Home in the Yard

Backyard, June 15, 2013

Today has been a lazy day of slowly getting caught up on house and yard work.  In the past several months, I seem to spend little time at home as birding has consumed most my free time since the beginning of this year.  Fortunately the yard  has somewhat taken care of itself due to my prior preparations.  I mulched the beds throughout last year and spring was late this year, so weeds have been kept at a minimum.  It is nice to see after years of planting trees and perennials, the yard is really starting to fill in, no longer looking like a sterile manicured wasteland.

Backyard, May 2005, pre-occupancy

Days like today allow some time to observe the wildlife and plants in our little semi-urban yard.  One of my favorite visitors, who has been more of a resident for several years is this Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel.  He visits our feeders almost daily taking safflower from the ground.  Today we saw him getting a more balanced diet which included safflower seeds, broadleaf plantain leaves (I hate this weed, so eat up!) and earthworms.

Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel enjoying an earthworm

Pondering what to eat next...

Being outside most the day also allows us to observe what birds visit or flyover the yard.  While I typically find our yard birds rather mundane, our proximity to the Bark River does provide some variety with raptors, geese, shorebirds and ducks making flights over the house.  We don't keep an official yard list.  However today we did have our first ever Osprey pass over.  Our house is also close to a sizable Chimney Swift roost and there appears to be a reliable small population of Common Nighthawks in the area. Both these species are usually present daily in the warmer months. I've even once come home to find a Common Nighthawk roosting on our dormer.

Common Nighthawk

An evening in the yard usually ends with Common Nighthawks heard or seen overhead.  Tonight was no exception with three Common Nighthawks performing aerial displays and calling over the house before I retired for the evening.

Early June's Progression at Spring Green Preserve

Today was my third visit in nine days to Spring Green Preserve.  While Spring Green always holds the allure of it's unique desert prairie wildflowers, reptiles and amphibians, I have been frequenting this natural area more in recent days in hopes of spotting the male Blue Grosbeak originally reported by Daryl Tessen on May 28, 2013.  After two failed half-hearted attempts to locate the Blue Grosbeak earlier this month and another birder reporting the bird yesterday morning, I declared I was going to hold a Texas-style bird stakeout and find the Blue Grosbeak.  By "Texas-style" I was referring to how I've seen rare bird chases unfold on numerous occasions in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.  One basically goes to a relatively small defined area where a rare bird is reported and patiently waits for the bird to appear.

Spring Green panorama from my stakeout location

So early this morning despite predictions of severe weather, I set out for Spring Green Preserve (map) arriving at 0730 prepared to wait for several hours until the bird made an appearance.  I located myself in the center southwest corner of the preserve waiting and watching in the rain.  I decided to do without the camp chair I brought since sitting in a puddle of rain on a chair seemed like a bad idea.  About an hour into my quest, I became restless and decided to walk the west edge of the property in the recently cleared area.

Prairie Smoke

As I was poking around, the rain had subsided, so it seemed a good time to get out my macro lens and photograph the Prairie Smoke and Slender Penstemon I had noticed along the western perimeter.  I then spotted a uniquely colored white spiderwort and was moving along to photograph this when I heard the full-sounding warbling finch-like song of the BLUE GROSBEAK that stopped me my tracks!

1st Summer Male Blue Grosbeak

I fumbled with my optics, surprised at myself for recognizing the song and quickly located the bird at some distance via binoculars. It was perched atop a small oak. Fumbling some more, I change my camera lens from macro to zoom, then quickly moved to getting my scope on the bird which seemed like an eternity to accomplish since the bird was moving around from tree top to tree top every few minutes. I managed some documentation quality photos, video and sound recordings. At some point, once I secured proof of my sighting, my hands went up in a touch down signal and a big grin spread across my face. This will surely be my favorite bird of the year. It's a Wisconsin lifer for me and just an all around appealing bird dressed in complimentary colors of blue with a hint of orange. I watched the bird for 30 minutes as it worked the circle of oaks, flew to a snag and a pine tree, all the while singing.  [Then just like that, it disappeared back into the scattering of small oaks and went silent for the remainder of my 7+ hour visit to Spring Green Preserve.

Six-lined Racerunner

While the Blue Grosbeak was certainly the highlight of my trip, the encore of encounters with a Six-lined Racerunner, a Big Sand Tiger Beetle and a very cooperative Grasshopper Sparrow made for a fabulous day of nature study.

Big Sand Tiger Beetle

Grasshopper Sparrow carrying food

I was also eager to return to the preserve to further witness the progression of wild flower blooms that had sparked my curiosity during my June 4th and June 8th visits.  It's amazing how rapidly the landscape at the preserve has changed in a mere 9 nine days.  

Prairie False Dandelion

Among the many interesting flowers present during my June 4th visit, the uniquely arrayed  spent blooms of the Prairie False Dandelions stood out as fluffy dots across the landscape against the green and red palate of grasses and forbes.  

Common Spiderwort

Also accenting this scene were the purple and brilliant yellow of Common Spiderwort and Hoary Puccoon. 

Rain-kissed Oak Leaf

On this first visit of the season, I had arrived during a light rain to find much the foliage and flowers brilliantly kissed with rain droplets. 

Hoary Frostweed

Also on this date, I found just one Penstemon grandiflorus starting to bloom. However by June 8th multiple plants were in peak bloom, and today spent blooms were starting to fall from the plants.

Large Penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus)

Similarly the Hoary Puccoon, while still brilliantly present in healthy florets, were now starting to senesce in small numbers.  

Hoary Puccoon

During my second visit on June 8th, the Lyre-leaved Rock-cress and Blue Toadflax appeared to be peaking with sprays of flowers creating white and purple washes across the sand prairie palate. 

Lyre-leaved Rock-Cress

However today, in just 4 days passing, I noticed the presence of these two species had diminished significantly.

Blue Toadflax

Most remarkable, during my June 8th visit, was the discovery of a stunning magenta flower I had never seen before, Venus'-Looking-Glass. I quickly fell in love with this plant. 

Venus'-Looking Glass

The Venus' were just starting to flower and were a great impetus in my desire to return and behold how the landscape would evolve with magenta washed across it. Since these flowers have yet to peak, I'm hoping to make another return trip to witness a scene I can only imagine.

Venus'-Looking Glass

Venus'-Looking Glass amid the grasses and forbes

Also on June 8th, I took note of the St. John's Wort that had just started to emerge.  By today's visit these yellow flowers were bursting in every direction I gazed. 

St. John's Wort, landscape view

St. John's Wort

And so it goes, as the blooms of one species senesce, other flowers take over like an ever-changing symphony of colors rendering my senses quite satisfied. I look forward to my next trip in hopes of adding some new desert creatures to my list this season!

Greater Goat's Beard

Grasshopper Sparrow carrying food

My Year of Birding: 2010's Top Twenty Birding Moments

This year I decided to attempt accounting for the number of ABA species I accumulated for the year. I thought I was on a roll starting in January when I visited my parents in the Lower Rio Grande Valley where I picked up multiple lifers including 4 rarities. However, somewhere along the way other aspects of life took over and I missed seeing several migrant warblers as well as a few other birds. So despite two trips to "the valley" and another to the Gulf Stream on Brian Patteson's Cape Hatteras pelagic birding tour, I still only topped out in the 330s. I think the real story may be the number of life birds I picked up this year...Or even better I learned it's not just about seeing the birds, but it's the stories you hear along the way and the people you meet.  Also as one seasoned "chaser" told me, "it wouldn't be as exciting if you actually saw EVERY bird you chased."  Well maybe. I'm not so sure about that one.

Anyway, here is a collection of some of those lifers, plus a few of my top bird photos and/or sightings from 2010.

#1 Amazon Kingfisher (lifer)

This bird was an ABA first record seen January 24, 2009-February 3, 2010 on the banks of Zacate Creek where it flows into the Rio Grande in Laredo, TX. My parents and I went to see this bird on February 1 .  We waited over 3 hours with many chasers for the bird to make a 5 minute or so appearance just before sunset.

#2 Northern Jacana (lifer)

My dad and I went on a Texas rarity chase on February 4 for two birds.  Our first stop was Choke Canyon State Park to try for the Northern Jacana.  At Choke Canyon, we met a nice park ranger with an interesting life story about his former work along the Mexican border fighting the drug cartels. In addition to the jacana, Choke Canyon proved to be good place to see Verdin and multiple wren species.  The ranger also informed us he had Painted Bunting on his early morning bird count, but we missed spotting this species due to time constraints (last time I saw this species was 1995).

#3 Northern Wheatear (lifer)

Our second stop on February 4 was the Amish farm and homestead of John Borntrager for the Northern Wheatear in southwestern Bee County, TX.  John had found this bird back on December 30,2009.  The bird popped into view immediately upon our arrival, atop a pile of scrap wood and sticks. We visited the farm for about 45 minutes.  While I photographed the bird, my dad 'chewed the cud' with the farmer, picking his brain about Amish life.  We learned through conversation with John, his family owned a store down the road, the Borntrager Combination Shop. So after visiting the wheatear we headed to the store where we picked up some homemade items which included lip balm, jams and knit drink coasters.

#4  Crimson Collared Grosbeak (lifer)

During the same early February trip to the Rio Grande Valley, a male Crimson Collared Grosbeak was making a showing foraging on potato vines at Quinta Mazatlan.  We searched the grounds for about an hour when the bird was briefly located by another birder.  About 20 minutes later the bird re-appeared near the complex entrance and we were treated to excellent views for greater than 30 minutes. On this occasion, we also got to witness how people bend birding ethics, trampling vegetation, nudging others out of the way and flushing the bird just to get photos of a spectacularly colored rarity...

#5 Tropical/Northern Parula hybrid

During our search for the Crimson Collared Grosbeak, I found what I presumed was an easy lifer Tropical Parula coming to the oranges at Quinta Mazatlan. As I rookie to Lower Rio Grande Valley birding I did not overly scrutinize the identification of this species and assumed it was a Tropical Parula as reported to various Texas Rare Bird sites. However subsequent discussion indicates this bird was not my lifer Tropical Parula but more likely a hybrid Tropical/Northern Parula. Boooo.

#6 Clay-Colored Robin (lifer)

Not the prettiest bird, but a lifer nonetheless. This bird was seen at the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park peanut butter suet feeder. I learned during this early February trip that the Rio Grande Valley is much birdier earlier in the winter as opposed to late March when I visited in 2009.  Birds such as the Clay-colored Robin were much easier to see in winter vs. when spring approaches in the Valley.

#7  Rose-throated Becard

Not a lifer, but this was only the 2nd time I've seen this bird.  He was coming to the suet feeders at the entrance to Bentsen.  This was a much better look than the lifer I had at Estero Llanno Grande in 2009.

#8  Brown Jay (lifer)

On my second trip back to Texas in March, myself, spouse and parents chased this bird.  He was coming to a private residence in Zapata. The owners were gracious in allowing us to sit on their back patio while we waited for the bird. The bird never came to their tortilla feeders (yes the bird was known to have a hankering for tortillas), but we were fortunate to spot him among the bramble of trees just outside the property where we had been patiently waiting for him. Traveling the back streets of Zapata provided a glimpse into a town that distinctly resembled a third world country with its narrow dirt and pot-holed streets lined by degraded stucco homes. It was definitely one of those "you're not in Kansas anymore" moments. However, despite the obvious poverty, there was still an artistic romanticism to the town's unique architecture and landscaping in this different and small slice of America.

#9, #10, #11, #12, #13 ...

The next five species were seen on Brian Patteson's pelagic bird watching trip in the Gulf Stream out of Hatteras, NC. Yes, the water is really that blue in the Gulf Stream. In fact there is a clear demarcation between the deep cobalt blue of gulf as opposed to the blue green waters closer inland.

 #10 Greater Shearwater (lifer)

#9 Black-Capped Storm Petrel (lifer)

#11 Audubon's Shearwater (lifer)

#12 Cory's Shearwater (lifer)

#13 Bridled Tern

This bird landed on the boat for 45+ minutes.
When he took flight the captain tossed him a boat cushion for refuge.

#14 Red Phalarope (lifer)
Seen at South Metro Pier in Milwaukee County, WI
during the Madison Audubon Society Lakeshore Birding Trip on November 7

#15 Great Gray Owl 

Seeing the Great Gray this year was my third and by far best view. I had previously seen "him" in 2009 in the Sax-Zim bog and before that in 1996 in the Fremont National Forest in southern Oregon.  In 2010, this bird was seen on our annual winter bird watching trip to the Duluth area in Minnesota.  We had searched for this bird, dawn and dusk for 3 days without success.  Unable to resign our hopes of seeing a Great Gray Owl before heading back to southern Wisconsin, we decided to brave the snow-covered roads and make one last run for the bird at dawn on our day of departure. The effort paid off.  We watched this bird for 38 minutes in a fairly substantial snowfall.  

#16 Thayer's Gull (lifer)

Our last stop in the Duluth area in January was Canal Park where I found this lifer with the help of local larophiles.

#17 White-cheeked Pintail (Not accepted as a wild bird)

Following our pelagic birding trip from Hatteras, NC we bee-lined it to Pea Island NWR where this White-cheeked Pintail was being seen.  The jury is out as to whether it will be accepted as a wild bird and therefore ABA countable. Odds are with waterfowl such as this species that it will not be accepted as a wild bird. Update 11/16/2013 This bird was not accepted as a wild bird.

#18 Anna's Hummingbird (lifer)  

This bird was coming to a feeder in Grand Marais, MI in late October. We just happened to catch wind of this rarity during one of our many stops to Whitefish Point this year where birders were talking about this sighting in nearby Grand Marais. Since we were heading to that area to hike Pictured Rocks and drink the best beer in Michigan at the Dunes Saloon, this stop was right along our route.

Lastly a few gems from this spring in the north... 

#19 Black-throated Blue Warbler 

The bluff overlooking Spectacle Lake in Chippewa County Michigan affords excellent warbler viewing and photography as one is positioned at or above the tree tops where the birds are often seen at close range.

It's always an added treat to capture a warbler singing, let alone a Black-throated Blue Warbler singing.

#20 Blackburnian Warbler

At Monocle Lake, located in the valley below Spectacle Lake, I found this Blackburnian Warbler perched a few feet off the ground, ruffling it's feathers after a bath in the creek.

Michigan Lakeshore Birding Trip

Some folks were intently birding, others multi-tasking between texting and scoping...and despite being one of the tallest in the group, Tom wanted to get the true birds eye view.

A group of birders from the Madison Audubon Society birded the west shore of Lake Michigan from South Metro Pier in Oak Creek to North Point in Sheboygan this past Sunday. The group was led by Aaron Stutz with attendance by some of our favorite Madison area birding personalities. The weather was cooperative, the company good.

We were greeted by this sleepy-eyed Red Fox at our first stop of the day...











Soon after, the best bird and a lifer for many, a Red Phalarope, was found at South Metro Pier in Oak Creek. 

Red Phalarope

Red Phalarope

Red Phalarope

For comparison here are some photos of Red-necked Phalaropes taken this fall in the Gulf Stream off of the North Carolina Coast...

But back to Lake Michigan...Coming in at 2nd place for the trip was the Western Grebe found by Tom Prestby at the Texas Ave. Overlook in Milwaukee (no picture available, sorry).

Until the next time...Good times and good birding!