My World: Birding at Breakneck Speed part 2

My World is a world of birding, and this month I am Birding at Breakneck Speed in a contest with other bloggers for a Big January Bird Count. We are each going out in our own states and counting how many species of birds we can see in the first 31 days of 2009. The month is nearing an end now and soon we will know who has won. It's all in good fun with no other prize than bragging rights and a good excuse to be outdoors watching birds. So, when I received an email from fellow blogger Denapple telling me she was coming to Arizona for the Wings Over Wilcox Birding Festival last week, we made arrangements to meet each other and get in some Arizona Birding to boot! Denapple's real name is Kathy and I met up with her and her husband, Dick in Green Valley. Together we rode up to Madera Canyon, which is where she wanted to go birding after reading about it in another Blogpost from a couple of week's ago.

We started our day together at the Proctor Parking lot and trail. Before we even park the car a Say's Phoebe greets us from a nearby fencepost. We load up with birding gear and head down the trail with the profile of Elephant's Head bathed in long violet shadows before us. As we walk through the sun spangled and charred remains of mesquite and ocatillo left from a previous fire not a sound is heard but the soft rustle of the healing grasses and the scruffy sound of our own feet on pavement. We soon leave the sunlight and enter into patchy shadows as the path enters a tunnel created by the trees that grow along the creek. I am looking everywhere and listening intently for birds, but we are seeing and hearing nothing. We wander past the chattering creek across Proctor Road and up along the loop trail. Giant sycamore trees loom over granite boulders as the trail wanders up and down through a mixed forest of oak, juniper, sycamore, mesquite, willow, and cottonwood. I am starting to think that this birding trip is going to be a bust. We meet other travellers on the path, but still no birds and then, finally, they start to sing. First we find some goldfinches, then a raucous flock of Mexican jays flies through. We spot Chipping Sparrows and a Verdin, the first time Kathy has seen one. Then the woodpeckers show up and we see a Gila, Ladder-backed, and an Arizona woodpecker. Under a bush I find a Green-tailed Towhee hiding and Kathy gets her bins on it just in time before it flies away.

As we head back towards the parking lot we find a Hammond's flycatcher high in a live oak tree and up there with him I find these pink puff balls and I start to wonder if cotton candy grows on trees. I have no idea what they are, and I am intrigued.

Down by the creek once again we find a female cardinal hiding in the brush. As I maneuver to get her photo I take care to look for the cone-shaped red beak with the bit of black around it. Out here it can be easy to mistake the female cardinal for the similarly colored Pyrrhuloxia, but the Pyrrhuloxia has a stubby, parrot-like yellow beak with no black mask.

We leave the Proctor Parking lot with 16 species under our belt and head on up to the Madera Picnic area, a place that is usually ripe with birds. It is a reliable place to see Acorn Woodpeckers as well as Bridled Titmice. We head up the creek side trail searching the trees for these species. Imagine my surprise when we find this female Townsend's Warbler instead! Her yellow throat distinguishes her from the male Townsend's.

We cross the creek and emerge from the woods near the Santa Rita Lodge and Cabins. Here the owner's have set up bird feeders and birders are welcome to sit and watch the birds as long as they don't disturb the birds or the guests. Hanging from a thistle seed sock I spot my first Pine Siskins of the year. Last year they came to my backyard feeders, but they have not put in an appearance so far this year. Beneath the platform feeders the sparrows and junco hide in the shadows and gobble up seed spilled by greedy Mexican jays. Once in awhile they hop out into the sunlight and I see that there are at least three varieties of Dark-eyed Juncos here.

This little pink-sided juno is distinguished by its black lores, gray-blue head, pink sides, and dull brown back.

This Oregon Junco sports the typical black hood, brown back and sides. Note the pink beak and dark eyes.

The gray-headed junco also has dark eyes and a pink beak, but it has a red mantle on its back. The similarly colored Red-backed variety has a bi-colored bill that is dark gray or black on top. All of these used to be considered separate species but were lumped together with the slate-colored junco into one group renamed "Dark-eyed Junco". The slate-colored variety is the one most often seen in the east and there is also a white-winged variety seen in the midwest. The Yellow-eyed Junco is considered a separate species and is only found in the mountains of Southeast Arizona. According to Sibley's guide this bird is slightly larger and walks instead of hops. I have yet to see one myself and there are none here today.

The warm January sun is beating down on us and our stomachs are starting to growl. We walk back to the picnic area to eat our lunches which is a combined effort on our parts. Dick and Kathy graciously bought sandwiches and cookies for all of us. I brought along some chips, fruit and extra water. We sit in the shade of the towering trees and I am amazed at how comfortable we all are with each other. We chat pleasantly or are silent, with no one feeling awkward. Kathy so wants to get a good photo of a bridled titmouse and she tries to lure one in, but she is stalking an Acorn woodpecker when this little one lands nearby on the ground.

Then, to our utter delight a Hermit Thrush pops by. How amusing it is to me to find other people who eat lunch with their binoculars and cameras at the ready! When a bird comes by we all jump up and focus in for a better look, then sit back down to munch away as if nothing unusual has happened. This is normal behavior for birders.

And suddenly the trees are full of Acorn woodpeckers with clownish faces watching us with wary white eyes.

With lunch finished we drive up to the top of Madera Canyon. I tell Kathy and Dick they at least have to see the view from the top, but once there we decide to get out and hike a short distance up the trail. I have never birded the upper canyon as I rarely have anyone to go with me. We decide to try the Carrie Nation Trail and stroll along at a comfortable pace.

It isn't long before we are seeing birds. Many are the same species we have already seen down below, but then I spot a flash of red and am delighted to have found a Painted Redstart. These brightly colored warblers are busy little birds that people come from all over to see. I saw my first one in Ramsey Canyon shortly after moving here, then didn't see one again until last December with Gus. Now the little black, red, and white bird flashes in the tall trees above us. We all strain our neck trying to get a good view and a good angle for a photo, but the redstart keeps flitting higher and higher above us in the thick tangle of twigs. Still, I manage to get a couple of distant shots and you can see its bright red breast, black head, and the white wing bars and tail feathers.

Gus took this photo on December 29, 2008, so it didn't count for my Big January count, but the bird I saw today does. In this photo you can see the colors better and the comical white comma underneath the bird's eye. I suppose this white marking helps the bird to see better in the dark forest in which it lives.

With shadows growing longer we head back down the trail and as we do we freeze as a male Townsend's Warbler flashes into view. It is so close to us in the nearby juniper tree. It flits about busily on the branches searching for a meal. We both try to stop trembling long enough to get a shot or two, but there is no worry. The little bird doesn't mind us a bit. It is a perfect way to end a nearly perfect day. After all my worries about seeing enough birds we had a rich and varied trip with a total of 27 species after all and 10 additions to my Big January count. Kathy and Dick feel like old friends already and it is hard to say good-bye.

Kathiesbirds and Kathy Denapple in Madera Canyon 1-24-09

Big January Count Update:

95. Arizona woodpecker

96. Northern Cardinal

97. Rufous-crowned sparrow

98. Hutton's Vireo

99. Hammond's flycatcher

100. townsend's Warbler

101. Pine siskin

102. Brown Creeper

103. Painted Redstart

104. Black-throated Gray

Male Townsend's Warbler on the Carrie Nation Trail 1-24-09

Madera Canyon Bird List 1-24-09

1. Arizona woodpecker
2. Gila woodpecker
3. Acorn woodpecker
4. Ladder-backed woodpecker
5. Red-naped Sapsucker
6. Mexican jay
7. Say’s Phoebe
8. Hammond’s flycatcher
9. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
10. Hutton’s vireo
11. Verdin
12. Hermit thrush
13. White-breasted Nuthatch
14. Brown Creeper
15. Bridled titmouse
16. Yellow-rumped warbler
17. Townsend’s Warbler
18. Black-throated Gray Warbler
19. Painted Redstart
20. Dark-eyed junco
21. Green-tailed Towhee
22. Chipping sparrow
23. Rufous-crowned sparrow
24. Northern Cardinal
25. Lesser goldfinch
26. House finch
27. Pine siskin

Read Kathy's Account of this day on her blog: Life, Birding, Photos and Everything

Skywatch Friday: Skywatcher

Skywatcher Sunset at Bosque del Apache NWR,

New Mexico by Gusto! 12-27-08

(Click on photo to enlarge for the very best view!)

She says, "I am content when wakened birds,
Before they fly, test the reality
Of misty fields, by their sweet questionings;
But when the birds are gone, and their warm fields
Return no more, where then, is paradise?"

From Sunday Morning by Wallace Stevens, stanza IV, Lines 46-50

See more outstanding photos at Skywatch Friday.

Birding at Breakneck Speed: Part 1

Sandhill Cranes and Snow Geese at Whitewater Draw 1-16-09 by Gusto!

(Note: Most of today's photography is by Gus with the Nikon D80 and the 70-300mm lens. Click on any photo to enlarge for the best view.)

Last Friday was Gus' alternate Friday off. With such fine weather we headed to Whitewater Draw. I had been out birding the day before at Sweetwater Wetlands and Lakeside Park. I only had a few hours sleep, but we were up by 7 and on the road by 8 a.m. While a few cranes flew overhead the mass landing didn't happen until an hour after our arrival. In the meantime, we went looking for sparrows and owls. Gus is the photographer today, while I handle the binoculars searching for birds.

We found the Great-horned Owl in its usual place in the rafters of the pavilion. He cracked one eye open to watch us, then went back to sleep. In the dried winter grasses outside I spot my first song sparrow of the year. Later I find more down by the water, scratching in the weeds. A lone Eastern Meadowlark walks along the fenceline. Gus calls me to come see the owl while i try to be sure which species of meadowlark I am seeing. we can have Eastern, Western and Lillian's, a very light version of the eastern. But this one is bright buttery yellow, not pale enough for that.

We head off to the wooded area by the wetlands where we find a barn owl deep in the trees. The owl roosting area is marked off with signs to keep out, so this is the best photo Gus could get from the boundary line. We searched the trees for Long-eared owls, but without success.

However, over at the marshland the snow geese shine like chemically whitened teeth in the bright morning sunlight. A search through these photos reveals a Ross' Goose as well. Can you see it in the left hand side of the photo? Its forehead is more rounded, and its beak is triangular with a bluish blush near the top. It lacks the prominent grin path of the snow geese.




Gus captured this photo of an Eared Grebe in the pinkish water, another first for this year.




We saw a few shoveler's floating about, along with American Coots. This is their typical posture when not upended looking for food.

Many birds hide in the dry reeds, and this white-crowned sparrow is no exception. We saw some with the starkly contrasting white and black crowns, as well as this buffy-striped headed variety.

As always and everywhere were the raptors. A lovely Ferruginous flew overhead when we were watching the cranes land, but Gus was off by himself with the camera, and I was not able to tell him to get a shot. Harriers glided over the marshland, and almost every phone pole had a red-tail on it. We saw this juvenile Red-tail as we were leaving. I counted 25 species at whitewater draw today, adding 9 more species to my Big January count. But we weren't done yet. Gus decided he wanted to drive over to Rio Rico to visit our favorite place, which we call hawk Hill. Rio Rico is more than 60 miles form where we are now, but since he is driving, I agree to go.

In Rio Rico we stop at the Rio Rico pond alongside Rio Rico Drive. The pond is located in a fenced off pasture, but you can walk up tot he barbed wire and look at the birds. Last time I saw a black phoebe here, but today a little gray flycatcher is hunting form a thorny bush, dipping its tail in the sunlight. Out on the water the ducks immediately paddle to the far reaches of the pond where they are backlit by the sun. Not too great for photos but I could see and count ducks. And out amongst the mallards, shovelers and wigeons I spot a couple of pintails and some gadwalls. We are here less than 15 minutes and then we head up to Hawk Hill.

Before Gus has even parked the car a turkey vulture comes soaring over the ridge line. It is soon joined by another and another until I have counted four in all. If you wonder where the turkey vultures go in winter... well, here they are! I am taking the pictures now while Gus stands on the hillside and gazes out over the valley below.

We enjoy the view from the mountainside and listen to gentle breezes ruffle the grass. All the mesquite trees are little more than scraggly shrubs and with the winter have shed their tiny leaves so that they appear dead. Soon spring rains will come, and with them spring warmth, when once again this dry brown land will blush with green for a season.

For now the black-throated sparrows sing their silver song to me in the waning light of this long day that started with sandhill cranes in the east, and ends with vultures and sparrows and the setting sun in the west.

Big January update:

84. Snow goose: Whitewater Draw 1-16-09

85. Ross' Goose

86. Barn Owl

87. Killdeer

88. Sandhill Crane

89. Eastern meadowlark

90. Song sparrow

91. Ferruginous hawk

92. Eared Grebe

93. Gadwall: Rio Rico 1-16-09

94. Turkey Vulture

Please come back to read about Birding at Breakneck Speed: Part 2 after Skywatch Friday!

On a personal note, it's 4 a.m. and I am tired, but I cannot sleep when I have a blogpost on my mind. However, I don't write as well when I'm tired but I needed to get this done. I'm off to bed now to listen to the pitter patter of rain and breathe in the fresh perfume of the wet desert through my open window. Its been unseasonably warm here and our heat has not been on for days. The clouds moved in yesterday, and we have had a few showers during the night.

My World: Birds Small and Large

Plumbeous Vireo 1-14-09 by Kathie Brown

My World is a world of birds and birding. In quest of Big January I have gone birding almost every day this month. Last Wednesday I decided to visit Sweetwater Wetlands where I hoped to pickup some new species of birds. Sweetwater is undergoing some maintenance right now, so the main parking lot and front ponds are closed, but the County has set up temporary parking down the street with an alternative access to the back ponds. Most people come to Sweetwater to see ducks and the resident family of Harris Hawks, but many smaller species live in the cattails, rushes and willows. When I arrived the heavy machinery was right near the road and I had to walk past it to access the trails. I wondered how there could be any bird here, but I was pleasantly surprised. The ponds are full of hundreds of Northern Shovlers as well as Wigeons, Mallards, Ruddy Ducks and Coots. Around the edges of the ponds today a display is set up with a group of school children learning about the wetlands and how they work. I walk the perimeter quietly and wait for the silence to come. Soon the school children leave and most of the early birders. I am almost alone here now and the birds emerge from their hiding places to feed in safety once again.

It is now that I find this Plumbeous Vireo flitting about in the branches of a willow. While photos of ducks are much easier to capture, finding and getting close to these smaller birds is the real challenge. Vireos are very active insect eating birds closely related to shrikes. Their thick bills are hooked at the ends and this Plumbeous Vireo has white "spectacles" and wing bars.

I was delighted to catch this small song bird in the act of feeding. I watched from below as it captured...

...and gobbled up an insect. It ripped the legs off to swallow first...




..then repositioned the bug...

...and gobbled it up!

Like any well mannered bird, it cleaned its beak on a limb...

...before continuing the hunt once again. You can see the white spectacles and double wingbars in this photo as well as the hooked beak.

And while I am watching the Plumbeous vireo, this little yellow-rumped warbler is watching me. Yellow-rumped warblers come in two varieties: Audubon's with the yellow throat, and the more eastern Myrtle with a white throat. Once considered separate species,the two were combined into one currently called Yellow-rumped for the bright yellow rump they both sport. Many birders call them "butter butts" which is an easy distinguishing field mark.

Most of the ducks are napping at this time of day with their beaks tucked into their downy feathers. A few float serenely on the pond, but they keep their distance. However, when this female Ruddy Duck came close, I couldn't resist snapping her photo. Ruddy ducks are small diving ducks and the males are quite colorful and clownish looking when they are in breeding plumage.

Here is what winter looks like in Arizona. It is 71 degrees today and I am in a T-shirt and Capri's. The warm sun beats down on me, and I am thankful for the shady paths in Sweetwater Wetlands.

Apparently this Ruby-crowned Kinglet likes them as well as it creeps along a willow twig looking for lunch. To me it looks like a birdy bouncing ball along a willow musical staff with green-leafed notes hanging down in some woodsy song. Do you know the melody perhaps?

I have seen the resident family of Harris Hawks hunting over my head since I arrived. One has finally landed close enough for me to get a shot with my Nikon D80 and 300mm lens. I zoom in as it looks over its red shoulder with the sun glinting in its dark eye.

These tall eucalyptus trees along the Roger Road Waste Treatment Plant are their favorite lookouts. The family of five nests in one of them. Harris Hawks are unique in that they hunt cooperatively as a family. I have seen at least 3 of them today with one carrying a twisted stick into the tree to replenish the nest.

But this one has had enough of me photographing it and takes off. This photo shows the best field marks with the dark body, red shoulders, white base to the tail and the white terminal band. You can also see the formidable talons used to capture prey. I saw 33 species of birds at Sweetwater and added 7 new species to my Big January Count. I thought I was done for the day, but then I decided to stop at Lakeside Park.

Lakeside Park is located off Golf Links Road on 8299 East Stella Road between Kolb and Sarnoff. It is a lovely small park with picnic areas, ball fields and a man made lake. While ducks, grackles and blackbirds frequent this body of water, I know it is also a reliable place to see Spotted Sandpipers.

And sure enough I find on in winter plumage on the far shore. I have to hike all the way around to get close enough for a picture, but it is well worth it. There are always fishermen here trying their luck in the well stocked pond. But as I walk the edge of the lake counting mallards and wigeons I round the curve of the shoreline to discover a fisherman I never expected to find here.

This large bird silhouetted on the rusting sign warning people not to swim is unmistakeably a Brown Pelican! But what is it doing here?

I snap a few shots, then walk farther down the shore to get the bird in better light. The bird doesn't seem to care at all as it sits atop its chosen perch and preens away in the sunlight.

I finally sit myself down on the curbing and snap to my heart's content. The sight of this bird is a gift in more ways than one. I smile at its comical appearance and enjoy this special moment. I wonder if anyone else knows about this bird and when I am home once again I find it has already been reported on the Southeast Arizona Rare Bird Alert.

I am birding at breakneck speed and spend the weekend couting birds. Now, on Monday morning it was 59 degrees at 6:00 a.m. In the past 50 minutes it has dropped to 56, but as soon as the sun rises the temperature will soar rapidly and by this afternoon it will be in the mid 70's once again in My World. I am going back to Madera Canyon today to meet a fellow blogger named Kathy from Kentucky. Perhaps we will spot that Black-throated Green Warbler again today and one of us will capture its picture! Her blog is Life, Birding, Photos and Everything and she and her husband are out here for the Wings Over Wilcox Festival. She has a really beautiful blog and her photography is excellent. She also visited Sweetwater Wetlands recently as well as The Sonoran Desert Museum where she witnessed Raptor Free Flight. If you have the time, take a look.

For now, here is my Big January Update:

75. Cinnamon Teal; Sweetwater Wetlands 1-14-09

76. Harris Hawk; Sweetwater Wetlands 1-14-09

77. Yellow-headed blackbird

78. Marsh wren

79. Common Moorhen

80. Sora

81. Great Blue Heron

82. Spotted Sandpiper; Lakeside park 1-14-09

83. Brown Pelican; Lakeside Park 1-14-09 (New Arizona Life List)