Oklahoma Panhandle – Reportable and Then Some, September 2013

Over the last several years I’ve made a couple trips into Kansas and successfully reached the ABA reporting threshold there, though by just 1 bird.  While birding in the northwest portion of KS in March 2011, I coordinated with local birders who told me about regular breeding birds in the western edge of the state which were more typical of western states rather than eastern ones.  I had never birded western KS in summer, so all those western species would be new for my KS list.  As a result, since 2011 I’ve thought about a short summer birding trip there which would likely put me well over the ABA threshold in KS. 

How does this get us to a trip to Oklahoma you wonder?  Well, my OK statelist had been just 3 short of the ABA threshold since my last trip there in November 2011.  And speaking of pipedreams, ever since that trip I had fantasized about birding the OK panhandle for the first time to add many western species to my OK list.  So when a summer 2013 trip to Denver came up, I started to make preliminary plans to add some vacation days and bird both the OK panhandle and western KS.  Although that trip got cancelled, I did enough research to find out that to maximize my bird species I really needed to be in the far western end of the OK panhandle called the Black Mesa area, and the southwestern corner on KS near Elkhart.  And birding these areas in fall migration could get me not only most of the local breeders, but also some migrants both from the west and the east.  Luckily another trip to Denver came up in September, which could be perfect timing.  So with the help of some excellent birders in both states, I planned a trip which would not only get me to the reportable limit in OK, but hopefully well over the threshold in both OK and KS.  To reach my target of 15 over the thresholds in each state I needed 18 in OK and 14 in KS.

[This blog post is for the OK part of my trip – the next post is for the KS part of my trip.]

Day 1 – Arrival at Black Mesa

After a morning flight to Denver and the long drive to OK I didn’t cross the stateline until after 4 PM.  Unfortunately rainy conditions during most of the drive was a harbinger of things to come.  The first stop was at Castor Lake Playa north east of Boise City.  This low area is typically dry, but heavy rains in the area this summer had caused a large lake to form at this site, with quite a number of rarities reported there in the last couple weeks.  I met a local birder and we headed across muddy roads to get to the lake.  Along the way we spotted a Ferruginous Hawk (OK statebird #1), and the first of several Chihuahuan Ravens (#2).  I’ve now seen this species in every state where it is regular (see my statebird map below).

When we arrived at the lake the rain was really coming down which hampered our viewing, but we found hundreds of dabbling ducks (Pintails being the most common), and about 100 shorebirds (mostly Wilson’s Phalaropes).  Nothing unusual and nothing new for my list as best we could tell with wet and muddy optics.  Next stop was the Boise City wastewater treatment plant, and although there were only a few dabblers there, a perched Say’s Phoebe was OK statebird #3.  I had reached the OK ABA threshold – reportable state number 43 for me.  With a number of migrants in the area (Bullock’s Oriole and a mixed Eastern/Western Kingbird flock), I was hopeful that I could get some good migrants over the next couple days.  We stopped at one more playa, and had similar ducks and shorebirds, but nothing new.

Next I was off to my key OK birding site - the Black Mesa area.  The rain stopped along the drive, and I was able to take in some really nice views of the countryside.  As I gained elevation I left the prairie and started to get into pinyon-juniper habitat on rocky hillsides.  Numerous raptors were on power poles along the way – with Red-tails, Swainson’s, and Kestrels joined by one very cooperative Golden Eagle (#4).  And as I neared the end of my ride I noticed a long-tailed bird fly among the cholla – a Curve-billed Thrasher (#5).  Once I learned the “whit-whit” call of this bird I realized it was one of the more common birds in this habitat.  It’s interesting that I’ve seen this species in most of its regular range yet still need it in Texas where I have a very good list.

By dinnertime I arrived at the Black Mesa B&B, which backs up to excellent riparian habitat along the Cimarron River.  The owners really cater to birders at this well-known birding location.  A short walk along the dry (but very muddy!) river bed wasn’t too birdy, but easily yielded four new statebirds – calling Common Ravens (#6) up on the mesa, a pair of migrant Western Tanagers (#7), the first of many Western Wood-Pewees for the trip (#8), and a Black-chinned Hummingbird (#9) coming to the feeders at the B&B.  At dusk I came back to the woods to try for the key target for this spot – Western Screech-Owl.  And after playing just a little tape one responded and kept calling the whole time I walked back to the B&B (#10).  OK was only my 7^th state for this species – I still need it in quite a number of states as is the case for most of the nocturnal species.

Day 2 – Black Mesa Hotspots

I planned to start Day 2 pre-dawn looking for Poor-wills sitting on the roads, but when I woke up it was once again raining quite hard.  So instead I waited till dawn and headed for Black Mesa State Park, though it was still raining.  With umbrella in hand, I started walking through the park and heard quite a number of chip notes – it was likely a pretty good night of migration.  But it was still too dark to see very much.  So I headed up one of the canyons on a nature trail to look for birds more out in the open.  Unfortunately I had to turn around after a short distance when the canyon was flooded.  When I got back toward the car the trail was flooded there too – although only a foot deep the flash flood was still a surprise.  A couple wet feet later, I was back walking through the park and heard the first of several Ladder-backed Woodpeckers (#11).  It was now raining quite hard, and I decided to head out of the riparian part of the park and get views of Lake Etling.  En route I saw the first of many Cassin’s Kingbirds in the park (#12).  I still need Cassin’s in a couple of its regular western states, though I’ve seen it in MA as a rarity.

En route to the lake I headed to a prairie dog town to try for Burrowing Owls.  As I approached the dog town I saw a raptor fly by – an Osprey (#13).  Interesting to see an Osprey flying over the desert!  Later I had 3 others at the lake.  With all the recent rain the dog town was covered in vegetation which was certainly unusual.  And after a bit of scanning I found a Burrowing Owl perched in a cholla (#14).  The lake had 3 more Ospreys, a small group of cormorants (I tried to turn one into a Neotropic), a Forster’s Tern, and a small number of Blue-winged Teal.  Otherwise it was pretty slow.

The rain was slowing down so I headed back into the park to try for more passerines.  At my first stop I found a pair of buntings that turned out to be Lazulis.  I was surprised when the folks reviewing e-bird records requested details on these.  Now that the rain stopped the passerines seemed to be getting more active, with a number of Wilson’s and Yellow Warblers, and several Bullock’s Orioles.  On a rocky hillside I ran into a mixed flock of at least 40 Spizella sparrows that included Chipping, Clay-colored, and Brewer’s Sparrows (#15) offering nice comparisons.  I’ve now seen Brewer’s in all the states in its regular range. 

A short distance away I noticed an Empidonax fly into a small tree.  It gave me great views – yellowish wash on the sides, significant white eye-ring, large-headed, and short wings – a Dusky Flycatcher (#16).  I got brief views of two other Empids in the park that could have also been Dusky’s, but I had to put them down as Empid sp.  I also counted 7 Western Pewees throughout the park – a species that was also listed as a rarity in e-bird.  The only other notable migrant was a calling Black-headed Grosbeak (#17).  Then the skies opened and the rain came down about as hard as it could.  I gave it about 30 minutes, but the rains continued and there was standing water everywhere.  So I decided to leave the low area of the park, and it was just in time – I had to drive through a foot of water over the road at one point. 

After a short break I headed to the town of Kenton in the mid-afternoon and the well-known hummingbird feeder at the Jones’ house.  I knocked on their door to ask if I could watch the feeders from the alley behind the house, but since it was still raining, the nice homeowners offered for me to watch from their covered porch.  I sat in a chair just 6 feet from the feeder, and after a short delay they started to return.  And the first bird that arrived landed for only a second but it looked like it had red in the base of the tail feathers.  I waited for another 20 minutes for it to return but only saw Black-chins.  Then finally it came back and landed on the feeder for an extended time – a bit bigger than the Black-chins, longer tail than the Black-chins (and not pumping it), red at the base of the tail feathers, a bit of rufous on the sides, and fine streaking in the throat – a Broad-tailed (#18).  It also had different call notes than the Black-chins.  In the next 30 minutes this bird came back several more times, along with at least 10 Black-chins.  OK is pretty far east for Broad-tailed which is principally found in the Rockies – I’ve seen it throughout the Rockies as well as in LA and FL as a winter rarity.

With no more odd hummers, and the rain finally stopped, I decided to walk around the town to see what I could find.  The key target in Kenton was a pair of Vermilion Flycatchers that had been seen in spring and early summer (but not recently) at the Hitching Post B&B.  A June report mentioned they preferred the clothesline between the two buildings there.  So I walked over to the B&B and instantly got a brief glimpse of some movement and a flash of red – and there was a Vermilion Flycatcher perched on the clothesline just as in June (#19).  I’ve now seen this southwestern species in more states as a rarity than I have in its normal range.

 A couple doors down the road I found a seed feeder with a flock of House Sparrows and one longer-tailed bird that was a bit elusive but eventually came into the open and was a Canyon Towhee (#20).  But the town was pretty slow otherwise.

I decided to take advantage of the lack of rain and head to nearby Camp Billy Joe.  This spot has excellent pinyon-juniper habitat, and rocky canyons with a lot of target birds.  I arrived at the entrance road and birded the junipers, finding several more Canyon Towhees and in the distance I heard the first of several Rock Wrens (#21) calling from the canyon.  I drove up to the camp and started walking behind the buildings and one of the first birds I heard was a Western Scrub Jay (#22), and several Rock Wrens were joined by calling Canyon Wrens (#23) and a Bewick’s for good measure.  Otherwise it was pretty slow, perhaps due to the late time of the day.  So I decided that this location could be worth another stop at dawn tomorrow (if it wasn’t raining).  My statebird map for Scrub Jay is similar to the 2 wrens – pretty good coverage in all the states in their regular ranges.

Next location was a nearby spot where Lewis’ Woodpeckers had been seen recently.  En route I noticed some good habitat for Cassin’s Sparrows – grassland with scattered cholla.  Even though they are typically gone by mid-September (late date of 9/2), I decided to stop and play a bit of tape for this species which is very tape responsive.  Sure enough within a few seconds I heard a sparrow chip note and a Cassin’s Sparrow flew right in (#24).  That was a bonus bird I wasn’t expecting.  A short distance away I arrived at the cottonwoods where the Lewis’ had been seen.  Although I didn’t find any Lewis’, there were several Black-billed Magpies calling in the distance (#25).  Later that evening I ran into a flock of nearly 20 more magpies.

It had been a long and wet day, but a successful one.  And I had one more possible target – Poor-will.  Camp Billy Joe was supposed to be a good spot for them, but the big challenge was whether I could get there pre-dawn or after dark when it wasn’t raining.  I had just that evening and pre-dawn the next day to give it a try.  So since it was not raining that night I decided I should go that evening, and better not assume it will be dry the next morning.  After a short ride I got to a good spot along the entrance road, played just a couple seconds of tape and a Poor-will instantly responded (#26).  That was likely the easiest nocturnal statebird I’ve ever gotten.

Day 3 – One Last Morning in the Panhandle

Amazingly it wasn’t raining in the morning, and I started at first light at Camp Billy Joe to try to get some of the targets I missed the previous day.  Within seconds of getting out of the car I had 2 Poor-wills and a Great Horned Owl calling.  As it got brighter I once again birded the junipers along the entrance road but basically had the same birds as the day before.  In the rocky canyons behind the buildings I played some Rufous-crowned Sparrow tape and one eventually flew in and was most cooperative (#27).  That was my 6^th state for Rufous-crowned – still a few more to go to see this species in throughout its range.

More attempts for Ash-throated Flycatcher, Juniper Titmouse, and Bushtit were unsuccessful, so I called it quits and headed back to the B&B for a nice breakfast. 

My last stop in the Black Mesa area was along the road to the Easter Pageant spot which is well-known as the spot to find Black-throated Sparrows in OK.  As I drove along the road I saw some sparrow activity in the creosote bushes and stopped to check it out.  I first spotted some immature Spizellas, and then noticed some larger and darker birds.  It took me a while to realize they were immature Black-throated Sparrows (#28).  I watched the activity a bit longer and counted at least 6 immature birds along with 2 adults.  As I was just about to leave I noticed some yellow movement and it was a MacGillivray’s Warbler (#29).  Certainly not a typical habitat for this species.  I still need this species in a couple more western states particularly in its normal migration range.

As I headed east through the prairie I again saw a number of raptors, this time including a most cooperative Prairie Falcon perched on a pole (#30).  And the last stop was with a local Boise City birder who took me to an old homestead with a stakeout Barn Owl in the barn (#31).  What a great ending to the trip.

By the Numbers

I ended up with 102 species for the short OK part of the trip despite the very rainy conditions.  OK is now my 43^rd state above the ABA threshold.  And I greatly exceeded my goal of 15 over the threshold, ending up with 28 over threshold, giving me 265 for my OK statelist. 

Kentucky Warbler, Biddeford Pool, Maine, September 2013

Kentucky Warbler is quite a rarity in Maine, so when one was found at the East Point Audubon sanctuary in Biddeford Pool, Maine it sure got my attention.  I wasn’t expecting that it would be chaseable, so I just discounted it as a likely one-day wonder.  But when it was reported again the next day and easily findable by its frequent call notes, I started to wonder if I could get there before it left.  My first opportunity to go after it wouldn’t be until the fourth day of its stay – though surely it wouldn’t still be around that long.  But sure enough, early on day 4 I got a call that it was still there, so I quickly headed out the door to go after it.

I arrived at the location and found birders Davis Finch and Peter Vickery there, but they had not seen the bird.  Its last sighting was at least an hour earlier.  We all wandered through the area searching, had a few migrants and local nesters, but no Kentucky.  Finally after at least another hour and a half, I heard its chip note.  Standing next to Peter, he and I both heard its next 2 chip notes, likely coming from low in the brush over a small rise just a few feet away.  We peered into the thicket, but never even saw any movement of this skulking bird.  We waited at least another 15 minutes but heard no further call notes.  Peter and I turned to each other and congratulated ourselves, though we would have been happier seeing the bird.  Good thing I count heard-only birds. 

Kentucky Warbler was #327 for me in ME.  I’ve now seen this species as a rarity in 4 New England states, plus all the southeastern states in its normal range.

Philadelphia Vireo in Rhode Island, September 2013

There are a fair number of reasonably regular migrant passerines that I need for my RI state list.  These include Olive-Sided Flycatcher, Philadelphia Vireo, Gray-cheeked Thrush, Tennessee Warbler, Mourning Warbler, and Wilson’s Warbler.  Unfortunately most of these are not chaseable.  In other words, if one is seen one day it is not likely to still be around for me to chase after the next day.  Instead, seeing these in RI require me to be lucky enough to be in the right locations on the day they pass through in migration.  So with the passage of a cold front in early September, I planned a trip to southern RI to see what migrants I could find.  I targeted the woodlands in Trustom Pond National Wildlife Refuge as my best opportunity, and decided to start my trip there. 

After an early departure from home I arrived at Trustom Pond at about 8 AM (sure wish it wasn’t a 2-hour drive to get there).  During the first few minutes I saw very few birds and no migrants at all.  A few minutes later I ran into a small group of titmice and then another bird flew in to join them.    After a few seconds that bird came into the open and it was a Philadelphia Vireo!  My first migrant of the morning was a new RI statebird!  Over the next 10 minutes it gave me great views at several locations, as it foraged with a small flock of other migrants.  I contacted local RI birders and told them of my sighting, and several arrived to try to refind the bird.  It took a couple hours of searching, but we all refound the migrant flock including the Philly Vireo.  Amazingly, in more than 3 hours in the park I saw less than 20 total migrants.  As they say – it’s quality not quantity.

And now a comment on the fact that not all my statebirding trips have positive results - 

On my drive home that afternoon I got a call that a Hudsonian Godwit was seen in Westerly, RI.  Unfortunately I was too far away and didn’t have time to turn around and go back for it.  Instead I went back to RI the next morning to try for the godwit, but with no luck.  And although a trip to Trustom Pond that morning was extremely slow (only 1 migrant passerine), I did find a Baird’s Sandpiper there which stuck around for several RI birders to see (see my phonescoped photo below).

Philadelphia Vireo was number 309 for me in RI.  Plus RI was my last New England state for this species – my 221st species in all 6 states.  But as shown in my statebird map below, my coverage of Philly Vireo elsewhere is pretty spotty.

Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher and Long-Billed Dowitcher in Rhode Island, August 2013

The Charlestown Breachway along the western RI coast is one of the best shorebirding locations in the state.  The challenge is that you have to wade across a tidal channel to get there.  On my first trip there nearly 20 years ago unusually high tides and my lack of knowledge regarding the proper crossing spot resulted in neck deep water in the channel on my return crossing.  As I waded across the channel, holding my scope and binoculars over my head, I vowed not to come back again unless I was with local experts who knew where and when to cross. 

Fast forward to the summer of 2013 – while on a RI whale watch I met up with a group of very nice RI birders who bird together most every Saturday.  It turns out that most summer Saturday’s include a trip to the Breachway.  So if I could come along with that group they could hopefully show me the proper way to cross the channel, and give me advice for birding the Breachway.  I targeted an upcoming Saturday for my possible trip and connected with the birders for a time and place to meet.  And as the week progressed there were reports of a Marbled Godwit, Wilson’s Phalarope, Black Tern, and Royal Tern at the Breachway – lots of statebird possibilities.  All but the Royal Tern were seen multiple days, including Friday, so I was cautiously optimistic that it could be a good statebirding day on Saturday.

The first stop that morning en route to the Breachway was the turf farms in Richmond where I met up with one of the birders.  We made stops on Heaton Orchard Road and Switch Road, and had 1 Black-bellied Plover, several Semi Plovers and Least Sands, a couple Pectoral Sands, along with numerous Killdeer.  But no rarities.  Then we headed to a parking area near the Breachway where the plan was for me to leave my car and have another birder drive me into the Breachway parking lot (saving me a $28 parking fee!).  As we arrived at the parking lot the birder received a text that a Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher was just found at nearby Trustom Pond.  I didn’t think I needed that one for my RI list, but figured it was best to try for it just in case.

We arrived at Trustom, and after a short walk we were with about a dozen RI birders all looking for the flycatcher.  After about 20 minutes with virtually no birds in sight, I and 3 others decided to leave and head to the Breachway.  But then we got a call that it was refound, so we ran back to the spot.  And after a 10 minute search we found it as well.  Now I just needed to figure out if I needed Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher for my RI statelist. 

Next we were once again off to the Breachway.  I dropped off my car and joined 6 others to head out to the mudflats.  The tide was pretty high and apparently rising, and required some knee-deep wading to get to the channel.  But the local birders showed me where to cross and it was only waist deep.  That was the good news.  The bad news was that when we reached the mudflats there were few birds there – I was told there were a lot less birds than the day before.  And no godwit, no phalarope, and only a few Common Terns with 1 Forster’s.  But several times in the distance we had passing flocks of Common Terns, twice containing a Black Tern.  I had forgotten to check my RI statelist before I came on the trip, but I was pretty sure I needed that one for my list.  With the number of shorebirds dropping as the tide came in, we decided to head off the flats.  The water was chest deep in the channel, but I was less concerned about going all the way under since the local birders were leading the way. 

It was just about noon, and plenty of time to make 1 or 2 more stops before heading home.  Two options came to mind - back to Trustom Pond for landbird migrants, and Succotash Marsh for shorebirds roosting at high tide.  I chose Succotash and another try for shorebirds.  Although I’ve been to Succotash a few times, another RI birder offered to show me the best spots there.  And I’m glad she did because she showed me a salt pan which I was unaware of which can be good as a roosting spot at high tide.  When we arrived there was a small flock of gulls and a few yellowlegs.  Then we spotted a flock of about 8 juvenile dowitchers, with 2 being noticeably larger than the others.  With difficult viewing through the fragmites and with a sun glare we both initially thought they were godwits, but we soon realized they were dowitchers.  It took us a while to finally get good views of all the birds, including prolonged looks at one of the bigger dowitchers, and concluded that we had at least 1 Long-Billed Dowitcher.  Field marks included – larger size, longer bill with droop near the end, overall darker appearance above, and darker tertials and wing coverts that were edged in orange but with no orangey “fingers” in the darker areas of the feathers.  This one I knew for sure was a new RI statebird – so I got at least 1 for the trip.

I couldn’t wait to get home to check my RI statelist to see if I had as many as 3 new statebirds, or maybe 2, or just 1.  The more I thought about it I couldn’t remember when or where I could have seen Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher in RI, so I was optimistic.  I went right to the computer when I got home, and found that I indeed needed the flycatcher, but already had the Black Tern.  So 2 new RI statebirds it would be – interestingly none came from the Breachway which was my target birding spot of the day.  That gives me 308 for my RI statelist.

RI was my last New England state both for the flycatcher and the dowitcher (I now have 220 species in each of the 6 New England states).  I’ve seen Long-Billed Dowitcher in most western states but few in the east outside of New England (see my statebird map below).  Not surprisingly it's a very different map for Yellow-Bellied Flycatcher - good coverage in many north-central and northeast states, and few in the southeast as a migrant, and of course no western states.

 

An Impromptu Trip Yields 5 Louisiana Statebirds, July 2013

Although I’ve been over the ABA reportable threshold in Louisiana for some time, I’m just 6 over threshold.  As a result, for years I’ve been worried that the threshold could inch up past my total some day.  So when an opportunity to spend a couple hours birding in LA came up, I jumped at it.  Because the trip came up at the last minute, I had only packed my binocs which would limit my chances of finding my shorebird targets.  And high heat and humidity would make the birding unpleasant at best.  But with some advice from my good birding friend from LA, Marty Guidry, when work was done for the day, I was ready to go hoping for maybe a couple statebirds. 

I arrived in Cameron Parish in mid-afternoon and my first stop was an impoundment to try for shorebirds.  There were quite a number of peeps and terns there, but all were too far away to ID with my binocs.  So I moved on to Holly Beach where shorebirds were right along the road.  I ran into numerous terns (Royal’s mostly, with lesser numbers of Caspians, Leasts, and Sandwich’s), and many shorebirds (mostly Sanderlings, and some Wilson’s and Piping Plovers), but nothing new for my LA list.  I needed Snowy Plover, and may have had one, but it was too far away to ID. 

Next stops were on Davis Road immediately south of the town of Cameron.  My first stop was at the Cameron sewage ponds, where a Black Tern and Neotropic Cormorant were nice, but still nothing new.  Next stop was the East Jetty at the mouth of the Calcasieu River.  At the point there was a small wetland with a number of roosting gulls and a few shorebirds.  Panning through the flock revealed one sleeping Marbled Godwit (new LA bird #1) and another possible Snowy Plover, but still too far to ID.  My statebird map for Marbled Godwit is below – although I’ve seen this species in only a few of the inland states where it is a breeder and migrant, I have pretty good coverage for its coastal ranges.

Other shorebirds included Killdeer, and Semi and Black-bellied Plovers, which gave me 5 plovers for the day.  A King Rail practically at my feet was a nice addition.

Then I went over to the observation tower and could see a very impressive flock of birds lined up along the beach - I estimated 1,000 Brown Pelicans, 300 Royal Terns, and 200 Laughing Gulls.  Mixed in were a small number of other gulls including 1 1st-2^nd cycle Lesser Black-backed Gull (#2), and a few Herring and Ring-billed.  LA was my 24^th state for Lesser – not bad for a bird that was considered to be a rarity not too many years ago.

Then I went to the freshwater wetlands north of Cameron in hopes of whistling ducks – both species are possible there.  A cooperative Clapper Rail was nice, but otherwise it was pretty slow (and very hot!).

From there I headed a short distance north to the Cameron Prairie NWR.  En route I stopped in a brushy area and had a perched male Painted Bunting – what a beautiful bird!  My first stop on the Pintail Loop at the refuge was a short boardwalk through a wetlands that looked like good habitat.  Numerous family groups of Common and Purple Gallinules and many species of waders were right along the boardwalk.  Then I turned a corner and hit the jackpot.  The first birds I noticed were two ducks flying away – mostly dark with a white base of the tail – Fulvous Whistling-Ducks (#3).  I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen this species – but it’s got to be many years.  Then I noticed 2 others sitting in the wetlands a short distance away, along with 2 Mottled Ducks.  LA is only my 4^th state for Fulvous – TX, FL, and now LA in its normal range, and MD as a rarity.

A few feet to the right were a small number of shorebirds moving through the vegetation.  Here’s where a scope would have come in handy.  It took me a while but I was able to pick out 3 Lesser and 1 Greater Yellowlegs, and 3 smaller Stilt Sandpipers (#4).  Then a Solitary Sandpiper flushed from along the boardwalk (#5).  I’ve seen both Stilt and Solitary in most of their regular states (and a few states as rarities), but still need each of them in a few eastern states.

Another highlight was a very close dark ibis which turned out to be a Glossy, a few feet away from 4 White-faced Ibis.  The boardwalk turned out to be an exceptional spot.

With 5 new statebirds that gives me 247 on my LA list and 11 over the threshold.  I aim for 15 over the threshold in each east state so only 4 more to go to hopefully make sure that I stay above threshold in LA.  Plus I ended up with 77 species for the short trip – not bad in just 3 hours of birding at the end of the day.  

ABA Reportable in New Mexico – and Then Some, though no Wood-Rail, Part 2, July 2013

This is the second part of my 4-day New Mexico birding trip, featuring stops in northern NM.

Day 3 – Los Alamos Mountains

Since my stop in the Magdalena Mountains on Day 2 was not very fruitful, I still had a number of targets from montaine habitats.  But given my limited success the day before, I wondered if those montaine birds would even be possible.  I contacted local birder Jerry Friedman, who I had met on my last northern NM trip, and he suggested the American Springs trail northwest of Los Alamos because a recent Audubon trip to that spot had found most of my targets.  We decided to meet there at dawn and try for my remaining woodland targets, hoping for better luck than down in the Magdalenas.

The American Springs trail is in the area of the massive Los Alamos forest fire that occurred in 2011.  Although there were some mature Ponderosas in the area, most were burned to the ground in the fire.  Now 2 years after the fire, vegetation is definitely returning though the area has been in an intense drought for some time.  As a result most of the area is now very open with low grasses and brush.  The small stand of Ponderosas close to the parking area was full of birds when we arrived – including numerous Dusky Flycatchers (#21) and an Olive-Sided Flycatcher (#22), along with Pygmy Nuthatches, Creepers, Plumbeous Vireos, etc.  My statebird map for Olive-Sided is quite complete in the western part of its range, but very spotty in the east where it is a less common species.

As we got into the open areas Dusky’s were everywhere, along with Spotted and Green-tailed Towhees, a few White-crowned Sparrows, and even a pair of Kestrels – few if any of these would have been in this area before the fire.  When we arrived at a small stand of Ponderosas that survived the fire we found a family of Olive-sided Flycatchers and a likely family group of Grace’s Warblers (#23).  It seemed like the woodland birds were concentrated in the very limited remaining stands of surviving mature trees. 

Our last stop along the trail was at a creek crossing that featured steep slopes down to a dry creek bed.  The area had a few live trees and some dead but standing trees, along with a fair amount of brush in the creek bed.  The first birds we found were a family of Gray Flycatchers (#24) at the edge of the ravine.  In the dead trees were a family of Hairy Woodpeckers and a likely family group of 4 Flickers – just about the only site with standing dead trees in the area.  Down in the creek bed were numerous Towhees of both species, a MacGillivray’s Warbler surprisingly 30 ft off the ground in a tree, and a Virginia’s Warbler (#25).  I now have seen this species throughout most of its regular range in the southwest.

That was 5 for 5 for my realistic woodland targets, so we headed back to the car most happy with our results.

Next stop was the Camp May ski area to try for my higher elevation targets.  Though I didn’t get any new statebirds, this was a nice area with a couple new birds for the trip – Gray-headed Junco and Red-naped Sapsucker.

Although it was now late morning and temps had risen well into the 80s, we decided to drop down out of the mountains to head to some nearby sage habitat to try for Sage Sparrow.  Certainly not the best time of day and best weather to try for these birds, but I was running out of targets to try for.  We arrived at the sagebrush area near El Rito and started walking through the vegetation, stopping occasionally to play some tape.  In the first few minutes all we could find was 2 distant Ravens and a Horned Lark flyover so it wasn’t looking very promising.  But a little later I heard a couple distant chip notes, and found a Sage Sparrow perched on top of one of the sages (#26).  We later had a classic view of the bird running across the desert with its tail cocked up.  My Sage Sparrow statebird map is pretty spotty – I’ve had troubles finding this bird in quite a number of locations.

The last stop of the day was to try for Black Swifts at Jemez Falls – the only reliable location for them in NM.  The local advice to find these birds is to be at the falls at dawn or dusk and hope that you can get brief views of one of a small number of swifts that nest at this site.  When I arrived at the Jemez Campground at 5:30 to begin the hike to the top of the falls I found numerous barricades and signs that said the trail to the falls was closed due to flooding.  But just as I got out of the car to try to see if there were other options to get to the falls, I heard the twittering calls of swifts overhead.  I looked up to see a pair of swifts passing directly overhead – they were really large and all dark – 2 Black Swifts (#27)!  Boy was I lucky.  The only other time I’ve seen Black Swifts was in CA in 1983 – 30 years ago.  What a way to end an excellent day of birding.

Day 4 – Maxwell NWR and Other Northern NM Locations

I started the day in riparian habitat along the Pecos River near the town of Ribara to try for Red-headed Woodpeckers.  Multiple birds were reported at two different locations along the river here back in early June, and although the report was now 45 days old, I was optimistic that they would still be around.  But despite excellent directions to the locations, I had no luck with the woodpeckers.  Though seeing Blue Grosbeaks, Indigo Buntings, and Lazuli Buntings in the area was nice.

The next stop was Maxwell NWR to search for Eastern Kingbird, several grassland targets (Cassin’s and Grasshopper Sparrows, Dickcissel, Long-billed Curlew), and maybe some shorebirds.  Given the significant drought that has rocked this area for a couple years, vegetation in the grasslands in northern NM had been minimal.  As a result there had been no Grasshopper Sparrows or Dickcissels reported from this area this year on e-bird, and only 1 recent Cassin’s Sparrow report.  Despite these conditions (or maybe because of them?) this had been a good year for nesting Curlews.  But this part of NM had received quite a bit of rain of late, with standing water in all the refuge impoundments, and a lush carpet of green grass growing on the plains.  So maybe the grassland birds would be having a late nesting season and be more cooperative even though it was late July.  And would the Curlews still be around?

It turned out that Eastern Kingbirds were quite easy (#28), with one or more birds seen at four locations, along with the Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds.  My Eastern Kingbird statebird map pretty much matches the normal range for this species that covers certainly much more than just the eastern US.

My first set of stops in grasslands yielded a number of singing Vesper and Lark Sparrows, but none of my targets.  I then got to an area with tall grasses that seemed good for Grasshopper.  Far in the distance I saw a small sparrow perched on a low twig.  With 50X scope views I could tell it was a singing Grasshopper Sparrow (#29).  The bird was so far away, that I faintly heard its buzzy song a full second or two after I saw it sing.  A couple stops at the lakes yielded some new waterfowl for the trip list, but no new shorebirds.  Then I found a grassy area with low mesquite that seemed good for Cassin’s.  I got out of the car and gave a couple high squeaks and a pair of Cassin’s Sparrows popped right out (#30).  I didn’t have any Dickcissels or Curlews at the refuge, but it was a very successful stop nonetheless.  My Cassin’s Sparrow statebird map covers much of this species normal range, plus MA as an extreme vagrant.

On the way out of the refuge I stopped at a flooded field to try for shorebirds and found a Lesser Yellowlegs (#31), 2 Solitary’s, a Spotted and a Killdeer.  And 2 Burrowing Owls were in the adjacent prairie dog town.  The last two stops of the trip were at Springer Lake and Stubblefield Lake where I got a few new species for the trip, including an immature Franklin’s Gull, and a Ring-necked Duck which is quite good for NM in July.  Nice to have a rarity as the last new species.

The Trip by the Numbers…

I added 31 birds to my NM statelist, which was way over my initial expectations of 18-20.  That gives me 283 for the state which is 19 over the ABA reporting threshold.  NM is now my 42nd ABA reportable state – only 7 more Lower 48 states (plus DC) to go.  I tallied 164 species for the trip, bolstered by the addition of the Bosque del Apache NWR stop to my itinerary and all the waterbirds there.  And although this was certainly a very successful trip, it sure would have been nice if the Wood-Rail had stayed around just a couple more days.

ABA Reportable in New Mexico – and Then Some, though no Wood-Rail, Part 1, July 2013

With a late July business trip to Denver, and some spare time at home, I decided to add a couple days of vacation to work on my New Mexico state list.  I’ve been targeting NM lately, with three previous trips there in the last 12 months.  With a great migrant fallout and 20 new statebirds on my last NM trip in May, I was just 12 short of the old ABA reportable threshold.  And since I’ve never been to northern NM in summer, that gave me quite a number of reasonably regular nesting birds to try for.  As a result I was hopeful I could surpass the reportable threshold with several to spare, though of course I would have preferred a trip in June so there would be more song.  But I had to work around the business trip dates and hope for the best. 

A couple weeks before my trip a megararity was found in southern NM – a Rufous-Necked Wood-Rail, a first record for the US.  This would be an amazing addition to my trip if the bird stuck around long enough.  It was found at Bosque del Apache NWR, which is an excellent birding location - perhaps the best spot in NM.  There are a number of regular breeders at the refuge that I need for my NM list, plus some shorebird migrants and a continuing Carolina Wren that would be good additions.  So although this was farther south than I was expecting to travel, the possibility of seeing a megararity lifebird plus adding several other local specialities made the extra driving worthwhile.  As the trip approached the Wood-Rail was still being seen and heard, including the day before I left for the trip.  So I was hopeful I would get a lifebird bonus on what was otherwise a NM statebirding trip.

Day 1 – Evening at Bosque del Apache NWR

My flight arrived in Denver mid-morning, and I quickly started my 7 ½ hour drive south to Bosque del Apache.  If all went well I would arrive at the refuge in the early evening which is a time when the Wood-Rail was most often seen.  While en route I called the refuge and asked about the bird’s status – it was last heard pre-dawn the day before and not seen or heard at all that day.  That certainly wasn’t the best news, but there was a recent day when it was only seen after 6:30 PM, so I hadn’t given up total hope.  With only 2 brief stops along the way I got to the refuge at 6:30 and went right to the boardwalk on the Marsh Loop where it had been seen.  There were at least 30 other birders there, but no one had seen it that day.  Luckily quite a number of my other targets had been reported from that spot as well, so I had other birds to look for while waiting for the Wood-Rail.  One of the first birds I saw was a distant tern that turned out to be a Forster’s – my first new NM statebird for the trip.  A little later one of several very cooperative Least Bitterns came into view (#2), including this one that I captured in a phone-scoped photo.

In recent days this impoundment had featured a number of shorebirds I needed for my list, but that evening there was nothing new for me, though there was a large flock of Avocets, 3 Greater Yellowlegs (I need the other yellowlegs for my statelist), and some Western Sandpipers.  In the distance I finally got some looks at 2 Common Gallinules (#3) at the edge of the marsh.  I’ve now seen this species throughout much of its range in numerous regions across the US (see my statebird map below).

But as sunset approached, and still no Wood-Rail sighting, these 3 statebirds seemed like poor consolation prizes.  I left the refuge about 30 minutes after sunset, some 18 hours after I left my house that morning.  On the drive to my hotel several Lesser Nighthawks passed low over the road which were my last bird of the day.

Day 2 – Bosque del Apache, Magdalena Mountains, and Points North

While waiting unsuccessfully for the Wood-Rail on the evening of Day 1, I had quite a bit of time to think through the next day’s strategy.  Obviously the lifebird was my key target, and early morning had been a good time for the bird in the past, though of course the bird had not been seen or heard for 36 hours.  On the other hand, of course early morning would also be the prime time for landbirding, and I was worried that many of these landbirds would be tough to see later in the day especially so late in the summer.  I was given some advice for a great landbirding spot a short distance away – Water Canyon in the Magdalena Mountains, with key targets there not possible elsewhere on my itinerary being Red-faced Warbler, Olive Warbler, and Greater Pewee.  Decisions, decisions…  I decided to start at 5, pre-dawn, at the rail spot, and give it until 7.  If I didn’t have the bird by then it would be 48 hours since the last sighting, so I would give up on the Wood-Rail, bird briefly elsewhere on the refuge, and then head to the mountains.

I was the first person to arrive at the refuge at 5, to almost complete darkness.  As I intently listened for the unique call of the Wood-Rail, the pre-dawn chorus started with 2 distant Great Horned Owls.  A few minutes later a barely visible owl circled overhead and then called – it was a Barn Owl.  Overhead the stars and planets were putting on quite a show, including Jupiter low in the eastern sky.  I was quite lucky to be able to get this phone-scoped photo (heavily cropped) showing Jupiter and 4 of its moons.

It was now first light and about 20 other birders were with me along the boardwalk.  But still no Wood-Rail.  The dawn chorus consisted of several Chats and Yellowthroats, along with Blue Grosbeaks, a White-winged Dove, and even a Roadrunner cooing.  The impoundment featured a different mix of shorebirds from yesterday – no avocets or yellowlegs but now several Baird’s and Least Sands were in with the Westerns.  And 3 dark ibis were feeding in the distance – 1 was noticeably larger and fed a short distance from the other 2.  But they stayed too far away for positive ID.  At 7 I stuck to my plan, and left the boardwalk, disappointed about the Wood-Rail, but hopeful for my other targets at the refuge.

Most of my targets were seen along the Seasonal Tour Road so that was my planned first stop.  Soon after I left the boardwalk I saw a couple other birders with binocs trained into the sky.  I hopped out of the car and watched 2 Green Heron’s fly by (#4).  One of the first birds I saw on the Seasonal Tour Road was a large raptor perched on a dead tree in a distant impoundment.  Although I assumed it was just a Red-tail, I stopped and looked at it through the binocs.  I’m glad I did – it was a Peregrine (#5).  As my statebird map shows, I still need this recovering species in a lot of states.

As I drove slowly along the brush was full of small passerines like Lesser Goldfinches, Blue Grosbeaks, Chats, and Yellowthroats.  At my first stop I flushed a small warbler which I followed to a distant perch which turned out to be a Lucy’s Warbler (#6).  A few minutes later I arrived at the spot where the long-staying Carolina Wren had been recently reported.  I got out of the car and started to walk down the road to listen for the wren.  Luckily it started calling soon thereafter (#7), because the mosquitoes were intense!  NM is now my third state seeing this species as a rarity (along with ID and CO).

As I neared the end of the road, I stopped to watch a family of Bewick’s Wrens feeding young.  And a minute later a pair of Willow Flycatcher’s starting singing (#8).  That was all 3 of my landbird targets for the refuge in just a 15-minute span.  While heading back to the refuge exit a male Vermillion Flycatcher flew by and perched most cooperatively at the edge of the road.  Though not new for my NM list, I can never see enough Vermillion Flys!  Just before I left the refuge I passed by a small mudflat in the last impoundment which contained a couple Killdeer, a Spotted Sand, and a Solitary Sandpiper (#9).  I left the refuge at 8 AM with mixed emotions – although I missed the Wood-Rail I was very happy with 9 new statebirds including a few that are very good for NM.

The next stop was in the foothills of the Magdalena Mountains at a location called The Box.  This is a rocky pinyon juniper area reported to be one of the best spots for Gray Vireo, and possibly some of my other targets.  The dirt road up the valley had been washed out by recent heavy rains, so I parked the car and walked up the hillside into the junipers.  It was quite a walk uphill under a warming sunny sky, but I eventually got into the habitat which featured Scott’s Orioles, and Canyon and Rock Wrens, but no Gray Vireos.  Though I was able to add one target - 2 Black-throated Gray Warblers singing above me on the hillside (#10).  I’ve now seen BT Grays throughout its normal western range as well as two eastern states as a rarity.

Next stop was the mouth of Water Canyon, which unfortunately I didn’t reach until about 10 AM.  The lower stretches of the canyon were in pinyon juniper habitat, but with hardly any song.  Best I could do was a flock of Bushtits and a Western Pewee.  The woodland transitioned to mostly deciduous trees with a few Ponderosa pines when I reached the Water Canyon Campground.  Just outside the campground I heard an unfamiliar pigeon sound.  I tracked it down and found a flock of 12 Band-tailed Pigeons (#11).  And nearby I stopped to check out some dead snags and an Acorn Woodpecker flew in (#12).  That was #264 for me in NM, the ABA reportable threshold!  I continued up the canyon making numerous stops up into the ponderosa pines and firs but saw few birds, even though I played some Pygmy Owl tape.  Initially the highlights were several Cordilleran Flycatchers (#13) along the dry creek that paralleled the road up the canyon, and a stop with several Hammond Flycatchers and Juniper Titmice.  My statebird map for Cordilleran now pretty well matches this species’ range though with a gap in UT.

  

Then on a next stop I heard distant calls of a Pygmy Owl – but was it a recording from another birder?  I doubled back to get closer to the calls and sure enough the sounds were coming from a distant inaccessible part of the canyon – a Northern Pygmy Owl (#14).  The owl continued to call for at least the next 30 minutes.  One last stop in the canyon yielded a family group of Ash-throated Flycatchers, and the first of 2 family groups of Blue-Gray Gnatcatchers (#15) – one of my nemesis birds for NM.  And I can finally fill in NM as one of my last gaps in my statebird map for this species.

Other birders I ran into mentioned they earlier had a Painted Redstart and Red-faced Warblers in the canyon, but I wasn’t so lucky.  The small number of birds and the almost complete lack of bird song really had me worried about finding many of my woodland targets, though I was happy to have found the Pygmy Owl.  Maybe it was just the time of day – it was now 1:30 PM and getting warm even at this altitude.

On my way up the canyon earlier in the day a young boy noticed me birding along the road and mentioned that I could come by his house to see his hummingbirds if I wanted.  So as I returned to this area, and still needing Calliope Hummingbird, I decided to drop by the house.  I was invited to their yard and quickly found a single feeder that was loaded with hummingbirds.  I estimated about 100 birds in total, with maybe 70% Broad-tails buzzing away, 20% smaller but very aggressive Rufous, and about 10% shier but larger Black-chins.  Finally I noticed a smaller bird perched in a nearby shrub – a male Calliope (#16).  I would also find a female Calliope a bit later.  These small birds were tiny compared to their relatively larger cousins.  I took this photo with my iPhone of a representative group of the hummers at the feeder.

The homeowners were very friendly and shared some good stories about their local birding experiences, including the fact that they fed the doves – the flock of Band-tails I had earlier were actually in their yard. 

It was now 3 PM and time to figure out what to do with the rest of my day.  I decided to start heading north making what would hopefully be short stops for specific target birds – “tactical strikes” as I call them.  The first one was a marsh called the Taco Bell Marsh on e-bird that had several recent reports of Cattle Egrets.  Though I was completely relying on the location listed on e-bird, I hoped that the title meant that there would be a Taco Bell nearby.  Luckily the location was perfect (right next to a Taco Bell), and I pulled up to a small wetlands that had nesting Black-necked Stilts, a few Wilson’s Phalaropes, and several peeps.  And in a small group of trees nearby were 17 Cattle Egrets (#17).  It’s great when e-bird works out so well.  My sightings for this species have now covered all the southern states but are still very spotty elsewhere across the US. 

Next stop was at a location along the Rio Grande River in Isleta with nesting Common Black-Hawks.  These birds are only infrequently seen in the area, but when they are seen they are typically perched on light poles on a dam at this spot.  As I neared the dam I quickly noticed a large black bird on a distant light pole.  I found a spot to pull over and there was the Black-Hawk (#18).  That was lucky!

Next stop was in a juniper habitat east of Albuquerque at the Four Hills Open Space for possible Gray Vireos.  I arrived at the spot and after a few minutes realized that this might not be a very fruitful chase – although it seemed like good habitat it was a large area with no bird song.  So I headed back to the car after adding Canyon Towhees to the trip list. 

A short distance to the north was a location where I was told that Scaled Quail were reliable.  This location was in a neighborhood along Simms Park Road near the Elena Gallegos Open Space, where feeders attract quail.  This was my biggest nemesis bird in NM – I’ve spent many hours in good habitat and have birded specific locations for them, but with no luck.  One of the problems in Albuquerque is that the introduced Gambel’s Quail may be displacing the native Scaled Quail.  I arrived at the preferred location but could find no feeders.  But there was good native habitat in the area, so I decided to walk through the area and give it a try.  Just a couple minutes after leaving the car I heard a brief call of what I thought was a Scaled Quail – but I couldn’t be sure.  A short walk later I saw movement in the grasses – a family group of at least a dozen Gambel’s Quail.  Will this be another failed search?  But just a few seconds later I saw more movement and there was a Scaled Quail moving through the brush (#19) – no longer a nemesis bird for my NM list.

Since I was able to quickly get my targets on most of my tactical strikes, there was still a little time left to try for one last target – Osprey.  Although there were no recent Ospreys reported on e-bird, there was a report from early June of birds on a nesting platform just south of Cochiti Lake not too far off the route to my next hotel. Of course the report was 45 days old, and maybe the birds would have left the nest by now, but I decided to give it a try.  I arrived at the location listed on e-bird but there was no nesting platform in site.  So I decided to drive to the lake and look for them there.  But before I reached the lake I noticed a platform up ahead – it was the Osprey platform complete with an adult and full-sized juvenile (#20).  Although the e-bird location wasn’t exact, the report still gave me enough information to be able to find one of my targets.  My statebird map for Osprey is pretty well filled in except for the plains states.

I finished the day with 106 species – not bad for a hot day in July.  And 17 new birds for my NM list.