Bird of the Week 35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhHD7XpOQQI 

So is this really the last Bird of the Week for the school year? I am now in Canada but I leave you with this lovely sub tropical bird. It is similar to a couple others of its group but check the range because this is a Central American Bird that barely ranges into North America in south Texas. It is common along the Rio Grand River and we saw lots of them in the three weeks we were down there. The first bird in the clip is an immature bird and the second one is an adult

I am sure you will agree this has been a fun school year, I have enjoyed sharing my travels and especially the wonderful birds I have found along the way. If I get the word from Mrs Crew that there are those that would like to continue following the blog and try to ID some more birds, I can keep posting Bird of the Week. It might be a bit sporadic for the next six weeks because We might not have as much access to the internet. Have a great summer and happy birding.

Bird of the Week 34

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPWdex1MnK4&feature=youtu.be


A little birdie told me (I am in communication with all little birdies :=) that you all had a wonderful time at Malheur last week. This week's bird could easily be found there and I wonder if you saw any? They range throughout all of North America and spend the winter in the extreme southern states and Central America however, they can be found year around on the Pacific coast all the way from British Columbia, through Oregon and south. I went out Sunday morning to continue my quest for Big Year birds in Crook County and ran into this fellow.  The one I recorded for the big year was seen at Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge October 20,  in Texas.   You can see by his markings and his ability to stand up straight in the marsh that he can be easily overlooked when he is not moving. They are usually deep in the marsh and I have often heard them call but it is not often that you get to watch their comical contortions as they do their “congested water-pump” call. It is always a treat when I go out  not knowing what the next bird of the week will be and get such and obliging customer. Extra points if you can identify the birds calling loudly in the background. You should have seen some of them at Malheur and I bet they were calling. Have a good week and happy birding.

Big Year Takes on a Life of Its Own

Back on my home turf this week I found a Mountain Quail, very secretive bird and hard to see let along photograph.  Very happy with this encounter. 

This is a video that I took near San Francisco in a marsh where Black Rails have been located.  Occasionally you encounter birds that just will not allow you to see them.  Rails live in thick reeds and marsh vegetation and rarely come out in the open.  Black Rails are especially secretive and there are very few photos of a Black Rail.  They go on the list as heard only.  
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ucch5QXlHgY

Hello students. I have been a bit lax of late with updates for the big year. It has sort of taken on a life of its own and we have had sketchy internet at times as well as busy travel schedules so I just haven't done it. This week I double checked the list I have posted on the blog with my master list and discovered three birds that were on twice and two birds that were not on so that has been corrected. I believe it is up to date now so I am posting the rest of the list as it stands right now.


So how does a big year take on a life of its own you ask? I may be repeating facts I have already mentioned but here goes. The American Birding Association is a non-profit organization, founded in 1969, dedicated to recreational birding in Canada and the United States. It has been called "the standard-bearer for serious birding in North America.” They actually have a list of rules that define recording birds better know in the birding world as listing. This is all based on the honor system and you can actually register your bird lists with them and they keep track of numbers such as the most birds seen in North America and by who. They also set guidelines for standards & ethics to help protect sensitive birds and all birds in general. They have accepted 914 species of wild birds that have been found naturally occurring in North America, north of the Mexican border. Basically this is all birds that have been recorded in North America that have arrived here on their own power. The number of birds that breed in North America is somewhere around 716.


Somewhere in the middle of the twentieth century, folks set out to create a list of the most species they could find in North America in twelve months. This usually starts at the beginning of the calendar year but sometimes birders have started at a different month such as I am doing, having started September first to correspond with your school year. As you might imagine, this can quickly become a competitive venture and numbers started popping up as “The Record” In 1953 Roger Tory Peterson and James Fisher, two very prominent ornithologists who wrote some of the first bird field guides, set out on a 30,000 mile road trip around North America to just see all the wild places and they recorded 572 bird species. This sort of became the first big year. They filmed their adventure and also wrote a book, both called “Wild America” Great reading by the way. Three years later, a 25 year old Englishman named Stuart Kieth followed their route and came up with 598 species and the big year record pursuit was born. Many folks set out to break these records over the years and by 1987, a fellow named Sandy Komito found 721 species and this was the record for several years. In 1998, Mr Komito and two other fellows set out to break the 721 record and it took about two months before they knew that an actual competition was afoot. This was all recorded in a book and a Movie both called “The Big Year” and I would highly recommend both the book and the Movie, which stars Jack Black, Steve Martin, and Owen Wilson as the three birders. As an aside, I am acquainted with two of the three real birders, Sandy Komito and I shared a very small birth on a boat to the Dry Tortugas off the coast of Florida in 2013 and Greg Miller and I were members of “The Avid Birders”, a subgroup of the Columbus Ohio Audubon Society, in 2006 and we birded together several times. So that year, 1998, Mr Komito managed the most birds and the record now is 748.


So if you compare the 748 to the maximum North American breeding species of 716, you can see that in order to break this record, you would have to chase every vagrant bird that shows up in all of North America. This is a very expensive endeavor. Two of the three gentlemen that were competing in 1998 were very successful businessmen with somewhat unlimited funds and they probably each spent at least $100,000! My fiend Greg Miller, a computer programer, used up his savings, borrowed money from relatives and friends and maxed out a couple of credit cards. So I am here to tell you that I will not be breaking any big year record. However, even my modest goal of 500+ species has so far Generated about 28,000 miles of travel and whatever the costs of Gas, Motels, and Camping fees turn out to be so you can see why most folks stick to birding their patch.


Does this give you and idea of why I say the big year takes on a life of its own? This year, I can no longer go birding for enjoyment, it is now a goal, sort a job. I have to get new species. If my friends say lets go birding, I have to say where and if that involves an area that cannot produce new species, I have to bow out. My wife, who loves to travel to new places, is stuck going to places she has either been several times before or plain does not want to go. I am very blessed with a loving spouse who is putting up with this but she has let me know that this should be my last big year.


For some time we have talked of a trip to Alaska, the last state we have yet to visit. The distance away and the vastness of the state most likely involve a trip of a lifetime. I would like to go to Alaska without the pressure of producing birds. Florida is a state that at this point I do not have as a place I will visit during this big year. Florida has a minimum of 40 species that I probably can't get anywhere else. Alaska also has at least 40 new species but the large area of the state puts many of these species out of my reach mostly due to the expense of having to fly, because there are no roads. I have given this lots of thought. If I go to Florida I can probably find more species. But Alaska beacons and I am not getting any younger and the momentum is there so I have decided to go to Alaska, try to figure out what birds will be at the places we want to see and just relax and find what I can find. My original stated goals was to break 500 and I am now nine species away, so I know I can do that.


By the time your school year ends, we should be in the middle of out Alaska trip. I have so enjoyed the enthusiasm and hard work you all have done to learn about the birds and I trust that some if not all of you are now official birders. I hope that you will continue to be intrigued but our bird friends and continue to enjoy the wonders of God's nature. He gave us the birds for our enjoyment and I am so glad I have had the opportunity to share them with you. I would be curious to know, would some of you like to continue to follow the blog after the school year ends? If so I will continue to put up the Bird of the Week. Let me know either through Mrs. Crew or respond to the blog. So, happy birding and here is the updated list.

This is a seabird known as the Pomarine Jaeger.  A gull like bird they are aggressive predictors and will attack Gulls for food

434 Hammond's Flycatcher, Bend, Oregon
435 Sooty Grouse, Trout Creek, Deschutes County, Oregon
436 Williamson's Sapsucker, Harney County, Oregon
437 White-headed Woodpecker, Harney County, Oregon
438 American Three-toed Woodpecker, Big Lake, Oregon
439 California Condor, The Pinnacles National Monument, California
440 Western Kingbird, The Pinnacles National Monument, California
441 Oak Titmouse, The Pinnacles National Monument, California
442 Ash-throated Flycatcher, The Pinnacles National Monument, California
443 Bullock's Oriole, The Pinnacles National Monument, California
444 Lawerence's Goldfinch, The Pinnacles National Monument, California
445 Brandt, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
446 Red-throated, Loon, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
447 Pacific Loon, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
448 Black-footed Albatross, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
449 Northern Fulmar, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
450 Pink-footed Shearwater, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
451 Black-vented Shearwater, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
452 Black Storm-Petrel, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
453 Sooty Shearwater, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
454 Red-necked Phalarope, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
455 Pomarine Jaeger, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
456 Scripp's Murrelet, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
457 Sabine's Gull, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
458 Heermann's Gull, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
459 Elegant Tern, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
460 Least Tern, Pelagic Trip, San Diego, California
461 Lucy's Warbler, Palo Verde Ecological Preserve, San Bernardino County, California
462 Blue Grosbeak, Palo Verde Ecological Preserve, San Bernardino County, California
463 Allen's Hummingbird, Murray Lake Community Park, San Diego, California
464 California Thrasher, Murray Lake Community Park, San Diego, California
465 Scaly Breasted Munia, Murray Lake Community Park, San Diego, California
466 Black-chinned Sparrow, Kitchen Creek, San Diego County, California
467 Gray Vireo, Kitchen Creek, San Diego County, California
468 Bell's Vireo, Tijuana National Wildlife Refuge, San Diego, California
469 Yellow-breasted Chat, Tijuana National Wildlife Refuge, San Diego, California
470 Ridgway's Rail, Tijuana National Wildlife Refuge, San Diego, California
471 Western Sandpiper, Bulivar Flats Shorebird Sanctuary, Texas coast
472 Pied-billed Grebe, White Rock Lake, Dallas, Texas
473 Wilson's Phalarope, Salton Sea, California
474 Black Tern, Salton Sea, California
475 Bell's Sparrow, Salton Sea, California
476 Yellow-footed Gull, Salton Sea, California
477 Long-billed Dowitcher, Salton Sea, California
478 Cassin's Kingbird, Los Angeles Arboretum, Arcadia, California
479 Red-whiskered Bulbul, Los Angeles Arboretum, Arcadia, California
480 Ross's Goose, Burns, Oregon
481 Greater Sage Grouse, Deschutes County, Oregon
482 California Gnatcatcher, Wildwood Regional Park, Thousand Oaks, California
483 Wandering Tattler, Pigeon Point, California coast
484 Bank Swallow, Pigeon Point, California coast
485 Huton's Vireo, Humbolt National Wildlife Refuge, Northern California
486 Brewer's Sparrow, Near Post, Oregon, in Crook County
487 Gray Flycatcher, Bend, Oregon
488 Northern Pygmy Owl, FR 42, Crook County, Oregon
489 Mountain Quail, North Shore Road, Prineville Reservoir, Crook County, Oregon
490 Black Rail, Alvisio Marine County Park, Santa Rosa, California
491 Gray Catbird, Kootenia National Wildlife Refuge, northern Idaho (out of sequence)
492 Calliope Hummingbird, Calliope Crossing, north of Sisters, Oregon

It pays to watch your step when birding.  We tend to look up all the time and that could get us into trouble.  I was actually somewhat aware there might be snakes in this area so had my eye out.  I do not see snakes that often so I can get complacent. 

Bird of the Week 33

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0eoiKz5ujQ&feature=youtu.be

Someone, I shall not name names, was trying to pry the bird of the week out of me this weekend, however I had to admit that at that point I did not know myself. I decided on this guy because he is rather lovely and fun. He belongs to a rather large family of songbirds that for the most part migrate south of the border for the winter. This bird winters in South America and is found widely throughout the lower 48 states and Mexico in the summer. I love his loud gregarious song and he has the habit of singing all night especially during breeding season. We were camped near Cave Junction Thursday night and I awoke at 2 AM and could hear one calling nearby.


Now that we have DNA technology, there is talk of splitting him out of his current family classification and I am unclear as to what family they are considering putting him in, maybe one all by himself. This split would make sense because he is much larger than all the birds in his current family and his song is quite different than a majority of them as well. I consider the number 33 my lucky number so maybe he will bring you luck this week. The first part of the clip was from Lower Bridge near Redmond last year and the second short clip was filmed in San Diego a couple of weeks ago. Have fun and happy birding.

Bird of the Week # 32

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DUuEiK2ABs&feature=youtu.be 

Time for another bird of the week. This little guy was fun. He belongs to a family of birds that has four members ranging somewhere in North America. Only one of the family is widespread and can be found on a limited basis in Oregon. This one is only found in Southern California. Now if I tell you that they are named for what they eat I will have about given it away. They all look similar so if their range overlaps in an area, it takes care to tell them apart. I was lucky to get a short video of this guy singing and this gave me the positive ID even though I was pretty sure before I heard him. Good luck and happy birding.