I've put in a lot of time recently, even on my "days off", on work related projects - I think I've mentioned (too lazy to go back and look) that I've been shooting a lot of video that is destined for the park's first self-produced video podcast. Most of the shooting is done - just a few seconds of my mug on screen is all that is left in that regard - then a little additional editing, and that project will be complete. Did I mention it will be about Utah Prairie Dogs?

We also have some other ideas - Glacier NP seems to be something of a leader in this regard, so they're not original ideas - for virtual tours and hikes that I'm working on, too. Problem there is that rather than be video they'll use Flash and, while I have a piece of software that allows me to produce Flash "movies" (like on the opening page of my website), it chokes and crashes badly when I try to do something more complex. So that means that I'm going to have to learn to use the actual Flash program and will be investing a lot of time in that over the next several days.

This past Friday and Saturday was the park's 2nd annual Geology Festival and the guest speakers each night were paleontologists. That was cool stuff! Friday night we had Dr. Alan Titus who is the chief paleontologist for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and he talked about Deinosuchus. What a croc! They found a skull fragment last summer - though known in other places, a first for Utah - and this thing was a monster. The complete head would have been close to 2 meters (6+ feet) and the sockets for the largest teeth were 5 cm (2 inches) at the base (the teeth would have been about 15 cm/6 in. long). Total body length of this creature would be on the order of 10 meters or 33 feet, and it ate dinosaurs for lunch! Here's the other scary part: These crocodiles evolved in the late Cretaceous at a time when there was extensive volcanic activity, high CO2 levels in the atmosphere, and the ice caps melted raising sea levels. Let's hope climate change doesn't cause a repeat in crocodilian evolution.

The other speaker was Jeff Bartlett, Director of Collections and Research at the College of Eastern Utah's Prehistoric Museum, and the topic was recent findings in Utah. The highlight of his presentation was the fossils he brought with him. In addition to several bones, he brought along a trackway and a coprolite. Last fall I wrote about some of the trackways out in the Grand Staircase (here and here), but the one he brought along had been removed from the bedrock and was amazing in that some poor gar-like fish had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Remnants of the fish, in the form of scales, were embedded in this dinosaur's track! I have some coprolites in my collection of fossils - if you remember, coprolites are fossilized "poop" - but nothing like what we saw Saturday night. He showed a photograph of a very large coprolitein the presentation and what he brought was a fragment (measuring about 15 x 10 cm/6 x 4 inches) of this much larger piece - and this thing contained bone fragments! This chunk of fossilized excrement came from a freakin' carnivore that was roaming around (what is now) Utah in the Cretaceous!

At times, avian activity seems to be slowing down some around here. I'm not seeing as many of the migratory breeding species like Western Tanager and, oddly, I haven't seen any of the tanagers with young in tow, either. I did see a Dark-eyed Junco the other day being followed around by a cowbird chick - ugh!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We have video to help us with the answer to last week's "Light As A Feather" quiz. The fun part of this was that as I videotaping the bluebirds at their nest (who, as I type, are not far outside my trailer begging) I moved the tripod, looked down, saw the feather, and, within minutes, had the opportunity to get these clips:

The owner of the feather is, of course, Northern Flicker ("Red-shafted" or western race). It was kind of hard to keep up with his gyrations as he was bouncing around on that fallen tree chasing the ants - at about 12 seconds in notice how he tries to shake off the ants attacking his feet. The second flicker that makes a brief appearance is a fledgling. Congrats to those who answered correctly with so little to go on!

For this week we return to a "regular" photo and a bird that may be a little confusing in this plumage phase.

A couple of links of note: It's Friday so the latest edition of Loose Feathers is up at A D.C. Birding Blog and the 80th edition of I and the Bird is hosted this time around at The Hawk Owl's Nest.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 06:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

It's kind of bittersweet, in a way, but this morning I noted that mom and dad Western Bluebird were out hunting, though carrying their prey somewhere other than the nest cavity. As near as I can tell there are two, now fledgling, youngsters. I knew we were getting close and, if didn't look like the sky was going to open up any minute, I would probably try and get some video of them being fed. Having said that, they are also staying pretty high up in a pine not far from the nest tree and, as would be expected on their first day out and about, not spending much time out in the open. All things considered, getting good clips would ultimately be a rather difficult, and possibly frustrating, assignment..

Totally unrelated, but interesting in the "unusual avian behavior" category, while I was looking for the bluebirds I saw a swallow (probably Violet-green) circling near the top of a Ponderosa Pine. Used to seeing that, of course, but then I noticed a hummingbird began chasing it until it flew off. Not sure what that was all about though, as we know, hummers are quite territorial and I suppose it is also possible the hummer has a nest in that tree.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I fully expected (shows you what I know . . .) that the young bluebirds would be out and about by now. The ol' still camera, even with a 500mm lens + a teleconverter, doesn't quite give me enough firepower to shoot them as tight as I would like, so this one is cropped a bit on the heavy side. But I'd only shot video of them and decided to give this a try anyway. So there you have it; one "almost ready to fledge" juvenile Western Bluebird.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Every once in a while I just have to throw an evil twist into the weekly quiz, like way back when the subject wasn't even a bird at all. This week is one of those weeks. All you get is this feather. If you know the eastern and western variants of this species, it may not be that hard. Or not.

Last week's bird was one you will find only in southern Arizona or Northern Mexico, the Arizona Woodpecker (Picoides arizonae). Have fun with this week's quiz and, as always, good luck and great birding!

P.S. - A quick check of the bluebird nest this morning found the adults still bringing food, so we'll have to wait another day or two to find them out and about (if it's tomorrow, I'm working an "astro" schedule - giving me a free morning - and might be able to catch them on fledging day . . . )

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Checked on the Western Bluebirds this morning, though at the time it wasn't really my intention to shoot any more video of them . . .

Except I couldn't help myself when I noticed the occasional little head peeking out of the nest cavity. This short sequence begins with the adult male coming in to grab the fecal sac, then you see one of the youngsters having a look at the big old world outside the only home it's known so far. You can hear 'em chirping, too, once you get past the road noise and somebody tossing glass bottles into the recycling bin.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I took a back road to take Roxy over to the reservoir for a swim this morning and, along the way, photographed a new butterfly and a few wildflowers. Pretty certain that this is a Great Basin Wood-nymph and there were a lot of them about. In addition I shot a Checkered White - another species that is abundant right now - and also saw 3 or 4 other species while I was wandering the meadows. Don't know what it is, but it sure seems like the butterflies around here are harder to get close enough to in order to get a shot than I have experienced elsewhere. Might have to work on it some more tomorrow if the weather cooperates since the season here is bound to be short.

While chasing butterflies I happened upon this pair of mating grasshoppers (?). I have no idea what they are and spent a fair amount of time looking on an online field guide trying to figure it out.

With good light I also shot some video of the Western Bluebirds again this morning, too - this time working from a different angle than the video I posted a few days ago. In the first clip the female brings some food, then disappears into the nest before coming out with a fecal sac. The second clip has the female first, followed almost immediately by the male. There's also a pair of short clips: the first is a Pronghorn buck lying down and chewing his cud, as well as a Raven perched in a tree not far from the bluebird nest. Whit the volume up on the second clip (if you don't mind hearing the motor noise from the camera) you can hear just hear a calling Plumbeous Vireo in the background.

I also shot some video late in the day of a couple of Mule Deer fawns, but the camera was set in the 4:3 aspect ratio and couldn't include it here. Maybe tomorrow.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

We're currently going through a kind of intense period of "monsoonal flow" and today turned gray shortly after sunrise. Though there turned out to be only a little precipitation, at least around home, it was hard to get motivated to go out exploring for fear of a downpour. In ways it was a good thing, giving me a little time to do some needed chores. In the afternoon, however, I stationed myself near the bird bath for a short time and shot a some video just for fun (actually, the video stuff is getting a little addictive, in case you haven't noticed). This one runs about 2-1/2 minutes (about 16 megs) and the cast (in order of appearance) are: a male Yellow-rumped Warbler (only about 10 seconds worth); the longest clip is of a Say's Phoebe first bathing and then preening; a Golden-mantled Ground-squirrel sneaking a drink; finally, a female Cassin's Finch stops by for a brief visit (notice the sound of the wind and the motion of the trees in the backgound - it had gotten a bit windy, too).

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 09:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

So one of the major projects (did I mention this before?) going on here at the park is developing a series of podcasts about different aspects of the park which will ultimately be available on the park's website as well as the NPS section of ITunes. My current (first of many, probably) is about Utah Prairie Dogs and, in the introduction, there will be a brief mention of park wildlife including birds, naturally. Yesterday morning I shot a little video of the Western Bluebirds coming to their nest to feed the young (who I had guessed hatched weeks ago based upon adult behaviors, but boy was I totally wrong). It's less than a minute and I cut about 25 seconds between appearance by them. The first to pop into view is the female followed by the male. Unfortunately my camera really produces a lot of background noise, plus there is traffic noise in there as well, but you can hear the chicks if you listen closely. Someday I really should look into getting an external microphone that would eliminate the motor noise coming from the camera. One thing that is a little different from previous videos is the 16:9 widescreen format which we'll be using on the park's podcasts.

Not much to it really; they fly in, feed, then depart for more tasty bugs, all rather quickly. Enjoy . . .

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Last week's speedster running down the beach was a Sanderling. For this week we explore the southwest once again for a bird you'll only find in a small area within the continental U.S.

Being Friday, the latest edition of Loose Feathers is up at A D.C. Birding Blog; the newest edition of I and the Bird is also up at 10,000 Birds. This is the 3rd anniversary edition -congratulations to Mike as well everyone who has hosted or contributed over these past three years!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 06:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Okay, so I've been messing around with the bats a little. The photo here is anything but high quality but is still kind of cool for a first attempt. Facts are, great bat photography is done with electronic triggers and, usually, multiple high speed flashes - equipment I don't have and won't be investing in anytime soon (though I'd like to). I pushed the envelope a little here and could probably improve my results just by changing some camera settings (higher ISO) for increased shutter speed. Though things look nice and bright, don't be fooled. It was dark in that little corner of the building and I was trying to prefocus (autofocus was useless) and hope that I could react quick enough to fire just as the bats exited the crevice. Another few hundred shots and maybe I'll actually get something worth keeping (smile). Not sure but I think these are Big Brown Bats - can't say with any degree of certainty. I know someone I can check with, but will probably need a better photo.

Last night I shot some video of them coming out of a vent. Being just past sunset, there just isn't any light to work with so it's kind of crappy - and even if I had lighting for video the bright light shining might just keep them inside. The first couple of clips are there to give you an idea of numbers -though there are gaps when not many are flying out, this still goes on for at least 20-25 minutes. The last segment is of a bat coming out that I've slowed way down for your viewing pleasure - enjoy!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 10:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Sorry about the dearth of posts lately, I worked a heavy schedule during the park's astronomy festival and was kind of burnt out without much to say. Spent a fair amount of time in the mornings - once I finally had some days off - hanging around the birdbath, mostly hoping to get shots of the really bright male Western Tanager who shows up every once in a while. That hasn't happened yet, unfortunately. The most frequent visitors are the Cassin's Finches and is getting to the point that there is no need to shoot them anymore. This male Yellow-rumped Warbler did pose for me briefly - wish he would bring the Plumbeous Vireo who has been tormenting me daily with his incessant calling from high in the Ponderosa Pines down to water some time (you would think a vireo would need a drink every now and then . . .).

I have also been trying to photograph some of the local wildflowers when the wind lays down enough that I can do something with them. This one was growing just outside my trailer and the book on local wildflowers didn't have it listed, so I had to do a little legwork to figure out what it was. One of the best resources on the web is the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, though it helps to have a name (preferably the scientific name) to search their extensive database of North American wildflowers. The method I used to find this one was by starting down the list of evening-primroses - I have a complete list of the vascular plants for the park - and searching. Thankfully this one was near top and the fun part is that this plant, Crownleaf Evening-primrose (Oenothera coronopifolia) was listed as "historical". What that apparently means is that it had been recorded as occurring in the park some time ago, but had not been reported recently. So I get to chalk up a "rediscovery" of this species to go along with my recent documentation of Red Foxes breeding in the park.

On the other hand, this flower is actually rather common around the park, Nootka Rose (Rosa nutkana). I'd missed getting shots of them last summer for some unknown reason so made up for it this time around. What struck me is how much they smelled like the roses that were grown around my childhood home (at least to my sense of smell). Another plant blooming now in the park is Sego Lily, but the flower isn't fully open until a time during the day that has been windy, making them impossible to photograph. They are widespread but, just as an example of how elevation makes a huge difference, I'd photographed them a month ago down in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (about 760 meters or 2500 feet lower).

In other news, I saw a pair of fresh fawns (Mule Deer) a couple of nights ago so will have to keep on the look out for them in decent light. I've also been alerted to a major bat roost in one of the park buildings - tried to shoot a little video last night but it started to rain just as they began to emerge. Photos would be nice and I may try that one day, too, though the fact that they don't start coming out until sunset will make things tricky to say the least. My best guess, since I didn't bother to try and count, is there are over 200 in this location.

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 06:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last week we had a Violet-green Swallow (would probably qualify as a "drab adult' per Sibley) for our quiz bird. I took the photo on one of 2 days that several of them were landing in front of one of the campground host's rv gathering up pine needles, presumably for nesting material. For this week, being a summer holiday weekend, we'll do what a lot of other folks might be doing - go to the beach to look at shorebirds (though it is probably a bit early in the season to see this species in this plumage). Good luck and great birding!

Posted by Kevin, F.C.D. at 02:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)