ABA Blog

Blog Birding #148

Summer is often the peak of travel and birders are no differnt. We tend to have lots of gear to tote around with us and Charlotte of Prairie Birder offers some great tips:

One of the most important things to do when it comes to packing your optics is to keep them with you in your carry-on luggage. Don’t take the chance of your cameras, binoculars, and scope getting damaged, stolen, or lost in your checked luggage. Last year when I went to Long Point for the workshop and again this year, I packed my scope, cameras, binoculars, and new iPad in my backpack. There’s just not enough room in my backpack for my tripod, and it’s pretty sturdy and not as desirable to thieves, so I packed it in my suitcase with my clothes.

When Robert of Birding is Fun was delayed at the airport, he made up for it by making new friends and ended up with a handful of lifers:

So what is a birder to do while stranded in a city far from home? Go birding of course! But how to go about it is another challenge. While I waited for my new flight arrangements to be made, I desperately searched the web on my iPad for the closest eBird hotspots and figured I'd could take a cab and just see what happens. That didn't seem too appealing. I needed local experience to point me in the right direction. I looked up Rhode Island ABA members on the online directory. None of them had shared their email or phone numbers. Foiled! Then I remembered BirdingPal.

Many people shudder at the thought of immature gulls, but I'd challenge you to look at the variation in young Ring-billed Gulls and notice their beauty as Amar of Anything Larus describes two different types in the spectrum of plumages:

The late Claudia Wilds felt that Ring-billeds show the least amount of geographical variation of all North American gull species. Although the various populations across North America bear close resemblance, Wilds' statement should not be understood as a lack of intraspecific variation in juvenile plumages. Indeed, this is generally true with many monotypic gull species as they arguably appear to come together and show less variation as definitive adults.



Cory of Boom Chachalaca enjoys the birds of his new home state and wastes no time in trying to learn something new. Check out all the great photos on his latest post:

Perhaps the most numerous and cooperative bird at the lake is the Red Crossbill. My daily trips there are filled with birds feeding in the larches and gathering grit from the old campfire sites along the trail. I am working on gathering recording on what I suspect may be at least two types of RECR in the area. 

It may still seem like it's mid-summer but Cornell Lab of Ornithology has already started putting out their BirdCast migration forecasts. Check it out for the regional forecasts:

Scattered light and locally moderate movements will occur across the West, while two primarily northeastern pulses of light to moderate and locally heavy movements occur among storm systems in the East.

 

Open Mic: Wader Quest hits the road to Washington

At the Mic: Rick Simpson

Rick Simpson of Newport Pagnell, UK, is a bird guide, illustrator, author of Confessions of a Bird Guide, and a Birdlife Species Champion. 

He previously wrote about Wader Quest at the ABA Blog,  in Thailand, the UAE, and Florida. 

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If we thought the wind in Florida was strong, we were in for a bit of a surprise when we got to Washington. As our plane approached the runway I nervously glanced over, looked out of the window and was dismayed to see the runway approaching us from the side! I take my hat off to the pilots of this world, at least I did that day, the landing, despite the aforementioned approach, was one of the smoothest I have ever encountered. Wader Quest’s host in Washington, Knut Hansen just happens to be an airline pilot too, and dismissed my story as being a normal everyday occurrence at that particular airport. Either way, safe and sound we jumped into Knut Hansen‘s car hoping to add to our quest total of 68 and headed for Ocean Shores on the northern edge of Grays Harbour.

We drove down through torrential rain and strong winds, all the time hoping that this maelstrom would blow itself out, alas, our hopes were forlorn. We got out of Knut’s car and headed across the beach littered with logs and other flotsam and jetsam brought in by the strong winds. We headed across to the harbor protection jetty and started searching for ‘rockpipers’ as Knut called them, Black Turnstone, Surfbird and Rock Sandpiper.

The last of these was the most important of the three, seeing these birds later further south was not likely so we had to get them there, and the weather did not help matters much. We quickly came across a small group of these birds that kept popping up from between the boulders only to quickly drop back down to shelter upon realizing their folly. We saw Black Turnstone and Surfbird, but we could not find a Rock Sandpiper among them. As we left, a beached Great Northern Diver, that’s a Common Loon to US birders, gave us excellent and privileged views, but that did not compensate for the lack of Rock Sands!

Black Turnstones, photo by Elis Simpson

We drove around the vast harbour heading south and stopped at a sewage treatment plant near Hoquiam where Elis spotted a couple of phalaropes, these turned out to be Red Phalaropes which pleased Knut far more than it did me! It turned out that these were a vanguard and we were to see many more of this species before the day was done with us.

We then headed around to Westhaven where we spent the rest of the daylight fruitlessly searching for the Rock Sandpipers both at the State Park, where we came across more Red Phalaropes sheltering on puddles in the car park, and at the rocky breakwater jetties near the marina. As night fell, weary and soaked to the skin, we sought shelter at a motel. The beer and warming food that evening in a bar nearby went some way to cheering us up, but the news that the weather the following day would be “the same; but worse” did not.

However, when we awoke in the morning it was to a cloudless sky and a much abated wind speed, optimistically we headed out in the dark and realizing this was a bit silly stopped at a diner for a sumptuous breakfast to await the anticipated dawn. We then headed back to the jetties, this time enjoying our birding so much more. We split up, Knut headed west, Elis east and I stumbled along somewhere in between the two. It wasn’t long before Elis was waving her arms frantically and I joined her at the viewing platform. I discovered she had found a flock of ‘rockpipers’. As I arrived they flew off, out across the harbor mouth! My heart was in my mouth as I watched them go, I could see that there were three species there, the Black Turnstones and Surfbirds again and yes, a smaller bird, this was surely our target. I watched and feared we’d have to relocate them back at Ocean Shores when suddenly they turned, changed their mind about leaving and flew straight back to the jetty in front of us, the flock comprised 12 Surfbirds, 7 Black Turnstones and to our utter joy and intense relief, 4 Rock Sandpipers! A shameless display of joy ensued with the waggled dance being performed by all three of us, Knut had joined us by then and his pleasure at our sighting was plain to see.

Rock Sandpiper, photo by Elis Simpson

We then had a pleasant and relaxed day’s birding, even adding another tick for Wader Quest in the form of Wilson’s Snipe at Bottle Beach State Park, before heading back to Seattle for our flight back to California the next day.

On the last evening of our stay Knut helped us get directions for a flock of Mountain Plovers that had been seen in Carrizo Plains north of Los Angeles. Armed with maps downloaded from ebird, a GPS, a map and a great deal of optimism we set forth and, as we pulled up at ‘x marks the spot’, I started to tell Elis that we should start scanning for these precious birds. As I was doing so, to my amazement and joy, I found one, then another, then another. We had come across the flock exactly where they were supposed to be, all 22 of them.

Mountain Plover, photo by Elis Simpson

There was little else for us to do than return to Los Angeles, spend the night in Hollywood, do the touristy thing of looking at the famous sign (which provided good birding too incidentally) and then head south to San Diego, stopping en route at Bolsa Chica where we finally got our Long –billed Curlew.

San Diego awaited us and for our part, we couldn’t wait to see what it had to offer.

#ABArare - Blue-footed Booby - Arizona

Richard Wilson found a Blue-footed Booby (Code 4) at Patagonia Lake State Park near Nogales on Aug 15. This is the first photo-documented record for southeast Arizona and the ABA Area's second in as many weeks. Last week's Blue-footed, which was in New Mexico, was taken to a rehabber several days ago, so this latest report is certainly a different individual.

photos by Andrew Core

The Blue-footed Booby was seen again on Aug 16 and 17. On the 16th, it was seen flying by the beach area on the east side of the lake and also near the dam on the west side (map here). On the morning of the 17th, it was on the west side. Watch the Arizona/New Mexico listserv for updates.

Patagonia Lake State Park is about 10 miles northeast of Nogales. There is a fee to enter ($10 for one person). Camp sites are available for an additional fee.

photo by Andrew Core

 

ABA Members, Help Us Populate the Membership Directory!

Remember when you used to get a form in the mail to update your information to share with other ABA members? Then, a few months later, there would be something in your mail…often with already outdated information?

 

Well, it is time to fill in that form again! But, this time, you will get instant gratification. Well, nearly instant, as it will take 1 business day to verify that you are a real live ABA member and complete the registration process. Once you're in, you can update it whenever you want! The ABA’s membership directory, now entirely online, is the best way to find and contact birders from across the ABA Area and all over the world. In order for the service to be as effective as it can be, we need ABA members, we need you, to visit the site and update your information.

 

 

The ABA Membership Directory is where you get the word out. Are you willing to guide other birders in your area? Want a fee? Let them know! You are in control of what your fellow members see.

 

If you’re an ABA member, we already have your address, but we’d love to have your phone number and updated email as well. You can also go here to update any changes, anytime. Day or night.

ABA members are fond of using the directory to find local guides, contact members willing to provide information, and update contact information following a move. But we can’t do it justice without your help.

Please help us fill in the blanks in our Membership Directory. Connect with your fellow birders with always up-to-the-minute correct information. We know how much this directory means to us all. It was an amazing tool then, and it can be even more amazing now.

#ABArare - Neotropic Cormorant - New York

New York has its first Neotropic Cormorant (pending acceptance, of course) thanks to Andy Guthrie. On Aug 14, he noticed a smaller cormorant in a flock of about 25 Double-crested Cormorants that was flying by him at Hamlin Beach State Park. Guthrie was able to take several photos that showed several key field marks, such as a gular patch that forms a sharp point at the base of the bill, small size, and a longer tail.

Neotropic Cormorant on left. Double-crested in foreground on right. Photo by Andy Guthrie

There have not been any subsequent sightings, which is not surprising considering the circumstances under which it was seen.

Hamlin Beach State Park is located on the shores of Lake Ontario in the town of Hamlin. It is about 10 miles northwest of Rochester.

Rare Bird Alert: August 16, 2013

Trying to predict a given state or province's next first record is a parlor game we all participate in from time to time. The unexpected and the exciting get most of the accolades, but there is a short list of species that we can see coming, and who's ultimate discovery feels almost like finding that missing puzzle piece under the sofa cushion. They may be a bit less exciting, but they're particularly satisfying. 

The two first records this week have long been expected, but finally nailing them down is oh-so-sweet. The first, a well-photographed Bermuda Petrel (ABA Code 4) seen from an NOAA ship in Virginia waters by none other than Birding magazine quizmaster Tom Johnson. We've known for some time, thanks to Cahows tagged with geolocators, that the species follows the Gulf Stream up the Atlantic coast all the way east to European waters, but it is so infrequently encountered that even sightings where they are more or less expected are met with great fanfare.

The other first comes from New York, where a long-expected Neotropic Cormorant was photographed among Double-cresteds along Lake Ontario in Monroe. The species has been showing up in late summer across the midwest in increasing numbers for several years, pushing eastward every year. Undoubtedly, other states/provinces in the east still lacking it should be on the look-out. 

New Mexico followed its Wood-Rail show with a pair of nice records, most notably a Blue-footed Booby (4), the state's 2nd, in Lea, but the Yellow-green Vireo in Eddy is great too. 

A Brown Booby (3) at Lake Havasu has been skirting back and forth between Arizona and California, where it is the 8th record for the former state and, remarkably, the second individual in as many weeks. 

A boat to the Fallarones, San Francisco, California, had an encounter with a Great Shearwater. A Chimney Swift was photographed in Los Angeles. 

Nice away from the center of the continent, a Franklin's Gull was seen near Newport, Oregon. 

In British Columbia, notable birds include an Indigo Bunting near Kamloops and a Ferruginous Hawk near Golden. 

In Colorado, a Glaucous-winged Gull was recorded in Kiowa. 

A Royal Tern turned up at Carlyle Lake in Clinton, Illinois. 

Good for the Atlantic provinces, a Little Blue Heron was seen at Point Leamington, Newfoundland. 

in New Hampshire, a Yellow-throated Warbler was photographed in Rockingham. 

Right on time for rare shorebirds, a Curlew Sandpiper (3) was found in Essex, Massachusetts. 

A Swallow-tailed Kite dispersed north into Washington, Maryland, this week. 

It's been a great month for Herald "Trindade" Petrels (3) in the Gulf Stream out of Dare, North Carolina, with multiple individuals recorded. 

A Ruff (3) was seen in Georgetown, South Carolina. 

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Omissions and errors are not intended, but if you find any please message blog AT aba.org and I'll try to fix them as soon as possible. This post is meant to be an account of the most recently reported birds. Continuing birds not mentioned are likely included in previous editions listed here. Place names written in italics refer to counties/parishes. 

Readers should note that none of these reports has yet been vetted by a records committee. All birders are urged to submit documentation of rare sightings to the appropriate state or provincial committees. For full analysis of these and other bird observations, subscribe to North American Birds <aba.org/nab>, the richly illustrated journal of ornithological record published by the ABA.

 

Eastern Kingbird and Peregrine Falcon aerial battle

Being involved with this blog means I am fortunate to be privy to any number of remarkable birding experiences sent to me by our readers and members. When Massachusetts birder Tim Spahr sent this remarkable set of photographs along I knew I had to share them. I'll let Tim set the scene.

Tom Wetmore and I had elected to meet on Plum Island at Parker River NWR on August 6 to look for shorebirds and passerine migrants.  While we were chatting at Lot 1 around sunrise, Ryan Schain turned up, so all three of us decided to hang together.  After a few hours we ended up at the Hellcat Dike area.  This season Bill Forward pool, the southern impoundment, as been drawn down a bit and is drawing good numbers of shorebirds.  While Ryan and I were on the Dike, Tom was off at the blind about a half mile to our south.  All at once the shorebirds took flight in a panic, and from the south a large, dark juvenile Peregrine was among them.  

It made a few lazy passes at a few birds and continued on a more-or-less straight line for Ryan and me.  Realizing it was going to come fairly close, I got the camera up, but also cursed the bad light, as the falcon was not going to be lit properly.  As luck would have it, an extremely vocal and aggressive Eastern Kingbird arrived on the scene and proceeded to mob the Peregrine relentlessly.  While this unfolded, the two birds drifted just enough to my west and north to be quite well lit.  Of course by now the Peregrine was ignoring everything but the angry Kingbird; both birds flew just past Ryan and me no more than 100 feet up.

 

I managed to get off about 30 photos of the encounter, expecting a few decent shots.  It was nice to see the Kingbird's red crown stripe flared in anger in a few of the photos.  That definitely exceeded my expectations! 

Included are a couple photos from the encounter, but the entire set is available at Tim's flickr page and the photo set is well worth checking out in its full-sized entirety.

Thanks, Tim!

Wyoming 2012: The Hunt for Black Swift (part 1)

Editor's Note: The ABA Blog welcomes board member and Illinois birder Matt Fraker as a contributor to the blog. 

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We know they are here...somewhere...

But this is a vast land of nooks, crannies, and inaccessibility --  a place habitually hiding its own treasures. A place that teases and teases with no promise of satisfied results, if any. And she seemingly does not mind one bit. Hard to not fall in love with that just a bit, right? Consider me mindlessly smitten.

"Knowing" they are here doesn't count or matter. We need to find them.

And "we" are all here now. Scattered. Seeking proof; hoping to end the tease...

One thing I have learned about this little bird is -- at least in this place --  we probably won't find it without a little adventure on the way...

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Monday, July 29th: The I-80 Commute


I set a new bar today. Team Fraker-Denali-Tucher had some crazy driving Karma. I made Laramie, Wyoming, with only a single stop. I did a 476 mile run to start. Then another run of 481 miles to get me to the Hampton Inn in Laramie. All under 14 hours. Without being extremely illegal, I won't ever best this.

So for the last two years, I have explored into a wicked no-man's land of brutal, bear-heavy back-country n a fantasy-ridden desire to find Wyoming's first breeding Black Swifts (if not the first of ANY Black Swifts in a state that has no accepted sightings). In terms of locating the Black Swifts, I really had no idea of what I was doing. Mostly I was just proving to myself that I could get into and out of these places alive. I have spent almost two years doing double CrossFit workouts hitting both a 5 AM and a 6 AM class usually four to five days a week. Some of these two hour sessions were so ridiculous that I began to write them down just to see what they looked like on paper. But the difference it has made in the back- ountry has been dramatic. I can't train for Bears, or lightning blasts; but I can make damn sure that I will not be my own reason that I don't get back out.

I don't recall exactly when I was contacted by a fellow veterinarian named Carolyn Gunn. I do know that in hindsight I was truly embarrassed that I failed to recognize her name. Carolyn, along with Kim Potter and Jason Beason, are the current Black Swift "A" Team gurus out of Colorado (it was their ransmittered irds that were discovered in South America possibly elucidating one of the last great mysteries of ABA area birds -- where in the hell do Black Swifts go to Winter??). For some time they had set their eyes on Wyoming as a place that needed a much more thorough looking over, and Carolyn had seen my IBF postings on my exploratory attempts. Long story short, Jason Beason put together a three person survey team to do hard surveys of alpine waterfalls in most of Wyoming's mountain ranges for 2013. Those three people were Eric Horvath and Jules Evans, two folks with considerable Black Swift nest site discovery experience along the Pacific coast, and me, thanks to my experience in Wyoming's back-country, especially Wilderness Falls.

After much planning and discussion, it was decided that Eric would cover the Wyoming Range and the Big Horn Range; Jules would cover the southwest corner of Yellowstone (a place rich in waterfalls); and I would cover some of the Wind River Range and the Tetons. We also managed to enlist a couple other folks. Michael Wickens from the University of Wyoming was also going to hit the Big Horn Range; and Sherri and I funded another technician out of the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory (more or less in charge of the whole project through Jason). Jason enlisted him and as of now all I know is that he was in the Gros Ventre Range.

Over the last year, maps and lists of waterfalls were exchanged and official survey sheets were distributed. When I educated myself on surveying for Black Swifts I learned a rather unsettling fact. On the west coast and in Colorado you don't have to worry about Grizzly Bears. As I read the survey method, it was like reading a "how to meet a Grizzly Bear" infomercial.

We are supposed to get to our waterfalls of interest around 6 to 7 PM. Then we watch up the waterfall against the light of the sky for Black Swifts returning to roost, usually until 9:30 or 10 PM. Then hike out using your headlamp.

So, basically, go to a place that's noisy enough that you and a Bear won't hear each other. Do this at the time of day when Bears are most active and at a feature that Bears probably like. Then sit quietly looking up. Then hike out in the dark. Oh hell, bring foods that require lots of honey and berry jam also.

Eric Horvath had the two ranges that were likely Grizz free -- the Wyoming and the Big Horn. But Jules was heading into Maul City Central in southwest Yellowstone. Katie Duffy in Yellowstone, who helped us with our permitting, basically told me Jules would not be allowed where he was going without one to two additional folks. This is when the term "Bearanoia" gets used a lot. And I was already very familiar with the bear scene where I was going. Like anything else back here, being smart is maybe 95% of the process. The other 5% is completely out of your hands. 

And as of this moment, here is where we stand.

Eric did not find any Swifts in the Wyoming or Big Horn Ranges. Wickens also failed to find any on the Big Horn's eastern slopes. Jules had a companion ready to join and assist him but this person injured his leg just before they left and Jules had to bail as he could not find a replacement and was clearly not going into Yellowstone solo. Eric and his wife Phoebe are going to try to do his Yellowstone surveys. Jason's field tech that we sponsored is out there someplace. And tomorrow I begin my surveys. Five major targets and two minor targets, with one week of family vacation thrown in there someplace.

I previously mentioned Wyoming does not even have an accepted sighting of this species; hopefully we changed that in June when we had the two sightings two days in a row down at the Utah border by the inta Range. That should have been the greatest lifer I have ever had, but it was marred by a camera screw-up, potentially putting the entire two day sighting at risk. So, at the risk of disturbing understatement...

I really want someone to find these birds...

Some driving Karma from this day:

“Sharing is Half the Fun of Birding”

That is what one South Dakota birder puts by his signature each time he posts a sighting. Every time I read it, I smile in agreement. Sharing the fun and joys (and sorrows) of birding is why I write in this blog and why I wrote my book, Extreme Birder, and why I just took a trip to Minnesota.

Last winter when I went to the “700 Club” gathering in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, I met a woman who was interested in my giving a talk about my big year. She is a winter Texan from Minnesota. Eventually she worked it out with three southern Minnesota groups for me to tell each group about my big year in three talks to be delivered on August 7-8. I drove over with my computer and projector and box of books for sale, a trip of about 500 miles each way. The Minnesotans did an amazing job of advertising my talks and we had a wonderful turnout. But the best thing of all was that I got to tell a whole bunch of very interested people, some of whom were birders, about some of my big year adventures. I was recovering from a cold and felt a bit under the weather, but I was so energized by the telling that I forgot my sickness entirely.

In my reliving of some of the events of 2008, showing pictures of birds and places seen that year, I hope that the people in the audiences were able to really feel that birding can be good and there is so much of beauty and interesting behavior and excitement that can be found when we get outside and go birding. I always tell people that one main reason for my doing a big year is to give me an excuse to have fun, day after day, for a whole year. A bad day birding is better than a day not birding (usually).

A little over a week ago, I went to a local park when I had a free hour before a meeting. I did not expect to find a new year bird, and I did not. What I found instead was a pack of crows and jays squawking and diving into a tree. When I crept closer I located the source of all their fury, an unhappy worried Great Horned Owl, hugging a large branch. A small slice of nature, now embedded in my memory and captured on film. Something to treasure, and to share.

I encourage those of you who love to bird to be “evangelical” about it – tell others, not just other birders, of what fun can be had out there birding. We aren’t just fussy twitchers making boring lists of birds. We do it because it’s fun, or at least I do, and I want others to share in the fun!

Blog Birding #147

With the proliferation of eBird, more and more birders are learning about what is needed for a comprehensive bird documentation. Lauren Harter at Phainopepla Fables offers some great tips:

The list below is structured from least helpful to most helpful in bird documentation, from my own subjective view. I want to stress that no information is useless or should be left out–more information is always better! My point here is to encourage eBird users (and others) to include more of the really helpful information. Disclaimer: all the examples below are made up by me; I’m not actually quoting anyone here.

Many parts of the continent have been hit by serious inclement weather this summer, at 10,000 Birds, Sharon Stiteler looks at how that effects birds:

In June, storms hit Minneapolis very hard. Some friends had come by to help me lift my window unit air conditioner into my window. After they left, I began securing the flashing around the unit and noted the skies getting dark and green. Suddenly a huge gust of wind hit and blew all the flashing in to my apartment. I watched a large branch fly past my window and break a neighbor’s window. “I should maybe step away from my window,” I thought.

Kathie Brown at Birding is Fun gets ready for the shorebird season with a poetic appreciation of Black-bellied Plovers:

On this September day in 2011 I saw my first Black-bellied Plover. I remember feeling so awed by seeing this bird. It was one of the fifteen new species I saw on that day. While these photos may not be of National Geographic quality, for me they are a reminder of what that day felt like with it's air of magic and art and poetry. Two years ago I wrote a poem about these birds and this day. I have posted it below. These photos remind me of a style of painting called pointillism popularized by the art of Georges Seurat. Between the poem and the pictures I hope that maybe you will also be able to feel a bit of the joy and wonder I felt on that late summer day on South Beach in Chatham, Massachusetts. It is the search for that feeling that keeps me out in nature and watching birds.

Steve Tucker, at the irreverent Bourbon, Bastards, and Birds, gets to the bottom of the biggest secret society in birding, the Bird Police:

What is it like to be a bird policeperson—to protect and to serve—I’m glad you asked me that question, Steve.  It’s basically like being a non-bird policeperson, but minus the weapons, chick-magnet uniform, and relevant authority—and with a very different beat.  Paperwork—it boils down to reading lots of reports and looking at lots of photographs.  Most difficult for me has been the fear that I am going to accept something only to find that the record goes 8-1 and I was the only idiot that misidentified a bird in a photograph—cue derisive laughter from Dunn, Pyle, McCaskie, et al.  Drown in tears—resign committee position—hara-kiri. That sort of thing.

At the intersection of birds and pop culture, sports teams are front and center. Nick Lund, The Birdist, considers the ornithological bon fides of the NBA team newly re-christened the New Orleans Pelicans:

The concern here is that they're not using the correct species.  There are two species of pelican in these United States: the American White Pelican and the Brown Pelican.  While White Pelicans can be found in Louisiana, it's usually in the winter, when they huddle in big groups in the middle of big lakes and reservoirs.  I've seen it.  They're cool birds all, but they're pretty pathetic in the winter time, and certainly not worthy of naming a cool NBA team after.