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.
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.]]>
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 . . . )
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.
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.
]]>Not much to it really; they fly in, feed, then depart for more tasty bugs, all rather quickly. Enjoy . . .
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!
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!
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.
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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!]]>
Last week's quiz featured a rather motley looking Red Crossbill. A small flock spent a couple of days ravaging the emerging cones in Blue Spruce right in front of the Visitor Center, then left. Who knows where they ran off to after that. For this week we have a species that I watched (also over a couple days) coming into the area of the campground where I live to gather nesting material. Now I just see them flying around - guess they got all they needed from here. As always, good luck and great birding!
Don't forget to check out the latest edition of Loose Feathers over at A D.C. Birding Blog. As always there are some great links - down in the "Environment" section check out the article on Gristmill from NASA climate scientist James Hansen (the one whose been warning us for 20 years now . . . ).
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We are in the midst of the 8th Annual Astronomy Festive here at Bryce and I had the amazing opportunity to hang out a little with a real American Hero, Astronaut Story Musgrave. The keynote speaker for the year's festival, we first met Story at a BBQ on Tuesday, he spoke to a crowd of over 500 people on Wednesday, then I got to share taking him to the airport yesterday morning (unfortunately I missed out on the chance to go on a hike with him because of other commitments). His talk involved what he's doing now that he's been "retired" for about a decade (Hey Sandy - he grows Flamethrower Palms in Central Florida!), a lot of info and photos from the first Hubble Servicing Mission in 1993, and he regaled the audience with a host of amazing photographs of Earth from space.
One of the messages from his talk, and maybe the most important from my perspective, is how we truly need to take care of this planet. That part of it certainly resonated with me, and it seemed that his experiences in space only strengthened what had been a lifelong view of the world for him. But I also got the feeling from him, and one certainly shared by me, that all of the wonderful images that have been released - of not only our planet viewed from space, but our solar system and the universe as a whole - have failed to truly touch so much humanity. That as a species we not only need to, but must become a true global community - and it is not just humans that are part of that "community". And, from my POV, you don't need to be a space traveler to realize that.
(Photo of Story attached to the Shuttle's Remote Manipulator Arm during the STS-61 Hubble Servicing Mission - NASA)
]]>Species for today: Say's Phoebe, Violet-green Swallow, Western Bluebird, Pygmy Nuthatch, Grace's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Warbling Vireo, Green-tailed Towhee, Dark-eyed Junco, American Robin, Western Tanager, Turkey Vulture, Northern Goshawk, White-throated Swift, Cassin's Finch, Chipping Sparrow, Townsend's Solitaire.
Oddly enough it was some of the "gimme' species that didn't turn up that kept the total below 20 (Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, and Steller's Jay).
]]>And please don't overload on cute.