Category Archives: Life list

Hoopoe Happy

The bird I most wanted to see this Spain trip is the Eurasian Hoopoe, one of the most striking and distinctive birds of the region. Last year, I missed a couple that were beside the road – and while our birding this week has been limited, today we went to a favorite site nearby, Charca de Suarez.

Today, after an hour of seeing a nice variety of species, many of which I couldn’t identify, a splashy bird with lot of color flushed. I thought it was a Kestrel but Sally felt otherwise, and spotted it up ahead where it perched in foliage. Sure enough, it was a Hoopoe. I had trouble getting a decent shot but we were happy, even as it flew off.

After more birding including some nice looks at a White Stork and Grey Heron, we stumbled on to a Hoopoe, perhaps the same one, in the middle of the road. Quick camera shots and off it went.

I want to see these guys again, it’s just a very cool bird. They winter in Africa but there’s a chance we’ll see more in the next week. In the meantime, we are Hoopoe Happy.

Ridgeway’s Rail

Saturday morning, I visited the San Elijo lagoon, where the extensive construction projects that block access were shut down for the weekend. I saw lots of wonderful birds which I’ll post about later – and saw my first Ridgeway’s Rail, an endangered species.

There were three juveniles who showed themselves for just a moment

Like most rails, these were furtive and hiding in the reeds most of the time. It was a nice treat to see them and grab a couple of photos. It’s also nice to know that their riparian home here is being preserved and protected as part of the massive rail and highway projects underway.

Birds of Madera Canyon 2

Mexican Jays are colorful, noisy, and fun.
Bridled Titmice are always on the move.
This Hepatic Tanager was a life bird.
Chipping Sparrows are handsome anywhere.
As we head back to winter in Vermont, we have fond memories such as this female Broad-billed Hummingbird.

Life Birds This Trip

Birds of Madera Canyon 1

We have had a few magical days of nice weather and wonderful hiking and birding and in a surprise, I’ve added 8 new birds to my life list.

This Arizona Woodpecker was new to us.
A Scott’s Oriole who showed up a few days ago.
One of the many Acorn Woodpeckers who cavort around, putting on quite a show.
This Rivoli’s Hummingbird was a life bird.
A Bewick’s Wren.
Broad-billed Hummers are common but not many pose in the sun like this.

Last night I saw two Elf Owls, who have just shown up, in an old telephone pole where they have nested for seven years. Lots of waiting, some calls, a quick look, and they were off in the dark to forage. And I had life bird 477.

Buntings

There are a couple of rare buntings in the area and in the last couple of days, we saw them both. The first was at Quinta Matzalan, a sprawling Spanish-revival estate surrounded by sprawling tropical gardens and lots of birds. The juvenile male Blue Bunting has been drawing birders from all over and after a chilly wait, I saw it at a feeder along with a dozen others.

I thought I’d seen a Blue Bunting in Maryland a few years ago and was surprised to find that this was a life bird – #466 – the Maryland bird was a Blue Grosbeak.

The second bunting was a Painted Bunting which has been hanging out at the National Butterfly Center. Sally and I got great looks at it as it foraged along the pathways, oblivious to the clicking telephoto lenses.

Birds of Sequoia NP

I had several target birds on my list before we left for Sequoia National Park and While I didn’t do much serious birding, got all three on dog walks around the campground.

The most obvious were Stellar’s Jays, a raucous species if there ever was one. Anyone who has camped in the West likely knows these guys well – I just had never been in their area before. There was even a nest full of fledglings on a rafter on the entrance to the camp store, where hundreds of visitors pass every day. Some of these had already fledged and these were about ready to go.

The next life bird I got was a White-headed Woodpecker. They were active every morning but hard to photograph, especially with a leashed Vizsla “helping.”

The same goes for the Mountain Chickadee. They were calling and foraging high in the trees but not close enough for photos.

One morning, I heard a commotion down near the visitor center and found a group of about a dozen jays mobbing something. I was hoping for an owl or a hawk but this guy, which I think is a Common Raven, was not a very happy camper.

The last morning, these two young bucks with velveted antlers were right outside our camper. They obviously have gotten used to people. There’s no hunting in Sequoia NP.

I still have many shorebirds and seabirds that I am missing but the 4th of July weekend is not the time to go look for them. They’ll be here for my next visit.

Anniversary Birds

Friday would have been our 54th anniversary so while it was a bittersweet day, I decided to start it off with some birding at San Eligo Lagoon, one of my favorite spots in the area. Penny and I hopped into the van and ventured into the maelstrom of traffic called “the Five.” It’s always busy and even though my trip was only about six miles, it got my heart rate up. I think the Vermont plates and white RV stir up the juices in drivers already juiced up on caffeine or whatever.

SignW
I’ve only birded here in winter and was not prepared for the many dog walkers who use the trails at the refuge. I spent as much time watching for dogs as I did birds, and Penny was her usual obnoxious self with most of the dogs we encountered.

I use the Birdseye app to check locations for recent sightings, especially stuff that I have never seen, and I had three birds on my target list. I got the first one, a Black-headed Grosbeak, in the first five minutes. The lighting was poor and branches screwed up the focus but I got the darn thing.

BlackHeadedGrosbeakW

Another recently-sighted bird that I hoped to find was a Ridgeway’s Rail. I’m used to furtive rails that are almost impossible to see but this guy was right out on the mud flat, oblivious to me across the estuary. These are on the Federal endangered species list.

RidgewayRailW

This bird is not in most bird books — it was a recent split formerly being the Clapper Rail. I did a little research and found this about Ridgeway:

So, who was Ridgway, and why did he earn a rail? Robert Ridgway was a giant of late 19th and early 20th century American ornithology. He worked at the Smithsonian Institution for 55 years, 43 of them as Curator of Birds. He was also a founding member of the AOU and later its president, and during his lifetime he described more new taxa of American birds than anyone else, among them the nominate subspecies of the rail that now bears his name. Ridgway’s taxonomic judgments overall have stood the test of time so well that some modern ornithologists still say, only half-jokingly, that rule #1 is: Ridgway was right.  by Dave Quady on Golden Gate Birder

The other bird I was looking for was an Elegant Tern. I figured I had to get closer to the ocean so I moved the van to the other entrance to the Lagoon and walked down the dusty trails. There were no dog walkers around and we were enjoying a nice California morning with lots of sparrows, wrens, hummingbirds, and bushtits. After a while, I saw a tern way off and got him in the binoculars, willed him to fly towards me and sure enough he did. As he passed I could see the long black crest that goes down the nape and heard the call as he departed. No time for camera work, I was just glad to get such a good look.

It was a good morning on a tough day.

Birding a bit in Wyoming

I never thought that the Black-billed Magpie, a life bird I picked up in Minnesota, would become a noisy pest but that’s sort of the way they are in Wyoming. I first saw three or four at the fishing access before I hit the mountains. Here in Jackson Hole they are everywhere – flamboyant and loud. Here’s one of many on my niece’s front lawn.

I saw this wind-blown White-crowned Sparrow at the fishing access area.

I got several new life birds here in Jackson. Walking Penny, I spotted a Golden Eagle far off lumbering away from some blackbirds. The following day, I got a closer look in the morning sun but did not have a camera.

I did have a camera for this Broad-tailed Hummingbird perched nearby the house. It was a lifer and turns out to be rather common. You can hear them coming.

This crow seemed to want to pose the other day as we walked close by.

One of the birds that locals could do without is the Eurasian-Collared dove that we see in Texas. Like magpies, they are pretty the first time.

Sunday morning I saw and heard a Dusky Flycatcher, a life bird, which was camera-shy.

The birding here is good and there are a number of species that I’d like to see. The foliage is heavy in the Cottonwood areas and many places ban dogs. I do hope to see a Violet-green Swallow before I head out. With sunny skies, breezes, and no bugs it’s a nice place to be outside birding. You can see why folks love it here.

A Few South Dakota Birds

The campground at Boysen State Park in South Dakota was nearly vacant in the middle of the week and I chose a shaded spot under a large Cottonwood on the edge of the lake. It was 90 degrees and not terribly comfortable but soon I found that I had two nesting bird families right above the Airstream. The parents and babies made quite a racket.

The first pair I saw was two Western Kingbirds.

Then I found the nest for two Bullocks Orioles – only about ten feet above my roof. The nest was well hidden but reminded me of our Baltimore Orioles nests. I couldn’t get the male to sit still but got his mate.

Penny and I took several bird walks as the temperature dropped. Ringed-billed Gulls were all over the place.

As were Lark Sparrows.

As I approached the end of the area, I saw this Western Grebe way out on the bay. It was actively fishing which means diving just as you find it in the lens finder. It was not a life bird but one of the few I have seen.

Lastly, I came upon this bird which I can’t identify. I suspect it is a female but perhaps one of my better birder friends can help out.

The park, which is a bit ugly, dusty, and unkempt, turned out to be a nice birding spot. You never know.

A Couple of Life Birds

I had just pulled in Juniper Campground at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, selected s site, and walked with Penny back to register. Coming back I met a couple of birders from Minnesota who were just starting out on a short walk themselves. As I walked into my campsite, two birds flew in low, perched and then flew back into the underbrush. One had a lot of blue so I called to the birders and they joined me. I had one in the binoculars, was trying to sort it out, when Penny yanked at her leash, and I lost the bird. Meanwhile, we were joined by an experienced friend of theirs and the three of us studied the female. Combining our observations, we decided we had seen two Lazuli Buntings. A life bird but not as well-seen as I would have liked. Well, I fixed that the next morning when I saw several more and got this photo of one feeding.

That next morning was a great outing – just dozens of birds singing and cavorting. I found these two Northern Flickers doing some sort of courtship routine, stretching their necks up into the air, one after the other.

I then heard, then saw two Western Kingbirds gathering food for their brood. I thought I had already logged these but no, it was also a lifer. (There are many Eastern Kingbirds out here- their range is nearly 2/3’s of the country.)

Then I saw a guy, a Common Nighthawk, sleeping right out in the open. I had seen him or a buddy flying overhead the night before and I left him undid turned to get some beauty sleep.

There are still many calls that I can’t sort out – but that’s part of learning. I continue to be entranced by the repertoire of the Western Meadowlark. What a happy bird – just what I need from time to time.