Madera Canyon

Birders from all over the world travel to enjoy the birding at Madera Canyon. It's a beautiful destination, and has unique birds that everyone wants to see. I wondered before I went if I would be able to tell the Mexican Jay from the others, as they did look similar in the bird book. When I got there I found that there were only Mexican Jays, so it was not a problem at all.

On our last day there some Blue Grosbeak showed up. This one is in front of a Mexican Jay.

The Wild Turkeys frequent the property, and can also be seen down by the creek.

The Painted Redstart fans its wings and tail in what I suppose is a territorial gesture. They're hyperactive and don't sit still for a photo very often.

The Bridled Titmouse is sort of like a Chicakadee with a crest.

Every evening the resident Elf Owl pokes his (or her) head out of the hole in the utility pole where it sleeps by day. It is quite dark by the time it appears, and I felt lucky that this hand-held shot came out at all. I had a tripod, but was using it for my scope, and alternated between enjoying the view of this small owl (North America's smallest) and trying to take a photo.

It took me a while, looking in the Sibley's guide to birds to figure out this one, since I'd never seen it before. It is a Rufous-crowned Sparrow. Those sparrows sure can be difficult to identify.

The tall Sycamore trees are habitat for Orioles and Tanagers and many more.

This one is the Hepatic Tanager. The Hepatic Tanager was one of four types of tanager I saw on this trip.

One of the much-sought birds is the Flame-colored Tanager. This is one of the very few that visit the United States. It has been returning to this area for four years now.

Acorn Woodpeckers were everywhere, and they work as a family unit, collecting acorns and storing them for winter consumption.

This next one is distinctive, as it is the only brown-backed woodpecker in the United States. It is the Arizona Woodpecker.

Hummingbirds

Of all the birds southeast Arizona has to offer, most often spoken of are the hummingbirds. The lodges on public lands (small inholdings on the National Forest) put out feeders to attract great numbers of hummingbirds every day (and thus great numbers of birders as paying guests every night).

One homeowner at the edge of the Nature Conservancy's Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve has for many years put out hummingbird feeders and welcomed the public to her yard. Though Marion Paton has passed away, her legacy is being well cared for. The rules for visitation remain the same, "If the gate is open, guests are welcome. Leave a few dollars in the donation box to help defray costs."

As you can see from this sign where we stayed, the hummingbirds are a main attraction. Cyndi commented that there's a "No Vacancy" sign because we've got the room already. Well, there's more than one room, but they get booked far in advance.

Some of the hummingbirds I photographed there can be found in Idaho, like this Black-chinned.

Photographing these birds was challenging. They showed off the iridescent colors best in sunshine, but most preferred to come to a feeder that was out of the hot sun. I imagine they burn their tongue if the nectar is too hot.

When this Magnificent Hummingbird hovered just so, the throat briefly lit up a beautiful aqua, contrasting with a purple head. In any case, this one is a very large hummingbird, so stands out from the crowd even without the colorful show.

Without the iridescent color (the feathers are not pigmented, they only show the colors when struck by light at the correct angle, and can even change color in the light ... sometimes golden, sometimes green, sometimes purple), identifying the birds can be difficult. I believe this one is a Broad-tailed.

A few of the hummingbirds wear a complete hood of color. The Anna's wears a magenta hood.

The Costa's, here seen in the Saguaro National Park, resides in the desert and wears a purple cowl that terminates in a large, droopy mustache on each side of the throat.

One of the hummingbirds rarely seen in the United States is the Violet-crowned. I asked the birders in the Paton's yard how I would recognize it, and they educated me that there's only one kind of hummingbird that could be seen there with a white belly, the Violet-crowned.

When it first arrived, though well-hidden behind the feeder, I could still see how it got its name (and the white belly did stand out from the rest of the hummingbirds).

It was quite a regular visitor (as it has been for some years now). I stood in the hot sun for a while (too long, perhaps) waiting to get this photo of it in the sun.

It seemed to me that by far the most common hummingbird there were the Broad-billed, which are iridescent blue and green from head to toe with a wonderful red bill tipped with black. They could be found everywhere, even away from the feeders. (It was nice to see rare birds come to feeders, but that's just a short step away from captivity or dependence in my opinion; so I honestly prefer to find the birds in a natural habitat, doing what comes naturally to them.)

Cyndi and I enjoyed hiking on a lot of trails, and I'll post more in future blogs about some of the places we went, and tell more of the cactus and wildflowers. For now, though, I'll just share this one trail picture, which was a short walk from our cabin. We were in the "sky island" of the Santa Rita Mountains, southeast of Tucson. It is wild there, so wild that one morning Cyndi opened the drapes to see a cat (perhaps Bobcat) stalking the Wild Turkeys by the creek. Mount Wrightson dominates the range, and we could see its distinctive shape from all sides as we camped in various locations over the following week.

I'm not such a "purist" though, that I didn't greatly enjoy standing for hours waiting for the perfect pose at the feeder. And, I do have a feeder outside my window at home.

The shade gave nice even lighting, but the sunlight gave the opportunity for a faster shutter speed and caused the colors to shine in all their glory.

There is a kind of hummingbird called the White-eared, and it looks similar to the Broad-billed which is so very common in southeast Arizona, but it has a broad white line extending over the eye curving backward down the neck, contrasting greatly with a black cheek. I asked the hummingbird watchers at the Paton's feeders how I would know if I saw that, since they look so very similar to the Broad-billed in my opinion. They advised, "You'll know it when you see it."

Well, I guess because there is still doubt in my mind, this next photo is most likely just a Broad-billed with a white supercillium and dark cheek. I thought I knew it when I first saw this photo. Now I'm not so sure. I'll ask for comments from those who know hummingbirds better than I do. I think the supercillium is not broad enough to be a White-eared, and believe this is just a wonderfully colorful Broad-billed.

Hmm. That bill seems relatively shorter and straighter. But, the crown and chin would be more violet on a White-eared. Hey, this was supposed to be relaxing ... .

It's a beautiful hummingbird. Let's leave it at that.

PS An Arizona birder of some ability has reassured me that this is a Broad-billed Hummingbird.

Getting There is Half the Fun

Cyndi and I recently took a trip to southeastern Arizona, to see a new place and to experience the many birds that can only be found there within the United States. Some birds live in Central America and Mexico and the very northern edge of their range brings a very few of them to Arizona and Texas. For instance there is only one species of hummingbird east of the Mississippi River (the Ruby-throated), but in southeastern Arizona as many as 14 have been seen over the years.

We drove. It was a long drive. By the time we returned home we had gone over 2,500 miles. All along the way we enjoyed looking at how the geology and plant life changed (as well as the birds, of course).

We first headed for Utah, and before we crossed the Idaho border we stopped where the Juniper trees grow and saw birds both familiar and new.

The Brewer's Blackbird can be found throughout Idaho, but this one posed beautifully in the sun.

The Juniper Titmouse has a limited range in Idaho. I saw them once before in California, but this was the first time I found one in Idaho!

We spent a night at the home of Cyndi's brother, then continued south, passing through some amazing Utah scenery on the way.

After dark we arrived at the Grand Canyon's south rim, where we camped for the night. In the morning we awoke to the view that so many travel so far to marvel at. This was my first time to see it.

Flitting around the treetops, below us in the Grand Canyon was this Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Though we greatly enjoyed seeing the canyon and the birds in the National Park, we continued on to our destination, Madera Canyon and the Santa Rita Lodge, which is known for the hummingbirds and wildlife and hiking trails to be found nearby.

Springtime arrivals

Springtime means the return of many migratory bird species. The Dusky Flycatcher is always one of the early flycatcher arrivals.

The Western Wood-pewee has a bit of a crest, well, a very small bit, that can help in identification. I'm always a bit uncertain about the flycatchers.

Maybe I should stick to those that stand out from the crowd, like this Osprey at a nest.

Or this Osprey in flight.

A Great Horned Owl stands watch over the territory.

I wish it had not flown, but I came around a corner in a canyon and there we were, somewhat face to face. I suppose I could have backed away quietly, but as I focused for a photo the owl decided he'd had enough of my company and silently departed. You can see how the owl can hold its head very still, even though the powerful wings are a blur of movement in this photo. That helps them to keep an eye on prey as they fly.

Warblers are beginning to arrive, like this Nashville Warbler.

This was the first Lewis's Woodpecker of 2010 for me. I love their colorful appearance with a glossy green back, pink chest, and red face.

Cyndi spotted an Oriole first, and I used this photo for a Mother's Day card to my Mom. Of course the orange bird, blue sky and blooming flowers are very pretty, but what catches my eye is the small, flying insect in the lower right. Birds will drink tree sap, and nibble the flowers and leaves, but what they really crave after a long migration is protein. It is the awakening of the insects that means return of the colorful birds.

all the other birds

If you saw my previous blog post, you know I took a day off from work to drive hundreds of miles to see a rare Hooded Crane in the fields of Carey, Idaho. It was quite far away, and the weather was freezing cold with a bitter wind and occasional snow and rain, but it was still a fun adventure. And, even more fun was the long, rambling, leisurely drive home past three great areas to look at birds.

On the way back Cyndi and I visited the Centennial Marsh on the Camas Prairie, then drove to Featherville (Where else would birds be seen?), and lastly near sunset time visited the Mountain Home Reservoir.

There were other great birds seen at the same place the Hooded Crane was seen, across the road from the Carey Lake Wildlife Management Area. Water was pooled and flowing along the edges of agricultural fields. Here are some Blue-winged Teal feeding in the field.

I also saw a Virginia Rail, only the second time I've ever seen one of these.

The Centennial Marsh was brimming with water and the area that will soon be filled with wet fields of blooming camas flowers resembled shallow lakes. Wading birds and ducks were everywhere.

Here are a few of the Northern Pintail we saw.

This Sparrow, which I believe to be a Savannah Sparrow from the buffy color over the eye, was seen at the edge of the water.

The first Willets of the season had arrived and they were wading in the water.

I saw some sort of hawk or something by the side of the road and stopped the car to view it. I took a couple of photos, but it sure didn't look much like any hawk I was familiar with. It has some sort of half-eaten rodent or something in its claws. When I got home Cyndi took one look at the photo and exclaimed, "That's a Merlin!" I think she's correct about that.

We then went on to Featherville, past the Anderson Dam Reservoir and saw lots of great birds there. There were Common Loon on the water, but too far away for a photo. We saw flocks of Cassin's Finches. This next photo shows just one of them.

It took us a long time to figure out the next one. The white outer tail feathers were very obvious, but it wasn't until I saw the little buffy patch on the wing that I realized that I was seeing a group of Townsend's Solitaires. With a name like Solitaire, I would not expect to find a group of them together, but they were in a group today ... maybe it has to do with breeding season or something.

During a snow squall Cyndi spotted this large bird by the roadside. A Dusky Grouse.

And, in a band of perhaps as many as 36 birds, these Clark's Nutcrackers were working on all the seeds to be found in the cones now exposed after the winter snows melted from the ground. We also saw a dozen or so Steller's Jays.

Our final stop of the day, on the way home, was the Mountain Home Reservoir. We saw Eared Grebe and I noticed that there were also Horned Grebe out there. This final photo is one of the Horned Grebe.

Chasing the Hooded Crane

"Are you a watcher, a lister, or a chaser?" a birder will ask.

A bird watcher (or birder as many prefer to be called) is one who enjoys observing the appearance and behaviour of birds. Many do this by filling a bird feeder outside a convenient window, bringing some of the joy of nature to those indoors. Others take binoculars on walks or hikes to add to the enjoyment of fresh air and exercise.

A lister takes it a step further, and keeps records of what birds are observed. Some go to great lengths, documenting earliest and latest sightings in a year, age or gender, or even subspecies (also called races) seen. Lists are kept by state, by county, by latilong, or even a list for the backyard. The most common list discussed is the Life List, the number of bird species seen over a lifetime of watching.

A chaser moves closer to obsession, monitoring rare bird reports and making a point of going to see the rare birds (especially if they add to a Life List). Some go great distances to see a new bird. I've tried to avoid becoming a chaser, because it can get expensive, and for the simple reason that I have to work so can't just run out the door in the middle of the night (as a determined chaser would).

That said, a rare opportunity presented itself last week, and I made a foray into this next level of birding ... taking a day off from work, driving one evening to get closer, and waking at oh-dark-thirty the next morning and arriving half way across the state just after sunrise on a bitterly cold morning as the wind howled at least 30 mph. What could have led to this extreme action? A Hooded Crane.

There are perhaps less than 10,000 of these birds on the planet and they live in Siberia. There has never been a documented sighting of a wild Hooded Crane in North America, and there was a report on the email birding list I subscribe to that one was seen in Carey, Idaho. There was a photo posted, and the crane returned and was seen again the following day, so there was a chance it would be there if I took the long drive to try to view it.



Here's my photo, taken at a great distance. The Hooded Crane is on the left, the dark bird with the white neck. On the right is a Sandhill Crane. It seemed to me like the Hooded Crane had made friends with the Sandhill Cranes, and this one in particular, as they stayed quite close to one another over the hour or so I watched them.

So, another bird for my Life List, you ask? Good question. Some people play tennis for fun, or for exercise. Others want to win in a competition. Same for birding. But, if one is going to try for an award or recognition, there are generally accepted rules in birding, just as in tennis. Who would have thunk it? The official entity that makes the rules for birding competition is the American Birding Association (ABA), at least for North American birds ... and that's the group of birds I'm interested in, those that are "made in the USA". In case you want to read up on the rules, they can be found at ABA Recording Rules (as amended 1999).

Members who submit lifelist and annual list totals to the American Birding Association for publication in the annual ABA List Report must observe the ABA Recording Rules. Many non-members who enjoy maintaining lists find these rules useful.

A bird included in totals submitted for ABA lists must have been encountered in accordance with the following ABA Recording Rules.
(1) The bird must have been within the prescribed area and time-period when encountered.
(2) The bird must have been a species currently accepted by the ABA Checklist Committee for lists within its area, or by the A.O.U. Checklist for lists outside the ABA area and within the A.O.U. area, or by Clements for all other areas.
(3) The bird must have been alive, wild, and unrestrained when encountered.
(4) Diagnostic field-marks for the bird, sufficient to identify to species, must have been seen and/or heard and/or documented by the recorder at the time of the encounter.
(5) The bird must have been encountered under conditions that conform to the ABA Code of Birding Ethics.

There are a couple of pages of interpretations (explanations) following these five simple rules. But I'll give an abbreviated list of the things that do not count. You can't count a bird in the zoo, or even in a cage or net ... or even one that was caught in a net and then released in a daze. You can't look across the border into Mexico and count the bird as an American bird (unless it flies more than half way across the Rio Grande River toward the US). You can't count a flock of parrots that escaped in Florida or California, at least not until they become established and create a viable breeding colony, and get the nod from the rule-makers at the ABA. You should not count listening to other birders playing a tape recording of an owl, though such an event might be more common that we care to admit.

Some examples will illustrate. Here's one bird that does not count -- ever. I saw it foraging at a local park. It was in the wild. Honest.



I'm quite certain of my identification. Chicken. I've seen quite a few races of these. I recognize some, like Barred Rock, Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn. I'm still waiting for the ABA to rule that these count, though. Domestic birds like domestic ducks, chickens and geese don't count. Not by ABA Rules, and not even by my lax standards. This one is still not on my Life List.

Can you identify this next bird? I saw it in a field in Oregon.

Again, I'm confident in my identification. It was taller than I am. I'm more certain of the identification than I am of the pronunciation of its name. Emu. They were in a fenced field, so I guess that's like in a cage ... does not count. I don't think they could survive in the wild, either. Not a wild bird. Domesticated here in the United States. Same would go for the Ostrich I saw at the county fair. I think the ostrich counts in Africa, though. They breed in the wild there. Same for Emu in Australia.

Here's another everybody recognizes.


I saw one in Idaho and did not count it. This one, however, I did put on my world Life List. It was in the wild, in Hawaii. This gets us to an interesting point -- introduced or escaped birds. After all, the House Sparrow was not native to the US ... somebody brought a pair over from Europe and let them go in Central Park in New York. Now they're everywhere, and can be counted. Same goes for other introduced species that are now resident in the US such as the Eurasian Collared-dove and Common Mynah. The key is that the birds have shown that they're here to stay, sometimes despite our attempts to extirpate them as invasive pests.

In other instances we have introduced birds on purpose, or spread them to new areas outside their historic range. Wild Turkey have been introduced in Idaho so they can be hunted and eaten. This next bird was brought to the United States for the same reason. It is native to regions like Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. It is a Chukar.

And, here's my final example, a wild White-breasted Nuthatch. This one can't be counted by me according to strict ABA Rules, so I'm so happy that I had seen one before this event.

So, why wouldn't this one count? After all, it's a native, wild bird and not in a zoo or cage. It does not count because it was just caught, banded for scientific study, and released. It flew to the nearest safe "tree trunk" which just happened to be the back of the shoulder of this birder watching the process. Under ABA Rules, this can only be counted by the people doing the scientific study, not the casual birders standing around waiting for new birds to be carried out of the banding station and released. (After a suitable period of time, once the bird resumes normal activity, separated by time from the influence of the capture, it will return to the pool of "countable" birds.)

With this background information, let's return to the example of the Hooded Crane which started this long ramble. Will I count it? You bet! I saw a Hooded Crane, and in the wild at that! It is very possible that it escaped from (possibly illegal) captivity. It's a rare bird, and I'd have been thrilled to see it in a zoo. I'm not going to Siberia to see birds, but I will travel around Idaho on a spring morning.

I won't submit it to any official competition records. Committees in Idaho (and maybe at the ABA as well) will have the dubious honor of debating and voting upon the "countability" of this Hooded Crane. One is known to have escaped about 9 years ago in Idaho, I'm told, and they can live to be 40 years old. Did it fly over from Siberia, to Carey, Idaho? Maybe. But not very likely.

Oh, and I saw my first Sora ever that morning, too. A Life Bird for me, even by ABA Rules.

It's about time ...

It's about time!

What I mean by that is two things ... it's about time I did another blog post. It has been a very long time. And, secondly, it's about time for the springtime birds to begin to arrive, and sing, and pair up.

After photographing birds for a few years with the same camera it is now becoming more difficult to surpass my "personal best" with a lot of these species, so I just don't have many photos I'd like to brag about and share. That said, Cyndi and I did make a determined effort to find and photograph birds last weekend (and still found time to work in both of our yards!)

We went to Indian Creek Reservoir, which is a great spot to see migrating shorebirds and waterfowl. Birds need water, and this little basin is just big enough that they feel safe yet still small enough that a scope or telephoto lens will bring most birds close enough to identify.

Here's a gull surrounded by Black-necked Stilts with three Killdeer in the foreground. I think the gull is a Ring-billed Gull. Click the image for a larger view.


Many birds are paired up this time of year, either dating, or mated for life, or cooperating to build a nest. That makes for a nice opportunity to show the differences between male and female of the same species, such as this American Wigeon pair.


Other birds are advertising for a mate, claiming territory in the hopes of having the best spot when the women visit, or are very happy to find moisture and nice spring weather in the desert. This one is a Yellow-headed Blackbird.


I do love the "big birds" (and the colorful birds). This one is a Swainson's Hawk. It spent the winter in Central or South America and they're now returning to feast on the rodents that are coming out of burrows in the warming spring weather.

I like the next photo because of the pose. We all know birds fly, but this one is checking over its shoulder because it is the lowest bird in a kettle of three Swainson's Hawks that is seeking to gain elevation before heading north over the mountains. If it can see where the others are, it has a better chance of getting into a column of rising air, thus gaining elevation with minimal effort.