Sunday, July 27, 2008

Bulletin #47 – Houston TX summer birds #1

David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
July 27, 2008

Bulletin #47 – Houston TX area summer birds #1
Hello friends,

The summers here are very hot. The birding is not as exciting as spring or fall migration. However, with young birds, nesting etc, it can still be rewarding to head out to the field. This summer, I tried to photograph some birds that I missed in migration as well as some permanent residents that I had been unable to find on previous excursions.

Rails tend to be secretive birds that hide out in marshes etc. In Texas, we have the resident Clapper Rail (Rallus longirostris) in the salt marshes. On a trip I found this bird walking out into the wide open mud flat and he proceeded to bathe in a puddle, completely oblivious to me and several other birders watching him from 50 feet away. The second photo shows him having a great time bathing.

http://www.pbase.com/image/100783868 click ‘next’ once

Related to the Clapper Rail is the beautiful Purple Gallinule (Porphyria martinica). One weekend I found the downy chick with parents at Brazoria NWR. The baby is black and nowhere in any field guide is it illustrated. The following weekend at Anahuac, I found the juveniles. They are tan colored with bluish wash on the wings. So here the chick, a second photo with a chick between the legs of the parent and then the a pair of juveniles.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783896 click ‘next’ twice

This next bird is an endangered woodpecker. No it isn’t the Ivory-billed Woodpecker (I wish – that would be a $1 million photo!). It is the Red-cockaded Woodpecker (Picoides borealis). This bird is resident in pine forests of the southeastern USA. It is IDed by the ladder back striping and white cheek. The male has a small red feather above the ear area that is never seen in the wild.

This has been one of the more difficult birds for me to find. There is a sanctuary for them north of Houston about 1.5 hours drive from my house. I went twice in the 90’s and didn’t see the birds. Last year in Florida I drove to a refuge for them and missed them again. So finally on my 4th trip and expending probably more than 24 hours total time, I found the bird (a lifer) and managed some photos.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783900 click ‘next’ once

Their nest is easy to find as they drill holes around the opening so sap runs down the tree. This is supposed to prevent snakes from attacking the young in the nest cavity. Here is a photo of a nest.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783903

There are 3 species of these ladder-backed picoides woodpeckers in the USA. All occur in the southern states. From east to west, they are the Red-cockaded (Florida to east Texas), Ladder-backed (Texas to Arizona) and Nuttall’s (California). Interestingly, the face has more black and less white as we progress for east to west. Here are the 3 birds from east to west. (Red-cockaded, Ladder-backed and Nuttall’s)

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783900

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/105948175

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/98261532

Least Terns (Sterna antillarum) are the smallest species of terns in the world. They nest along the Texas coast by just scraping a small depression in the sand on the beach. Well of course, the beaches on the upper Texas coast are heavily used by humans as Houston with a population of 5 million is only 30 miles form the coast. Several areas are set aside for them, but some birds insist on nesting on heavily trafficked areas, so ropes are put up to keep people and vehicles away from the eggs.

Here is a parent bird bringing a fish back for a baby and the second is a nest with 2 eggs just laid on the beach.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783904 click ‘next’ once

I also got photos of 2 other juvenile terns. The Royal Tern (Sterna maxima) is a large (20”) bird. The adult has a bright orange beak, but the juvenile has a yellow beak and interesting black spotted plumage.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783907

The juvenile Forster’s Tern (Sterna forsteri) is smaller (13”) and he has brownish spots for the first couple of months of life.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100783911


All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net

photos copyright 2006 - 2008 David McDonald

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Bulletin #46 – Sierra Mountains, CA #4

David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
July 13, 2008

Bulletin #46 – Sierra Mountains, California #4

Hello friends,

I did a birding/photography trip to the Sierras between Reno NV and Sacramento CA recently. Once more I used a guide to find the birds for me so that I could photograph them.

My guide here was, once again, Rick Fournier of Monterey Birding Adventures. This is another area of California where he leads tours. His web site is Monterey Birding Adventures.

www.montereybirdingadventures.com/adventures

This is the beautiful Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). He is a marsh dwelling bird like the Red-winged Blackbird of the east. However, the male is a stunningly beautiful bird, with his yellow hood and white wing patches. The female is duller with a slightly yellow head and brown rather than black body.

Here are 2 photos of the male and 1 of the female.

http://www.pbase.com/image/100085798 click ‘next’ twice

The only raptor that I was able to photograph was a cooperative Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni). This is a common hawk of the western USA. Like many haws, it has 2 color morphs, light and dark. This is the dark morph bird and is less common. He has very long wings and the primary wing tips usually project beyond the tail as seen in the first photo. A small projection is visible on the right ½ of the tail.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085835 click ‘next’ once

There were several warblers seen as well. The Hermit Warbler (Dendroica occidentalis) was a life bird for me. The male shown here has a yellow face with black throat, gray body and 2 wing bars.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085841 click ‘next’ once

I also got a much better photo of the MacGillivray’s Warbler (Oporornis tolmiei). The male in this photo is yellow with gray hood and black throat. The broken white eye-ring is the diagnostic field mark.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085859

The last is the Nashville Warbler (Vermivora ruficapilla). He is yellow with gray head and complete eye-ring. The throat is yellow.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085860

In the marsh where we found the Yellow-headed Blackbirds, there were 2 other interesting birds. The first was a family of American Coots (Fulica americana) with chicks. The chicks have red and yellow feathers on their head and red bill. This was a first for me to see these cute chicks.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085861 click ‘next’ once

A Marsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) was busy making an unseen nest in the cattails. She made several trips carrying some nesting material. Then she suddenly flew out and landed on the top of a cattail and proceeded to take a mouthful of cottony material from the top of the cattail and went back to the nest area. I guess this was to line the nest.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085866 click ‘next’ once

After disappearing into the reeds with the nest material, she came back out and sat on a barbed wire fence in response to the tape. These are normally very secretive birds. She still had some of the white fibers on her feet, tail etc.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085871

We also found an American Dipper nest under a bridge. Normally they make their nest under an overhanging rock or ledge along a stream.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085873

Mammals are rarely seen as most are nocturnal and live underground. The squirrel family of rodents, are the most commonly seen. I always try to photograph mammals when we come across them.

This is the Lodgepole Chipmunk (Tamias speciosus), one of about 20 species of chipmunk in USA and Canada. It was a lifer for me.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085875

There was an interesting plant, the Snow Plant (Sarcodes sanguinea). This plant lacks chlorophyll and thus is not green. It grows to 18” in height although the ones we saw in June were up to 12”.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/100085878

All the birds from the Sierras can be seen from the beginning at this link to the first one and just scroll through by clicking ‘next’.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99055957

All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net

photos copyright 2006 - 2008 David McDonald

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Bulletin #45 – Sierra Mountains, CA #3

David McDonald Photography
Friendswood Texas
July 5, 2008

Bulletin #45 – Sierra Mountains, California #3

Hello friends,

I did a birding/photography trip to the Sierras between Reno NV and Sacramento CA recently. Once more I used a guide to find the birds for me so that I could photograph them.

My guide here was, once again, Rick Fournier of Monterey Birding Adventures. This is another area of California where he leads tours. His web site is Monterey Birding Adventures.

www.montereybirdingadventures.com/adventures

We found three members of the New World Sparrow family.

The first was one of the prettier ‘sparrows’, the Green-tailed Towhee (Pipilo chlorurus). This beautiful little bird has an olive green back and tail, gray breast, rusty cap on his head and pure white throat. There is never any difficulty in IDing this bird when seen. The sexes are the same color.

Here are 2 photos of the same bird.

http://www.pbase.com/image/99595819 click ‘next’ once

The second sparrow was the Brewer’s Sparrow (Spizella breweri). This is a plain brown sparrow of the arid southwest. The adult is clear breasted, but the juvenile has a streaked breast. This was a lifer for me.

Here are the adult and juvenile photos.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595823 click ‘next’ once

The third sparrow was the Fox Sparrow. It is a large sparrow, (7”) that has several subspecies that range in color from reddish like a fox to dark gray brown. This is the sooty race form the Pacific coast area of California.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595827

The Western Tanager is brightly colored like most members of that family. The male is yellow with a red head and 2 wing bars on black wings, the upper bar is yellow and the lower white. The female is mostly green with dark wings. Here are photos of a male and a second bird that had just ½ his head red. Sibley calls this a winter male, but the National Geographic guide book has the winter male without any red. My guide thinks it is a first year male. I couldn’t find any photo in a guide book labeled 1st year male, but as the time of year (June 15th), that makes more sense than a winter plumage bird!

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595829 click ‘next’ once

The Black-headed Grosbeak (Pheucticus melanocephalus) is related to the Rose-breasted Grosbeak in the cardinal family. The male is unmistakable with the black head and wings with white patches, orange breast and belly, and a central yellow patch on the belly seen in the second photo. He has the typical large beak.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595831 click ‘next’ once

There was 1 thrasher in the Sierra Valley – Sage Thrasher (Oreoscoptes montanus). This is the smallest ABA thrasher at 8.5” and the same size as the Gray Catbird. As its name implies, it lives in the arid sagebrush country.

It is brown with a streaked breast and yellow eye. The bill has a slight curve like most thrashers. This was another life bird for me.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595834

There were 2 members of the Corvidae family (crows, jays and magpies).

The first is the Black-billed Magpie (Pica hudsonia). This bird was split from the similar magpie in Europe. These large birds are unmistakable.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595836

The other was the Common (Northern) Raven (Corvus corax). Ravens are like large crows and are of the same genus, but this bird has a wedge shaped tail. The pointed tail is visible in this photo of the raven in flight. They also have a massive bill.

http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/image/99595838

All comments and suggestions are welcomed and appreciated.

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald
davidkmcd@comcast.net

photos copyright 2006 - 2008 David McDonal