The third day of our backpack trip was a layover day at Arndt Lake. You can read about it at Bill's blog.
My observations:
1) Birding was pretty good that day. In the morning, there was a mixed flock of Orange-crowned Warblers, Yellow-rumped Warbles, nuthatches, and Chickadees feeding in the Hemlocks around our camp. In one small area during the hike, we saw Pine Grosbeaks, Pine Siskins, and a solo Black-backed Woodpecker. Ironic, as we'd made a special trip to find one earlier. We found another flock of Pine Grosbeaks, later, and a single Townsend's Solitaire in one of the meadows. Fun, especially the Grosbeaks, which are a very striking finch. We'd only seen one pair once before.
2) The hike to the top of the pass overlooking Rock Island Lake was great. When we reached the top, I felt like I was finally in the Sierras I knew and loved - tall toothy granite peaks emerged along the crest, and Rock Island Lake is cut out of the mold of Grinnell or Thousand Island. We never seem to manage to make it to any of this kind of large rock-studded lake, but it's fun to look at them.
3) When we got back, we followed Dad's lead by taking a bath in the lake and resting on the little rock island about 20 feet from the shore. There weren't many mosquitoes out that far into the lake, though one or two did find us, and the rock was pleasantly warm. Of course, the water was chillingly cold, but that's what you expect of a lake in the high Sierras.
You can find all the pictures from that day of hiking here: Backpack Day 3.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Backpack Notes, Day 2
Our second day took us from Peeler Lake to Arndt Lake via Kerrick Meadows. Bill's got an excellent post; you can read about it here.
My notes for posterity:
I got up as soon as I heard Dad stirring so that I could go fishing. Unfortunately, by the time I got my pole set up other people were also getting up, so I didn't get much of a chance to fish. I cast a mosquito out a few times, but all I got were a few bites. Too bad, since Peeler's fish were supposed to be pretty nice.
It's neat that Peeler drains down both sides of the crest. It's an interesting, large, and beautiful lake that would be nice to explore more thoroughly.
Juncos were singing all around the camp that morning, but the most interesting visitor was a female Black-headed Grosbeak. That had to be a wandering bird, as we were in pure coniferous forest at Peeler's elevation.
Kerrick Meadows were really neat - there were White-crowned Sparrows and Mountain Bluebirds around as well as the numerous Spotted Sandpipers and Dark-eyed Juncos that Bill mentioned. I really enjoyed seeing Spotted Sandpipers in meadows - there was one in a damp meadow near Arndt where there was no shore habitat at all; it gave a real arctic feel to the place.
Kerrick Meadows were also easy hiking - it's just straight for what seems like miles. It's really beautiful, but it does get a little monotonous because without any trees you can see exactly how slowly it takes to get from one end of the valley to the other.
Libby and I also found a young Hammond's Flycatcher in some firs along the bank of Arndt when we first walked in.
The mosquitoes in the meadowy portions of Ardnt were terrible. While we were waiting for Dad and Bill and Becca to get back from looking campsites, we were suffering!
After setting up camp, Dad, Becca, and Libby and I went for a little hike to the top of a promontory above our camp. From it, we could see down the canyon toward Benson Lake, and across to more of the granite domes in the area. We also found two baby flightless Mountain Bluebirds cowering under some tree trunks. They looked pretty pathetic! It was fun scrambling around on the granite.
It rained a little at Arndt, mostly over-night, but not enough to get the ground truly wet. It was enough to make noise on the rain fly, but that's about it.
More pictures are up on Flickr: Backpack Day 2.
My notes for posterity:
I got up as soon as I heard Dad stirring so that I could go fishing. Unfortunately, by the time I got my pole set up other people were also getting up, so I didn't get much of a chance to fish. I cast a mosquito out a few times, but all I got were a few bites. Too bad, since Peeler's fish were supposed to be pretty nice.
It's neat that Peeler drains down both sides of the crest. It's an interesting, large, and beautiful lake that would be nice to explore more thoroughly.
Juncos were singing all around the camp that morning, but the most interesting visitor was a female Black-headed Grosbeak. That had to be a wandering bird, as we were in pure coniferous forest at Peeler's elevation.
Kerrick Meadows were really neat - there were White-crowned Sparrows and Mountain Bluebirds around as well as the numerous Spotted Sandpipers and Dark-eyed Juncos that Bill mentioned. I really enjoyed seeing Spotted Sandpipers in meadows - there was one in a damp meadow near Arndt where there was no shore habitat at all; it gave a real arctic feel to the place.
Kerrick Meadows were also easy hiking - it's just straight for what seems like miles. It's really beautiful, but it does get a little monotonous because without any trees you can see exactly how slowly it takes to get from one end of the valley to the other.
Libby and I also found a young Hammond's Flycatcher in some firs along the bank of Arndt when we first walked in.
The mosquitoes in the meadowy portions of Ardnt were terrible. While we were waiting for Dad and Bill and Becca to get back from looking campsites, we were suffering!
After setting up camp, Dad, Becca, and Libby and I went for a little hike to the top of a promontory above our camp. From it, we could see down the canyon toward Benson Lake, and across to more of the granite domes in the area. We also found two baby flightless Mountain Bluebirds cowering under some tree trunks. They looked pretty pathetic! It was fun scrambling around on the granite.
It rained a little at Arndt, mostly over-night, but not enough to get the ground truly wet. It was enough to make noise on the rain fly, but that's about it.
More pictures are up on Flickr: Backpack Day 2.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Backpack Notes, Day 1
Bill did a day-by-day replay of our July backpack trip, already, which you can read here. I'll just add a few notes of my own observations.
It's pretty amazing it took us 5+ hours to get started hiking that first day. Starting later made the day quite a bit more difficult, because it was already warm when we started. The stretch of trail before Barney Lake would be nice to get done early because there isn't much shade as you hike through sage flats and the stunted willow/aspens forests on the switchbacks.
There were still some interesting birds the first day despite the late beginning. Our only Yellow-headed Blackbirds for the trip were in the meadows and cattle yards around Bridgeport. There were both Clark's Nutcrackers and Steller's Jays at the Twin Lakes campground, which is interesting since it's only about 7,000'. There were also a few Red-breasted Sapsuckers in the various aspen groves we encountered, and a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers near the campground itself. Western Wood-Pewees were quite common that first day, but less so afterward.
A big highlight for me was flushing a covey of Mountain Quail right where we ate lunch along Barney Lake's outlet. There was an adult (I assume a female) and a group fo maybe 8 or so young birds that all took flight as I approached them, disappearing into dense growth next to the trail. It was funny to watch the precocious young, about half their parent's size, flutter strongly into the air. Those were the first Mountain Quail I've encountered in the Sierras.
A pair of Black-headed Grosbeaks was nice just past Barney Lake. I'm not sure if that's high for them or not, but they could very well have been post-breeding dispersers or southward migrants that late in July. Further up the trail we had quite a few Audubon's Warblers, Dark-eyed Juncos and Cassin's Finches.
The trail from Barney to Peeler is a real grunt, as it's a consistent uphill climb. We were pretty tired when we got to camp, and we got there pretty late in the evening, so we basically just did camp chores, ate, and went to bed. Pumping water turned out to be an especially involving process with six people. I wish we could have gone fishing that evening, but we didn't have much energy or time.
The mosquitoes were bad!
I put up pictures from the day on our Flickr: Backpack Day 1.
It's pretty amazing it took us 5+ hours to get started hiking that first day. Starting later made the day quite a bit more difficult, because it was already warm when we started. The stretch of trail before Barney Lake would be nice to get done early because there isn't much shade as you hike through sage flats and the stunted willow/aspens forests on the switchbacks.
There were still some interesting birds the first day despite the late beginning. Our only Yellow-headed Blackbirds for the trip were in the meadows and cattle yards around Bridgeport. There were both Clark's Nutcrackers and Steller's Jays at the Twin Lakes campground, which is interesting since it's only about 7,000'. There were also a few Red-breasted Sapsuckers in the various aspen groves we encountered, and a pair of Williamson's Sapsuckers near the campground itself. Western Wood-Pewees were quite common that first day, but less so afterward.
A big highlight for me was flushing a covey of Mountain Quail right where we ate lunch along Barney Lake's outlet. There was an adult (I assume a female) and a group fo maybe 8 or so young birds that all took flight as I approached them, disappearing into dense growth next to the trail. It was funny to watch the precocious young, about half their parent's size, flutter strongly into the air. Those were the first Mountain Quail I've encountered in the Sierras.
A pair of Black-headed Grosbeaks was nice just past Barney Lake. I'm not sure if that's high for them or not, but they could very well have been post-breeding dispersers or southward migrants that late in July. Further up the trail we had quite a few Audubon's Warblers, Dark-eyed Juncos and Cassin's Finches.
The trail from Barney to Peeler is a real grunt, as it's a consistent uphill climb. We were pretty tired when we got to camp, and we got there pretty late in the evening, so we basically just did camp chores, ate, and went to bed. Pumping water turned out to be an especially involving process with six people. I wish we could have gone fishing that evening, but we didn't have much energy or time.
The mosquitoes were bad!
I put up pictures from the day on our Flickr: Backpack Day 1.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Rare Air
Libby and I got to take a trip to Mammoth, back in late July. It's hard to believe we've already been home for more about a month!
The main event of our trip was a family backpack trip. Bill and Becca flew out from New York, so with Mom and Dad along, it was the whole nuclear bunch planning on hitting the trail together on a Tuesday. Still, Libby and I wanted to spend a little time up at the cabin itself, too, so we took off early on the Saturday morning beforehand.
We were looking forward to spending time with more of the family, there - Uncle John, Aunt Carol, Cousin Sydney and her boyfriend Jonathan were all planning on arriving that Saturday, also. I was hoping to get a little birding done before we arrived, so we actually left especially early that Saturday in order to arrive in the sage flats around Crowley Lake while the birds were still active. It worked - we got there around 11:00, turning right onto the road to Benton Crossing off Highway 395 at the Green Church, and then off we went toward the lake on a dirt road.
This is the closest spot we know to find birds of the Great Basin sage community. That means Sage Sparrows, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Vesper's Sparrows, and Greater Sage-Grouse are common. We trundled down to the lake shore itself, where we found Phaloropes, Eared and Western Grebes, and American White Pelicans floating about in the water. In years past, we've seen Yellow-headed Blackbirds pretty easily here, and I was hoping to get some pictures, but there weren't any around. I'm not sure where they were.
After getting our fill of gray birds, we got back onto the pavement and headed north toward Mono Lake. Our object was a bird that would be new for us - the Black-backed Woodpecker. Black-backed Woodpeckers are a mostly boreal bird that has a disjunct population in the Sierras. It's a bit difficult to find, but is most common in areas that have recently burned. We'd been tipped off to a new colony when we met Jon Dunn in Arizona - there's a small burned area near June Lake that was hosting a few pairs. We got there - after a detour to check out the Aspen Grove where we got engaged four years ago, and ice cream at the Mono Cone - and saw a black woodpecker fly by as we drove in. Getting out of the car, it took a little more walking before we found one again. But we got great looks at at least three individuals. We even got pictures of one.
A Black-backed Woodpecker on a burned Jeffrey Pine.
The main event of our trip was a family backpack trip. Bill and Becca flew out from New York, so with Mom and Dad along, it was the whole nuclear bunch planning on hitting the trail together on a Tuesday. Still, Libby and I wanted to spend a little time up at the cabin itself, too, so we took off early on the Saturday morning beforehand.
We were looking forward to spending time with more of the family, there - Uncle John, Aunt Carol, Cousin Sydney and her boyfriend Jonathan were all planning on arriving that Saturday, also. I was hoping to get a little birding done before we arrived, so we actually left especially early that Saturday in order to arrive in the sage flats around Crowley Lake while the birds were still active. It worked - we got there around 11:00, turning right onto the road to Benton Crossing off Highway 395 at the Green Church, and then off we went toward the lake on a dirt road.
This is the closest spot we know to find birds of the Great Basin sage community. That means Sage Sparrows, Sage Thrashers, Brewer's Sparrows, Vesper's Sparrows, and Greater Sage-Grouse are common. We trundled down to the lake shore itself, where we found Phaloropes, Eared and Western Grebes, and American White Pelicans floating about in the water. In years past, we've seen Yellow-headed Blackbirds pretty easily here, and I was hoping to get some pictures, but there weren't any around. I'm not sure where they were.
After getting our fill of gray birds, we got back onto the pavement and headed north toward Mono Lake. Our object was a bird that would be new for us - the Black-backed Woodpecker. Black-backed Woodpeckers are a mostly boreal bird that has a disjunct population in the Sierras. It's a bit difficult to find, but is most common in areas that have recently burned. We'd been tipped off to a new colony when we met Jon Dunn in Arizona - there's a small burned area near June Lake that was hosting a few pairs. We got there - after a detour to check out the Aspen Grove where we got engaged four years ago, and ice cream at the Mono Cone - and saw a black woodpecker fly by as we drove in. Getting out of the car, it took a little more walking before we found one again. But we got great looks at at least three individuals. We even got pictures of one.
A Black-backed Woodpecker on a burned Jeffrey Pine.By now it was getting to be mid-afternoon, so we made our way back to the Cabin. We were still ahead of the Hirts, so we took a trip down to the Lowe's cabin to stow our stuff with Grandma and Grandpa, and then settled down to relax a little back up at the cabin. A little bit of comfort makes me itchy when there's so much to see and do, so we popped back outside for a short walk along the old uranium mine road. Best sighting of that little walk was a real live Pine Marten! This cute weasel-like animal had golden fur and the cutest face you could hope for, bounding slinkily along the ground for a few yards, sitting, and then hopping on again. I was shocked, it's quite unusual to sight one. I'd never seen one before, and hadn't really ever hoped to have seen one.
Anyway, when we got back to the cabin, the Hirts had arrived, and we all had dinner together. That night Libby and I went fishing with Grandpa, and then we all sat around and talked until it was time for bed, and Libby and I drove back down the mountain to the Lowe's cabin.
The next morning, before church, we took a short walk around the Lowe's cabin area. We had a bit of an adventure finding our way through a dense aspen thicket along a creek, but we still saw some neat birds, including a MacGillivray's Warbler and even a Hermit Warbler just outside the cabin itself.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the cabin - fishing, games, family, etc. It was quite nice.
The next day the rest of the family had arrived, and we had to spend time getting ready for the backpack trip. We did find time to go for a little walk up behind the cabin, though, which was fun. There were a lot of beautiful flowers blooming, and everything was quite green.
I put up a set of pictures from the pre-backpack trip activities: Mammoth Trip.
Anyway, when we got back to the cabin, the Hirts had arrived, and we all had dinner together. That night Libby and I went fishing with Grandpa, and then we all sat around and talked until it was time for bed, and Libby and I drove back down the mountain to the Lowe's cabin.
The next morning, before church, we took a short walk around the Lowe's cabin area. We had a bit of an adventure finding our way through a dense aspen thicket along a creek, but we still saw some neat birds, including a MacGillivray's Warbler and even a Hermit Warbler just outside the cabin itself.
We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the cabin - fishing, games, family, etc. It was quite nice.
The next day the rest of the family had arrived, and we had to spend time getting ready for the backpack trip. We did find time to go for a little walk up behind the cabin, though, which was fun. There were a lot of beautiful flowers blooming, and everything was quite green.
I put up a set of pictures from the pre-backpack trip activities: Mammoth Trip.
Out of the Mouth of Babes
I spent all day yesterday with my nephews, because Emily had just finished helping a friend give birth (for 48 hours!) and needed to sleep. While I was there, I heard some funny things, and I wanted to document a few:
Jonathan (age 4): Aunt Libby, will you still be here when I wake up from my nap?
Me: Well, I don't know. It kind of depends on how long you sleep.
Jonathan: Well, you should decide and then call Uncle Jon and tell him.
Me: I think I'll probably still be here.
Jonathan: You should tell Uncle Jon.
Me: Uncle Jon knows that I'm here.
Jonathan: Ok, good. Because if he didn't, he would come home and say, "Where's Aunt Libby?"
I thought this was very conscientious of the little guy.
Thomas (age 2) has been doing a great job learning how to talk. I try to get him to say "Annyong" (from Arrested Development) whenever I have a chance, and it usually goes like this:
Me: Annyong, Thomas.
Thomas: Annyong, Ont Wibby!
But, because he's 2 and loves to say "no", sometimes it goes more like this:
Me: Annyong, Thomas.
Thomas: No annyong.
And that's just as good.
And, lastly, this treasure:
Jonathan (age 4): Did you know Daddy had a birthday party? Well, it wasn't his; it was for a friend. And his friend got some alcohol. {Pause} But he didn't drink it all at once. He drank it a little bit at a time. And that's what I would do, too...except no one will let me.
Priceless.
Jonathan (age 4): Aunt Libby, will you still be here when I wake up from my nap?
Me: Well, I don't know. It kind of depends on how long you sleep.
Jonathan: Well, you should decide and then call Uncle Jon and tell him.
Me: I think I'll probably still be here.
Jonathan: You should tell Uncle Jon.
Me: Uncle Jon knows that I'm here.
Jonathan: Ok, good. Because if he didn't, he would come home and say, "Where's Aunt Libby?"
I thought this was very conscientious of the little guy.
Thomas (age 2) has been doing a great job learning how to talk. I try to get him to say "Annyong" (from Arrested Development) whenever I have a chance, and it usually goes like this:
Me: Annyong, Thomas.
Thomas: Annyong, Ont Wibby!
But, because he's 2 and loves to say "no", sometimes it goes more like this:
Me: Annyong, Thomas.
Thomas: No annyong.
And that's just as good.
And, lastly, this treasure:
Jonathan (age 4): Did you know Daddy had a birthday party? Well, it wasn't his; it was for a friend. And his friend got some alcohol. {Pause} But he didn't drink it all at once. He drank it a little bit at a time. And that's what I would do, too...except no one will let me.
Priceless.
Saturday, August 08, 2009
New York Trip List
Here's a list of the birds we saw in New York. It won't be in taxonomic order, or strictly in the order we saw the birds.
1. Pied-billed Grebe
2. Great-blue Heron
3. Great Egret
4. Green Heron
5. Canada Goose
6. Wood Duck
7. Mallard
8. Turkey Vulture
9. Osprey
10. Red-tailed Hawk
11. Bald Eagle
12. American Coot
13. Kildeer
14. Spotted Sandpiper
15. Ring-billed Gull
16. Black Tern
17. Rock Pigeon
18. Mourning Dove
19. Chimney Swift
20. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
21. Belted Kingfisher
22. Red-bellied Woodpecker
23. Downy Woodpecker
24. Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker
25. Eastern Wood-Pewee
26. Willow Flycatcher
27. Alder Flycatcher
28. Least Flycatcher
29. Eastern Phoebe
30. Eastern Kingbird
31. Warbling Vireo (our first Eastern birds)
32. Red-eyed Vireo
33. Yellow-throated Vireo
34. Blue Jay
35. American Crow
36. Barn Swallow
37. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
38. Tree Swallow
39. Purple Martin
40. Black-capped Chickadee
41. White-breasted Nuthatch
42. House Wren
43. Carolina Wren?
44. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
45. American Robin
46. Gray Catbird
47. Northern Mockingbird
48. Cedar Waxwing
49. European Starling
50. Yellow Warbler
51. Cerulean Warbler
52. Common Yellowthroat
53. Northern Cardinal
54. Indigo Bunting
55. Chipping Sparrow
56. Field Sparrow
57. Savannah Sparrow
58. Song Sparrow
59. Swamp Sparrow
60. Baltimore Oriole
61. Eastern Meadowlark
62. Bobolink
63. Red-winged Blackbird
64. Common Grackle
65. Brown-headed Cowbird
66. House Sparrow
67. American Goldfinch
68. House Finch
69. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
70. Eastern Screech-Owl
71. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
72. Great-crested Flycatcher
73. Blue-headed Vireo
74. Tufted Titmouse
75. Winter Wren (eastern - probably a lifer)
76. Hermit Thrush
77. Brown Thrasher
78. Blackburnian Warbler
79. Black-throated Green
80. Pine Warbler
81. Hooded Warbler
82. Scarlet Tanager
83. Eastern Towhee
84. Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco
85. Double-crested Cormorant
86. Mute Swan
87. Cooper's Hawk
88. American Kestrel
89. Wild Turkey
90. Herring Gull
92. Caspian Tern
93. Hairy Woodpecker
94. Pileated Woodpecker (heard)
95. Bank Swallow
96. Brown Creeper
97. American Redstart
98. Black-crowned Night Heron
99. Common Tern
100. Marsh Wren (eastern)
101. Veery
102. Northern Waterthrush
103. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
104. Blue-winged Warbler
Not a bad trip list, I think. 21 lifers is pretty amazing.
1. Pied-billed Grebe
2. Great-blue Heron
3. Great Egret
4. Green Heron
5. Canada Goose
6. Wood Duck
7. Mallard
8. Turkey Vulture
9. Osprey
10. Red-tailed Hawk
11. Bald Eagle
12. American Coot
13. Kildeer
14. Spotted Sandpiper
15. Ring-billed Gull
16. Black Tern
17. Rock Pigeon
18. Mourning Dove
19. Chimney Swift
20. Ruby-throated Hummingbird
21. Belted Kingfisher
22. Red-bellied Woodpecker
23. Downy Woodpecker
24. Northern (Yellow-shafted) Flicker
25. Eastern Wood-Pewee
26. Willow Flycatcher
27. Alder Flycatcher
28. Least Flycatcher
29. Eastern Phoebe
30. Eastern Kingbird
31. Warbling Vireo (our first Eastern birds)
32. Red-eyed Vireo
33. Yellow-throated Vireo
34. Blue Jay
35. American Crow
36. Barn Swallow
37. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
38. Tree Swallow
39. Purple Martin
40. Black-capped Chickadee
41. White-breasted Nuthatch
42. House Wren
43. Carolina Wren?
44. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
45. American Robin
46. Gray Catbird
47. Northern Mockingbird
48. Cedar Waxwing
49. European Starling
50. Yellow Warbler
51. Cerulean Warbler
52. Common Yellowthroat
53. Northern Cardinal
54. Indigo Bunting
55. Chipping Sparrow
56. Field Sparrow
57. Savannah Sparrow
58. Song Sparrow
59. Swamp Sparrow
60. Baltimore Oriole
61. Eastern Meadowlark
62. Bobolink
63. Red-winged Blackbird
64. Common Grackle
65. Brown-headed Cowbird
66. House Sparrow
67. American Goldfinch
68. House Finch
69. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
70. Eastern Screech-Owl
71. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
72. Great-crested Flycatcher
73. Blue-headed Vireo
74. Tufted Titmouse
75. Winter Wren (eastern - probably a lifer)
76. Hermit Thrush
77. Brown Thrasher
78. Blackburnian Warbler
79. Black-throated Green
80. Pine Warbler
81. Hooded Warbler
82. Scarlet Tanager
83. Eastern Towhee
84. Dark-eyed (Slate-colored) Junco
85. Double-crested Cormorant
86. Mute Swan
87. Cooper's Hawk
88. American Kestrel
89. Wild Turkey
90. Herring Gull
92. Caspian Tern
93. Hairy Woodpecker
94. Pileated Woodpecker (heard)
95. Bank Swallow
96. Brown Creeper
97. American Redstart
98. Black-crowned Night Heron
99. Common Tern
100. Marsh Wren (eastern)
101. Veery
102. Northern Waterthrush
103. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
104. Blue-winged Warbler
Not a bad trip list, I think. 21 lifers is pretty amazing.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
New York, Last Day
When I scheduled our flight home from Rochester to LAX, I chose a flight leaving in the evening so that we could spend most of the day in New York. Unfortunately, it basically rained that whole day. It would come and go in intensity, but we were socked in and everything was sopping wet.
With nothing much to do that would be in doors in the Rochester area, we decided that, what the heck, we'd go birding anyway. So Bill, Libby and I all went to Mendon Ponds, a park on the edge of Rochester. We zipped up our rain shells, and wandered off down a squishy trail. At first, the birds were quiet and we just trundled along in the wet gazing around, but soon the rain slowed a little, and the birds came out.
The biggest highlight of the walk was an opportunity to get very close looks at a pair of Blue-winged Warblers bringing food to their nest in the grass right off of the trail. This was a lifer that I had expected to see easily, and so it was a relief to finally get it on the last day of the trip. They were quite lovely, and we got to see both sexes quite well.
The other really big highlight was hand-feeding Black-capped Chickadees along the trail. Bill had brought food for the purpose, and they came right in, despite the fact that it was summer! The Chickadees in the Sierras will eat out of your hands in the winter when food is scarce, but these birds were so tame they'd eat from your hands any time. It's fun to have birds land on your hands - Chickadees are incredibly light, you can hardly feel their weight at all, just the light rasping of their tiny claws.
The rest of the walk was pretty quiet, with glimpses of Veeries, which were singing all around us, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers being the highlights. We had lunch at Wegmans, frozen custard at Abbott's, and then went home to shower and pack. The rest of the afternoon was pretty relaxing, and then when Becca got off work we went into the city to get dinner at a trendy little sandwich joint in South Wedge.
And then we were off! It wasn't easy to say goodbye, though it was nice knowing we'd see them again, soon. And it was a long trip back, via Washington D.C. Dulles, and we didn't sleep well on the flight to LAX, like we'd hoped. Compounding that, our carry-on luggage got packed, which made us wait half-an-hour to get it back (grr), and by the time we got our car out of the parking garage and everything else, it was quite late when we got home.
Pictures are up on Flickr - none from our walk at Mendon Ponds, I didn't want to get the camera wet, but Bill and Becca's pictures are there from in front of their apartment. You can view all of our pictures from the trip in the new "Visiting Bill and Becca" collection, too.
With nothing much to do that would be in doors in the Rochester area, we decided that, what the heck, we'd go birding anyway. So Bill, Libby and I all went to Mendon Ponds, a park on the edge of Rochester. We zipped up our rain shells, and wandered off down a squishy trail. At first, the birds were quiet and we just trundled along in the wet gazing around, but soon the rain slowed a little, and the birds came out.
The biggest highlight of the walk was an opportunity to get very close looks at a pair of Blue-winged Warblers bringing food to their nest in the grass right off of the trail. This was a lifer that I had expected to see easily, and so it was a relief to finally get it on the last day of the trip. They were quite lovely, and we got to see both sexes quite well.
The other really big highlight was hand-feeding Black-capped Chickadees along the trail. Bill had brought food for the purpose, and they came right in, despite the fact that it was summer! The Chickadees in the Sierras will eat out of your hands in the winter when food is scarce, but these birds were so tame they'd eat from your hands any time. It's fun to have birds land on your hands - Chickadees are incredibly light, you can hardly feel their weight at all, just the light rasping of their tiny claws.
The rest of the walk was pretty quiet, with glimpses of Veeries, which were singing all around us, and Red-bellied Woodpeckers being the highlights. We had lunch at Wegmans, frozen custard at Abbott's, and then went home to shower and pack. The rest of the afternoon was pretty relaxing, and then when Becca got off work we went into the city to get dinner at a trendy little sandwich joint in South Wedge.
And then we were off! It wasn't easy to say goodbye, though it was nice knowing we'd see them again, soon. And it was a long trip back, via Washington D.C. Dulles, and we didn't sleep well on the flight to LAX, like we'd hoped. Compounding that, our carry-on luggage got packed, which made us wait half-an-hour to get it back (grr), and by the time we got our car out of the parking garage and everything else, it was quite late when we got home.
Pictures are up on Flickr - none from our walk at Mendon Ponds, I didn't want to get the camera wet, but Bill and Becca's pictures are there from in front of their apartment. You can view all of our pictures from the trip in the new "Visiting Bill and Becca" collection, too.
Sunday, August 02, 2009
New York Day 5
Well, things have been pretty busy since our last post on the blog. We went backpacking, Libby got her wisdom teeth removed, and I worked a 50 hour week at work.
So, heading way back in time, let's talk about our last full day in New York visiting Bill and Becca way back in mid-June! This was the day we got to go to Niagara Falls, but before we did, we also checked out a wildlife refuge between Rochester and Buffalo called Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Becca had to go to work that Wednesday, so we spent the day with Bill.
Iroquois is a neat area of woods, grasslands and wetlands that hosts a good variety of species. We got much closer looks at Black Terns than we'd had at Montezuma, and we also got really good looks at an eastern Marsh Wren. We spent quite a bit of time looking for a Prothonotary Warbler that was reported as consistent from a certain area, but we never saw it. I think I heard it once, but it was a bit too far from the road to be sure. I was really hoping to pick up this impressive species, but there's a lot of luck involved in birding.
After looking for the warbler, we took a couple of walks in the woods. One was a really delightful walk down a forest trail full of the sounds of Wood Thrushes, a couple of Veeries, a singing male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (our only one for the trip), and lots of American Redstarts. Tree Swallows were also very common throughout the refuge nesting in provided boxes.
We also went for a walk on the Swallow Hollow Trail, a neat loop that takes you through some mature riparian deciduous forest. Its verdant thickets held tantalizingly close calling Pileated Woodpeckers, a family of Brown Creepers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos that flew right over our heads, and we even got glimpses of singing Cerulean Warblers!
It was spitting and threatening to do more meteorologically by this time, so we got a bit of a hurry (and a bit lost) on our way toward Buffalo. We made a brief stop at a former landfill that was reported to host Henslow's Sparrows and Upland Sandpipers, but the incredibly thick clouds, strong winds and occasional drops of rain here made us think better of entering an empty and treeless field during the threat of lightening. By the time we'd returned to our car, it was raining quite strongly.
Next stop, though, was Niagara Falls, where a little more water can be seen falling than was coming out of the sky! Tons and tons of water pass over Niagara Falls by the minute. It's pretty impressive. We only checked it out from the American side, since we didn't have our passports or birth certificates, but it was still fun. The scale of the falls is its most impressive attribute. An entire enormous river of water dropping a hundred feet creates quite a spectacle.
By the time all of this was over, the day was winding down quickly. We were in a bit of a hurry to get home, but missed a turn-off toward Rochester as we crossed from Grand Island back into Buffalo. Unfortunately, this cost us time as we got off the freeway to re-trace our steps, but it also gained us a lifer! There, in the river, were a group of Common Terns. We made a quick stop to admire them, jumped back in the car, and headed on our way. I'd like to spend some time studying them alongside Forster's Terns some day - probably at Bolsa Chica, but we got decent looks all the same.
There are pictures of the day and the waterfalls on our Flickr account: New York Day 5.
So, heading way back in time, let's talk about our last full day in New York visiting Bill and Becca way back in mid-June! This was the day we got to go to Niagara Falls, but before we did, we also checked out a wildlife refuge between Rochester and Buffalo called Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. Becca had to go to work that Wednesday, so we spent the day with Bill.
Iroquois is a neat area of woods, grasslands and wetlands that hosts a good variety of species. We got much closer looks at Black Terns than we'd had at Montezuma, and we also got really good looks at an eastern Marsh Wren. We spent quite a bit of time looking for a Prothonotary Warbler that was reported as consistent from a certain area, but we never saw it. I think I heard it once, but it was a bit too far from the road to be sure. I was really hoping to pick up this impressive species, but there's a lot of luck involved in birding.
After looking for the warbler, we took a couple of walks in the woods. One was a really delightful walk down a forest trail full of the sounds of Wood Thrushes, a couple of Veeries, a singing male Rose-breasted Grosbeak (our only one for the trip), and lots of American Redstarts. Tree Swallows were also very common throughout the refuge nesting in provided boxes.
We also went for a walk on the Swallow Hollow Trail, a neat loop that takes you through some mature riparian deciduous forest. Its verdant thickets held tantalizingly close calling Pileated Woodpeckers, a family of Brown Creepers, Yellow-billed Cuckoos that flew right over our heads, and we even got glimpses of singing Cerulean Warblers!
It was spitting and threatening to do more meteorologically by this time, so we got a bit of a hurry (and a bit lost) on our way toward Buffalo. We made a brief stop at a former landfill that was reported to host Henslow's Sparrows and Upland Sandpipers, but the incredibly thick clouds, strong winds and occasional drops of rain here made us think better of entering an empty and treeless field during the threat of lightening. By the time we'd returned to our car, it was raining quite strongly.
Next stop, though, was Niagara Falls, where a little more water can be seen falling than was coming out of the sky! Tons and tons of water pass over Niagara Falls by the minute. It's pretty impressive. We only checked it out from the American side, since we didn't have our passports or birth certificates, but it was still fun. The scale of the falls is its most impressive attribute. An entire enormous river of water dropping a hundred feet creates quite a spectacle.
By the time all of this was over, the day was winding down quickly. We were in a bit of a hurry to get home, but missed a turn-off toward Rochester as we crossed from Grand Island back into Buffalo. Unfortunately, this cost us time as we got off the freeway to re-trace our steps, but it also gained us a lifer! There, in the river, were a group of Common Terns. We made a quick stop to admire them, jumped back in the car, and headed on our way. I'd like to spend some time studying them alongside Forster's Terns some day - probably at Bolsa Chica, but we got decent looks all the same.
There are pictures of the day and the waterfalls on our Flickr account: New York Day 5.
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