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.

Accipiter

Halverson Lake

On my day off Cyndi and I traveled down to the Snake River Canyon and walked the short trail to Halverson Lake. This is a photo of the lake, on a bench at a bend in the Snake River. The Snake River is over at the base of that far hillside.

The sun was low on the horizon and many insects were flying in the warm spring air as new green buds swelled in preparation for springtime blooms.

Sagebrush was mixed in with the dry grasses and large boulders.

On the way back we saw this Loggerhead Shrike, and we also enjoyed the songs of a Rock Wren and multiple Canyon Wrens.

Arriving at the car by the Snake River right around sunset, we were surprised to see this Muskrat on our side of the river. It's about two feet from nose to tip of the wiry tail, much larger than I thought those things were ... but how would I know since I've never seen one until now.

Snow Geese

Here are the photos I promised in my previous blog post. Cyndi and I went to the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area to see the Snow Geese. When we arrived, people were already gazing at great chevrons of migrating geese filling the sky.

There were thousands of Snow Geese in the air. They are on their way to Alaska to lay eggs, but stop here to feed and rest for a few days or weeks before continuing northward.

Great swarms flew overhead, then fluttered like dry leaves to settle down onto the nearby water as Marsh Wrens called from the nearby cattails. We also saw this group of Northern Pintail, another long-distance migrant. They shuttle between Alaska and Hawaii.

The clear blue sky made the perfect backdrop for these birds. From high overhead we also heard the primitive call of Sandhill Cranes.

For what seemed hours, the Snow Geese kept arriving. Some were just returning from a morning of feeding nearby, others were perhaps migrating in to join those already here.

Mixed in are some Greater White-fronted Geese, which get their name from the white on their face. They sport dark wings and a speckled belly.

Cyndi pointed out that the Greater White-fronted Geese each have a unique pattern, like a fingerprint, of speckles and streaks.

The elegant black and white pattern of the Snow Geese steals the show, as does the cacophony of their calls as they pass overhead by the hundreds or even thousands.

Then they settle behind the safe cover of tall marsh reeds to rest for the day, occasionally lifting into the air as a group if some predatory bird flies overhead. We saw Red-tailed Hawks, Northern Harriers, and American Kestrels in the area.

Owls

With the approach of spring (the crocus have bloomed in my yard) Cyndi and I have spent many warm days outdoors. We went to the Deer Flat NWR, the Fort Boise WMA, and Snake River Birds of Prey. The Red-tailed Hawk in the photo above was seen at Snake River Birds of Prey, at the Discovery Park overlook. We stayed until after sunset and three beaver swam out into the river at dusk, then one waddled ashore to size up a tree for chewing. It was too dark and too far away for a photo, but seeing that fat bowling pin shape was mighty entertaining. And, earlier we had run into birders Jay and Heidi. Jay helped us recognize a Savannah Sparrow which I would have mistaken for a Song Sparrow.

Jay also shared with us some highlights of the recent trip to Africa, and recommended Rob's blog as a source of photos and information from the trip.

On Saturday, at the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area we saw thousands of Snow Geese (photos to follow in a future blog) and encountered my friend and fellow birder Rich as well as this Western Screech-owl. This was the first time I found one on my own, without somebody having found it first and given directions, and the first time I saw one outside of a nest box. Could this be a good sign that I might have more owling success this year than in past years?

Perhaps, because the next day Cyndi and I located this pair of Great Horned Owls, one on the nest, the other waiting nearby, in case anybody needs delivery of take-out food. I uploaded this photo in its full size, so if you click on it, you'll see yellow eyes staring over the soft, feather-lined nest edge. Very cool to see. I took a few quick photos and didn't approach very closely, and quickly retreated to help assure the couple privacy while they patiently wait for leaves to grow.

not birds

When Cyndi read my last post she commented that I had failed to mention the glorious weather and the fun times we had together. Mea culpa. I get so excited to see a "new" bird that other things get ignored. In this case, "new" meant "first time seen in Idaho." We are also keeping track of birds that we see in Idaho in 2010, and honestly, having so many things to track is getting to be more than I want to have to remember. Maybe I'll just watch for birds I've never before seen, anywhere, as my highest priority. It would make things easier and less stressful. And I don't think birding should be stressful.

In this photo Cyndi is not seeing any birds. I wonder why there are no birds in the pond? Where could they all be? Let's not tell her that there are some birds behind her!

We do see more than just birds. A few weeks ago we saw a pair of mink down by the Boise River.

When I went out in search of the Northern Shrike I could not help but notice that spring is arriving. The groundhog predicted more winter, but I think the groundhog was incorrect for Idaho ... the pussywillows are budding.

And Saturday was so warm I didn't even wear my coat ... just a hooded sweatshirt. What a joy to imagine the warmth of summer approaching. We enjoyed a picnic outdoors, on Saturday at the Ted Trueblood Wildlife Management Area with Bald and Golden Eagles nearby and a kettle of Ravens, Northern Harrier and a Red-tailed Hawk all sharing a rising thermal together. Our Sunday picnic was in the Snake River Canyon, listening to a singing Canyon Wren.

On Saturday we also saw this Skunk. Mostly I'm looking at the birds, but if somebody comes by, I snap a photo if I can.

And, on each of our expeditions we stayed out until the rosy colors of sunset warmed the sky and often reflected in the water. It can be hard to get me to go home on a fine day of birding, but the onset of darkness helps me to quit for the day.

I do get lost in the moment and forget that I'm hungry or tired when outside enjoying nature. Though birds currently get most of the attention of my camera (it used to be wildflowers), I do notice other things with my peripheral vision, and that makes the experience complete.

Birding

With a hint of spring in the air I've greatly enjoyed getting out to seek birds. I want to start off this blog post with a photo of three species of gulls. From a distance I could see that there were a lot of Ring-billed Gulls (they're the smaller, lighter ones with a black ring near the tip of their bill). And, there were two that were larger and one was facing me and one could be seen from the side and it had a darker back. Because I had observed a few California Gulls in this location before, among the many Ring-billed, I said, "Look at those two larger ones with the darker back ... they're California Gulls."

As I walked past them the light was nicer, so I took another photo before moving on. Now that I look at the photo, I see that there is only one with a darker back (the California Gull, at the bottom left, now almost facing the camera). The one out of the water, standing on a branch is much larger than even the California Gull, and has pink legs. The California and Ring-billed all have yellowish legs.

So, based on the yellowish eye, dirty neck, pink legs and large size, I now believe the one on the stick is a Herring Gull. That's my final answer, and I'm sticking to it ... for now.

Gulls are not really my favorite bird, maybe because they were so common where I grew up on the Atlantic coast of Maine, and maybe because they can be hard to identify, and maybe because if one wants to find gulls a dump is a good place to hang out and I'm not much into dumps anymore now that taking stuff home is frowned upon.

But this next bird is so disliked that it's legal to kill them anytime and in any quantity in Idaho. The Eurasian Collared-Dove has spread like a noxious weed across the entire continent in a few decades. There's no telling, yet, what sort of ecological change they bring with them. That said, I think they do look rather attractive.

Though rather far away, I was pleased to spot this Northern Shrike in a local park. They will likely go north as winter draws to a close.

This is an Audubon's race Yellow-rumped Warbler. Audubon's have a yellow throat. The other race, the Myrtle, have an off-white throat.

And, finally, who does not enjoy seeing an owl? I had looked for this one before, but they blend in so well with the branches and tree trunks that they can be difficult to spot. Only after the local resident pointed out this Great Horned Owl's favorite roosts was I able to see it, though I'm sure I had looked in that area already and overlooked it.