ABA Blog

You Know You're a Birder When...

For the latter half or so of July I was incredibly fortunate and privileged to sail from western Iceland to Greenland aboard the National Geographic Explorer as a Grosvenor Teacher Fellow.  The trip was so full of highlights that I'm still wrapping my head around it; I'm working on photos and movies, making plans for curriculum development and community outreach built around my experiences, and journaling about some science themes I found interesting on my PolarTREC page.

 

 I thought I'd share one experience that most readers of this blog can relate to.  On our last full day at sea we were heading up the western coast of Greenland towards our departure point of Kangerlussauq.  In the early afternoon the announcement went out over the ship's PA system that Blue Whales were spouting off the bow in the distance.  Pretty much all of the ship's guests turned out to see this most amazing creature, the largest animal to ever inhabit planet Earth.

 

THAR SHE BLOWS!!  Spouting Blue Whale, Sukkertoppen Bank, Southwest Greenland 27 July 2013.

A pair of the behemoths were feeding, following a pattern of short-interval blows at the surface for a few minutes before diving for 5 or so minutes.  While the whales were down it was pretty quiet aboard, with folks chimping over cameras or having conversations about other places they had seen whales, what pertinent field marks to observe, etc.  As their time down stretched most kept a keen eye peeled to see where the far & fast-ranging rorquals would surface next.  When the whales spouted there was a din of shutter clicks along with actual ooohs and ahhs (some coming from my own mouth, I'm sure.)  But in one of the lulls something caught my eye- amongst the ubiquitous Northern Fulmars and steady stream of Iceland Gulls there was first one and then two darker, more ominous-looking birds powering along in purposeful flight off the port side.  Jaegers!  (Er, maybe since we were in Greenlandic waters, Skuas??  Can I get a ruling...)  

Anyway, both were of a good size and had the chesty look and double-flash in the underwing to be confident calling Pomarine.  The fact that one sported nicely maintained tail spoons didn't hurt, either.  So there I was, my attention turned perpendicular to everyone else's, firing my camera like a madman at 5fps until my buffer filled while about everyone else waited for the Blues to reappear, probably wondering what the heck was so special about the "sea gulls" I was so intently photographing.  The birder in a group always eventually outs him or herself, right??

"So I was watching Blue Whales off the coast of Greenland and then this happened..."  Admittedly, something I never thought I'd say prior to this summer.  Sukkertoppen Bank, Southwest Greenland 27 July 2013.

Ever curious, this adult Pomarine Yaeger took a victory lap around the ship.  I'm not sure how many guests took serious notice but I sure appreciated it!  Sukkertoppen Bank, Southwest Greenland 27 July 2013.

Anyway, I'm not too tunnel-visioned to ignore something as awe-inspiring as a Blue Whale and got some images I'll be pleased to share alongside the jaeger pics!  More importantly, it was such a cherry on top of the whole trip to be in the presence of magnificence, both avian and cetacean.

Diving Blue Whale, Sukkertoppen Bank, Southwest Greenland 27 July 2013.

Blue Whale scat & Northern Fulmar, Sukkertoppen Bank, Southwest Greenland 27 July 2013.

I also had a fantastic time working with the 8 young explorers on board, a nice warm up for Camp Avocet next week!  Also, I would be remiss if I didn't thank National Geographic and Lindblad Expeditions for offering me and 13 other educators the chance to visit the Arctic this summer.  Our students, colleagues, and communities will benefit incredibly from the experiences we've had!

Here I am with fellow Grosvenor Teacher Fellow Joe Super and 8 awesome young explorers.  Bonus birder points for Wesley sporting the puffin hat!  Photo © Ralph Lee Hopkins.

Stand by for posts from Delaware and watch out for awesomeness from the young birders and other leaders I'll get to rub elbows with!!  

p.s.  If you are still with me thanks for reading.  Here are a few other bird photo highlights from the trip- enjoy!

Atlantic Puffin, Flatey Island, Iceland, 20 July 2013.

Common Eiders & Ice, Skjoldungensund, Greenland, 22 July 2013.

Common Ravens, Nanortalik, Greenland, 23 July 2013.

Immature Greenlandic Common Redpoll, Hvalsey, Greenland, 24 July 2013.

Male Greenlandic Common Redpoll, Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, 28 July 2013.

Eurasian Oystercatcher, Flatey Island, Iceland, 20 July 2013.

Northern Fulmar portrait, Flatey Island, Iceland, 20 July 2013.

Iceland Gull, Skjoldungensund, Greenland, 22 July 2013.

Iceland Gull feather & tundra, Nanortalik, Greenland, 23 July 2013.

Iceland Gull, offshore of Skjoldungensund, Greenland, 22 July 2013.

Northern Fulmar, Atlantic Puffins, and Common Murres, Flatey Island, Iceland, 20 July 2013.  Oh, and some finny thing.

Just kidding- I love whales as much as seabirds.  Mother Orca (inverted, underwater) with youngster, Latrabjarg, Iceland, 20 July 2013.

Orcas, Latrabjarg, Iceland, 20 July 2013.

 

 

Mako Sica- maybe not!

From the Badlands National Park website FAQs:

Why is it called the Badlands?

The Lakota people were the first to call this place "mako sica" or "land bad." Extreme temperatures, lack of water, and the exposed rugged terrain led to this name. In the early 1900's, French-Canadian fur trappers called it "les mauvais terres pour traverse," or "bad lands to travel through."

My son Garrett & I spent 3 nights at Badlands National Park on the way back to Colorado from Wisconsin last week.  I hadn't been to the park for about 30 years but still recognized the multi-hued, Kodachrome-friendly clay hills and gullies as old acquaintances.  Beyond the inspiring rugged scenery, the park is famous for the world-class fossil resources found within its boundaries, particularly late Eocene and Oligocene mammal fossils along with other fauna from ca. 40-28 million years ago.  

What I didn't really remember from my teenaged visit but immensely enjoyed on this trip was the park's horizon-spanning mixed-grass prairie habitat surrounding the barren areas most visitors frequent.  With so much pristine habitat (the park encompasses 244,000 acres), native wildlife is sure to abound and in my opinion this is the park's best kept secret (though I'm sure my SD buddies are all over the birding there!) 

 
A sea of grass entices Bighorn Sheep away from their cliffy strongholds for some rich grazing opportunities.

Pronghorns feature on the landscape along with crowd-pleasing Prairie Dogs.

The most mega of the park's charismatic megafauna are  American Bison.  This old bull hung out in the Sage Creek Campground, giving me a nice pose as I sat at our picnic table.

 
Near-constant companions of the bison, Brown-headed Cowbirds are a bit less charismatic and a lot less mega but I think them not too odious when they are in their natural milieu instead of, say, laying eggs in a Kirtland's Warbler nest.

This Long-billed Curlew joined an American Crow in harassing a Coyote.  My son & I enjoyed the show immensely but I'm not sure if the Coyote was as appreciative.

I've never experienced Grasshopper Sparrow density like I did in the mixed-grass prairie of Badlands NP- it seemed that every time I stopped in grassy areas to listen there were 'hoppers singing.

Western Meadowlarks were also legion in the park, nice to see for a species that has declined across most of its range due to prairie fragmentation and habitat loss.

Mountain Bluebirds are at about the eastern edge of their normal range in the Dakotas at Badlands NP. 

Lark Sparrows seemed to be around every turn in the rugged portions of the park, especially where grasses bordered areas of exposed bare rock.

After a dramatic morning thunderstorm, we found this Wild Turkey drying itself and sorting its feathers on a Badlands ridgeline.

A snazzy Sharp-tailed Grouse dazzled on the high wire just west of the Sage Creek Road entrance.

Another indicator of good habitat and a danged neat bird in my book, this Upland Sandpiper wasn't about to be outdone in the fence line balancing department along Sage Creek Road.

Anyway, if you are transiting the northern Great Plains I'd highly suggest blocking some time to spend birding and soaking in the prairie ambiance and scenery at Badlands National Park!

Sunset rainbow, Sage Creek Campground, Badlands National Park, 21 June 2013.  (iPhone panorama shot with AutoStitch.)

Save the date! ABA South Africa Safari October 7-17, 2014

African elephants at Kruger National Park (Photo © Marius Coetzee)

We are pleased to announce the first-ever ABA South Africa Safari. The ABA is partnering with Rockjumper Worldwide Birding Adventures and BirdLife South Africa to host a safari with visits to both Cape Town and Kruger National Park.

 On safari in Kruger National Park (Photo © Leon Fouche)

At the extreme south end of the vast expanse that is Africa lies the country of South Africa, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean. At the south end of South Africa is Cape Town with the Cape of Good Hope just below it. The southerly most of the three capital cities, Cape Town’s “City Bowl” is surrounded by both mountains and ocean. The pleasant climate and varied topography make for great birding. Two endemic bird families are found here, in the sugarbirds and the rockjumpers. The unique and biodiverse Fynbos shrubland is home to a showy group of sunbird species, among other birds. Coastal areas host African Penguins, several cormorant species, with albatrosses and Cape Petrels lurking just offshore.

The Cape Rockjumper is one of two species in the rockjumper family. The family is endemic to South Africa. (Photo © Adam Riley)

Resting at the northwest corner of South Africa is famed Kruger National Park. One of the largest and most spectacular parks on the continent, Kruger is a mixture of forest, grassland, and Acacia, and it abuts national park land in Mozambique and Zimbabwe to create an immense area (nearly 22,000 square miles) protected for the benefit of wildlife. It is home to the Big 5 (lion, leopard, Cape buffalo, African elephant, and rhinoceros) and also giraffes, wild dogs, and a bevy of antelope species. Yes, there are birds too! Lots of them. An interesting array of larks are to be found here as are striking species such as Saddle-billed Stork, Lappet-faced Vulture, Kori Bustard, Southern Ground Hornbill, and the furtive Pel’s Fishing Owl.

Leopard (Photo © Adam Riley)

This is an utterly unique ABA offering, that will be of great value, and for a great cause too. The ABA South Africa Safari will coincide with BirdLife South Africa’s Save Our Seabirds Festival in Cape Town to raise money for endangered seabirds.

African Penguins (Photo © Adam Riley)

Join your fellow ABA Members and our in-country hosts for a most memorable visit to one of the world’s richest regions for birds and wildlife. Register your interest today by contacting Nancy Hawley (at [email protected], or call her at (800) 850-2473, X234).

St. Helena Bay is a good place for dolphin and whale-watching. (Photo © Markus Lilje)

Where's Walda?

 

Missouri River at White Cloud, KS, by Ted Lee Eubanks

Audubon started west at the Missouri, as did Lewis, Clark, Long, and Fremont. The Missouri still delineates the humid, forested east from the dry, treeless plains. Hundreds of thousands of emigrants, traveling the California, Oregon, and Mormon trails, left the familiar here to enter the unknown. I decided to join them, or at least retrace their steps.

Highland Indian Mission, KS, by Ted Lee Eubanks

My work week began in Kansas. I sprinted around the state to meetings in Atchison, Great Bend, Medicine Lodge, Topeka, Fort Scott, Galena, and Baxter Springs. The weather remained vernally accommodating the entire week.

I rested the weekend in Lawrence, preparing for a final flurry of meetings the following week in Broken Bow, Nebraska. My wife, Virginia, had joined me for the weekend, and after dropping her at the Kansas City airport Monday morning I traveled north toward White Cloud.

The Glacial Hills Scenic Byway parallels the Missouri through famous crossings such as Fort Leavenworth and Atchison. I detoured to the Presbyterian Indian Mission near Highland, one of the crossings where the wagon ruts are still visible.

The Missouri runs close to White Cloud, and from the bluffs in the center of town (also the birthplace of the piggy bank) you can see four states. Looking out across the river I imgained Audubon, Sprague, and Harris steaming north toward Fort Union and the North Dakota / Montana border. This troupe would travel for fifty days and 1,400 miles before reaching their summer's quarters in 1843. This would be Audubon's one trip west; in seven years he would be dead.

For my path west I chose the scenic route, US 24, roughly following the emigrant trails across Kansas. US 24 skirts Lawrence, Lecompton, Topeka, and Manhattan as its strikes west. Lecompton served as one of the original territorial capitals of Kansas, and the 1857 pro-slavery Lecompton constitution split the Democratic Party in Washington when Stephen Douglas and his northern Democrats sided with the new Republican Party to reject the proposed constitution. In 1860 the northern Democrats would nominate Douglas for president, while the southern Democrats would choose Breckinridge. The schism would open the door for Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, who won the election with a majority of the electoral vote but less than 40% of the popular vote. 

Edward Harris's sparrow, Marais des Cygnes NWR, KS, by Ted Lee Eubanks

About three miles east of Louisville I passed the crossing of the Red Vermillion on the Oregon Trail that had been operated by Louis Vieux. Yes, in the case of the river the word is spelled with two l's. Here I found a good number of Edward Harris's sparrows. On the banks of the river I also located the 1849 cholera cemetery estimated to contain at least fifty graves. Emigrants would carry the disease from watering hole to watering hole, and graves would eventually line the trails.

I turned north on US 281 toward my eventual destination. US 281 enters Nebraska at Red Cloud, the home of Willa Cather of the Prairie Trilogy fame. Nearing the Platte (where the emigrant trails turn west) I began to notice sandhill cranes scattered throughout the corn stubble. I had feared that I would miss the cranes this year. I had no reason to worry, though. There were tens of thousands still in the area, lazily fattening on corn left in the field from harvest.

Sandhill cranes near Fort Kearny before Walda by Ted Lee Eubanks

I knew of Willa; I had yet to hear of Walda. Tuesday morning I awoke to light sleet and a 50-degree drop in temperature from the previous afternoon. Thunder, lightening, gale-force winds, snow, and finally ice braced the sleet. I know sleet. I know hail. But I cannot remember being stuck in an ice downpour.

For an hour ice fell in torrents, and by Tuesday night ice locked western Nebraska in a tight grip. My meetings on Wednesday were cancelled. I would be grounded in the Hampton Inn in Kearney until the thaw. I faced a choice, a conundrum. Either I would spend two days cloistered in the Hampton, or I would get out and test my ice driving skills. I grabbed binocs and camera and slid back toward Fort Kearny. How would be cranes handle the weather? More importantly, how would I?

I found few cranes on Tuesday away from the Platte. Given the choice between gale-force ice rain and the relatively warm river, they chose to stay put. I skated out the Fort Kearny rail-trail to check the river, and a bald eagle assisted me by putting a flock of cranes into flight. I decided to return to the Hampton and wait to see what Wednesday would bring.

Cranes over the Platte at Fort Kearny, NE, by Ted Lee Eubanks

Wednesday brought more of Walda, although the ice turned to light snow. I ventured back toward Fort Kearny and immediately noticed cranes on the move. Flocks were lifting off the river to make their way to the iced corn fields. The cranes seemed to prefer the fields with the tallest stubble and the deepest rows. Birds hunkered down between the furrows, at least partially protected from the winds. Robins, doves, blackbirds, and sparrows crowded behind the shelter belts. Ducks stuck to the running water still flowing through the drainage ditches.

Walda caught thousands of robins migrating through the Great Plains. They crowded into any protected scrap of habitat. I found them in ditches behind shelter belts, in the driveways of farm houses, and in the deep grass behind grain elevators. In one ditch the robins were joined by red-winged blackbirds, common grackles, and a few yellow-headed blackbirds. Desperation seemed to break down any territorial barriers.

American robin in ice, near Fort Kearny, NE, by Ted Lee Eubanks

Eastern phoebes hugged the edges of open ponds deep within the woods along the Platte. Ducks and kingfishers joined cranes in drainage ditches. A northern shoveler mistakenly landed on the frozen road in front of me and almost skidded into my vehicle. Sparrows and horned larks sneaked about the corn stubble in search of any ground not covered in snow or ice.

In the 1800s migrants and emigrants were Platte River bound. Cranes still move north past the trails that carried emigrants west. Emigrants drove oxen, wagons and themselves west only until the advent of the railroad. Today I-80 is the trail of choice.

Yet I still wonder about the dramas that were played out on this stage, Stephen Long's Great American Desert. The land is brazenly open here. Man and beast are exposed to the elements and to each other. I see this relationship most clearly in the Sandhills, the unplowed prairie grasslands where nature still overpowers. For how long, I wonder?

There are substantial public lands in western Kansas and Nebraska. The Cimarron and Oglala National Grasslands protect expansive grasslands. Yet most of the Sandhills is ranch land in private hands. Many of these ranch families date back to the Homestead Act. For 150 years they have managed these grasslands for grazing. Yet nature also depends on the stewardship of these families.

Walda is ephemeral. Spring will return in a few days. Yet there are storms on the horizon such as climate change that are not so transitory. These same ranches are part of the solution for climate change as well. Prairie grasses store carbon. These areas in the western Great Plains emit little and store much. The Great Plains also has high potential for biomass, solar, and wind power production.

Sandhill crane near Fort Kearny in frozen corn field by Ted Lee Eubanks

I hope that these ranchers keep ranching. I appreciate the challenges they face, and understand when their kids choose to pursue careers elsewhere. But if we care about grasshopper sparrows, lark buntings, and Audubon's assistant Isaac Sprague's pipit, then we too must care about Sandhills' ranchers.

I have finished this phase of my work in the Sandhills. I have completed an interpretive plan for the 272-mile Sandhills Journey Scenic Byway that stretches between Grand Island and Alliance. I began my work in Nebraska almost 20 years ago when I worked on a socio-economic assessment of the Platte River for the EPA. This study included an appraisal of the value of birding along the river. I hope to continue returning to the Sandhills, one of the remaining places where one can recalibrate. Perhaps the Sandhills will help our climate recalibrate, too.

For those interested in Audubon's Missouri River adventure, I recommend Audubon's letters from that trip, as well as Edward Harris's Up the Missouri with Audubon.

 

Sandhills rancher by Ted Lee Eubanks

 

Burton and Croxall, eds.: A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia

A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia

edited by Robert Burton and John Croxall

Princeton University Press, 2012

200 pages, $24.95–softcover

ABA Sales / Buteo Books #13701

A scant dozen years after its foundation at the turn of this century, WildGuides is a small and active non-profit publisher producing natural history guides covering Britain and the world. Like such other exciting European ventures as the wonderful Crossbill Guides, WildGuides had gone largely unnoticed in America, but that has changed: Earlier this year, the imprint was acquired by Princeton University Press, which now makes available North American editions of all of the WildGuides titles, including this newest, produced for the South Georgia Heritage Trust, whose conservation efforts are supported directly by the proceeds from this book.

“Cold, cloudy, wet, and windy”—the authors of this guide are never less than honest—South Georgia lies nearly a thousand miles east and south of the Falklands. Its starkly beautiful landscape of snowy mountains and spectacularly abundant wildlife makes it the most popular of the subantarctic islands for visiting birders and tourists, attracted by the hordes of breeding penguins and pinnipeds.

Impressive as the wildlife spectacle remains today, South Georgia is far from pristine. Human exploitation of the island’s seals for blubber and fur began just a decade after Cook first landed here, and the next century and a quarter saw the near extinction of the fur seal, a species that has happily rebounded. The great whales, too, were taken in almost unimaginable numbers, as those of us who first learned about South Georgia from Robert Cushman Murphy’s Logbook for Grace will recall. And the region’s seabirds are in serious decline, threatened by longline fishing and introduced predators. The South Georgia Heritage Trust’s commitment to habitat restoration includes the most extensive rat eradication program in history: Phase I of that program, concluded in March 2011, left the areas around King Edward Point and Grytviken rat-free for the first time in 200 years, and the goal is to eradicate introduced rodents from the entire island by 2015, eliminating, it is hoped, what has become serious predation on the eggs and young of the island’s birds.

Today’s visitors are unlikely to notice these problems, their attention drawn instead by what is still the island’s rich abundance of wildlife. With this guide in hand, the birder or interested tourist will be able to identify nearly every plant and animal she encounters.

As the most conspicuous and, for many of us, the most sought-after organisms on the island, the birds and mammals occupy 90 of the book’s 200 pages. Each species is illustrated by at least one photograph, facing a prose account that covers distribution, identification, voice, and behavior. No fewer than seven plumage stages are shown for the Wandering Albatross, and a taxonomic note informs us that the breeding bird of South Georgia is the Snowy Albatross, Diomedea [exulans] exulans = “chionoptera”. Rare, unusual, or especially appealing species are also accorded short illustrated essays, treating, for example, the breeding cycle of the King Penguin or territorial behavior in the Antarctic fur seal.

Birders who look beyond the spectacle of the island’s seagoing animal life may be surprised by how few non-seabirds South Georgia can claim. Two waterfowl species, the South Georgia Pintail and the Speckled Teal, are resident, as are some of the breeding Snowy Sheathbills; the endemic South Georgia Pipit, a frequent victim of introduced rats, is the island’s only breeding passerine.    

South Georgia’s small size, remoteness, and harsh climate make it possible for the guide to go beyond coverage of the island’s conspicuous “macrofauna.” A dozen insects, including six beetles and six flies, are described and depicted, as are a springtail, a spider, a bird tick, two earthworms, a snail, and the largest free-living copepod species in the world. These are the invertebrates most likely to be observed by the non-specialist, though the island hosts another 200 or so species, among them more than 70 mites and ticks.  

Plants, too, including 25 native herbaceous angiosperm species and 16 ferns and club mosses, are treated, as are the island’s commonest or most conspicuous liverworts, lichens, algae, and fungi.

Such breadth of coverage makes of this book a true guide to wildlife. Birders so fortunate as to visit South Georgia will, naturally, also pack such essential and more detailed identification resources as Steve Howell’s Petrels, Albatrosses, and Storm-Petrels, but this guide will open the eyes of even the most single-minded fan of the feathered to the richness and complexity of this most spectacular of the subantarctic islands.  

Rick Wright

Bloomfield, New Jersey

[email protected]

Paothong and Vance: Save the Last Dance

The interstate traveler is likely to mistake the vastness of the Great Plains for emptiness. Get off the highway, though, and you'll find the grasslands full of life, especially in spring, when prairies and sagebrush steppes echo with the booming, crackling, stamping, and popping of grouse.

    Or at least some of them still do. Nop Paothong and Joel Vance's lovely (if sometimes mournful) Last Dance both celebrates the springtime rituals of the chickens and chronicles their long, sad decline. The Heath Hen is gone from the dunes of Martha's Vineyard, and the Attwater's Prairie-Chicken of coastal Texas seems determined to follow. From Dakota to Texas, barbwire fences, wind farms, and oil and gas wells have disrupted the spatial lives of Lesser Prairie-Chickens and sage-grouse, and human-caused global warming is shrinking the range of the once abundant Sharp-tailed Grouse.

I take all this personal. Not that many years before I was born, Greater Prairie-Chickens were still common enough in southeast Nebraska to be supper on occasion; nowadays, they are in steep decline even there, and like most birders, I don't even bother looking and listening any more when I'm in that part of the world, preferring instead to spend my time driving three or four or five hours west to where I know the dance is still on.

Last Dance is a large-format volume printed on heavy glossy paper. As splendid as the photographs are--Paothong is the staff photographer for the Missouri Department of Conservation--this is not just a picture book for the coffee table. Joel Vance's engaging text briefly treats the history, a bit of the biology, and the prospects of each taxon included (three Greater Prairie-Chicken subspecies, the Lesser Prairie-Chicken, the Sharp-tailed Grouse, and the two sage-grouse). As dim as the future sometimes seems for these birds, there are encouraging stories here, too: the young biology student who with "her mother loaded a VW van with a home-made blind and took a trip to Colorado to study Gunnison sage-grouse," and the tentative first steps of an ecotourism industry dependent on the survival of prairie-chickens and Sharp-tailed Grouse. 

Each of the texts is followed by a portfolio of photos, a dozen and a half or more depicting the birds, their habitat, and often the other animals they share it with. Coffee table books, no matter how beautiful, usually bore me after I've flipped a few pages and oohed a few aahs, but the consistent high quality of Paothong's work and the narrative force of his photography--these dancing, strutting, prancing birds are doing something, something literally vital--captivate even the most blase reader/looker.

The book ends with a discussion of current conservation efforts being undertaken to save the grassland grouse. Here the authors drive home the urgency of their case by considering the birds in the order of the peril they face, from the Attwater's Prairie-Chicken--hanging on by the slender thread of captive breeding--to the Greater Prairie-Chicken, whch has shown encouraging signs of adapting to cropland and is being reintroduced with some success in parts of its historical range. "It all comes down to habitat," the authors conclude,and there are small, hopeful signs, even in the face of energy exploitation and the intensification of agriculture, that we're finally starting to get it.

I'm sure that we can expect a second edition of this book at some point, and I hope that it is subjected to close editorial scrutiny, ridding it of the occasional ornithological errors ("There is a fairly widespread opinion that heath hens merely were an Eastern adaptation of the greater prairie-chicken") and typographic and grammatical slips; the jarring insertion of the account for the Lesser Prairie-Chicken between that for the Greater and that for the Attwater's Prairie-Chicken should also be corrected. I was disappointed, too, to see a vapid facebook aphorism misattributed to Audubon, an embarrassing lapse far beneath the dignity of this fine book.

"Anyone who studies grassland grouse falls in love." Last Dance is an inspiration even to those of us who have never seen them to fall in love with these fascinatin birds and to work for the protection of their habitats, lest a sad silent absence replace the vastness they have filled for so long.

ABA Debuts Birding News!

 

Since the early 1990’s at least, birders have been sharing news via e-mail subscription lists. These lists were a great way to keep up with the birding scene in a given region. But they weren’t always the most convenient things to work with, especially if you just wanted to check in on what’s going on in a region but didn't want to go through the process of subscribing, figuring out settings, managing e-mail flow, and so on.

Enter Jack Siler and Birdingonthe.net. Jack is a Philadelphia birder and ABA member who long ago saw a need for a single place where all these user-generated news feeds could be aggregated and easily accessed. Nothing like that existed, so Jack, who isn't officially a web programmer, went ahead and built it himself. His groundbreaking site, especially the BirdMail page, quickly became one of the most heavily trafficked and most beloved birding spots on the entire world wide web.

And for years, Jack has maintained the site with incredible dedication and attention to detail on which thousands have come to rely. But the time has come for Jack to move on to other things including, we hope, getting a well-deserved break from tending these particular fires.

We’re thrilled that Jack has honored us by passing the torch of his inspired marshalling of local, regional, national and international birding mail lists to the American Birding Association. The result is ABA's Birding News (birding.aba.org). We’ve worked hard and are working hard to preserve Jack’s vision while building an entirely new site that incorporates the expanded possibilites of rapidly evolving web technology. We hope you're as excited by the initial results and the possibilites for the future as we are.

We have updated the inner workings of the site, allowing us to archive more messages on each list (30 day’s worth, instead of just a couple dozen), and to filter the messages so you can easily see reports of rarities based on the ABA checklist codes. Additionally, we’ve plugged in social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, so you can easily share messages that you find interesting, funny, provocative, or otherwise worthwhile with a huge audience that would have been highly unlikely to see them previously.

We at the ABA have always believed that the birding community is an immense storehouse of incredibly valuable and hard-won knowledge. And that birders know an awful lot about how to have a good time, plus some great stories of having some not-so-good times. We've always tried to shape and curate that knowledge and experience into useful things like the ABA/Lane Birdfinding Guides. Birding News is an attempt to do the same thing for the millions of bytes of birding information that go winging around the web every day. We want to make it all easier, more useful, and more fun.

The best part is, this is only the beginning. We can't wait to see what you, the birding community, make of Birding News. We promise to keep making it better, responding to your comments and suggestions, learning together as we all move forward. It's what birders do, after all.

We'll be talking a lot more, here and elsewhere, about Birding News. For now, go on over and have a look around. We think you're going to like what you see.

The address is easy. Say it with me: BIRDING dot ABA dot ORG! birding.aba.org Remember it. Visit it. Bookmark it, and the individual lists you visit often. And tell your friends.

Special congratulations are due to ABA's David Hartley and Greg Neise for their painstaking work setting this all up. They were aided by a succession of contract programmers, especially Greg Mahoney and Andy Sheppard. Thanks, too, to Carrie Hartley for a fresh but classic new look.

And finally, once again, thank you Jack Siler! For your hard work, your creativity, and your involvement in the birding community. We can't begin to express our gratitude that you've trusted the ABA with your baby. We aim to make you, and all birders, proud.

First Look: Swarovski's New ATX Scopes & Digiscoping Accessories At Hungary's Hortobágy

 

From left: Guide Attila Steiner looks on as Belgium's Gerard Driessens, England's Tim Appleton, and Sweden's Måns Karlsson field test Swarovski ATX scopes in Hungary's Hortobágy

 A little over a month ago, I was invited to represent the ABA at a pretty amazing gathering in Hungary. I say amazing in that it assembled quite a powerhouse of talent in the European birding industry. Editors, photographers, bloggers, from a wide variety of media outlets joined Swarovski country reps and a goodly number of Swarovksi Optik executives and staff from the home office in Austria.

North America wasn't slighted, though. In addition to me, Corey Finger of 10,000 Birds fame, Gus Axelson, Science Editor for the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, and Clay Taylor, Swarovski's US Naturalist Markets Manager all made the trip across the pond to attend.

 

From left: Corey Finger, Gus Axelson, and Clay Taylor at Tisza Balneum on the shore of Lake Tisza

 

To attend what? The invitees weren't exactly sure and Clay, who we grilled en route, wasn't telling. All I knew was that I was being invited to attend an event put on by one of the ABA's major sponsors and advertisers and that there was going to be some great birding with some great people. I was in.

We didn't have to wait long. Shortly after our arrival at the Tisza Balneum, we were shown the new ATX spotting scopes and a couple of new digiscoping adapters. Then, even better, we were given a set of of the new products to use for the next several days.

Even though we knew we would have to surrender these nifty new toys before leaving, there was a palpable Christmas morning wave of excitement surging through the crowd. These things looked really cool! But how would they perform? 

 

First looks through the ATX. Why is it that we birders so often look through spotting scopes where people are swimming or sunbathing?

What follows are some photos and thoughts about the experience both of birding and digiscoping with the ATX setup and in Hungary. I hope they'll be of value to anyone with an interest in spotting scopes and digiscoping.

First question: what's new about these scopes? I realize that in the shots so far they may not look much different from other products already on the market. Well, have a look at the shot below.

Rather than the standard spotting scope/eyepiece configuration we're all accustomed to, where the eyepiece determines the magnification and zoom, there is now a system that more closely resembles a telephoto camera lens. You choose either a straight (STX) or angled (ATX) ocular unit and then attach it by means of a bayonet mount, again very like a camera lens, to an objective unit of which there are 3: a compact 65mm, an 85mm that is in the range of most larger spotting current spotting scopes, and a stonking big 95mm unit. All can be interchanged, producing scope combinations of different magnification, weight, and brightness

The advantages of such modularity are obvious. You can choose to emphasize small and light or big and bright or split the difference.




I ended up using the angled unit with the 95mm objective almost exclusively, though I spend a bit of time with the 65mm, too.

One last product shot and we'll get back out into the field. I was also given a sample of Swarovski's new TLS APO to test, an adapter that allows you to connect these scopes to a DLSR, Micro 4/3, or other interchangeable lens camera.

They also had samples of a new swing bracket style adapter for digiscoping with smaller point and shoot cameras but I didn't evaluate that. I've done lots of bird and nature photography with DSLRs and standard camera lenses, and a fair bit of digiscoping with point and shoots. But I've never digiscoped with an SLR before though I've been curious about it. So that's what I resolved to do with my time in Hungary. I only wondered how much learning curve there would be.

 

A White Wagtail worked the edge of a dock ©Jeffrey A Gordon

The answer: not much. I found that within 10 or 15 minutes I was getting images I was quite happy with. Not to mention the fun of practicing on common European garden birds that for me were things I seldom or never see.

 

A House Martin gathers mud ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

In the reed beds around Lake Tisza, there were less domestic species. Three times, I was treated to brief fly-by looks at Little Bittern, one of which was exciting enough that I dropped one of my own lens hoods in the lake, losing it forever.

Any sting was soon eased by the looks and the photos I was getting at and of other birds. A Great Reed Warbler cooperated well, giving its loud, multipart song recalling by turns a thrasher or a chat and perching high up in its namesake substrate.

 

Great Reed Warbler ©Jeffrey A Gordon

A couple of things were obvious. One, Swarovski has really thought carefully about what birders and digiscopers experience in the field and tried to address many of the persistent issues. The TLS APO is easily the most elegant digiscoping adapter I've yet used, attaching a heavy camera body securely and easily. It also deattaches very quickly, making it possible to switch back and forth between photography and observation, which I did frequently.

For those who are not digiscopers, the ATX delivers beautiful views at the eyepiece, startlingly clear and bright and holding together very well even toward the upper end of the zoom range. With the 95mm, that's a whopping 70X. The other two front modules go to 60X.

The new arrangement of zoom and focussing rings adjacent on the barrel feels a bit novel at first but soon becomes second nature, especially if you have used larger camera lenses. And it solves another problem for digiscopers: now you can easily adjust the scope's focus and zoom with one hand while operating the camera with the other, you're not forced to make one hand switch between camera and zoom.

Ergonomically, the scopes were great. Even that giant 95mm didn't feel too heavy though my scope shoulder has carried a lot of weight over the years so your opinion might be different.

I will say, though, that the 65mm breaks new ground in portability. It's light and compact fully assembled. Break it down and it slides into an astonishingly small carrying case that looks more like it would hold a large pair of binoculars, not a scope. Traveling birders, and those who are fond of (or forced into) long hikes, take note. 

Did I see any problems or weaknesses? With the caveat that this was not an exhaustive field test, no. The only obvious question in my mind was how durable and resistant to water, dust, etc that bayonet connection will be. Swarovski's specs say that the ATX will be water tight to 4 meters, so they are confindent in that regard.

And though the ATX/TLS APO combination does indeed make DSLR digiscoping easy, it's still not quite as seamless as photography with a dedicated telephoto lens: there's no autofocus, of course, and metering with my Canon 50D and 60D bodies required frequent exposure adjustment, though nothing burdensome. 

On the plus side for ATX versus a big telephoto lens, the ATX is much smaller and lighter, less expensive, and offers you first rate viewing, something no camera/telephoto combo does.

Overall, I was extremely impressed with the quality and field functionality of the ATX system. I'm interested to see how popular it will prove with birders. Based on what I saw those few days in Hungary, it's likely to become among the most admired of birding optics.

To read Corey Finger's impressions from the same trip, go to his post at 10,000 Birds. Gus Axelson's report can be found at Cornell's Round Robin blog.

I'd also recommend perusing Swarovski's site devoted to the ATX/STX system. I haven't had much time to poke around it yet, but I thought the video here featuring Clay Taylor and Dale Forbes did a very good job of explaining how the TLS APO adapter works.

The ATX will debut publicly at the British Bird Fair next month. It should be available in the US and Canada sometime in September, when I'm sure you'll start to be able to see it in action at various birding festivals and other events.

Our partners at Eagle Optics will have more info on pricing and availibility.

What follows are a few more shots from the trip, which visited the marshes and steppes of Hortobágy, as well as the wooded Buuk Hills. All the wildlife shots are digiscoped with the ATX.

Walking the boardwalks at Halasto. ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

Truly a multimodal trip, our group traveled by plane, bus, narrow gauge railroad, and even horse cart    ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

A branchling Long-eared Owl at Hortobágy ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

Birding the Buuk Hills ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

Red-backed Shrike ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

A butterfly whose name escapes me digiscoped with the 65mm ATX When this shot is viewed at full size, mites are clearly visible on the butterflie's thorax. That's sharp. ©Jeffrey A Gordon

 

What trip to Hungary would be complete without goulash and paprika? The group enjoys an outdoor meal at the Nomad Hotel.

 

 

Announcing the ABA Mid-Atlantic Young Birder Conference September 22, 2012

Hot on the heels of our just completed and very successful Camp Colorado, we’re very excited to announce the ABA’s next big opportunity for young birders: a regional conference designed to bring together young birders and their mentors from a wide area in order to facilitate the sharing of ideas and information, and to build and strengthen the young birder community.

While it’s true that the internet, social media, and cell phones have all given birders, especially younger ones, the opportunity to connect as never before, there’s still no substitute for actually meeting and birding together, face to face. And it can be surprisingly difficult for that to happen, something we’d like to help change.

For our kickoff event, we’ve chosen the populous Mid-Atlantic area, where there are a wealth of active and growing young birder groups.  But there’s never before been an occasion designed for them all to come together as one, until now.

So if you’re a young birder or a parent or mentor of a young birder or birders, mark your calendar for Saturday, September 22, 2012 and make plans to join us at the Ashland Nature Center in Hockessin, Delaware, for an amazing day of birding, learning, fun, and friendship. Ashland is very easily reached from Philadelphia, Baltimore, and New Jersey, and within an approximately 2 hour drive of Washington, DC, and New York City. Inexpensive overnight accommodations Friday night the 21st will be available on site.

 

 

The day will feature bird walks around the 242 acre preserve at Ashland, where floodplains, hillsides, and upland habitats attract a great variety of fall migrants. We’ll also spend part of the day on top of Hawk Watch Hill, where the Ashland Hawk Watch tallies thousands of raptors each autumn. Of course, migration is hugely weather dependent, but our timing puts us in position to intercept the peak of Broad-winged Hawk migration, as well some fantastic fall songbirds.

There will also be indoor activities, featuring young birder and adult presenters addressing a wide variety of cool and useful topics. Concurrent sessions for newer or more experienced young birders will allow everyone from elementary school through late teens to find things of interest. There will also be special sessions by and for parents, mentors, club coordinators.

 

 

Bill Thompson III, all-around awesome birding dude

For our keynote presentations, we’re very excited to have ABA’s Young Birder of the Year 2012, the very talented Marie McGee, and Bill Thompson III, editor of Bird Watcher’s Digest and author of The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of Eastern North America (all attendees will receive a free copy, thanks to Bill!) and The Young Birder’s Guide to Birds of North America and recipient of the ABA’s Robert Ridgway Award for publications in field ornithology. And that, of course, is only scratching the surface of Bill’s vast talents and achievements. Bill and Marie will deliver a one-two punch that will have everyone fired up about birding and its potential to enrich and connect us all, kid or adult.

 

 

ABA 2012 Young Birder of the Year Marie McGee

Once again, ABA’s Legacy Youth Program Sponsor, Leica Sport Optics, has come forward with generous support for this event. They’ll also be sending a number of their knowledgeable and personable birding representatives, and bringing a lot of fine optics for us to use as we scan the skies over Ashland.

Of course, there’ll be a big contingent of ABA folks there, too, including Liz and me, Bill Stewart, and George Armistead, for starters.*

And there will be an abundance of other cool stuff. Jean Woods of the Delaware Museum of Natural History will be bringing by some very cool and very rare bird study skins for us to learn from and marvel at. There will be representatives from many birding related local organizations and businesses. Most of all, there will be dozens of other young birders, local young birder hosts, The Delaware Dunlins, and numerous adult mentors. It’s going to be a great day and one we hope to repeat in other regions of North America going forward.

How much does all this cost? For young birders who are ABA members, just $15. Adult ABA members are just $25. Non-ABA members may register for $10 more. That price includes a catered lunch and admission to all bird walks and presentations.

For more info about the event, click here, or e-mail Bill Stewart [email protected]

To register, click here. 

To sign up for overnight accommodations for Friday the 21st at Ashland, call LeAnn Pilger at the ABA office 800-850-2473 or 719-578-9703 extension 224.

See you in September!


*A heads up to all ABA members: our annual membership meeting will be nearby the day following this event, on Sunday September 23 at the Delaware Environmental Center in Wilmington. So if you’re in the area, or can be, you should consider making an ABA weekend out of these two events. More details soon!

 

Botswana - a Birding Bonanza

What this land-locked country lacks in endemic birds it more than makes up for in accessibility of tough species, sheer numbers of birds and the overall wildlife experience. Almost 40% of all land in Botswana is under conservation either as wilderness areas, game reserves or national parks. Few countries can boast the megafaunal diversity of the Okavango Delta and the birding is nothing short of spectacular. Our TV crew recently filmed a 4-part series on the Birds of Botswana for the Botswana Tourism Organization and visited three of the country's best birding regions - the Okavango Delta, The Chobe and the Makgadikgadi Pans.

Formed by a series of geological faults in the flat land of northern Botswana, the green fingers of the Okavango make up the largest inland delta in the world. This breathtaking part of the world is home to a dazzling array of bird species including many species that are easiest seen in the Okavango - birds like Pel's Fishing Owl, Slaty Egret and Wattled Crane.

The Okavango is a canvas of oxbow lakes, channels and islands                    Adrian Binns

Birding the Okavango Delta by mokoro                            Adrian Binns

The Pel's Fishing Owl roosts in a lofty position on many birders' "Holy Grail" lists. One of the most highly desirable birds in the world, it is a true phantom. Pel's Fishing Owls are the second-largest owl species in Africa (after the Giant Eagle-owl) and have stunning ginger coloration, haunting pitch-black eyes and a "rounded head" appearance due to their minimal ear tufts. Their call, like everything else about these birds, is very unique and has been likened to somebody vocalizing from the bottom of a well. These bone-chilling calls can be heard from up to 2 miles away and add mystery to an African night spent around the campfire. Found patchily in sub-Saharan Africa, this large, ginger-colored owl can never be guaranteed on a trip to the continent. The Okavango Delta of Botswana, however, provides one of the very best opportunities to catch a glimpse. Even still, there are believed to be only 100 pairs of Pel's Fishing Owls in the entire delta, an area roughly comparable in size to the US state of New Jersey. Certain parts of the delta have higher concentrations than others and well-known locations include Xigera Camp and Sandibe Safari Lodge.

The elusive Pel's Fishing Owl at Xigera Camp                                Adrian Binns

Like the Pel's Fishing Owl, the Wattled Crane is a highly sought-after species that is relatively easy to find in certain areas of the Okavango. Of the fifteen species of cranes alive today eleven are considered vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. The Wattled Crane unfortunately finds itself amongst the majority, with an estimated 7,000 birds remaining on the planet. Like many other species of cranes, the primary reason for its decline is the degradation, destruction and loss of wetland habitat. Wattled Cranes are the only African cranes with all-white necks, rendering them unmistakable in the field. In addition they are the only crane species to possess pairs of unique wattles that dangle like ornamental ear-rings. In fact, these unique wattles are one of the reasons why these birds are placed in their own genus - the rather disturbingly-named genus of Bugeranus.  Wattled Cranes are the second-tallest flying birds in the world, after the Sarus Crane. They can reach heights of up to 5 ft 7 inches, taller than many adult humans. 

A solitary Wattled Crane

A near-endemic of the Okavango is the elegant Slaty Egret. This bird is thinly distributed throughout the area and is distinguishable from the similar Black Egret by its yellow legs and rufous-orange throat patch. The Black Egret is well-known for its crazy feeding technique of umbrella fishing. The bird will run along, stop suddenly and open its wings like an umbrella, shading the area and reducing glare, and it will then wiggle its bright yellow feet in the mud to stir-up and attract unsuspecting prey. The Slaty Egret has also adopted its own fishing strategy. It uses its bill much in the manner of a spoon by slowly stirring the mud in concentric circles and then grabbing whatever is disturbed. 

Slaty Egrets are found nearly exclusively in the Okavango Delta

These are just a few of the stunning birds found in this magnificent part of the world. The birds of the Okavango represent a unique tapestry of color and diversity.

African Fish-eagles are one of the most common raptors                     Adrian Binns

The Okavango is one of the best places in the world to find the uncommon Lesser Jacana   Adrian Binns

Carmine Bee-eaters dazzle                                  Adrian Binns

White-fronted Bee-eaters perform aerial displays from exposed perches             Adrian Binns

The Chobe region of Northern Botswana is a diverse mosaic of floodplains, rivers and mixed woodland. It is also home to the largest concentration of African Elephants on the planet and over 450 bird species. The variety of birds here is so staggering that 300 species have been recorded in a single day. Specials include birds like African Pygmy Geese, Racket-tailed Rollers and Western Banded Snake-eagles. 

African Pygmy Geese are one of the world's smallest duck species                    Adrian Binns

A stunning Bateleur Eagle soars over the Chobe floodplain                       Adrian Binns

Yellow-billed Hornbills displaying                                Adrian Binns

Woodland Kingfishers abound in the Chobe during summer                        Adrian Binns

The Makgadikgadi Pans area is a vast landscape of over 6,000 square miles and is one of the world's largest salt pans, visible from space. The remnants of Africa's largest lake, these pans now witness the largest wildebeest and zebra migration in southern Africa, rivaled only by the great migration of East Africa. Along with delightful meerkats, lions, plentiful game and solitude, the Makgadikgadi hosts some great birds like White-quilled Korhaan, Secretarybird and various species of sandgrouse and desert birds like larks. This part of Botswana is a truly unforgettable birding location. 

Birding the Makgadikgadi Pans at dawn                                  Adrian Binns

Greater Flamingos in the Makgadikgadi                         Adrian Binns

A White-quilled Korhaan in flight                           Adrian Binns

One of the signature species of the Makgadikgadi grasslands in the bizarre Secretarybird. There is no raptor quite so removed from the typical confines of what a bird of prey should look and behave like. Although they share some affinities with typical raptors (building eagle-like nests and possessing hooked bills)  They are the most terrestrial bird of prey in the world, regularly covering over 20 miles a day in their relentless search for food. Secretarybirds seem more crane than raptor as their four-foot frames stride across the open plains of places like the Makgadikgadi Pans of Botswana. Their bizarre appearance is reflected by the name although much debate surrounds the actual origins of the nomenclature. One theory is that Secretarybirds are named for the 20 distinctive black crest feathers, resembling quill pens stuck behind their (invisible) ears, much in the manner of secretaries of a bygone era. Their two incredibly long central tail streamers resemble the tail-coats that many of the - mostly male - secretaries wore in those days. A more recent theory on the origins of the name, is that it is a corruption of the Arabic Saqu Ettair meaning "hunter-bird", which was incorrectly transcribed into French as secrétaire which was then re-translated into English as "secretary". They do have some remarkably long eye-lashes which, in addition to the elegant head-plumes, would be the envy of any secretary of the fairer sex!

A Secretarybird strides across the open ground

Secretarybirds feed on small lizards, insects, rodents, birds eggs and, of course, snakes. It was erroneously believed that snakes were the predominant prey item and in fact, the scientific name of Sagittarius serpentarius translates as "archer of snakes". But recent studies have shown that snakes actually only make up a very small percentage of the diet - around 2%. Another erroneous myth is that Secretarybirds are immune to the venom of snakes. In reality this is not true and they can easily succumb to the venom of many of Africa's poisonous serpents. Secretarybirds counter this by being very careful when killing snakes and ensuring that the prey is dead before eating it. They typically dispatch a snake by stomping on it with their heavily armored legs and feet, accurately directing their rear talons at the skull to inflict a swift mortal wound to the head.

A Secretarybird characteristically dispatching a snake                       Adrian Binns

What a place. Botswana truly is one of the most incredible wilderness destinations on the planet and it holds many avian treasures. Here is a montage of birding footage from our trip:

 

And here is each of the four 22-minute episodes that we filmed: