Costa Rica Birding with Majestic Feathers

Kathleen Cameron, a personal friend of mine, a great birder and bird photographer has been hosting birding tours to Costa Rica for a few years now. She recently led a tour to Peru too. On her Costa Rican tours, they have been averaging right around 400 species. Often more. I'm just saving up to go on one of these tours myself.

If you're interested in a wonderful Costa Rica birding and ecotoursim adventure with Majestic Feathers in March 2013, click here for details. Tell Kathleen that Robert from "Birding is Fun!" sent ya!

Boise Big Sit! Results

The Boise Big Sit! was held on Saturday, October 13th at the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve. It was a blast! Our goal was to see 35 species. We saw 50! - plus three others heard or seen from outside of the official 17' diameter circle (see the list below). I had hoped that at least one or two other birders would come out and join me. We had around 20 birders stop by! And a few hardy and enthusiastic birders spent most of the day out there. I had hoped that the location would allow us to share our passion for birding with the public, and we had around 30 people come by asking about what we were seeing and we were able to engage and interest them in meaningful ways. I'd call the Boise Big Sit! an all around "success".

Images of the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve taken with my iPhone before sunrise.

Digiscoped photo of Hooded Mergansers taken well before sunrise.

The day didn't start off too promising though. When I walked out to the car at 6am, it was raining, and I thought that the Big Sit! was going to be long cold and wet day. As I arrived at the parking lot of the location the rain serendipitously stopped. As I huffed all my gear to the official circle in the dark I could hear Mallards quacking and White-crowned Sparrows singing away with the occasional call of a Red-winged Blackbird and Killdeer crying overhead. It seemed that every square foot of water was covered by a duck. Before there was very much light, the ducks started taking flight in what seemed like coordinated launch times for each brigade until the waters were left mostly empty of waterfowl...well, except for the American Coots and Gadwalls that remained throughout the day. Why didn't the Gadwall leave with the Wigeons and Mallards? Hmm.

In the twilight birds and birders began to emerge from the darkness and the fun really got rolling with the sunrise! Every hour I'd share our current species total on Twitter and with the Idaho listserv. One listserv reader was so kind to bring us donuts. Emails and tweets came in throughout the day cheering us on. The birders that stayed all day were buoyed up by the visits of other birders and the public in the course of the day.

Enthusiasm and excitement ran high...well until that slow part of the day. From the lunch hour until the evening, hardly any new birds were seen at all. We took turns meandering around the reserve hoping to spot something new and different. Our strategy was to call the people in the circle to see if they could get a scope on any new species we could see or hear while outside of the circle. Nothing. Nada. Zippo. But as the afternoon turned into evening, the birds returned and we again quickly added species to the list and the excitement carried us through until the concluding hour.

Prior to the event, I had made a couple of lists which I printed and pasted to a poster board (shown at right). First was a list of all the "probable" birds we would expect to see at this location this time of year based on my own site visits and experience. Then, based on data I gleaned from eBird I compiled a list of "possible" birds that we might have decent chance of seeing. I had another section for write-ins of "unexpected" birds.

Best Bird of the Day had to have been the Northern Shrike which teed-up in perfect light in the nearest cluster of cottonwood trees at around 8:45am. I would have digiscoped a great picture of it, but I was on the phone and it flew off to parts unknown as soon as I hung up. The next best bird of the day was an unexpected White-throated Sparrow mixed in with some White-crowned Sparrows. I got great looks at it through the Swarovski ATX 85mm scope, but as soon as I would relocate it to show someone else it would move.

Biggest Dip of the Day - Red-tailed Hawk. We watched for a Red-tailed Hawk with intensity and earnestness. We scanned the Boise foothills and the power poles at the far edges of our scopes' power. Not a single one! The second biggest dip of the day was Lesser Scaup which are common on other water holes this time of year and have even been seen at this location in the past.

Flicker in Fall Foliage

If you've never done a Big Sit!, you really need to. I've come to enjoy and appreciate the minor dramas as expectations, disappointments and triumphs play out in the course of one intense day of birding.

The Boise Big Sit! Official Results
Canada Goose
Wood Duck
Gadwall
American Wigeon
Mallard
Cinnamon Teal - unexpected this time of year Northern Shoveler
Green-winged Teal - a single female
Hooded Merganser
Ruddy Duck - a single female or juvenile
California Quail
Pied-billed Grebe - still with stripe-faced young
Eared Grebe
Great Blue Heron
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Virginia Rail
American Coot - also still with stripe-faced young
Killdeer
Wilson's Snipe
Ring-billed Gull
California Gull
Rock Pigeon
Eurasian Collared-Dove - we expected to see these right away, but they didn't and we fretted all day about whether we'd see one or not. Finally, a couple showed up near the end of the Sit!
Mourning Dove
Belted Kingfisher
Northern Flicker
American Kestrel
Merlin
Northern Shrike - Bird of the Day!
Black-billed Magpie
American Crow
Common Raven
House Wren - unexpected this time of year
Marsh Wren
Ruby-crowned Kinglet
American Robin
European Starling
Cedar Waxwing
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Song Sparrow
White-throated Sparrow - runner-up Bird of the Day!
White-crowned Sparrow
Dark-eyed Junco
Red-winged Blackbird
Brewer's Blackbird
House Finch
Lesser Goldfinch - always possible this time of year, but unexpected
American Goldfinch
House Sparrow
-----
Red-breasted Nuthatch - heard, but not from the official circle
Western Meadowlark - heard, but not from the official circle
Pine Siskin - heard, but not from the official circle

Change of season...change of sparrows...

Last night when I got home from work, I sat down with my sketch book to find inspiration for today's post. I had lots of ideas, but it wasn't until I saw two sketches of a Savannah Sparrow that I knew I had my subject. I adore sparrows. They are sweet, and their subtle shades of browns, grays, and caramels are restful to the eye and make sparrows interesting to paint...

...a sweet Savannah Sparrow in an early spring meadow (watercolor).

Sparrows go about their business without flash. They flit through the grasses and make us work to see and identify them. This little Savannah Sparrow, however, was making it easy. He was singing heartily, perched on a tall and dried-out reedy stem of grass left over from winter. This sighting goes back to March 24, 2012 at Armleder Park in Cincinnati, OH. This bird was part of a pair that took turns diving down to the ground, then fluttering back up to a perch. In the same field, two Vesper Sparrows were doing the same thing, although they were much more secretive and did not do quite as much "fluttering up." Both species were returning migrants, and it was wonderful to welcome them back for the season...

...same Savannah Sparrow trying his best to fade away in a field of dead stalks and grasses (watercolor).

...but now, it's almost time to say goodbye to our sweet summer sparrows, but before our beautiful little Savannahs hurry off, I thought spending a few hours painting one seemed like a great way to bid adieu!

Sketches of the Savannah Sparrow at Armleder Park from back in March. 

Soon our winter sparrows will be here...White-crowned, White-throated, Fox, and American Tree Sparrows. None have showed up in our yard yet, but we are watching and waiting!

Happy Birding!
Kelly

My Favorite Bird of Summer

There is no doubt that my favorite time of year is Summer.  I have loved the warmth of the summer since I was a child.  That combined with having my children around makes the summer my favorite time of year.  In fact, I would love to live in a location that had Spring, Summer and Fall and no Winter!  Funny given my sons play hockey, the ultimate winter sport.  

One of the things I enjoy most about the summer is the opportunity I get to observe a very active Osprey nest in Westhampton Beach, NY.  There are several nesting platforms that have been provided by The Group for the East End, an environmental advocacy group that operates on the east end of Long Island, NY.  They have provided 60 nesting poles that mimic the dead trees that Osprey usually love to nest and perch in.  They are in the process of identifying locations for another 40 poles!

Osprey Pose

Early in my research time with Osprey, I realized that being harassed by blackbirds is a common occurrence for Osprey.  Its strange to think that a predator has such a small nemesis.  The location of this nesting pole is in a marsh.  Red-winged Blackbirds have nests in the swamp so they are plentiful in this location and chase the Osprey all day long, in the nest or during flight.

Osprey Being Attacked by Red-winged Blackbirds

One of my favorite observations is that of the Osprey returning to the nest.  Photographing them at the peak of action enables you to capture tack sharp images.  All of these images were made at sunset.

Osprey Next Landing

It's Time for Sparrows!

With the warblers pretty much gone from Indiana and the leaves turning wonderful colors, the start of sparrow season is upon us here in central Indiana. Over the past couple weeks, I have been birding all over my area trying to find as many sparrow species as I can and it has turned out pretty well. I have been birding mostly with my brother and we have managed to find 14 species of sparrows since October 1!

Many of the sparrows have been extremely cooperative for photos as well!

Although this was taken in Minnesota during the Focus on Diversity Conference, I have seen this species here in Indiana this October.

White-throated Sparrows are one of the most common sparrows during the fall and winter in Indiana.

There have been large numbers of Fox Sparrow around this fall. (This photo was taken by my brother, Eric Ripma)

Lincoln's Sparrow is one of the less common sparrows in Indiana and is sought after by many of the local birders. (This  photo was taken by my brother, Eric Ripma)

We also found a few other nice birds in addition to the sparrows. Both Pine Siskins and Purple Finches have arrived in huge numbers here. Even though the warbler numbers are down, we have been finding more Orange-crowned Warblers in the last few weeks!

A Purple Finch at a new park that we explored on the far west side of Indianapolis.

Have you been finding a lot of sparrows around you? I know that many people have a lot of trouble identifying the sparrows and many birders get so frustrated that they just ignore them all completely! We have been working on some article on my blog, NuttyBirder.com, to help people with this problem. The first post in a long series of sparrow identification posts is currently up so be sure to follow along as we work our way through sparrow id! The post can be found here.

-Rob

Evening Grosbeak Sightings

Birding North America virtually - by following the reports from fellow birders online - we've excitedly noted apparent irruptions in Red-breasted Nuthatches and Pine Siskins. Most recently, I've been seeing increased reports in the ABA Bird of the Year, the Evening Grosbeak. Whenever I have a hunch about a trend, or notice things anecdotally, I like to confirm my suspicions with a look at eBird sighting data contributor by birders like you and me.

As we look at the eBird sightings data since January 2012 until today, it seems like Evening Grosbeak range was the greatest in May and now again in October. If this truly is an irruption year for the Evening Grosbeak, we may see them even more and further south throughout the winter.

eBird - Frequency chart

eBird - Abundance Chart

Sawbills

The last few winters have seen me spend some time targeting two of the three sawbill species found in the UK. The first of these is the Red-Breasted Merganser, a small number of which take up residence on a large local artificial saltwater lake. They are not the easiest of birds to get close to and usually demand an early morning visit before the dog walkers take to the perimeter path for their daily constitutional.

There are a number of small floating piers in the lake which allows you to get down at water level to get a good low perspective on the birds. However, stepping on to these slime and guano coated wooden platforms is not without risk and I can only liken it to trying to walk across ice with ice blocks strapped to your feet. I have nearly taken a horizontal feet first dive into the lake a couple of times doing this. Its not the thought of plunging into an icy lake that concerns me as you would only need to stand up to save yourself from drowning, but the certain ruination of some expensive camera equipment after its a saline bath.

The standard diving bird approach is usually adopted for getting out on to the platform. This involves moving whilst the bird is underwater and stopping as soon as it surfaces, repeat until you have got to where you want to be. Once your out on the platform safely it is actually fairly unpleasant lying down on the green slime and bird plop gloop that coats the wooden planks. As they say though if it was easy it would not be fun.

The male birds are quite a tricky exposure with the camera, as are any birds with adjacent black and white area, and the key is trying to strike a balance to keep detail in both. The black head of the male does also have a green sheen when the light hits it at the right angle. the females are much more straight forward to photograph.

When  the bird dives you can usually work out where it is under the water by watching the trail of bubbles. However, occasionally the take you surprise as this young male did when it surfaced right next to me on the pontoon, so all I could fit in the frame was its head.

The other sawbill species I have spend several sessions with now is the Goosander (I have a feeling you may call these Common Merganser in the USA). They are impressive birds and notoriously difficult to get close to. For these birds I travel for about 2 hours into an upland lake in North Wales where on a particular lake you can usually find a group of around 10 birds.

This group of birds is very unusual in that they have a developed a love for eating bread from the frequent feeding of this large lake's waterfowl population by visitors. I have tried to feed them their normal diet of fish but if given the choice they go for the bread every time. This of course makes the photography much less of a challenge.

The really are beautiful looking birds and of a much tidier appearance than the Red-Breasted Merganser. The male are a difficult bird to photograph well just because of their very bright white flanks, that is sometimes flushed with a pink wash, and their dark heads that change from black to green depending on the light direction.

I have always really enjoyed my days photographing the Goosander as it has always coincided with high pressure conditions resulting in clear skies and a still lake in a stunning location on the edge of the Snowdonia National Park.

My last visit was in February this year. In fact it was my birthday which for the last few years I have taken the day off work for a photography session which helps take my mind off how quickly another year has passed. The main purpose of my trip this year was to try and capture some Goosander in flight for the first time. This is not easy photography as they fly incredibly fast just above the lake surface. Anyway after spending the whole day their I eventually managed to get some photos.

I have now built up a good library of images of these sawbills but I am sure as winter progresses the urge to photograph them will return, particularly with the goosander,  and I will find myself heading to the hills once more.

It's all about the lighting... And some young birders!

This bird was on the beach at East Fork State Park a while back. I originally called it a American Golden Plover juvenile. I now see that another plover was photographed by another birder with a better camera there this same day that clearly appears to be a Black-bellied Plover.

The 1st reason I called this bird a American Golden Plover is the strong eye line. It also appeared to have some gold speckling on the back. I wonder if this is a trick of the bad evening light. I do not think this is the same bird photographed earlier in the day by another birder.

Here are the pics:

*Update - ID'ed as a Black-bellied plover by another birder with more experience with the large plovers.  This is cool, because this would be only the second time I have seen one. This is most likely the same bird photographed earlier in the day. The setting sun made the lighting a challenge. Hoping to get back out there for some better pics today.

**Update #2:  I went back to see if I could get a better look at the bird. I quickly found the bird very near the same spot as yesterday. I was able to get pictures that confirm the bird is definitely a Black-bellied. It is the same bird that another birder photographed earlier in the day yesterday.  The lighting of the setting sun had added golden colors where none existed.  Below are the pics from today around mid-day.

 

Hi, why you looking at me!!!

The photo above of the underwing confirms that this is indeed a Black-bellied Plover.

The point to take away here is that when confronted with a difficult bird ID, look at more than one field mark instead of relying on one apparent field mark to cancel out the rest.

With this bird, look at the head shape.  It has a more blockier head than does American Golden.  Also, the breast of the bird is white and not buffy with the spots arranged in lines.  The bill is a little more thicker and somewhat shorter.

Many other birders thought like I did that my first pics and the bottom pics were two different birds.  However, seen in better light, the golden hues disappear totally and it is obvious that it is a Black-bellied Plover.

Yesterday, I attended the Hummer/Bird Banding Research Collaborative's annual outing.  Every year, Director/Founder and master bander Tim Tolford holds a cookout at his farm for volunteers and anyone who is interested in birds.  This year, Tim had Brad Williams from Indiana Young Birder's Club.  He talked about the club and also gave away some Kaufman Field Guides that some young birder's won by taking a bird ID quiz.  Always love to see the young kids getting involved in birds.  Thanks to all that do so much for our young birders, including our contributors to Birding Is Fun!

Tim also had Shawn Conner from the Hueston Woods Raptor Rehab bring in some birds for the kids to see up close!

Later in the night, bander Tim Tolford set up his nets to try to catch some Saw-whet Owls.  On the last net run, he did catch one Saw-whet!

Here is bander Tim Tolford with a Saw-whet Owl from last night.

Thanks again goes to Tim Tolford and all people who do so much for our young birding community!  A great time was had by all.  Don't forget to take a kid birding!

Here are a few links to more info on the above organizations:

Hummer/Bird Banding Research Collaborative's Facebook page

Indiana Young Birder's Facebook page