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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Hola dear viewers. I just received info that Google + will be shutting down, due to low usage to my understanding. I post links to my blog posts on Facebook now, so from now on follow me or check on FB for notifications of my uploads. It shuts down April 2nd, but might as well get this info out now. Oh, I don't have any followers so I guess it doesn't matter. Ha, I'm sure some of you check G+ for my uploads, so I does count. I post some cool stuff on FB that I don't on G+, so following might be a benefit. Some of my drawings are on there, my gecko is on there, and random/funny stuff is on there. I have some great blog posts upcoming, so watch out for them. Peace.
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You know, it seems no matter what passion or hobby you partake in and occupy, there are times you feel you let yourself down, times you feel let down, and times of rejoicing after beautiful satisfaction is obtained. In away birding is my escape from this crazy world- to seek beauty in something simple. Funnily enough it's not always an escape. It used to be when I was flying solo, but now I'm connected with tons of birders via social media, and because many people have their own opinions within this community- especially this community- it's crazy all over again! Also, you guys do know I got to have that suspense for the big moment. If there is a big moment. Anyways, now would be a good time to explain why I take so long to get to the point. Now, I'm sure you guys enjoy reading my writing- I would hope so. So for one, most lifers aren't obtained right away, a lot have involved hours of driving before we've arrived at the vicinity. Then there's a bit of walking distance after that. Basically, I'm doing my best to share the suspenseful environment with you guys. I imagine I have some viewers that are beginning birders, or even not at all. This makes my blog a great place to learn that lifers aren't grabbed & bagged right away! But hey, there's those times that they appear within timing of a snap of the finger. You know though, sometimes something absolutely astonishing happens that you don't see coming... And then, sometimes... you get to be a part of it. As you all know, I've been participating on bird walks with Caleb the 2nd Saturday of every month. This one was my 4th. We had a lot more species than the last few times, totaling 69. This included 2 great rarities. The first being an EASTERN BLUEBIRD of the nominate subspecies- sialis- that gave distinctive tur-a-lur calls, different from the goldfinch-like vocals of Western Bluebird, which we saw earlier. I heard it at the same time, and saw it fly into a mesquite, but didn't recognize. Caleb let everyone know of the presence of this lifer, but at first called it a possibility. Upon careful inspection, we both confirmed it was in fact an Eastern Bluebird. Receiving lifers in urban places such as that are always really cool- they throw me off guard every time. An Eastern Bluebird can be identified by the following: orange throat bleanding into orange flanks that surround a bright white underside, blue mantle, less elongated body shape, and white behind the eye in all plumages. Blue color is in between Western and Mountain. Azure Bluebird, the Mexican/SE AZ ssp. has the same blue as Mountain. The bird we saw was an adult female. Here are some photos: 2 middle pics are mine, others are Caleb's. Note pale Malar & eye stripes. Also see how bright, clear white that underside is? Another thing worth noting is that the orange on EABL's flanks extends further down, ending behind the UTCs (undertail coverts). You know what Bluebirds remind me of: A flycatcher-thrush mix. Especially this species: compact similar to an Empidonax. EABL occurs across the eastern half the continent and locally in Montana, Colorado, and New Mexico. In the northern part of its distribution it is migratory, wintering in eastern Colorado, most of NM, and Texas. The Mexican ssp. known as Azure Bluebird is completely non-migratory, including in SE AZ. It most likely will be split from EABL soon. This small thrush is rare in Arizona, but lately we've had an irruption of them due to snow in the north. The one that we found was only the 2nd one in western Maricopa. Well, it took me 3 years to get all 3 bluebirds. Mountain still remains and always will remain my favorite. I have to say though, Azure is real close behind. We managed to stick the landing with another rare bird: altivagans Fox Sparrow. It is essentially a Pacific Slate-colored From BC to Baja. Fox Sparrows are rare in the lowlands of 'copa in winter, but common in the Mazatzals & Superstitons in brushy upland chaparral or riparian. Lowland individuals are almost never of the slate-colored group. Altivagans is an example of a rare member of that group (in terms of Arizona). Photo by Caleb: I would like to note that those toenails need serious trimming. Those look longer than normal! You know, sparrows seem to be an underrated group of birds. I see them as a good way to understand subspecies, after all, most have at least a couple. I'll give a quick rundown: So, most subspecies are put into their own category, or group. The distribution of different groups is almost always the same in NA: Pacific, Rocky Mountains/Interior west, east/taiga belt. The distribution between subspecies is similar, for pacific: 1 or more for cascades/coast ranges (temperate rain forest) and 1 or more in California mountains (dry forest). For interior west: 1 or more for Rockies, 1 or more interior mountains besides Rockies. For east: 1 or more for eastern lowland deciduous, 1 for Appalachians (sometimes), and 1 or more for taiga (sometimes 1 in east taiga and 1 for west taiga). So that's basic, watered down info on understanding how ssps work. I will do an in-depth series on that, hybrids, and types. Types are based on food source rather than distribution. Since the end of the first week of January, there has been a mega-rare, extraordinary special feature creature. They call it.... White-throated Thrush, never before seen in Arizona. I recently joined the Arizona Birding league on Facebook, which is how I found out. It is a bird that has been bound to materialize in the Grand Canyon State eventually, but man, it came fast! Well, can you imagine my excitement when I found out it would be apart of my week plan. I think you already know who was going to take me... Mark Brogie, and his wife, Ellen. Ha, didn't see that coming! Oh but don't worry, Caleb was coming too: the Mastermind Birder I guess you could call him. There it is ladies & gentlemen, the Rush to see a Thrush has begun! First, a little bit of background- got to keep that suspension going: Andrew Core posted on FB that he received a photo of that bird in Madera Canyon. Madera is a mid-elevation canyon in the Santa Ritas of southeast Arizona. That's right, finally another trip to the southeast! (Chiricahuas in March 2018) It only took- hold on a sec, let me do the math here... 10 months! Dang, almost a year! So yeah, it's been a while... The morning of January 13th my Dad dropped me off at Costco to be picked up by the Brogies. They were actually on the bird walk the previous day, they're from Nebraska. Caleb is good friends with them. Many Phainopeplas (and RTHAs) later, we arrived. Here is what it looked like: I can almost see a Harlequin Duck speeding down the stream... Yeah, so my first impression of Madera Canyon is beautiful. I know critic, but I would definitely recommend it for birders & nonbirders alike. If you like nature just a little bit you'll appreciate it. If you're a birder: It has a history of rarities, and is reliable for: Spotted Owl, Whiskered Screech-Owl, Elegant Trogon, just to name a few. With this White-throated Thrush it has become... Mad-rara canyon...The mature riparian combined with proximity to Mexico is what makes it so rich in biodiversity. Anyways: we walked around a bit before we encountered a happy family of BLACK-CAPPED GNATCATCHERS, my second lifer of the day, first heard. Rufous-winged Sparrow was the prior lifer, heard only near the parking lot. One of the gnatcatchers I first heard before we located them. I had the cam on the wrong setting, hence the blurriness. I know, my camera has never been on the wrong setting. Well, I got a new camera that I'm not quite familiar with yet. Caleb generously gave it to me for free, the best price of all. It's an awesome camera, nothing wrong with it, but I kept bumping it to the wrong settings a lot. So expect to see blurriness until halfway through the post. The top dude is a HUTTON'S VIREO. Or so people say. Is the reason why it looks like a Ruby-crowned Kinglet classified information? Perhaps they are spies on kinglet flocks, periodically giving info to their leader(s) Or better yet: Blue-headed Vireo males send them in to find out if the BHVI females like them. Or maybe, the bill is thicker because a camera has been transmitted into it, and the birds themselves are A.I. kinglets. You never know guys. I have plenty more conspiracy theories. Anyways, we enjoyed the vireo and his BCGN neighbors for a few minutes. Both species came in really close- it was great. Features that distinguish it from other gnatcatchers are: noticeably longer bill, more graduated tail, extensive white undertail, and yes; in the summer males have a full on black cap. It used to be more limited In Arizona, or possibly just undetected. Nonetheless, it is now a local breeder in Madera Canyon, and is more common around Patagonia Lake SP. We also saw Hammond's Flycatcher, Ruby-crowned Kinglets, other stuff, and more other stuff. And just like that... I arrived at the stakeout. Unfortunately no steak was involved, but a WHITE-THROATED FREAKING EPIC THRUSH was! These moments went by so fast... Amazing isn't it? That's not a question. This is the first time I've participated in a first state record! I know I only got 2 photos, but I was enamored with this gorgeous phenomenon. If you live in Arizona, and you love birds, I encourage you to go chase it, it is still there as I write! And guess what: I drew it! I'll share that in a bit. Here's some history on this Turdus: They are normally found from northern Mexico down to Ecuador (northern South America) It isn't a particularly stunning bird, with some low-key colors throughout like an olive-gray back & tail, plus an ashy face & underside. These are accented by a bright yellow orbital ring circling the eye, a white throat with black braids, and a broad white collar. The bill is bicolored with dark above, yellow below. The southern group possesses a bolder appearance, yellower legs, and a completely yellow bill. It is a genetically diverse species with 13 subspecies, of which 12 make up the polytypic northern group, and 1 that makes up the monotypic southern group but just got spit (called Dagua Thrush). The one here in Madera Canyon having a grand, famous time with cameras and binoculars focused on it, and while eating delicious berries (probably thinks it's living in a Hollywood scenario at this point) is of the northern subspecies. Not just because of distribution, but because of appearance as well. It is most likely of the subspecies Turdus assimilis calliphthongus. It is a neotropical thrush prominently found in semi-tropical montane coniferous forest, riparian &Tamaulipas thornscrub, down into humid rainforests of South America. Over the years Arizona has accumulated many semitropical species found in adjacent Mexico, creating a fun atmosphere for birding there. However, it is still fun to see state records spontaneously appear in the lush coniferous forests off places like the Chiricahuas, Santa Ritas, and Huachucas. This adds to the atmosphere, creating a sort of treasure hunt mentality whenever people visit there. Successfully being apart of these state records is especially special. An example of something I couldn't take part in is Pine Flycatcher. That was in 2017. It is still exciting because if it's shown up there before: it can again. I encourage my readers to bird with the same mindset: If you miss out on something, remember that either it could show up again, or you could find your own. Acknowledging this makes birding less depressing. On the same note, you shouldn't be over-confident when you find a potential rarity. This is a topic I haven't yet covered, so I might as well now. It can be surprisingly easy to manipulate a bleached juv. Glaucous Gull into an Ivory Gull. The best thing you could possibly do is note details in the moment, not later (and photos! distant or close, anything is valuable!). I've done this a few times and as such have had invalidations of species I'm confident about. Well, I did note details in the moment for the most part, it was more that I didn't ebird them until later. So basically what I'm trying to say is: find details during the observation, not after, especially diagnostic ones. Your mind tries to manipulate a bird into something you'd rather it be, and does a pretty good job at it. Anyways, that's my lesson to you. I don't take the time to convey that information enough. however, as a birder who has learned from these mistakes, I feel it is important that I communicate this, to potentially prevent pitfalls and give you an understanding of how birding works. I know I might sound like an ebird reviewer right now, but hey- I'm friends with one, an excellent one! If you ever get emailed by Caleb via ebird, he's probably right. The Boy is powerful, he has years of field experience behind and ahead of him, so he's a really good reviewer that I would suggest respecting. You might be thinking: 'but shouldn't any ebird reviewer be experienced to be qualified for their volunteer job?' Yes, but somehow unknowledgeable reviewers make it onto the scene. Don't worry though, because Caleb's not one of them. Anyways, just thought I'd put a good word in for my bird bro. So yeah, back to the thrush: There was a lot of people, among the peak stakeout numbers: about 50 total. Not all were there at the same time, but after some left more came. To be fair it was a weekend, so lots of minds were set on seeing this beautiful fluffball. The fluffball was observed by most very well, photographed by cameras of literally every size from tiny to freaking massive. It was in a large Net-leaf Hackberry tree, foraging on the abundant hackberries. I have to say though, the atmosphere felt intense as scores of birders were eagerly- some impatiently- awaited the arrival and or re arrival of this stunning creature. I'm sure that the people with cameras bigger than their torsos received satisfying photos, but I image all got good views. After observing it for the short time I did, it flew across to stream. Then we proceeded across the bridge to get to follow it. It took a few minutes, but we relocated it below us on a log in the stream. Because there was a canopy above, it was perched in a dark area. Just as I leveled the camera, it decided at that moment it should flutter away. You know how it goes! A small uphill ascent brought us back into its presence. At this point it was Caleb and I closest to the robin, with others spectating from below. We spent a couple minutes watching it hop around in conifers and oaks as it made a vocalization reminiscent of Blue-throated Hummingbird. After a short time the bird randomly flushed, disappearing out of sight. So The Boy and I (The Boy 2.0) trotted up stream to see if he went up there. We didn't find him, so we rejoined the large group at the bridge. Here we ran into familiar birders- some of which I'd heard of, and 1 I met. Eric Hough was the one I knew, it was great to see him after a while. Faithful readers will recognize him as the HRP guy. We actually talked to Eric, Mary McSparen, and Chrissy Kondrat-Smith for a while before the crew and I headed up to Santa Rita Lodge. Before I get to that, here's some non-birds: Toumey Oak Gray/Arizona White-Oak forest. Oaks are among the most abundant flora in the Serra Madre Sky Islands ecoregion. They are very important as they provide ideal shade, food and shrouding for birds. The many crevices and cavities conceal insects, which in turn become food for insectivores like empids. Madera Canyon is full of ripe 'ripe! Mexican Blue Oak on far right, Arizona White Oak left of it. Emory Oak Chainfruit Cholla The view from the parking lot before Proctor Road. We stopped here to have classic PB & J sandwiches before driving to Santa Rita Lodge (SRL) further up the mountain. Once we arrived, the presence of hyper birds were all around us, including abundant Mexican Jays (MEJA), Acorn Woodpeckers (ACWO), and Pine Siskins (PISI) I gave the banding codes because I'm going to use them a lot more often, I suggest you study to learn them. PISI This is an ARIZONA WOODPECKER, previously a heard only, now almost a year ago in the alluring Chiricahuas. This here is an adult female. The magnificent RIVOLI'S HUMMINGBIRD (RIHU) formerly Magnificent. Adult female. I'm obligated not to hate on bird genders, but it's the truth that the male lives up to its past-tense Magnificent namesake. I'm not saying females don't. I'm just saying males do. This was a lifer for me. Next time I hit SE AZ, I'll look for a male. After the RIHU, the BLUE-THROATED MOUNTAINGEM (hummingbird, but likely Mountaingem soon- same genus as mountaingems) chased her off, and then came back to visit the feeders himself. The second time he came, he flew right in front of me , fluttering adjacent to my face for some moments. Now, this isn't a pinky-sized hummingbird- it's the largest in North America! Being 6 inches long, this hummer is kind of intimidating, with a fan for a tail. This was a lifer, my favorite next to WTTH. A male Hepatic Tanager made a delightful appearance. The HETA is a southwestern tanager related to the Western- structurally the same but with mild red plumage. auriculars are gray; dark eyeline, red-orange overall. It inhabits mountain forest in the southwest south and west of the Rockies down into subtropical montane forests plus pine savannah of Mexico & Central America (northern group). The second group is found in tropical highlands of western South America. The last group is found in east/central lowlands of South America. Additionally the southern groups are darker red. Yellow-eyed Junco, the sparrow with the most fantastic eyes! Considered a southeast AZ specialty, but it may be expanding its range north. this here is an awesome pic of 2 special woodpeckers. Essentially what we have here is a Madrean Downy WP, plus a messed up Red-headed WP. AZWO (left) Acorn Woodpecker (ACWO) BTHU tease. "Let's see your beautiful face?" "No." Can't get enough of that YEJU: Male AZWO This small woodpecker is closely related to White-headed, and was originally one species with Strickland's. It is found in the madrean sky islands ecoregion (basically Mexico's version or continuation of the Rockies) MEJA- an abundant, gregarious jay of SE AZ. MEJA is in the genus Aphelocoma with the Scrub-Jays, and as such it is curious, friendly, and makes its presence known with repetitive vocalizations. It's a fun jay but possesses a much milder blue color than the others. After much enjoyment from the Sant Rita Lodge, we went down stream to look for what is considered the holy grail of SE AZ birds: Elegant Trogon. This bird has had fame bagged up pretty much since the beginning of the SE AZ birding craze- whenever that was. But its fame is backed up by a shimmering green-blue back, black head, yellow bill & eyering, white collar, insanely brilliant crimson red underside, and oddly shaped & pattered tail. Topped off with a very approachable personality, it is extremely lovable, and even birders pressed for time or focused on mega rarities, are tempted by its lustrous beauty and make time for this bird with gem-like qualities. We were joined by Max Leiboitz at SRL, so he went with us on our noble quest. Here are some sights: Absolutely enormous Fremont Cottonwood! Silverleaf Oak But alas, we received dismaying news that a guy had ran after it to get closer. Of course we didn't give up, we searched around he lower area canyon which is where it went. Now, you may think how could such a beautifully described bird conceal itself. With its back turned to you, it is the same color as the oak trees it perches in. It also shares the ability that owls have to sit completely still. At least it can be turned into a joke: "You said it was chasable!" "Not that kind!" After a while of looking, we went back up to look for Whiskered Screech-Owl, we dipped on that too. At least it's nice to know that I'll return again most likely, fingers crossed. We discussed what we wanted to do next, and decided on going to SRL again because Mark really wanted to see the Coati, whereas I wanted to get better pics/views of BTHU. A Coati was there right when we arrived. It was in a tree, but as I photographed that one I noticed there was one right in front of me... The multiple signs that said the following- "Please do not feed the coati, he is not a pet"- made sense to all of us now, as this thing sure acted like a pet, allowing me to be a half-a-foot away at times. Then he proceeded to do this: He did this for a few minutes straight. Of course the BTHU wasn't happy about his meal disappearing before him because of a random Pokémon. Now you can see the blue throat. Here's some life history: This hummingbird is in the Chiricahua & Huachuca Mountains of SE AZ, the one at SRL is a vagrant- it's not normal for Mt. Wrightson in winter. Tommy actually found one in Greer a few years ago, probably a post-breeding dispersal. It's the largest hummingbird in the US, at 6 inches. Its vocalization is distinctive: reminiscent of White-throated Thrush. I was surprised at how loud sound was coming from such a small bird. Something that makes this hummer particularly beautiful is the iridescent wings & tails, while not very noticeable it adds an extra blue tinge, something lacking in most hummers north of Mexico. The green has a coppery tinge too, especially on the upper tail coves. Last of note is the facial stripes, it looks like war paint. Did I mention it's amazing? Afterwards we gave the thrush one last ditch effort. It resulted in a very brief last sighting: I watched its shadowy form disappear into the hackberries. Since that day, eyes have turned away from the thrush- it is probably still there, but a returning star has showed up at a certain lake here in Maricopa...
This was my first time participating in a first-state record, and hopefully not my last! Special shout-out to Caleb Strand, Mark & Ellen Brogie, and Max Leiboitz. It was nice meeting you Max and I hope we an bird in the near-future. #likecommentshareplz! Hi guys! I hope you're all enjoying the beginning of 2019. Man, last year absolutely flew by. It fun while it lasted; I totaled 99 lifers, my second highest number of year lifers, right behind 2017. Among them were some of the coolest birds I've ever seen. I did want to tie in the year overview with today's story, but I'm behind a few posts, so I have to complete those before I do that. Anyways, please enjoy this one! For a while, many birders have been visiting a certain spot next to the highway all the way up in northernmost Arizona for some very special birds. These gorgeous little birds are called Rosy-finches. They have not been seen in Arizona in a decade. They are here because of heavy snow in their normal distribution in essentially Rockies south of Canada (breeder/winterer). Allaboutbirds.org shows the general northernmost region of the state as part of their wintering range, which is probably true, but they go undetected in the state quite a bit. This flock of 60-79 (varies between observers) consists of mostly Black Rosy-Finches, with 2 much rarer Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, the latter of which I've seen before. Because these were very special birds, and we needed to start the year off with fun, Tommy Debardeleben, Caleb Strand, Jeff Ritz, and I decided to come together and go chase them! You guys should be familiar with all 3, especially Caleb, as they've been featured on my blog previously. Tommy came really early in the morning (4:30) to my house to bring me to Costco where Caleb & Jeff would be. We arrived 20 minutes later, all 4 of us were ready for the rosy-finches; sporting our heavy jackets, hats, gloves, and long pants, prepared for the freezing cold & snow up there. Nothing could stop us. Anyways by the time we were south of Prescott, there was a great deal of snow on the ground in the adjacent grasslands, and it was 4 degrees fahrenheit outside! (shortly after it was 1 degree!). We really felt it at a gas station in Flagstaff. There I bought an SD card for the pet camera, since I forget mine. Tommy bought a wolf calendar- he loves the wild puppers. I totally get it though, wolves are amazing! After that we drove through beautiful snowy Ponderosa Pine forest, then we were onto the Colorado Plateau. When we arrived at the stake-out site, the views were absolutely stunning! The scenery represented one of the most beautiful places I've been in Arizona. Looking back on 2018, I sure have been to a lot of gorgeous locations! I can't help but share the landscape alongside birds. We walked around for a while anticipating our 1st lifers of 2019. The 4 of us were shivering in the glimmering snow, waiting for the true excitement to happen. After about 15 minutes, the 1st clear call note was heard, immediately followed by 60 more! The large flock zoomed down the adjacent cliff, coming our way fast, then fluttering right past our heads. The large black finches highlighted with pink landed on the rust-colored boulders to feed on sunflower seeds put out to help out these hardy little passerines. About a 3rd of the flock came extremely close, a few birds were within a couple feet of me! The brown individual is the much rarer-in-Arizona GRAY-CROWNED ROSY-FINCH. I've seen GCRF in Alaska before- it's one of the coolest birds I've ever encountered. The 1st time I ever saw them was July 4th 2016 in Hatcher Pass in the alpine tundra. The ones there belonged to the same subspecies as the ones of today: tephrocotis. I saw the pacific ssp. while hiking Crow Pass on the Kenai Peninsula. Littoralis is different in that it is darker with silver auriculars (cheeks). There were 2 within this flock. For a few minutes they were paired up. Look at those lil' rosy-finch foot-prints! ...And wing prints. The finches took flight after about 10 minutes. Scattering back up the cliff. We decided to go in the car to warm up. "I think we should wait for them to come back," Tommy proposed. I agreed, I was ready for more. After a while they did what Tommy and us anticipated, returning full speed, seemingly threatening to crash into us. Again they were right below us. "Look behind you Jeff," said Tommy. There was one BLACK ROSY-FINCH inches away from him! "That's almost too close." This one wants to kill me. Black Rosy-Finch is one of 3 North American Leucosticte. The other 2 are Gray-crowned & Brown-capped. They are a potentially threatened, little studied species living in the highlands across the Rocky Mountains. It breeds from southern Montana to northern Colorado west to NE Utah & SW Oregon. It winters in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, northern New Mexico and sometimes northernmost Arizona. It associates with the other 2 rosy-finches at Sandia Crest in northern New Mexico, where you view them from a large window. That is part of what makes our experience special: Most birders go to Sandia Peak for their lifer Leucostictes, viewing them from the warming comfort of a facility, and getting all 3 at once. However, we were basically standing on them, also feeling the brisk, fresh cold vastness while standing in the boot-soaking snow. It reminded me of the Hoary Redpolls from a couple years ago (wow it's been 2 years already!). BLRF's nesting habitat is very inaccessible, so a nest wasn't found until 2002. According to Wikipedia they're endangered, but I doubt that considering we haven't found the entire population. Additionally a lot of their distribution is within national parks & national forests/state parks. Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch- GCRF- has a much more extensive range with a total of 7 subspecies: 3 in the pacific group, 4 in the taiga/interior group. The Pribolif Is. and Aleutian Is. ssps have the most limited distribution, and are larger than other populations. Not seen in Arizona since 2013, before then 1967. We were all glad we waited- it was so worth it. We ended up getting better pictures than the first round, which was fantastic by itself. But the second round truly completed this epic experience, and was such an excellent way to start off the year! Our next stop were the Vermillion Cliffs (They're in the first scenic pics) for another very special bird, one of the rarest in the world. The California Condor. The Navajo Bridge is a famous location to view these phenomenal, colossal vultures in Arizona/US. It didn't take long at all to see one. My camera died while I was viewing my rosy-finch pics, so Tommy let me use his. Thanks dude! And, there you have it: ladies & gents, CALIFORNIA CONDOR! The largest flying bird in the world, 55 inches long, 10 ft. wingspan, weighs up to 30 pounds, and there's only >500 of these beasts in the wild. This bird looks so prehistoric too, like what I imagine Argentavis Magnificens looking like. If you've never heard of A. Magnificens- Also know as the Teratorn Vulture- here's what it is: It had a wingspan of over 26 ft., a height of almost 7 ft., weighed about 160 pounds. This was all estimated from a humerus, which may be accurate, but it could've been slightly larger or smaller. Given the estimated weight though the wingspan would've been bigger. Think about it: It weighs 6 times as much as a condor and yet its wingspan is only doubled. It would make more sense if it were tripled. Anyways, back to CACO: There are 2 main populations: One in southern Utah & one around Grand Canyon/Colorado Plateau. There are 2 smaller ones: One local in northern Baja, & one in central California. This huge vulture became countable in 2003. Its original distribution was southern Oregon across coast ranges plus rocky mountains, down to Baja. It was almost wiped out by lead poisoning from lead bullets in carcasses it fed on. During the Ice Age (Pliocene) it foraged on huge mammals such as mammoths. This bird has represented conservation since its population successfully grew. Because of its popularity as a rare bird, many birders have it on their to-do lists. Hopefully 1 day this bird will be soaring across the Rocky Mountains once again (and the coast ranges). What an impressive vulture: the true Bald Eagle. This is one of my favorite birds, it is one of the most beautiful vultures, and it has been a long-time dream of mine to see one. You know what though: We hadn't seen one in flight. Oh and there was a second individual, a juvenile. There was a RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW foraging in a flat mossy section below the bridge on the cliff. We found an adult pair gliding over the steep cliffs as we were driving, we stopped for the one above.
It's crazy that a Golden Eagle could take this bird down! I don't think any bird is more over-powered than a Golden Eagle. They're extremely smart, strategic, and very strong. Our last main birding stop was Lee's Ferry in Glen Canyon NRA. Here we had many divers & dabblers such as: Redheads, Ring-necked Ducks, Buffleheads, Common Goldeneyes, Lesser Scaups, Gadwalls, and lots of coots, as usual. Later we went down Lake Mary Rd. to look for Rough-legged Hawks, without finding any good birds. Caleb saw a Ferruginous and then ran to the car from the frosty cold. Even the Boy couldn't handle it... Well that ends this post, which consists of a very memorable and phenomenal adventure that was such a great way to start the year. Thanks to Tommy D and Caleb for making this trip happen, and thanks Jeff for coming along as additional company and for sharing your humor. God bless, happy 2019 and I am out! #likecommentshareplz. I'm baaaaaack! Lightroom is up and running, photos are on their way to being situated, so now it's time for me to work on post after post after post. Pup turned 1 year old yesterday. My Dad and I hiked up Wilson Mountain in Sedona on Dec. 22nd. The majority of habitat consisted of Colorado Pinyon, Oneseed Juniper, Redberry Juniper, and some Alligator Juniper. Towards the peak on the northern slope there was lots of Gambel Oak mixed in with Ponderosa Pine & Douglas Fir. Bird activity was very slow until we were towards the peak. At first many male Anna's Hummingbirds were present, then a few juncos and a kinglet here and there. Juniper Titmice were calling frequently on the way up, Canyon Wrens were giving their loud "zreet" vocalizations from the steep rocky slopes. Once entering the pine stand, a Hairy Woodpecker actively foraged, releasing a loud "peek!" once. Mountain Chickadees were there in numbers, along with a couple Red-breasted, White-breasted, and Pygmy Nuthatches, juncos and Brideled Titmice. There was one OLIVE WARBLER, heard only. OLWA was a lifer on the 19th of November, I will describe it in that post. The view was beautiful, that's for sure. Almost all birds were heard only, so there isn't much to say about them, and the number of species was low. We did see a soaring Bald Eagle, which is interesting to see away from water in Arizona, especially in the mountains. It was refreshing to walk in snow again after almost a year, and I saw my second Tarantula. About half size of the last one. I wanted to hold it, but we had move some logs out of the way to get it in the open, which agitated it. It bared its fangs, so at that point, I backed down. The first time I saw one I did not want to hold it, but Caleb wanted me to, you'll find out if I held it or not in that post. Both of us were exhausted, as the hike was difficult and decently long. However, I was determined to see my 3rd Eurasian Wigeon: There was one found a couple days prior at Poco Diablo Resort, Chavez Crossing. He was in a huge flock of American Wigeons. This resort happened to be in Sedona, 1 minutes away rom where we hiked, on the way back. So I thought, 'what the heck? Convenience.' Both my previous sightings were brief, and without photos. Additionally, outside of Alaska, EUWI is very rare, especially inland. Fortunately we made time for the rare wigeon. At first we were in the wrong area of the resort, but then I checked where it was at a second time to find out it was specifically at Chavez Crossing. So we found that place, and found out it was a golf course. Golf courses can be a problem because- while they usually receive epic birds- golfers can be needlessly harsh, and if you ask me, selfish. Some courses don't allow people who aren't paying customers. So I stayed off the course but worked myself into a good viewing spot. From there I could see that this flock consisted of a lot of wigeons, about 300. So I worriedly thought, 'this could be hard'. I raised my binos, and: There it was, immediately. "Oh wow, uh, that was easy.." I snapped a couple quick pics in case my experience with this neat duck was cut short. I looked past the apartment complex to see there was another viewing point off the course, closer. So I went ahead through the complex to the other side of the park. Again, I found it right away, actively preening while the rest of the wigeons made their distinct rubber-duck calls, splashed, and attacked each other. There was also an aggressive female Mallard that went after them. those ducks aside, here's how my EURASIAN WIGEN photos turned out: Oh, and don't worry: I enjoyed this beautiful waterfowl thoroughly through my binos in between pics. Now here's a question for you: Can you find him in the first pic? It's actually pretty easy. This one's harder. Find him.
That raps up this post, Merry Christmas, Merry CBCs, and God bless all of you guys! Enjoy the last bit of 2018 before it comes to close. I'm hyped for 2019, so much fun in store! Lastly, I promess to get this blog back on track. Stay tuned. #likecommentshareplz. So y'all remember that New Mexico/Texas itinerary I announced in my previous post. Well, things have chanced, massively. Instead we are focusing on Texas, birding in NM on the way there & back. Josh has already created a detailed itinerary for it, which is amazing! The 4 sheets of paper represent- for me- about 130 regular-occurring lifers (that's a lot in 10 days!!!), and 375 state birds for all 4 of us. The plan does not include minor vagrants such as Crimson-collared Grosbeak, but does include so many epic birds like: Altamira Oriole, Audubon's Oriole, Yellow-throated, Prothonotary, and Gloden Cheeked Warblers, Brown-headed Nuthatch, Red-cockaded, Golden-fronted, Red-bellied, Red-headed, and Pileated Woodpeckers, White Ibis, Roseate Spoonbill, Yellow-crowned Night-Heron, Barred Owl, Ferruginous Pygmy Owl, Purple Gallinule, White-tipped Dove, Red-billed Pigeon, Clay-colored Thrush, Buff-bellied Hummingbird Black-crested Titmouse, Aplomado Falcon, and so much more! Whoa, I'm hyped.
I really want to post again soon. I just need Lightroom back... Stay tuned for late may! Yeah, early last week has passed, we are now mid-week into the end of November. I'm currently working on that November 2nd post I've mentioned a couple times. I haven't worked the other posts lately because I'm still awaiting the re-instillation of Lightroom, my photo-developing program. It is important because I use the photos as visual paragraph/subject spacers. Whatever photo I place own, it determines what the next subject is going to be about, or it is a transition into the next paragraph.
Here's what the next posts are about: July 5th-10th- Summer Camp with youth group (same location as Winter Camp), a short trip to California. The one lifer I received in California was a huge surprise... September 29th- All day in Yuma with Caleb & Kurt Radamaker. Received a few lifers, 2 heard only. Went into California (barely). November 3rd- All day with Caleb at Tres Rios Overbank Wetlands, Agua Fra riverbed, & GRPs. A couple lifers and a couple Caspian Terns! November 10th- Estrella Mountain Park monthly birdwalk, birded all day afterwards with Caleb. Went to Selleh Park, Higley & Octotillo Road ponds, & GWR. A couple lifers. November 17-18- Camped with Caleb, Laura & Pat Ellis in Four Peaks WA. I lifer. It was so refreshing to be back in the high country, and the riparian on the way up was gorgeous! There you go, now at least y'all know what posts I'm working on, and what they're about. Stay tuned, and please have patience... Peace. Progress. That's what's happened in a "year" of blogging (quoted year because it wasn't actually 365 days). So far, I've enjoyed writing this, when I have time. Some of y'all might get the vibe that I don't, considering how much I slack off. Believe me though, I love it and am so grateful that I jumped into this project! Anyways, lets get into this!
First, a heartfelt thank you to all of those who view my blog, and especially for those who have been around since the name change (For a month or so it was "The Birding Life"). I am thankful that I have support for my beautiful birding story. God bless you guys! I also want to mention that this blog will continue to flourish, and grow- it's not ending anytime soon. I am so excited for what the future holds, where I'm going, what I'm going to see, who I'm going to meet. What I know for now: This is my birding story, it and the people in it are so valuable to me, I'm thankful to God that I get to share it with the world! So, for this post, I have a few announcements! I'll start with: I'm really hoping to go on a road trip with Caleb, Josh, and David in all of New Mexico & the Chisos Mnts. of Big Bend NP, Texas! My hardcore goal for this trip is to get Boreal Owl. It's one of my favorite birds, and receiving it in the southernmost extension of its distribution would be phenomenal! This trip will occur in mid-May if I can go. Also, I should introduce Josh and Dave right now: Josh I've talked to on the phone quite a few time s, but never directly met him. He's a great Christian birder 20 years of age, residing in Fort Collins Colorado. He used to be one of my kind; The Maricopers. However, he went to College in Colorado a couple years ago. Dave is an excellent birder, Caleb was his first mentor, but then a couple of the best birders in the country came along... He's also Christian, and 18. "Jared Conaway. Joshua Smith. David Tonneson. Caleb Strand(oski). Their going to bring fire to the birding community!" -Morgan Freeman My next announcement: Ladies and gentlemen, I am eventually going to be a youtuber, hopefully in 2019. I'll sharpshooting towards good to great quality content. I want it to have a cinematic/vlog vibe. While I can't certainly guarantee it's gonna be like that from the start, I'm hoping that time & growth will tell. So, please hit the mental subscribe button until I kick start my channel into action! Who knows, maybe God will find me someone to help with this endeavor... Also, when I get enough viewers I'll do scheduled live streams involving birding Q&A! Surprisingly- as far as I know- nobody's done that yet! I'm so excited for this project, as it's something I never thought of doing- but something I feel I need to do. Additionally, it will be the first birding "vlogumentry" series, because while there are currently a few good bird-topic channels, there are none with a vlogging style. This next goal is for the future in general, I'm not planning for it to be completed in 2019. I'm writing a Matanuska Susitna birding guide on this website. It will include every species recorded followed up with illustrations, likely species to occur that haven't yet, ebird hotspots with a rundown of habitat, birds present, and potential dangers. By the way, the illustrations will be drawings I did with my finger on my tablet. I just need to get them on the computer. I'm hyped for this project! Also, in fall, if I get a scholarship in time, I could go on a WFO (Western Field Ornithologists) expedition in Albuquerque, NM. This means potential for 2 trips to that state next year! This also introduces a second chance for Boreal Owl, in case its a no-show on our New Texico road trip. With my plans for 2019 bagged, now I'm going to talk about great birds that I never planned on having dedicated posts for (because the stories on their own would've been too short). I had a surprise encounter with an adult female CALLIOPE HUMMINGBIRD while on a walk through the hood Oct. 2nd. I look for birds in my own hood typically every week. I've only seen a Calliope once before, at GWR, that was an immature male. It was a brief sighting, but just enough to determine identification by absolute tiny size, pale buffy flanks, dark central rectrices, spotted throat, rounded wingtips extending beyond tail, large head & shorter bill (than Costa's). As I've mentioned before, this species is an impressive long-distance migrant, grasping the longest migration for a bird its size. It occasionally passes through the lowlands of central Arizona as part of this migration, more often through mountains in the eastern region of the state. I had another neat bird & hood add the same day; A MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER in my yard! A lifer that I've never mentioned, but meant to, was a female AMERICAN GOLDFINCH that I saw at the GRPs way back on April 30th. This charismatic, fashionable finch is a well known and desired visitor of feeders across its wide range in Canada, the northern US, and east. The males are brilliant yellow, with a black cap, black wings sporting white wing-bars for contrast to the yellow, and an orange beak. Even females are beautiful: Light brown back, black & white tail, black wings with white wing-bars, pale yellow face, dark bill, and buffy on the rest of the body. I had some other great birds there as well; My lifer Lazuli Bunting (a fem), a late, tiny SHARP-SHINNED HAWK (believe that was a patch add), 2 very early migrant SAVANNAH SPARROWS, and 600 Cliff Swallows. Oh yeah, that was also when I had a RED-NECKED PHALAROPE (with many WIPHs). Lastly, I had 13 species of shorebirds, which is a decent amount. I've been frequenting a golf course in my hood for a while now, in search of a particular bird: Lawrence's Goldfinch. We are having a big eruption of them this fall/winter. There is a large, mostly bare eucalyptus in it that is excellent for flycatchers. On September 24th I discovered an unusual one perched in it: WILLOW FLYCATCHER. Identified by stocky build, large peaked head, and broad bill. Plumage was mostly brown. It was harassed by an Anna's Hummingbird. The same day, I had a YELLOW-HEADED BLACKBIRD (also a bizarre bird for the hood) and finally a COMMON GROUND-DOVE. Other days I've had; Vermillion Flycatcher, Say's Phoebe, a Tropical/Western Kingbird once, a BROWN-CRESTED FLYCATCHER (another bizarre urban presence), OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER, and a Dusky/Hammond's Flycatcher (leaning towards Dusky). On May 11th, I had a pair of TROPICAL/COUCH'S KINGBIRDS really close to my house! They intimidated a WEKI, slightly smaller and much thinner than them, scaring him away. Bill were proportionally long, heads were large, body was stocky, tails long (didn't get chance to see shape & color), and yellow was brilliant, extending up to chest. They didn't vocalize. I talked to Caleb after my sighting, and he said because I didn't get a good enough look at the primaries, couldn't determine if the bills were broad-based, and especially because they didn't vocalize, that I should leave them as TRKI/COKI. So I did. Through this year my passion for writing about my birding life has grown, and now I really let my personality flow into it. I'm looking forward to the growth of this blog; going to more places, increasing the quality of this blog, adventuring on huge dedicated trips, etc. God has a beautiful life in store for me! He does for you too! That's it for this post, stay tuned for upcoming ones, and stay tuned for the future! Hi guys. This time I actually have a very good reason for leaving y'all hanging. The computer's power source died. My Mom's phone is my blog's power source for now. I won't be able to blog until the end of this week or the beginning of next week, because all my photos are on the computer, and I have some on my camera from my most recent adventures that need to be imported into lightroom first. Speaking of: I've birded alot recently, and I'm camping in 4 Peaks (near Mt. Ord) for a night with Caleb and a couple others. Anyways, I'm gonna have to leave you hanging a little longer on the 2 announcements and upcoming posts. Stay tuned, sorry for the late reminder.
Hi everyone. For a few months now I've helped my friend Caleb Strand lead bird walks on the second Saturday at Estrella Mountain Regional Park. But you good sir/ma'am, can just call it EMRP. I'm not going to cover it much because we didn't see a whole lot. The scenery here is typical golf course mixed with Sonoran desert; and there is a gravel-pit-lake that we visit everytime. Most notable birds were; Myrtle x Audubon's Warbler (intergrade, not hybrid), Song Sparrows, Marsh Wrens, and Lark Sparrows. The last one has been there in good numbers every time I've gone. Lark Buntings are known to associate with them. After a good walk without rain this time, Caleb said we had the rest of the to just... bird. It was just a matter of figuring out where to go, then go there. At first he said Lake Pleasant, which was a good idea until I thought of the Wood Duckies at Selleh Park, in Tempe. Lake not-so-pleasant was also going to be a nightmare with lots of people. So with begging and thought, we were headed to east valley: Selleh, Higley & Ocotillo Rd ponds, GWR. I really wanted to see the ducks because they're just so beautiful, and this pair was reliably approachable. This is a Ringed Teal. A park pet reported on ebird, otherwise know as website abuse. If the bird is a pet, it shouldn't be on ebird. Also, everybody's called it an "escapee". Nonetheless a beautiful bird; one of the world's smallest ducks. Also, you can see the water is excessively blue. Bet it taste like bleach. Perhaps the Ringed Teal has something to do with it. Hmm. My theory is these teal have special glands in their beaks that produce blue dye. I'm just kidding. After searching for 10 minutes, we found the pair tucked back into a small tree. Makes sense, they are tree ducks. Getting photos was difficult when they were in the eucalyptus, the female made it easy first, swimming into the open a little bit. She was getting excited at us throwing pebbles in the water, thinking it was food. It was cute. "Nope." Following his girlfriend. Leading her away with pebbles is all it took for him to give up his comfortable position. Eventually she got back in the tree to make friends with a turtle, clumsily scotching closer to Mr. Turtle. Yeah, Wood Ducks are terrible at walking. Mr. Turtle was disturbed by this foreign limb movement, saying "nope," then diving into the ultramarine water. She thought I wasn't looking, proceeding to dab on me. #properwaterfowldab. "Oh." After enjoying the WODUs for a while we went to Higley & Ocotillo Rd. ponds. Caleb found my lifer MEXICAN DUCK. This duck of the genus Anas was started out at species status: Mexican Mallard, Anas diazi. For a long time it was re-evaluated to ssp. status, until 2018 were it returned as a species on ebird. Pure birds can be identified from hybrids by lack of curled rectrices (on males), pale head that contrasts with dark brown mottled breast, and turquoise speculum (variable). Hybrids look similar to male Mallards in eclipse plumage. Speaking of plumage, from now on I'm replacing non-breeding & breeding with basic & alternate plumage since it's more favorable. GREEN HERON, my best pic so far. Still my favorite common heron/egret here in Arizona. This is a BLACK & WHITE WARBLER that we pished in. It gave a sharp, unique call note. It is a rare warbler throughout the state, but annual & many are found all over the place. In fact, it is the most common of the rare warblers, easy to find & likely in any low to mid-elevation riparian system or migrant trap. This adult female was my 4th of the year & life. It was also my 4th seen with Caleb. Man, I need to find one on my own. It's the most realistic vagrant to find in my hood. BAWW has an extensive breeding distribution from northwestern Canada (eastern Yukon) across the northeast & southeast states. It winters in Baja, Mexico, Florida, Gulf Coast, and Central & northern South America. Additionally there were lots of dabbling ducks- hundreds, that included a few Mexican, too many Mallards, wigeons, Pintails, and an Aflac duck. Our last location was Gilbert Water Ranch, which was crowded beyond comprehension. Caleb's never going there on a Saturday evening ever again now! When there's lots of people around, it's hard to bird. Anyways, here's a Wilson's Snipe and a very scary coot: Another great time with Caleb, thanks buddy! The birds of the day were definitely the Wood Ducks, between epic alternate plumage, and adorableness to go with it. Alright, that's one overdue post done, a few more to go...
Peace out, as always, remember to likecommentshareplz! I want to get this blog out there. Hi everyone! A few hours ago I went to the GRPs for a Common Tern. More on that in a moment. First, I know you're wondering when my next big post will be, so I just want to say there is a few on their way. One of them I started 4 months ago! Another one is a high elevation adventure that turned out better than expected almost 1 month ago. Also, I would like to do an update on Pup (y fish) sometime, hopefully soon. Lastly, can you believe this blog has already been around for almost a year!? I will do a special edition on November 2nd, looking back on the highlights that have happened within my 365 blogging days. However, I will also announce a couple things that I want to make happen even bigger than that, not a joke! So stay tuned for November 2nd! On with the post: There has been a Common tern @ the GRPs (my patch) since September 28th, found by Jeff Ritz. These last couple days have drastically cooled down (lows high 50s, highs low 80s) and the weather is supposed to remain beautiful for the rest of the week. With the weather so fantastic, today was a perfect opportunity to go after the tern. So we did, we as in my Mom & I. Pupper here emerged up from empty basin 4 from 20 ft. away. I wasn't nervous as Coyotes are skittish dogs. A flock of Ring-billed Gulls with the long-continuing CALIFORNIA GULL were flying over basin 6, with no sign of the tern. I don't normally photograph GRBH, but I thought this was interesting. After about 15 minutes of looking around, I noticed the COMMON TERN soaring! He started out in the back, quickly approaching me. He full-circled too fast for ideal focus. This shot in particular he was pretty close, speeding over the bank low & then going back up high. I observed him for a few seconds before somehow losing him for a good 15 minutes. After a bit I checked basin #1, the only other pond with water right now. He wasn't in there. After those sad 15 minutes were over, he came back! I am extremely blessed that this tern wasn't a one day wonder, as most terns here are. Also, with the weather combined with this tern, which resembles Arctic, I felt like I was in Alaska today. This is also my 378th life bird (yeah, I'm a few posts behind....), ever closer to my year goal of 400. Eventually he did what I had hoped he'd do; Fly directly overhead! These are my best pix I received and made for the best experience with my new buddy. Note that his leg is hanging down, that is because it's broken. Its only been like that for a few days.
Common Tern has a large summering range, across northern North America, Europe & Asia, with local populations in the Bahamas, 2 in north east South America, India, & some on various islands near Africa. They winter on the coasts of all continents except Europe & Antarctica. It is rare but regular mostly in late fall in Arizona. This individual is within that time frame. Distinguishing features from Forster's (more regular in state and in Maricopa CO.) are dark nape, dark carpal-line (shoulder to elbow, on upperwing), Sharper wings & thinner bill. On the other hand, Arctic Tern has tiny all-red bill, very tiny legs/feet, long tail/deeper fork, light-colored primaries, & pale upper wings. Anyways, Common Tern was a really fun bird, as every tern I've seen (4 species now), it was highly enjoyable. He was also more acrobatic than my previous terns. I should also mention that it was my 158th GRPs bird. Let's see if I can get up to 200 patchies by the end of 2018... The rest of the highlights were: 2 BANK SWALLOWS (rare), a VIOLET-GREEN SWALLOW, 2 OSPREYS, and a GREEN HERON. Also interesting was that the riparian section was flooded from last nights huge rain/lightning storm. There you have it, my first post in a while! Stay tuned for my epic upcoming posts, & remember to stay tuned for November 2nd! #likecommentsharefollowplz. Now, get out there, and go pet a ptarmigan! |
About meJared Conaway Month Archives
December 2019
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Life List
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