On Saturday December 27th David, Jeanne and I covered the Country Club and Walnut Canyon section of the CBC circle. With only one Great-tailed Grackle recorded last year we started at the 'Asda' parking lot where we had 18 of these birds plus a number of House Sparrows, American Crows and common Ravens.
We scored well on waterfowl on Lake Elaine - 11 species which included the Ross's Goose reported ten day's earlier but which had eluded me on three tries near the Flagstaff Athletic Club, and a couple of female Hooded Mergansers. A flock of 50 Pinyon Jays greeted us at the far end of the lake and we scored well with small birds due to a house with well stocked feeders. Cassin's Finches had been around in high numbers in the fall and it was good to get them on our list. We added Northern Shoveler, American Coot and Great Blue Heron at Lake Humphreys before we got into some serious geese and wigeon counting on various fairways of the golf courses. Our final tallies were at 2200 Canada Geese and 850 American Wigeon.
We had our first Bald Eagles at the double ponds area - an adult and an immature being chased by crows, and saw what was probably the same pair perched by the Walnut Canyon Ponds a while later. A third eagle, another immature flew over while we were counting the ducks there. We had another 30 Pinyon Jays on our drive along Old Walnut Canyon Road, but we saw little but the expected Westen Bluebirds and Townsend Solitaires at the National Monument itself. Juncos were ever present along the road out to Cosnino, and we had a few Red-tail Hawks on our drive back into town.
The day ended, as it had begun, with birds of the lowest quality - 75 Eurasian Starling with pigeons and corvids at the Purina Plant. We tallied 38 species without too much of note.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Sedona CBC
On Monday December 22nd Barbara, David, Jeanne and I did the Coconino County section of the Sedona Christmas Bird Count. We began the day in cool temperatures but were in T-shirts at 65 degrees by the afternoon. We started with feeder birds in the Brewer Road neighborhood where numbers were down from a year ago but included my first Verdin in the county.
Driving to the end of the paved road on Schnebly Hill Road we birded the area by the trailhead finding several Juniper Titmouse - my first of the year! Stops at the Creative Life Center and Rio Sedona Trailer Park added several expected species including Red-naped Sucker and Common Merganser. The creek by Tlequepaque has several Mallard and American Wigeon.
We added a few more species on our stops along Highway 79 at Poco Diablo, the trail head at Back o' Beyond, the Chapel and Morgan Road but generally these areas were pretty quiet in the early afternoon. They may have been better earlier in the day and we should probably plan the day differently next year. We had 38 species this year.
Driving to the end of the paved road on Schnebly Hill Road we birded the area by the trailhead finding several Juniper Titmouse - my first of the year! Stops at the Creative Life Center and Rio Sedona Trailer Park added several expected species including Red-naped Sucker and Common Merganser. The creek by Tlequepaque has several Mallard and American Wigeon.
We added a few more species on our stops along Highway 79 at Poco Diablo, the trail head at Back o' Beyond, the Chapel and Morgan Road but generally these areas were pretty quiet in the early afternoon. They may have been better earlier in the day and we should probably plan the day differently next year. We had 38 species this year.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Chicago and the Wooded Island Bird Walk
We spent Friday December 19th and Saturday December 20th out and about in Chicago.
The birds were very different in winter than my previous visits. The iit campus alive with White-throated Sparrows, Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Downy Woodpeckers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in October was nearly bird free in December with just a few crows and a Northern Cardinal seen. American coots were absent from the lake shore in the city, their place taken instead by Common Goldeneye and by Red-breasted and Common Mergansers.
We made a visit to the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in the suburb of Lemont and heard and saw many Blue Jays there. (I had been told that these birds were common in the area but not close to Lake Michigan.)
Pat picked me up at 7:30 on Saturday morning and we went to Wooded Island in Jackson Park for the weekly bird walk. This took us about half the time it takes in October due to the lack of birds. Although the water held many Canada Geese and a few ducks we saw few passerines. The locals were most impressed by a White-breated Nuthatch, but my bird of the morning was a small flock of America Tree Sparrows. We had just a dozen species in an hour and a half. This allowed time to go to Jackson Harbor which was also very quiet but allowed close comparison of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
The birds were very different in winter than my previous visits. The iit campus alive with White-throated Sparrows, Ruby- and Golden-crowned Kinglets, Downy Woodpeckers and Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in October was nearly bird free in December with just a few crows and a Northern Cardinal seen. American coots were absent from the lake shore in the city, their place taken instead by Common Goldeneye and by Red-breasted and Common Mergansers.
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| Common Goldeneye |
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| Red-breasted Merganser |
We made a visit to the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in the suburb of Lemont and heard and saw many Blue Jays there. (I had been told that these birds were common in the area but not close to Lake Michigan.)
Pat picked me up at 7:30 on Saturday morning and we went to Wooded Island in Jackson Park for the weekly bird walk. This took us about half the time it takes in October due to the lack of birds. Although the water held many Canada Geese and a few ducks we saw few passerines. The locals were most impressed by a White-breated Nuthatch, but my bird of the morning was a small flock of America Tree Sparrows. We had just a dozen species in an hour and a half. This allowed time to go to Jackson Harbor which was also very quiet but allowed close comparison of Ring-billed and Herring Gulls.
Sax-Zim Bog
We reached Sax-Zim Bog at 2pm on Monday December 15th giving us the best part of two hours to drive the Sax-Macdavitt-Zim-Admiral loop in search of Great Gray Owl. I had done this loop as part of a tour, on my own and with Rob and Virginia without success during the Sax-Zim Bog Festival in February. my wife and I saw a Ruffed Grouse, Rough-legged Hawk and Bald Eagle but again had lo luck with the owl.
We returned on Tuesday 16th for a second shot. Duluth had 3 inches of snow on Monday night and we drove through some flurries while driving up. We had a Harlan's Red-tail and a Rough-legged hawk and a Black-billed Magpie on our first loop before stopping at the south end of Admiral Road to have lunch.
We then drove the loop in the counterclockwise direction stopping to watch a red squirrel and some Black-capped Chickadees at the feeders. Heading down MacDavitt I saw a large bird flying low across the road and my wife saw where it landed. Finally a Great Gray Owl! And a very cooperative one who sat on his perch while we drove up close enough to allow some photos.
In all I must have driven the 18-mileloop 8-10 times - 150 miles of patient searching! Bird in hand we then drove to Meadowlands stopping at the feeders at the Welcome Center where we saw Black-capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Common Redpoll.
We returned on Tuesday 16th for a second shot. Duluth had 3 inches of snow on Monday night and we drove through some flurries while driving up. We had a Harlan's Red-tail and a Rough-legged hawk and a Black-billed Magpie on our first loop before stopping at the south end of Admiral Road to have lunch.
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| Black-billed Magpie |
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| Great Gray Owl |
In all I must have driven the 18-mileloop 8-10 times - 150 miles of patient searching! Bird in hand we then drove to Meadowlands stopping at the feeders at the Welcome Center where we saw Black-capped Chickadees, Hairy Woodpecker, Red-breasted Nuthatch and Common Redpoll.
Duluth
We stopped off at Canal Park for an hour on Monday 15th December and returned on Tuesday 16th. On Tuesday we also drove across the lift bridge to the airport at the end of Park Point.
Our target bird was a female Common Eider that had been seen in the harbor area on and off for a couple of weeks. A female Harlequin Duck had also been spotted a few days prior to our visit. But we had no luck with either bird - in fact the eider moved to the Superior side of the lake. Other than the resident Mallards and gulls the only thing seen at Canal Park was a single American Black Duck.
Our drive to the end of Park Point on Tuesday did not prove completely fruitless as we lucked upon a flock of about 20 Snow Buntings.
Our target bird was a female Common Eider that had been seen in the harbor area on and off for a couple of weeks. A female Harlequin Duck had also been spotted a few days prior to our visit. But we had no luck with either bird - in fact the eider moved to the Superior side of the lake. Other than the resident Mallards and gulls the only thing seen at Canal Park was a single American Black Duck.
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| American Black Duck |
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| Snow Buntings |
Wisconsin stake-outs
On Sunday December 14th my wife and I left Chicago and drove as far as Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The following morning, Monday 15th we drove to Duluth via a stop in Superior. We then retraced our steps on Wednesday 17th and Thursday 18th. Although our time in Wisconsin was only spent in getting from A to B we stopped ror a couple of stake outs.
We were successful first time around in Superior, although it took us a little time to find the right spot, and we found a female Snowy Owl sitting atop a scoreboard at the sports field at the middle school.
We had no luck at the Eau Claire stakeout on the way out but our timing on the way back was perfect. Arriving at 4pm we ran into three local birders and after an early glimpse at the Northern Hawk Owl one of them located the bird on a perch that allowed everyone the opportunity for photos.
We were successful first time around in Superior, although it took us a little time to find the right spot, and we found a female Snowy Owl sitting atop a scoreboard at the sports field at the middle school.
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| Snowy Owl |
We had no luck at the Eau Claire stakeout on the way out but our timing on the way back was perfect. Arriving at 4pm we ran into three local birders and after an early glimpse at the Northern Hawk Owl one of them located the bird on a perch that allowed everyone the opportunity for photos.
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| Northern Hawk Owl |
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