Speaking of Sparrows . . .

I finally got to spend a whole day in Cape May birding last weekend. Harvey and I started in the Villas searching for the Varied Thrush that eluded me on my last trip. We spent a good amount of time walking the old fairways and finally got a fleeting glimpse of the bird as it flew past us at break neck speed. No photos and a really crappy way to get a life bird, but it is checked off the list. I hope to see more on my next trip out west which is where this bird belongs.

Once the Varied Thrush was found, Harvey and I headed out to see some other cool birds that were being seen at Beach Plum Farm in Cape May. This is a working farm where they have free range chickens and grow produce for the local restaurants. It is only open to the public on weekends which was fine since we were there on Saturday. Two sparrows were reported there - Lark and Vesper. Both are uncommon species that show up sporadically in our area.

Vesper sparrow isn't a particularly pretty bird. It is pretty drab gray/brown but has one distinctive field mark that you can see clearly - the white eye ring. This bird was very accommodating. When we arrived, the bird was flitting in and out of some hedges but decided to fly out into the driveway to pick at seeds on the ground. There were other birders and photographers there but I crept up the driveway on my knees to get these shots. The bird didn't care at all.

Vesper Sparrow

Here is the bird happily chomping on a seed.

Vesper Sparrow

What the Vesper sparrow lacks in wow, the Lark sparrow has in spades. This is an easy bird to ID in the field with unmistakable face pattern. Once again, creeping on my knees allowed me to get these shots.

Lark Sparrow

Here is the bird happily eating some grass seed.

Lark Sparrow

Back in the parking lot, we couldn't resist spending 25 cents to feed the chickens. Boy are they aggressive. Here is Harvey getting his hand bit off.  I will have to remember to bring the kids that visit us during the summer here.

Harvey's brood

Just down the road from the farm is the site of an old Magnesite Plant that was used during WWII. The plant is gone except for a water tower. The ground is so polluted from the spoils of the work that hardly anything grows there. The habitat is ripe for sparrows. Someone has bird feeders in the parking lot so Harvey and I took the short ride to see what we could see. Best bird was this Fox Sparrow. You can see why they are called Fox sparrow due to the color. Again, this one posed with seed for me.

Fox Sparrow

Why not round out the day by birding the beaches along the ocean. We stopped at Two Mile Beach just south of Wildwood to see some of the damage caused by the recent winter storm which dumped all of that snow up home. Hundreds of Welks washed up on shore. Here is a shot that I staged to show the Welk shells with the damaged sand dunes in the background. Harvey and I each left with a shopping bag full of shells.

Welk Shells - Two Mile Beach

We headed to Stone Harbor Point to see more birds. We caught a brief glimpse of a Pipit and actually heard it call "PIPIT". This Ipswich Sparrow posed briefly before disappearing behind the dune grass. This is another subtle beauty. Ipswich is a race of Savannah sparrow that are only found near the beach in winter.

Ipswich Sparrow

All in all, it was a great day for mid winter birding. Especially since the weather has been too warm to send the ducks, geese and seabirds south.

Good Day - Despite Adversity

We finally had some decent weather yesterday. I was at the shore and planned a whole day of winter birding with Harvey. The day started with a big decision - what to do with Roxy. The issue is that Roxy has been a bit lame this week and cannot go out for the full day. We decided to leave her at the house and go to Stone Harbor Point first. Dogs are not allowed and this would shorten her day.

We were almost alone at the point. Only 2 other cars were in the parking lot. We met the first person soon enough - Richard Crossley, the field guide author was out and about.  The second person was out in the dunes wearing full camouflage carrying a huge camera. Soon enough, we were being yelled at for being too close to him. I guess he thinks that he deserves the beach to himself because he has a big camera.  He literally marched over and yelled at us for being on the beach "invading his space".  He wasn't joking. You know me - I didn't take that shit off of him. I gave it right back. Jerk. He flipped me the finger and stomped off the beach. We shook it off and went about our day.

This Ipswich Savannah Sparrow sat up on an old beach fence munching on a seed.

Ipswich Sparrow

He put on such a show that he eventually took a bow before disappearing into the dunes.

Ipswich Sparrow

We were pleased to see this Black-bellied Plover looking for breakfast between the frozen waves.

Black-bellied Plover

Alas, our joy didn't last. We had just about forgotten about the rude photographer when we came across this sad seen. We noticed her laying in the street along with another dead companion. Both Ruddy Ducks had bloody wounds on their breasts which look like shot gun wounds. Who would shoot 2 ducks and let them just lay in the street?  Sickos.

Ruddy Duck

We put them in the van and took them home. They are now in my freezer waiting to take their place at the Academy of Natural Sciences ornithology department. We picked Roxy up and decided to go to Cox Hall Creek for a walk and possible winter warblers.  No peace there either. Harvey was attacked by a wild rose bush and then threw his back out trying to escape the bushes.

Wound

And not to be outdone, I was bitten by a Dachshund!  The little fucker tried to attack Roxy and got me on the shin instead - through the jeans.  You can see the little teeth marks. Jeez.

Dog Bite

Roxy started limping about half way through the walk anyway. We had to take her home. One last try - let's go to the State Park and see what we can find there. This very accommodating Killdeer was poking around the grass.

Killdeer

This young Red-Shouldered Hawk perched on the Hawk Watch Platform - taking the name literally.

Red-shouldered Hawk

Harvey's back finally gave out on him so we called it quits. Besides, we didn't want to find out what else was in store for us. We were lucky to survive the day.

The Day Got Better

We saw a few other "good" birds at Lost Maples including this Yellow-throated Warbler. We even saw the nest but I didn't get a photo of that.

Yellow-throated Warber - Lost Maples

After being  blasted by the wind on the trail at Lost Maples, we headed back down to the bird blind. We arrived just in time to meet the "Bird Hosts" who were filling the feeders. Campgrounds often have "Hosts" - people who camp there alot and volunteer to be available for questions, organize campground activities, etc. The "Hosts" at Lost Maples do that plus they lead bird walks and volunteer to fill the feeders etc. Our Hosts were Les and Jane. They were really friendly and obviously knew what birds we were looking for. We told them about our success with Golden-cheeked Warbler and asked about Black-capped Vireo. We were bummed when Les told us that we would have to hike really far in the park and would probably strike out due to the wind. Crap.

Our mood lightened when Les asked us if we had time to go to another park which would give us a better shot at the Vireo and had multiple bird blinds. He gave us directions and told us to stop by their campsite on our way out to see the Lazuli Bunting which was at their feeder. Lazuli Bunting at a feeder - wow. I want  you to notice the angle of the platform feeder in the photo. It was rocking like a swing set. This is the best photo that I could get. The rest of the photos show the bottom of the feeder. It was really windy.

Lazuli Bunting - Lost Maples

So, off we went to Llano River State Park in Junction Texas. It took us over an hour to get there but it was worth it right away. We found the first bird blind and saw a show - mostly sparrows but also other "good" birds. Here are a few. The first is Black-throated Sparrow -a very handsome bird.

Black-throated Sparrow - Llano River SP

Here are Lark Sparrows. They look like they are wearing a helmet. We get a few of these in our area in the fall but they don't have the helmet.

Lark Sparrows

In fact, the feeders and water at the bird blind worked so well that I got a photo with 4 different sparrow species in it. You will have to zoom in to see the birds - Black-throated, Lark, Lincoln's and White-crowned.

Next is Cedar Waxwing at the bird bath. We have these birds in our area but we rarely see them so close. They must really need the water since Texas is so dry.

Cedar Waxwing - Llano River SP

This is a male Painted Bunting. This is one of those birds that you see in the Field Guide and go "no way does a bird look like that" but then you see one and it does.

Painted Bunting - Llano River SP

We left the bird blind and headed to the Visitor's Center. The staff directed us to the best area for our target - Black-capped Vireo. You have to understand that I have wanted to see one of these ever since I saw one in my first field guide. It's the white spectacles that really set it apart from other birds. Lori and I studied the call but thankfully, we ran into another group of birders along the trail who had already found one of the birds.

Black-capped Vireo

Randy is a local guy from Junction. He pointed out the bird and also showed us a Black-capped Vireo nest! Unbelievable. Oh, and he also pointed out a Zone-tailed Hawk soaring overhead. Bonus!

Zone-tailed Hawk

We ended up having a great day. We got 3 target species and even had lunch at an authentic Texas BBQ joint called Cooper's.

Bird Nerds at the BBQ

We are really getting a kick out of the Texans - they fly that state flag everywhere. If you see a US flag, you also see the Lone Star.

San Francisco

I spent a few days in San Francisco - on the same day that Twitter (based in San Fran) went public. Alot of people got rich - not me.  Not many birds to be seen but the ones that I saw were up close and personal.  I took a walk from my hotel all the way to the Golden Gate bridge which was alot further than I thought.

Golden Gate Bridge

Along the way, I got close views of some common birds including a Western Grebe.  These are the best photos that I have of this species.

Western Grebe

Western Grebe

I also had great views of Alcatraz from the shore. I tried to get a tour but they are completely sold out for days in advance. Be warned - buy your tickets before you arrive in San Francisco if you ever want to take the tour. I admit that I am so bird obsessed that this photo started out to be of a White-crowned Sparrow until I looked up and notices Alcatraz and the sailboat in the background.

Alcatraz with White-crowned Sparrow

Here are the sparrows up close and personal.  The first is a juvenile which doesn't have the "white crown".  The second photo shows the crown pretty well.

White-crowned Sparrow

White-crowned Sparrow

Another sparrow that caught my eye was this Fox Sparrow. Our Fox Sparrows are much redder. Out west, they are really dark. The field guide calls them "sooty".  Here is a photo of one with a berry.

Fox Sparrow (Pacific)

I had to take a break after walking for miles lugging my camera, jacket and binoculars so I stopped at the Golden Gate Visitor Center and grabbed an orange soda (they didn't have Diet Coke) and some Goldfish crackers. I was soon joined by some friends who wanted to share my snack.  

Brewers Blackbird

 Yes, I rewarded the bad behavior of the Brewer's Blackbirds.  They would come right up and snatch the cracker from my fingers! It was cute and I'll probably get cited for feeding the wildlife but I was lonely and bored and tired from my walk.

Beggar!

I can't wait to get home!  Oh, did I tell you that I get to spend a whole night at home before heading to New Orleans?  Don't expect a bird report thought. I don't think I'll get out of the city on that trip.

Sparrows and Such

I'm sitting in a hotel room in Kentucky watching Game 1 of the World Series thinking that I should probably post some photos that didn't make the last few blog posts. Sparrows are another lot of birds that I usually don't pay too much attention to except for this stupid contest.  This year has made me realize how any sparrows there are and how some of them are difficult to see.  The problem is that they only show up in our area for a short period of time so you have to see them or else you won't have them for the stupid contest.

The difficult sparrows are Lark, Clay-colored, Vesper and Lincoln's.  They aren't really difficult.  They are just required for the stupid contest.  Good news. I have all of them.  The last one that I needed was Vesper. I was getting worried but we saw 2 of them this weekend.  It has become apparent that they are difficult to photograph.  I do not have a photo to share with you.  I do have photos of some of the other sparrows.

WARNING - they all look alike. Don't be shocked when you can't tell the difference between any of these.

Lincoln's Sparrow

Savannah Sparrow

Swamp Sparrow

We also had a fun Hummingbird visitor in Cape May this weekend.  My friend Harvey has a beautiful garden that has many flowers planted to attract hummingbirds. He also has about 5 sugar water feeders.  The garden hosts many Ruby-throated Hummingbirds during the summer but this week a new hummer showed up. Rufous Humminbirds are western birds. They occasionally show up here in fall as this bird did. Notice the gold/beige on the breast.  It is a female. Harvey was thrilled to have her in the garden for a few days but also happy to see her go. Nobody wants one of these gems to hang around the shore for the winter since chances are that the bird will not survive. 

Rufous Hummingbird

Company

We've had company for the past several weekends.  Some good for birds and some not-so-good for birds.  First the not-so-good: my mother.  Definitely NOT good for birds. Definitely GOOD for us.  We had a ball on Ocean City boardwalk and at the casino which she can tell you all about.  Now for the birding company. Lori and Tara were down the shore with us this weekend.  Unfortunately, we had bad winds for migration so very few warblers.  We did get some good ones. Here are some quick photos. I'm exhausted.

Cooper's Hawk

 This is the one of the strangest things I've seen - it's a Falcon and a Woodpecker perched on the same dead tree.  The falcon is a Merlin which eats other birds for a living.  The woodpecker is a Flicker which I have seen (and reported here) being eaten by a falcon.  Weird.

Flicker (left) and Merlin

 Another photo of Stilt Sandpiper. I can't help posting them.

Stilt Sandpiper

 Here is a tree frog sitting between signs at the Cape May State Park. One of the super nice volunteers pointed it out to us. 

Tree Frog

The best bird of the weekend for me was the Clay-colored Sparrow that Lori, Tara and I found this morning at Higbee beach. It's an unusual bird to begin with but it is a "good" bird because we actually found it and identified it for ourselves rather than being told about it by someone else.  Yay for us. It is also a "good" bird because it didn't fly away or hide. It was completely comfortable being 8 feet away from the 3 of us and 2 dogs too.  Good bird! You are getting 3 photos to celebrate.

Clay-colored Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

Clay-colored Sparrow

I have way more photos to post.  I'm holding back the double Skimmer photos, some gross "circle of life" shots and tons of butterfly shots to post later this week.

Grass-e-Ass

We finally got a break in the weather this week - in fact it's actually HOT. And - migration is pretty much over so I'm looking for birds that are here for the summer.  There are a few that I don't really have much knowledge of - Dickcissel, Grasshopper Sparrow and Upland Sandpiper.  We met Harvey at a new place this morning  called Negri-Nepolte Preserve to see a Dickcissel  that has been reported there for a week. 

The good news is that for once, we found the target bird on the first try.  Plus, we got Grasshopper Sparrow too.  Fantastic. Here is the male Dickcissel singing from a shrub in the field close the path. This guy was really accommodating and perched here twice.

Dickcissel

Here is the Grasshopper Sparrow.  This guy kept bringing big bugs to the same shrub which probably means that his mate is sitting on a nest in the shrub.

Grasshopper Sparrow

I have no idea what kind of bug it was. Wait til you see the next story.

Quick Post

Great-horned Owl babies are really funny looking. I can't resist taking photos of them on the rare occasion that I actually get to see them. Now is the time of year to see the white fur balls in the nest with Mom.  I had a great opportunity to photograph this scene last week in Palmyra NJ.

Great-horned Owls

Some amateur guy with a little camera got too close to the tree trying to photograph the raccoon that you saw a few days ago in my other post and scared Mom out of the nest.  Here are the babies looking for Mom.  Take a close look and you can see the "horns" already trying to poke out of their fluffy heads.

Owlets

On my quest to be competitive in this stupid contest, there are some common birds that seem to be avoiding me.  One of them is the White-crowned Sparrow, a bird that is not "common" by any means, but I thought I would have run across one given the fact that I have been out birding like a nut.  I finally got the bird at Bombay Hook last weekend.  Whew.

White-crowned Sparrow