Out on a Limb, Paula's Birding Blog

A Really Ugly Bird?

2009-08-20T14:27:00.018-04:00

I love birds. Everyone who knows me knows that. I think they are beautiful and, truthfully, I have never seen an ugly bird. Yes, I’ve seen some candidates for ugly. Vultures and cormorants come to mind. I know they are repugnant to some people, but not to me. I find even these birds beautiful in their own way.

I spent a couple of days on the Delaware coast last weekend reveling in the one of my favorite birding habitats. Driving slowly along a road through a salt marsh looking for anything with wings in reach of my camera lens, I was taken aback by a comment from a woman, undoubtedly a local. She was relaxing in chair near a gut in the marsh where she had been crabbing. She sized me up as a birder and called out in a friendly way, “There’s one ugly bird over there,” pointing off in the direction from which I had come. She had no idea what it was. She just knew it was ugly. I had a visceral reaction, feeling I needed to refute this claim, but it was tough, not even knowing the species that had offended her aesthetic sense. So I let it pass, replied that I must have missed that one, and asked how the crabbing was going.

Later, I couldn’t stop wondering what bird she might have seen. This is the time when “hatch year” birds are out and about, learning how to cope with the world, finding food on their own. The plumage of some of them can be a bit disheveled, but not as much as that of some adults in the middle of a molt. Was it a molting bird she saw? An “ugly” molting bird?

I assumed the woman saw a largish bird. Most non-birders don’t pay attention to sparrow-sized birds, so perhaps she had spotted a rail, or one of its babies that I had just driven from Northern Virginia with hopes to see?

Clapper Rails, the rail species that inhabits salt and brackish water marshes are not colorful or elegant. They have large feet, thick legs, short tails on plump bodies and walk around in tidal areas, so they can get a bit muddy. Their elusive nature and infrequent flights makes them often difficult to find, and so they are all the more interesting.

Clappers lay as many as 12 eggs which hatch asynchronously. Lighthouse Road, near Slaughter Beach, is a great place to observe rails, and I did succeed in seeing young of different ages, although I doubt that they were all siblings. They are downy when they hatch with their eyes open. They are mobile within an hour and can follow their parents, but still need to be fed for awhile. This one with its parent is the youngest I saw on this trip. It had no feathers yet.

This somewhat older one was catching its own food quite competently, and I noticed that plenty of fiddler crabs were available.

Now, some people (perhaps that woman) might not consider a young rail a beautiful bird, or to put it another way, think it an ugly bird. Rails may be cute and cuddly when they are black, downy, fluff balls, but August finds many of them at that “awkward” age.

This one has brown and gray body feathers, but it is retaining black down on the top of its head and that makes its plumage a kind of a mishmash. Its bill has almost changed from its pied, blackish and pinkish color to mostly gray; its legs are also gray. Not much of a fashion statement here, but the bird won't be wearing this outfit for long.

This one is a bit older, I believe, but I could be wrong. It has lost all of its down and it looks like wing feathers are still within their shafts. Still, a bit of a mess, but improving.

OK, I think they are cute at all ages, beautiful even. Watching the young scamper after mom and practice the skills which will allow them to survive independently is great fun. I believe appreciating these birds on their own terms is the key to seeing them as quite lovely creatures.

Shorebird in a Potato Field

2009-08-19T16:49:00.010-04:00

They are harvesting potatoes in Delaware right now, the state’s #1 fresh market crop. Driving along Route 9 just south of Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, I could see red and white potatoes lying exposed on the surface of the ground in a big field. All was quiet that morning as I scanned for Killdeer, Horned Larks, Black-bellied and Semipalmated Plovers, and Pectoral Sandpipers, but I was really hoping for Buff-breasted and Upland Sandpipers. The latter two species are the ones seen least often and so a view of either is relished by birders. Both species had been reported recently at another potato farm a few miles south.

On Monday, I was back again and the farmers were working to harvest those spuds. Word must have gone out to the birds. Many of those expected birds had shown up, but sorting through distant birds in a field takes a bit of diligence and patience.

It surprised me that many of the birds were quite close to the machinery, a giant harvester and an open truck that received the potatoes dumped from the harvester's conveyor belt. As the two worked in tandem, moving down the rows, it seemed the birds flew out of the way only at the last minute.

After about a half hour of standing on the shoulder of the highway, with cars zipping by and the giant dust clouds occasionally obscuring our view and coating our optics, two others and I finally spotted an Upland Sandpiper. It was a beauty, only the second one I’ve ever seen. It wasn’t feeding at that time, but walking a bit, then stopping, sometimes disappearing into and reappearing from the furrows. It posed frequently, giving us adequate time to photograph it. The sun lit up the buffy feather edges which glistened like gold, as did its facial feathers. It was strikingly elegant and graceful in a field of dead potato vines, a marvelous sight. We never could find a Buff-breasted Sandpiper, but the “Uppie” alone made my day.

Upland Sandpipers use fields as staging areas in migration on their way to the pampas of Argentina where they spend up to eight months. It was hard to imagine that this species was extensively hunted in the U.S. until the 1920s for food, but also for target practice. In South America, too, it was on restaurant menus. Its eggs were also eaten. Although the bird we saw was using a potato field being harvested, the conversion of grasslands to cropland in much of its breeding range has adversely impacted the species.

I watched this bird with the greatest respect, knowing that the next leg of its journey will be over 4,000 miles. Will it make it to its South American destination? Will it live long enough to visit a Delaware potato field once again? I know I plan to visit Delaware again during potato harvesting time, but I will have to travel only 100 miles.

2009-07-29T16:09:00.014-04:00

How Social Dynamics Can Complicate a Rail ID

Huntley Meadows Park in southeastern Fairfax County, VA is a highly popular destination for birders, photographers, school groups, and naturalists. Much of its 1,425 acres is a freshwater wetland. A 1/2 mile boardwalk and observation tower makes wildlife viewing very accessible and enjoyable.

It has been 15 years since King Rails bred at Huntley Meadows. Speculation abounded about the reasons that this species, experiencing long-term declines due to range-wide habitat loss and degradation, no longer nested in the marsh. Some people may have thought the species might not ever breed there again.

The marsh has experienced great fluctuations in water levels in recent years primarily because beavers manage its hydrology and do it a bit differently than human engineers. They build dams and abandon them for their own good reasons. Rainfall is important too and this area has seen a number of droughts in recent years. But this year water is plentiful and the vegetation is lush, perhaps just right for rails?

Last year Virginia Rails bred successfully in the marsh. Here are a couple of photos I captured in 2008.

Again this season Virginia Rails have been observed and photographed with chicks. But, in the last week, a birder/photographer, Tony Coomer captured images of a King Rail with chicks that prompted skepticism and much discussion. Two of his photos are reproduced below with his kind permission. Others can be seen at his website http://acoomer.smugmug.com/gallery/5230409_BmJrx#601356835_J2N23

Some people were certain that these birds were the Virginia Rails, others just as certain that they were King Rails. The photos are quite good and certainly adequate for correct identification. So why the reluctance on the part of some to accept what the photos revealed? Why should there have been any controversy over the ID? Surely, everyone following birds at the park would want to believe that the long-absent Kings had indeed returned to breed again.

I considered Groupthink, a type of thought exhibited by group members who try to minimize conflict and reach consensus without critically testing, analyzing, and evaluating ideas. This kind of thinking happens all the time in birding. A birder, esteemed as an expert by all in a group, calls out an ID. Everyone assumes that he or she is correct and feels further scrutiny is unnecessary. Even when a mistake is recognized, only the most courageous among them will speak out and say, “Hey, I don’t think so.” But this is not quite the scenario we have here.

I’m more inclined to believe that it was a matter of overconfidence in experts, an overestimation of the ability of competent birders to find all breeding birds in a defined location.

These doubtful folks may have asked how the many expert birders who visit the park over the period could possibly have missed King Rails during the month or so of courtship, nest building, and incubation of eggs. They wondered how it could be that King Rails were first seen only when chicks were out and about. After all, they thought, bird sightings are reported to the nature center at the park by leaders of a weekly walk, attended by mostly experienced birders. A highly knowledgeable staff leads school children on regular trips into the marsh. Visitors record their observations on a ledger at the nature center. If King Rails hadn't been noticed before this, they couldn't have bred there, right? And the photos presented as King Rails must really be Virginia Rails. No, think it through again.

Consider the propensity of humans to see what they expect to see. Since Virginia Rails had already been known to be breeding in the park again this season, a quick glimpse of a mostly obscured rail, or the sound of a call, not dramatically different in the two species, could have been passed off by all but the most astute observer as a Virginia Rail.

Then, consider that rails are among the most secretive of species, flying infrequently, nesting a few inches from the ground in thick, inaccessible marsh vegetation. They work very hard to be sure their nests and eggs aren’t seen. They’re gotten quite good at this over the eons! Why should it be so hard to believe that these birds could be missed?

It seems undisputed now that they were missed. In the last few days additional reports and photographs of both King Rails and Virginia Rails have come in. So this story has a happy ending. Both rail species have produced young in the park in the summer of 2009! All those who love Huntley Meadows and its precious wildlife have reason to celebrate. Nature will always have surprises and we mere mortals should expect them and be humbled and appreciative.

Grassland Birds

2009-05-31T10:48:00.012-04:00

The Dickcissel is a bird of the North American prairie. For folks living in its core breeding area like Iowa and Kansas, it may be nothing special. There, its song which it broadcasts over the grasslands, “ see see—dick! dick! chee chee chee, ” may become quite monotonous. But here, in the Piedmont of Virgina---Fauquier County, specifically--- the Dickcissel is a big deal. This species breeds only sporadically this far east, and some summers it can be difficult to find.

There is one charmed spot, a short stretch appropriately named Grassdale Road, that must have what this bird looks for in a place to raise a family. I have been visiting this location every year for the last five years, and yesterday this beautiful male appeared to be waiting for me. All I had to do was lower my car window after I turned onto this road and listen. He was right there, above me on a wire! His unmistakable, quickly repeated song was truly music to my ears.

I wonder where these guys perch to sing on the vast prairies where utility wires and fences must be spaced further apart? Here, they perch on nothing else, but make frequent trips to what I assume is the nest site, hidden deep in a field of wheat. The nest is placed near, but not on, the ground.

I’m worried that the field may be harvested soon. Incubation averages 12-13 days, but hatchlings require another 7-10 days in the nest. They are unable to fly for another few days after fledging. So, nesting in a cultivated field is a risky business.

The other species that appreciates Grassdale Road is the Grasshopper Sparrow, one of the ammodramous group, a little guy with a large bill, ragged tail, and intricately patterned plumage. Of course, you have to see them closely to appreciate the plumage. Photographing a 5-inch bird is more challenging than a 16-inch shorebird.

Male Grasshopper Sparrows favor fence posts along this road to declare their territory in song, and yesterday one bird had two favorite spots. He would make a large arcing flight between them, his wings flapping so fast that he appeared to be a little wind-up toy.

Visiting Grassdale Road, not far from Remington, VA, is a summertime ritual for me where, for a morning, I watch two of my favorite grassland species attempt to breed once again. I hope that as in July of 2007, when I took this photo of a newly fledged Grasshopper Sparrow, the birds I saw yesterday will be successful again.

With sadness, I remember that only one to two percent of the original North American Prairie survives. The Grasshopper Sparrow is in decline; the Dickcissel declined steeply by over 30% from 1966 to 1978 and then stabilized since 1979 at about two-thirds of 1966 level. (Cornell University's Birds of North American Online.)

Kinglet eyelashes

2009-02-12T20:12:00.013-05:00

As photographic subjects, kinglets present few challenges. They forage in low bushes and scrub much of the time and are not at all skittish. Yes, they flick their wings and rapidly flit from branch to branch, but with a fast shutter speed, their quick movements can be captured quite easily. I’ve taken many, many shots of kinglets, and have vaguely wondered why I usually see some blurriness around their eyes, especially those of Ruby-crowned Kinglets, even when the rest of their feathers appear reasonably sharp.

Last week, a Ruby-crowned Kinglet graced me with its presence at eye level in good light for 30 seconds or so. I managed a few decent shots. When I magnified one of them, I saw what appeared to be..... eyelashes! I didn’t know kinglets have eyelashes. Or do they? But, I could count them, for heaven's sake.

Kinglets’ eye areas are described as having a “grayish-white eye ring broken at the top,” or a “white, broken eye ring.” But what about these Hollywood-style, curly eyelashes?

So, I goggled for quite a while and finally found this: “Several bird species, such as ostriches, hornbills, rheas, cuckoos, and some owls in the genus Bubo, which includes the Great Horned Owl, are known to have eyelashes. These eyelashes actually consist of bristles resembling mammalian eyelashes, and possibly serve to protect the eye against dust and other debris. Bristles are simplified feathers that consist only of a stiff, tapered rachis with a few basal barbs. The feathers have both sensory and protective functions.” Claudia Zan, research assistant, Home Study Course in Bird Biology Cornell Lab of O

That’s right. I remember seeing beautiful, long eyelashes on ostriches and rheas in zoos. At Washington, D.C.'s National Zoo, I photographed this Greater Rhea whose eyelashes were hard to miss.

But kinglets are not mentioned as being among the birds with eyelashes, and so the question remains. Do kinglets have eyelashes, or are they, like those of Hollywood starlets, faux?

Followup on "A Word (or two) about Duck Hunting"

2009-01-28T10:44:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, after Rich Rieger introduced a hunting issue on the Virginia birding listserv, I posted to VA-Bird a link to my blog. The discussion of hunting is strictly forbidden on the listerv, but no such rule prevails here. I received a comment from Bob Adamek, a hunter, who expressed an opposing view. I have continued the thread with my response. If interested, refer to the comment section following “A Word (or two) about Hunting,” below.

I invite comments and none are censored or deleted. Mistakenly, I set my preferences allowing only registered Google users to be able to comment. I have corrected this so you can also use “Name/URL,” or “Anonymous.”

A Word (or two) about Duck Hunting

2009-01-24T22:26:00.000-05:00

The beauty of blogs is that the blogger gets to set the rules. There are no moderators, no list “owners” piping in to squelch a perfectly worthy and lucid elucidation. No wonder blogging is so popular.

The discussion of hunting is verboten on the Virginia birding listserv--just too darn controversial--even though every couple of years or so someone new to the list gets in a few licks before being clobbered by the moderator. So, I plan to express an uncensored view on this barbaric activity.

I drove the George Washington Parkway again today, hoping to have close views of the ducks that have been concentrated together in the Potomac River in the little open water amidst the ice, often near the shore. In just two days, with temperatures as high as 55, the river again has become all liquid, beautiful and blue. Alas, the ducks were widely scattered and distant.

At Riverside Park, hunters were distant too, across the river in Maryland, shooting from a blind off shore. In front of the blind, they had their cute little decoys assembled, with fake wings spinning. A couple of guys in smart camo attire were walking the shoreline. With my spotting scope I could see one of them using a duck whistle, while the other carried a gun. I certainly recognized them as human machomen, not a walking forest, but they were counting on the fooling the ducks.

They were having a good day, I gather, judging from the many gun blasts and some splashing in the water. I wonder how they retrieved their prey, since no dogs or boats were apparent. I also wonder about those hunters on foot when hunting is legal only from duck blinds. I plan to spend more time watching next time and have the Maryland Department of Natural Resources police phone number in my cell phone. 410-260-8888

How many more generations will pass before ducks will realize that the only humans to fear are those wearing camo. The rest of us enjoy watching ducks, identifying ducks, photographing ducks. Some who really shouldn’t, feed them, and some just plain ignore them. We’re all harmless. But ducks need to be on guard only for those walking forests, machomen in camo. I hope and trust they will learn that in time.

John Burroughs, writing in Wild Life about my Cabin, had it exactly right. In the end, he said, the hunter will have “only a dead duck” whereas the rest of us will have “a live duck with whistling wings, cleaving the air northward.”

Parkway Birding, Again

2009-01-22T15:35:00.001-05:00

Once again, I returned to bird the George Washington Memorial Parkway. Why not? I enjoy seeing familiar avian faces and seem to discover something new each time I visit.

As I crossed the stone bridge over Hunting Creek, I spotted the two female ducks, a Lesser Scaup and a Common Goldeneye, who appeared to be sticking together here two days ago. No others of their species were in the immediate area, although many Lesser Scaup were on the Potomac within a mile or two. I've seen no other Common Goldeneyes anywhere else along the river this season. Maybe these two decided to be winter companions. Standing on the bridge with my camera didn't seem to spook the goldeneye.

Today, I followed the call of a Killdeer to its foraging spot on the edges of the little creek that runs along part of the boundary of the Belle Haven Country Club golf course.

You might think that pickin's would be slim here in late January, but this Killdeer nabbed a nice- sized insect larva.

Off it went to hunt a little further downstream.

I passed the dead fox, lying in the same position as when I first saw it two days ago. I was surprised that it had not obviously deteriorated nor been taken by a scavenger.

Keeping an eye out for the warblers I saw along this stretch of the parkway recently, I was delighted to see the Palm Warbler again. I didn't manage a photo, but was relieved to know it got through the night when the temperature fell to 8 degrees. I was able to find the Common Yellowthroat after the deep freeze but, so far, not the Orange-crowned or Yellow I saw here last week.

Today, I missed the Cooper's and Red-shouldered Hawks that I've seen on most visits, but rather a Red-tailed Hawk perched for a time on a two different trees alongside the golf course.

Ducks, geese, swans, eagles, gulls and herons can be found in the river at many spots from Hunting Creek to Riverside Park and it's fun to drive down the parkway, stopping at pull-offs and finally at Riverside to look for them. Every day, the birds are distributed a little differently, sometimes affording good views and even photos. So much of the river is frozen now, but the birds find the open areas and often congregate in tight rafts.

A couple of Tundra Swans were close to the shore at the Vernon View pull-off, but naturally, they took off in the direction of Maryland as I approached the water.

A good ear and sharp eye is often needed to spot a Brown Creeper. Fortunately for me, both were provided by a friend whom I bumped into along the parkway this morning.

Ice on the Potomac

2009-01-20T16:50:00.002-05:00

Inauguration morning didn’t look any different than any other along the George Washington Parkway, except that the traffic was much lighter and there was a Coast Guard ship sitting at anchor in the mostly frozen river.

Having spent some time along the parkway over the last couple of weeks, I recognized a perched Red-shouldered Hawk and a Cooper’s Hawk that flashed by as likely regulars. A few Killdeer passed overhead, headed for some mud alongside open water.

Hoping to find the four warblers I saw a few days ago, I managed to locate only the previously camera-shy Common Yellowthroat. Chipping vigorously and foraging in low vegetation, he let me snap a couple of photos. He looked like a first fall male to me, with some mottling on his cheeks, suggesting the black mask he will acquire.

Both kinglet species know how to handle winter and a small flock of Golden-crowned and a Ruby-crowned were working the understory for nourishment to handle their energy requirements for another cold night.

No, not frozen swallows, they're only milkweed pods, possibly coated with a fungus of some kind.

Startled to come upon this fox, I drew back to a safe distance, not knowing if it was asleep or dead. It quickly became apparent it was dead. Its healthy appearance and beautiful, thick and lustrous coat gave no clue as to what might have taken it. Too bad.

Crossing over the stone bridge which spans Hunting Creek, I noticed a Pied-billed Grebe.

and nearby, two female ducks, a Lesser Scaup and Common Goldeneye.

The sewage treatment plant of the Alexandria Sanitation Authority discharges reclaimed water into Hunting Creek just upstream, so the creek is open and unfrozen. Many hundreds of geese and gulls were resting and cavorting on the creek.

Leaving in time to watch the swearing-in ceremony of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama, I felt a bit like this Golden-crowned Kinglet who appeared to be jumping with joy.

Warblers in Winter

2009-01-18T22:00:00.001-05:00

Warbler watching in winter in Northern Virginia? Who does that, you say? Well, this year, I'm doing it! December and January are months when birders usually turn their attention to waterfowl, raptors, and sparrows, not warblers. Certainly, encountering Yellow-rumped Warblers along the trail is expected at this time, but seeing any other warbler species is far from a sure thing.

Beginning in early December, birders have been reporting sightings of warblers along the George Washington Memorial Parkway, from the LBJ Grove to Dyke Marsh. Joining Yellow-rumps have been Pine, Palm, Common Yellowthroat, Orange-crowned, Yellow-throated, Yellow, and Northern Parula. Although not all at one location on one day, that’s still eight warbler species!

Many birders' hearts go thumpety-thump when a rarity is reported. The listers among them run out to snag a new bird for their life lists, year lists, month lists, whatever lists. None of these birds are true rarities, however, just uncommon to rare at this time in this place, except for the widespread Yellow-rumps. So birders haven't been flocking to the parkway to view warblers who are trying to tough it out through what may turn out to be a colder-than-normal winter.

I thought it might be interesting to see how often these eight species turn up on the D.C. Christmas Bird Count which encompasses this part of the GW Parkway.

Although it must be assumed that birds are often missed during CBCs, looking at the last 10 years of data, 1997-2007, still provides some sense of how often individuals of these 8 species can be found in December along the Potomac River, just south of Washington DC. http://audubon2.org/cbchist/count_table.html

Here's what I learned:

Yellow-rumps: found every year in numbers ranging from 34-78.

Palms: found 7 of last 10 years, with numbers varying widely, from 1 to as many as 28 in 2002.

Common Yellowthroat: found most years, but just 1 to 4 of them.

Pine: found in half the years, similar to Common Yellowthroats in numbers, 1 to 5.

Orange-crowned: found in half the years, but just one individual in each of those years.

Yellow: found just once, one bird in 2001.

Northern Parula: never found.

Yellow-throated Warbler: never found.

I haven't seen all of these eight species myself, but a Yellow, Palm, and Orange-crowned, pictured below, were along the GW Parkway between the Belle Haven parking lot and the stone bridge on Jan. 13. A Common Yellowthroat was there too, but declined my invitation to appear in my blog. All seemed active and appeared to be foraging successfully.

Unquestionably, CBC data does not provide anything close to the whole picture. Last year, a Yellow-throated Warbler spent most of the winter at a park in Arlington, where it used the feeders, picked up suet crumbs on the ground, and poked around the eaves of the nature center, presumably finding over-wintering insects. I photographed this bird in February of 2008 at Long Branch Park.

Insects are the primary food of these eight warbler species, but many of them rely on a variety of food sources in winter, such as berries, tree sap, nectar, plant galls, even seeds and other plant material. Surprisingly, the Yellow-throated is one for which alternative food sources are not listed in The Birders Handbook, by Ehrlich, Dobkin, and Wheye. The authors say the diet of this species is not well known, but may include spiders. I guess it can be safe to say that seeds and suet can be alternatives in winter!

Temperatures dropped to as low as 8 degrees a couple of nights ago. I worried about these tiny birds, hoping that they had eaten enough to stoke their metabolic fires and keep them warm through the night.

Dyke Marsh in early December

2008-12-06T22:54:00.002-05:00

When you see a raft of a couple thousand or more American Coots a few hundred yards out in the middle of the river, you have to wonder why one lone individual chooses to hang out with a few Mallards just feet from the shore. Is this bird a shunned outcast, a free thinker, or just a loner? Pondering that heavy question while shooting a few frames of the backside of this preening bird tested my multi-tasking skills. Fortunately, it stopped to glance in my direction occasionally.

It's not often that I see a coot head on and relatively close up, so I was struck by the knob called a callus at the base of its bill, a curious feature, indeed.

Ducks were plentiful on the river. More than 1,000 mostly sleeping Ruddies, but also Ring-necked, Lesser Scaup, Northern Shoveler, Canvasback, and yes, even a few Redhead ducks, joined the hundreds of Mallards. Did we miss a few species? Probably. Until the Christmas Bird Count to be conducted here on Dec. 20 requires it, scrutinizing every square yard of watery real estate to record the number of every last bird is just too much work on a relaxing day of birding. At least, for me it is.

A walk down Haul Road and a scan of the river at the Belle Haven picnic area on a pleasant, sunny, December day was made more enjoyable by the presence of three fine friends. We didn’t find the over 400 Horned Grebes that were reported just a few days previously, but we did spot a Tree Sparrow in the middle of the trail. This species, seen only in winter in our area, and then only irregularly, is always a kick to find. As distinctive as this species is, with its clear breast marked by a central spot, chestnut crown, strong white wing bars, and two-toned bill, I admit with appropriate humility that we called the bird a Swamp and then a Chipping Sparrow before settling on the correct ID. Below is an inferior digiscoped photo, a “placeholder” until, hopefully, a better one is produced later in the season.

Nothing is more fun than serendipity on such excursions, and a Common Yellowthroat filled the bill this day by chipping first and then providing a few brief glimpses as we peered from the boardwalk into the dried cattails. Late, but hardly a record-setting date for this species, Common Yellowthroats are usually seen on CBCs in the coastal plain.

Otherwise, it was the usual early winter fare, with this active Ruby-crowned Kinglet entertaining from low branches along the trail on the stretch through the forested area.

Eagle City

2008-11-30T17:00:00.001-05:00

At last, I made it to Conowingo Dam at the peak of R & R season for Bald Eagles. I’ve been late to parties, including this one before, but this is one party not to be missed. What a spectacle! From November into January, eagles congregate here in northern Maryland, before the mature birds gradually disperse to breeding grounds where they spend about 5 months rearing another generation of magnificent raptors.

Conowingo Dam is a hydroelectric plant on the Susquehanna River spanning the Cecil and Harford County line. When electricity is generated, fish are sucked through the dam, providing a plentiful buffet for eagles, gulls, cormorants, and great blue herons, all present in impressive numbers. Even though the avian show is supposedly best when water is flowing through the dam, that couldn’t be demonstrated yesterday.

Eagles were everywhere, flying about, perching, squabbling, catching fish, dropping fish, stealing fish, eating fish,

and presumably, digesting fish, long before the dam even began operating at about 2 PM.

Are you wondering about numbers? Surely, November 29 must have been as good as it gets if you are impressed by high numbers of eagles. Although Rick Blom, prominent Maryland birder, died in 2002, an article he wrote on Conowingo still appears on the Harford County Bird Club web site. “It is not unusual to find 20 (eagles) in a single scan from November through February,” he said some six or a few more years ago. Yesterday, a single scan might have picked up three times as many, and a methodical count might have revealed well over 150. There are only eleven in the photo below--trust me, I'm not counting the two Black Vultures-- but this view was repeated many times as one scanned the far side of the river, the near side of the river, the transmission pylons, and the sky overhead.

The Bald Eagle is one of the most studied birds in North America and it also must be one of the most photographed.

Maybe it only seemed like most of the country’s photographers were on hand at the dam yesterday? Lots of families, casual observers, fishermen, and birders were there too, but the serious take-no-prisoner photographers stood out among the crowd in their camouflage jackets which matched the covers on their monster telephoto lenses. I tried to figure out how camo conceals much when the wearer is standing on the shoreline of a river, but no matter. Males outnumbered females in this group by 10-1, by my rough estimate, and that explains a lot. I tried to even out the gender imbalance a bit, by clicking away as fast as I could, even if my camera and I were not dressed for the part.

A Carload of Coots

2008-11-26T05:55:00.001-05:00

What else can you call it, unless you want to use a cruder phrase? From the shoreline of Occoquan Bay NWR this week I observed and counted 1,700 American Coots far out on the bay. I’ve been birding a mere 15 years, so I’m still learning every day, but I’ve never seen that many before. Yes, I counted 1,700 birds, not 1,699 or 1,701, just like this one I photographed three years ago. Hey, I counted them twice.

When I first got into birding and was told that people conducted surveys and counted all the birds they saw, I was astounded. I couldn’t imagine how it was possible. I had watched mixed flocks of birds fly by overhead, out of view in seconds. Along a trail, birds would fly past me and reappear a minute or two later up the road, or were they different individuals? In winter, I would peer through my spotting scope at large mixed rafts of waterfowl on rivers and bays, watching the personnel in constant motion, newcomers arriving, others leaving, sun glare blinding my view of many. I was certain that someone was pulling my leg. Surely, no one could ever get an accurate count of all these birds under such challenging conditions. But, before I knew it, I was involved in surveys myself and attempting this impossible task of counting birds, thinking, “How do I possibly do this?” Yet, I saw others doing it and assumed there was something I wasn't getting.

Fortunately, there are techniques to be learned along with the pitfalls to be avoided. eBird has a pretty good primer called Bird Counting 101 and 102 at http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/bird-counting-101/ (You have to register to access this site.) Yes, providing a rough estimate is often the best that you can do, but this still can be valuable information. Even if I was off by 200-300 in my coot count, the total number of considerably over 1,000 birds is more significant than only a couple hundred.

Christmas Bird Count season begins in a couple of weeks. A crash course or review in counting techniques might be might be good preparation.

Monticello Park, How Some of Us See It

2008-11-20T17:15:00.001-05:00

Monticello Park, a stream valley with steep, wooded slopes, sits in the middle of a residential neighborhood in the heart of Alexandria. It is tiny, not much of a park, really. Oak, tulip poplar, ash, and maple predominate, but many of these trees are unhealthy and succumb with increasing frequency to drought, stress and, in some cases, the weight of ivy ascending their trunks. As they fall to earth, they often damage or destroy smaller, younger trees, which are losses the park can not afford.

Overrun with exotic, invasive plant species of many varieties, English ivy is the worst. It has escaped from adjoining backyards and blankets the forest floor on the park’s west slope. The stream is choked with pieces of scrap concrete, thrown in years ago by less-than-enlighted city engineers to slow the speed of the water during storms, but it only resulted in an acceleration of bank erosion. Urban runoff, flowing through a conduit pipe, regularly includes sudsy foam floating on the water’s surface, undoubtedly from the washing of cars nearby.

Yet, this park is, to the many of us who get it, a treasured place. We’re able to see much natural beauty still there. Perhaps the park’s struggle to cope with modern, urban life mirrors our own?

Many wildflowers still rise through the bed of ivy in the spring. Wild azalea and mountain laurel hang on as understory on the eastern ridge. This is our piece of wilderness, close to home, where we can make a connection to what is real and timeless.

We birders come here to see untamed life, wild birds in migration, and we’re faithful to these creatures who care not a whit about us. Migrant birds have an agenda, set for them eons ago. It is life or death for them every day. Our fascination with their beauty and their survival strategies never diminishes.

We are in their thrall, these tiny creatures, most weighing less than an ounce, yet capable of flying on their own power all the way to the tropics at night over vast expanses of land and water. They return to us in the spring and fall, nonchalant, or so it seems, as if this mind-boggling feat was nothing at all. They appear none the worse for the wear, always beautiful. We’re awestruck anew.

So, once again, we begin our speculation about the weather patterns that facilitated their journey, we try to fathom their habits in the park, their time schedules for visiting the stream to drink and bathe, how much they move about within the park, where they are when absent, how long they stay with us, what causes them to move on. But these are only human diversions, ways to pass the time as we scour the trees for a flash of vibrant color. The birds keep their secrets and our devotion.

Fall migration ended a few weeks ago, although the hardcore faithful kept a vigil until Nov. 14. A Winter Wren or two and a few White-throated Sparrows have populated he last pages of the books on fall migration, 2008.

My Barred Owl Photo

2008-11-17T19:36:00.001-05:00

I received some happy news today. This photo of a Barred Owl that I digiscoped back in April of 2007 won first place in a photo contest at Prince William Forest Park. The image will be featured on this national park's 2009 annual pass.

Peregrine Falcon at Dyke Marsh

2008-11-10T15:16:00.000-05:00

Peregrine Falcons are not uncommon in Northern Virginia. A pair successfully raised two young earlier this year on the American Legion Bridge, and in 2006, another pair produced young on the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. Sadly, the latter nesting ended in failure before the eyas could fledge. There are regular reports of a Peregrine in the Bailey's Crossroads area and only today, one was seen in the Ballston area of Arlington.

Still, seeing a Peregrine is always a thrill, if for no other reason than realizing that only 40 years ago the species had disappeared as a breeder from most of the eastern U.S. and parts of Europe. Its reproduction was harmed by the persistence in the environment of DDT and other chemical pesticides. The species made a strong recovery after the chemicals were banned and wildlife managers worked to restore the birds throughout their earlier range.

Yesterday, a Peregrine was seen from the boardwalk at Dyke Marsh by participants in the weekly Sunday morning walk. The Dyke Marsh wildlife preserve is located along the George Washington Parkway, just south of Alexandria. I thought the chances were slim that the bird would still be around today, but I don't need much motivation to take a stroll down Haul Road into the marsh. The bird was still there on a leafless tree on an island east of the boardwalk and remained there as long as I did, about 10 minutes. It was out of range of the 400 mm lens of my DSLR, but I had my digiscoping camera along and I popped it on my spotting scope and took a few shots. It didn't appear that the bird had been sitting right there ever since yesterday, as its very full crop indicated it had left to grab a bite to eat not long before I arrived.

In the middle of my shooting session, a jogger came bounding along, lost in his own thoughts and totally unconcerned about the excessive vibration he was producing. Vibration is magnified through the legs of a tripod and anyone observing nature with a spotting scope or using a camera on a tripod must stop and wait to accommodate a jogger. This particular jogger passed me and my digiscoping rig as if I was part of the scenery. Jogging on the boardwalk at nearby Huntley Meadows Park is prohibited and good signage makes that clear. What a shame that Dyke Marsh, a fragile wetland habitat, has no such regulation. Only a few yards to the west is the Mt. Vernon trail, ideal for jogging. The requirement that dogs be kept on leashes is regularly ignored and not enforced, so any ban on jogging would be similarly ineffective, I would think. A person with an unleashed dog soon followed the jogger onto the boardwalk. What else is new?

A view to the south from the boardwalk evoked the winter, soon to come, with geese, Green-winged Teal, and a couple of Pied-billed Grebes feeding.

Gravelly Point

2008-11-09T17:43:00.002-05:00

Gravelly Point is a popular spot along the George Washington Parkway for watching planes take off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Birders appreciate it as a spot that can be good for gulls, waterfowl, hawks, sparrows, and surprises. Last May, 20-30 Bobolinks stopped there for a few days.

Yesterday, a top local birder reported that he saw a Vesper Sparrow there. Birders are used to "one day wonders," but when another report came in this morning, I headed over there with high hopes that I might get lucky. I have no good photo of this species and have seen very few of them in my life.

The birding gods didn't smile on me, however. The Vesper Sparrow was said to be in the company of a Savannah Sparrow yesterday. I did see a Savannah today (photo above), just one, and it had no Vesper buddy. The only other interesting bird I saw was a Cooper's Hawk sitting atop some runway lights. You don't suppose.....

Occoquan Bay NWR

2008-11-07T17:37:00.001-05:00

Occoquan Bay NWR has it all in the fall. Sparrows rule in October, of course, and while the sparrow show continues in November, late migrants and arriving winter residents can also be fun to find.

Where did I hear that fall color might not be too good this season? The yellows and reds were brilliant today, with sweet gum, red oaks, and maples showing off in bright sunlight.

Driving past the entrance a little before 8 AM, a small flock of Dark-eyed Juncos, the first I’ve seen this season at the refuge, caught my eye. They were actively foraging in the meadow grasses on both sides of the road. An immature Red-shouldered Hawk, present on almost every trip I've made this fall, was again perched on a limb of the big snag, to your left as you drive from the entrance to the parking lot. This is one spot where early morning light is superb for photography.

Near the parking lot a House Wren was vigorously chipping. As I caught a view, I wondered if it wasn’t departing our area a bit late, but apparently this species can generally be seen here in the Coastal Plain as late as Nov. 25.

I've been aware of reports of King Rails that were seen where Catamont Creek passes under Charlie Road, but until today, no reports were generated from me. Yes, today was my day. A rail in the creek! All I had was a two-minute back-lit view, but I relished all 120 seconds. The bird was mute this morning, although others have reported hearing it but not seeing it. I tried to salvage a back-lit photo, and my efforts are reflected below.

With temperatures rising to the 70s, butterflies and dragonflies responded, flying about like it was September. Even one spring peeper chirped along Easy Road. I saw at last 20 Eastern Buckeye butterflies, a handful of Orange Sulphurs, and a Pearl Crescent or two. A small red dragonfly wouldn't yield to identification and I watched two dragonflies of some other mystery species fly about the parking lot in the “wheel” position.

Orange Sulphur

Pearl Crescent, open and folded wings

Common Buckeye

Eastern Comma

Since waterfowl will soon be front and center when the wintering flocks build to great numbers on the bay, I stuck to birds of the meadows and marsh today, like this immature White-crowned Sparrow.

A few other birds that brought a smile to my face were Bald Eagle, Belted Kingfisher, Eastern Phoebe, Brown Creeper, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, and Rusty Blackbird. I hope the Northern Harrier that I saw a few times during early October visits has not decided to move on to winter at another location.

A Fall Day at Sky Meadows State Park

2008-11-02T21:10:00.001-05:00

In 1991, Paul Mellon of Upperville, VA donated 462 acres, designated the Lost Mountain Bridle Trail Area, adding to two earlier donations he had made to the Commonwealth of Virginia for the development of Sky Meadows State Park near Paris, VA. On Sunday I stood in the middle of a rolling meadow which was once his farm, and took in the sweeping views of the mountains. Fall color was nearing its peak on a day with near perfect October weather. I had to wonder how it could be that I was the only person there?

Fog was dense when I arrived and didn’t lift until 9 AM or so. The landscape was blurred, muted, and stunningly beautiful.

Making my way along the Sherman’s Mill loop trail beginning behind the barn, I was on a search for sparrows. I was delighted to find the bridge crossing Gap Run rebuilt after a wash out out some while back. At last, the trail can accurately be called a loop again. An invisible coating of frost on the bridge ramps made using them impossible, so I had to resort to Plan B and climb up to the bridge by a judicious use of some of the bridge underpinnings.

The stream was gorgeous as shafts of sun broke through the fog.

Sparrows were plentiful, although the diversity was less than I had hoped for. Watching Savannah, Field, and Song Spparrows playing “king of the haystack” was amusing and gave me some opportunities to photograph them as I snuck around the haystacks unseen by my subjects.

Probably the most abundant sparrow that morning was the White-throated, particularly in the dense undergrowth near the stream. Its whistled song provided the background music for much of my walk. This tan-striped morph could be a male or a female. If it was the one singing, it would have to have been a male however, since only white-striped females sing. These sparrows form stable dominance hierarchies in winter flocks.

Eastern Towhees are delightful, colorful birds also favoring dense, scrubby growth. This one was willing to perch for a few moments and expose itself, revealing its eye color. This light or reddish brown color probably indicates that it is a first fall bird. The color should change to red in winter.

Crushing a seed with its bill, this Song Sparrow kept an eye on me. Certainly the most numerous of the sparrows that day, it’s a year-round singer, particularly in mild weather.

This pretty Swamp Sparrow wears the colors of fall year round. This species was quite easy to find by its loud, sharp chip note. Found commonly throughout the winter in Northern Virginia, they persist until fairly late in the spring when we are briefly treated to their reedy trill, as they prepare for departure to their breeding grounds.

Savannah Sparrows, particularly, seemed to love the haystacks, hopping around, challenging each other for desirable spots, or so it seemed. I love the way this species sometimes seems to assume a slightly erect posture, looking eager and curious. Savannahs are seen most often in small flocks in open habitats like this farm meadow.

I watched a Red-shouldered Hawk as it called from a solitary tree far out in the meadow. I regretted not bringing my digiscoping gear because I knew this bird was far out of the reach of my 400 mm lens. No sooner had that thought passed when it was flying directly toward me. With no time to check my camera settings, I just shot away and came up with this not-too-sharp photo.

Now leafless persimmon trees were hanging heavy with fruit. Judging from the seeds in fox scat at this time of the year, these mammals and probably others, relish these seasonal treats. The fruit looked lush and ripe and I knew/thought they were edible, so I stole a low-hanging one and took it home to eat. Although wonderfully fragrant as it entered my mouth, the fruit soon produced an unpleasant, scratchy sensation and no sweetness. It was a major, but thankfully not fatal, disappointment. I need to research when, how, and if to eat this native fruit.

When I returned to the parking area near the manager’s residence and barn at the end of the morning, only one person was preparing to ride their horse along the bridle trail. I had the 462 acres almost to myself that lovely morning. No Northern Virginia birder or hiker or horseback rider should miss this heavenly place in the fall. Thank you, Mr. Mellon!