From a small town to a big city...
|
A Birding Blog
By Jared Conaway
From a small town to a big city...
|
Jared Conaway finds it and puts it on his Life List! Hello everyone, hope y'all had a Merry Christmas and please do have a Happy New Year! 2018 is coming and with it comes birds flocking to my Life List, it will be a year of adventure! Anyways, before I get caught up with the future we must rewind the day a little bit, so I can share an amazing story about this afternoon's happenings! For a few days now, ever since a few days before Christmas, I have been paying my attention to a ....'. ..... So the Hang-Man session begins! Anyways, today was my special day, the reason this bird was important: Because it was the only individual of his species to be reported at the GRPs! There'd been reports at the Lower River Ponds and elsewhere, but now, for a week, there was one that was somewhere familiar, somewhere closer! As usual, stepped out of the car to breath in the glory of the recharge ponds, but this time, decked out and dressed like a birder with my Hassayampa River Preserve ball cap that I received for Christmas! Sowed into it, the Vermillion Flycatcher. Come on little fireball, you show up on my hat and on Lewis Hoinger's camera but not in front of me?! As soon as we're out, a PRAIRIE FALCON soared alongside 8 AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS! Boom! AZ lifer, the Prairie Falcon (one of my favorite birds, you know)! The Pelicans drifting overhead so far inland surprised my brother, Brian. See he's not really a birder, so he's really only familiar with the harbor scrounging, fisherman-scraps-scavenging, oversized duck with big pouch-beak, home at 42 Wallaby Way Sydney scooping up Marlin and Dory and chased by gulls that say: "MINE! MINE! MINE!" Anyways, I turned my attention to the ponds and there's 300 NORTHERN SHOVELERS? Record number for me so far! Geez Shovelers, you all just moved from Alaska or what? Then, I found a few EARED GREBES, 100 Coots, and some BUFFLEHEADS within the large flock. No geese so far. GREEN-WINGED TEAL, NORTHERN PINTAILS, GADWALLS, and about 11 DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS that flew overhead many times, plus many NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS. In basin 5, another American White Pelican stood out of the crowd of Coots, Gadwalls, BLUE-WINGED TEAL, Green-winged Teal, and RUDDY DUCKS that swam around on the surface. Still no geese in this pond, either. But as we got to about midway across the first side of the basin, I peered over to see what was in pond 6. There it was, a gleaming white beacon, in the middle of pond 6. I raised my binoculars, to confirm what I was seeing, to make sure it was the bird, and not something else such as a gull. In fact, it was as magnificent as I had imagined it would. I was looking at a ROSS'S GOOSE, the bird I had come for!!!!!! I quickly lowered them and said to Mom, OK, there's a Ross's Goose over there in the pond, just what we came for, come on lets go!" I was surging with excitement, YES, I told myself. A bit closer, and I raised my binos again, I saw multiple CANADA GEESE around him, they couldn't seem to block him out, though, he shined like a beacon! Originally, I was after a flock of Canada Geese because everyone who'd reported him had said in the comments that he was always foraging and swimming with the Canada Geese. To my delight, I located that Ross's so fast I forgot he was supposed to be in the midst of a flock of Canadas! Everyone was in fact right, stubby pink bill-CHECK, round small head- CHECK, no grin patch- CHECK, petite goose- CHECK! Ross's Geese and Snow Geese are known to frequently hybridize where ranges overlap in northern Canada, so I checked off field marks aloud to be sure he was a pure Ross's Goose- and that he was! Once we had walked basin 6 a little, I snapped a few pics for ebird and my blog, zooming in all the way. Nonethelesss, semi-distant bird, photos will be seriously cropped. Reported recently was a Cackling Goose, a rarity for the Recharge Ponds, and uncommon in this state in general. I very likely did see him, the photo of Canada's includes a RICHARDSON'S CACKLING GOOSE in the far right of the photo. did see him, but maybe not definitely. A highlight within the same pond where 2 CALIFORNIA GULLS, more had been previously reported , and they are rare this time of year. There were also a couple of RING-BILLED GULLS. I said hi to a nearby birder and told him about my California Gull sighting and first-ever Ross's Goose, he told me he'd seen quite a few in California's Central Valley, a huge wintering ground where they are known to form large pure flocks, one the few places they do so. Elsewhere they are heavily outnumbered by the Snow Goose. When we moved on, I found an American Kestrel female perched on a telephone wire. That brought up a new goal: See 3 falcons species in one day. After all, I'd already seen the previously reported Prairie Falcon earlier, now the Kestrel, so all I needed was the Peregrine that was typically here. A NORTHERN HARRIER also flew across the goose pond. In ponds 2 & 1, the empty ponds, a kettle of 14 TURKEY VULTURES sat on the ground foraging and being vultures. Isolated away from them, the Prairie Falcon was standing on the ground, looking like a fantastic bird! As we walked further, I saw that the Vultures started soaring, and within the kettle, a COMMON RAVEN was drifting in the air. As I thought about the Belted Kingfisher, one decided to fly past me, going slow enough for me to look at her through my binos. Other birds we saw were; AMERICAN WIGEON, Mallards, RING-NECKED DUCKS, LESSER SCAUP, COMMON GOLDENEYE, Great Blue Herons, SNOWY EGRET, RED-TAILED HAWK, BLACK-NECKED STILTS, AMERICAN AVOCETS, Killdeers, Least Sandpipers, LONG-BILLED DOWITCHERS, GREATER YELLOWLEGS, a HERRING GULL, Eurasian Collared Dove, Mourning Doves, Black Phoebes, Northern Rough-winged Swallows, Curve-billed Thrasher, European Starlings, American Pipits, Adubon's Warbler, Great-tailed Grackles, White-crowned Sparrows, and House Finches. Once we reached the car, I decided to talk to a birder, who after the conversation introduced herself as Nancy Miller. As we talked and birded I found; SONG SPARROWS, LINCOLNS SPARROWS, House Sparrows, a GREATER ROADRUNNER, and heard a SORA right below us. (Some birds like Song and Lincolns Sparrows and Roadrunner I found before I met up with her. What an awesome birding adventure, I hit a Ross's Goose for the miss of the Brant Goose before! See pics below. Ring-necked Duck Greater Roadrunner "MEEP-MEEP!" The Grand Finale... The ROSS'S GOOSE! Canada Geese pair in foreground, Ross's in backround. Goose farthest right may be the Cackling, note stubby bill and very short neck What an awesome day of birding, apparently I hit my record high of TTBs at 54 species total, a few of which were AZ lifers! So glad I had a Ross's Goose to top it all off (everyone reported 2, but only gave comments for one). Just so you know Jamin is doing very well, I've already pet him and he gets excited when he sees me, following me to which ever side of the tank I'm at. He no longer hides from me or anyone really, and I know in my previous post I said it would take him a few months before he started begging for food and become my companion, but he already has! It's unbelievable, he's a totally different fish from when I first took him home from the fish store! WOW, that happened REALLY FAST! Also, I had a Merry Christmas and I hope you guys did too, I received a Sky Viper stunt drone and an R/C Car! Happy 2018, happy birding, I'm Jared Conaway, and stay tuned for my next post!
0 Comments
Hello All! As you read that title, you probably gain belief that I have never before had a fish... until now. Well, that's VERY FAR from the truth! I LOVE fish keeping! I've experienced much pain and sorrow owning them, but man fish are freaking great! With all the bad and ugly experiences I've had, I've also had so many great experiences with them. the aquarist hobby it's all about learning from your mistakes. Most will tell you they've made uncountable mistakes in their early days, but now have thriving fish. I'm one of those, however, I'm very prepared in taking on the challenge of owning my new pet, Jamin. He's a true RED DEVIL CICHLID, Amphilophus labiatus, likely not A. citrinellus (Midas Cichlid, often labeled as "Red Devil Cichlid" due to similarity). Jamin is a very cute little guy, only about 2 and a half inches long, but already seems to be warming up to me and his voracious apatite! Eventually (about a month) he'll be excitingly swimming up to me begging to be fed! I love li'l Jamin, and really soon he won't be little any more! meet my new companion, Jamin Devlin Conaway! Isn't he adorable? I'll probably send updated pictures as he grows into a massive Red Devil Cichlid! He may not be the Loch-Ness Monster yet, but stay tuned, for when that day comes! I'm Jared Conaway, Merry CBCs, Merry Christmas, and stay tuned for my next post!
Hello all! 2 days ago (blogging on the 18th) I had my first ever CBC, and I certainly look forward to the next! As soon as I stepped out of the car, it was freaking cold! the ext. temp was 42 degrees. The coldest I've ever felt in Arizona, it certainly put the Christmas in Christmas Bird Count! In a few minutes we were back inside, in the warmth of the visitor center. Me and Mom watched as Anna's Hummingbirds bombarded each other. As my Dad was paying for the preserve registration, I said I was here for the CBC. Then a lady came out and got me worried, saying that registration is required to participate. WHAT? I told her I had notified the compiler, Vanessa Montgomery via email, that I would be here. She told me I wasn't on the list. WHAT? She really got me worried now, after all, we didn't drive all that way to be told we couldn't even count birds! She gave a spark of hope however, saying she would contact Eric Hough, leader of one of the teams, and let him know they had another participator. I waited in anticipation, and luckily after a few minutes, she had heard back from him. She pointed me to a map, showing me their location was the Lion Trail, almost on to Lyke's Lookout Trail. PERFECT! I raced ahead of the parental units to catch up, occasionally stopping for a bird that was close to the trail. My first bird was a HERMIT THRUSH that was fluttering about in an small clearing with spaced underbrush. Interestingly, the Hermit Thrush has long since left Alaska this season to winter here in the south. Then, I spotted 5 flyover BREWER'S BLACKBIRDS. I tried not to stray to far from my parents until I located the group. But very soon before I did, I saw a small flash of brown flit across an area with dense underbrush. This had to be a wren, I just needed its identity. Quickly I relocated it. He briefly perched on a low tree branch, obscured partially by a tree in front. I fast collected field marks; short, upright tail, straight bill, dark brown above, gray breast and pale throat, darker flanks. I raced back to my parents, who weren't too far behind, telling them I had found the continuing WINTER WREN! SCORE! And I hadn't even reached the group yet. Of course, I would immediately let them know once I had. Soonthereafter, Mom and Dad pointed me to a group of people with cryptic plumage; upright posture, large size, no tail, mostly black plumage. I identified them as birders, my favorite species to see! I walked up to them, greeted Eric, and with that I was officially involved in the CBC as my parents left me with them. Just as I would, told them about my Winter Wren sighting. Apparently it had been found previously in a different area, the picnic table area. Within moments, binoculars were raised, ears sharped, eyes keen, and I was ready for an adventure! I asked Eric what they had seen before our meet-up. He told me about many Western Bluebirds feeding on Mistletoe, and a Black-throated Gray Warbler in a mixed flock. Great! Within minutes I already found WESTERN BLUEBIRDS eating Mistletoe in a large cottonwood, I guess they were really into the Christmas Spirit! Only a few more minutes- probably less than 10- had passed when Eric and I first heard, then spotted, a DUSKY FLYCATCHER! Only about 15 minutes had run by, and I already had 3 lifers in my pocket, impressive! Audubon's Warblers, RED-BREASTED NUTHATCHES, HOUSE WRENS, BRIDELED TITMICE, PLUMBEOUS VIREOS, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, Verdins, PHAINOPEPLAS, LESSER GOLDFINCHES, Gila Woodpeckers, LADDER-BACKED WOODPECKERS, NORTHERN FLICKERS, and Orange-crowned Warblers had been counted before Lyke's Lookout. Interestingly, we also found a HAMMOND'S FLYCATCHER in the mixed flock as well. I got binos on him, and Eric got an audio recording of him. The Hammond's Flycatcher was actually a lifer last time I was here, while I had missed the Dusky that day! Atop Lyke's Lookout, we heard a ROCK WREN singing, saw a Say's Phoebe, and also heard a BLACK-THROATED SPARROW. Then for the rest of the count, we walked the Hassayampa Riverbed. There we found Common Ravens, more Brideled Titmice, BROWN CREEPERS, HUTTON'S VIREOS, tons of Kinglets, more Western Bluebirds, bathing in the puddles, Oregon, PINK-SIDED, GRAY-HEADED, and a SLATE-COLORED JUNCO. The Slate-colored was a neat find, as although it's one of the most abundant birds in Alaska, it's also very rare here in Maricopa County. We also had SONG SPARROWS, BEWICK'S WRENS, a CANYON WREN, many more Hermit Thrushes, and Abert's Towhees. We also heard the Dusky Flycatcher's "Wip" call a couple more times. Me and Eric had interesting conversations, everyone laughed when I told them I had pet a Nuthatch and the Costa's Hummingbird. I asked about some of the birding here in Arizona, and also about the countless plants all around at HRP. We pressed on through the middle of the riverbed, with a determined goal to find a RUFOUS-BACKED ROBIN Eric told me about. We never found him, but an epic sight appeared, a RED-SHOULDERED HAWK flew swiftly across on the other side of the cottonwoods, where it was open! Eric told me that this was actually the first place in Arizona that a population showed up! WOW! I told him I had heard one in Oregon earlier this year, but this was the first time I had seen the hawk! One of the last birds we saw before making our way back was a BELTED KINGFISHER that flew through the dense cottonwoods. The plan was to spend the morning on the Lion and Lyke's Lookout trails, and the riverbed in the morning, and then do the Palm Lake and Mesquite Meander trails in the afternoon after lunch. Because I had a youth group Christmas party in the evening, I couldn't do the afternoon count. Yes, I'm 15 years old, and a sophomore in highschool (luckily I'm homeschooled, so I can flex my schedule to go birding). Right at the back of the visitor center, Mom and Dad were standing there. They told me they got excellent views of a NORTHERN CARDINAL at the picnic tables. I told them about the Western Bluebirds. I should've taken pics of the cottonwoods going through the riverbed. It's really cool the way they ben toward each other to form an archway going through the riverbed! The birds have none because they were impossible to photograph because they were too high up (Western Bluebirds and Dusky Flycatchers), too distant, too small and jumpy (wrens, creepers, and kinglets), or too obscured. Sorry, but I really will try hard with the Tropical Kingbirds, Thick-billed Kingbird, Gray Hawk, and Broad-billed Hummingbirds on a trip this spring! What an amazing first CBC, I look forward to the next! Thanks Eric for the lifers! The best thing about this trip was that, for once, I saw lifers before the rest of the birds, opposite of what happened at Gilbert Water Ranch last weekend. Lastly, I will add photos of Lyke's Lookout soon, a spectacular overlook! I'm Jared Conaway, and stay tuned for my next post! Fremont Cottonwoods towering at 80 ft tall! (photo from previous trip on Oct. 22nd) Spectacular Lyke's Lookout! Magnificent fall colors!
Hello all! I gone without blog-posting for 6 days now, but 2 days ago, Dec. 10th, I saw a gorgeous and very cute bird, one that has come all his way from the east! From the start of the trip, I expected to see 3 warblers, all lifers, all from the east, and all expected as fall or spring migrants annually or near-annually. 2 of which, the Chestnut-sided Warbler and Black and White Warbler, I did not obtain, but at least I saw a ........ ......! (This time I have the as many dots as there are letters in the bird's name, and with a space inserted to help a bit) So, while you're reading, you can get a hang-man session in as well! Anyways, we pull into the Riparian Preserve at Gilbert Water Ranch (no. 1 hotspot in Maricopa), get out of the car and, the place is alive with lots of people, more than I thought, and lots of trees. Appearently there was supposed to be a party there after dark, hence the high numbers of Homo sapiens. The first birs to be spotted were Mallards, Coots, BLACK-NECKED STILTS, and a PIED-BILLED GREBE. The Pied-billed Grebe definitely remain a "nostalgia bird," as it's the very first rarity I've ever chased, and was very successful (that happened last year in AK). I smiled as I observed him through the binoculars, and took pics of him. Soon thereafter, a TURKEY VULTURE flew overhead, maybe only 5 feet above us! As we walked, uncountable numbers of Audubon's Warblers and White-crowned Sparrows sang, chirped, and foraged in many bushes. American Coots and AVOCETS showed themselves everywhere, also American Wigeon, Northern Shovelers, NORTHERN PINTAILS, and GREEN-WINGED TEAL were the waterfowl present. For a while a lot of the same birds were present, including; Great Egrets, Great Blue Heron, Abert's Towhees, Orange-crowned Warblers, Great-tailed Grackles, Curve-billed Thrashers, Greater Yellowlegs, Killdeer, and Least Sandpipers. Some highlights were; SNOWY EGRETS, a GREEN HERON, GAMBEL'S QUAIL, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLETS, RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, a RUDDY DUCK, DOUBLE-CRESTED CORMORANTS, NEOTROPIC CORMORANTS, INCA DOVES, an AMERICAN KESTREL, and towards the end, a NASHVILLE WARBLER, a VERY late migrant! There was also lots of Cottontail Rabbits all over. Eventually, I lost all hope that we would see any of the 3 rare warblers, causing some frustration to arise. I thought, we came all this way, just as all other birders had, but unlike them, had not seen any of the warblers, while they saw all 3 and even photographed them! But this wasn't the end. As it turned out, the Mason Bly Bench- the location of all 3 warblers- was not that far from the entrance, so had we gone that way, I would have seen my lifer, or even the other 2, a whole lot sooner! We sat and stood, and searched for the warblers under the cottonwoods. Then, after I lost hope in those cottonwoods, since nothing was showing up, I regained hope as I saw a single cottonwood nearby. I quickly walked that way, and eventually Mom and Dad caught up as well. While they searched, and craned their necks, I decided to take a break from neck craning by walking over to a birder to ask if she knew about the eastern vagrants. Unfortunately, every birder, about 3 or 4 of them, that I encountered didn't know about them, and I could tell these were just casual birdwatchers. I prefer to meet the more elite and serious birders, because they know all the good hotspots and have an amazing amount of information about them, so I can plan birding trips to those places in the future. They are also very serious about it, and know a lot of birds by ear and by eye, which believe me, is EXTREMELY USEFUL! Anyways, she pointed me to an Anna's Hummingbird in a bush, when my Dad hollered for me. He pointed to a bird that was flitting about and foraging in the lowest branches. I was about to label it as another Verdin, but I saw all the field marks- a yellow throat and lower breast with an orange breast-band, blue-purple back, and white wing-bars, that I knew exactly what it was- Triumphantly, I announced it to be a (drum role, please) NORTHERN PARULA!!!!!!!!!!!!(!!!!!!!!!) Dad and I immediately turned the cameras on, and clicked away! Mine wasn't being coorperative, it takes WAY TOO LONG for it to focus or zoom in, and unlike a canon, every time you move it, it blurs. With such a jumpy bird, I had to swivel around a lot, which also meant a lot of blur. I also had to zoom out to widen my view, to relocate him, and zoom in to get close ups of him. Because every time I zoomed in he moved to another branch, I gave up on mine and asked Dad for his. Again, I had to have my neck craned 24-7, ready to see which branch he would flutter on over to next. Luckily, I got a few good snapshots of him after about 30 minutes of standing under that tree. I still tried for the other 2 warblers, but didn't find them anyway. Well, in a way I got what I wanted, after all, the Parula was the warbler sp. I wanted most, and additionally I obtained photos! So, it was a successful day, and it was fun to go out and explore a new hotspot! Check out pics below. the Northern Parula! Gambel's Quail Northern Pintail Snowy Egret Long-billed Dowitcher Pied-billed Grebe! Red-winged Blackbird (Juv.) American Kestrel Desert Cottontail Rabbit Interestingly, I've never seen a bird as colorful as the Northern Parula in the winter, ever! Just so you know, it was this time of year- from Dec. 12 to March 30- that there was HOARY REDPOLLS in my yard last winter, almost every day between those dates! Up in Alaska of course. What was cool is that, because It was an eruption year for the state, I didn't see just one, I would see up to 3 in a lot of the Common Redpoll flocks near my home, and on March 30th, counted 15 Hoary Redpolls! Most of which were flyovers. Now, I have told the ebird reviewer for Mat-Su that I was able to identify flyovers because their voices are slightly different. After a lot of trudging through the snow, I figured out that the Hoary Redpoll has a sharper, clearer voice, that doesn't have a buzzy sound to it. I thought I'd mention this because it's the 1 year anniversary for the species, (I actually didn't know that till I checked ebird just now) and, it brings back memories of trudging through 8 inch snowfall, listening for the call that, for only last winter, echoed through the towering White Spruces burdened with snow. That was only 1 of 2 winters I obtained a lifer, both were within my neighborhood! Good times. Also, today, I pet the Costa's Hummingbirdbird today! I simply looked out through our screen door, and I saw him sitting on the feeder, not sipping the "nectar" I slid it open, and walked up to him. He was clearly wide awake, because he looked down at my hand as soon as I lifted it up to pet him. Then, a gently put my hand on his back and stroked him! He didn't budge for a few moments. Once those precious moments were up, he flew off, zooming directly past my ear! WOW! Always amazing to pet him! Lastly, you guys are probably wondering how he is, as I haven't pet him a month, until today. He's now an Adult, he's fully grown into his spectacular violet gorget! He's a stunning, adorable little bird! I wish him luck on finding a mate, and hopefully I can obtain a photo of him in his adult plumage!
TTBs: 42 species! Overall, quite the adventure, the Northern Parula really brightened my day! Can you all wish me luck on finding the other 2 warblers? I'm Jared Conaway, and stay tuned for my next post! Hi everyone! This time I didn't go to GRP but rather, a place I haven't been since March of 2016! Grand old Thunderbird Conservation Park (but since it is the abbreviation age, we'll just call it TCP). Although, at the start of the trail TCP wasn't giving me a grand old time, but rather a windy, cold time! YEAH, I know. Cold in Arizona? Say's the guy comin' from Alaska! Yes, it was "cold out!" It's really weird and believe me, I was surprised too, but I couldn't help it! Before we got on the actual trail a PHAINOPEPLA had trouble flying and landed in a Palo Verde. Due to the "chilliness" on the first half of the hike the birds stayed completely silent. I began losing all hope in seeing a ... or a ... But then came the second half of the trail. In fact, as soon as I turned around a switchback the wind and shade COMPLETELY DISAPPEARED! because there were hills in front, behind, to the right, and then houses to the left, we were shielded from the wind! Plus, the sun was shining on this side of the "mountain" (a pile of rocks and cacti, really). And with that, I rejoiced by wearing a smile and regaining hope in the ... and ... The birds rejoiced at the lack of wind and cold by singing their melodies! I kept hearing a bird making a sort of musical "tweeting/chirping", quite a unique sound. When I finally located the source of sound (SOS) through my binos, I was delighted to be looking at a ROCK WREN! so is it one of the ...s? No, but, this was the first time I had ever seen the bird, and you may note it's on my Life List. However, I had heard it once with Tommy Debardeleben at Hassayampa River Preserve (This summer that place HAS to make it on my blog, as it is VERY reliable for the Gray Hawk, Thick-billed and Tropical Kingbirds!..) Below the bird, however, I noted flashes of black/white/gray. When one finally landed at the bottom of a bush, and I got a brief but satisfying look at its face, I ID'd it as a (drum role please) BLACK-THROATED SPARROW!!!!(!!!), the first of the ...s. I announced the name loudly, but as a whisper and with a highness in pitch. It was unreal, a bird I'd searched for many times at GRP and once before at this very park. This wasn't the end however, as soon they came really, really close to me. They kept coming in and franticly foraging, moving heads up and down. Because of their quick movements, my camera was clicking away as I tried to get a good head shot, and constantly zooming out to relocate them. With such skippy birds, it was surprisingly impossible to get a snapshot of one that was foraging just 3 feet away from me! I needed them to be farther away, so I could keep track of one whilst zoomed in. Nonetheless, I got one "good" head-shot, but I wasn't completely satisfied (additionally, I accidentally photographed some WHITE-CROWNED SPARROWS). We moved on and, to my amazement, another Black-throated Sparrow! He moved more than the others, but ended up with better pics as he flew to a Creosote Bush, further from others, giving that desired view of not too close but not to distant, as now I could focus on him without zooming out! Luckily, he didn't move, other than his head, but the bush did as it swayed in the wind. I ended with improved photos, blog-worthy ones! Soon thereafter, there was more movement in a few trees. Even without the binos, I realized these were Gnatcatchers, but Black-tailed, or Blue-grays? After finally obtained a poor photo and constant searching, I decided these were in fact, BLUE-GRAY GNATCATCHERS (second of the ...s)! They were even more uncooperative than the Sparrows, and they had too much energy in them to physically stop moving. Goodness Gnatcatchers! Here's how it went: "He's on the top! Wait, now the bottom, no the middle! Ohp, he just flew into another tree, no wait he's back in the bush, no the top, now the middle! Now he's back in the tree again". The Blue-gray Gnatcather isn't really the best bird to observe, trust me your eyes will get sore if you look at them too long! They really belong at GRP, WAAAAAAAAY to many gnats there to enjoy birding fully! Check out pics of my 2 lifers below! Black-throated Sparrow! White-crowned Sparrow Skippy, the Blue-gray Gnatcatcher! Nichol's Hedgehog Cactus Cactus SP. Buckhorn Cholla Overall, I had a great time during the second half of the hike, the first half... It was awesome to see a Rock Wren, Black-throated Sparrows, and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers for the first time!
Please leave a like, and, can anyone ID the "Cactus SP." Please let me know the identity in the comments below. Happy birding, AAAAAAAAND, I'm Jared Conaway, and stay tuned for my next post! Hello all! On Dec. 1st my Mom said that there was 11 ROSY-FACED LOVEBIRDS in our neighbor's tree! I rushed outside immediately with my binos and got to work counting them. The flock, as far as I could see had 13 birds! I got really excited and frantically ran to get my camera. Before I could even focus properly, my camera died, so Mom told me to get the other one. I quickly took shots of the lovebirds in every part of the tree and especially when they grouped together. They were particularly cooperative and close. At one point 2 even flew into one of our own trees and I snapshotted them! After that, all the Lovebirds from the tree next door burst into the sky with a loud fluttering noise! I estimated right then that there was 20 of them! Then, a pair flew over our house, relatively low, and finally, 2 more came in and landed into the big tree! So in the end, the flock, plus the pair in our tree, the pair that flew over, and the pair that came last to land in the big tree, totaled 26 birds! (Roughly).
|
About meJared Conaway Month Archives
December 2019
Categories
Life List
Birds |