it's been too long!

I know I haven't been keeping up-to-date on my birding blog, but that doesn't mean I haven't been birding. As always, when a new class starts, I spend most of my mornings holed up in a computer lab, making maps. So, that's where I've been when I'm not birding, and not working. I haven't had too much time for updating the blog. Besides that, you may have noticed that I've introduced capital letters to this blog - don't get used to it. It is a bad habit that I acquired while writing resumes and professional emails. I hope to be back to my lazy writing style some day soon. So, here are some updates.

Tecolote Project:
I have kept up. I did one count in mid-June, while following up on a reported LEAST BELL'S VIREO sighting. Alas, there was only one singing HUTTON'S VIREO at the reported location. I have also gone twice this month. Lists Below.

On a drizzly day in June:
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
COOPER'S HAWK
NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
HOUSE WREN
SPOTTED TOWHEE
CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
SONG SPARROW
ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
BUSHTIT
WRENTIT
HUTTON'S VIREO
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
HOODED ORIOLE
CALIFORNIA THRASHER
AMERICAN RAVEN
WESTERN SCRUB JAY

July:
4 HOODED ORIOLE
2 NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
3 WESTERN SCRUB JAY
4 LESSER GOLDFINCH
1 COOPER'S HAWK
4 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
3 CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
2 BLACK PHEOBE
5 BUSHTIT
1 SPOTTED TOWHEE
4 MOURNING DOVE
6 PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
3 WRENTIT
3 CALIFORNIA THRASHER
3 BEWICK'S WREN
1 AMERICAN RAVEN
1 AMERICAN CROW
1 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER

The two lists are very similar, but that's because I birded the same section of the canyon every time (I know, I know...)

Besides the Tecolote Project, I've kept up my banding, and am finally getting good at extracting birds from nets, and taking measurements in the hand. Aging birds is still something of a mystery to me. I understand the concept of aging by molt and plumage, but recognizing molt stages by feather type (adult/juvenile), and age by plumage differences in specific bird species is something that requires years of experience to do reliably. I laugh now when I hear birders age birds with just a quick look through binoculars. Many times while banding we have to use calipers to measure certain plumage characteristics to accurately age a bird. And even then the certified bander often has to make a best guess, not a definite proclamation, as to the age of the bird.

I've also been out birding at the San Diego River mouth, Mission Bay, San Dieguito Lagoon, Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery, and Kitchen Creek Road. The last in a most likely successful attempt to locate GRAY VIREO. I say 'most likely' because the GRAY VIREO is a bird that is notoriously hard to catch a glimpse of. This drab little gray bird blends in seamlessly with the dense scrub it calls home. Because of this birders rely a great deal on hearing it's call for identification purposes. Now, I have no experience whatsoever with the call, but when I was out there I did hear one very vireo sounding bird calling. I wrote it down as "'chee-yoot chee' burry'. When I got home and searched through recordings online, I found that my bird's call was a nearly identical match (it was still ringing in my head) to one of the phrases in its long and complicated 'official' song. After doing more research I learned that GRAY VIREOs in San Diego are often know to sing only a shortened version of their more complex song. And you know what? that shorter version sounded, when written out (because I couldn't find any San Diego recordings), just like my bird! So, even though I won't officially count it on my list, I do believe that I was hearing a GRAY VIREO while out at Kitchen Creek Rd.

GRAY VIREO



Also, yesterday (7/27), a neighbor called to report an injured COOPER'S HAWK in her back yard. I responded swiftly, scooping the bird up, after chasing it into a neighboring yard, and placing it in a box. It was taken to Project Wildlife this morning. What a murderous beauty that hawk was. Its face had such an intense glare - he really did look ready to attack me at a the drop of a hat. I wanted to give him a good inspection, like we do while banding. I wanted to extend a wing and inspect his feathers, give his feet a close look, and really drink in the rare chance to have a COOPER'S HAWK in hand. And I would have done so if it weren't an injured bird. Well, maybe next banding session we'll catch one...

tecolote project #5 (may)

so, it's been a while - i've had some competing interests (cycling, as i believe i mentioned in an earlier post), and been busy at school and work. however, i've still managed to stay active, and expand my knowledge of birds into new realms.

i've been out to starr ranch twice this month as a volunteer bander for audubon, and both times were amazing. i've finally started to learn the finesse and patience needed to extract a severely entangled bird from a mist net. i'm just starting to feel i'm more of a help to the audubon people than a hindrance. i've also just begun to delve into the intricate, and confusing world of bird molts, molt limits, and aging by molt and plumage. it is really much more complicated than it sounds. the simplest part to learn is how the molt cycle itself works, but even that can be confusing when every book and article on it uses different (and usually non-intuitive) terminology to describe the same thing. after you get that down, you have to learn about every bird's individual molt strategy, e.g. how many phases, what feathers are molted in what order, etc... when aging by plumage it is also necessary to know the plumage characteristics and stages of each individual bird. crazy, but very interesting, stuff.

unfortunately, my bird watching has suffered a little, and just seeing the way a bird flies, or getting a short listen to its call, is not always enough for me to make an i.d. anymore. this i will actively work to remedy.

i took a step toward that today, when i completed my monthly tecolote bird count for may. all in all it was an awesome day. i got out at 8am, and birded until about 1030. i had two personal firsts for the canyon, and one probable returning migrant, the same individual likely, from last year - since he was on the same tree where i observed him many times last year (a WESTERN WOOD-PEWEE).

on my way back to my car, at around 10am, i noticed a pair of RED-TAILED HAWKs hunting together in the canyon. i'm not sure if they were mated, or providing for young, or what. but, they were traveling along together and hunting. as i observed them, one hawk suddenly got into a stoop, zoomed by at high speed, and landed on some unlucky creature on the far side of the canyon from where i was standing. it sat momentarily with its wing stretched out above its prey, looking cautiously around, and began calling to its partner, who soon was perched atop a nearby bush. i pulled my binos away from my face to rest my eyes for just a sec, when out of nowhere swooped a bluish-grey raptor with long, fully extended, pointy wings, its tail tightly pointed for maximum aerodynamic benefit, banking at about sixty miles per hour along the canyon wall. one quick tuck and it torpedoed into a bush, bringing a quick end to someone's day.

PEREGRINE FALCON:


shortly thereafter i also ran into a BLUE GROSBEAK, a personal first for tecolote.


here is my complete list from today, 5/28 (X means too many to count):

2 BLACK PHEOBE
X HOUSE FINCH
8 SONG SPARROW
14 COMMON YELLOW-THROAT
1 BEWICK'S WREN
13 SCRUB JAY
8 BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK (lots of singing males, and one female with a brood patch)
X LESSER GOLDFINCH
9 RED-CROWNED PARROT
X CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
1 COOPER'S HAWK
17 CLIFF SWALLOW
6 WRENTIT
3 YELLOW-BREASTED CHAT
2 COMMON RAVEN
30 BUSHTIT
9 PACIFIC SLOPE FLYCATCHER
18 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
4 WHITE-THROATED SWALLOW
4 NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
2 ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
1 HOUSE WREN
2 RED-TAILED HAWK
1 WESTER WOOD-PEWEE
6 MOURNING DOVE
2 ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
1 CASSIN'S KINGBIRD
1 BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD
3 HOODED ORIOLE
1 SPOTTED TOWHEE
1 PEREGRINE FALCON
1 BLUE GROSBEAK

that's 32 different species, bringing my year total to 49. only one warbler (not good), no vireos (also, not good), all expected flycatchers (nice), and my first BLACK-CHINNED HUMMINGBIRD of the season (also, nice).

and the list grows on

last week was a stellar week for me all around [good hikes and a trip to the wild animal park (WAP)!], but for birding in particular. i got two new year birds, which also happened to be lifers. both were a surprise - one because i was hiking and wasn't really thinking about birds, and the other because i'd forgotten it occurred in san diego, and, as it flew by at about twenty feet above my head, just didn't look like it belonged in this part of the world. part of the reason for this confusion was because my girlfriend and i were walking through the 'hart of africa' section of the WAP seeing all manner of strange birds from abroad. my brain was just tuned to seeing exotics. luckily, as the bird soared overhead, i had the presence of mind to check its legs for bands (all WAP owned birds are banded), and seeing none, my brain was jolted back to san diego. seriously though, does the bird below look like anything you've ever seen in san diego? probably not.



as my mind revived, i remembered that a WOOD STORK had been spending time at the WAP for the last few years (though i'd never seen it), and that this must be the same bird. it was very cool revelation, and a very cool bird to finally see.

my other lifer from last week is pretty standard fare. the BLUE-GREY GNATCATCHER. it likes to hang out in places like cowles mt., and mt. woodson (which is where i saw it) - where its rocky, and not too densely vegetated. it looks very similar to the CALIFORNIA GNATCATCHER, but because of the way a birds tail folds, the underside of its tail feathers appear all white, instead of black with small white tips. this can sometimes be a hard field mark to see because they have a habit of perching with their tails held up in the air, while facing you. they are also, usually, very active.



2010 year list:162___________life list:245

nothing too special

i went out to fort rosecrans national cemetery today to do some birding after finding myself with a few extra hours. the weather was glorious, and the the bird were very active. i was able to pick up three new year birds:

BARN SWALLOW
CHIPPING SPARROW
NASHVILLE WARBLER

along with the BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAK i saw at our backyard birdbath/feeding station, that brings my year total 159 birds.

NASHVILLE WARBLER:

desert specials

every year, beginning in late february and lasting through early april, birders visiting anza-borrego state park are witness to a spectacle of nature that seems to be as little known as it is amazing to watch. it begins at dusk when large groups ('kettles') of migrating SWAINSON'S HAWKs descend on the desert plains surrounding the city of borrego – feeding, as the do, on newly hatched insects, both 'hawking' them in mid-air, and foraging for them on the ground.


for these birds, borrego is just a brief overnight refueling stop on a long journey from the steppes of argentina to its breeding grounds in the western united states and canada. after a night's roost on the open ground, the birds awake and begin the process of feeding and migration, again. watching as many as 500 of these incredible fliers take to the morning skies on hot air thermals, catching flying ants with mid-air acrobatics, is a sight that any nature lover located in san diego should make a point of seeing.


i arrived in borrego yesterday (3/30) at about 9am, and headed straight for a well know hawk-watch post. when i got there i was informed by a volunteer that i should head over toward clark dry lake, because he hadn't seen any SWAINSON'S HAWKs in hours. as i drove the stretch of road leading to the ancient lake i saw a state park ranger vehicle, with a ranger and volunteer outside, looking off into the distance. i pulled along side, got out, and scoped the area along with them. all we had was one bird, far off on the horizon. it was barely visible, and though i had only half expected to see any hawks (because of a report of zero birds from the day before), i was still a little disappointed. a few minutes later, however, over a distant ridge, i saw my first kettle of over twenty birds rising into the sky. i watched as they swirled into the air, diving to and fro, catching flying insects. before i knew it several birds had covered the seven or eight mile distance between the far off ridge and where i stood - feeding directly overhead. they were close enough that i could see the smallest details of their plumage, and really sear into my mind an exact mental image of how these birds looked, flew, and fed. throughout the morning we had over 420 hawks! as i ate my breakfast of fruit, trail-mix, and soft-boiled eggs, standing in a field of blossoming flowers, i thought to myself 'this might be the best breakfast i've ever had!'



yesterday morning i also stopped at the tamarisk grove campground, and the borrego sink where i was able to pick up these new year-birds:

WHITE-WINGED DOVE
PHAINOPEPLA
LAWRENCE'S GOLDFINCH
ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHER
PACIFIC-SLOPE FLYCATCHER
COSTA'S HUMMINGBIRD
VERDIN
EURASIAN COLLARED DOVE
WILSON'S WARBLER
BLACK-THROATED SPARROW
HOODED ORIOLE
WESTERN KINGBIRD

along with SWAINSON'S HAWK (a lifer for me!) that's 13 new year birds, bringing my 2010 total to 155.

bird banding

last weekend (3/19-3/21) i attended a beginners bird banding class at audubon's starr ranch bird observatory in orange county. starr ranch is 4000 acres of largely untouched open space, flanked by 5000 acres of caspers regional park to the south, over one-hundred thousand acres of the cleveland national forest to the north and east, and the 1000 acre dove canyon housing development to the west. such a large track of wild space makes for an excellent place to observe nature, and the area is home to many species of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals (including numerous mountain lions).

the two-day bird banding clinic consisted of several parts. First, was mist net handling, where we were shown proper set up, maintenance, and take down of our nets. second, was bird extraction, which consisted of "triage" - or assessing which birds are in the most vulnerable positions and extracting them accordingly. this was followed by different extraction techniques for removing entangled birds from the netting ("feet first", and "body pluck"). then came the actual practice of banding - which included bird handling (we learned two basic grips for passerines, the "bander’s grip", and the "photographer's grip"), ageing (by examining molt), determining sex and breeding status (by examining plumage, and looking for cloacal protuberances in males, and brood patches in females - both sexually determinant signs of breeding), measuring (weight, primary feather length, etc...), and choosing and placing the leg band properly. finally, we learned how to watch for signs that a birds is over-stressed.

in the afternoon, when banding had stopped, we spent time in the classroom learning about bird topology, molt, banding "dos and don'ts", bird first aid, and several other important bird related topics.

check out some pics from my weekend of bird banding below:

an ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER caught in a mist net:


extraction of a COMMON YELLOW-THROAT:


yours truly banding a HOUSE WREN:


fully processed HOUSE WREN in the "bander’s grip" (notice the band on the right leg?):


HERMIT THRUSH in the "photographer’s grip" (used for photo-documentation of birds):


while there, participants were also able to witness the banding of a brood of four BARN OWLETTES. these birds were totally against being banded, and fought their captors viciously. the man pictured below had his hand mauled pretty badly a short time after this picture was taken. the bands used for these birds are industrial strength, and have a locking mechanism so the birds don't pry them off. our little passerine bands needed only to be crimped.

angry BARN OWLETTE:


all in all it was a great way to spend a weekend. i learned a great deal more about birds by actually handling them, then i would by just looking at them through bino's. future volunteer banding gigs will help take my understanding of birds, and my birding, to a whole new level.

the ghost bird

about six months ago, while on the freeway, driving home from my mom's house, i noticed a large white bird perched in a place where no large white bird should be perched - the side of a large, chaparral covered hill. at first i thought it might be a very out of place SNOWY EGRET, or even a WHITE-TAILED KITE. either way, i couldn't stop to look, because i was on the freeway. then, one week ago, i saw the same large white bird, perched in the same spot, while driving home from my mom's house on the same stretch of freeway. this time, however, the bird took off and soared around the hill and out of sight. seeing this short moment of flight was enough to make my brain shout "it's a RED-TAILED HAWK!". of course, because i try to be an ethical birder, i couldn't take that i.d. to the bank, and i vowed to scout the area better the next time i was up there. well, today (3/11) after visiting my mom again i decided to canvass the area with my eyes open and my binos handy. it took about four minutes for the bird to come soaring around the hill and into my field of view. it was an awesome, partially albino/leucistic RED-TAILED HAWK. i was elated that, 1) i was able to so easily relocate this bird, 2) that my i.d. was correct, and that 3) it was a 'rare' find.

leucistic RED-TAILED HAWK (not the one i saw, but one very similar)

tecolote project #3 (march)

today (3/8) i killed two birds with one stone (figuratively, of course). between 10:20am and 11:45am, while testing out/breaking in a new pair of boots in tecolote canyon, i had:

1 BLACK PHOEBE
6 HOUSE SPARROW
5 RAVEN
6 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER
6 CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
2 SPOTTED TOWHEE
12 BUSHTIT
9 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
2 WRENTIT
6 SCRUB JAY
3 LESSER GOLDFINCH
1 COOPER'S HAWK
1 NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
2 BEWICK'S WREN
1 HERMIT THRUSH
1 RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
1 COMMON YELLOW-THROAT
2 SONG SPARROW
1 CASSIN'S KINGBIRD

the birds weren't all that caught my attention, however. owing to the rain, large parts of the canyon were in pretty bad shape. new gullies - some more like slot canyons - had formed, complete with water falls and mini-rapids. much of the trail was slippery going, churned into a slimy mash by the treads and tracks of san diego waste water dept. vehicles. sdww is attempting to protect an exposed sewer pipe that lays in the bed of tecolote creek through some rudimentary hydrological engineering. basically, they're surrounding it with rip-rap and concrete, and shoring up any areas close to it with huge boulders wrapped in chain link fence. this acts an un-erodible bank, keeping the earth that supports the pipe from washing away. unfortunately, it is completely changing the hydrology of the surrounding area by forcing erosion problems further up or down stream. a sewage spill would be far worse than the damage caused by the repair crew, but it still sucks to roads through the canyon where there were once single-tract trails, and turn outs where there was once only vegetation. i'm also afraid that the newly bare ground will be taken over by more aggressive non-native plants, especially since they have been hydro-seeding heavily in the area. the seeds they usually use in this process are not native. instead, it's designed to grow quick and stabilize the earth.
but i digress...

that's 19 species on a mostly cloudy, sometimes drizzly, and always cool morning. hopefully i'll be able to get out and survey another part of the canyon this month, and find some new birds.

along with LESSER GOLDFINCH, my positive i.d. of a GREAT HORNED OWL, calling from the top of an old sycamore at dusk two evenings ago, we have a new total of 36 species.

GREAT HORNED OWL:

hummers

the male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD: freak of the sky.



seeing an ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD do it's mating display is really an amazing thing - even if you don't realize it right away. first, the male spots a perched female. next, he gets into her line of sight and starts his slow ascent, rising straight up into the air, about 50 to 100 feet. then, he suddenly plunges, executing an amazing high-speed, 'j' shaped dive. the bottom of which occurs right in front of and above the female's head. it is at this point the an observer will hear one of nature's stranger phenomenas - a very loud, high-pitched 'chirp'.

for years birders and ornithologists wondered and debated over the source of that 'chirp'. recently, thanks to researchers at UC Berkeley, we now know that the male ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD creates this bizarre noise by spreading its tail feathers at the bottom of its 'j' shaped dive, and that the wind passing through them at high speed produces this amazing sound.



unfortunately i couldn't get a sound recording of the 'chirp', but here is a good pic, and video...

thank you UC Berkeley:

tecolote project #2, supplemental list

month two and the tecolote project has already faltered - but it will not fail! for several reasons (school, work, other things to do, and uncooperative weather) i wasn't able to get down into the canyon this month to do a proper bird count. don't fret though, because i am able to piece together a supplemental count list from backyard observations, and a single, short foray down into the canyon. this month i was able to add 7 new species to my tecolote year list. and they are:

COMMON YELLOW-THROAT (frequenting the backyard compost bin)
GREAT BLUE HERON
AMERICAN KESTREL
HERMIT THRUSH (several displaying,calling individuals in one creek-side spot)
COOPER'S HAWK
RED-SHOULDERED HAWK
RED-SHAFTED FLICKER (family of four seen in cayon from backyard)
MALLARD
HOUSE WREN
CEDAR WAXWING (frequenting tree in neighbor's backyard)

this brings me to 34 species so far.

COMMON YELLOWTHROAT:



also, today (3/2) while hiking mt. woodson for a second, less painful time, i was able to hear the unmistakable call of the beautiful, but elusive CANYON WREN (year bird 141 for me...) below is a picture, and video of this awesome bird giving its characteristic call.

mt. woodson (2/23)

yesterday, my cousin and i decided to hike mount woodson, in poway. it's a nice hike, a little over 7 miles, with about 2500(?) feet of vertical gain. we are planning on climbing mt. whitney next year, and this was an initial step toward getting in shape. we were figuring out where we were physically, so that we'd know how much work we need to put in.


cool weather and recent rains made for a beautiful hike. fresh shoots sprouted out of every crevice on the boulder strewn mountain. the charred skeletons of manzanitas and scrub oaks were bursting at ground level with new life, nourished by rain water and nutrients released by past fires. the whole mountain was a granite wonderland, full of oddly shaped monoliths. weird holes, bored into the rocks by countless years of erosion by rain and wind were a constant source of wonderment. the sight of house sized boulders, split in half, and rearranged by gravity allowed us to play amateur geologists, pointing out the paths of fallen giants and theorizing as to how and when such a thing could have happened. it was also my first experience with that sqishy death trap of the movies: quick sand. all in all a very physically and mentally enlightening experience.

though it wasn't the primary reason for my trip, thanks to my cousins recommendation that i bring my binos, i was able to do some birding. i added three new year birds (new year total: 140) on the hike: ROCK WREN, RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SWIFT, and CLIFF SWALLOW.

CLIFF SWALLOW:

a four plover day (2/17)

the tijuana river is unknown to most people (even in san diego) - it's no mississippi or colorado - but for san diego birders, it's a huge attraction and an important birding area. this little river flows out of tijuana, mexico, across the international border, and into the pacific ocean at imperial beach, about a quarter-mile into south-western san diego county. as it approaches the pacific it slows to a crawl and spreads out like a giant, soggy picnic blanket, creating a sprawling coastal wetland complex. there are willow and cottonwood lined stream, acres of salt marsh, and long stretches of open beach which guard back shore dunes. besides numerous mammals, reptiles, and invertebrates, the area supports at least three federally endangered bird species (CALIFORNIA LEAST TERN, WESTERN SNOWY PLOVER, and LIGHT-FOOTED CLAPPER RAIL), and various other bird species that are nearly extirpated from san diego county. because of the size of the site, the variety of habitats found there, and it's situation along the coast it is a focal point for migratory birds from around the world. unfortunately, the river is surrounded on all sides by military bases, agricultural lands, and housing. almost all of the beach side is walled off by a large, sandy dyke, which protects the surrounding homes, and estuary form the sea (though the estuary really wouldn't need to be protected if there were no homes there...) it's still a damn good place to bird though, and honestly, the agricultural lands and military airport probably attract and support a greater variety of birds than the area otherwise would, since they are basically grassland-esque habitats, which, as far as i know, don't occur in that location naturally. but i could be wrong. anyway...

today, i decided to go down to the tijuana river valley to look for two PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERs that have been reported there with regularity over the last week or so. i was not the only one with this idea. when i parked on sea coast drive and exited my car i saw an elderly couple exiting the park with binoculars swinging around their necks. a quick glance atop the dykes revealed a party of four more birders, outfitted with scopes and other gear heading in the same direction i'd planned on. i decided to catch up, hoping to take advantage of their superior fire power, and scavenge a look through their scopes (i'm scopless, remember). turns out they were birding acquaintances of mine, and we all ended up birding the place together for about two hours, with scoping galore. we had hoped for a 5 plover day, but we struck out on the two PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVERs, and only had KILLDEER, SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER, SNOWY PLOVER (year bird 134 for me), and BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER.
about the time i decided to leave, two more birders showed up to compliment our crowd, which had shown up to compliment two others (that's 9 birders total in case you weren't counting). it was like a little impromptu amateur ornithologists summit on the beach. well, i had to get off to school so i skipped out on the crowd, made my way back to the car, and left.

SNOWY PLOVER:


on the way home i stopped by the i.b. sports park to try to pick up the HAPATIC TANAGER that has been overwintering there, that i have failed to see on three occasions. well, that little red bastard was there this time, and i got quite a good look at him, as he was very active. a joy to watch. this 'lifer' brought my sd county list to 241 species, and my year list to 136 species (i also picked up AMERICAN PIPIT today, at the tj river).

HEPATIC TANAGER:

recently....

it's the time of year when we students, if dedicated, must swap out our accoutrements of leisure for those of a more responsible life. school has started up again, and homework assignments and semester projects are coming down the pipeline. for me, this means i'll be spending less time birding, and more time sweating over a computer. i've put away my binoculars and bird books (to a great degree), in exchange for books and backpacks. but, i've also added another activity to the rotation, in my quest to be a more well-rounded person... i recently dusted off my road bike, and started the painful journey toward becoming a competent rider again. biking is a pastime i very much enjoy, though not nearly as much as birding. it is equally rewarding, if only in a different manner. it remains to be seen, however, how successful i'll be at sticking to the program, and balancing birding with biking. i'm not sure how i'll be able to ride my bike while there are birds in view, without having to stop and seriously lament the fact that i don't have binos with me. who knows, maybe i'll create some hybrid of the two, and learn to enjoy them both at once - doubtful. the impetus for my long overdue return to riding (before i moved to new zealand i was logging around 60 miles a week) is a trip to yosemite that is on the horizon. if one is not so inclined, there is no need to get in shape to experience yosemite. but, since i like the idea of testing myself physically on the many hikes the place has to offer, and getting out of the valley floor, onto the barely less-beaten track, i find it necessary. the hike to the top of yosemite falls (the highest waterfall in n. america!) is no joke. though i plan on devoting an entire day or two to serious birding - PILIATED WOODPECKER, AMERICAN DIPPER, and other very interesting birds can be found there - this trip is primarily a bonding experience for friends both old and new. so, it will include much hiking, and i don't want to be left in the dust.

in other news: this week i had two very uneventful birding trips. one to imperial beach, the other to the san dieguito lagoon. despite the extreme lack of variety in bird life, i was able to get two new birds for the year: GREEN HERON, and NORTHERN ROUGH-WINGED SWALLOW.


GREEN HERON

snow birds & tecolote project #1

yesterday (1/26), while spending the day with my girlfriend in the cuyamacas, enjoying a little san diego snow, i was able to pick up 10 new birds for my year list. they were: STELLAR'S JAY, WILD TURKEY, DARK-EYED JUNCO (including my first of the "pink sided" race), MOUNTAIN CHICKADEE, OAK TITMOUSE, BROWN CREEPER, PYGMY NUTHATCH, CALIFORNIA QUAIL, and BAND-TAILED PIGEON. the snow was deeper and softer than i expected it to be (considering we are in san diego), and the sixth-grade campers were out in force with their sleds and snow gear. luckily for me, the birds seemed not to notice.

BROWN CREEPER:
today (1/27), i started the '2010 tecolote project' by completing my first bird count in the park. because it was later in the morning than i typically like to bird, i only hiked in about one mile. here are the 24 species i saw/heard in order of appearance:

3 WRENTIT
9 SCRUB JAY
2 WESTERN BLUEBIRDS
10 YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS
50 BUSHTIT
2 NORTHERN MOCKINGBIRD
13 ANNA'S HUMMINGBIRD
24 WHITE-CROWNED SPARROW
9 CALIFORNIA TOWHEE
5 CALIFORNIA THRASHER
1 RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
4 SONG SPARROW
32 HOUSE FINCH
3 SPOTTED TOWHEE
2 BLACK PHEOBE
2 NUTTALL'S WOODPECKER
3 BEWICK'S WREN
3 CASSIN'S KINGBIRD
4 MOURNING DOVE
2 RED-TAILED HAWK
1 HUTTON'S VIREO
CALIFORNIA GNAT-CATHCER (heard only)
1 SAY'S PHEOBE
3 RAVEN

CALIFORNIA GNAT-CATCHER, HUTTON'S VIREO, and SPOTTED TOWHEE are also year birds for me, bringing my total to 131 birds.

micsellanea

in my first post of the year i mentioned that i was switching over from 'ebird' to a paper list for keeping track of my 2010 sighted birds. well, i also decided to transfer my life list over to paper for the same reasons. and, it's a good thing i did so: my 'ebird' list turned out to have some major problems. not only were there birds on there that i know i never saw, but there were also birds missing that i know i did see (like CINNAMON TEAL). unfortunately, this meant a net loss of 5 birds from my original 2009 count of 242, bringing me down to a still respectable 237. a few of those lost birds where ones i had recorded earlier in 2009, that i don't feel qualified to i.d. even now, a year later, let alone one or two months into my birding education. those birds i voluntarily removed from my list, because illegitimate sightings are the last thing i want on there. so, now, with the inclusion of MERLIN, ORCHARD ORIOLE, and LAUGHING GULL, my life list is up to 240 birds.

in other news... this week has been jam-packed with short birding trips to nearby coastal spots. these were mostly uneventful, with the exception of the aforementioned gull. however, i did notice that there were much larger numbers of CALIFORNIA and HEERMAN'S GULLs at robb field and mission bay (the two sights i hit hardest between monday and thursday) than i have seen in all my previous trips to these locations this year. i usually see maybe one or two mixed in with what are mostly WESTERN and RING-BILLED GULLs. i wonder if these two species tend to spend this time of year out on the open ocean, and were forced to seek shelter on the coast during this recent series of storms. these trips also produced a slough of common shore birds, like SURF KNOT, DUNLIN, and SANDERLING - which brought my year list up to 118.

wednesday, january 20

today at noon, after three straight days of searching through hundreds, if not thousands of gulls, in horrible weather at robb field and mission bay, i finally found something new: an immature LAUGHING GULL. i had just about given up for the day when i decided to stop by fiesta island to check out some places where i know large numbers of gulls congregate. this guy was noticeably smaller than all the RING BILLED, CALIFORNIA, and WESTERN GULLs surrounding it. it also had characteristic black legs and bill, white eyelids, and dark feathers on the back of the neck and head that are less blotchy, and more uniform than those on most other winter plumaged gulls. below is a picture of the same individual i saw today, taken at an earlier date, by matt sadowski. this bird has been present for about a week now at mission bay.



also, this is bird is a 'lifer' for me. which is nice...

birding the zoo

i know i said in my last post that the next birding trip i took would be to find the TUNDRA SWAN at the aviara resort in north county, but, on thursday (1/14) i had a little time to kill between errands, and i decided to make a quick trip to the san diego zoo. i thought it'd be a good opportunity for me to pick up the male SUMMER TANAGER that had been reported there a few days prior. i got to the zoo a few minutes before it opened, and decided i'd bird around the entrance where there was some good looking foliage. i could hear a lot of birds in the picnic area just south of the zoo's exit gates as i approached. when i got there i spotted a very active mid-sized bird, which turned out to be a BULLOCK'S ORIOLE, in the canopy of a short tree. while watching him, he worked his way around the tree and out of sight. i followed. when i got around to the other side i was surprised to find myself in the midst of a small group of about 15 feeding birds. at that one spot i had no less than 8 BULLOCK'S ORIOLEs, 4 WESTERN TANAGERs, and best of all, an adult male ORCHARD ORIOLE! i could hardly believe my luck. they were all so active - calling and feeding - that they hardly noticed i was there. i was able to get right up under the ORCHARD ORIOLE to watch him feed. it was so hectic that my count of 8 BULLOCK'S ORIOLEs is only an estimate - the birds just wouldn't sit still. it made no difference to me that i wasn't able to re-find the SUMMER TANGER afterward, because the ORCHARD ORIOLE is a rarity in san diego, and a lifer for me. my 2010 year list is now up to 104 birds.

ORCHARD ORIOLE:

update

so far this year i haven't been very diligent in keeping you up-to-date on my birding activities. i've been out four times this january - the 2nd, 4th, 7th, and 11th - picking up a total of 95 different species. one of which, MERLIN, is also a 'lifer' for me. i've traveled from the mountains to the sea, visiting places old and new (like the wild animal park). many of the species i've recorded this year are birds that i didn't pick up until later in 2009, which gives me a good start on beating last year's total of 242 species. and i haven't even begun to chase rarities, something i will remedy on my next trip, when i go looking for the TUNDRA SWAN that has been present at the aviara resort in north county for the last month or so. i also intend on picking up a bunch of new seabirds soon, since i'll be purchasing a scope in the next few days. here is a pic of bushnell's 'elite' 80mm ED, 20x - 60x zoom, angled scope, which will soon be mine.


i got the chance to look through some binoculars that use the same glass technology, and they were pretty freakin' impressive. so, i'm really excited for the day i can take this to the coast and finally see what all those birds on the horizon really are.

a new approach.

this year i'm going to try a new approach to listing. namely, i wont be using 'ebird' anymore, which makes you enter dates, times, and locations when submitting a list. instead i'll be using an old fashioned paper list. a paper list is beneficial because it will show me all birds recorded in san diego county alongside all the birds i've seen in san diego county, which 'ebird' doesn't do. that way, it'll be much easier for me to recognize and target the birds i've yet to see. it's a much simpler and more efficient way to do things in my opinion.

also, i'm going to try a new trip strategy. instead of just visiting a number of different locations in a given area, i'll be targeting specific groups of birds in specific habitat types - at least until the majority of common birds are out of the way. i think this more methodical approach will lead to more success in checking off whole sections of birds on my list. basically, if i see i'm missing some common species of raptor, i can check canyons and inland grassland areas, or, if i'm missing some waterfowl, i can check lakes and coastal wetlands, etc... this way i wont be driving around the county getting birds willy-nilly, but hopefully ticking them off in a more orderly fashion. i'm hoping this approach will also make my i.d.s better. my hypothesis is that it's easier to remember, recognize, and focus on the important field marks of certain groups of birds if you've been looking at, and thinking about them all day. so, i think it'll be better to go from flocks of peeps (small sandpipers), to other flocks of peeps, than from flocks of something else, to flocks of peeps. that way i wont need to reorient myself to new field marks at every location, but stay focused throughout my trip.

also, stay tuned for the first installment of the 'target bird' series: YELLOW-BILLED CUCKOO.