Birding Camellones Chontales

In order to find some Chontal Mayan speakers to work with, we had to take a bus out to Nacajuca, and then a taxi or smaller van out to some of the Mayan towns nearby. Our first stop was Tucta, to look up a Chontal guy who was listed in a Mexican publication. As we get off the bus, we find this interesting sign.



Turns out the government had done a big development project in the early 80s, and dug out 30 some canals in order to create farm gardens in the savannah near Tucta. Our possible ethnographic informant wasn't available, but his brother and son took us for a walk through the area.



We were able to get some good Chontal bird names while walking around, and saw some fun birds including Yucatan Jays (including the white-bodied juvenile birds that turn black over the next month or so), Pinnated Bittern, Hook-billed Kite, and Roadside Hawk.

Perhaps the most common bird was Northern Jacana (Chontal: ch'ich'ip, Local Spanish: pispita). We saw them in almost all the canals, including pairs trailed by young chicks. Unfortunately, all I had was my point and shoot and binoculars, so had to settle for some bad digibined shots (baby is the light colored spot behind the adult). BTW, this is an excellent example of how the Spanish bird names in most of the bird books may not help you in dealing with local people--who don't know the "correct" names of birds, but may very well know the birds by their own local names.

Once upon a time the local community wanted to build a tourist facility here, which would include some ecotours of the area. So far that hasn't really happened, but it is an interesting spot and somewhere, under all the water hyacinths, there are even some Manatis swimming around in there!

Prehispanic Birding at Uxmal

With one day to spend in Merida before catching a bus down to Villahermosa, we took a shuttle bus out to the Mayan ruins at Kabah and Uxmal. By the time you can get there, and the ruins open, it is already hot, so birding was a bit tough, but lots of cool stuff anyway. The most visible birds at Kabah are hundreds of Cave Swallows nesting in the ruins. Yucatan Woodpecker, Rose-throated Becard, and Blue-crowned Motmot were some of the more fun birds there.

At Uxmal, several Vaux's Swifts were flying overhead with the Cave Swallows. Yellow-faced Grassquits, Tropical Mockingbirds, and Black-headed Saltators were flying around, and Bronzed Cowbirds were marching across the ground in the shade. It was probably pushing 100 degrees and very humid, so birding was a bit tough--next time would be good to have our own car so we can at least drive out there early in the morning and bird the area nearby before the ruins open.

Of course the high point of the visit wasn't live birds, but Itzamna, the bird masked principle Mayan deity. Lots of Itzamna masks all over, especially at Kabah.


This bird face mask is interesting--the two tufts above bring to mind Great Horned Owl, but perhaps also Harpy Eagle?





These are more Itzamna bird masks, the curving thing is a nose/beak (top one is broken), with eye to the side, and mouth below.

Steve Martin's Birding Outfit

In case you haven't seen them yet, a couple months ago there were some leaked photos from The Big Year set showing Steve Martin in costume with his Swarovskis. Apparently in this scene Jack Black is birding naked (i.e. without bins). Seriously can't wait for this birding comedy with Jack Black and Owen Wilson...and more! Check out the cast list here.

Birdchaser Quoted in Austin News Story

Check out this story about the large Purple Martin roost at a mall in Austin, TX (I get a short quote in the middle).

Junior Birdchasers in Spearfish Canyon

Since we were driving through South Dakota last week, we just had to make a play for the Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush found singing this summer along Iron Creek in Spearfish Canyon on the north end of the Black Hills. This is one of the craziest bird sightings I've heard of! The bird:

1) Is normally found from Mexico to South America
2) Has only been seen in the U.S. twice before--in Texas only a hundred or so miles from its normal range
3) Had to cross over a thousand miles to get to South Dakota
4) And happened to be heard deep in the vegetation, finally seen, and identified by Eric Ripma while doing surveys for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory.

So it is a crazy sighting. One that leaves you scratching your head wondering how many other crazy lost birds are lurking in hundreds of similar canyons or other obscure spots across the country! Birders from all over the U.S. have been flying in and making the drive up Spearfish Canyon to see the bird, and most have been able to see it--if only briefly--as it furtively sings while slipping through the deep vegetation of the canyon.

Enter the Junior Birdchasers.



The earliest we could get to the canyon was about 10:30 in the morning, past the peak of daily singing for the bird. When we get there nobody else is around, and the canyon is quiet. The bird is normally found along the stream and trail within the first 1/4 mile of the parking lot. So we hike for a bit. Nothing. Finally I stop to show the Junior Birdchasers the only other birds visible in the canyon--a family of American Redstarts.

Then a brown bird flies past quickly down the creek and disappears around a bend in the creek. I don't see anything but the general size and shape--but I'm convinced from what I see that it is the bird so we take off in pursuit. The bird starts to sing deep in the bushes--it is it! I get three quick glimpses of it moving through the poplars, including one quick look at the orange eye-ring and bill.

The bird sings off and on for the next 10 minutes, but I'm the only one who gets a look. We're strapped for time, with a quick Mount Rushmore stop and a 28 hour straight drive home to PA on the horizon, so the Junior Birdchasers have to settled for this one being a "heard only" bird for now.

Not the perfect bird chase, but a lot of fun, and great to be part of the Great Orange-billed Nightingale Thrush Saga of 2010!

Going for 50

For the past 15 years I've been able to say I've studied birds in 47 of the 50 U.S. states (and assorted foreign countries). Last year I finally got to Hawaii and Alaska. So for the past year I've been thinking about how I could get to South Dakota, the last state left for me to visit. We ran out of time on our drive out to Utah and Oregon earlier this summer, but we bit the bullet and drove the long way home last week to finally knock off that 50th state. And what a beauty it is! Love the Black Hills and can't wait to go back. Look forward to someday spending more time out on the Plains as well. I'm just glad we missed the car-destroying tennis ball-sized hail by 15 minutes on our drive back down from Mount Rushmore! And thankful for great Verizon coverage and the Weather Bug app on my Android phone so we could track the thunder storms all around us as we drove east on I-90 across the state! Ah, the joys of travel and birding in the mobile digital age!

Junior Birdchasers at Malheur NWR

So I took the long way back east from Portland so I could take my kids to Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, where I became a birder back in August 1981. I spent a week there on a junior high school science trip and started my birding life list there. I returned each year at least once, often twice, to search for eastern vagrants during spring and fall migration throughout high school, but haven't been back since.

Mosquitoes were horrible there today, so we just birded from the car. Kids got great looks at some fun birds including Black-necked Stilts, American Avocets, Golden Eagle, and Prairie Falcon. We also got close looks at three Pronghorn.

I love Malheur and am so glad to get to finally share it with my kids, if only for a couple hours on a hot July afternoon!

Bird ID Seminar for the Kiddos

So last week I got to spend six days camping with my extended family at Milo McIver State Park on the Clackamas River in Oregon. Part of the fun was leading a Bird ID workshop for my kids and their cousins. After a powerpoint presentation on how to ID birds, we did a nice bird walk the next morning where we saw some fun birds including Osprey, Cedar Waxwings, Black-headed Grosbeaks, and Western Tanager. Fun for everyone!

Puffin Watch

So after our little murre rescue yesterday, I took the kids to Cannon Beach to look for Tufted Puffins nesting on Haystack Rock. The birds were pretty easy to see, but not so easy to show others with a scope as they were mostly flying around and disappearing into their nesting burrows with fish to feed their babies. But some of our group got to see one perched on a ledge for a few moments, while others saw them flying around the rock.

And then there were the puffin statues and info right in town.

We assuaged our so-so birding results by getting candy at the Buzz candy store in Seaside. Me, I had the chocolate covered bacon!

Flammulated Owls

Last week we were in Utah and I met up with birding buddy Bill Fenimore from Layton to go out and find Flammulated Owls (photo here). Last time I tried with him it was too late in the season, and all we found were Western Screech Owls in Ogden and flying squirrels up the canyon. This time I had the Junior Birdchasers with me, along with their cousins. The Junior Birdchasers are always good luck, so I figured it would be easy.

We met up with Bill at the mouth of Weber Canyon and headed up the back side of the mountain before dark to scope out some nice roadside aspen groves. At dusk we started playing a tape and sure enough we heard a Flammulated Owl reply within five minutes. Unfortunately we couldn't see the bird, so we headed up to the next spot a couple miles along the road.

At the second spot we heard two birds and quickly had one come in right beside the road. Everybody got fantastic looks at this tiny little moth-eating owl that few people get to see unless they make the effort to go out looking for them.

Bill did a great job and my kids got a great look. My kids are still talking about it and will for a long time, I'm sure!

Murre Rescue

So I'm at Hug Point on the Oregon Coast with my family and the kids find a Common Murre washed up on the beach. It doesn't want to swim away when I put it back in the water, but can't tell immediately what might be wrong with it. I would probably just leave it alone but my six year old is adamant that I should be saving it. So I do a quick search for a local wildlife rescue group and a few minutes later we have a plan to take it to the Seaside Aquarium so that the Wildlife Center of the North Coast can pick it up. An hour later the bird is dropped off. Dad's a hero. Kids are playing in the sand like nothing happened.

Utah Glossy Ibis

This morning at 9am I had a Glossy Ibis south of Benson in Cache Co. This is perhaps the 11th report (6 accepted by the Utah Bird Records Committee) from the state, all since 2006.

Bird was in flooded field on west side of 3200 West .8 miles north of 500 North.

Bird was with 6 White-faced Ibis. I was able to clearly see the dark facial skin outlined with light blue ridges above and below. No white on the chestnut face. Brown eye. Dark grayish legs (didn't notice pinkish joints--was focused more on face and then trying to get set up to take some pictures). Appeared slightly bulkier or heavier in direct comparison with White-faced Ibis.

Observed at about 50 yards for one minute through 7x42 Zeiss bins, then over two minutes in 20x60 Bausch & Lomb scope. I was getting set up for digiscoping when bird flew west. It was not back by 9:30am when I came back to check the field again.

Road Trip

So I'm crossing the country in the minivan with the kids, headed out to Utah and Oregon for a month of family (and birds, of course!). Stopped today in Nauvoo and Carthage, Illinois. Mostly checking out Mormon history sites, but of course there are birds around.

Red-headed Woodpecker in "The Grove" just below the Nauvoo temple.
White Pelicans on the Mississippi below Nauvoo
Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Nauvoo
Eurasian Collared-Dove in Carthage
Common Nighthawk in Carthage

Also some fun birds, such as this Great Egret, painted on the murals inside the Nauvoo Temple.

Teaching at Rosemont College

Just a quick update: I'm currently teaching a Sustainability and Environment class at Rosemont College in Philly. Will be teaching a Biodiversity course there in the fall, and an Urban Ecology course there in January.

eBird is now everywhere

Great news, you can now enter into eBird your bird sightings from ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Time to break out the old trip lists. Maybe now I'll be able to finally figure out how many birds I've actually seen :-)

New Bird Gig

So I've started a new gig as a consulting ornithologist for Bird-B-Gone, a leading bird pest control company out of California. I'll be answering emails from people with bird problems, or just bird questions. Also writing monthly articles on bird behavior and biology for the Bird-B-Gone website.


So how can a birder and bird conservationist work for a company that specializes in getting rid of birds?

Easy! It's all about birds and people, and getting people comfortable with the birds in their surroundings. Or if there is a real conflict, solving it in a way that doesn't harm the birds and moves them to somewhere they can better thrive.

I love birds. I love people. I want them to get along. Helping people with their local bird issues is just part of the picture. Part of keeping the ecological peace!

Haycock Mountain

Hiked up Haycock Mountain near Lake Nockamixon this morning. Lots of birds singing, but not as many warbler species as I might have hoped (only 9--best being 1 Blackpoll Warbler). I did have dozens of singing Ovenbirds and Black-and-white Warblers. Also lots of Rose-breasted Grosbeaks, Scarlet Tanagers, and nest-building Baltimore Orioles. My best bird was probably a Yellow-throated Vireo--not a bird I see many of around here.

New Plan to Save Birds in North America

Partners in Flight, the cooperative effort to save birds in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, has just published a new plan--Saving our Shared Birds.

Some Key findings of Saving Our Shared Birds: Partners in Flight Tri-National Vision for Landbird Conservation:

--The most imperiled birds include 44 species with very limited distributions, mostly in Mexico, including the Thick-billed Parrot and Horned Guan.
--Also of high tri-national concern are 80 tropical residents with ranges in Mexico, such as the Red-breasted Chat and Resplendent Quetzal.
--Additionally, 24 species that breed in the United States and Canada continue to warrant immediate action to prevent further declines, including Cerulean Warbler, Black Swift, and Canada Warbler.
--Forty-two common bird species have steeply declined by 50% or more in the past 40 years, including Common Nighthawk, Eastern Meadowlark and Loggerhead Shrike.

You can download a pdf of the plan here.

Mystery Lifer or Not

So a regional eBird reviewer in Oregon just sent me a note:

We are asking for additional details on the following observation:

Species: Cordilleran Flycatcher
Count: X
Observation date: Sep 17, 1982
Location: Malheur NWR--Headquarters, Harney, US-OR
Submission ID: S3092545

Hmmm. Good question. I submitted this record when I entered my North American life list. So this is a record from my very first Cordilleran Flycatcher when I was 14 years old.

Or not.

Back then, there was no such thing as Cordilleran Flycatcher--just Western Flycatcher. So this would have been the very first Western Flycatcher I ever saw. I have it on my life list spreadsheet as being seen 9-17-82 at Malhuer NWR. I remember that weekend trip with my dad and sister--I had lobbied heavy for months for him to drive us the seven hours one way from Portland so I could do some birding there. But I don't remember seeing this bird. Just part of the murky early birding past.

But it gets even murkier. When I went back to see what kind of records I might have on this bird I found this in my old Golden Guide, where I kept track of my life birds back in the day:

Western Flycatcher 9-17-83

Note the different year. Hmmm.

Then when I go back to a written version of my life list that I compiled in 1984, I have the following listed:

Western Flycatcher 9-17-83 Oaks Bottom, Multnomah Co

Double Hmmm.

Did I mess up the year of the observation when I wrote it down in my Golden Guide (unlikely)? How did I go from seeing a Western Flycatcher on 9-17-83 in Portland to seeing a Cordilleran Flycatcher 9-17-82 on the other side of the state?

I have no idea.

Fortunately I've seen many Cordilleran Flycatchers (and Pacific-slope Flycatchers, the other part of the old Western Flycatcher species) since the early 80s. But I may never really know now when I first saw either one!

So much for old records!

(Photo: Jerry Friedman/Wikipedia)

Ten Warbler Morning

Best bird this morning at Peace Valley were 3 singing Worm-eating Warblers. Don't get to see too many of those around here, so it was great to have them singing and out in the open at close range. Other FOS birds for me were a Baltimore Oriole, Veery, and a pair of Indigo Buntings.