Archive for September, 2007
Mystery Bees
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Hundreds of these dust-colored bees, along with a few of the bright yellow ones visible at the right edge of the clump above, were buzzing close to the ground at Whitewater yesterday morning, dropping in to check out small holes and occasionally coming together into what seemed like furious battles.
Anybody know a name for these creatures so we can learn more about them?
Whitewater Goodies
Posted by: | CommentsWhitewater Draw, south of Elfrida, is a very well-known winter birding site, particularly popular for the flock of Sandhill Cranes that can usually be found roosting there, or feeding in nearby fields, from late October to March. It can also be excellent this time of the fall, though, and Darlene and I made a leisurely start for the draw this morning, hoping to see some migrants.
Swainson’s Hawks were abundant, with a minimum of 60 of these elegant kite-like buteos at the draw itself and many more north of there in the Sulphur Springs Valley. A few Northern Harriers are in for the winter, and a very dramatic calurus Red-tailed Hawk screamed at us as it turned circles high the sky; Red-tails of this race, with their dark throats, pronounced belly-bands, heavily marked underwing coverts, and generally reddish tone, are found here only in winter.
A much bigger surprise was an adult Ferruginous Hawk, a month earlier than expected; common as they may be in winter around Whitewater, they are always impressive, fully deserving of their specific epithet regalis.
This grand bird ignored the fancy driving maneuvers required to put us in good sight of him, but was decidedly nonplussed by the two Swainson’s Hawks that divebombed him at one point while we watched.
Whitewater is as good for little birds as for big ones, and the vast flocks of Brewer’s Sparrows and Lark Buntings give hope for an excellent sparrow winter over there. Sorting through the birds, when they weren’t feeding invisible on the ground, produced a Cassin’s and a surprise Clay-colored Sparrow, the latter a very low-density migrant in southeast Arizona and not just my first but perhaps my only individual for the fall. Even more exciting, though, if not nearly as scarce, was a Grasshopper Sparrow that perched up for a solid five minutes on the roadside, letting us soak in the intricacy of his colorful plumage.
The water proved too high for many shorebirds, though we did find both Greater and a single Lesser Yellowlegs in the ditch at the north of the area. Waterfowl, too, were scarce, but Northern Pintails are in, the drakes still a bit scruffy in plumage but ever elegant in carriage.
A Life Reptile
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Michael and I thudded and jostled out the rough and rocky road to Chino Canyon early this morning, where we hoped to run across a Mexican rarity or two. It wasn’t to be, but on the way back out, while Rufous-winged Sparrows sang around us and Greater Roadrunners bounded down the road, we glimpsed movement on the side of the road. A Gila monster! My first and Michael’s first, this one moved quickly into the protective shade of a mesquite tangle when we stopped, its pattern, so bold on the roadside, quickly merging into the dappled shadows.
Best bird of the day: a reptile!
Fall in Tucson
Posted by: | CommentsIt was an IBA day today, and the morning’s walk at the Sabino / Bear Creek site was spectacular: not so much for the birding, perhaps, which was good but not overwhelming, as for the vegetation, which truly deserves the appellation “rank.” Tremendous floods had swept through the area, laying down many inches, even feet, of fresh silt, and the plants have taken advantage of the loose soil and abundant moisture to create a herbaceous jungle in the desert. Unfortunately, the floods seem to have killed the tall cottonwood that has for many years now supported the nest of the local Great Horned Owls; interesting to see where they move to.
One of our best birds was among the first, an Osprey perched on a eucalyptus snag, no doubt looking for the most direct route to the Gulf of California; not coincidentally, Kathi had photographed one yesterday morning on Oracle Road. It’s the time of year for desert fishhawks! Â
It’s also the time of year for migrant passerines, and though there was no evidence of a strong “push,” we did have such great birds as MacGillivray’s and Orange-crowned Warblers, Brewer’s Sparrow, and Lazuli Buntings. The season has changed, and our next visit will be just as exciting.
Weird, Just Plain Weird
Posted by: | CommentsIn my time at Winging It, we ran at least two articles on Angel Paz and his antpittas. The phenomenon seemed interesting, and if I ever made it to Ecuador again….
Well, I joined Tim and Debbie, Darlene, and Nick for one of the strangest mornings of my life. We left Tandayapa Lodge in the early dark and pulled into the Paz de las Aves preserve at just past 5:30. Angel and his family were right behind us, and we set off down the well-built trails in the first glimmers of dawn.
I knew what to expect, but I had no idea what to expect. As we crept silently along the paths, occasionally Angel would erupt into shouts: “Venga, venga,” ‘Come on, come on!’ He wasn’t urging us on to greater speed; he was calling the birds. A Moustached Antpitta emerged onto the trail ahead of us, and then a Dark-backed Wood-Quail actually joined our group for a second before continuing into the woods. It was getting weird.
We stopped at the first feeding station, where grapes and bananas are carefully fastened to a line, then fed out on pulleys into the forest canopy. Toucan Barbets were singing, so we had great hopes that they might come in while we were out on the trails. We never got to see that bird (I still have never had a good look), but we found on our return that the fruit had attracted a couple of Crimson-rumped Toucanets.
Much more surprising was an Olivaceous Piha, a rare canopy-dweller I hadn’t expected to see at all, much less at close range for a good half hour while it pondered the grapes hanging on the feeders.
The unexpectedness of the sighting and the beauty of this big, thrush-like cotinga made it immediately one of my favorite birds of the whole trip.
We didn’t tarry long at the feeders, though, as Maria was waiting for us. Maria is the most famous antpitta in the world. Angel and his brother led us to a sort of grandstand in the forest, where we took our places and Angel began to whistle and call: Venga, venga! And she did. This absurd football-shaped and -colored thing bounded down the trail on long legs, then hopped up on a stump to take eviscerated worms from Angel’s hand.
He actually touched a Giant Antpitta, and we weren’t much farther away from the bird ourselves. Maria gobbled for several minutes, then bounced off into the forest to remove her makeup and rest up for the afternoon performance.
I finally managed to shut my gaping mouth a couple of hours later, but only after we’d had another close encounter with a small family of Dark-backed Wood-Quail and a beautiful look at a Yellow-breasted Antpitta.
You’ve got to go see this place. Believe me.
