A Big Oops

Many years ago when my wife and I were first married we lived in Spokane, Wash. It was my first assignment after Air Force pilot training and we loved the area with all the outdoor possibilities. During one particular trip we were coming back from Montana when we pulled off the Interstate near Lookout Pass to hike to a lake. Honestly, I don't even remember the hike but more what occured after. When we got to the car and started back on the road I noticed an object bouncing along right behind the car. You see, my wife had left my binoculars on top of the car and, well, you know the rest. It's one of those events I can laugh about now.

Well today history repeated itself. And it was I who did it. I had gotten up at 4 AM to conduct a shorebird survey for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (there's my built-in excuse--lack of sleep). I finished the route and was starting home but opted to check on a few bird spots for my own pleasure. After one of these stops the unthinkable happened again. Yeah, it was deja vu, that object bouncing along in the rear view mirror. Only this time it was a gravel road and I'd spent a few more $ on this pair so the pain is sharper.

(Notice anything missing, like an eye cup? Not good)

The binoculars are "usable." But that's about it. The silver lining is that I may be in line for a new pair. Don't tell my wife. In the meantime, does anyone know a Pentax repair person? And am I the only dumba** who has done this?

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/08/2008 at 10:22 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

What were they thinking?

I found a website tonight that lists the state birds of the 50 states. Some states chose really cool birds, others opted for species I really question. To qualify for "cool" in my mind the bird has to be unique, representative of the state, and have at least some appeal to the eye.

Perhaps the best two are Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska has willow ptarmigan as its avian symbol. Cool bird. Hawaii has the nene, or Hawaiian goose. another very cool bird.

North Dakota has the western meadowlark. It's a good choice. It's a prairie denizen, a colorful species, and a beautiful singer. Unfortunately, five other states have the same one. Thus we lose "unique" points. Same for the seven states that have cardinal as their symbol.

Minnesota--common loon. Great choice and the only state with that bird as its symbol.

South Dakota, ring-necked pheasant. What? This is a bird not even native to the country and it's the South Dakota state bird? Poor choice in my opinion. But then, the pheasant brings in millions of dollars in revenue so maybe it was more a symbol to economic vibrancy than anything else.

Some other great choices: New Mexico: roadrunner; Oklahoma: scissor-tailed flycatcher; Pennsylvania: ruffed grouse; Maryland: Baltimore oriole; Arizona: cactus wren; Louisiana: brown pelican.

So just what were Rhode Island and Delaware thinking? Both states chose chickens. Weird.

Of course most of these decisions were made a long time ago by legislatures long forgotten. It would be interesting to know just what the august bodies now in office would choose to represent their respective states.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/07/2008 at 10:39 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Small Spring Sampling

I got out a little over the weekend and took a few photos with the trusty Canon. Here is a tiny cross section of some of the stuff that was out there:

A savannah sparrow. I know it's common here but what makes this shot interesting is that it's in a tree. This species is an open prairie or farmland nester and you don't find them in trees all that often.

A blue-headed vireo and my first of the year. Notice the "spectacles" around the eye and the yellow wash on the flanks. If you have an older field guide this may be listed as a solitary vireo but the bird was split into three species some years ago. Blue-headed is the expected one around here. The other two--Cassin's and plumbeous vireos--are more western US birds.

Nice male yellow-rumped warbler. Again, older field guides may list this as a myrtle warbler. But that and the Audubon's warbler were lumped together into the single species--yellow-rumped--many years ago. This is by far the most common warbler to migrate through our area plus it's the first to arrive in spring having wintered in the southern US (one of the few that don't head to tropical zones for the winter). Wooded areas (and perhaps back yards) are crawling with these birds right now.

A male pine warbler originally found by one of Fargo's most accomplished birders, Dennis Wiesenborn. This was my first pine warbler seen in North Dakota. Funny thing is it's pretty common just a hundred miles or so east into Minnesota.

I like this shot of a white-throated sparrow, looks like he's peeking around the branch to see what I'm doing. These are extremely common in migration (there are thousands in the Fargo-Moorhead area right now). They will disappear soon along with many other migrants but in the meantime they are filling the air with their loud whistled song. Some attach a pneumonic such as "Oh Sweet Canada, Canada, Canada" when describing the song. It's fairly close I suppose. Keep in mind there are two distinct color forms to this bird, this one being a "white-crowned" white-throated sparrow, if that makes any sense.

Here's the scoop from birds.cornell.edu:

The White-throated Sparrow comes in two color forms: white-crowned and tan-crowned. Tan-crowned birds have dull whitish or light tan head stripes, and more brownish chests that usually contain some streaking. In the spring when the sparrow is most brightly colored, most individuals are easily assigned to a color morph.

The two color forms of the White-throated Sparrow are determined by genetic differences, and are unique among birds. Oddly, individuals almost always mate with a bird of the opposite morph. Males of both color types prefer females with white stripes, but both kinds of females prefer tan-striped males. White-striped birds are more aggressive than tan-striped ones, and white-striped females may be able to outcompete their tan-striped sisters for tan-striped males.

Sadly, of the five birds depicted here, only the savannah sparrow stays around to nest, the rest are merely visitors. Very soon we'll have to wait until fall to see them again.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/07/2008 at 10:43 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

old connection to record-setting team

Last month a team of four birders broke the one-day record for number of species seen in a calendar day--260. That's impressive. I can easily go an entire year and not see 260 in all of North Dakota. Of course these young, sleep-deprived individuals did it in Texas.

Oblige me while I tell a tale but here's my connection to this story from ebird.org.

It was back in the early 90s when I drove to San Antonio for simulator training on an airplane our Air National Guard unit was getting. Along the way I visited my sister who was living in Tyler, Texas. Always looking for an opportunity to see birds, I made some phone calls while I was in Tyler. Eventually I was put in touch with a 14-year-old who knew the whereabouts of a particular bird I was looking for--a Henslow's sparrow. He seemed to know what he was talking about so plans were made to meet at a certain meadow near town. The lad couldn't drive yet so his father dropped him off. We go traipsing through the grass and eventually scare up a Henslow's sparrow or two much to my satisfaction. I was told by those in the area that this was a young man absolutely driven by the birding hobby.

Many years have past but I see his name more and more. Now Cameron Cox (far left in above photo) turns up as one of the four individuals on the Nikon Sports Optics team who set the record last month. It's no surprise for me--the kid was a whiz at 14. I didn't realize at the time I was in the presence of greatness. Or at least greatness in the making.

Here's his bio from spacecoastbirding.com:

Cameron Cox - Since growing up in E. Texas, Cameron worked the past eight years as a researcher, biologist, hawkwatcher, seawatcher and bird tour leader. After interning as a young 18-year associate hawkwatcher in Cape May NJ in 1998, Cameron continued with the research program as a seawatch counter, shorebird biologist and interpretive naturalist. He also worked various bird monitoring projects across the country. Literary accomplishments include participation in the new National Geographic Complete Birds of N. America, and a recent paper on American Wigeon for Birding Magazine. Cameron is a regular team member in the Great Texas Birding Classic and NJ's World Series of Birding, and guides tours annually for the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival. Presently working as Birding Sport Optics Specialist for Nikon optics, Cameron resides in Seattle, Washington.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/06/2008 at 1:02 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Raven Rampage?

The intelligence of common ravens has been documented to be very high. That is not in question. But the bird is getting a reputation, in the Old World at least, which may or may not be deserved.

My cousin sent me this link to a story from the Daily Mail (U.K) describing how ravens are actively predating on various farm animals. A lot of this is heresay evidence and I'm sure there is exaggeration on the part of farm owners but there is likely some truth to the story by Jane Fryer.

Ravens, are large omnivores and are known to science as being opportunistic scavengers and predators of small critters. The scientific literature is short on volume when it comes to attacks on larger mammals such as newborn lambs.

Unlike raptors (hawks, eagles, owls, etc.), ravens are not equipped with razor-tipped talons and a meat-tearing beak so they don't seem a likely candidate. But they are big and they are tough and they are smart. So it falls within the realm of possibility that these birds are carrying out some of the deeds attributed to them here. Still it would be nice to see irrefutable proof.

Throughout Britain, traumatised farmers have reported a sudden and disturbing rise in the number of livestock being attacked by ravens.

Hmmm. "Reported."

According to Johnny Hall, of the National Farmers Union of Scotland, it's no longer just lambs: "Raven attacks have become a huge problem across a wide area of the country.

"We have substantial evidence of them attacking adult sheep and calves, too. The attacks are so horrific that it's causing mental suffering to people who find the animals."

Hmmm. "Evidence."

The population of ravens in the area is growing greatly. So the article surmises:

Experts cannot give a definitive explanation, but some believe it is simply the pressure on food resources caused by the dramatically increasing raven population.

It goes on to cover the anthropomophic angle quite well. The fact the bird is large and black has forever conjured up ideas of evil.

"But they get an unjustly bad press. Any big, black bird tends to come down from history with a load of negatives attached. So the raven has got a burden of cultural mistrust around it." (Dr. Andre Farrar)

In the end we may find this to be not true. Or it may be. My guess is it's probably somewhere in between. That is, the birds are likely killing a few healthy animals but the majority are probably dead or sickened before the predation.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/06/2008 at 12:15 PM | Comments (1) | Permalink

New but expected

Gulls, as a group, are a confusing lot even for experienced birders. I'll be the first to admit I don't have a good handle on gull identification. There have been a few new books published in recent years to try and fill the void of understanding but still it takes time, study and experience and I'm short on all three.

There are many different species out there and each has a whole suite of different looks. Four-year gulls in particular (such as the common herring gull) are troublesome. That is, these are birds that take four years to arrive at their fully-grown adult outfit. In the preceeding years, they go through a never ending series of feather molts and different colorations that conspire to frustrate and confuse the viewing amateur. Then you throw the common habit of hybridization (one species breeding with another) in there and it's enough to make some folks just throw up their hands in resignation.

But there seems to be a steep rise in the number of rare--or at least outside of the usual--gull sightings in recent years all over the country. Why is this?

Well, here's my take. First, gulls are large birds capable of covering great distances in their wanderings so you have good candidates to begin with. Second, I think certain gull species are more prone to extra-territorial wanderings. Third, a meteoric rise in bird watching so more eyes are out there looking for rarites. Fourth, the amount of information available to the amateur is at a level unheard of just a few years ago. So those looking for birds have more identification tools available to them.

Cass County, North Dakota is not exactly a gull hotspot. Great Lakes harbors, large inland reservoirs such as those along the Missouri River, and other large bodies of water are the places to be for gulls. Still we get a few gulls here, mostly at the landfill (insert your own Far Side cartoon here).

The lesser black-backed gull was one of those species that was showing up with increasing frequency outside of "normal" ranges. It made it's North Dakot debut several years back but it was in Bismarck (there's that Missouri River thing again). Some of us surmised it was only a matter of time before one showed up in Fargo.

Last weekend lightning struck. In a plowed field adjacent to the landfill a dark charcoal bird stood out among the hundreds of lighter colored ring-billed gulls and herring gulls. It was the county's first instance of lesser black-backed gull.

(The digital photo above was taken by Dean Riemer through a spotting scope--something they call digiscoping. Notice how dark the bird appears compared to those gulls around it.)

Start with a little educated guessing, add a dash of persistence and a pinch of luck. There you have the recipe for a first county record.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/05/2008 at 10:27 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Hitchcock's Revenge

From California (where else?) comes a funny story about a home invaded by "chimney swifts." A couple were down the street at a barbeque when, upon returning home, it was discovered that hundreds of birds were taking up residence in the family residence.

The newspaper, Redlands Daily Facts, reports the man of the house attempting to rid his castle of the scourge:

"After I'd throw them, they'd just start flying again and they'd boomerang right back and come into the house," Scott said.

I'm sure things have settled down by now in the family home. And I hate to be picky but the birds were almost certainly not chimney swifts. This species is only found east of the Rockies. White-throated swifts or Vaux's swifts are more likely the culprits.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/05/2008 at 10:05 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Fossil assumptions

In a short piece from Saturday's Timesonline, a recent fossil find shows a bird-like creature with a list of what we would now perceive as shortcomings. Author Lewis Smith writes of the bird's clumsiness in terms of landing, flying and even staying perched.

One paragraph reads:

Mike Benton, of the University of Bristol, said: "It was probably a slow flyer and may have fallen out of trees from time to time, but it was good enough. No one said evolution had to be perfect, just good enough."

Really? I was always under the understanding that nature dealt very harshly with unprepared critters; to the point where weak genetic traits don't last long at all. Can you say immediate and definitive extinction?

Herein lies the risk. Beware of bold assumptions made from a fossil record. It's like looking at an x-ray--yeah, we can sort of know what a thing looked like (although we don't know for sure--there are several instances where we have redesigned the look of dinosaur displays with new information in hand), perhaps an idea of how it moved, how large it was and that sort of thing. But we really don't know for sure how the creature lived. And we won't unless video proof surfaces. And that won't happen.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/05/2008 at 9:41 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Swelling lists

Many of us involved in this birding business keep lists of various sorts. At the top is one's cherished Life List. That is, the list of every species a birder has seen in his or her life. From there the possibilities are endless. State lists, county lists, year lists, yard lists, etc. What listing does more than anything is provide an historical record of species encountered at various times and at various places.

I happen to keep a year list beginning on Jan. 1 every year. It keeps a person somewhat sharp in that, instead of simply passing over a flock of sparrows as ones a person has seen before, it forces you to look carefully for that bird not seen yet this year. I realize this is somewhat inane to the average person but it's what keeps folks going in the birding hobby and it maintains a keen edge to their skills.

I don't get out as often as many birders around here. I have a job, a family (including two active teenagers) and other interests. But I do maintain a steady eye on the bird life around me and grab a half hour here and there in city parks or wherever.

The interesting statistic to watch in a year list is how it grows as the weather warms. It's an obvious conclusion--spring brings birds, duh!--but still it's interesting to match the arrival dates of certain species over the years.

(palm warbler seen 28 April in Fargo)

Out of the 128 different species I've seen in Cass County, North Dakota this calendar year, 68 have been tallied in the past two weeks. That's right over half the noted birds that either live or migrate through have shown up since the middle of April. This is merely an anecdotal account of the rising tide that is pushing north every day this time of year.

Keep a sharp eye out in the next two to three weeks. This time period typically represents the highest number of species in these latitudes.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/03/2008 at 9:54 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink

They know you're watching

From Science Daily comes news that shouldn't really surprise observers of nature. Guess what? Birds--or at least European starlings used in this study--know when humans are looking at them.

It's a well-known technique among nature watchers to not look directly at a subject when you are approaching it. Nature photographers will tell you the same thing. Take an oblique angle, keep you head pointed away, and try not to pay attention. This, I have found, will get you considerably closer to whatever it is you are looking at than a bold direct approach.

Did this starling know I was taking its picture? Absolutely.

I wonder just what the value of this research is. It seems fairly intuitive that a creature which has survived this long would possess the ability to continually scan and assess the immediate environment for potential predators. If they didn't, they would be extinct. Or so it seems to me.

Yet the story says:

This research describes the first explicit demonstration of a bird responding to a live predator's eye-gaze direction.

Whatever.

Posted by: kcorliss on 5/02/2008 at 10:04 AM | Comments (0) | Permalink