December 2008 Archives

2008 has been an interesting year to say the least. My first "real" winter in a long time, a "new" (longer term) job at Bryce, ridiculous fuel prices keeping me closer to home cramping my photographic style, experimenting with video (leading to more interesting projects at work), and I could carry on with a few more things to highlight the year.

There are 31 images total in the Flash slideshow (about 7mb) - click on the prairie dog to open the file, rolling over the "I" icon will provide some info about each image. Enjoy!

On the way home from a shopping adventure in the"big city" I saw a group of three birds, feeding on the remains of some hapless rabbit, flushed as a car approached from the opposite direction. Common Raven and Bald Eagle, not a surprise. The third member of the group? A Great Blue Heron. Can't say that I have ever seen one feeding on carrion, but the idea doesn't surprise me - just the fact that it was sharing with those other two species. 

With all the snow that came with the Big Christmas Storm™, this morning was my first chance to head out and grab a few pixels. Just have to love this place with lots of pure white snow on the hoodoos. These formations are below Inspiration Point as seen from Sunset Point. It was pretty cold, too, (15F/-.9.5C) but worth it.

With the upgrade to the MT software I use for this blog - what was that, 3 weeks ago now - the commenting was goofed. I think I've fixed that now, the "captcha" anti-spam I was using is disabled for the time being (and will remain so unless the spam gets out of control again), but I have set comments to "moderation", meaning I'll get an email and will have to approve comments before they appear.

We're finally getting a break in the weather after getting more than 2 feet of snow over the past few weeks. I do really like snow, don't mind the cold (as long as it's not really cold), just not all at once. I'd really prefer it to come a few inches here and there.

Since the big Christmas storm passed I haven't seen much in the way of birds around - the ever present Ravens, Pygmy Nuthatches, and that is about it other than some starlings just outside the park on a late shopping trip yesterday. On a short shopping excursion prior to the storm I did see three Bald Eagles, though not unexpected this time of year. The raptors I haven't seen yet this winter are Rough-legged and Ferruginous Hawks.

I did see some mammal tracks as I was heading down "The Dump" that were probably fox. "The Dump" is what the locals call the stretch of Utah 12 that drops - "dumps", if you will - off the Paunsaugunt Plateau through the northern end of the park; the road winds down and descends over 1,000 feet (330 m) in about 5 miles.There was also one stretch where a pretty good-sized herd of Mule Deer had crossed the road - scary if you're in that vicinity at the wrong time.

Now that I have satellite TV, I find it kind of humorous that Animal Planet and National Geographic have competing programs about dog behavior specialists. I also find that science related channels have ridiculous numbers of repeats in a very short time. And, through two holidays since I got the system, they fill the schedule with "marathons". Oh well.

On Tuesday look for a "year in pictures" post. 

I might have been a little over the top with last week's bird because I even stumped some very good birders with that one. Even with the clues. The first hint "I have a similar diet to one of my relatives who lives on the opposite side of the continent", I was hopeful would help narrow things down to one of the two crow species who live on the coast. In the southeast we find Corvus ossifragus, the Fish Crow. But the snow in the photo, though possible in part of the Fish Crow's range, should have been something of a non-verbal clue.

The second hint was a link to a recording of the subject species call, and much like down in Florida where my friends at Halifax River Audubon will be Christmas Bird Counting tomorrow, where the American Crow and Fish Crow overlap, voice is the only reliable clue for identifying Fish. That same thing, voice, is how you decide if you are looking at an American or last week's bird, Northwestern Crow (Corvus caurinus) where they overlap. (I suppose, if they were perched side-by-side, you could use size as a clue as the Northwestern is smaller, but that is unlikely to happen very often - if at all.)

Hopefully this week's bird will be a little easier. They breed in the north, but have been reported in winter in most - if not all - of the lower 48 states, though you would more likely see them in a coastal region. Extra credit if you know the old name.

As always, good luck and great birding (next week will be the first quiz of 2009!). I've got to go dig out from the last 36 hours of snow . . .

We're having a white Christmas here in Bryce Canyon. The sky is gray, snow is falling (had about 4 inches of new over night), but the lights on my trailer are glowing to brighten up the day at least a little.

Best wishes on this Christmas Day to you and yours!

Woke up yesterday to some fresh snow and saw some footprints. They were pretty small, most likely a mouse of some kind. As I got to looking around, however, I discovered that this little critter was doing some serious trucking. They start about 100 feet from my trailer near the main road coming into the campground, come straight up the hill then make their way along the skirting I have at the back of the trailer. About midway along the skirting there was a sudden turn to the right, up to the top of a snow bank where I'd been piling snow, then a quick about face and back down. Now the prints follow the skirting along the east side of my trailer. The disappear briefly after going under the fifth wheel overhang at the front, then reappear and head toward my truck (the photo is where my "friend" is walking just below the passenger side door). Moving toward the front of my truck, it looks like it must have climbed up the power cord connected to my engine heater, up the windshield onto the roof, another about face and then down off of the truck via the power cord. The tracks continue east from there, up a snow bank and then gone.

Too bad it wasn't something really cool like a weasel . . .

There had been some talk of possible sightings of Snowshoe Hares over the last week or so and a couple of days ago some visitors mentioned seeing a white "rabbit" and described the location of their sighting. Needless to say, I've been looking - had seen lots of tracks, too - and today I found it.

Sort of.

The creature in the photo that people have been seeing is no Snowshoe Hare. I only just learned that, like Snowshoes, White-tailed Jack Rabbits also molt to a different "plumage" in winter. Interestingly, both of these species were "unconfirmed" within the park, my photo takes one off the list.

This marks my the third "photo documented" species for the year (confirmed breeding of Red Foxes in June, county and park record Greater White-fronted Geese in September, and now the jack rabbit). It would be nice to have a similar string next year, but I won't count on it. There's no shortage of stuff around here that is already known that I've never photographed and would very much like to get (Gray Fox, Porcupine, and Weasel for starters - not to mention a whole host of birds). 

Today is the "beginning" of Winter, that day of the year when the peculiarities of the Earth and its orbit 'round the Sun gives those of us living in the Northern Hemisphere the fewest hours of daylight. Due to the fact Earth is tilted on its axis 23.44°, those of us in the north are leaning away from the Sun. If you were standing at the Arctic Circle, you'd probably be really cold, and the Sun would not appear over the horizon today. At roughly noon today In the rest of the hemisphere the Sun will be at its lowest point above the horizon; from here on out it will rise higher each day until the Summer Solstice, at which point it will start going the other way.

By the way, if you were standing on Antarctic Circle, the Sun would not set today - it is the longest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere - the Austral Summer begins today.

I kind of like what the Bad Astronomer had to say about winter celebrations:

Anyway, the Winter Solstice has always been a time of celebration, because ancient people -- more closely tied with the skies due to agriculture and no light pollution -- knew that it meant the Sun was coming back up, and spring was coming. We celebrate it in modern times by going into debt. We're far more sophisticated these days.

Don't know about where you are, but I won't be seeing any sun today if the forecast is correct - more snow coming tomorrow and it is all socked in this morning.

Last week's tricky bird was an Eastern Meadowlark. About the only reliable field mark available is the white malar stripe below the bill. Generally speaking the best way with meadowlarks is by range or, when they overlap, you have to rely on voice.

For this week we have another species that is impossible to identify by plumage - range is the only way to tell and, even then, it may overlap with one close cousin and, in that case, you would have to hear the voice. Two hints can be found below the fold . . .

In my post Surprising Numbers, I commented about statistics on birdwatchers and how, according to surveys, 94% of birdwatchers are white. In Birding for Everyone - Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers, birdwatcher and ornithologist John C. Robinson addresses this very issue. Mr. Robinson is a birdwatcher, an ornithologist, and an African-American who, in the first third of the book, shares with us when he first developed an interest in birds, how a person begins birdwatching - including the items necessary (binoculars/field guide) to get started - then introduces his ten step system for bird identification. In sharing some of his personal experiences watching birds, I frequently found myself recalling similar experiences in my birding adventures.

The remainder of the book is devoted, first, to his research into the reasons for the lack of participation in birdwatching by members of the target ethnic groups. Next we meet Hispanic, Asian American, and African American birders who were interviewed for the project in order to learn how they became involved as bird enthusiasts. Finally, Mr. Robinson offers some suggestions on how we might all work to encourage increased diversity in the world of birding.

Well written and very readable, the book reminded me of efforts by my former Audubon chapter to try to spark interest in birds by African Americans in our area (Daytona Beach). Though I have been gone nearly three years and cannot say how successful it has been, our first formative steps were to provide feeders and seed to a branch of the county library. This library was located in a predominantly African American neighborhood where we held our board meeting. Volunteers from my former chapter have also been working with the environmental education program teaching high school students about birds. Efforts such as these are some of things we can do as birders to help increase participation by a broader spectrum of the population.

If you are reading this blog, you are probably interested in birds and nature, and you are also probably very aware of the pressures our environment is under. By working together to expand the birding community, in addition to introducing a larger group of humanity to the joy of birding, as a bonus we will get more people caring about our planet's long term health. If you belong to an Audubon chapter, bird club, or work with young people and want to reach out in your community sharing the wonder of watching birds, Birding for Everyone is a great way to get started!

Today was the day for the Bryce Canyon CBC and boy was it crummy out; at times we were walking in knee deep snow. The area I was assigned was much more productive than the one I had last year when I could only muster 11 species. This time I was down on the west side of the town of Tropic (just outside of the park) and ended up with 23 species, including one that required a rare bird report - a lone Yellow-rumped Warbler (a far cry, I'm sure, from the quantity that my friends at Halifax River Audubon in Daytona Beach will find). Other surprises included a Ruby-crowned Kinglet - also unexpected, but a species that had been counted in previous years here - and a California Gull. Species I wish I hadn't seen were large numbers of European Starlings and Eurasian-collared Doves. Both are, of course, invasives and the doves are apparently putting a real squeeze on the Mourning Doves (which I've heard were once more numerous but I don't see them often).

The weather notwithstanding, it was a good time, anyway. Maybe next year the weather will be better . . .

Well, it was snowing today - about 8 inches so far and still going strong - and I decided to upgrade my blogging software. Then I decided "What the heck, why not change the look, too?"

 

It's not final, I've spent far too much time messing with it today, however. While I kind of like it, one thing that has to go is the "Recent Comments" section that this new design includes. All it manages to do is give away the answers to the Friday Quiz. Some of the formatting is messed up and I'll have to work on that also.

 

The other bad thing about all this snow is that tomorrow is supposed to be our CBC (Christmas Bird Count). The forecast is for snow, possibly tapering off late in the morning, and a high of 23 (-5 C). Yikes!

Not sure what last week's bird was so excited about when I shot that photo (it was "that time" of year, so might have been a hormonal thing . . . ), but the bird in question was a Willet. It should be pretty easy to narrow this week's bird down to a couple of possibilities, but then you have a 50/50 chance of choosing the correct answer!

Good luck and great birding!

This week's days off were a little on the yucky side. Snow on Monday, but not enough to make it worthwhile. Then yesterday was nice and sunny but it is was just plaincold. After being cooped up for the better part of two days, we went for a late afternoon ride and stumbled upon a nice herd of Mule Deer. This guy here was leader of the group, I think. He certainly had the largest set of antlers.

It was a mixed group of bucks, does, and some "hatch-year" fawns. Since he seemed to be tolerant of the other younger bucks, I suppose the rut must be over (though the others weren't exactly palling around with him either. Probably won't be long - next month??? - before the antlers are gone for another season. I was lucky - nice set of antlers and beautiful afternoon light!

Spending some time around the internet while getting my morning shot of caffeine and happened to stumble across an interesting post over at DailyKos. The post is an open letter to the President-elect about making the right choice in selecting the new Secretary of the Interior - what caught my attention, however, were links to a couple of 2006 studies by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service on "wildlife-associated recreation", one on total participation and the other on wildlife watching economics (PDF files).

A few days ago I was out trying to find this "trophy" Mule Deer buck that has been the big buzz around these parts (several folks have said it was the biggest they'd ever seen, with antlers so large he could hardly hold up his head). I never found him but, while driving along, noticed a hawk perched in a tree from a good distance away. As I came closer I noticed this Red-tail was not alone. Severely outnumbered, actually (not that the other birds seemed particularly bothered by the hawk being there).

What do you think - 150 or 200 European Starlings? I though about counting but decided it would be too hard. I think was an equal number on the tree 100 or so feet behind this one, too. The other thing I noticed is that all of the starlings seem to be on the opposite side of the trunk from the hawk. You can get a better feel for the number of starlings in this detail cropped from the full image . . .

Our bird last week was a Clark's Grebe, one of 2 species named in honor of Lt. William Clark of the Corps of Discovery. In breeding plumage the key thing to look for with the Clark's is where the black is on the head. If the black extends below the eye it is a Western, above the eye for the Clark's. In winter, however, you might have to look a lot closer as they are similar. Bill color - bright yellow on the Clark's and dull yellow on the Western - may be more diagnostic. It's about 15 (-9C) here this morning and I kind of wish I was hanging out with this week's bird - some place warmer!

Good luck and great birding!

Did you get to see it last night? The Moon, Venus, and Jupiter forming a nice little triangle in the evening sky. Unfortunately there were some high, wispy clouds here that the moon's light was causing to glow - more noticeable in the photo than to the naked eye. All in all, still pretty cool. Using a zoom lens set at 135mm, there is just enough magnification to be able to see that Venus (bottom center) and Jupiter (far right) are "disks" and not just points of light as they appear to the naked eye (a star, no matter much magnification will always be just a point).

In hindsight, I should have gone out a little earlier - before it was completely dark - because I might have been able to get an exposure that would have held some lunar detail. By the time I remembered this was going to happen and got outside, the only way I could get a long enough exposure for the two planets was to overexpose the Moon. Oh well, next time . . .