal, her husband was a bit disappointed at being out of touch with the world. In the morning, Karen looked out the window and saw a deer browsing only a few feet away. She called Randy, “Look, a Mulie!”

Both of them immediately forgot about the lack of electronic entertainment and lavished the views provided through the courtesy of Mother Nature. First, Randy wanted to confirm Karen’s impression as to the species of deer, saying to look at its hindquarters for markings that separate white-tails from Mule Deer. Karen said, no, “Look at it ears– just like a mule! My Dad taught me that a long time ago”

After calling me to relate this little anecdote, Karen said, rather solmnly, “You know, Dad, one of the best things you ever did for me was to give me an appreciation of nature.” Our conversation then moved into a discussion of some of the great natural places we visited when we used to pack the kids into a station wagon and just go.

At 22 days of age, Hope, the eldest of the two chicks, peers over the rim of the nest:

On February 15, the 4 week old chicks delight the nest observers:

What opens one’s eyes to the wonders of nature? The great birder and author Roger Tory Peterson described his “epiphany,” when, as a child, he picked up an apparently dead flicker and it sprung to life in his hands and flew off. There was something about seeing the beauty of the bird’s intricate and colorful plumage so close at hand that ignited a passion that was to change the world, not only for Roger, but for so many who found, in his field guides, a portal that, once opened, would never close (Readers might be interested in how a similar thing happened to my wife, Mary Lou, upon first sighting an Elegant Trogon).

We have seen such a transformation occur among many of the people who visited our neighborhood Bald Eagle nest in Pembroke Pines, Florida. With a little help from the volunteer nest-watchers, “lookers” often turned into “observers” right before our eyes. As observers, they instantly developed an insatiable thirst for knowledge and understanding, that may lead to greater appreciation and concern, and spill over into a new ethic of conservation.

Hope flies freely on May 21, 2009:

In my Review and reflections on Liz Rosenthal’s biography of Roger Tory Peterson, I wrote:

…It was my mother who introduced me to Roger, unwittingly fanning a spark that was to grow into a flame. Only today, facing the irony of a recession and the specter of another Depression, do I realize what a sacrifice it was for my mother to spend $2.75 for the 1939 revision of the first edition of Peterson’s A Field Guide to the Birds. In today’s economy, that comes to $34.37, plus tax. The book supercharged my interest in birding and opened the door to a lifelong hobby– it might be called an obsession…

Father Tom Pincelli, the Brownsville priest-birder who serves on the board of the National Audubon Society, said it so well: “Openness to the natural world and our response to it lie at the core of what we do and why we do it.”

Related Blog entries on this subject:

“Discovering Birds” (how I evolved into a bird watcher)

How Mary Lou Became a Birder

“Birding is a fascinating, exciting, challenging game. It requires and encourages ever-growing skill. It may involve us in great adventures and wide travel, sometimes in difficult terrain. Seeking new birds to check off on our life lists may draw us further into the lives of these birds, challenging us to learn more about their life cycles, their behaviors, and ecology; and as our ecological perspectives expand, we may be stimulated to become more involved in conservation work, to protect the habitats of the many species we enjoy.” (Burton S. Guttman, Birding, February 2004)

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06/09/09

Nelson Lake Bald Eagle Flashback

Filed under: General, Illinois, Birding "Patches", Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 9:46 pm

Click on arrow, then on the little box in the lower right corner for a full-screen slide show of my photos taken at Nelson Lake:

I do miss visiting the local Bald Eagle nest in Pembroke Pines, Florida. Those frequent short trips to the eagles’ territory usually yielded great views of the majestic raptors. Their first chick fledged 66 days ago, on May 4, and the second left the nest two days later. Although they soon flew freely and effortlessly and by now have surely developed their hunting instincts, they continued to return to the nest for occasional feedings from the parents– that is, until May 22, after which Hope, the older eaglet, suddenly disappeared. At about the same time, the adult female disappeared, leading us to speculate that they may have migrated together. As of this writing, it appears that Justice, who was last observed being fed at the nest on May 30, was last seen on June 4, along with one remaining adult. For the latest information on the eagle nest, tune into the eagle-watchers’ observations and photos in this FORUM.

Unlike songbirds that fly south in winter, the timing and direction of migration of Bald Eagles varies quite a bit. Those from Canada and the northern tier of the United States tend to winter to the south, but only as far as necessary for them to find open water for fishing. Southern eagles, which lay their eggs in the dead of winter and fledge before the beginning of summer, usually move to the north during the hot summer. We can only speculate as to where the locals birds are wandering. Eagles from more southerly nests at the tip of the Florida peninsula tend not to fly great distances on migration, staying generally south of Lake Okeechobee. More northerly eagles move up the Atlantic coast, often to Maryland and Virginia, where they have been known to congregate on Chesapeake Bay. The Pembroke Pines birds are actually in between these two geographic distributions. Without radio tracking and/or colored bands, there is no way of knowing where they are.

We just hope that the adults continue the usual pattern of returning to their territory around October or November to refurbish their nest and prepare for egg-laying in mid-December. By then, we hope that the official designation of their territory as a City of Pembroke Pines Bald Eagle Sanctuary will have been accomplished.

Here in Ilinois, we see many birds that are transitory or scarce in Florida. Just after dawn on June 5, we hurried to Nelson Lake Marsh/Dick Young Forest Preserve in Batavia, Illinois, about 2 miles from our home. We entered by way of the newer north entrance, from which a paved path leads past a wetland area into extensive tall grasslands, hoping to see some species that favor such open spaces. We were not disappointed.

The Field Sparrow is usually shy and retiring, but this one posed nicely along the path:

An Eastern Meadowlark sang carols from the top of a small oak tree:

As we watched a tiny Grasshopper Sparrow in a small bush, it surprised us by flying towards us and landing on a gravel path:

Before it took off, the sparrow stretched up, casting an over-sized early morning shadow:

Dicksissels were abundant, and this one looked especially colorful in the harsh morning light:

Numerous Song Sparrows sang from the tops of shrubs killed by controlled burns that rejuvenated the grasslands:

I could not resist taking a photo of a goldfinch hiding among the goldenrods:

The cool end of the color spectrum was represented by this Indigo Bunting:

This morning, Mary Lou and I returned to Nelson Lake for a pleasant two-hour walk. This time we came in the east gate, where the habitats varied from open grassland to second growth hardwood woodlands. The skies were overcast, and it was cool (by Florida standards) 61 degrees with little wind. We walked leisurely along the southern perimeter of the lake, taking in the songs of local resident birds: scores of Common Yellowthroats, robins, catbirds and goldfinches, and at least a dozen Swamp Sparrows. The latter stayed out of sight as their loud trills filled the air. Also invisible were a Marsh Wren and several Sedge Wrens. Several Turkey Vultures tilted above. A Brown Thrasher sang vigorously. At first I thought I was hearing a mockingbird, as this thrasher violated the norm by often repeating the same melodic phrases more than twice, even launching into a stanza of variations on a single series of tones, repeating it even five or six times.

A Yellow Warbler with particularly bright plumage greeted us this morning:

This Baltimore Oriole competed for the distinction of being the bird with the most brilliant coat:

As we were walking back to the parking lot, a large dark bird rose up from near the edge of the lake. At first we almost dismissed it as another vulture, but many hours of eagle-watching back home paid off, as we both recognized the familiar shape of a Bald Eagle: long narrow wings held out flat, elongated head and neck, and substantial fanned tail. The lighting conditions were so poor that we were uncertain as to whether it had the all-white head and tail of an adult. Seeing the eagle made us suddenly feel closer to our eagle-watching friends in Florida.

Back home, my photos (with apologies for their poor quality) confirmed that the eagle was at least four or five years old, as its head and tail were pure white:

Fatbirder:

3 comments

05/31/09

Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 5:42 pm

On May 25th, an adult eagle was eating unidentified prey on the nest…

…while a second roosted nearby:

Our time back in Florida has sped by so quickly. Since we had a house guest,we went sightseeing at several of the popular tourist destinations. It rained regularly every afternoon, so there were morning jaunts to Butterfly World, Fort Lauderdale river front and harbor cruise, and other points along the Atlantic coast and out Alligator Alley. There was little time for birding, though we took the tram ride at Shark Valley in Everglades National Park, and got out very early to visit our local Bald Eagle nest a couple of times.

The two chicks produced by the eagle pair have been flying freely for eight weeks. We were surprised to find that the parents continued to bring food to the nest right into this past week. The older chick, named Hope, was last seen on Saturday, May 23, the eighteenth week after she hatched. Her younger brother, Justice is still returning to the nest, and was possibly fed a small meal by a lingering adult only this morning. The feedings have been progressively smaller and infrequent.

This morning, while I found only one eaglet at the nest, Mike Fossler saw and photographed one adult. It was being harassed by a mockingbird. His dramatic photos may be viewed in the slide show at the end of this post.

This Anhinga, resting on our back lawn, scolded me when I disturbed it:

The rains had greatly increased water levels in the Everglades. This was good for the wildlife, but limited viewing opportunites, as they were no longer concentrated in the small pools. Yet, I was able to capture a remarkable sequence as one bird failed to heed my mother’s admonition, to not eat anything larger than my head.

Great Blue Heron hunting along the canal at Shark Valley Visitors Center:

The heron bags a good-sized tilapia:

He’s not going to try to swallow that big thing alive, is he?

I can’t believe this!

Down it goes!

Limpkins can be hard to find, but this one posed cooperatively:

An immature Little Blue Heron, in its temporary white plumage, stalks along the water’s edge:

At Butterfly World in Coral Springs, a pair of lorikeets engages in mutual preening:

A haughty macaw eyes me with suspicion:

This is one of many varieties of passionflower hybrids that have been developed at Butterfly World:

Mike Fossler:

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05/22/09

Back in Florida!

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Florida & SE US, Bald Eagle Nest
Posted by: Ken @ 6:29 pm

Tom Mitchell captured this image of an adult bringing a fish to both chicks in the nest on Saturday morning, May 23, 2009
(c) 2009 Tom Mitchell, used with permission

We arrived in Florida late on Wednesday, and got out early the next morning to check our local Bald Eagle nest. The chicks (named Hope and Justice in a nationwide poll) are 18 weeks old this weekend. They fledged at 11 weeks of age, and usually spend the night in a roost together near the nest tree. They still return to the nest for occasional feedings. The portions brought in by the parents seem to be smaller and are offered less frequently. Although none of the observers has seen either of the eaglets with prey, we must assume that they are learning to hunt for themselves.

When we got to the nest at about 8:30 AM, no eagles were in sight, but within a few minutes both of the youngsters flew in and roosted in trees right along the road.

Justice, the younger sibling, followed his older sister to the tree:

Justice’s plumage is noticeably darker:

Hope is a lighter brown, and both chicks’ beaks are starting to get yellow at the base:

Hope flies off:

Heavy rains have limited observation of the nest for the past two days, and we stayed at home . This afternoon there was a break in the weather, and two Double-crested Cormorants fished near the shore of our backyard lake. They attracted both a Tricolored and a Green Heron. I captured an interesting sequence of photos as the Tricolored stalked and then caught a small fish. The bird swallowed the fish in a blink of the eye. The last three photos were taken within a two second interval, from 4:06:06 and 4:06:08 PM EDT!

With the sun at its back, the Tricolored Heron intently watches the water, stirred by a brisk breeze. “I see the fish!”:

It strikes and succeeds (click and select larger size to see the water droplets frozen in space). “I seize the fish!” (04:06:06 PM):

Taken one second later (04:06:07 PM)”I squeeze the fish!”

Then, only one more second later (04:06:08 PM), “Down the hatch!”

A Green Heron fishes patiently nearby:

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05/20/09

My birding companion has a new little sister

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Grandchildren, Illinois
Posted by: Ken @ 6:49 am

Our Illinois daughter’s family dog is a golden Tibetan Mastiff named Agramonte. He is now 17 months old and is a wonderful companion for their two small children. An ancient breed, Tibetan Mastiffs retain some features of ancestral wild canids. They mature slowly, taking about 4-5 years to attain full size. They also go into estrus only once a year, and have a rich undercoat that is shed all at once in the spring. This means that they do not release dander into the air for about 11 months of the year, so they are considered to be “hypoallergenic.” This was an important consideration in selecting this breed, as one of the children suffered severe allergies from their previous pet, a Dobie-Lab mix named Maceo. The sad story of Maceo’s last days is detailed here: Losing a Best Friend

Agramonte, at four months of age, with las Nietas:

Agramonte, true to his breed, is intelligent and placid, but stubborn. In Tibet, where they are sometimes chained all day and released to roam at night, they are known as vicious guardians of the villages. Happily, the family took great pains to socialize him with other dogs and also people of all ages, so his protective instincts are tempered. He enjoys the company of the children, and does not protest when they climb all over him. Even though he now weighs over 100 pounds (and may put on 30 to 40 more) he exhibits some adolescent traits, such as making off with shoes and toys, to the delight of the children and consternation of their parents.

Agramonte accompanying the girls on a nature walk:

When we are in Illinois, I frequently take Agramonte for walks, something he eagerly anticipates. We often stroll through a nearby streamside park with wood-chip paths that loop into a forested area, great bird habitat. When Agramonte walks, he likes to keep moving, tugging on his leash while I am trying to look through my binoculars. My solution has been to stand on his leash while I birdwatch, trying to ignore his tugs and impatient whining. Finally, he accepted my disturbing habit, and learned to simply lie down and rest, a skill that seems to be perfected in this breed. When a Tibetan Mastiff decides to lie down, few forces on earth can make him get up and get going again!

Sagua at 4 months:

Well, all this has changed, as his masters believed that it was not good for him to be alone. Last week, we drove up to Wisconsin and picked up a four month old female, a black and tan named Sagua (actually Washanti’s Ermita de Sagua la Grande, named after the little church in our son in law’s home town in Cuba). The two dogs get along famously, and play to the point of exhaustion. Agramonte has already lost most of his mischievous traits. It took Sagua a few days to get used to the leash, but now she leads the way and has no respect for my desire to make frequent stops. I’ve found it easier to just leave the binoculars at home when Sagua accompanies us into the woods!

Agramonte caused this distressed Killdeer to go into a distraction display as we unknowingly walked near its nest:

I went back later and found its four eggs, only a foot from the edge of a manicured lawn:

We have tried to squeeze as much spring migration birding into our schedule before departing. Walks in local nature area (sans dogs) have produced some images of representative species.

Sedge Wrens are claiming territories in the meadows at Nelson Lake Forest Preserve in Batavia, IL:

Nearby, a Rose-breasted Grosbeak sings his heart out:

Competing Baltimore Orioles display to each other as females look on:

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05/15/09

Looking for bluebirds in Jones Meadow Park

Filed under: General, Birding & Outdoors, Illinois, Birding "Patches"
Posted by: Ken @ 7:15 am

So far this spring, we have failed to catch sight of a bluebird. From the reports of local birders, we know they are around, but family obligations have kept us from going very far afield. Still, they were present last year at a nest tree in Jones Meadow Park near our home, and most mornings during the past couple of weeks we have tried to squeeze in even a half hour of birding, there or at another Batavia (Illinois) park, Hawk’s Bluff Park.

While searching for the returning bluebirds, we saw another member of the thrush family that has shown up in good numbers this spring. This dull-backed species lacks the reddish tail of the Hermit Thrush, sports buffy cheeks and a prominent eye ring.

A Swainson’s Thrush posed on the turf, and then took up a perch to peer back at us:

A Warbling Vireo sang its rolling and rollicking, loud and repetitive: “I see the bug, I seize the bug, I squeeze the bug, I eat it:!”

Nearby, a Song Sparrow poured out its (what else?) song:

American Robins, common as they are, make beautiful photographic subjects:

A Chipping Sparrow posed nicely on a fence post:

On the small lake, a pair of Canada Geese guarded their two little ones:

We enjoyed a Mothers Day brunch at Morton Arboretum, and the grandchildren enjoyed watching the Tree Swallows at their nest box:

House Sparrows had commandeered the Purple Martin condominium:

The children are always fascinated by furry creatures, like this Fox Squirrel:

Dandelions abounded on the lawns of the Arboretum, and it was fun to watch the fluffy seeds disperse at the slightest breeze:

Though dressed in their Sunday best for Mother’s Day, the girls enjoyed frolicking in the extensive play area:

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05/08/09

Spring birding: Something new every day

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

We set out this morning to Lippold Park in Kane County, Illinois, hoping to see our first Scarlet Tanager of the year. For the past week we searched for them in vain. Today we were not disappointed, for within 15 minutes we heard its husky “robin with a sore throat” song. As it was early and overcast, and the bird kept to the treetops, nearly all my photos were badly backlit and showed little color or detail.

This shot was about the best I got:

He took flight on translucent wings:

We logged 37 bird species, several heard but not seen, and obtained few good photos because of the light conditions and the fact that many were small guys flitting in the treetops. A pair of resident Eastern Towhees were courting and calling loudly. They let us get quite close.

The male showed off the pattern on his back:

In the female towhee, black is replaced with warm brown, no less beautiful:

The male towhee provided me with my second flight capture of the morning:

A White-breasted Nuthatch peered inquisitively from his upside-down perch:

Later in the afternoon, I walked our daughter’s family Tibetan Mastiff, Agramonte, and birded Hawk’s Bluff Park in Batavia. Located along the western bank of Mill Creek, this new small park is host to varied habitats including a tall oak woodland, grasslands, stream and marsh. This afternoon’s dog walk yielded 43 bird species. The light had improved, so I did get a few nice photos.

A Baltimore Oriole gleaned the buds of a small tree, apparently eating insects, flower petals and drinking nectar.nectar:

This was the first oriole to hold still for a photo since we saw our first arriving migrant about a week ago:

Several Nashville Warblers with distinctive blue-gray heads and conspicuous shite eye rings flitted about in the understory:

A Chipping Sparrow peered out from the shrubbery:

On the walk back to our daughter’s home, I watched as three Red-tailed Hawks interacted, perhaps competing for a mate. A pair of Common Grackes harassed them as they flew to a nearby rooftop.

This Redtail screamed incessantly: