Friday, February 24, 2012
History on the road
Waiting for our Pelagic birding trip out of Hatteras, NC, Liam has been able to get even more History education. Wright Bros. Memorial today and Roanoke Island "lost colony" tomorrow!
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Updated from Sax Zim Bog
The highlight of the trip: Great Gray Owl!
Had a blast sleeping in a real boxcar at Northern Rail Traincar Suites!
Aptly named Black-backed Woodpecker
"Bad boy" chickadee?Liam said "There's a Common Redpoll" and I trained my binocs on this. Who knew a 10 year old could be so witty?
Great Gray Owl - Imagine this from a distance at an angle that put it hidden well through many other trees and you can imagine what a good spot Liam made on this one!
Great Gray Owl - Imagine this from a distance at an angle that put it hidden well through many other trees and you can imagine what a good spot Liam made on this one!Friday, February 17, 2012
Duluth, MN
After a 4am start and about 7hrs in airports we finally made it to Duluth. It's the weekend of the Sax Zim Bog Winter Birding Festival. Confidence is high for amazing birds such as Great Grey Owl, Northern Hawk Owl, Boreal Chickadee and many more!
We got in so late that we didn't have time for but a quick run to Canal Park on the Lake Superior waterfront. We thought we could catch a gull or 2 and admittedly Barrow's Goldeneye flashed through my mind. You know, like the ant and the rubber tree plant... Our strongest asset is that we have no preconception of what it takes to get over 748 birds in one year. We figure we will just go out and see them.
And really, spending time with views like this; does it really matter if we don't? Lake Superior waterfront!
We got in so late that we didn't have time for but a quick run to Canal Park on the Lake Superior waterfront. We thought we could catch a gull or 2 and admittedly Barrow's Goldeneye flashed through my mind. You know, like the ant and the rubber tree plant... Our strongest asset is that we have no preconception of what it takes to get over 748 birds in one year. We figure we will just go out and see them.
And really, spending time with views like this; does it really matter if we don't? Lake Superior waterfront!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Another near miss
Hit Nebraska today in hopes of seeing our 4th Crane this year. A Common Crane has been here but not reported on since the 12th of Feb which made us really nervous but I really felt it would still be around.
We got in the general area at dawn and searched and found nothing. The most recent section it had been seen in wasn't coming up on the GPS so we stopped at the Nebraska Nature Center on Alda Rd. just off 80 in Wood River, NE. for directions. We got to platte river rd. and 90th and saw a car pulled over; 2 birders out with scopes. Hopes soared. We got out and they said they had the crane! They got back on the scopes and an uncomfortable amount of time passed.
We could not relocate the crane and they thought maybe it had walked over the ridge so we followed them around the corner for a different look and still no luck. The friendly birding dynamic duo seemed as if they wanted to stay as long as necessary to help relocate it but they were on a tight schedule. We were left feeling a bit overwhelmed by thousands of cranes and no other birders. We reported the sighting to NARBA & the local nature center and they got it out on the local email list right away. This got us in contact with two other groups in the area. We all exchanged numbers. One couple, Roger and Mary from SD were as determined as we were with us all planning on looking all day and being back in the morning if necessary. At 2:3o we told them we had to go get some food and would be back. On our way back we stopped short a few minutes and sat scanning another field of Sandhills with frustration and fear. After 45min we decided to move on to the original spot and the phone rang. My heart was in my throat. SD crane was calling! Could it be? Mary said "we got it". I babbled something and stomped the gas peddle, and shot the luxury minivan (cheapest thing they had!) down the dirt road as fast as I dared, which was way too fast. When we got to them they were not quite sure where the crane was at the moment and the feeling of excitement and fear together was almost too much to take. Roger got it in the scope shortly after we arrived and gave me a look. When I looked through the scope and saw that crane I nearly jumped up and down and squealed like my 6 year old daughter! Imagine a Sasquatch trying to contain schoolgirl giddiness and you get the picture.
This crane was so similar in size and color at the distance we were that you could lose it while it was in the field of view. With its head up it was obvious with its striking black and white contrast head and neck but when it dropped its head in the sea of Sandhills it was like a magic trick how it just disappeared. No wonder we couldn't get back on it in the morning. It took another 20min of peek a boo before we got Liam a good look! if I didn't think they would have been freaked out I would have hugged and kissed Roger and Mary! If they happen across this; THANKS AGAIN!!
Has anyone in their 40's ever had a bird-watching induced heart attack? Geezle peets!
Birding is getting kinda squatchy...
We got in the general area at dawn and searched and found nothing. The most recent section it had been seen in wasn't coming up on the GPS so we stopped at the Nebraska Nature Center on Alda Rd. just off 80 in Wood River, NE. for directions. We got to platte river rd. and 90th and saw a car pulled over; 2 birders out with scopes. Hopes soared. We got out and they said they had the crane! They got back on the scopes and an uncomfortable amount of time passed.
We could not relocate the crane and they thought maybe it had walked over the ridge so we followed them around the corner for a different look and still no luck. The friendly birding dynamic duo seemed as if they wanted to stay as long as necessary to help relocate it but they were on a tight schedule. We were left feeling a bit overwhelmed by thousands of cranes and no other birders. We reported the sighting to NARBA & the local nature center and they got it out on the local email list right away. This got us in contact with two other groups in the area. We all exchanged numbers. One couple, Roger and Mary from SD were as determined as we were with us all planning on looking all day and being back in the morning if necessary. At 2:3o we told them we had to go get some food and would be back. On our way back we stopped short a few minutes and sat scanning another field of Sandhills with frustration and fear. After 45min we decided to move on to the original spot and the phone rang. My heart was in my throat. SD crane was calling! Could it be? Mary said "we got it". I babbled something and stomped the gas peddle, and shot the luxury minivan (cheapest thing they had!) down the dirt road as fast as I dared, which was way too fast. When we got to them they were not quite sure where the crane was at the moment and the feeling of excitement and fear together was almost too much to take. Roger got it in the scope shortly after we arrived and gave me a look. When I looked through the scope and saw that crane I nearly jumped up and down and squealed like my 6 year old daughter! Imagine a Sasquatch trying to contain schoolgirl giddiness and you get the picture.
This crane was so similar in size and color at the distance we were that you could lose it while it was in the field of view. With its head up it was obvious with its striking black and white contrast head and neck but when it dropped its head in the sea of Sandhills it was like a magic trick how it just disappeared. No wonder we couldn't get back on it in the morning. It took another 20min of peek a boo before we got Liam a good look! if I didn't think they would have been freaked out I would have hugged and kissed Roger and Mary! If they happen across this; THANKS AGAIN!!
Has anyone in their 40's ever had a bird-watching induced heart attack? Geezle peets!
Birding is getting kinda squatchy...
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
This week NE, AK? and MN
Tonight we are flying out to Lincoln, NE and driving out to where the Common Crane has been seen. Hopefully we will get it early in the morning and head back to the airport. We fly standby and the flights to Anchorage, AK don't look so great but if we can squeeze on a flight we will try to get Dusky Thrush in Anchorage before heading on to Sax Zim Bog in MN for the weekend.
If anyone can get us in touch with someone familiar with finding the crane in NE please let us know. Thanks!!
If anyone can get us in touch with someone familiar with finding the crane in NE please let us know. Thanks!!
Monday, February 13, 2012
Some Pics from Arizona
Test your id skills with this terrible photo! Patagonia, AZ
Why do they call it a Violet-crowned Hummingbird? I don't get it
Moutain Bluebird Female - Patagonia Lake State Park, AZ
Williamson's Sapsucker - Patagonia, AZWe went to to Arizona primarily for Nutting's Flycatcher a Code 5 bird. We got in late to Phoenix around 11:30 pm and had a 3.5 hour drive Northwest to where the flycatcher was being seen. We slept for a few hours and then got to the canyon or dirt road or whatever you want to call it before the sun came up to try and be sure not to miss it. We were prepared to stay long and another day or 2 if we had to but we wanted to see it first thing so we could make the 6.5 hr haul down to Southeast AZ to try for Streak-backed Oriole and a few other rarities down south.
The birding gods smiled on us and we heard its call at about 7:55 and it made an appearance shortly after. As we were hearing it a car was driving in and we were able to wave them over to see it. One of the birders we waved over was Rick Taylor who wrote the "Birds of Southeastern Arizona" which was kinda cool! Too bad we didn't have a copy for him to sign...doh.
The birding gods smiled on us and we heard its call at about 7:55 and it made an appearance shortly after. As we were hearing it a car was driving in and we were able to wave them over to see it. One of the birders we waved over was Rick Taylor who wrote the "Birds of Southeastern Arizona" which was kinda cool! Too bad we didn't have a copy for him to sign...doh.
What followed was our hardest birding yet of the year. After a couple days with alot of hiking and searching we were unable to locate Streak-backed Oriole, Rufous-backed Robin or Black-capped Gnatcatcher. We got Rufous-capped Warbler in all that searching but it was not easy either. We spent half of one day hiking up and down Florida Canyon and finally got it. The next day proved fruitful as we persisited in looking and finally located Rufous-backed Robin and Black-capped Gnatcatcher in no small part due to fellow birders searching for the same. The Streak-backed Oriole was never found and not seen again to my knowledge so at least we missed it because it was gone before we even got there although we wasted alot of time trying to find it. Black-chinned Sparrow was a miss we thought we could get but despite reports of them in Florida Canyon we never got a good look at one. A bird guide there told us a bird we saw flit across a ravine was one but we never got an identifying look at it or any other... NO SOUP FOR YOU!
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