No. 1 Birding Moment of 2010

Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush

(Photo by Paul O. Roisen)

I'll never forget the sound. It was an ethereal, flute-like trill, "nightn'gale-thrush, that's ME." I had listened to several recordings of the sound on the internet, and there was no question in my mind. I was listening to an Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush. Now, listening to that song would not have been too unusual if I had been standing in a tropical forest in Central America. But there in Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota... well, that's why this is my Number One birding experience of 2010.

A report appeared on the South Dakota bird list-serve on July 17 that an Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush had been spotted out in Spearfish Canyon. I took that first report with a grain of salt. Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush is a tropical bird that had been seen in the U.S. only twice before, both times in south Texas. There was little likelihood that a bird such as that would be in the Black Hills. However, several more people posted that they had also seen the bird, and pretty soon it became a certainty: the most unusual birding phenomenon of the year was happening just 200 miles west of where I live! I called up my good friend, Paul Roisen, and we made arrangements to travel out there on July 21st. The story of our experience with this bird is in blog posts here and here. For another perspective on the national importance of this event, listen to this public radio program.

Will 2011 have birding adventures like those of 2010? Stay tuned and we will find out. Or better yet... get out there and enjoy your own birding adventures, and then let me know what you find.

No. 2 Birding Moment of 2010

Long-tailed Jaeger

On June 11th I saw my 356th life bird, a Long-tailed Jaeger, at Oahe Dam. I saw the bird several more times through mid-June. At first we were just calling it a "jaeger species" because since it was an immature bird, determining to which of the three jaeger species it actually belonged was difficult. Finally, when an expert from Cornell University weighed in, there was a consensus that this bird was a Long-tailed Jaeger. Being part of this whole jaeger identification experience was my number two birding moment of 2010. I wrote an early and a late blog post about this jaeger. I also wrote a devotional about jaegers.

No. 3 Birding Moment of 2010

Laughing Gull

The number 3 birding moment of 2010 happened on May 19th. I was searching through a mixed flock of gulls in a parking lot at Big Bend Dam in central South Dakota. There were dozens of Ring-billed Gulls and Franklin's Gulls loafing in the afternoon sun. Then I saw a gull standing with the Franklin's Gulls. It appeared to be slightly larger than the Franklin's Gulls; and it had a noticeably larger bill. When I eased my car forward a bit to get a better angle for a photograph, all the Franklin's Gulls walked away, but this bird remained behind. I snapped off several pictures, and then I paused to study it through my binoculars. I could see that the tips of its folded wings were all black; no white spots were visible. That confirmed my suspicions. It was a Laughing Gull-- a species that is common along the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, but rare inland. Here is a blog about the experience, and here is a devotional about Laughing Gulls.

No. 4 Birding Moment of 2010

Brown Pelican

My number one birding moment last year was finding a Brown Pelican-- only the fifth of that species ever seen in South Dakota. Well, seeing South Dakota's sixth Brown Pelican is the number four birding moment this year. I wasn't the first person to spot this year's Brown Pelican; it had been reported for several days on the birding list-serve. But on the morning of June 15th, I saw it for myself at Big Bend Dam. Here is what I wrote at the time.

No. 5 Birding Moment of 2010

The Grand Canyon

Because it is such a spectacular place, even a bad day of birding at the Grand Canyon would beat a good day doing almost anything else. However, July 3rd was a very good day of birding. I saw two life birds, Zone-tailed Hawk and California Condor, soaring over this World Wonder. I did not get good looks at either bird-- in each case I lost sight of the bird in just a few seconds. I scanned the vast space of the canyon for a long time, but I could not re-find them. But those brief glimpses were good enough to make this my number five birding moment of 2010. Here is a post I wrote about observing birds soaring over the Grand Canyon.

Condor's-eye view of the Colorado River

The Christmas Birds

Dark-eyed Junco in the snow

Very likely the species of bird in Paul Harvey's story

MERRY CHRISTMAS

The late Paul Harvey's Christmas story, The Man and the Birds, has always been my favorite modern Christmas parable. I never get tired of listening to Paul Harvey tell the story, and I never get tired of sharing it with others. So... here again is Paul Harvey telling the story of a man and a flock of birds at Christmas time. Have a wonderfully blessed Christmas, and remember, as the man in this story discovered, Jesus is the reason for the season.

No. 6 Birding Moment of 2010

Mew Gull

My number six birding moment of 2010 happened on October 14th. I had seen a rare bird report of a Mew Gull in Pierre, and that afternoon I went in search of it. The bird had been seen hanging out with a flock of Ring-billed Gulls at the Legion Club Beach in downtown Pierre. I drove to the parking lot next to the beach and started scanning through the large flock of gulls. After a few minutes I spotted one gull that was slightly darker and slightly smaller than the others. Then I got a good look at the bill. It was smaller than the bills of the Ring-billed Gulls, and of course the bill had no ring. I had found life bird 366 just a mile from my house. Here is what I wrote that night.

No. 7 Birding Moment of 2010

Ash-throated Flycatcher

with a beak-full of insects for its nestlings

On July 3rd I spent nearly an hour observing a pair Ash-throated Flycatchers in Grand Canyon National Park. With their mouths full of small insects, each of them made dozens of visits to their nest hole in the trunk of a Ponderosa Pine. Ash-throated Flycatcher was the 362nd bird on my life list, and I was inspired to write this devotional a few days later. Seeing these beautiful birds in such a beautiful setting was my number 7 birding moment of 2010.

No. 8 Birding Moment of 2010

White-winged Dove

My number 8 birding moment of 2010 happened early on July 2nd in a hotel room in Phoenix, Arizona! My wife and I had arrived at our suburban Phoenix Hampton Inn late at night. The next morning I was anxious to get dressed and go outside to see what strange new southwestern birds I might be able to add to my life list. I pulled back the window curtains to look outside, and there in a tree sat a dove. It was not a Mourning Dove or Eurasian Collared-Dove like I would see in my yard in South Dakota; this was a White-winged Dove. White-winged Doves are common birds of the southwest, but seeing my first one was special... especially special because it happened while I was still in my pajamas on the first day of my summer vacation! This is the blog I wrote about that experience.

No. 9 Birding Moment of 2010

Cooper's Hawk with freshly killed Eurasian Collared-Dove

My number nine birding moment of 2010 came on April Fool's Day, but it was no joke for one of the local Eurasian Collared-Doves. That evening I heard an eerie, frantic-sounding squawk coming from my backyard. I went out onto my deck just in time to see this Cooper's Hawk make the kill of an unfortunate Eurasian Collared-Dove. I grabbed my camera and was able to get several good photos. Below is a video I shot while the hawk guarded its prey and warily eyed the photographer. My blog post about the experience is here.

No. 10 Birding Moment of 2010

Snowy Owl, February 24, 2010 

 

Beginning today, I will recount my Top Ten Birding Moments of 2010. Number 10 was February 24, when a Snowy Owl flew right across the road in front of my car as I was traveling a gravel road in Stanley County, South Dakota. The bird landed about 150 yards out in a field, and I managed this distant photo. I blogged about the event that evening. This was only my second Snowy Owl, and the first I had ever seen in South Dakota.

Bird Devotional 91

Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis

“The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” Isaiah 9:2

Until the 1970s, North America’s juncos were divided into four species with these distinctive names: Slate-colored Junco, White-winged Junco, Gray-headed Junco, and Oregon Junco. Then the American Ornithologists’ Union lumped them all together into one species with the name, Dark-eyed Junco. I miss those colorful old names filled with images of feather variation and geographic diversity. Dark-eyed Junco sounds too negative and foreboding. If the birds’ eyes are dark, how can they see anything at all?

Today’s Bible verse speaks of a great light dispelling the pervasive darkness of the world. Isaiah goes on to explain this phenomenon more fully: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6). Approximately seven hundred years later, this prophecy was fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. John wrote in his Gospel concerning Jesus, “In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it” (John 1:4-5). Later, John recorded the words of Jesus, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). In the modern Christian calendar, we celebrate the birth of Jesus on December 25th just a few days after the winter solstice, the darkest time of the year. The day we remember the birth of the Light of the World comes just as the darkness of the natural world is becoming stifling and oppressive. As we renew our hearts every year at this time, we again receive that light as Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ” (2 Corinthians 4:6). Today, and every day, let the light of Christ shine in your heart.

Heavenly Father, I sometimes feel lost in the darkness of this world, and I need your light in my life. Thank you for sending Jesus, the Light of the World. Amen.

The CBC

Sunrise in Pierre

I was out looking for birds this morning before the sun came up when the temperature was just nine degrees. This was the day of the 41st annual Pierre Christmas Bird Count, and I was determined to do my part. As it turned out, we did very well. We tallied 80 different bird species, which broke the previous record of 79. My own list for the day was much more modest at 32. However, I did manage to find two birds that no one else saw: Brown Creeper and Golden-crowned Kinglet.

The Lewis and Clark Trail in Pierre

I had my best luck along the Lewis and Clark Trail. That's where I found the Brown Creeper as well as a nice Cooper's Hawk. And no, I didn't walk all the way to Farm Island!

Bald Eagle at Steamboat Park in Pierre

My best photo of the day was this Bald Eagle. I kept walking closer and closer, trying to get just the right shot. When I got too close, it flew. And that's when I managed to get this "fly away" shot.

Counting Birds

The Pierre Arboretum

This is Christmas Bird Count season, and I am getting psyched for the 41st annual Pierre Christmas Bird Count tomorrow. My assigned area includes the Pierre Arboretum, the Legion Club Beach, and the LaFramboise Island Causeway. I hope to have some good stories about the birds I find down there tomorrow. Christmas Bird Counts are National Audubon Society sponsored events, and are in their 111th year. They are held annually from December 14 through January 5. Each local count is conducted in a 15 mile diameter circle on one day within that time period. The Pierre circle is centered at the State Capitol, so all the birds counted will be those found within seven and a half miles of the Capitol Building. One thing I really appreciate about the Pierre CBC is that we do not have to count Mallards or Canada Geese. Our compiler will use the South Dakota Game Fish and Parks Department's aerial surveys to come up with numbers for those two species. The information collected by all these yearly bird compilations is extremely useful in tracking population trends in bird species throughout the world.

Winter Emberizids IV

Snow Bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis

Snow Buntings are truly birds of the snow. Both their English and Latin names contain words meaning snow. They breed farther to the north than any other North American songbird, and spend the winter months in southern Canada and the northern U.S. During winter storms they are known to burrow deep in the snow in order to keep warm. We often see them in large flocks along country roads in the northern Great Plains. They can be readily identified in flight by their large white wing patches.

Winter Emberizids III

Lapland Longspur, Calcarius lapponicus

Lapland Longspurs breed on the tundra of the Arctic regions and come to the United States for the winter months. Their breeding territory is farther north, and more widespread than the other three longspur species. Lapland Longspurs are sometimes seen in immense flocks in the winter months. They are ground feeding birds, and are always seen on bare ground-- never in trees.

Winter Emberizids II

Dark-eyed Junco, Junco hyemalis

The bird currently known as Dark-eyed Junco is comprised of several sub-species that formerly held full species status. The sub-species most commonly found in the Great Plains is the slate-colored form. Other types sometimes seen here are the pink-sided, Oregon, and white-winged. Juncos breed in Canada and the western mountains, but are present in large numbers throughout the U.S. in the winter.

Winter Emberizids I

American Tree Sparrow, Spizella arborea

For the next few days we are going to look at four members of the sparrow family that breed in Canada, and spend the winter in the United States. The Latin word for the sparrow family is Emberizine, a term that encompasses towhees, native sparrows, juncos, buntings, and longspurs. The first Emberizid we will meet, the American Tree Sparrow, is the only one of the four that actually has the word sparrow in its name. American Tree Sparrows travel in small flocks, and inhabit weedy, brushy habitats during the winter. They begin appearing in South Dakota in late September, and will return to Canada sometime in April. The best field marks are a bicolored bill, a rufous cap, and a central breast spot.

Bird Devotional 90

Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus

“At twilight you will eat meat.” Exodus 16:12

Owls are well known to most people, but generally only from books or movies. Even experienced birders will not see many species of owls unless they go out and actively search for them. Since owls are by nature nocturnal, going “owling” means either getting up early or staying up late. Only the extremely dedicated or the slightly deranged can regularly make such a commitment. Owls are wonderfully adapted for hunting at night when many other predators are asleep. They have exceptional eyesight that enables them to see in dim light, though not in total darkness. The facial disks present in all species of owls help to direct sound waves to their ears and increase their ability to hear the small animals they eat. These special features allow owls to fill a unique niche in the food chain, and they are able to hunt in the same territories that other birds use in the daytime.

The Short-eared Owl is a bird that can be seen hunting at dusk or dawn in marshes or other open areas throughout much of North America. They are most commonly seen in the United States during the winter. They prey primarily on small rodents such as mice or voles. The “ears” are actually tufts of feathers. These are not always visible in the field. Short-eared Owls are medium sized, mottled brown above and vertically streaked on the breast. The dark areas around their yellow eyes have sometimes been described as looking like sunglasses.

Today’s verse “At twilight you will eat meat,” is God’s promise that quails would come into the camp of the Israelites and provide meat for them every evening. God sent the quails in response to the people’s grumbling that they missed the kinds of foods they ate while in Egypt. God’s provision came in spite of the Israelites’ complaining and lack of faith. How can we doubt that He will provide for us if we put our faith and trust in Him and come before Him with thanksgiving in our hearts?

Father God, thank you for giving me my daily bread, and for usually adding a little meat along with it. Amen.

Prairie-Chicken Tree

A dozen Greater Prairie-Chickens sitting in a tree

Grouse and prairie-chickens often roost in trees like this group of twelve I saw in central South Dakota a while back. I suppose there are a few reasons for this. One reason would be for  protection from ground predators such as coyotes. Another reason is that the winter diet of these birds consists in part of tree buds. If you are going to eat tree buds you need to get up into trees. I found this group just at dawn one morning, so I suspect they had spent the night there and were just about to have breakfast.

Here's Looking at You

Greater White-fronted Goose and "friend"

When you see a large flock of Canada Geese, it can be worthwhile to look through the birds to see if you can spot a Greater White-fronted Goose among them. I found this lone white-front in a large group of Canada Geese on the State Capitol grounds in Pierre last winter.

When You Come to a Fence

Three Mule Deer come to a barbed wire fence

Yesterday morning a group of five deer ran across the road in front of me as I was driving down the highway. I slowed down, in case more were following, and watched as the first four deer leaped gracefully over the barbed wire fence. The fifth deer walked up to the fence, hunkered down on its belly, and slowly crawled underneath the bottom strand of barbed wire. The other four deer all stopped, turned their heads, and stared at their slow-poke companion. It was as if they were saying, "You're embarrassing us, you bozo! Can't you jump over a stupid little fence?"

That episode got me to thinking. I guess deer are like humans. We all have different gifts; we all have different physical and mental limitations. When we come to obstacles, we don't all react in the same way. Some of us are able to just leap over those barriers. Some of us will go around them. Some of us try to break those barriers down. Others, like yesterday's fifth deer, will try to find a way to sneak through. Some of us, when we reach a barrier, will just give up and go back the way we came.

While contemplating yesterday's deer story, I remembered this Psalm about leaping over a wall.  It conveys the reality that with God's presence in our lives, we can overcome any barrier:

For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. Psalm 18: 28-30.

Short-eared Owls

Adult female Short-eared Owl

I had not seen any Short-eared Owls since last February. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of these owls fly across the highway in front of me yesterday morning just as the light was beginning to form in the east. It must have been the day for Short-eared Owls to suddenly appear, because two other South Dakota birders also reported seeing their first of the season yesterday. As you can see in this photo from two years ago, the ear-like tufts on a Short-eared Owl are... well... short.

White Duck

Domestic Pekin Duck with female Mallard

A Pekin Duck, a type of white domestic duck, is hanging out with Mallards in a backwater of the Missouri River this week. I had never before seen this bird, or any other domestic fowl, in the Pierre area. So, it seems the bird has just recently arrived from somewhere else... or maybe it has just succumbed to the hard economic times and lost its job with that insurance company.

Robin in Juniper

                           

American Robin eating a juniper berry

What do robins eat in the winter? They eat fruit. Here in central South Dakota, robins find a lot of juniper berries in wooded areas along the Missouri River. Remember, though, the little blue things on junipers are not really berries. Since junipers are conifers, they produce cones. So, the American Robin pictured here is preparing to eat a fleshy, blue-colored juniper cone. When spring comes, however, the robins will return to your front lawn and happily resume eating worms and bugs.

Searching for a Saw-Whet

Northern Saw-whet Owl

After church today I received word that a Northern Saw-whet Owl was seen roosting in a cedar tree on Farm Island near Pierre. I was given specific directions as to the owl's location, but it was still a challenge to find the right cedar tree on an island that is four miles long and covered with thousands of cedar trees. The search was a success, however, and I found the little owl. As with most owls of its species, it did not seem to care in the least that I was tromping around just a few feet from its roost. Once you find a saw-whet, they are a very easy bird to photograph.

A Farm Island Northern Saw-whet Owl

Bird Devotional 89

Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Selasphorus platycercus

“How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103

The brochure promised Broad-tailed Hummingbirds. My wife and I hoped it was true because we had never before seen that species of hummingbird. Back home in Iowa we were familiar with the Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at our backyard feeders, but the Broad-tailed Hummingbird would be something new. As we drove up to the McGregor Mountain Lodge in Estes Park, Colorado we could see a hummingbird feeder in front of each cabin. Then, as we were unloading our car, we heard it: a shrill, high-pitched whistling sound. We looked at the feeder, and there it was, our first Broad-tailed Hummingbird…promise fulfilled!

The Broad-tailed Hummingbird is a common summer resident of the mountains of the western United States. The Broad-tailed’s signature whistling sound is produced by the male’s rapidly beating wings. Like all hummingbirds, it consumes nectar from flowers and also eats small insects. All hummingbirds are attracted by the color red and favor red flowers over blooms of any other shade. They are easily attracted to sugar water in backyard hummingbird feeders.

Humans, like hummingbirds, have a fondness for the taste of sweet things. We call it, “having a sweet tooth.” The psalmist compares God’s Word with the sweetness of honey: “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” We should long for His word in the same way that we anticipate the sweet taste of honey, chocolate, or other favorite confection. God’s Word is not just a special little treat in our diet; God and His Word are life itself. In another Psalm we read, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God” (Psalm 42:1). What a clear image of thirsting for God, the Living Water! Seek Him when you are spiritually thirsty, when you hunger for the sweetness of God, and He will satisfy your every longing.

Father, I want to long for your Word in the same way I long for natural food. Make me hungry for your Word. Amen.

It's Golden

Male Common Goldeneye

Some birds have names that leave you scratching your head; some have names that seem merely OK; others have names that are absolutely perfect. The Common Goldeneye is one of those birds that just couldn't have any other name.

The Word is Glaucous

First winter Glaucous Gull

There was quite a convocation of gulls out at Oahe Dam today. I saw ten species: Ring-billed Gull, California Gull, Herring Gull, Thayer's Gull, Bonaparte's Gull, Little Gull, Black-legged Kittiwake, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Glaucous Gull, and Glaucous-winged Gull. The latter two species caused me to look up the definition of the word, glaucous.

glau-cous, adj. covered in a grayish, whitish, or bluish waxy or powdery substance.

There's one thing you have to say about studying birds...it certainly does expand your vocabulary.

Do You Twitch?

Western Meadowlark--Is it itching or twitching?

If you do enough reading about birds, you will eventually come across the term twitch or twitching. In the United Kingdom and parts of Europe, birders who go out of their way to chase down rare birds are called twitchers. How that came to be, I don't know. Here in the U.S. we just refer to ourselves as birders. Those of us who go to extremes and travel all over the place to find rare birds are just called avid birders, or birders with a lot of time on their hands (or just plain nuts!). I don't think the term twitching will ever catch on here. It just sounds silly to me. What do you think?