Bird of the week 27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HTQ46hXFa4


Hello again, This Week's bird is one that can be found in Central Washington and Oregon and south through most of the southwest and into Mexico.  The video is from southern Arizona but we had one singing at Fort Rock last week and I almost always hear them at Smith Rock.  I have also had one on the Deschutes River Trail downtown Bend.  A very distinctive coloration and call should make this an easy bird to Identify.  Good Luck and Happy Birding. 

Bird of the Week, 26

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nmom51HIiE


Primarily a mountain bird, this weeks bird of the week is a prize for most birders. Mostly found north of the US/Canadian border, they will move farther down the mountain and farther south in winter so this is often the time of year when they are sought. Many years in Deschutes County, you have to snowshoe to find them, they rarely go below 4500 feet but this year it is much easier to find them because there is very little show on the roads and trails. Tuesday, I went up to Santiam Pass and after getting a brief glimpse of them fly by, I went across the road over near Big Lake and found about six birds high in the trees where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses FR 811 also known as the The Old Santiam Wagon Rd. Unfortunately they were in the trees between me and the sun so Photos were almost impossible. I returned on Thursday morning and located about 20 birds next to the Summit Lake Trail where it branches off the PCT.


These lovely birds have a name that would lead you to believe they were more in the family of Cardinals and Tanagers but they are not. Good luck with this challenge. In the first half of the video of this male, you can hear the rest of the flock calling in the background. Happy birding.

To 500 and Beyond.......

Stripped Sparrow, this is probably the rarest bird on my year list.  It is the first time one has been recorded north of the Mexico border he was found about 75 miles east of Austin, Texas.  The American Birding Association will probably not count it on their official list because there is no way to prove that this sedentary bird did not receive help getting here.  It is a life bird for me

Most people have hobbies the allow them to pursue some sort of challenge, exercise their minds or their bodies, meet new people or just plain relax doing something they enjoy. But from time to time they find themselves in a position to crank it up a notch and create a challenge beyond the normal activities of the pursuit. In the late seventies, I started to jog for exercise. I remember when I thought I had accomplished big things by running a mile. Then jogging became running and suddenly the whole world was donning trainers and hitting the roads. Races cropped up and everyone increased their millage. Soon I was participating in 10ks and then a half marathon, 13.1 miles. What had been a relaxing morning exercise routine suddenly became an obsession.


I must be pron to this type of challenge. I have always enjoyed a nice relaxing hike in the mountains or along a stream. Even started weekend backpacking excursions where I would put on a fifty pound pack and hike two to five miles into the woods or up to the top of a mountain and camp for the weekend. Very relaxing and enjoyable pastime. Then my wife suggested she wanted to hike all the way from Georgia to Maine on the Appalachian Trail in one summer. I wasn't sure I could even do that but we started out one late March morning in 1991 and six months later we had hiked 2,200 miles. This however changed the face of hiking completely. It becomes almost a job, I likened it to working in the factory of the trail where you had to get up every morning and manufacture miles or your goal would not be reached. In fact you have to hike 11.7 miles every day without a day off to hike the entire Appalachian Trail in six months. It is no longer a nice relaxing stroll and in many ways it takes the fun out of hiking. But it is after all a whole new type of hiking.


Any time a hobby is pushed to the extreme, certain aspects of the hobby are lost. This is true of birding as well. I enjoy birding immensely, I like the challenge of identification, I like associating with the people who share the hobby, I like getting out in the fresh air, I just plain like watching birds and seeing what they do. I often just find a bird I like and sit and watch it for a long time to study its behavior. But in the past six months I have set a new bar and it has taken a certain toll on my enjoyment of the hobby.

Rufus-capped Warbler.  This is my favorite North American Warbler.  It is barely a North American Species.  There are only about a dozen records of these birds nesting north of Mexico and that is only in the past fifteen or twenty years.  I have seen them on three other occasions but never like this magical five minutes. 

If I am going to try to see as many species as possible in a year, I am pressured on several levels. I can't just stop and go home if I haven't found all the possible species. Once all the common birds are found, I have to zero in on ones I have not seen and I have to keep searching till I find them. If there is a rare bird reported within a reasonable distance, I have to chase it no matter what the weather is or how it might conflict with what else I might want to do. I am not saying that I am sorry for this new birding challenge but it has taken some of the fun out at times.


There have been positive aspects of the super birding challenge. It has pushed me to explore new places in North America that I have not seen. I have met dozens of really interesting people and have a new network of contacts all over the US My birding skills get better every time I spend more time in the field. An most of all I am really enjoying the enthusiasm and hard work of the Students at Three Sisters Adventist School as they learn about birds and teach me things I didn't know about them. I do not regret this challenge and look forward to see what avian friends await me on the second half of the Big Year.

Northern Wheatear, this is another life bird.  As far as vagrant chases go, this was easy.  We were headed east on I-90 in northern Ohio and I was aware that one had been seen at Headland Dunes State Park on Lake Erie.  Eight miles off the freeway and a short walk to the beach where many local birders were already looking produced the bird fairly quickly.

This now catches me up and there are 82 more species to be found to bring my total over 500, my original stated goal. Happy Birding.


373 Neotropic Cormorant, San Ygnacio, Texas
374 Gray Hawk, San Ygnacio, Texas
375 Cactus Wren, Laredo, Texas
376 White-collared Seedeater, Father McNaboe Park, Laredo, Texas
377 Audubon's Oriole, Salnienio, Texas
378 White-throated Swift, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
379 Say's Phoebe, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
380 Rock Wren, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
381 Canyon Wren, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
382 Canyon Towhee, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
383 Cassin's Sparrow, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
384 Black-throated Sparrow, Seminole Canyon State Park, Texas
385 Gambel's Quail, Deming, New Mexico
386 Black Rosy Finch, Sandia Crest, New Mexico
387 Brown-capped Rosy Finch, Sandia Crest, New Mexico
388 Louisiana Water Thrush, San Pedro Preserve, Arizona
389 Magnificent Hummingbird, Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, Herford, Arizona
390 Acorn Woodpecker, Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, Herford, Arizona
391 Bridled Titmouse, Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, Herford, Arizona
392 Rufus-crowned Sparrow, Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, Herford, Arizona
393 Scott's Oriole, Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, Herford, Arizona
394 Arizona Woodpecker, Hauchuca Canyon, Arizona
395 Sinaloa Wren, Hauchuca Canyon, Arizona
396 Townsend's Warbler, Hauchuca Canyon, Arizona
397 Hepatic Tanager, Hauchuca Canyon, Arizona
398 Broad-billed Hummingbird, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, Arizona
399 Violet-crowned Hummingbird, Paton's Center for Hummingbirds, Patagonia, Arizona
400 Elegant Trogan, Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona
401 Plumbeous Vireo, Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona
402 Cassin's Vireo, Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona
403 Rufous-winged Sparrow, Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona
404 Botteri's Sparrow, Patagonia Road, Arizona, near Patagonia Lake State Park, Arizona
405 Mexican Jay, Ash Canyon Bed and Breakfast, Herford, Arizona
406 Yellow-eyed Junco, Madera Canyon, Arizona
407 Costa's Hummingbird, Florida Canyon, Arizona
408 Black-capped Gnatcatcher, Florida Canyon, Arizona
409 Rufous-capped Warbler, Florida Canyon, Arizona
410 Guilded Flicker, Buckeye, Arizona
411 Bendire's Thrasher, Buckeye, Arizona
412 Le Conte's Thrasher, Buckeye, Arizona
413 Cliff Swallow, Bill Williams National Wildlife Refuge, Arizona
414 Rosy-faced Lovebird, Granada Park, Phoenix, Arizona
415 Baltimore, Oriole, Sweet Water Wetlands, Tuscon, Arizona
416 Phainopepla, Colorado River Nature Center, Bullhead City, Airzona
417 Pine Grosbeak, Santiam Pass, PCT, Cascade mountains of Oregon
418 Mountain Bluebird, Santiam Pass, PCT, Cascade mountains of Oregon
419 Black-backed Woodpecker, Santiam Pass, PCT, Cascade mountains of Oregon

Another Neo-tropical Warbler from south of the border, I have seen this guy once before in south Texas and I had to make five visits to this park before I got this view. 

The larger bird is a Hook-billed Kite, one of the rarest North American raptors.  They are seen extensively in Central and South America but only make it across the Rio Grande River into South Texas in a couple of places and are really hard to find.  I staked out this spot four times before I got this flyover.  The smaller bird is a Sharp-shinned Hawk who was not happy with the kite.

Probably the rarest North American Oriole, the Audubon's Oriole has a fairly small range that involves mostly central and north east Mexico.  But it does stray across the Rio Grande River in a couple spots and is reliable at feeders that are manned during the winter in Salineno, Texas. 

Bird of the Week 25

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfBd41hRPSg

I may have said that I was going to go easy on sparrows because so many of them look similar and are pretty hard to tell apart even for experienced birders.  However this is a pretty easy one and again, I thing a very beautiful bird.  Not only is it a sharp looker, they fill the spring air with their songs.  We were camped at Seminole Canyon State Park that borders the Rio Grande River in South Texas.  This clip shows a bird in the late evening as he quietly preens and softly sings and then the next morning as we walked out of our trailer to watch the sun come up there were several of these little guys filling the desert morning with their song.  If you listen carefully in the first half of the video, you can hear a recent Bird of the Week calling, can you remember what he is by his call?  This species can be found in parts of south east Oregon, the range map shows them ranging in most of eastern Oregon during the summer.  Enjoy this weeks bird and happy birding. 

The Anatomy of a Chase Day

Targets for today


Montezuma Quail
Whiskered Screech Owl
Eastern Screech Owl
Cassin's Kingbird
Hutton;s Vireo
Baltimore Oriole
Rosy-faced Lovebirds


It has now been six months since I started the quest to find a minimum of 500 bird species in twelve months. At the half way mark, I am at 415 species. I am not sure if that is really good or just average. Only 86 to go to break 500. That doesn't seem like very many however you have to consider that most of the easy, most common birds have been found. But there are still many fairly common North Western birds I don't have so it will be interesting to see how much past 500 I can go.


As you know, we have been in the deserts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona and I have seen most of the common birds in this region and many rare ones as well. It is now down to chasing specific species. These are birds that are either hard to find or have eluded me. They often don't share habitats so I can't go to the same place to find them all. Thursday the 26th was our last day in Southeast Arizona so I needed to do some mop-up and hopefully get lucky. I thought it might be interesting to chronicle a chase day so here goes...


Western Screech Owl
Whiskered Screech Owl


I arose at 4:00 AM, showered, grabbed a bite of breakfast and was in the car by 4:45. WHISKERED SCREECH OWL is a neo-tropical Owl found mainly in Mexico and Central America but strays into the canyons of Arizona and New Mexico near the border. They nest in some cavities near the San Rita Lodge in Madera Canyon, one of the most birded places in North America visited by well over a million birders every year. They are not nesting this time of year so my only hope was to hear one calling in the early morning which is often the case. After stopping briefly for the WESTERN SCREECH OWL on the roads leading to the canyon, without luck, I drove to the top of the canyon and worked my way down listening for the Owl's call. By daylight I reached the bottom of the canyon and struck out on hearing any owls.


It was now 7:00 AM and I started to hike the trail up the stream for the next target, the MONTEZUMA QUAIL. Again we are talking about a neo-tropical species that ranges mostly in Mexico but can be found in Southern Arizona and New Mexico if one is lucky. They are very beautiful and a desired bird for anybody's list. They are often seen in the early morning along this creek and I have seen them once here years ago. After about a mile hike and then back to the car, I again had no luck. I stopped over at the nearby Florida Canyon because someone had heard them there two days ago but again, I struck out.


It was time to head back to the RV park and hitch the trailer because we were on the move again and had to be out by noon. On the way back to the park, I stopped behind the Medical center to search for LAWERENCE'S GOLD FINCH, eight were seen here yesterday. This would be a life bird for me. Struck out again. The entire morning I have been keeping my eye out for HUTTON'S VIREO, and CASSIN'S KINGBIRD, both birds I should have seen by now but they continue to elude me. It's probably a little early for the Kingbird, they are mostly south for the winter but some have been reported. The vireo will have to wait till I get to the Oregon/California coast where they are found year around.


I have now spent the morning with no new birds for the list. So we packed up and hit the road. Tuscon was not that far and we were going right by their Sewage Treatment Reclamation Ponds and these are particularly great for attracting large numbers of birds. Known as Sweetwater Wetlands, it is another favorite haunt of birders and this winter, a BALTIMORE ORIOLE, whose range is not usually much past the Mississippi River,  has be foraging in the trees above the ponds so why not stop in, it's just off the freeway.


I had no idea where the pond was that has been harboring the oriole, and the marque map did not name the ponds, so knowing the name of the pond was not going to help me. I headed down the first trail I saw and after two tenths of a mile or so I encountered two very intent birders who informed me they were on a BALTIMORE ORIOLE! Finally some luck. I got some great looks and mediocre pictures and was back in the car in less than half an hour.


Our destination for this evening is an RV park west of Phoenix so I can't resist stopping at a park in the middle of the city that is purported to have a large flock of ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRDS a tropical escapee from Africa. Since they have now established a breeding population in Phoenix, the American Birding Association this year put them on the countable list so this is a life bird and another year bird. We found the park easily and after making the mistake of hauling the trailer into a very small parking lot that was a dead end, I finally got turned around and parked on the street. By the time I got my camera vest and binoculars on, I could hear them singing and within twenty minutes I had some decent photos and we were on our way. Some days you can bird all day and not find any target species so I was pretty satisfied in spite of the no shows from the morning. Some birds are just not going to make it on the list.

Baltimore Oriole

Rosy-faced Lovebird

The list is over 400 now so it is time to catch you up. I will be talking more about the impact of a big year on the birding experience so stay tuned.This is half the remaining birds to get the list up to date and I will post the rest in my post next week.....


332 White-tailed Hawk, Hwy 77, south Texas
333 Harris's Hawk, Hwy 77, south Texas
334 Clapper Rail, Goose Island State Park, Texas
335 American Oystercatcher, Goose Island State Park, Texas
336 Piping Plover, Goose Island State Park, Texas
337 Red-crowned Parrot, Brownsville, Texas
338 Great Kiskadee, Falfarrious Rest Area, Hwy 77, Texas
339 Green Jay, Falfarrious Rest Area, Hwy 281, Texas
340 Painted Redstart, Falfarrious Rest Area, Hwy 281, Texas
342 Yellow-throated Warbler, Falfarrious Rest Area, Hwy 281, Texas
343 Grasshopper Sparrow, Kingsville, Texas
344 Phrrhuloxia, Kingsville, Texas
345 Yellow-crowned Night-heron, Cameron County, Texas
346 Eastern Screech Owl, Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
347 Nashville Warbler,  Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
348 Olive Sparrow, Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
349 Altamira Oriole,  Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
350 Common Pauraque,  Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
351 Lark Sparrow, Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
352 Tropical Parula,  Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
353 Black-headed Grosbeak,  Resca de la Palma Stat Park, Texas
354 Painted Bunting, Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, Texas
355 Greater Roadrunner, Kleberg County, Texas
356 Long-tailed Duck, Cameron County, Texas
357 Gull-billed Tern, Cameron County, Texas
358 Aplomado Falcon, Cameron County, Texas
359 Green Parakeet, Mission, Texas
360 Ringed Kingfisher, Bentsen State Park, Texas
361 Cave Swallow, Bentsen State Park, Texas
362 Hook-billed Kite, Bentsen State Park, Texas
363 Clay-colored Thrush, Quinta Mazatlan Park, McAllen, Texas
364 Prairie Warbler, Hildalgo, Texas
365 Burrowing Owl, Granjeno, Texas
366 Bronzed Cowbird, Hildlgo County, Texas
367 Black-chinned Hummingbird, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas
368 Gray-crowned Yellowthroat, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas
369 White-throated Thrush, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas
370 Summer Tanager, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas
371 Orchard Oriole, Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas
372 Northern Beardless Tyrannulet, Anzalduasz Park, Hildalgo County, Texas

Bird of the Week 24

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ba_uVYqHLVg&feature=youtu.be

By this time next week, we will be home in Bend. This part of the Amazing Bird Race, has been great with dozens of colorful, interesting birds that are not found in our state. This week's Bird of the Week is dear to my heart because I have put in a lot of  time and some hard hiking to get a great look. By now, I hope your birding skills are such that when you see him, you will know what family he belongs in. But here's a hint. Most of them are small, mostly yellow, insect eating birds that love to sing. I consider this to be the holy grail of this family because it has only recently started nesting in North America and there are less than half dozen pair known to be here, most of them in Arizona. And they are a challenge to find.  I know of three places they are being seen in Arizona and we went to two of those places. The first place was an easy quarter mile hike along a lake but it started raining and we had to call off the search. So that left me with the challenge of hiking yet again, Florida Canyon in search of the pair that has been up there for several years. I went up there three times last year and did not find them. On other years, I have had very fleeting glances. The canyon is very narrow and steep and the trail is non existent in some places. But I persisted and hiked farther than I have every hiked up there. I arrived at a spot that opened up a bit and had lots of trees and immediately I heard him singing. He gave me five minutes which is more than all the previous sightings combined. It was a great morning. I hope you like this guy as much as I do.