From a small town to a big city...
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A Birding Blog
By Jared Conaway
From a small town to a big city...
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Has this post been anticipated? Well definitely by the author. I LOVE Oak Creek Canyon, it is my favorite place in Arizona. There just aren't words for it. Except green. I've been there once before, in the winter, and it was absolutely gorgeous. You remember the exaggerated tree sizes, right? At the time I thought I was correct. Because Ponderosa Pines totally get 270 ft. tall in Arizona... The tallest Ponderosa Pine in the world is just over 270 ft., and it's not in Arizona. Alright, got that out of the way, now it's time for a more... cinematic introduction. Sorry, the video you requested wasn't found. No, I didn't start a youtube channel (yet). By cinematic I mean stylish: Oak. Creek. Canyon. A breathtaking location tucked serenely in between mesas and beautiful red-tinged cliffs. The water is cold all year long, as it is close to its originality as snowmelt. Because of the permanent creek, the trees are absolutely enormous, and healthy. The canyon includes the tallest Ponderosa Pines in the state, and potentially Douglas Fir as well. It has excellent riparian diversity with huge Arizona Sycamores, tall Boxelder Maples, and local Knowlton Hophornbeams. The sheer abundance of deciduous flora really gives an eastern US appearance. Just everything about this canyon is stunning, and magnificent, and... otherworldly. In January 2018 I went there for the first time, receiving the frosty cold, less green version of it. Ever since I really wanted to go again during late spring or summer, especially after seeing my other Arizona favorite, Ramsey Canyon. Only one can be my absolute favorite (or can it?), so I was ready to break the tie between these 2 ripe areas. Before Caleb and I went there, we walked around a spot where an Eastern Kingbird had been seen (before Sedona). It was probably too early, but worth a shot. That shot didn't end with an EAKI, but Caleb did spot a Common Black-Hawk- A.K.A awesome sauce. I really like this hawk. Why? Because I like it. I believe this was in Yavapai County. Alright, so we started the day with a Common Black-Hawk (the true kingbird), now we were headed to that place. That amazing place. We arrived at Cave Springs Campground. When I opened the car door, Immediately I heard a beautiful slurred warble coming from a bird that wasn't a warbler. While not that, it was: a lifer! Here is the creature, they call it the Yellow-throated Vireo (YTVI). He is backlit, but hey, you can see the yellow throat. This little guy was singing his ancient little heart out. He has sort of become a summer icon of Oak Creek Canyon, Staying in the same area Spring to fall, ever since 2016. That's 3 years. He probably betted with his buds over in Wisconsin that he would definitely find a mate in Arizona. He had to have betted a lot of money. Shoot, this fluffball is in debt. Little buddy better find a girl. Here's Great Blue Heron nests high up in a very tall Ponderosa Pine Adult Great Blue Heron; It went back and forth from the nest, across the canyon, collecting nest material or food. House Wren. He sang his bubbly song a lot, along with many others. Bigtooth Maples. This is one of my favorite deciduous trees in the state. For a while we birded on a boulder in the creek. Bullock's Oriole, a gorgeous bird. There were quite a few singing and vocalizing. This is my first picture of a male. Essentially it is the western counterpart of Baltimore Oriole, with a breeding range separated by the Great Plains for the most part. Plantations of trees across the grasslands has merged the 2 species, resulting in frequent hybridization. The BUOR is a welcome and beloved visitor to citrus feeders along with other orioles. These guys are often tempted by sugar water in hummingbirds feeders. Gambel Oak Young White Fir The forest in the canyon is reminiscent on the eastern side of the continent, as mentioned a few times. However, it is not reminiscent of most areas in Arizona, with none exactly like it. When ever I looked up to the really tall canyon walls, I was reminded I was still in Arizona. The southwest is signified by an abundance of canyons, something the east lacks. The tree species here are all common and flourishing: Alligator Juniper, Rocky Mountain Juniper, Smooth Arizona Cypress, White Fir, Douglas-fir, Ponderosa Pine, Knowlton Hophornbeam, Boxelder Maple, Rocky Mountain Maple, Arizona Alder, Water Birch, Bigtooth Maple, Gambel Oak, Emory Oak, Canyon Live-Oak, Velvet Ash, Arizona Sycamore, Fremont Cottonwood, Narrowleaf Willow, and Arizona Black Walnut. Above the canyon floor are the lushest Douglas-Fir/Smooth Arizona Cypress forests in the state. I went off the trail to take some pictures of a really tall Fremont Cottonwood, and when I got back on, Caleb was gone. At first I walked around the area near the parking lot, then I decided to follow the song of the Yellow-throated Vireo. It was worth it. Not only did I get great views of the vireo, but I got to see some White-throated Swifts flying by really fast. I got my best views yet of this beautiful swift. I thought that since they were low that pics would be easy. Nope. I really could've tried harder, but I was enthralled with the wise old vireo. The YTVI is closely related to the solitary vireos (Blue-headed, Cassin's, Plumbeous), and normally found in the eastern US during summer, echoeing its beautiful song throughout the lush broadleaf forests. This vireo is striking, possessing blue legs & bill which isn't noticeable in these photos. It is most similar to Pine Warbler, but here are the differences: 1. PIWA has yellow uppertail coverts (rump), YTVI has gray. 2. Pine Warbler doesn't have thick yellow lores connected to a broad yellow eyering. It doesn't have the spectacled appearance of YTVI. 3. Pine Warbler has defined streaking and yellow extending to rear flanks. The streaking defines the breast from the underside. 4. YTVI has a thick, hooked bill; PIWA has a narrow, unhooked bill. 5. PIWA has olive-yellow lesser wing coverts; YTVI has gray lesser wing coverts. Here's a poor photo of Audubon's Yellow-rumped Warbler. The woodpecker. The myth. The legend. here's an Acorn Woodpecker. Eventually I located Caleb near the parking lot, and we continued birding for a bit. Do you see the Western Tanager? If you can't see it then I'm not sure what reality is. Wowzers. While the east has its own stunner- Scarlet Tanager- we got the Western Tanager (WETA). It inhabits coniferous montane forests across the west, and while common, its presence is always appreciated. I'm hoping I'll eventually get better photos of this tanager. Amber-eyed Red-backed Dark-eyed Junco. Like the name? In this pic you can't see the deep chestnut eyes well, but in the next photos you will. We spent a few minutes enjoying this unique sparrow. There we go- now the eyes are evident. He's also the Meme Master: "You don't say?" "How about... No." This fits a variety of memes, including; "When people call amber-eyed RBJU hybrids between RBJU & YEJU." Which brings us to that subject. Rather than being hybrids, they are most likely- simply- birds that possess genes that give the Yellow-eyed Junco yellow eyes. Red-backed Junco has brown eyes, and probably has recessive genes (being a subspecies rather than a species). The Red-backed Junco is the last subspecies before Yellow-eyed Junco, which means that it is going to show traits of YEJU quite often. There has recently been a similar case with Mexican Chickadee; individuals with white superciliums- a trait possessed by Mountain Chickadee. But seeing as MECH is the Sierra Madrean version of MOCH, there's no reason to call those birds hybrids. Originally we were going to stay at OCC for a while... But the wind picked up, so we had to get to Mormon Lake to try for a Common Crane. In 2016, a Common Crane randomly showed up at Mormon Lake in northern Arizona. It is an Asiatic species. If we were to see it, it would be my first Asian bird (says the guy who lived in Alaska). And... The wind got really hyper. We got blasted by 45 mph winds, which made scanning difficult. Y'all know I've been to Mormon Lake before: September of last year. I don't think I've ever had no wind on any trip to the Mogollon Rim. But hey, maybe something blew in. Caleb sat down and clicked away all the beautiful little coots. We also had lots of Eared Grebes, California Gulls, Canada Geese, some Redheads, Cinnamon Teal, Turkey Vultures, a Spotted Sandpiper, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds, among others. Yellow-headed Blackbirds sound... terrible. It's freaky. As we were leaving one side of the lake, I thought I had heard the whinny of a Red-necked Grebe. Turns out it was just a soggy Sora sounding off. (I just want to make a quick note that I changed my Life List to taxonomical order. I even added a lot of subspecies.) We went around the whole lake without seeing the Common Crane. We weren't done yet though. We had lunch with Caleb's parents in Flagstaff, and then went back. The uncommon crane was probably curled up in a ball, sheltering from the relentless wind. Or... He flew off. We first checked out Marshall Lake in an attempt to find him there. We ended up seeing a small flock of White-faced Ibis. Caleb ran out there to see if there were any Glossy Ibis, which ended up spooking them into the air. It was epic to see their wings shimmer turquoise as the wind kept them suspended. There's something special about seeing a familiar bird more beautiful than before. We went around the lake for a second time, somehow without finding the Common Crane. I thought this bird was common. #falseadvertisment. Do not despair. Because I didn't. This crane wanted to be just like the Ringed Kingfisher, and so I'd rather not hold his decision against him. He was just an Asian crane looking for some opportunity in America, so kudos to you crane, you came a long way, and you induced many smiles among so many people who enjoyed you. You didn't make onto my life list, but respect is in place of resentment. You eluded my binoculars, which is why I respect you. I'll be back, if not for you, then for your kin. We left Mormon Lake to drive through some beautiful Ponderosa Pine forest along the Mogollon Rim. We passed a drainage with Douglas-Firs and White Firs in it. This broke up the peculiar landscape for a brief second. I've mentioned this unique region of Arizona a lot, as I been up there often. As I just mentioned, there is 1 species of tree that dominates over all others for a huge part of it. It's only on the edge of the rim, in some drainages, and at higher elevations that other conifers are present, such as White Fir, Douglas-Fir, and Southwestern White Pine. Because there's only 1 species of tree (2 slightly above the transition zone: Rocky Mountain Juniper) there is a low diversity of birds. Also, the fact that there's only 1 gives it an eerie vibe. Everywhere you look is the same. So these little sections of riparian drainages feel like separate worlds. Caleb and I arrived at a disclosed location in Yavapai County. You know, this is the first time I've had to disclose a birding place. Hey, I can't give the position of an FBI bird to just anyone. Anyways, I knew what we were looking for; it's a certain owl with long ears... we walked around for a few minutes, getting relentlessly poked by grass seed pods every second. I found this awesome ode called Great Spreadwing, the largest damselfly on the continent. It is like the ode version of California Condor. See those things hanging that look like the tail of Arctic Tern? That's what was stabbing our feet. But I had to bare and persist, I had an amazing bird ahead of me. Trying to be quiet was difficult; live-oak leaf litter covered the ground. Out of nowhere, 2 wings materialized ahead of us and flew overhead into a clump of hackberry branches. This was the bane of my camera's existence. In other words, the focus was unfocused. The skittish owl then left the party before the party could begin. Oh, but we weren't done yet: There was a nest that would be easy money for photographs... If we could find it. The Long-eared Owl had to pose a challenge, as it would be a very special bird to give me capturable moments to enjoy. We began the real search for the grand prize, which certainly wasn't easy as this owl is very cryptic, and while a nest would be obvious once located, locating it wouldn't be so obvious. The world of a Long-eared Owl is a unique place, looking out is an ocean of grass and dramatic plateaus, but looking in is dense hackberry-oak forest- and despite its confinement- you can get lost in. Eventually we came to a spot where we could see the surrounding grassland more clearly. Caleb walked around, looking up in the trees for a clump of sticks. I mostly stayed put, examining the area to find the most suitable tree. I looked up from right where Caleb was standing, and above his head was a clump of sticks. In it, a pair of eyes were locked onto me. "Caleb, It's right above you." Caleb and I stepped back in amazement, and to respect the space that this owl much needed. I can't really put this experience into words. I just can't. I really want to do this Long-eared Owl justice, so long words that are synonoms of amazing won't be used. However, there appears to be a ball of fluff next to her. If you look right at the fork of the branch going across to the front of the bird, you can see an eye peeking through... The baby LEOW kept repositioning itself, meanwhile the parent kept her eyes focused on us the whole time. Something unique about this owl is the 2 diagnostic black stripes going through the eyes. It reminds me of warrior paint, which is perhaps a gesture to the spirit of a warrior within this owl. Perhaps it is a tribute to the Holy Spirit, the One who created this beautiful owl. These 2 black stripes are even present on the chick. The Long-eared Owl is a lot smaller than it looks; only about 12-16 inches tall. It is very shy compared to owls, and often will roost in groups of up to 30 in a clump of trees at night. Some or all birds will choose a different roost site if they feel too uncomfortable. For this reason I can not disclose the location. The Long-eared Owl is relatively widespread across the northern hemisphere, foraging at night over temperate grasslands, taiga, steppe, and open woodland. This owl is prey to larger owl species such as Great-horned Owl, plus other birds, like Northern Goshawk. This is the reason for its cryptic nature. Often when scared, it will get into a defense posture; It laterally compresses itself, giving it a slender appearance that may be passed off as a branch. It is in the genus Asio- sharing a relation with Short-eared Owl. Yep, a Long-eared and a Short-eared Owl in the same genus. Throwing a wink at me for whatever reason. Alright then.
The Short-eared Owl is much rarer in Arizona, but is found more often now due to more active birding of natural grasslands in the winter. Both species have longer wings in proportion to their body length than other owls. This is because they hunt in the air, rather than using a snag as a vantage point. They will sometimes fight similar sized raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks to get a pre-killed meal. They are also migratory in the northern part of their distributions. Both species have island populations: Long-eared in the Canaries of Africa, and Short-eared in Hawaii and the Caribbean. Differentiating LEOW from SEOW isn't as straightforward as you might think. In flight, LEOW has its ear tufts folded back. For one, SEOW has fine streaking with no barring, with males white below and females dark buffy below. SEOW and LEOW are almost never active at the same time; LEOW hunts at night, and SEOW hunts at sunrise and sunset. In flight, SEOW will have a pale rump (except for Caribbean subspecies). Seeing this Long-eared Owl and its precious baby was definitely one of the most spectacular experiences of 2019, up there with Black Rosy-Finches at my feet. I'm hoping I remember this experience for a really long time, because it truly was an experience. Good night.
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