Last night I experienced something new by assisting on a Bryce Canyon Full Moon Hike. Though I had some chances to tag along before, I just hadn't gotten around to doing it - but am certainly glad I did this time. It really is quite a trip, no flashlights are allowed so everyone relies on the light of the Moon and nicely dark-adapted eyes. The trail we took - a 2.2 mile (round trip) hike of a section of Fairyland Loop - was also new for me and I am looking forward to a trip in the daylight so I can get some photos. There are some truly incredible rock formations along that stretch of trail, plus a bunch of Bristlecone Pines and one neatly twisted and gnarled Ponderosa Pine that, at least in the moonlight, looked quite photogenic. According to my GPS the highest elevation was 8016 feet (at the beginning) and the lowest point was where we turned around to go back at 7551 feet. If I'm doing the math right it works out to just short of a 10% average grade. Wish we would have heard some owls, though

In other news, Sunday's bird walk was a little light on the species count at 15 (I blame post-breeding dispersal) but we still had some interesting sightings beginning with a new for me in the park Rock Wren. The fun part about ID'ing the wren was that I relied upon an observed behavior ("bobbing") to zero in on it before checking for coloration and field marks. A little later we had an unusual pick-up in the form of a juvenile Northern Harrier that was totally out of habitat since where we saw it flying was over the rim of the Bryce Amphitheater (as oppose to open fields or marshes). Then the last species we found on the walk was a Virginia's Warbler (only the third I have seen here).

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 11:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have long been a subscriber to FL Birds (a "listserv" on which birders from around Florida post info on bird sightings) and a while back signed up for Utah's counterpart, Birdnet. Well, the "buzz" for the past several days is a bird I am quite familiar with and, if I could, it would be kind of fun to see it for myself. But, since it would be a 700 mile round trip I think I'll pass on a trek to see the male Painted Bunting who has managed to wander up to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge. Needless to say, birders up this way are all a-twitter over this one; the bird is about 900 or so miles out of range and, while there is some question at this point, it may be a first state record for Painted Buntings in Utah. Just to make things even more interesting, a Red-shouldered Hawk and a Scarlet Tanager, though not unknown in the state but apparently extremely rare, are -or a least had been - hanging out on the same general area as the bunting.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Congratulations if your answer to last week's quiz was "Whimbrel"! This week's bird of the southwest is listed as a rare breeder here at Bryce - I haven't seen one here yet, but will keep looking. Good luck and have fun!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately, I have had several projects to deal with as well as the fact there's been a string of days lately where the area has been subjected to a "monsoonal flow" bringing some much need moisture. It seems like the birds have really thinned out; I have not seen a robin for days and the last Western Tanager I saw was a female on Sunday morning's bird walk (after 2 months of seeing several every day).

With the dearth of birds I am trying to keep up with the hiking on my days off and walked the rim from Bryce Point to Sunset Point again on Tuesday morning, mostly hoping to find the Desert Bighorn Sheep that has been reported in that area a couple of times. Then yesterday I hiked a combination called the Bryce Amphitheater Traverse. This hike also goes from Bryce Point to Sunset Point but goes through the amphitheater (to the geologists Bryce Canyon is, in fact, not a canyon). The graph here shows the elevation changes as mapped by my GPS unit; reading from left to right it starts in the parking area at Bryce Point (elevation approx. 8300 feet), the low point is about 3/4 of the way through (7437 feet), and ends at Sunset Point (8,037 feet). With lots of up and down along the way. The total distance was 4.8 miles (7.73 km) and the last bit kinda sucked because with about 5 switchbacks to go on the Navajo Loop portion of the trail (the final steep climb on the right side of the graph) it began to rain like hell. By the time I got to the bus stop for a ride back to the truck I was completely soaked.

Anyway, the geology along this hike is simply spectacular and I thought I would do something different and create a "Flash" slideshow instead of embedding just a couple of photos in the blog entry (you'll need Flash installed for your browser and you can get it here if necessary). There's a total of twelve different photos in the Bryce Amphitheater Traverse slideshow (click to view) starting from just below Bryce Point and ending with a shot of the world famous hoodoo "Thor's Hammer" just below the rim at Sunset Point. (In the slideshow you can click on the thumbnails at the bottom to change photos or use the controls at the far bottom right of the browser window - left and right arrows advance forward and reverse, the right pointing triangle changes the photos automatically). The seventh image is looking back down a series of switchbacks on the Peekaboo Loop portion of the trail - a good point to stop and catch my breath. Plan on being in shape if you are going to come this way; for spectacular "red rock geology" this ranks as one of the best the world has to offer!

Finally, here's one for all of you Roxy fans out there from Tuesday at Tropic Reservoir (in between rain showers). While I have been doing a lot of walking lately, she just hates it. At 9 years I think she is developing a bit of arthritis but she will still wear me out when I take her to the lake - she still loves to swim and we are heading that way momentarily . . .

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

One of the facts I like to point out in the talk of give on avian migration is the fact that during almost any month of the year birds are on the move somewhere in North America. Our quiz bird this week is one that is a northern breeder and yet they have already been sighted in Florida this month. Last week's bird was a juvenile male Black-throated Gray Warbler.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

My days off this week have been just a bit different than the norm. Following the encounter with the Grace's Warbler and the Brown-headed Cowbird chick on Tuesday morning, I spent a good portionof the rest of the day looking into a possible rodent problem (and dealing with the mess they'd made). I had discovered that something had gotten into some boxes in my forward storage area and, though I had guessed it would be mice, it turned out to be chipmunks. While I may like chipmunks, I don't particularly want to share my home with them or want them chewing up my things. The only place I found that they might make it through was a hole that some wiring passed through and, hopefully, that is now plugged up enough so that they will stay outside where they belong. But, just in case, I now have a trap in place for them (not to worry, it is a "live" trap provided by the park so they'll be captured and released).

One thing I had been slacking on was getting in some hiking, so that is what I did with my morning photography time on the other two days. Yesterday (Wednesday) I hiked a couple of sections of the Rim Trail that I hadn't hiked before, trekking from Bryce Point to Sunrise Point. I did come upon one new species of bird along the way, an Olive-sided Flycatcher, though the only wildlife I photographed was this Common Sagebrush Lizard. I only encountered 2 other hikers on the first leg (Bryce Pt. to Inspiration Pt.) and it happened to be right at this particular time: Down on my knees and elbows shooting this lizard at close range with a 100mm macro lens (which means, for the non-photographers, that I was pretty close to the lizard). They gave me kind of an odd look as they passed by . . .

I decided to do some more hiking today and went on the Queen's/Navajo Combination Trail. I had been on this one shortly after I arrived at Bryce and it really is a spectacular hike. The combination is made up from 2 of the park's most popular trails, the Queen's Garden Trail and the Navajo Loop; the hoodoo's in this photo are seen along the Queen's Garden portion of this loop trail. The only "new" birds i found on the hike today were some begging youngster's in these Violet-Green Swallow nests (click to view) attached to the side of one of the fins (rock formations that will eventually become hoodoos) adjacent to the Navajo Loop segment of the trail.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 11:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One thing it is not is great photography, I was trying to find any opening in the pine needles I could. The only shot was nearly straight up but here you go: one male Grace's Warbler feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sunday featured another bird walk morning (21 species including 3 warblers) but it began when I stopped by the Visitor Center/Admin Building to pick up a radio to take on the hike. On the lawn outside the VC I found a male Yellow-rumped Warbler feeding a Brown-headed Cowbird fledgling. So today I had a little time before my shift began to drag the camera gear out hoping to find them again. I didn't see the Yellow-rump but did see a female Grace's Warbler feeding one. Unfortunately they never were in position to get a shot though I continue to be amazed at how much of this is going on. It really is quite sad because when the warblers or the junco I saw last week are feeding they are only feeding one bird which leads me to think the rest of the clutch is lost. When I have seen other warbler families they always have either 2 or 3 that they are feeding. Having said that, it is also possible that a mate is tending to any surviving chicks.

At least the ride up to the Visitor Center this morning wasn't a total loss because I did get some shots of one of a pair of twin Mule Deer fawns on the way there. The rotten cowbirds notwithstanding, from the Prairie Dogs to the Pronghorns and now the Mule Deer - along with lots of young birds in between - what a joy it has been to see so much new life this summer!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

It's time one again for our weekly quiz, but first the answer to last week's edition: Pine Siskin. This week's bird had me puzzled for a while and I was trying to make it into a couple of different birds before I magically turned right to the page it was on in the book. Good luck and have fun!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Though I saw the cowbird chick with the "host" junco yesterday, a good photo op just never materialized. However, this morning I went over to the "seep" at Bryce Canyon Lodge to see what might show up there. It was a little cool last night so there wasn't a lot of morning activity but one of the first arrivals was this fledgling Brown-headed Cowbird. What I found interesting was that it was no longer hanging out with an unrelated parent but, rather, came with 2 adult female cowbirds. So it must have ditched the bird that raised it and had found some of its own kind to be with. I just might have to do a little research on BHCO life histories just for fun.

The most common species I see at the seep is Pygmy Nuthatches it seems, but every once in a while a warbler would pop in for a drink (or a bath), too. This male Grace's Warbler was one of a couple that I saw as well as one female. While they didn't seem to want to pose for me, I also saw Yellow-rumps in male, female, and juvenile plumages. That seep might be an interesting spot once migration starts.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 05:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I and the Bird, the "Blog Carnival for Bird Lovers", was started by Mike at 10,000 Birds and he is host of the current edition which marks this biweekly gathering of bird and birding bloggers 2nd anniversary. As usual there are lots of great blog entries so take a little time and celebrate!

Congratulations (and thanks!) Mike!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In my last entry I talked about the visitor on Sunday's birdwalk who saw a warbler feeding a much larger chick that I felt sure was a probably a Brown-headed Cowbird. Then yesterday morning I received a call at the information desk that one of the hosts at the North Campground here at Bryce Canyon was trying to reach me. The host had been along on Sunday's walk where I'd told the group about the cowbird's evil ways as nest parasites and so she knew about the behavior. I contacted her on the park's radio system and it turned out that she had the same thing happening near where her RV was parked. When I returned home following work one of the hosts at Sunset Campground (where I am staying) announced that while she was out doing the rounds one of the campers pointed out another "little tiny bird" feeding a larger bird (as it turned out the host from Sunset happened to be visiting the host from North at the time of the previous sighting and, while a non-birder herself, was now also familiar with the behavior).

But wait! There's more to the story I've yet to tell:

As I was returning from lunch just a few hours earlier I bumped into the chief fire protection ranger who said he'd overheard the conversation I had with the North Campground host. He told me that he had a Dark-eyed Junco in his yard that was feeding a cowbird chick and invited me to drop by for a look. Though pressed for time because I had to take Roxie in for shots, I went over this morning to check it out. The cowbird chick (at left in the image above) acted just like any other fledgling, fluttering its wings and begging, while the much smaller junco was only happy to oblige. It would certainly be nice if the junco was clearly identifiable in the photo, however I plan to look for them again tomorrow morning. I'm not getting my hopes up much; the cowbird was flying strongly and I doubt it will be hanging around its "parent" much longer.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 11:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There has been some nice turnouts for the past few morning "bird walks" here at Bryce (with numbers from 9 to 11 which really are quite manageable group sizes). Since I started them the first of June we've logged a total of 32 different species and the last 4 times out had 20 or more in the 2 hour duration of the walk. The highlight bird is, of course, the male Western Tanager and it is fun for me to listen to the reactions of those seeing them for the first time (and while I see them nearly every day - bird walk or not - I don't get tired of seeing them, either).

One of today's participants mentioned to me a few minutes after we started that he thought he saw the Grace's Warbler we had been watching feeding a bird that was much larger. He thought it was a little bit strange but I had a pretty good idea what might have been going on. Damn! If I only I had seen it for myself. You know what I'm thinking here, right? Brown-headed Cowbird.

(For my non-birding readers, Brown-headed Cowbirds are brood parasites who lay eggs in other bird's nests and the host birds - other than a very few species who can apparently identify the "alien" eggs - will incubate the eggs and raise the cowbird chicks as if they were their own - often at the expense of the "native" chicks who are usually out-competed for food by the larger cowbird chick.)

A couple of weeks ago I discovered the small seep in front of the park's historic lodge and that is now a regular stop on the bird walks. Just for fun I stopped by there this afternoon and this post's title is a reference to my success on that short visit: 15 species in 30 minutes. The best bird was one I have seen on only 2 or 3 occasions: a Plumbeous Vireo at a distance of 5 feet (coming straight from work I had binoculars but no camera, naturally). I also got to see 3 Yellow-rumped Warbler fledglings relentlessly begging for food from dear old dad - who at that time was far more interested in a bath than listening to them and, when he flew away from the seep, flicked me with a couple of drops of water as he passed about 2 feet from my head. And to think someone mentioned to me before I came that I probably wouldn't have much luck with birds around here . . .

(The accompanying photo is a Northern Flicker and the image is totally unrelated to this post in any way though I saw 4 today and really I like this shot. It was taken Thursday morning not far from my trailer.)

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 11:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This morning on my way to "town" to pick up a few things I spotted an animal just off the highway in the ditch. I noted as I drove by that its head was up yet certain that it wouldn't be just lying down in that location. After turning around to get a better look I headed out of the canyon to where there would be a cell signal in order to make some calls and try to locate a wildlife rehabilitator who might be able to help this animal. Sadly, what I found out was that in this state - still hopelessly mired in far too many ways in the 19th century - it is illegal for a rehabber to try to help certain animals.

Reluctantly, I chose the only other real option: contact the State Division of Wildlife Resources who would then send out an officer to "take care" of this creature. Though it brings tears to my eyes, better that than know that this beautiful Red Fox would otherwise lie there, suffering, until the final moment inevitably came.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last week's tricky fledgling was a Townsend's Solitaire. Heavily spotted (camouflage?), the strong eyering serves as a fieldmark shared with the adult's plumage. For this week we have a new visitor to my birdbath. Have fun!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 08:59 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I haven't taken much time to write for a few days, though I have tried to make some things happen by spending a fair amount of time at the bird bath in the mornings on this stretch of days off. This afternoon there was some cloud cover so I dusted off the flash and even did some shooting this afternoon. This fledgling Western Tanager is a result of that effort and we know that at least one pair of tanagers here in the campground was successful this breeding season. I also made some images of a pair of new species the past couple of days - one that I have just missed getting previously and, one that is new to the neighborhood of late (Woo-hoo! New stuff for the Bird Quizzes!).

The local rodents are frequently around for a little entertainment while I'm out shooting birds by the bath. They are a feisty bunch - the chipmunks squabble with the Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels or amongst themselves and, naturally, the ground squirrels don't always get along with each other either. I am not sure what it is they fight about though it is probably over food - birds certainly do the same around bird feeders. Actually, the birds seem to fight over territorial rights around the bird bath, too.

This image was taken during a very different sort of territorial battle I witnessed today - one I wouldn't have expected. This White-breasted Nuthatch was climbing down the tree when it encountered the chipmunk making its way up the tree. I suppose the nuthatch was saying "Look how big I am, Mr. Chipmunk! You better get out of my way!" Or something to that effect, anyway. Wish I could remember who came out the victor in that - though in the end it doesn't really matter because the behavior was fun to watch!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

She didn't give me an opportunity for a clean shot by staying back in the brush but this female Red Crossbill I saw this morning marks the 80th (avian) species I have seen since arriving at Bryce Canyon in April.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 01:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)