It's ironic that something as cold as snow is so good at causing sunburn. This weekend, I went backpacking with my Dad. It was really exciting since I haven't been in the back country since 2003. This short trip was similarly short, only two nights (we'd planned on 3), and, well, it snowed. Oh, and I got really sunburned.
Fortunately we knew it might snow, and were prepared for bad weather. Dad and I had been watching the weather forecasts for days, watching a cold front develop and move slowly south through California. Multiple trips to REI and raiding the winter ski supplies brought us mostly up to snuff. All in all, we were prepared for an adventure.
We drove up Saturday to Bishop and picked up our permit and bear can before continuing to the cabin in Mammoth. We stayed one night there to acclimate and stay warm. We were encouraged that it was mostly dry in Mammoth. There had been barely any snow, and Saturday dawned mostly clear and slightly damp. It hadn't snowed over night at all.
So we hopped into our car and drove to the trail head (picking up a good friend of Dad's on the way), where we found it was quite cloudy and snowy. Apparently Mammoth had been skipped for higher climes further south. We started hiking at South Lake, and went trudging off into a winter wonderland. Despite the fact that the Aspens had barely begun turning in the Bishop Creek drainage, it looked and felt exactly like winter. Snow crunched underfoot and drifted gently in front of us in a sparse white veil. At low elevations, the snow was only accumulating slowly. It wasn't melting at all, but it was snowing so slowly that there was only a couple of inches on and around the trail.
After lunch, however, we started encountering occasional gusts of wind and the snow was intensifying. We started sinking deeper into the tracks as the trail left the constant cover of trees. We encountered a group of hikers who'd come over Bishop Pass earlier. They said the snow lay thick on the switchbacks, and that they were glad to be getting out of the back country. It had snowed on them the last two nights in a row, and the knapsack pass they'd come through before Bishop Pass was hazardous because the boulders were all covered in snow. Soon after talking to them, we began postholing our way up through deeper and deeper snow while the dark clouds showed no sign of clearing. This despite the original forecast being that the storm was to clear Saturday afternoon.
I started to think this might not be so bright, and Dad was thinking the same thing, besides starting to feel the effects of thinning air and having to lift our feet higher and higher all the time. We stopped at Bishop Lake to see if we'd have a chance to make the pass today. After a moment of rest, it started to snow in earnest, big flakes falling quickly and densely. This was becoming a real winter storm, and we elected to set up camp immediately. We did so, and Joe headed back down the mountain to warmth.
We ended up staying there for both nights, and leaving one night early. The second day was partly cloudy, but warm, and some of the thinner areas melted. We day-hiked the pass, which was fun. Without packs, with warm boots and gaiters, the hike wasn't so bad. We were the first over it that day, and about 20 people followed after us in our tracks. That left pools of thawed water along the route, which I imagine froze over night to make an interesting path for people coming up the next day.
Both nights were cold. I shivered on and off both nights, and didn't get much sleep all together. My insulite pad was just not warm enough. The second night, we used clothes to keep me warmer underneath my bag, and that was somewhat successful. I was able to get warm more often, and was overall more comfortable. Dad slept very well the second night.
The second morning we woke to find Bishop Lake frozen. The entire lake was covered with a layer of ice that was up to 5/8" thick. It was a nice day, though. We ended up packing up and hiking home at my urging more than Dad's. I was terribly sunburned from the hike over the pass, and we were just so close to the trail head that I just didn't want to spend another day in the sun and a night in the cold. Besides, I was missing Libby! Our hike down was great. We took a detour to Ruwau Lake via a cross country route that gave us some fun route-finding in the snowy hills. The lower areas were in the process of thawing, and the smells of trees, dust and sage occasionally met our noses. The trail was the wettest I've ever seen a Sierra trail. It was really muddy and slushy as the snow melted away. We only encountered dry dust within a mile or so from the trail-head, as we began wandering down through Aspens and the rocky slopes above South Lake. We reached the car, hopped in, and drove straight home. And that was the end of our backpack trip.
Here's to hoping for next year.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Birding Ups and Downs
This weekend is a big one for birds in the L.A. area. There was an Arctic Warbler in Long Beach, and a Yellow Wagtail in Malibu.
Friday we visited De Forest Park in Long Beach for the Warbler. We spent about two hours scouring the park for it, but we came up empty. It is not the most beautiful park, that's for sure. It's full of homeless camps and litter. Thankfully, there was a group of four birders from Orange County that showed up soon after us. We appreciated the company and the safety that numbers brought as the sun set. Unfortunately, the extra eyes weren't enough to find the bird.
We did see:
Warbling Vireo (olive back, eyebrow!, but no wing-bar: this was the closest we got to something like the Arctic Warbler)
Black Phoebes (lots)
Wilson's Warbler (5 or so)
Black-throated Gray Warbler (2)
House Wren (1)
Common Yellowthroat (4)
Vaux's Swift (50)
White-throated Swift (5-10)
Barn Swallow (2)
California Towhee (1)
Bushtit (10)
Cooper's Hawk (3)
Allen's Hummingbird (10)
House Finch
The Vaux's Swifts were probably the highlight of the evening for me. There were tons of them swirling all over the place in a giant flock above us. Occasionally they'd dart in low among the tree tops after some insect or another. Since we only get Vaux's Swifts as migrants, it's always a treat to see them.
Malibu was a little more fruitful, if exhausting. We set our alarm for 5:00 in the morning. When I woke up this morning, I turned over and looked at the clock. It said 4:35. I groaned inside. That's not enough time to get any more rest! I just lay in bed until the alarm went off, and then took a shower. After my shower, I came out to prepare breakfast to find that, somehow, our clock had been set an hour ahead. It was actually 4:30 by then. It had been 3:30 when I awoke.
We got out the door by 5:30 to drive out to Malibu. This works well, I highly recommend it. There wasn't any traffic anywhere on the roads at that time, which was nice. Unfortunately, it was still quite dark and very cold when we arrived at the Malibu Lagoon. We parked far away and walked, since we didn't know where anything was, which had the benefit of warming us up.
The Yellow Wagtail proved much easier to see than the Arctic Warbler. Right after I set up the scope on the bridge over the Lagoon, I saw it. It was too dark, however, to actually see anything much about it. It didn't stick around, either. It flew off quite quickly. We shivered and waited for awhile, but finally decided to head off some sand bars on the other end of the lagoon. It was a pretty walk, and as we arrived, two birders picked up the bird again in their scopes. I set up ours, but we were way too far away for our little telescope. The bird was there, and we could see it, but it just looked like a little dot. After awhile, we asked to look through the other birders' bigger scopes. They were courteous, but the bird was gone by the time I had asked. Bummer.
Anyway, there was no point waiting there anymore with our scope, so we headed off to a third location, more central to the marsh. We waited there for over an hour before the bird showed up again, but it did. We looked through our scope, and through another kind birders scope, before packing up and leaving. It had disappeared again by the time we packed up to go.
Anyway, birds we saw there:
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron (getting there before the sun revealed tons of these)
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
American Coot
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Willet
Semipalmated Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Kildeer
Sanderling
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vaux's Swifts (another big flock)
Red-winged Blackbirds
Great-tailed Grackle
Song Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Wilson's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Friday we visited De Forest Park in Long Beach for the Warbler. We spent about two hours scouring the park for it, but we came up empty. It is not the most beautiful park, that's for sure. It's full of homeless camps and litter. Thankfully, there was a group of four birders from Orange County that showed up soon after us. We appreciated the company and the safety that numbers brought as the sun set. Unfortunately, the extra eyes weren't enough to find the bird.
We did see:
Warbling Vireo (olive back, eyebrow!, but no wing-bar: this was the closest we got to something like the Arctic Warbler)
Black Phoebes (lots)
Wilson's Warbler (5 or so)
Black-throated Gray Warbler (2)
House Wren (1)
Common Yellowthroat (4)
Vaux's Swift (50)
White-throated Swift (5-10)
Barn Swallow (2)
California Towhee (1)
Bushtit (10)
Cooper's Hawk (3)
Allen's Hummingbird (10)
House Finch
The Vaux's Swifts were probably the highlight of the evening for me. There were tons of them swirling all over the place in a giant flock above us. Occasionally they'd dart in low among the tree tops after some insect or another. Since we only get Vaux's Swifts as migrants, it's always a treat to see them.
Malibu was a little more fruitful, if exhausting. We set our alarm for 5:00 in the morning. When I woke up this morning, I turned over and looked at the clock. It said 4:35. I groaned inside. That's not enough time to get any more rest! I just lay in bed until the alarm went off, and then took a shower. After my shower, I came out to prepare breakfast to find that, somehow, our clock had been set an hour ahead. It was actually 4:30 by then. It had been 3:30 when I awoke.
We got out the door by 5:30 to drive out to Malibu. This works well, I highly recommend it. There wasn't any traffic anywhere on the roads at that time, which was nice. Unfortunately, it was still quite dark and very cold when we arrived at the Malibu Lagoon. We parked far away and walked, since we didn't know where anything was, which had the benefit of warming us up.
The Yellow Wagtail proved much easier to see than the Arctic Warbler. Right after I set up the scope on the bridge over the Lagoon, I saw it. It was too dark, however, to actually see anything much about it. It didn't stick around, either. It flew off quite quickly. We shivered and waited for awhile, but finally decided to head off some sand bars on the other end of the lagoon. It was a pretty walk, and as we arrived, two birders picked up the bird again in their scopes. I set up ours, but we were way too far away for our little telescope. The bird was there, and we could see it, but it just looked like a little dot. After awhile, we asked to look through the other birders' bigger scopes. They were courteous, but the bird was gone by the time I had asked. Bummer.
Anyway, there was no point waiting there anymore with our scope, so we headed off to a third location, more central to the marsh. We waited there for over an hour before the bird showed up again, but it did. We looked through our scope, and through another kind birders scope, before packing up and leaving. It had disappeared again by the time we packed up to go.
Anyway, birds we saw there:
Great Blue Heron
Great Egret
Snowy Egret
Green Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron (getting there before the sun revealed tons of these)
Brown Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Mallard
Northern Shoveler
Blue-winged Teal
American Coot
Spotted Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Willet
Semipalmated Plover
Ruddy Turnstone
Kildeer
Sanderling
Black Phoebe
Say's Phoebe
Vaux's Swifts (another big flock)
Red-winged Blackbirds
Great-tailed Grackle
Song Sparrow
California Towhee
Spotted Towhee
Wilson's Warbler
Common Yellowthroat
Thursday, September 13, 2007
3:10 to Yuma
Libby and I saw 3:10 to Yuma last night, and we loved it. It's the best movie I've seen in a theater for awhile. We were both riveted the whole movie, and powerfully moved by the climax.
It's a good cowboy movie, with good characters, exciting action, and really great acting by Crowe and Bale. It's full of conventions from other cowboy movies - the slick, dandy gunman, the poor out-of-luck rancher, and the smooth talking intelligent outlaw. I loved it!
It was also based in Southeast Arizona, and the Crowe's character is introduced whilst sketching a bird. It was some raptor I didn't recognize, perhaps a Short-tailed Hawk - if they are conscientious enough to take range into account. I thought that was especially cool, since it's supposed to be taking place in one of the premier birdwatching areas of the United States. Short-tailed Hawks are distributed sparsely in the United States.
In the movie, they travel a route from Bisbee to Contention - here's a map of the way to do it now a days. Some of the country looked very correct (it was actually filmed in New Mexico), but there wasn't enough variety. Most of the movie takes place in mesquite grasslands. They're supposed to travel through a mountain pass, but the mountains don't look anything like Madrean sky islands - much too dry. Still, identifying with the area added something to the movie experience.
View Larger Map
I've never seen the original movie it's based on, so I added it to our Blockbuster queue. I hear it's pretty good, too, and some reviewers definitely liked it better than the current offering. I can't imagine it being much better than this one, though.
It's a good cowboy movie, with good characters, exciting action, and really great acting by Crowe and Bale. It's full of conventions from other cowboy movies - the slick, dandy gunman, the poor out-of-luck rancher, and the smooth talking intelligent outlaw. I loved it!
It was also based in Southeast Arizona, and the Crowe's character is introduced whilst sketching a bird. It was some raptor I didn't recognize, perhaps a Short-tailed Hawk - if they are conscientious enough to take range into account. I thought that was especially cool, since it's supposed to be taking place in one of the premier birdwatching areas of the United States. Short-tailed Hawks are distributed sparsely in the United States.
In the movie, they travel a route from Bisbee to Contention - here's a map of the way to do it now a days. Some of the country looked very correct (it was actually filmed in New Mexico), but there wasn't enough variety. Most of the movie takes place in mesquite grasslands. They're supposed to travel through a mountain pass, but the mountains don't look anything like Madrean sky islands - much too dry. Still, identifying with the area added something to the movie experience.
View Larger Map
I've never seen the original movie it's based on, so I added it to our Blockbuster queue. I hear it's pretty good, too, and some reviewers definitely liked it better than the current offering. I can't imagine it being much better than this one, though.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
More Like: Receiving Economic Inflow (From Us)
Libby and I made our first trip as a married couple to REI yesterday and we couldn't resist its sweet siren song, so we left considerably poorer. Money-wise, anyway. In other ways we were immeasurably richer.
First, we got boots. I got some real backpacking boots! Libby got some real hiking boots! They are Vasques, name-brand boots, even I had heard of them before. They were expensive, but they should last a long time and keep our feet happy. We spent a long time trying to find some boots that seemed to fit right. I got a blister from tying shoe laces. I really did, on the inside of my pointer finger joint, where the lace sits as you tighten it, and it is uncomfortable. I finally popped it about an hour ago, and I feel happier now. I'll have to make sure not to get it infected.
Anyone want to go hiking? We're totally prepared.
We also bought some socks. I bought trekking socks to go with my backpacking boots, which complements my lighter hiking socks. Libby got hiking socks to go with her hiking boots, appropriately. We're very appropriate. Oh, and a new headlamp so we can walk in the dark. Good for owling, mayhap?
I also got a helmet and some reflector bike bands for my ankles. That way I kill two birds with one stone - I don't get smooshed by stoned birds (or cars) and my pants should stay out of the chain when I start bike commuting next week.
Well, sometime soon, anyway. After all, I have to break in my new boots.
First, we got boots. I got some real backpacking boots! Libby got some real hiking boots! They are Vasques, name-brand boots, even I had heard of them before. They were expensive, but they should last a long time and keep our feet happy. We spent a long time trying to find some boots that seemed to fit right. I got a blister from tying shoe laces. I really did, on the inside of my pointer finger joint, where the lace sits as you tighten it, and it is uncomfortable. I finally popped it about an hour ago, and I feel happier now. I'll have to make sure not to get it infected.
Anyone want to go hiking? We're totally prepared.
We also bought some socks. I bought trekking socks to go with my backpacking boots, which complements my lighter hiking socks. Libby got hiking socks to go with her hiking boots, appropriately. We're very appropriate. Oh, and a new headlamp so we can walk in the dark. Good for owling, mayhap?
I also got a helmet and some reflector bike bands for my ankles. That way I kill two birds with one stone - I don't get smooshed by stoned birds (or cars) and my pants should stay out of the chain when I start bike commuting next week.
Well, sometime soon, anyway. After all, I have to break in my new boots.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Worst English Poem Ever?
I found this on Wikipedia's front page today, and it made me laugh: the worst poem ever.
Theophilus Marzials was a poet fairly well known by his contemporaries as both an eccentric and a talent in the literary world. He overshot himself, however, when he tackled the doleful subject of Tragedy. This is a poem to be taken very seriously:
As they scraggle black on the thin grey sky,
Where the black cloud rack-hackles drizzle and fly
To the oozy waters, that lounge and flop
On the black scrag piles, where the loose cords plop,
As the raw wind whines in the thin tree-top.
All is running water and sky,
My thought is running out of my head;
My love is running out of my heart,
My soul runs after, and leaves me as dead,
For my life runs after to catch them -- and fled
They all are every one! -- and I stand, and start,
At the water that oozes up, plop and plop,
On the barges that flop
And dizzy me dead.
I might reel and drop.
Plop.
Dead.
And stop.
This was published in The Gallery of Pigeons (1874), initially. Credit for putting it on the internet goes to the website: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/bad/Marzials.Tragedy.html
Theophilus Marzials was a poet fairly well known by his contemporaries as both an eccentric and a talent in the literary world. He overshot himself, however, when he tackled the doleful subject of Tragedy. This is a poem to be taken very seriously:
A Tragedy
Theophilus Marzials
- Death!
Plop.
- Flop, plop.
- Above, beneath.
As they scraggle black on the thin grey sky,
Where the black cloud rack-hackles drizzle and fly
To the oozy waters, that lounge and flop
On the black scrag piles, where the loose cords plop,
As the raw wind whines in the thin tree-top.
- Plop, plop.
- And scudding by
All is running water and sky,
- And my head shrieks -- "Stop,"
- And my heart shrieks -- "Die."
My thought is running out of my head;
My love is running out of my heart,
My soul runs after, and leaves me as dead,
For my life runs after to catch them -- and fled
They all are every one! -- and I stand, and start,
At the water that oozes up, plop and plop,
On the barges that flop
And dizzy me dead.
I might reel and drop.
Plop.
Dead.
And the shrill wind whines in the thin tree-top
Flop, plop.
* * * * *
A curse on him.
Ugh! yet I knew -- I knew --
If a woman is false can a friend be true?
It was only a lie from beginning to end --
- My Devil -- My "Friend"
- Ugh; and I knew!
- Ugh!
- Ugh!
- So what do I care,
- I can do,
- I can dare,
- (Plop, plop
- The barges flop
- Drip drop.)
- I can dare! I can dare!
And stop.
- Drop.
- Dead.
- Plop, flop.
This was published in The Gallery of Pigeons (1874), initially. Credit for putting it on the internet goes to the website: http://homepages.wmich.edu/~cooneys/poems/bad/Marzials.Tragedy.html
Monday, July 30, 2007
July of Potter
If you're on the internet, or watch the news, you know that this July's been Potter-mania. Between the new movie (Order of the Phoenix) and the new book (Deathly Hallows), we muggles have been laboring under a shower of Rowling's magic. Ultimately, it's not a bad thing!
I really enjoyed the new OotP movie. I think it's the second best of the movies, yet, after Prisoner of Azkaban. The pacing feels a little funny, but the story is portrayed well, and the fights are awesome. It was even more enjoyable on a second viewing! I think that's because you get over the differences with the book, and enjoy it for the adaptation that it is. The absolute best moment in the movie is the confrontation in the Hall of Prophecy. I love the way the Death Eaters are shrouded in darkness as they surround the children. I also loved Neville's lines. Bellatrix: "Another Longbottom! How are your parents?" Neville: "Better now they're about to be avenged!" Helena Bonham Carter was the right choice of Bellatrix Lestrange, without a doubt. She's terrifying.
More exciting than the new movie, however, was the new book. Deathly Hallows finally relieved us of a long felt anticipation, and did it well. I think the best thing that can be said for it is that it answered all of our questions well. We know what happened, now, and why, and we know about Snape, and we know about Harry, Dumbledore and Voldemort. It was also as exciting as could be anticipated.
It's far from perfect. Some of the details are overly confusing in a bad way (feels mushy), and there's a stretch of the book that's just boring and just not fun to read in a way not one of the other books ever was. It picks up really nicely right afterward, though, so that's forgiven.
My worst complaint is that now that the books are over, there seems to be very little about them to think or talk about. Great literature can be enjoyed for long after you are done reading the book - the Harry Potter series just isn't great literature. It's good, and there are some nice over-arching themes that are well expressed, but it doesn't have the kind of subtle insights into our condition that the greats have.
I did really care about the characters, though, and was happy to see how they turned out in the end. Goodbye, world of Harry Potter, and thanks for the ride!
I really enjoyed the new OotP movie. I think it's the second best of the movies, yet, after Prisoner of Azkaban. The pacing feels a little funny, but the story is portrayed well, and the fights are awesome. It was even more enjoyable on a second viewing! I think that's because you get over the differences with the book, and enjoy it for the adaptation that it is. The absolute best moment in the movie is the confrontation in the Hall of Prophecy. I love the way the Death Eaters are shrouded in darkness as they surround the children. I also loved Neville's lines. Bellatrix: "Another Longbottom! How are your parents?" Neville: "Better now they're about to be avenged!" Helena Bonham Carter was the right choice of Bellatrix Lestrange, without a doubt. She's terrifying.
More exciting than the new movie, however, was the new book. Deathly Hallows finally relieved us of a long felt anticipation, and did it well. I think the best thing that can be said for it is that it answered all of our questions well. We know what happened, now, and why, and we know about Snape, and we know about Harry, Dumbledore and Voldemort. It was also as exciting as could be anticipated.
It's far from perfect. Some of the details are overly confusing in a bad way (feels mushy), and there's a stretch of the book that's just boring and just not fun to read in a way not one of the other books ever was. It picks up really nicely right afterward, though, so that's forgiven.
My worst complaint is that now that the books are over, there seems to be very little about them to think or talk about. Great literature can be enjoyed for long after you are done reading the book - the Harry Potter series just isn't great literature. It's good, and there are some nice over-arching themes that are well expressed, but it doesn't have the kind of subtle insights into our condition that the greats have.
I did really care about the characters, though, and was happy to see how they turned out in the end. Goodbye, world of Harry Potter, and thanks for the ride!
Monday, July 23, 2007
Summer Travels, (Without Pictures) Part III
Where can you find the best birding in the western U.S., daily thunderstorms, and oppressive heat? Monsoonal southeastern Arizona, of course, our most recent summer trip destination.
If you're a regular reader of our little blog (our apologies), you might remember we visited Arizona in April (click on the month to see the first of that posting series). It was much the same in August, and we visited many of the same places. However, it was somewhat hotter now (though partly cloudy skies in Sierra Vista actually kept it below 90 - it was broiling in Phoenix and Tucson), and much, much greener. Fields that were brown in April were green and tall in August. The birds were different, also. Early April is too soon for many of the specialty migrants in Arizona, and quite a few birds wait to breed in this "second Spring" brought on by the regular rain.
Boy howdy does it storm there! Our first night in Nogales was brightened by regular, intense lightning. I've never seen anything like it. One bolt started far away on the horizon and surged toward the middle of the sky, branching into innumerable red forks until it filled half of the sky. It was intense, but it only sprinkled on us. The next day we talked to some English birders from Norfolk that had been in the midst of the hail. It was apparently golf ball sized and accumulated in the road to the depth of six inches - pockmarking their rental! When we were in that area, we saw that the trees had been torn apart. Leaves and branches covered the ground, and hung broken from the trees. There was literally a carpet of newly lain green leaves over everything.
Anyway, we'll probably post an exhaustive list of the birds that we see later, but in the meantime on to some of the avian highlights:
The neat thing about Arizona is that most of the birds we saw were birds we'd been admiring in our guidebooks since we first cracked them open. These are the kinds of birds about which we'd say "Wouldn't you like to see that?" Sometimes when you see a bird like that, it's a little disappointing, but sometimes it's above and beyond what the pictures show!
The Elegant Trogon (see public domain image from Wikipedia below) was certainly the latter. This is a breathtakingly beautiful bird, and the colors are all exceptionally vibrant (the photo doesn't capture the beauty at all). It's the most northerly breeding species in the neotropical branch of the family - which is spread all around the world. They're in the same family as the fairly well known Resplendent Quetzal.
We actually saw four in the Garden Canyon Complex of the Huachuca Mountains. The first pair we saw was way up the canyon, and it was totally unexpected. We had been looking at a pictograph site, and were walking out of the woods to our car, when this brilliant flash of red took us completely by surprise. There was a male flying across the hill directly in front of us. We were both in shock. I was sputtering something about a Painted Redstart (thinking, red-breasted bird in pine-oak woodland, oh wait, that's enormous!) The male flew off, but the juvenile sat quietly in a bush for about 45 minutes while we watched and waited, hoping the male would return. It didn't, but we did hear the distinctive bark up canyon: these birds don't sing or chirp or whistle, they make the strangest bark you've ever heard. When we drove back down the canyon, we were able to follow the barks to another pair - this time male and female - in a picnic area that's well known for them, but didn't have any when we passed through on our way up.
The second best bird we saw was a White-eared Hummingbird. We knew where one had been regularly visiting a feeder, and we just sat there until it showed up. It's a very dramatic looking bird, with a striking white eyebrow.
To the right is a group of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (public domain from Wikipedia and US Army Corps of Engineers), another bird that was exciting to see. We saw around 10 of these birds in Rio Rico, just north of Nogales. Don't these ducks look funny? They're very beautiful, though, especially in flight. The white line runs along the feathers in flight, and it contrasts with their black wings. The first one we saw was flying, and it was quite exciting as it rounded us low and headed off into a flooded field.
Other exciting new birds we saw were Yellow-billed Cuckoo (finally! After twice missing it at other locations we had visited for it specifically we heard a bizarre knocking kind of call coming from trees at the famous Patagonia Road Side Rest, and successfully sorted a cuckoo out from the trees! This image is public domain from Wikipedia), Yellow-breasted Chat (four! we've heard it around So Cal before, but this was the first time it's actually showed itself to us), Hepatic Tanager (looking rather like a dull Summer Tanager), Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-eyed Junco and a Thick-billed Kingbird (a juvenile, unfortunately). Some new birds were Arizona specialties, but not all that exciting to look at. We saw plenty of Buff-breasted Flycatchers up in Carr Canyon (but it wasn't as warm looking as in the book - maybe because it was cloudy), a couple of Greater Peewees (but we had bad looks, they were up on snags singing their distinctive song), Cordilleran Flycatchers and Tropical Kingbirds - which looked much like Western and Cassin's - sporting a forked tail and yellow breast.
We dipped on (birder slang for missing a bird you tried to see) several birds we really wanted to see. We didn't see any of the high elevation warblers in Carr Canyon that I was hoping for - no Olive, Grace's or Red-faced. Red-faced Warblers were especially disappointing to miss. We also didn't get any of the specialty sparrows (Cassin's, Botteri's, and Rufous-winged), though we didn't try for them very hard. There weren't any Harris Hawks at a place they're known to frequent in Tucson on our way in, so we braved 110 degree heat in vain as far as they were concerned, and Varied Buntings (image at right copyright expired - found on Wikipedia, again) continually eluded us. Actually, we probably saw a Varied Bunting fairly well, but it was silhouetted against the rising sun as it sang from a fence post and we couldn't see any of its distinctive colors, so we're not counting it, yet.
Well, we'll go back some day, and I don't have any complaints.
If you're a regular reader of our little blog (our apologies), you might remember we visited Arizona in April (click on the month to see the first of that posting series). It was much the same in August, and we visited many of the same places. However, it was somewhat hotter now (though partly cloudy skies in Sierra Vista actually kept it below 90 - it was broiling in Phoenix and Tucson), and much, much greener. Fields that were brown in April were green and tall in August. The birds were different, also. Early April is too soon for many of the specialty migrants in Arizona, and quite a few birds wait to breed in this "second Spring" brought on by the regular rain.
Boy howdy does it storm there! Our first night in Nogales was brightened by regular, intense lightning. I've never seen anything like it. One bolt started far away on the horizon and surged toward the middle of the sky, branching into innumerable red forks until it filled half of the sky. It was intense, but it only sprinkled on us. The next day we talked to some English birders from Norfolk that had been in the midst of the hail. It was apparently golf ball sized and accumulated in the road to the depth of six inches - pockmarking their rental! When we were in that area, we saw that the trees had been torn apart. Leaves and branches covered the ground, and hung broken from the trees. There was literally a carpet of newly lain green leaves over everything.
Anyway, we'll probably post an exhaustive list of the birds that we see later, but in the meantime on to some of the avian highlights:
The neat thing about Arizona is that most of the birds we saw were birds we'd been admiring in our guidebooks since we first cracked them open. These are the kinds of birds about which we'd say "Wouldn't you like to see that?" Sometimes when you see a bird like that, it's a little disappointing, but sometimes it's above and beyond what the pictures show!
The Elegant Trogon (see public domain image from Wikipedia below) was certainly the latter. This is a breathtakingly beautiful bird, and the colors are all exceptionally vibrant (the photo doesn't capture the beauty at all). It's the most northerly breeding species in the neotropical branch of the family - which is spread all around the world. They're in the same family as the fairly well known Resplendent Quetzal.
We actually saw four in the Garden Canyon Complex of the Huachuca Mountains. The first pair we saw was way up the canyon, and it was totally unexpected. We had been looking at a pictograph site, and were walking out of the woods to our car, when this brilliant flash of red took us completely by surprise. There was a male flying across the hill directly in front of us. We were both in shock. I was sputtering something about a Painted Redstart (thinking, red-breasted bird in pine-oak woodland, oh wait, that's enormous!) The male flew off, but the juvenile sat quietly in a bush for about 45 minutes while we watched and waited, hoping the male would return. It didn't, but we did hear the distinctive bark up canyon: these birds don't sing or chirp or whistle, they make the strangest bark you've ever heard. When we drove back down the canyon, we were able to follow the barks to another pair - this time male and female - in a picnic area that's well known for them, but didn't have any when we passed through on our way up.The second best bird we saw was a White-eared Hummingbird. We knew where one had been regularly visiting a feeder, and we just sat there until it showed up. It's a very dramatic looking bird, with a striking white eyebrow.
To the right is a group of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks (public domain from Wikipedia and US Army Corps of Engineers), another bird that was exciting to see. We saw around 10 of these birds in Rio Rico, just north of Nogales. Don't these ducks look funny? They're very beautiful, though, especially in flight. The white line runs along the feathers in flight, and it contrasts with their black wings. The first one we saw was flying, and it was quite exciting as it rounded us low and headed off into a flooded field.
Other exciting new birds we saw were Yellow-billed Cuckoo (finally! After twice missing it at other locations we had visited for it specifically we heard a bizarre knocking kind of call coming from trees at the famous Patagonia Road Side Rest, and successfully sorted a cuckoo out from the trees! This image is public domain from Wikipedia), Yellow-breasted Chat (four! we've heard it around So Cal before, but this was the first time it's actually showed itself to us), Hepatic Tanager (looking rather like a dull Summer Tanager), Eastern Bluebird, Yellow-eyed Junco and a Thick-billed Kingbird (a juvenile, unfortunately). Some new birds were Arizona specialties, but not all that exciting to look at. We saw plenty of Buff-breasted Flycatchers up in Carr Canyon (but it wasn't as warm looking as in the book - maybe because it was cloudy), a couple of Greater Peewees (but we had bad looks, they were up on snags singing their distinctive song), Cordilleran Flycatchers and Tropical Kingbirds - which looked much like Western and Cassin's - sporting a forked tail and yellow breast.
We dipped on (birder slang for missing a bird you tried to see) several birds we really wanted to see. We didn't see any of the high elevation warblers in Carr Canyon that I was hoping for - no Olive, Grace's or Red-faced. Red-faced Warblers were especially disappointing to miss. We also didn't get any of the specialty sparrows (Cassin's, Botteri's, and Rufous-winged), though we didn't try for them very hard. There weren't any Harris Hawks at a place they're known to frequent in Tucson on our way in, so we braved 110 degree heat in vain as far as they were concerned, and Varied Buntings (image at right copyright expired - found on Wikipedia, again) continually eluded us. Actually, we probably saw a Varied Bunting fairly well, but it was silhouetted against the rising sun as it sang from a fence post and we couldn't see any of its distinctive colors, so we're not counting it, yet.
Well, we'll go back some day, and I don't have any complaints.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Summer Travels, Part B
I haven't had an opportunity to post about our trips, yet, but I thought I'd like to record my own reflections and observations here, too. Libby's posts were really great, and I'm not really trying to add anything to them, just trying to give myself an opportunity to think about the trips.
Monterey was really cool. Libby had already been there twice, but it was my first trip. As you can see from her post, we took Highway 1 north. It was a long trip - including stops and traffic it was 12 hours - but it was totally worth it. The views are breathtakingly beautiful! I knew I would like the craggy coastline, but I was surprised to appreciate the more level country preceding it. It was neat to drive through the grass and flower covered slopes easing toward the ocean.
Ornithologically, I also really liked the strange combination of birds at that Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. I've never seen Wrentits and Steller's Jays at the same place before. That felt a juxtaposition of Mammoth and Southern California for me - the separation seeming to come down a little from between my two homes. There was also a Winter Wren. That was my first lifer of the trip, and it was really cool. I had walked up the trail a little from Libby in a redwood grove, and as as I was looking back at her and we were talking, one popped out into the sunlight right above her head and started singing. Winter Wrens songs are amazing, and I had heard a lot about it (in Ornithology, Libby learned they can sing multiple notes simultaneously - on average, a Western Winter Wren sings 36 notes per second), so to both see and hear it was a treat. Just for posterity's sake, my other lifers were Black Oystercatcher, Pigeon Guillemot and Pelagic Cormorant. Libby's new bird was the Black Oystercatcher. The Condors can't officially count, but that doesn't mean we enjoyed them less - seeing them was a terrific treat.
Mammoth was wonderful, like always. There is nowhere harder for me to leave.
It's really wonderful to go there with Libby every year, now. This was her fourth year! It's hard to believe.
This year was a little different than I expected because I came down with a cold the day before we left. It was really bad, and I considered not going, except that we had promised Aunt Carol a ride. We picked her up at 5 the morning of the 4th. She was kind enough to stop at Baker meadow (outside of Big Pine) to look for some Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Indigo Buntings. We found it a little less hospitable than I expected, and at 9:30 in the morning, it was already getting very hot. All we saw was a Black Phoebe and a Lazuli Bunting, and then we got back in the car and headed uphill.
We took it easy because of my cold, and spent a lot of time fishing and reading Thursday and Friday. Saturday we did some birding at Crowley and the Jefferey Pine forests there on the east side, as well as stopping in the Aspen Grove for some lunch. We picked up several lifers on the trip: the Pine Grosbeaks were a real highlight. I'd planned on hiking up to Arrowhead, where someone reported some Grosbeaks were nesting, but I wasn't really feeling enthusiastic about it because of my cold. Suddenly, as I was sitting watching the Sapsucker nest, I saw a fairly large bird fly into a tree behind Audrey's cabin. I looked, and it was a female Pine Grosbeak, so I ran inside and got Libby. While we were trying to re-find the bird, Libby saw the male fly into the same tree the female had just left. He is a really beautiful bird, and he obliged us by just sitting there for a long time. It was great. Our other lifers were: Red-breasted Sapsucker (Aspen Grove!, and the meadows below Hart Lake and above the Consolidated Mine camps), Sage Sparrow (off the dirt roads near Crowley), and Pinyon Jay (these were off the road to Benton that passes South Tufa off 395 - we couldn't find any on the main road, but we took a dirt road right before the forest that seems to skirt along the edge of the Jefferies, and some Pinyons, and they were right there probably 100 yards in).
It was great spending time with Aunt Carol, Grandma and Grandpa. Family is a big part of what makes Mammoth as special as it is. It's not just trees, lakes, and majestic mountains, it's love. Honestly, I can't help but see the mountains as an expression of Divine Love, either. This year, I was humbled by the consideration that the Word through whom all of the Sierras was created was the same God that assumed our frail flesh and dwelt among us. That unites the two loves - the love of man and the love of nature into the love of One who loves us completely and perfectly.
Monterey was really cool. Libby had already been there twice, but it was my first trip. As you can see from her post, we took Highway 1 north. It was a long trip - including stops and traffic it was 12 hours - but it was totally worth it. The views are breathtakingly beautiful! I knew I would like the craggy coastline, but I was surprised to appreciate the more level country preceding it. It was neat to drive through the grass and flower covered slopes easing toward the ocean.
Ornithologically, I also really liked the strange combination of birds at that Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. I've never seen Wrentits and Steller's Jays at the same place before. That felt a juxtaposition of Mammoth and Southern California for me - the separation seeming to come down a little from between my two homes. There was also a Winter Wren. That was my first lifer of the trip, and it was really cool. I had walked up the trail a little from Libby in a redwood grove, and as as I was looking back at her and we were talking, one popped out into the sunlight right above her head and started singing. Winter Wrens songs are amazing, and I had heard a lot about it (in Ornithology, Libby learned they can sing multiple notes simultaneously - on average, a Western Winter Wren sings 36 notes per second), so to both see and hear it was a treat. Just for posterity's sake, my other lifers were Black Oystercatcher, Pigeon Guillemot and Pelagic Cormorant. Libby's new bird was the Black Oystercatcher. The Condors can't officially count, but that doesn't mean we enjoyed them less - seeing them was a terrific treat.
Mammoth was wonderful, like always. There is nowhere harder for me to leave.
It's really wonderful to go there with Libby every year, now. This was her fourth year! It's hard to believe.
This year was a little different than I expected because I came down with a cold the day before we left. It was really bad, and I considered not going, except that we had promised Aunt Carol a ride. We picked her up at 5 the morning of the 4th. She was kind enough to stop at Baker meadow (outside of Big Pine) to look for some Yellow-billed Cuckoos and Indigo Buntings. We found it a little less hospitable than I expected, and at 9:30 in the morning, it was already getting very hot. All we saw was a Black Phoebe and a Lazuli Bunting, and then we got back in the car and headed uphill.
We took it easy because of my cold, and spent a lot of time fishing and reading Thursday and Friday. Saturday we did some birding at Crowley and the Jefferey Pine forests there on the east side, as well as stopping in the Aspen Grove for some lunch. We picked up several lifers on the trip: the Pine Grosbeaks were a real highlight. I'd planned on hiking up to Arrowhead, where someone reported some Grosbeaks were nesting, but I wasn't really feeling enthusiastic about it because of my cold. Suddenly, as I was sitting watching the Sapsucker nest, I saw a fairly large bird fly into a tree behind Audrey's cabin. I looked, and it was a female Pine Grosbeak, so I ran inside and got Libby. While we were trying to re-find the bird, Libby saw the male fly into the same tree the female had just left. He is a really beautiful bird, and he obliged us by just sitting there for a long time. It was great. Our other lifers were: Red-breasted Sapsucker (Aspen Grove!, and the meadows below Hart Lake and above the Consolidated Mine camps), Sage Sparrow (off the dirt roads near Crowley), and Pinyon Jay (these were off the road to Benton that passes South Tufa off 395 - we couldn't find any on the main road, but we took a dirt road right before the forest that seems to skirt along the edge of the Jefferies, and some Pinyons, and they were right there probably 100 yards in).
It was great spending time with Aunt Carol, Grandma and Grandpa. Family is a big part of what makes Mammoth as special as it is. It's not just trees, lakes, and majestic mountains, it's love. Honestly, I can't help but see the mountains as an expression of Divine Love, either. This year, I was humbled by the consideration that the Word through whom all of the Sierras was created was the same God that assumed our frail flesh and dwelt among us. That unites the two loves - the love of man and the love of nature into the love of One who loves us completely and perfectly.
Monday, July 09, 2007
Summer Travels, Part II
TRIP #2: Mammoth
This is a place that Jonathan has been visiting every year since he was born. In a lot of ways, it feels like Home to him. This was my fourth Summer going, and I have to say that I've also started to feel that no Summer would be complete without a trip up there. So, we took a long weekend for the 4th of July, and spent it up in this beautiful place.
We spent a lot of time on Lake Mary:
Jonathan and I bought a couple of 2-day fishing licenses, and spent some time fishing with Grandpa. I caught these two Rainbows on Thursday night, trolling flies. They're not Alpers, but they sure are the biggest fish I've ever caught.
We also spent a lot of time in the cabin, just relaxing....
And reading.
Another pastime was watching the baby Williamson's Sapsuckers that are living in a tree just outside the cabin. It seemed like they were always hungry, and the parents spent the entire day going back and forth bringing food.
While birding around the cabin, we saw this Pine Grosbeak: a lifer for both of us!
Jonathan found this Robin's nest nearby as well.
On Friday, we all took a drive up to the Minaret Vista point.
Here is a good lesson for all of us: if your roots don't go deep, you might just fall over.
Here's a good looking guy I found at Crowley Lake on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, we went to visit The Aspen Grove where we got engaged.
We like it here. It's special.
One of the beautiful, tall Aspens has fallen in the exact (or as nearly as we can tell) spot where Jonathan asked me to marry him. Coincidence? I think not.
We drove back home on Sunday, but wish we could have spent a lot more time up there.
This is a place that Jonathan has been visiting every year since he was born. In a lot of ways, it feels like Home to him. This was my fourth Summer going, and I have to say that I've also started to feel that no Summer would be complete without a trip up there. So, we took a long weekend for the 4th of July, and spent it up in this beautiful place.
We spent a lot of time on Lake Mary:
Jonathan and I bought a couple of 2-day fishing licenses, and spent some time fishing with Grandpa. I caught these two Rainbows on Thursday night, trolling flies. They're not Alpers, but they sure are the biggest fish I've ever caught.
We also spent a lot of time in the cabin, just relaxing....
And reading.
Another pastime was watching the baby Williamson's Sapsuckers that are living in a tree just outside the cabin. It seemed like they were always hungry, and the parents spent the entire day going back and forth bringing food.
While birding around the cabin, we saw this Pine Grosbeak: a lifer for both of us!
Jonathan found this Robin's nest nearby as well.
On Friday, we all took a drive up to the Minaret Vista point.
Here is a good lesson for all of us: if your roots don't go deep, you might just fall over.
Here's a good looking guy I found at Crowley Lake on Saturday.
Saturday afternoon, we went to visit The Aspen Grove where we got engaged.
We like it here. It's special.
One of the beautiful, tall Aspens has fallen in the exact (or as nearly as we can tell) spot where Jonathan asked me to marry him. Coincidence? I think not.
We drove back home on Sunday, but wish we could have spent a lot more time up there.
Our Summer Travels...In Pictures, Part I
Well, the summer is well under way and Jonathan and I have already used the pleasant weather as an opportunity to take a couple of trips.
TRIP #1: Monterey
We spent a June weekend up in Monterey, but took the drive slowly, and stopped along the way. Our first stop was Solvang, where we bought some yummy pastries.
We also stopped for these Elephant seals. They're huge!
Next we visited Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for this gem of a view:
And we couldn't just drive on through Big Sur without at least trying to find the California Condors. As it turned out, they pretty much found us. As we were coming around a corner, I spotted a HUGE bird soaring just off the side of the cliff. We pulled over and, at one point, counted nine total. We also met a nice hippy man and his dog during this stop.
Here's the nice little Bed and Breakfast in which we spent our two nights. It was a very pleasant place to stay. They make yummy chocolate chip cookies, for one thing.
And here is the main objective of our trip North: The Finest Aquarium On The West Coast.
This is our Sea Otter Friend.
Besides all the awesome exhibits inside the Aquarium, we also enjoyed just standing outside and looking at the Bay. From here we saw many different avian species, as well as Sea Otters and Harbor Seals. If you ever get a chance to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, take it!
TRIP #1: Monterey
We spent a June weekend up in Monterey, but took the drive slowly, and stopped along the way. Our first stop was Solvang, where we bought some yummy pastries.
We also stopped for these Elephant seals. They're huge!
Next we visited Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for this gem of a view:
And we couldn't just drive on through Big Sur without at least trying to find the California Condors. As it turned out, they pretty much found us. As we were coming around a corner, I spotted a HUGE bird soaring just off the side of the cliff. We pulled over and, at one point, counted nine total. We also met a nice hippy man and his dog during this stop.
Here's the nice little Bed and Breakfast in which we spent our two nights. It was a very pleasant place to stay. They make yummy chocolate chip cookies, for one thing.
And here is the main objective of our trip North: The Finest Aquarium On The West Coast.
This is our Sea Otter Friend.
Besides all the awesome exhibits inside the Aquarium, we also enjoyed just standing outside and looking at the Bay. From here we saw many different avian species, as well as Sea Otters and Harbor Seals. If you ever get a chance to go to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, take it!
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Summertime
Well, yesterday was my first week-day of Summer vacation. It was very nice. It began with Jonathan and I going for a run together at 5:30am. That was fun. Actually, the running part wasn't that fun, but it was nice to spend time together in the morning. Plus, I felt great afterwards. It gave me so much energy throughout the day.
Then, after Jonathan went to work, I read some of Adam Bede, swept the house, and did a load of laundry. Then I read some more, confirmed our reservations for this weekend in Monterey and got all the directions we need, walked to Albertson's for a couple of things, and read more. Then, I made some totally awesome sandwiches, packed them with some other goodies in a plastic grocery bag and walked to Biola to have lunch with this handsome guy I know who works there. After lunch, I headed over to the Biola bookstore to check out their Summer sale. I didn't find anything I really wanted, but I did see that they had a copy of Adam Bede, so I sat down in a rocking chair and read a chapter of that. Then I walked home, played around on the internet for a little while, and then read until Jonathan came home. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Isn't she done with that book yet?" But no, it's actually a fairly long book, and I'm taking my time, enjoying every word. In fact, before I began creating this very post, I was reading. And when I finish creating this post, I'll read some more.
After Jonathan came home, we got ready to go pick up Bill and Becca for the Angels/Astros game. Which was awesome. The Angels got a quick lead, and by the 4th inning they were up 4-1. But by the 7th inning stretch the Astros were up 9-4 and we were thinking maybe we'd leave after the Angles had one more at-bat. Well, the Angels scored 5 runs during that at-bat...thanks, in part, to the Rally Monkey. So of course, what we thought was going to be a painful loss turned into a tie within one half of an inning...and we couldn't leave then! The 8th inning was scoreless on both sides, and then the Angels got through the top of the 9th without allowing any runs, though the bases got loaded. That brings us to the bottom of the 9th. Angels up. The score's tied. The first two batters flied out, and it looked like the game would be going into extra innings. Then came a solid single from Reggie Willets. And the next batter up was Chone Figgins. Figgins had come through for the team all night long. And this time was no different. He punched a triple to the right field corner, bringing Willets home. Angels players streamed onto the field, mobbing both Willets and Figgins.
Player of the game: Chone Figgins. Let me tell you about this guy. He got six hits. Is that enough? First of all, I don't think I've ever seen a game where any player got six at-bats. Both teams went through their line-ups more times than is normal. But to get a hit every time? That's incredible. And he made some great defensive plays at 3rd base as well. That's a good, solid baseball player.
We got home about 11:30 and then fell into bed.
And that was my first day of Summer vacation. :-)
Then, after Jonathan went to work, I read some of Adam Bede, swept the house, and did a load of laundry. Then I read some more, confirmed our reservations for this weekend in Monterey and got all the directions we need, walked to Albertson's for a couple of things, and read more. Then, I made some totally awesome sandwiches, packed them with some other goodies in a plastic grocery bag and walked to Biola to have lunch with this handsome guy I know who works there. After lunch, I headed over to the Biola bookstore to check out their Summer sale. I didn't find anything I really wanted, but I did see that they had a copy of Adam Bede, so I sat down in a rocking chair and read a chapter of that. Then I walked home, played around on the internet for a little while, and then read until Jonathan came home. You're probably thinking to yourself, "Isn't she done with that book yet?" But no, it's actually a fairly long book, and I'm taking my time, enjoying every word. In fact, before I began creating this very post, I was reading. And when I finish creating this post, I'll read some more.
After Jonathan came home, we got ready to go pick up Bill and Becca for the Angels/Astros game. Which was awesome. The Angels got a quick lead, and by the 4th inning they were up 4-1. But by the 7th inning stretch the Astros were up 9-4 and we were thinking maybe we'd leave after the Angles had one more at-bat. Well, the Angels scored 5 runs during that at-bat...thanks, in part, to the Rally Monkey. So of course, what we thought was going to be a painful loss turned into a tie within one half of an inning...and we couldn't leave then! The 8th inning was scoreless on both sides, and then the Angels got through the top of the 9th without allowing any runs, though the bases got loaded. That brings us to the bottom of the 9th. Angels up. The score's tied. The first two batters flied out, and it looked like the game would be going into extra innings. Then came a solid single from Reggie Willets. And the next batter up was Chone Figgins. Figgins had come through for the team all night long. And this time was no different. He punched a triple to the right field corner, bringing Willets home. Angels players streamed onto the field, mobbing both Willets and Figgins.
Player of the game: Chone Figgins. Let me tell you about this guy. He got six hits. Is that enough? First of all, I don't think I've ever seen a game where any player got six at-bats. Both teams went through their line-ups more times than is normal. But to get a hit every time? That's incredible. And he made some great defensive plays at 3rd base as well. That's a good, solid baseball player.
We got home about 11:30 and then fell into bed.
And that was my first day of Summer vacation. :-)
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Mississippi Kite
There's been a Mississippi Kite at the South Coast Botanic Garden in Palos Verdes for the last week or so. He's way off-course, and who knows how long he'll stick around, so Jonathan and I drove down yesterday to see him while we still had a chance. We tried taking several pictures and none of them turned out very well, but you can get a pretty good idea of what he looks like:
After perching for several minutes to allow us ample time to get a good look, he put on quite a show. He would fly around catching insects and eating them on the wing. That is, he would grab them with his talons and then bring his talons to his beak and eat while he was soaring. Insects-to-go! He also showed us his diving and swooping skills, which were quite impressive.
We met up with several other birders there, one of whom we actually had seen at Big Morongo a few weeks ago. He records bird songs and had his equipment with him this time as well. We all chased a familiar call that we couldn't identify, until the bird finally showed himself to be a Robin!
Here's a cute little house we saw near a meadow where a wedding reception was taking place.
We left around 5:00 for our next destination: The Point Vicente Lighthouse. On our way, we saw a White-tailed Kite. And when we got there, we saw another wedding reception. So, two kites and two weddings. Not bad for an afternoon.
We saw several cool things besides the lighthouse. There was a colony of Brandt's Cormorants on the side of the cliff, an unidentifiable pelagic bird, a couple of people who claim to have out-of-body experiences and want us to do the same, and a sea otter. The last was clearly the most exciting. We set up our spotting scope and got some good looks at that cute little guy, but eventually he dove and we never saw where he came back up.
That's right. We're not just into birds. We like marine mammals, too!
After perching for several minutes to allow us ample time to get a good look, he put on quite a show. He would fly around catching insects and eating them on the wing. That is, he would grab them with his talons and then bring his talons to his beak and eat while he was soaring. Insects-to-go! He also showed us his diving and swooping skills, which were quite impressive.We met up with several other birders there, one of whom we actually had seen at Big Morongo a few weeks ago. He records bird songs and had his equipment with him this time as well. We all chased a familiar call that we couldn't identify, until the bird finally showed himself to be a Robin!
Here's a cute little house we saw near a meadow where a wedding reception was taking place.
We left around 5:00 for our next destination: The Point Vicente Lighthouse. On our way, we saw a White-tailed Kite. And when we got there, we saw another wedding reception. So, two kites and two weddings. Not bad for an afternoon.
We saw several cool things besides the lighthouse. There was a colony of Brandt's Cormorants on the side of the cliff, an unidentifiable pelagic bird, a couple of people who claim to have out-of-body experiences and want us to do the same, and a sea otter. The last was clearly the most exciting. We set up our spotting scope and got some good looks at that cute little guy, but eventually he dove and we never saw where he came back up.That's right. We're not just into birds. We like marine mammals, too!
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Happy Feast of the Ascension!
Today is one of the major feasts of the Christian year, where we celebrate the fact that Jesus is ascended to the right hand of the Father in glory. It's a day to recognize the victory of Christ over the powers of this world, and it is good to remember that we are the inheritors of that victory.
A fitting prayer:
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God,
that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son
our Lord Jesus Christ
to have ascended into the heavens;
so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend,
and with him continually dwell,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
-'28 BCP Collect
On a personal note, the Lenten season passes much more slowly than the Easter season. Even recognizing it's shorter by, what, six days?, this 40 day period has galloped by.
A fitting prayer:
Grant, we beseech thee, Almighty God,
that like as we do believe thy only-begotten Son
our Lord Jesus Christ
to have ascended into the heavens;
so we may also in heart and mind thither ascend,
and with him continually dwell,
who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost,
one God, world without end. Amen.
-'28 BCP Collect
On a personal note, the Lenten season passes much more slowly than the Easter season. Even recognizing it's shorter by, what, six days?, this 40 day period has galloped by.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens
This Saturday, Libby, Bethany, Wade and I joined the Ornithology class from Biola for a final birding trip. We went to the Rancho Santa Ana Botanical Gardens, a very nice place to take a walk. It's run by one of the Claremont colleges, not sure which one, but it abuts Claremont School of Theology. It's got a wide collection of plant life, but its bird life didn't seem very varied. It is a great place to see Phainopepla, though, and we had four species of hummingbirds without any migrants, so that's a pretty good sampling for Southern California. There was a single Costa's using a small sage flower garden, along with a couple of Allen's females and an Anna's male. In fact, there were very few migrants, we only had two warblers and some Black-headed Grosbeaks.
It's worth the drive, though, because it's beautiful. There are a lot of neat flowers, shrubs, fountains, trees, etc. There were some agaves, as well as some giant blooming yuccas. Claremont is a pretty area, too, lots of big old houses with pretty landscaping along Indian Hill Blvd. I'd definitely recommend it as a visit.
That evening we went over to my parents' house and introduced them to the Wii as well as celebrating Mother's Day with my mom. We had some yummy rice with peppers, onions, and some other stuff topped off with lime juice and peanuts. I really liked it!
Yesterday, we went out to Highland to celebrate Libby's mother. We ate at Souplantation, and had a good time. We really enjoy spending time with our families!
It's worth the drive, though, because it's beautiful. There are a lot of neat flowers, shrubs, fountains, trees, etc. There were some agaves, as well as some giant blooming yuccas. Claremont is a pretty area, too, lots of big old houses with pretty landscaping along Indian Hill Blvd. I'd definitely recommend it as a visit.
That evening we went over to my parents' house and introduced them to the Wii as well as celebrating Mother's Day with my mom. We had some yummy rice with peppers, onions, and some other stuff topped off with lime juice and peanuts. I really liked it!
Yesterday, we went out to Highland to celebrate Libby's mother. We ate at Souplantation, and had a good time. We really enjoy spending time with our families!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Adam Bede
I took my first foray into George Eliot's fiction via this tasty morsel of 19th century prose in April. I found it a trip well worth taking, as it is full of vistas not only into bucolic country scenes, but into the hearts of men and women like you and me.
The namesake protagonist is a peasant carpenter in late 18th century England (the book was written, however, in the mid 1800s). He's a man whose station is improving; he's learning letters and figures from a schoolmaster, and his strong, even temperament puts him in good stead as far as future prospects go. However, he is in love with a silly girl. This same silly girl is seduced and wronged by the Squire of the local estate.
I certainly didn't find the book perfect. Some of the characters were caricatures, and some of the drama didn't quite ring true. I wish the book had ended differently than it did, I didn't think the last section really lived up to the former sections. If you've read, perhaps you know what I mean.
The strengths of the book, however, were powerful. The portrait of the squire in particular was excellent. He is shown to be a human with understandable failings. I felt that his soul was revealed as powerfully, if not quite as darkly or strongly, as a character from Dostoyevsky's novels. The consequences of these failings are clearly revealed. This was excellent.
Also, there are a few emotionally charged scenes that are worth picking up the book for. I liked some of the book's key confrontations, and I felt powerfully the book's one execution scene. I think that scene alone is golden - approaching the peak of prose's power to impress feeling. It's the kind of moment that books are remembered for, and it's much like the Tale of Two Cities here.
Another wonderful element of this book is that one of the main characters is a strong Methodist, whose faith is richly evangelical and vibrant. The whole book is full of the tensions of Christian life, and does so really well. This adds, I think, another impetus for reading it. It's a good Christian novel.
So, over all, not perfect, but quite good. I'd say 3.5 of 5 stars - with moments approaching 4.5. If it wasn't for the ending, I'd rate it higher.
The namesake protagonist is a peasant carpenter in late 18th century England (the book was written, however, in the mid 1800s). He's a man whose station is improving; he's learning letters and figures from a schoolmaster, and his strong, even temperament puts him in good stead as far as future prospects go. However, he is in love with a silly girl. This same silly girl is seduced and wronged by the Squire of the local estate.
I certainly didn't find the book perfect. Some of the characters were caricatures, and some of the drama didn't quite ring true. I wish the book had ended differently than it did, I didn't think the last section really lived up to the former sections. If you've read, perhaps you know what I mean.
The strengths of the book, however, were powerful. The portrait of the squire in particular was excellent. He is shown to be a human with understandable failings. I felt that his soul was revealed as powerfully, if not quite as darkly or strongly, as a character from Dostoyevsky's novels. The consequences of these failings are clearly revealed. This was excellent.
Also, there are a few emotionally charged scenes that are worth picking up the book for. I liked some of the book's key confrontations, and I felt powerfully the book's one execution scene. I think that scene alone is golden - approaching the peak of prose's power to impress feeling. It's the kind of moment that books are remembered for, and it's much like the Tale of Two Cities here.
Another wonderful element of this book is that one of the main characters is a strong Methodist, whose faith is richly evangelical and vibrant. The whole book is full of the tensions of Christian life, and does so really well. This adds, I think, another impetus for reading it. It's a good Christian novel.
So, over all, not perfect, but quite good. I'd say 3.5 of 5 stars - with moments approaching 4.5. If it wasn't for the ending, I'd rate it higher.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Easter Pictures
I know Easter was a month ago, but I finally uploaded all our Easter pictures to Flickr. Did you know Flickr free accounts only let you display 200 pictures at a time? I didn't! Anyway, now I do.
There aren't 200 pictures from Easter, though, so don't worry about that. There are lots of pictures of our nephew's Easter egg hunt and egg dyeing adventure. Here's a small sample:
No, Jonathan, I am trying to take your picture. I do not want your basket of eggs. But thanks.
Action shot!
How did a little boy get in a tree that high? Notice that this elevation is non-plussing. He's a funny kid. I didn't get any good pictures of Thomas on Easter, but there are some fuzzy ones you can see in Flickr.
There aren't 200 pictures from Easter, though, so don't worry about that. There are lots of pictures of our nephew's Easter egg hunt and egg dyeing adventure. Here's a small sample:
No, Jonathan, I am trying to take your picture. I do not want your basket of eggs. But thanks.Action shot!How did a little boy get in a tree that high? Notice that this elevation is non-plussing. He's a funny kid. I didn't get any good pictures of Thomas on Easter, but there are some fuzzy ones you can see in Flickr.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Big Morongo Canyon
Every birder that lives in Southern California has heard of Big Morongo Canyon. Every birder ought to go there. Libby and I made our first trip out there yesterday, and it was a lot of fun.
Big Morongo Canyon is one of the largest natural oasis in the California deserts. It's a 4.5 mile long creek formed by water seeping up from a fault line just outside of Joshua Tree National Park, and as such, is a magnet for desert animals seeking water. During migration, that includes birds. Basically, it's a bird magnet, and throughout the years people have been birding there, they've seen an amazing number of rare species - largely Eastern warblers - that have gone astray. It's well known as a usual place to see the unusual. There was one Black and White Warbler there while we were, but we were unable to find it.
It's also home to some breeding species unusual to Southern California. It has Summer Tanagers (the males are a brilliant red from head to tail), Vermilion Flycatchers (also brilliant red) and Brown-crested Flycatchers in numbers unrivaled anywhere else in California. It's the closest place to see some desert birds that you would otherwise have to visit Arizona for. It's also near where the Pacific birds meet their similar inland species. You can find both Nuttall's and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, for example.
Our trip was a delight. The temperature was mild, in the 70s all day, there was only an occasional wind gust, and the birds were fairly cooperative. We had over 50 species, though nothing rare, and two lifers - Dusky Flycatcher and Brown-crested Flycatcher. There were flycatchers everywhere, every field was full of Gray Flycatchers and Western Wood Pee-wees, with a sprinkling of Dusky, Hammonds, Pheobes, and both California Kingbirds. We had 11 species of flycatchers, with one possible Olive-sided Flycatcher that we didn't examine because we were eating lunch. That would have put us at 12, which is pretty amazing for California.
The oasis is also probably worth visiting in the Spring if you're not a birder. All of the trees' leaves were bright green. The Cottonwoods were shedding their cotton in the wind, and sitting in the shade surrounded by a dappled marshland was wonderful, especially when you looked through the trees at the scrubby brown hills. A recent fire has thinned the vegetation somewhat, but that only added to the charm because the plants are really recovering beautifully.
Big Morongo Canyon is one of the largest natural oasis in the California deserts. It's a 4.5 mile long creek formed by water seeping up from a fault line just outside of Joshua Tree National Park, and as such, is a magnet for desert animals seeking water. During migration, that includes birds. Basically, it's a bird magnet, and throughout the years people have been birding there, they've seen an amazing number of rare species - largely Eastern warblers - that have gone astray. It's well known as a usual place to see the unusual. There was one Black and White Warbler there while we were, but we were unable to find it.
It's also home to some breeding species unusual to Southern California. It has Summer Tanagers (the males are a brilliant red from head to tail), Vermilion Flycatchers (also brilliant red) and Brown-crested Flycatchers in numbers unrivaled anywhere else in California. It's the closest place to see some desert birds that you would otherwise have to visit Arizona for. It's also near where the Pacific birds meet their similar inland species. You can find both Nuttall's and Ladder-backed Woodpeckers, for example.
Our trip was a delight. The temperature was mild, in the 70s all day, there was only an occasional wind gust, and the birds were fairly cooperative. We had over 50 species, though nothing rare, and two lifers - Dusky Flycatcher and Brown-crested Flycatcher. There were flycatchers everywhere, every field was full of Gray Flycatchers and Western Wood Pee-wees, with a sprinkling of Dusky, Hammonds, Pheobes, and both California Kingbirds. We had 11 species of flycatchers, with one possible Olive-sided Flycatcher that we didn't examine because we were eating lunch. That would have put us at 12, which is pretty amazing for California.
The oasis is also probably worth visiting in the Spring if you're not a birder. All of the trees' leaves were bright green. The Cottonwoods were shedding their cotton in the wind, and sitting in the shade surrounded by a dappled marshland was wonderful, especially when you looked through the trees at the scrubby brown hills. A recent fire has thinned the vegetation somewhat, but that only added to the charm because the plants are really recovering beautifully.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Genius 7
There's a lady who drives a silver Buick with the license plate "Genius 7" on the 5 South every morning. I actually don't see her every day. But probably at least 2 or 3 times a week since September, I've driven down Beach right next to her (or behind her) and we've gotten on the 5 together. Sometimes, I meet up with her even before I get to Beach. One day, when I was waiting to turn right onto Santa Gertrudes from Adelfa, she drove right past me, and when I made the turn, I got just behind her. This morning, she stopped by the Post Office on Adelfa and as she left, she pulled out just a little in front of me. Yesterday, for the first time, I saw her on the 5 North on my way home. It made me really happy. Yay! It's Genuis 7!
If you have to commute everyday 35-50 minutes each way, it's nice to have a friend.
I don't think Genius 7 even knows I exist. Sigh.
If you have to commute everyday 35-50 minutes each way, it's nice to have a friend.
I don't think Genius 7 even knows I exist. Sigh.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Feathery Changes
Boy howdy, La Mirada is seeing a real rush of Spring migrants at the moment! Biola's been besieged by swarming flocks of Cliff Swallows, Barn Swallows, Vaux's Swifts and White-throated Swifts. The Vaux's Swifts actually appear to be outnumbering their cousins, though Cliff Swallows make up the biggest portion of the flocks. It's an exciting time of year to just walk outside of my office - yesterday and today there have been mixed flocks between my building and the gym. It's really something!
On my way to work this morning, I had the normal migrants - nothing too unusual - Warbling Vireos, Black-throated Gray Warblers (they seem to be outnumbering the Yellow-rumps right now), Wilson's Warblers, etc., but there are quite a few of them. There was a pair of Caspian Terns circling around La Mirada Park's lake, dipping to test the waters from time to time with a tremendous splash. One of them successfully bagged a trout bigger than its head, which it swallowed whole in flight. Caspian Terns are gull-sized, so it was something to see them fishing in a lake. I'm used to watching them over the ocean, where their size doesn't seem out of place at all.
Last night, Libby and I found two unusual birds at La Mirada Park - a Lazuli Bunting and a Gray Flycatcher. Libby says I'm truly a bird nerd, now. When we saw the Gray Flycatcher, I was really excited (they're a rare migrant here in the city) and called, "Ooh, a tail-pumping Empid!" Which means that I saw a flycatcher in the Empidonax genus that was wagging its tail - a distinctive behavior for Gray Flycatchers. I admit this made me both a little chagrined and a little proud.
On my way to work this morning, I had the normal migrants - nothing too unusual - Warbling Vireos, Black-throated Gray Warblers (they seem to be outnumbering the Yellow-rumps right now), Wilson's Warblers, etc., but there are quite a few of them. There was a pair of Caspian Terns circling around La Mirada Park's lake, dipping to test the waters from time to time with a tremendous splash. One of them successfully bagged a trout bigger than its head, which it swallowed whole in flight. Caspian Terns are gull-sized, so it was something to see them fishing in a lake. I'm used to watching them over the ocean, where their size doesn't seem out of place at all.
Last night, Libby and I found two unusual birds at La Mirada Park - a Lazuli Bunting and a Gray Flycatcher. Libby says I'm truly a bird nerd, now. When we saw the Gray Flycatcher, I was really excited (they're a rare migrant here in the city) and called, "Ooh, a tail-pumping Empid!" Which means that I saw a flycatcher in the Empidonax genus that was wagging its tail - a distinctive behavior for Gray Flycatchers. I admit this made me both a little chagrined and a little proud.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Trip Itinerary
Here's a Google Map version of where we went in our trip - it's a rough outline, really, I didn't include every place we stopped, and had to use waypoints to make it a little more accurate. I'd add 50 more miles to it, at least. Anyway, here's the link: Google Map Of Arizona Trip.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Trip List
Here's the trip list, as promised:
Herons, Bitterns: Family Ardeidae (1)
Great Blue Heron
-Ardea Herodias
Ducks, Geese and Swans: Family Anatidae (2)
Mallard (Mexican form)
-Anas platyhynchos diazi
Northern Shoveler
-Anas clypeata
New World Vultures: Family Cathartidae (2)
Turkey Vulture
-Cathartes aura
Black Vulture
-Coragyps atratus
Hawks, Kites, Eagles: Family Accipitridae (7)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
-Accipiter striatus
Cooper's hawk
-Accipiter cooperii
Zone-tailed Hawk
-Buteo albonotatus
Gray Hawk
-Asturina nitida
Red-tailed Hawk
-Buteo jamaicensis
Swainson's Hawk
-Buteo swainsoni
Ferruginous Hawk
-Buteo regalis
Caracaras, Falcons: Family Falconidae (2)
American Kestrel
-Falco sparverius
Peregrine Falcon
-Falco peregrinus
New World Quail: Family Odontophoridae (1)
Gambel's Quail
-Callipepla gambelii
Rails and Coots: Family Rallidae (1)
American Coot
-Fulica americana
Pigeons and Doves: Family Columbidae (4)
Rock Pigeon
-Columba livia
White-winged Dove
-Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove
-Zenaida macroura
Common Ground Dove
-Columbina passerina
Cuckoos, Roadrunners, Anis: Family Cuculidae (1)
Greater Roadrunner
-Geococcyx californianus
Owls: Family Strigidae (1)
Whiskered Screech-Owl
-Otus trichopsis
Nighthawks, Nightjars: Family Caprimulgidae (1)
Whip-poor-will
-Caprimulgus vociferus
Swifts: Family Apodidae (1)
White-throated Swift
-Aeronautes saxatalis
Hummingbirds: Family Trochilidae (11)
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
-Amazilia violiceps
Lucifer Hummingbird
-Calothorax lucifer
Broad-billed Hummingbird
-Cynanthus latirostris
Blue-throated Hummingbird
-Lampornis clemenciae
Magnificent Hummingbird
-Eugenes fulgens
Black-chinned Hummingbird
-Archilocus alexandri
Costa's Hummingbird
-Calypte costae
Anna's Hummingbird
-Calypte anna
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
-Selasphorus platycercus
Calliope Hummingbird
-Stellula calliope
Rufous Hummingbird
-Selasphorus rufus
Kingfishers: Family Alcedinidae (1)
Belted Kingfisher
-Ceryle alcyon
Woodpeckers: Family Picidae (7)
Acorn Woodpecker
-Melanerpes formicivorous
Gila Woodpecker
-Melanerpes uropygialis
Northern Flicker
-Colaptes auratus
Gilded Flicker
-Colaptes chrysoides
Red-naped Sapsucker
-Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
-Picoides scalaris
Arizona Woodpecker
-Picoides Arizonae
Tyrant Flycatchers: Family Tyranidae (8)
Hammonds Flycatcher
-Empidonax hammondii
Black Phoebe
-Sayornis nigrecans
Say's Phoebe
-Sayornis saya
Vermilion Flycatcher
-Pyrocephalus rubinus
Ash-throated Flycatcher
-Myiarchus cinerascens
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
-Myiarchus tuberculifer
Cassin's Kingbird
-Tyrannus vociferans
Western Kingbird
-Tyrannus verticalis
Shrikes: Family Laniidae (1)
Loggerhead Shrike
-Lanius ludovicianus
Vireos: Family Vireonidae (3)
Bell's Vireo
-Vireo bellii arizonae
Hutton's Vireo
-Vireo huttoni
Cassin's Vireo
-Vireo cassinii
Crows, Jays: Family: Corvidae (3)
Mexican Jay
-Aphelocoma ultramarina
Chihuahuan Raven
-Corvus cryptoleucus
Common Raven
-Corvus corax
Swallows: Family Hirundinidae (3)
Violet-green Swallow
-Tachycineta thalassina
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
-Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Barn Swallow
-Hirundo rustica
Chickadees, Titmice: Family Paridae (1)
Bridled Titmouse
-Baelophus wollweberi
Verdin: Family Remizidae (1)
Verdin
-Auriparus flaviceps
Nuthatches: Family Sittidae (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch
-Sitta carolinensis
Wrens: Family Troglodytidae (4)
House Wren
-Troglodytes aedon
Bewick's Wren
-Thryomanes bewickii
Cactus Wren
-Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Rock Wren
-Salpinctes obsoletus
Kinglets: Family Regulidae (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
-Regulus calendula
Old World Warblers, Gnatcatchers: Family Sylviidae (2)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
-Polioptila caerulea
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
- Polioptila melanura
Thrushes: Family Turdidae (3)
Townsend's Solitaire
-Myadestes townsendi
Hermit Thrush
-Catharus guttatus
American Robin
-Turdus migratorius
Mockingbirds, Thrashers: Family Mimidae (2)
Northern Mockingbird
-Mimus polyglottos
Curve-billed thrasher
-Toxostoma curvirostre
Starlings: Family Sturnidae (1)
European Starling
-Sturnus vulgaris
Silky Flycatchers: Family Ptilogonatidae (1)
Phainopepla
-Phainopepla nitens
Wood-Warblers: Family Parulidae (10)
Nashville Warbler
-Vermivora ruficapilla
Lucy's Warbler
-Vermivora luciae
Yellow-rumped Warbler
-Dendroica coronata
Black-throated Gray Warbler
-Dendroica nigrescens
Townsend's Warbler
-Dendroica townsendi
Yellow Warbler
-Dendroica petechia
MacGillivray's Warbler
-Oporornis tolmiei
Wilson's Warbler
-Wilsonia pusilla
Common Yellowthroat
-Geothlypis trichas
Painted Redstart
-Myioborus pictus
Tanagers: Family Thraupidae (2)
Summer Tanager
-Piranga rubra
Flame-colored Tanager
-Piranga bidentata
New World Sparrows: Family Emberizidae (9)
Green-tailed Towhee
-Pipilo chlorurus
Canyon Towhee
-Pipilo fuscus
Abert's Towhee
-Pipilo aberti
Chipping Sparrow
-Spizella passerina
Brewer's Sparrow
-Spizella breweri
Lark Sparrow
-Chondestes grammacus
Black-throated Sparrow
-Amphispiza bilineata
Song Sparrow (southwestern form)
-Melospiza melodian saltonis
White-crowned Sparrow
-Zonotrichia leucophrys
Cardinals: Family Cardinalidae (4)
Black-headed Grosbeak
-Pheucticus melanocephalus
Northern Cardinal
-Cardinalis cardinalis
Pyrrhuloxia
-Cardinalis sinuatus
Lazuli Bunting
-Passerina amoena
Blackbirds and Orioles: Family Icteridae (6)
Red-winged Blackbird
-Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle
-Quiscalus mexicanus
Brewer's Blackbird
-Euphagus cyanocephalus
Hooded Oriole
-Icterus cucullatus
Bullock's Oriole
-Icterus bullockii
Scott's Oriole
-Icterus parisorum
Finches: Family Fringillidae (4)
House Finch
-Carpodacus mexicanus
Pine Siskin
-Carduelis pinus
American Goldfinch
-Carduelis tristis
Lesser Goldfinch
-Carduelis psaltria
Old World Sparrows: Family Passeridae (1)
House Sparrow
-Passer domesticus
So, the total is 114. As Libby said before, about 37 new, which is 36 each lifers. Cool beans folks. Until next time, peace out.
Herons, Bitterns: Family Ardeidae (1)
Great Blue Heron
-Ardea Herodias
Ducks, Geese and Swans: Family Anatidae (2)
Mallard (Mexican form)
-Anas platyhynchos diazi
Northern Shoveler
-Anas clypeata
New World Vultures: Family Cathartidae (2)
Turkey Vulture
-Cathartes aura
Black Vulture
-Coragyps atratus
Hawks, Kites, Eagles: Family Accipitridae (7)
Sharp-shinned Hawk
-Accipiter striatus
Cooper's hawk
-Accipiter cooperii
Zone-tailed Hawk
-Buteo albonotatus
Gray Hawk
-Asturina nitida
Red-tailed Hawk
-Buteo jamaicensis
Swainson's Hawk
-Buteo swainsoni
Ferruginous Hawk
-Buteo regalis
Caracaras, Falcons: Family Falconidae (2)
American Kestrel
-Falco sparverius
Peregrine Falcon
-Falco peregrinus
New World Quail: Family Odontophoridae (1)
Gambel's Quail
-Callipepla gambelii
Rails and Coots: Family Rallidae (1)
American Coot
-Fulica americana
Pigeons and Doves: Family Columbidae (4)
Rock Pigeon
-Columba livia
White-winged Dove
-Zenaida asiatica
Mourning Dove
-Zenaida macroura
Common Ground Dove
-Columbina passerina
Cuckoos, Roadrunners, Anis: Family Cuculidae (1)
Greater Roadrunner
-Geococcyx californianus
Owls: Family Strigidae (1)
Whiskered Screech-Owl
-Otus trichopsis
Nighthawks, Nightjars: Family Caprimulgidae (1)
Whip-poor-will
-Caprimulgus vociferus
Swifts: Family Apodidae (1)
White-throated Swift
-Aeronautes saxatalis
Hummingbirds: Family Trochilidae (11)
Violet-crowned Hummingbird
-Amazilia violiceps
Lucifer Hummingbird
-Calothorax lucifer
Broad-billed Hummingbird
-Cynanthus latirostris
Blue-throated Hummingbird
-Lampornis clemenciae
Magnificent Hummingbird
-Eugenes fulgens
Black-chinned Hummingbird
-Archilocus alexandri
Costa's Hummingbird
-Calypte costae
Anna's Hummingbird
-Calypte anna
Broad-tailed Hummingbird
-Selasphorus platycercus
Calliope Hummingbird
-Stellula calliope
Rufous Hummingbird
-Selasphorus rufus
Kingfishers: Family Alcedinidae (1)
Belted Kingfisher
-Ceryle alcyon
Woodpeckers: Family Picidae (7)
Acorn Woodpecker
-Melanerpes formicivorous
Gila Woodpecker
-Melanerpes uropygialis
Northern Flicker
-Colaptes auratus
Gilded Flicker
-Colaptes chrysoides
Red-naped Sapsucker
-Sphyrapicus nuchalis
Ladder-backed Woodpecker
-Picoides scalaris
Arizona Woodpecker
-Picoides Arizonae
Tyrant Flycatchers: Family Tyranidae (8)
Hammonds Flycatcher
-Empidonax hammondii
Black Phoebe
-Sayornis nigrecans
Say's Phoebe
-Sayornis saya
Vermilion Flycatcher
-Pyrocephalus rubinus
Ash-throated Flycatcher
-Myiarchus cinerascens
Dusky-capped Flycatcher
-Myiarchus tuberculifer
Cassin's Kingbird
-Tyrannus vociferans
Western Kingbird
-Tyrannus verticalis
Shrikes: Family Laniidae (1)
Loggerhead Shrike
-Lanius ludovicianus
Vireos: Family Vireonidae (3)
Bell's Vireo
-Vireo bellii arizonae
Hutton's Vireo
-Vireo huttoni
Cassin's Vireo
-Vireo cassinii
Crows, Jays: Family: Corvidae (3)
Mexican Jay
-Aphelocoma ultramarina
Chihuahuan Raven
-Corvus cryptoleucus
Common Raven
-Corvus corax
Swallows: Family Hirundinidae (3)
Violet-green Swallow
-Tachycineta thalassina
Northern Rough-winged Swallow
-Stelgidopteryx serripennis
Barn Swallow
-Hirundo rustica
Chickadees, Titmice: Family Paridae (1)
Bridled Titmouse
-Baelophus wollweberi
Verdin: Family Remizidae (1)
Verdin
-Auriparus flaviceps
Nuthatches: Family Sittidae (1)
White-breasted Nuthatch
-Sitta carolinensis
Wrens: Family Troglodytidae (4)
House Wren
-Troglodytes aedon
Bewick's Wren
-Thryomanes bewickii
Cactus Wren
-Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus
Rock Wren
-Salpinctes obsoletus
Kinglets: Family Regulidae (1)
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
-Regulus calendula
Old World Warblers, Gnatcatchers: Family Sylviidae (2)
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
-Polioptila caerulea
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
- Polioptila melanura
Thrushes: Family Turdidae (3)
Townsend's Solitaire
-Myadestes townsendi
Hermit Thrush
-Catharus guttatus
American Robin
-Turdus migratorius
Mockingbirds, Thrashers: Family Mimidae (2)
Northern Mockingbird
-Mimus polyglottos
Curve-billed thrasher
-Toxostoma curvirostre
Starlings: Family Sturnidae (1)
European Starling
-Sturnus vulgaris
Silky Flycatchers: Family Ptilogonatidae (1)
Phainopepla
-Phainopepla nitens
Wood-Warblers: Family Parulidae (10)
Nashville Warbler
-Vermivora ruficapilla
Lucy's Warbler
-Vermivora luciae
Yellow-rumped Warbler
-Dendroica coronata
Black-throated Gray Warbler
-Dendroica nigrescens
Townsend's Warbler
-Dendroica townsendi
Yellow Warbler
-Dendroica petechia
MacGillivray's Warbler
-Oporornis tolmiei
Wilson's Warbler
-Wilsonia pusilla
Common Yellowthroat
-Geothlypis trichas
Painted Redstart
-Myioborus pictus
Tanagers: Family Thraupidae (2)
Summer Tanager
-Piranga rubra
Flame-colored Tanager
-Piranga bidentata
New World Sparrows: Family Emberizidae (9)
Green-tailed Towhee
-Pipilo chlorurus
Canyon Towhee
-Pipilo fuscus
Abert's Towhee
-Pipilo aberti
Chipping Sparrow
-Spizella passerina
Brewer's Sparrow
-Spizella breweri
Lark Sparrow
-Chondestes grammacus
Black-throated Sparrow
-Amphispiza bilineata
Song Sparrow (southwestern form)
-Melospiza melodian saltonis
White-crowned Sparrow
-Zonotrichia leucophrys
Cardinals: Family Cardinalidae (4)
Black-headed Grosbeak
-Pheucticus melanocephalus
Northern Cardinal
-Cardinalis cardinalis
Pyrrhuloxia
-Cardinalis sinuatus
Lazuli Bunting
-Passerina amoena
Blackbirds and Orioles: Family Icteridae (6)
Red-winged Blackbird
-Agelaius phoeniceus
Great-tailed Grackle
-Quiscalus mexicanus
Brewer's Blackbird
-Euphagus cyanocephalus
Hooded Oriole
-Icterus cucullatus
Bullock's Oriole
-Icterus bullockii
Scott's Oriole
-Icterus parisorum
Finches: Family Fringillidae (4)
House Finch
-Carpodacus mexicanus
Pine Siskin
-Carduelis pinus
American Goldfinch
-Carduelis tristis
Lesser Goldfinch
-Carduelis psaltria
Old World Sparrows: Family Passeridae (1)
House Sparrow
-Passer domesticus
So, the total is 114. As Libby said before, about 37 new, which is 36 each lifers. Cool beans folks. Until next time, peace out.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Home Sweet Home
Libby and I finally made it home. It was a long drive (9 hours) from Sierra Vista, Arizona to La Mirada, California, but it's good to be back.
Looking back, the real highlight of the trip was the Flame-colored Tanager. It was both strikingly beautiful and rare, which if you ask a gold miner, denotes value. This individual bird has been coming back to Madera Canyon for the last four years, and he'll probably not be around too much longer. He doesn't have a female consort, either, so when he's gone, who knows when the next Flame-colored Tanager will find Madera Canyon (or the United States at all, for that matter)? It probably won't be too long, but there is usually only one or so a year north of Mexico in any event.
Our pictures all turned out fuzzy, so here's a link to a really good one someone else took: Flame-colored Tanager picture. This fellow took a bunch of pictures, too: Flame-colored Tanager page. These are all of the same bird we saw - he's got to be one of the most photographed and admired birds in the United States. That's the other thing about Southeast Arizona, there are birders everywhere. There were birders in our hotels, birders on the trails, birders from all over the country, all of them walking around with binoculars around their necks and field guides in their hands. It will only get more crowded in Arizona with birders as the season progresses - late April and early May bring in the rest of the Arizona specialties. We were early for a lot of neat birds, but that's ok, we'll go back some day to see them. In the meantime, we were really happy with experiencing such a neat place.
A real highlight for me was seeing all of the hummingbirds throughout the week, though especially Friday. There are so many hummingbirds in Arizona. The big feeder collections we posted pictures of would draw dozens of hummingbirds at a time - and of so many different species - that you couldn't watch all of them. The air would be full of their whirring, and each bird's wings make a different kind of hum. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds' wings hum really loudly, and so you always knew when one was around. They would chirp and chase each other around, and then all feed at the same feeder. You'd have four birds at one feeder, which is something that would never happen in our backyard. It was also a real treat to see Magnificent Hummingbirds and Blue-throated Hummingbirds. They were so big! Imagine the sparrows you see hopping about as hummingbirds, whirring around on giant wings. That's about what it was like - they dwarfed the other hummingbirds at the feeders with them. Perhaps some day I'll get to go somewhere where you can see 50 hummingbird species in a day.
Libby counted up our life birds for the trip, and we had 37. That's a lot of new birds! We haven't figured out the trip total for birds, but we'll post that after we figure it out. All in all, this was a rewarding and relaxing vacation.
*Note from Libby: Birders sometimes calculate the "cost per bird" of a trip like this. Since we saw 37 lifers, and the trip cost approx. $710 (with lodging, food, gas, and fees), our cost per bird was about $19.19. Of course, we got more than birds for our money. We got some great experiences and memories...and a nice change of scenery before going back to work.
Looking back, the real highlight of the trip was the Flame-colored Tanager. It was both strikingly beautiful and rare, which if you ask a gold miner, denotes value. This individual bird has been coming back to Madera Canyon for the last four years, and he'll probably not be around too much longer. He doesn't have a female consort, either, so when he's gone, who knows when the next Flame-colored Tanager will find Madera Canyon (or the United States at all, for that matter)? It probably won't be too long, but there is usually only one or so a year north of Mexico in any event.
Our pictures all turned out fuzzy, so here's a link to a really good one someone else took: Flame-colored Tanager picture. This fellow took a bunch of pictures, too: Flame-colored Tanager page. These are all of the same bird we saw - he's got to be one of the most photographed and admired birds in the United States. That's the other thing about Southeast Arizona, there are birders everywhere. There were birders in our hotels, birders on the trails, birders from all over the country, all of them walking around with binoculars around their necks and field guides in their hands. It will only get more crowded in Arizona with birders as the season progresses - late April and early May bring in the rest of the Arizona specialties. We were early for a lot of neat birds, but that's ok, we'll go back some day to see them. In the meantime, we were really happy with experiencing such a neat place.
A real highlight for me was seeing all of the hummingbirds throughout the week, though especially Friday. There are so many hummingbirds in Arizona. The big feeder collections we posted pictures of would draw dozens of hummingbirds at a time - and of so many different species - that you couldn't watch all of them. The air would be full of their whirring, and each bird's wings make a different kind of hum. Broad-tailed Hummingbirds' wings hum really loudly, and so you always knew when one was around. They would chirp and chase each other around, and then all feed at the same feeder. You'd have four birds at one feeder, which is something that would never happen in our backyard. It was also a real treat to see Magnificent Hummingbirds and Blue-throated Hummingbirds. They were so big! Imagine the sparrows you see hopping about as hummingbirds, whirring around on giant wings. That's about what it was like - they dwarfed the other hummingbirds at the feeders with them. Perhaps some day I'll get to go somewhere where you can see 50 hummingbird species in a day.
Libby counted up our life birds for the trip, and we had 37. That's a lot of new birds! We haven't figured out the trip total for birds, but we'll post that after we figure it out. All in all, this was a rewarding and relaxing vacation.
*Note from Libby: Birders sometimes calculate the "cost per bird" of a trip like this. Since we saw 37 lifers, and the trip cost approx. $710 (with lodging, food, gas, and fees), our cost per bird was about $19.19. Of course, we got more than birds for our money. We got some great experiences and memories...and a nice change of scenery before going back to work.
Friday, April 13, 2007
Day 5, Hummingbirds!
Today was our last day of birding in Southeastern Arizona. The plan this morning was to bird Garden Canyon in Fort Huachuca here, but it snowed last night. We persevered with our plans, but when we got to the first picnic area it was still spitting snow. We saw at the picnic area:
1. Say's Pheobe
2. Red-tailed Hawk
3. American Kestrel
4. Turkey Vulture
It was freezing, bitter cold, and so we went into the lowlands and the San Pedro River, which you can see below. On the way we saw a lifer - the Swainson's Hawk is beautiful.
5. Swainson's Hawk*
6. Northern Mockingbird
7. Mourning Dove
The San Pedro River flows North, from Mexico into the United States. That's pretty unusual. It's a valuable riparian corridor for migrants. It was quite birdy today, but it was also full of caterpillars. There were millions of caterpillars, about 20 per square foot (no exageration - millions), on every surface. These were fuzzy caterpillars, and so we had to be careful not to touch them (the fuzz may be a defense mechanism that is very irritating to the skin). They were dropping from the trees above us, so that was pretty tricky. We used twigs to wipe them off our clothes every few minutes. It was a real once in a lifetime kind of bizarre experience.
Anyway, there were a lot of birds (not eating the caterpillars). Here's the list of birds we first saw there (asterisks denote lifers):
8. Vermillion Flycatcher
9. Hammond's Flycatcher
10. Western Kingbird
11. Cassin's Kingbird
12. Yellow Warbler* (for Libby, I've seen one at Biola)
13. Yellow-rumped Warbler
14. Wilson's Warbler
15. Common Yellowthroat
16. Song Sparrow
17. Abert's Towhee
18. Summer Tanager* (a female, however)
19. Great Blue Heron
20. Mallard (Mexican form - the males don't have green heads)
21. Barn Swallow
22. Violet-green Swallow
23. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
24. Chihuahuan Raven
25. Loggerhead Strike
26. Northern Flicker
27. Gila Woodpecker
28. Gambel's Quail
29. Ladder-backed Woodpecker
30. White-winged Dove
At about 11:00, we packed up and headed for the hills. The sun had come out, and it was warming up, so we felt comfortable going up in elevation. It was still nippy when we got there, but the sun was warm. Here's a sign you see in Southern Arizona:
We saw a lot of evidence of illegal immigration in riparian areas. There were water jugs spread around under piles of grass, etc. It's kind of unnerving, really. The place we headed was Beatty's Guest Ranch in the Huachuca Mountains for hummingbirds! This place has had the highest number of hummingbirds seen in one day in the United States. We saw eight species there, and three of those were new for us. Here's the feeder set-up:
31. Anna's Hummingbird
32. Rufous Hummingbird
33. Black-chinned Hummingbird
34. Broadbilled Hummingbird
35. Magnificent Hummingbird
36. Calliope Hummingbird* (our smallest hummingbird)
37. Broadtailed Hummingbird*
38. Bluethroated Hummingbird* (our largest hummingbird - as long as the Magnificent (5") but heavier)
We also saw some other birds we hadn't seen yet that day:
39. Mexican Jay
40. Black-headed Grosbeak
41. Painted Redstart
42. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
43. Hutton's Vireo (in the same tree as the Kinglet!)
After Miller Canyon, we headed off to Ash Canyon, where there is another collection of feeders that is currently featuring a Lucifer's Hummingbird. We headed over to see that, too. We saw it as soon as we came in the gate! The other highlight was a Whiskered Screech Owl, which was in a nest box there:
44. Lucifer's Hummingbird*
45. Scott's Oriole
46. Whiskered Screech Owl*
47. Bridled Titmouse
48. Acorn Woodpecker
49. Lesser Goldfinch
50. Lazuli Bunting
51. Chipping Sparrow
After that, we headed back to the San Pedro River to watch some Hummingbird banding, which seemed appropriate after our nine species Hummingbird day.
First we checked out the river, and we found a few new species for the day:
52. Black Pheobe
53. McGillivray's Warbler
54. Belted Kingfisher
55. Sharp-shinned Hawk
56. White-crowned Sparrow
Here's how they caught the hummingbirds - they dropped a net on them while they were feeding. It was pretty cool to watch.
Anyway, now we're heading home tomorrow.
1. Say's Pheobe
2. Red-tailed Hawk
3. American Kestrel
4. Turkey Vulture
It was freezing, bitter cold, and so we went into the lowlands and the San Pedro River, which you can see below. On the way we saw a lifer - the Swainson's Hawk is beautiful.
5. Swainson's Hawk*
6. Northern Mockingbird
7. Mourning Dove
The San Pedro River flows North, from Mexico into the United States. That's pretty unusual. It's a valuable riparian corridor for migrants. It was quite birdy today, but it was also full of caterpillars. There were millions of caterpillars, about 20 per square foot (no exageration - millions), on every surface. These were fuzzy caterpillars, and so we had to be careful not to touch them (the fuzz may be a defense mechanism that is very irritating to the skin). They were dropping from the trees above us, so that was pretty tricky. We used twigs to wipe them off our clothes every few minutes. It was a real once in a lifetime kind of bizarre experience.
Anyway, there were a lot of birds (not eating the caterpillars). Here's the list of birds we first saw there (asterisks denote lifers):
8. Vermillion Flycatcher
9. Hammond's Flycatcher
10. Western Kingbird
11. Cassin's Kingbird
12. Yellow Warbler* (for Libby, I've seen one at Biola)
13. Yellow-rumped Warbler
14. Wilson's Warbler
15. Common Yellowthroat
16. Song Sparrow
17. Abert's Towhee
18. Summer Tanager* (a female, however)
19. Great Blue Heron
20. Mallard (Mexican form - the males don't have green heads)
21. Barn Swallow
22. Violet-green Swallow
23. Northern Rough-winged Swallow
24. Chihuahuan Raven
25. Loggerhead Strike
26. Northern Flicker
27. Gila Woodpecker
28. Gambel's Quail
29. Ladder-backed Woodpecker
30. White-winged Dove
At about 11:00, we packed up and headed for the hills. The sun had come out, and it was warming up, so we felt comfortable going up in elevation. It was still nippy when we got there, but the sun was warm. Here's a sign you see in Southern Arizona:
We saw a lot of evidence of illegal immigration in riparian areas. There were water jugs spread around under piles of grass, etc. It's kind of unnerving, really. The place we headed was Beatty's Guest Ranch in the Huachuca Mountains for hummingbirds! This place has had the highest number of hummingbirds seen in one day in the United States. We saw eight species there, and three of those were new for us. Here's the feeder set-up:
31. Anna's Hummingbird32. Rufous Hummingbird
33. Black-chinned Hummingbird
34. Broadbilled Hummingbird
35. Magnificent Hummingbird
36. Calliope Hummingbird* (our smallest hummingbird)
37. Broadtailed Hummingbird*
38. Bluethroated Hummingbird* (our largest hummingbird - as long as the Magnificent (5") but heavier)
We also saw some other birds we hadn't seen yet that day:
39. Mexican Jay
40. Black-headed Grosbeak
41. Painted Redstart
42. Ruby-crowned Kinglet
43. Hutton's Vireo (in the same tree as the Kinglet!)
After Miller Canyon, we headed off to Ash Canyon, where there is another collection of feeders that is currently featuring a Lucifer's Hummingbird. We headed over to see that, too. We saw it as soon as we came in the gate! The other highlight was a Whiskered Screech Owl, which was in a nest box there:
44. Lucifer's Hummingbird*
45. Scott's Oriole
46. Whiskered Screech Owl*
47. Bridled Titmouse
48. Acorn Woodpecker
49. Lesser Goldfinch
50. Lazuli Bunting
51. Chipping Sparrow
After that, we headed back to the San Pedro River to watch some Hummingbird banding, which seemed appropriate after our nine species Hummingbird day.
First we checked out the river, and we found a few new species for the day:
52. Black Pheobe
53. McGillivray's Warbler
54. Belted Kingfisher
55. Sharp-shinned Hawk
56. White-crowned Sparrow
Here's how they caught the hummingbirds - they dropped a net on them while they were feeding. It was pretty cool to watch.
Anyway, now we're heading home tomorrow.
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