Archive for May, 2006
Patagonia, World-famous and Not
Posted by: | CommentsWe shivered a bit this morning at the world-famous Patagonia Roadside Rest, but it was well worth it: the male Rose-throated Becard continues his project of transfering, piece by excruciatingly tiny piece, the old nest to the new nest, located, oh, about 4 feet away. No sign of a female yet, but she may just be waiting to decide whether she likes the new wallpaper.
Other birds at the roadside rest included White-throated Swift, Western Wood-Pewee, Cassin’s Kingbird, Canyon Wren, and several pounds of Phainopepla, including a pair carefully checking the stability of a horizontal branch right above the car, obviously with a construction project in mind. A Gray Hawk squealed the whole time we were there, and never once emerged from its leafy hiding place to give us a look.
On, then, to world-famous Mrs. Paton’s yard, where we were greeted by the electric screams of a Thick-billed Kingbird, my first of the year north of the border. The sugar-water feeders were busy, busy, with visitors including a single Violet-crowned Hummingbird. Blue Grosbeaks, Lark Sparrows, and Bronzed Cowbirds made the seed piles about as colorful as they could be.
And thence to the virtually unknown wonders of the Harshaw Creek crossing. A Common Ground-Dove was at a tiny pool when we pulled up, and an hour of quiet watching from the shade gave us Vermilion Flycatcher, Plumbeous Vireo, Summer Tanager, and Northern Cardinal coming down to the water. We didn’t see one, but my bet is that an early morning stop here would produce thirsty Montezuma Quail: it’s happened before!
Website Expanded!
Posted by: | CommentsAlison and Kt worked their digital magic yesterday to create a German-language version of the Aimophila Adventures website. Click on www.birdaz.com/de.
Florida Wash Sparrows
Posted by: | CommentsFlorida Wash, just below Madera Canyon, is one of the classic sites for Rufous-winged Sparrow, and several were singing up a storm there this morning. Two Botteri’s Sparrows, one of them perched uncharacteristically high in a dead mesquite, added to the chorus. And a little ways down the wash, where the sides were steep and rocky, Denis and I heard a Rufous-crowned Sparrow giving its little jingle. Aimophila heaven! And Cassin’s Sparrow will start to sing there in the next 6 weeks or so, too, making for 4 species of Aimophila sparrows from one spot.
Birding Alone
Posted by: | CommentsI was pretty shocked this afternoon to see on one of the discussion lists the recommendation that beginning birders eager to improve their skills should bird alone.
It is certainly true that birding in a large group–say, on organized field
trips–can make it too easy to rely on the expertise of others; passivity
never makes for good learning. And it is equally the case that for many
young, new, or potential birders, comparing the group list with one’s own
at the end of the day results only in frustration at all the
missed “goodies.”
That said, though, and admitting that everyone has a slightly different
learning style, birding with a more experienced friend or ‘mentor’
is generally far superior to blundering about on one’s own. The
opportunity to ask questions, to check identifications, to be shown things
one didn’t even know to look for, will provide instant re-inforcement and
immediate encouragement, and can make the hours spent later in the library
or at the computer more focused and more informative.
In the days before the internet and the explosion of bird books good, bad,
and indifferent, when all most of us had was Peterson and our curiosity,
those human field companions made all the difference, helping us to rule
out the outlandish and to focus on the details of the common birds. Even
today, I can often tell whether a birder I’ve not met before is a product
of that old, social process or of the new ‘information’-focused school.
Both approaches can lead to expertise, but it somehow means more and runs deeper when that knowledge has been tested and tempered by constant feedback from a trusted companion.
Thanks, mentors of my last 30 years!
Horned Finches
Posted by: | CommentsEverybody knows that birds need to replace their feathers once in a while, but it’s easy to forget that molt proceeds regularly from feather group to feather group: they don’t just drop ‘em all at once. This can produce some strange-looking birds, with gaps in the wings or tail, odd-colored patches where feather bases are revealed, or even ratty bare spots.
This morning Alison and I met Rita and Larry in Bear Canyon in the Santa Catalinas. It was a pleasant walk in blessedly cool temperatures, and the presence of birds like Zone-tailed Hawk, Painted Redstart, and Grace’s Warbler didn’t hurt, either. But even more than the Arizona specialties, I enjoyed watching a freshly fledged House Finch. We’ve noticed before that the last bits of down to be replaced by juvenile feathers in this species are on the sides of the crown, and the bird this morning still retained extensive puffs of unstructured feathers above each eye, like wispy horns, making the bird look like it had just got out of bed, and on the wrong side of it at that.
