Carson City, NV, May 2012 - 16 More NV Statebirds

With my recent birding trip to the Las Vegas area, and closing in on the ABA threshold in NV, I was definitely bitten by the NV statelisting bug.  Although it took some planning, and quite a bit of driving time (statebirding and a small carbon footprint aren't generally compatible), I was able to add a birding day in the Carson City area to a business trip to central CA.  It turned out to be a great day of birding, picking up 16 of my NV target birds, starting within minutes of arriving in NV.  Many thanks to the local birders for their advice to help me track down my targets!  Here’s a quick rundown of the highlights –

Along SR50 just E of the NV/CA Stateline -

• Goshawk –1 flyover – great way to start the day!
• Band-tailed Pigeon – flock of 6 as a flyover a minute later.  What a start!

Spooner Lake – North Canyon Trail – 7-10:30 - A great time – adding 7 more statebirds -

• White-headed Woodpecker – 1 right at the edge of the parking lot, 3 more along the trail
• California Quail – one calling (saw many more throughout the day)
• Red-breasted Sapsucker – 6 along the trail
• MacGillivray’s Warbler – 1 or 2 singing at each wet area with willows
• Mountain Quail - 2 walking along the trail – didn’t even flush – my best views ever of this species
• Sooty Grouse – 1 calling/booming a couple miles up the trail
• Pygmy Owl – 1 calling spontaneously close to Spencer Cabin.  With a few calls from the tape the bird flew right in and continued to call well after I left
• Plus saw 4 more Band-tailed Pigeons
• And had at least 10 Thick-billed Fox Sparrows (although not new for my NV state list, still a great bird and someday perhaps a new species)

Lake Tahoe – Just S of Sand Harbor State Park –

• Osprey – 1 on the nest

Then on to the Valley south of Carson City -

• Tricolored Blackbird – many in marsh on E side of SR88 - their only nesting location in NV
• Bald Eagle – 2 at nest site on Genoa Rd

Bently-Kirman Ranch –

• American Crow – saw 1 and heard 3 others.  Later saw 2 in Carson City at the MacDonald’s (1 was eating a French fry)
• Sage Thrasher – 1
• Swainson’s Hawk – 2 in a kettle of hawks just NE of the ranch (along with 2 Red-tails, 2 Vultures, 1 Harrier)

Carson City Reclamation Plant –

Nothing new for my list, but a good collection of ducks and shorebirds including a Willet

Carson River Park –

• Wood Duck – flyover pair a good 1 ½ miles upriver.
• No luck with Screech Owls there

Washoe Lake –

Nothing new for my statelist, but a few highlights – 6 Caspian Terns, 4 Forster’s Terns, 7 California Gulls, 1 Willet

Davis Creek Park –

Ended the day looking for Calliope Hummer but no luck

Ended up with 94 species on the day without trying for a big day.  That gives me 231 in NV - just 11 shy of of the ABA threshold.  Wonder when my next trip to NV will be.

Three of my statebird maps are inserted below -

• Tricolored Blackbird - I've now seen them in their little colonies in OR and NV in addition to central CA
• Band-Tailed Pigeon - I can now check them off in most all of their regular states
• Sage Thrasher - got this one in most of their western states (but I guess I need to boost up my NM list!)

Utah-Nevada Birding Trip, April 30 – May 5, 2012

The idea for this year’s birding trip came up while on another trip two years ago.  David Donsker and I had just finished a multiday trip in UT/ID/WY.  Although we added many new birds to my UT state list, we were to the point of diminishing returns, and I ended the trip 8 short of the ABA reporting threshold.  So how would I get safely above the threshold in UT?  I happened to notice a chapter in the Utah birdfinding guide about Lytle Ranch in the southwestern corner of the state, where a small portion of the Mohave Desert barely gets into Utah.  A couple quick days in this area would yield 20-30 birds generally found nowhere else in Utah.  And of course if I’m going to a corner of Utah, that means it should be easy to visit one or more other nearby states for some statebirding there too.  So after a little planning, David and I decided to make it a UT-NV trip, and maybe even AZ, flying in and out of Las Vegas.  With some excellent information from local birders, we were off to get some statebirds and to hopefully get reportable in UT.

Day 1 – Overton WMA NV and Parks in St. George

After landing in Las Vegas, our plan was to make the drive up to St. George, UT which would be the center of our Utah operations.  En route we made a quick stop at Overton WMA northeast of Las Vegas.  A number of state bird targets had been seen there recently, and it’s the place in southern NV for Turkey.  But it’s a large area and I did not have specific directions.  So we started driving along the many dirt roads at the site, and eventually found several wetlands.  We picked up a late pair of Blue-winged Teal, a Greater Yellowlegs, and a Solitary Sandpiper which is quite rare for the area.  And we also had several Turkeys.  4 new NV statebirds.

Then we continued the drive to St. George, including a short interstate stretch through the NW corner of AZ.  Just after we crossed into AZ we saw a Swainson’s hawk soaring overhead.  Ugh – I needed that one in NV – wrong state.  When we arrived in St. George we first headed to Tonaquint Park where we quickly got our prime target – Abert’s Towhee.  During the next few minutes we birded the small amount of natural habitat there and also added Gambel’s Quail and Black Phoebe.  Then on to Red Hills Golf Course where the presence of a large number of golfers prevented us from gaining too much access to the nice habitat and our Vermillion Flycatcher target, though I picked up Ladder-backed Woodpecker.  En route to our next stop we spotted our first Mockingbird of the trip, then headed to another little park, Cox’ Park, where Vermillion Flycatcher’s had been reported – but we dipped on it there too.  As evening neared we made a brief stop at Spring’s Pond where Green Herons are possible, but to no avail.  As we left the park a small group of domesticated ducks and Mute Swans greeted us – on closer inspection the flock included a wild Snow Goose.  A last stop at Washington Fields for nighthawks was not successful, though we had another Swainson’s Hawk and a harrier.  6 new statebirds for UT

Day 2 – Lytle Ranch and More St. George Locations

We left the hotel at 3:30 AM to make the 90 minute drive to Lytle Ranch – which was our prime location for UT statebirds.  As we neared the ranch we saw orange eye-shine in the road which turned out to be the first of 2 Poor-Wills that posed for us in the car headlights – not a new statebird but excellent looks nonetheless.  We arrived at the Lytle Ranch parking lot and started playing W Screech Owl tape – two birds flew in within a few minutes.  Along with a distant calling Great Horned Owl and several more Poor-Wills it was a great start.  And while we waited for it to be light enough to use the binocs, a Brown-crested Flycatcher and Summer Tanagers began to call from over our heads at the parking lot.  (Summer Tanager was my 224^th bird for UT - ABA reportable!)  Our first daylight walk was into the arid scrub where we quickly added calling Crissal Thrashers, several Phainopeplas, and Black-tailed Gnatcatcher which was surprisingly our only of the trip.  Then we went back to the riparian habitat and encountered a few small mixed flocks of migrants which included a couple Cassin’s Vireos and 2 Hooded Orioles.  Walking up-river along the drier edge of the riparian habitat yielded several Bell’s Vireos, Verdins, and Lucy’s Warblers (several nest-building).  Further up river we had a pair of White-winged Doves calling, a flyover late American Crow, and the surprise for the park – a flyover Snow Goose that ended up landing and walking in the trail ahead of us.  We made our way back to the parking area and ran into the site caretaker who gave us directions to the Black Hawk he had seen earlier that morning.  After a little bushwacking we made it to the river and instantly saw a Black Hawk in flight in front of us.  We left at 10 AM with all but 1 of our targets (missing Roadrunner), 14 statebirds, and 49 species.

We needed to spend a lot less time at Lytle than expected, so we had lots of time to hit other nearby spots.  Along the drive from the ranch back to “civilization” we made a couple stops in Joshua Tree habitat and had several Cactus Wrens though couldn’t find a Scott’s Oriole.  Then 2 stops in pinyon juniper habitat yielded Black-chinned Sparrow and Gray Vireo, and a 4-foot long rattlesnake that crossed our path just a few feet in front of us.  Can’t be too careful!  The next stop was a small town park to look for a lingering Ross’ Goose reported by local birder Rick Fridell – took all of 5 seconds to find it sitting among a small group of domestic ducks.  But without the tip, we might not have noticed it, and wouldn’t have even visited the park at all.

Next stop was to Snow Canyon State Park where local birders recommended a quick stop at the campground host’s feeders for both Anna’s and Costa’s Hummingbirds.  Another successful stop – took maybe just 20 minutes to get both species.  It was also fun here to watch the Bewick’s Wrens bringing food to their young in a nest located in the hitch of the host’s trailer.

David and I then hooked up with local birder Rick Fridell to chase after a few individual targets a bit east of St. George.  First one was Inca Dove, which Rick spotted on a fence in a neighborhood in Hurricane.  Then we spent some time at the Hurricane sewage treatment ponds, and although there were no new statebirds, we picked up a number of shorebird and waterfowl species.  A stop at a local marsh for Common Gallinule was not successful, which was followed by a second unsuccessful attempt at Vermillion Flycatcher.   Ended the day with 20 new UT statebirds

Day 3 – Kolob Reservoir Road then back to Nevada

With another early start we headed east to upper elevation locations along Kolob Reservoir Road.  But first we made another attempt for the Common Gallinule.  As we pulled into the site near dawn a Lesser Nighthawk flew by.  So although no luck with the Gallinule again, the Nighthawk was a great consolation.  Then we started up Kolob Reservoir Road.  As we climbed in altitude we found a bush with 1 each of Cassin’s and Western Kingbirds.  Then we took a great hike in ponderosa pines in Zion National Park.  This was a tremendous spot with lots of birds including 2 statebirds – White-breasted Nuthatch and numerous Grace’s Warblers that gave us superb views.  We eventually made it all the way up to Kolob Reservoir picking up a couple more birds for the day list.  The last target was Rick’s tip of a small colony of Acorn Woodpeckers in the aspens close to the reservoir.  The oaks in the area are quite small, so although they undoubtedly provide enough acorns for the birds, they likely aren’t big enough to serve as cache trees.  Maybe that’s what they use the aspens for.  On the way down from the reservoir we started playing tape for the woodpeckers in large groves of aspen, and on our second stop an Acorn Woodpecker flew right in.  Pretty amazing location for an oak-loving bird.  5 more UT statebirds

Then back to Nevada and the greater Las Vegas area.  Our first stop was in North Las Vegas where a small colony of Burrowing Owls had been reported on e-bird in a couple vacant lots.  We had 3 birds there quite easily.  Then we headed to the western side of Las Vegas to look for passerines .  Our first stop was in the lovely little town of Blue Diamond to look for a likely escaped Black-throated Magpie-Jay.  No luck with it, but we did have an Olive-Sided Flycatcher there, and a number of feral burros.  Then off to Spring Mountain Ranch State Park where we quickly added Summer Tanager, and one skulking Hermit Thrush, and pretty good numbers of migrants but nothing unusual.  Later I had a distant Vaux’ Swift fly by as a number of swallows and White-throated Swifts began to appear as the evening approached.   5 new NV statebirds.

Day 4 – Red Rocks State Park, Henderson Ponds, Duck Creek,  Boulder City,

We started at dawn at Willow Springs n Red Rocks State Park with hopes of migrants, Chukar, Cactus Wren and Juniper Titmouse.  Very few migrants were around that morning, but we did hear a distant Chukar up the canyon.  A short walk down the trail yielded a pair of calling Cactus Wrens.  And a lengthy walk up the canyon eventually yielded a Juniper Titmouse along with some Gray Vireos.  A successful stop finging all our targets!

Then off to Henderson Ponds for a try at some waterbirds.  Targets seen there recently were Least Bittern and Wood Duck, with the possibility of some shorebirds.  We dipped on all our targets here, though had another Olive-sided Flycatcher.  Next stop was nearby Duck Creek where shorebirds were possible.  Although we had a number of shorebirds and waterfowl there, no new statebirds.  The next stop of the day was in Boulder City where amazingly a small colony (family?) of Harris’ Hawks had taken up residence.  Took us a couple tries but found one perched in a tree right over the road in this residential community.  

Our last stop was at urban Sunset Park which didn’t yield any new statebirds.  But surprisingly, we ran into 3 more Ross’ Geese mixed in with the mostly domesticated ducks at the lake there.  I certainly wouldn’t have expected to see 4 Ross’ Geese and 2 Snow Geese on this trip.     4 new NV statebirds

Day 5 – Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area, Kyle Canyon in the Charleston Mountains

In our original itinerary this was to be the day to head down to the western edge of AZ to try for a number of birds in riparian areas and along the Colorado River.  However, none were very likely, so we decided to spend extra time in Nevada instead.  We started at dawn at the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area, with stunning old growth Joshua Trees.  The key target here was Gilded Flicker – the only spot for them in NV.  In about 3 hours we were able to find 2 Gilded Flickers (though our views weren’t the best), 1 “Red-Shafted” Flicker, and heard another flicker, sp.  . 

In several e-bird posts back in 2011 Bendire’s Thrashers were mentioned from this location – but it’s a big site and there weren’t specific locations on e-bird.  So we checked our handy Sibley’s guide and it mentioned that Bendire’s prefer areas with some grass, which we had earlier found in only a small area at Wee Thump.  So when we got back to this site we began to play some tape and had a pair of Bendire’s almost instantly come in.  Great photos too!  As an aside, an e-bird post from a couple weeks earlier had mentioned seeing a Sage Thrasher and a LeConte’s Thrasher at Wee Thump.  Frankly, neither is very likely in this habitat, so we wondered if these birds were actually a Bendire’s and a Crissal.

This part of the desert also had a few obvious migrants, like an occasional Western Tanager and Black-headed Grosbeak, plus a few Empids.  One silent Empid we got great views of we reluctantly called a Willow Flycatcher – obviously miserable habitat for a Willow but it had all the right physical features.

Next we headed up to the Charleston Mountains and Kyle Canyon.  Key targets that had been suggested there were Band-tailed Pigeon, Purple Finch, and Lewis’ Woodpecker.  We had no luck with any of these, though we spent much of the afternoon in the canyon enjoying great study time with Cassin’s Finches in the pines and at a great feeding station.   3 new NV statebirds

Day 6 – Corn Creek and Lyle Canyon

When we left our hotel that morning still in the dark, we were greeted by a strong northerly wind.  We had seen an earlier post suggesting that north winds could be good for migrants at Corn Creek, so we crossed our fingers.  We arrived at first light and immediately noticed a number of kingbirds flying into the trees from the desert.  As the steady stream of birds continued, we noticed numerous warblers flying in along with the kingbirds.  The first tree we reached was loaded with Western Kingbirds – although only 10 feet tall it had at least 50 kingbirds on it perched like Christmas tree ornaments.  This was just the beginning of what turned out to be a truly memorable migrant fallout!  Each binocular field in each mulberry tree contained at least 5 Bullock’s Orioles and a few more Western Kingbirds.  Groups of 5 to 10 warblers (mostly Audubon’s) were in the trees, on the ground, in the grass, on fence posts - just everywhere.  We birded the oasis from 5:15 to 11 and conservatively estimated 2,000 birds, though counting was next to impossible as the birds were constantly flitting from tree to tree. 

Midday we headed up to Lee Canyon with one key target in mind – Grace’s Warbler.  We played a lot of tape in locations suggested to us by a local birder we ran into at Corn Creek, but with no luck.  We added some good birds for the day list, but nothing new.  So we headed back to Corn Creek arriving at 2:30.  We birded the area till 5:30, and although activity had decreased significantly, there were still hundreds of migrants, several more still flying in from the desert, and we found several species we didn’t have in the morning. 

We ended up with 75 species at Corn Creek, with several unusual ones and rarities –

·         Indigo Bunting – 1 adult male seen in the morning and seen again (or a second bird?) in the afternoon

·         Black-and-White Warbler – 1 adult male seen several times, and also heard singing several times

·         Rose-Breasted Grosbeak – 1 adult male seen and heard singing in the morning and seen again (or a second bird?) in the afternoon.  Record shots taken

·         Hepatic Tanager – 1 female, record shot taken (there’s only one accepted record for NV)

Other highlights with likely conservative numbers –

·         Doves - White-winged– 2, Eur Collared Dove X Mourning hybrid – 1, Eur Collared - 6

·         Swifts - Vaux’ – 1, White-throated – 1

·         Black-Chinned Hummingbird - 4

·         Flycatchers - Western Kingbirds – 300-500 (very conservative?), Western Pewee – 3, Willow Flycatcher – 1, Hammond’s Flycatcher – 1, Dusky Flycatcher – 2, Gray Flycatcher – 3, “Western” Flycatcher – 1

·         Ruby-Crowned Kinglet – 1

·         American Pipit – 2 (late)

·         Vireos – Plumbeous – 1, Cassin’s – 2, Warbling – 1

·         Warblers - Orange-Crowned – 3, Virginia’s – 1, Lucy’s – 2. Yellow – 20-30, Audubon’s – 500-700 (very conservative?), “Myrtle” – 4, Black-throated Gray – 1, Townsend’s – 1, Yellowthroat – 6, Chat – 1, Wilson’s – 15-20

·         Western Tanager – 10-15

·         Blue Grosbeak – 3

·         Lazuli Bunting – 15

·         Sparrows – Lark – 20, White-crowned – 10, Lincoln’s – 1

·         Orioles - Bullock’s – 100-150 (conservative?), Hooded  - 1

·         Pine Siskin – 3

·         Goldfinches – American – 1 (late), Lesser – 3

On our way out of Corn Creek we started playing some tape to try for LeConte’s Thrasher which resides at very low density in the saltbush to the west of the oasis.  On our 9^th or 10^th stop, David spotted one perched on a bush not too far away to the south near the town of Corn Creek.  We had distant but good views of this very difficult skulker.   This last bird of the day was our 6^th statebird for the day as well.

By the Numbers –

I ended up with 31 new state birds for my UT list which is now 247.  This is my 40^th reportable state, and with 23 over the threshold I’ll stay reportable in UT for a long time to come.  In NV I added 22 new statebirds, to give me 215.  That’s still pretty far from the 242 threshold, but that was only my 4^th trip to the state.  The 53 ticks give me 12,234 total ticks per the ABA definitions, and 12,056 in the US alone.

For the trip we had 183 species – 135 in Utah and 151 in Nevada.  Our totals included a surprising 20 species of waterfowl, 9 raptors, 13 flycatchers, 12 warblers, and 12 sparrows.

Thanks once again to all the great advice from the local UT and NV birders!

I've inserted 3 of my statebird maps that are representative of some of the new statebirds from this trip -

• Rose-breasted Grosbeak - common throughout the east (though I still need it in LA), and now I can color in NV as a vagrant
• Summer Tanager - widespread throughout principally southern portions of the US (though VA is a gap in my lists), a regular vagrant in the NE, as well as regular in the southwest - added it in its limited habitat in southern NV and southwest UT
• Cactus Wren - limited to southwest deserts - added in both southern NV and the little piece of Mojave Desert in UT

43 Statebirds in Eastern IA (and 1 in IL) – March 2012

For months I’ve been planning a business trip to Cedar Rapids, IA to visit a new client.  Of course I needed to consider the statebirding opportunities on the trip – and those opportunities were significant.  Till now my birding time in IA had been limited to one Spring big day and a few hours on a second day in the southwest corner of the state back in 1993.  So with a total of just 135 species on my IA list (my 4^th lowest state total), I had lots of statebirding potential.  March can be a great time for birding, with early spring migrants arriving and many wintering birds still present.  But March weather on the plains can be iffy –cold and snowy weather can make for some difficult birding.  So with fingers crossed that the weather would cooperate, and with a bunch of planning, including some excellent advice and directions from some local birders, I headed out to eastern IA. 

The trip turned out to be excellent –with 109 species and 43 new ones for my Iowa state list.  I had 90 species one day without really trying to do a big day.  The wintering birds featured 3 rare Larids (one in both IA and IL!), and a flock of White-winged Crossbills.  Migrants included Smith’s Longspurs which are rare local migrants, 6 species of blackbirds, 6 species of shorebirds, and high numbers of Fox Sparrows.  A total of 27 species of waterfowl was pretty nice.  And I also got 2 species that I’ve only seen once before – Eurasian Tree Sparrows, and Gray Partridge.  And on the weather front - amazingly there was near-record heat with highs close to 80 each day – more like summer than the last few days of official winter.  Certainly no need to worry about any snow. 

My list is now at 178 – not bad for so little time birding in Iowa.  But still 33 away from the ABA reportable threshold. 

Highlights of my trip follow, with statebirds in bold –

Cone Marsh – Louisa County

Pre-dawn included calling Great Horned Owls, Woodcocks, Pheasants, Turkeys, and many geese (sounded like mostly White-fronts and Snows).  But no luck with Short-eared Owls.  Other notable birds were Trumpeter Swan, Ross’ Geese – several flyovers in with flocks of Snows, Greater Scaup pair in with several Lessers, and a Loggerhead Shrike (there had been a Northern Shrike reported in the area, but I only found this Loggerhead).  I also had numerous Eurasian Tree Sparrows at several locations - only the second time I’ve seen this species (IL in 1981).  My field guides don’t say anything about them being Iowa!  (I had them at 3 other places on the trip as well)

Other State birds - Bald Eagle, Sandhill Cranes, Snipe, Pectoral Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Am. Pipit, American Tree Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco (including one of the “Cassiar” form), and Rusty Blackbird

Lone Tree – Johnson County

2 Eurasian Collared Doves – my 32^nd state for this species, and 4 Lapland Longspurs

Fairmount Cemetery – Scott County – Davenport

This old cemetery has numerous mature hemlocks, spruces, and cedars, and has had many finch sightings over the winter.  And although the temperature was close to 80 degrees, the birds thought it was still winter -

White-winged Crossbills – great views of a flock of 11 as they fed on the ground a short distance away

Pine Siskins – likely close to 100 birds, including one gathering nesting material

Credit Island – Scott County

Statebirds - Cackling Goose, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Fox Sparrow (first of many I saw on the trip)

Davenport – Scott County - Lock and Dam 15 on the Mississippi River

A number of rare gulls have been reported at this site over the last couple months.  But now that all the ice was gone, there was no need for the birds to concentrate in open water.  Plus mid March was getting pretty late.  But as I pulled up the very first bird I saw was a first year Great Black-backed Gull.  This bird at times flew to the other side of the river, putting it into IL airspace – a new bird for me there too.  A little later I spotted small group of roosting birds in the distance.  It took a bit of a hike to get there but it was worth it as there was a first year Thayer’s Gull in the group along with my first of about 10 Herring Gulls.  Back at the dam I picked out a first year Lesser Black-backed Gull.   An amazing number of rarities with less than 200 gulls present.  On the downside, I missed the resident Peregrines that are nearby.

Davenport – Scott County - Lock and Dam 14

1 “Krider’s” Red-tailed Hawk – very photogenic – phonescoped photo below

Hawkeye Wildlife Area – Johnson County

Statebirds - White-crowned Sparrow singing, Brown Creeper singing, and Harrier – my only one of the trip

Amana – Iowa County

All 3 swans had been reported in the Amana area for some time, and they cooperated during my brief stop there.  At Lily Lake there were 7 Tundra Swans (“7 swans a swimming”) and 3 Trumpeter Swans, along with all 5 species of Geese.  And there were 2 Mute Swans, and 1 Trumpeter Swan at the marsh West of Middle Amana.

Gravel Roads NE of Blairstown – Benton County

I got a tip from a local birder about a spot for Gray Partridge.  Though he suggested early morning or evening may be the best time, I was passing through the area near noon and decided to stop anyway.  No luck with the partridges, but as I was leaving I heard some unfamiliar call notes.  I noticed 5 birds coming up out of a neighboring field, and was able to see them as they flew by – Smith’s Longspurs – a pretty rare local migrant.  That evening I came through the area, and although it was almost dark, I decided to stop again.  Once again I didn’t see any partridges, but then I decided to play some tape.  In just a few minutes one responded, then at least 3 more.  Only my second Gray Partridges – my others were in WY in 1986.

Otter Creek – West End – Tama County

As I got there in the early evening there were huge numbers of ducks and geese in the wetlands – at least 2,000 white geese and 500 White-fronts, and thousands of dabblers.  Most of these waterfowl apparently roost elsewhere overnight because  flocks of 50-200 birds were almost constantly rising out of the marsh and flying west.  At the same time blackbirds were flying into the marsh for their evening roost.  The blackbirds included at least 2 Brewer’s and numerous Rusty’s singing (my first experience with them in song).  And pairs of Sandhill Cranes were frequently flying back and forth.  There was also a Great-tailed Grackle singing in the marsh, though I had to wait for nearly an hour till it started to sing.  What a tremendous experience!  And rounding out the evening there was a fly-by Rough-legged Hawk (getting late) and a nearby “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawk.

Squaw Creek Park – Cedar Rapids – Linn County

Spent an early morning in some good woodland habitat and was rewarded with a Pileated Woodpecker, a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker, and 2 single flyover Purple Finches at dawn.  In a nearby field was an early singing Field Sparrow and another singing White-crowned Sparrow.

Lake Macbride and Coralville Reservoir – Johnson County

I headed to these reservoirs in hopes of getting some diving ducks and other waterfowl.  Although waterfowl were limited, at least partially due to many people out on their boats fishing, I did find 5 Red-breasted Mergansers, 6 Common Mergansers, and a Horned Grebe in almost full alternate plumage.  A very large flock of over 500 White Pelicans was remarkable.  In the nearby woodlands I got a Sharp-shinned Hawk, 2 Pileateds, and a Barred Owl. 

A number of my statebird maps (with states shaded where I’ve seen each species) are inserted below –

Ross’s Goose – my states are pretty representative of the birds in the Pacific and Central flyways as well as the increasing numbers though still a rarity in the east.

Lesser Black-backed Gull – IA is my 23^rd state, with a number away from the typical East coast wintering areas

Great Black-backed Gull – with the bird both in IA and IL that expands my Midwest states for this expected vagrant, in addition to the east coast states

Eurasian Collared Dove – 32 states and counting

Great-Tailed Grackle - my states pretty closely match the typical range of this species

Red Crossbill, Red-Throated Loon, and Canvasback, Vermont, February 2012

Some of the best birding in VT is in the Champlain Valley in the northwest part of the state, which is a 3-4 hour drive from home.  So I don’t get there often, and when I do it’s usually because I have multiple statebird targets to justify the long drive.  And that’s exactly what happened in February.  First there were regular reports of Red Crossbills which were apparently nesting and very reliable in Woodstock.  Then came reports of 4 Canvasbacks in a large flock of 6,000 waterfowl on Lake Champlain in Addison – though they were not located on each visit especially recently.  Then came a report of a Short-eared Owl in a large field complex in Addison.  That was enough to exceed my “activation energy” to plan the trip.  And then a couple days before my trip 2 Red-throated Loons were reported from Lake Champlain in Charlotte.  More than enough to justify the long trip.  But had I waited too long for the Crossbills and Canvasbacks?

I arrived in Woodstock at 8:30 at the parking lot of the MBR Park, where Red Crossbills had been seen for over a month.  A couple Siskins were calling in the distance, but no Crossbills.  I tried playing some tape but with no luck.  I was just about to start hiking out on the trails into the pine grove when I heard one giving it’s kip-kip-kip call.  It passed directly overhead, and I got OK views with my binocs.  That was my only view in an hour there – not the best but good enough for a new statebird.

Then over to the DAR Park in Addison.  There certainly were many ducks – easily 6,000 Scaup of both species and Goldeneye.  In 90 minutes of scanning I also picked out 5 White-winged Scoters, 1 Surf Scoter, 1 Long-tailed Duck, 2 Redheads, and 2 Ring-necked Ducks, but no Canvasbacks.  At least a third of the flock moved to the south out of view – did I miss the Cans? 

Then off to Charlotte and the Town Beach to try for Loons.  Earlier in the week 2 Red-throateds and numerous Commons were reported, along with 150 Horned Grebes, but the birder stressed that the water was flat calm.  When I arrived the first thing I noticed was whitecaps out to the horizon – not the best.  In my first 30 minutes of scanning I picked out 21 Horned Grebes as little specks between the waves, but no loons.  Then a bit later I spotted a larger bird on the water – a grayer loon with upturned bill – a Red-throated.  Only saw it for about 10 seconds before it dove – never to be seen again.  Later I picked out 2 Common Loons though again only briefly before they dove.  Statebird #2.

Then back to DAR State Park for a second view of the big flock of ducks.  This time there were more ducks in view.  After a few minutes I picked out a drake Canvasback in the throng.  Statebird #3.

Last stop of the day was Otter Creek Road in Addison.  A great spot surrounded by farm fields, some marshy areas, and woodlands.  Because there was so much possible feeding area for a Short-ear, I’d have to be really lucky to see one in the waning light.  Unfortunately I didn’t see one, but still had a great time with 2 Turkeys walking across one of the fields, 2 Harriers, 1 Rough-legged Hawk (dark phase), a Saw-whet Owl calling (the first I’ve had singing spontaneously in a long time), 50+ Horned Larks, and 10 Lapland Longspurs that landed next to me in the field.  Then there were the Snow Buntings – a flock of many hundreds in a distant field.  At one point they flew into the sky with dark clouds in the background and I thought it was a snow squall!  Only when I put the binocs on them did I see that it was birds and not snow. 

I ended the day with 19 species of waterfowl, and 9 Rough-leggs (6 light phase, 3 dark phase), plus a flock of 46 Bohemian Waxwings.  I never can see enough Bohemians!  And of course 3 statebirds.  VT was my last New England tick for all 3.  That gives me 212 species that I’ve seen in all 6 states. 

My statebirds maps for these species show three different stories.  I’ve seen Red-Throated Loon in every Atlantic and Pacific coast state.  And now VT is my third landlocked state.  As for Red Crossbill, I’ve seen it in various mostly montane and boreal states across the country, plus as an irruptive in MD.  Then there’s the Canvasback, which is pretty easy to find wherever there are diving ducks - and finally in VT. 

Pink-Footed Goose, Middlefield, CT - #1900 in New England, Feb. 2012

I’ve unsuccessfully chased after Pink-Footed Goose twice in Connecticut – including just a week ago.  So when a post came across early on a Saturday that yet another Pink-Footed was found with 75 Canadas at a small pond at an orchard, I dropped everything to go for the chase.  While en route a couple more details were posted – there was a dog show going on at the orchard and there were lots of people there.  I couldn’t help but picture dogs running around chasing after all those pesky geese.  But I tried to remain positive and continued to head for Middlefield.

When I arrived I could see the small pond in the distance at the edge of the main parking lot, but I was directed to park in a far-away parking lot because of all the crowds.  Although there were people everywhere, including walking along the edge of the pond, I could see a small flock of geese happily swimming around the pond.  When I got closer, the Pink-Footed was pretty easy to find in with the larger Canadas.  At times it swam by just a few feet away, allowing for some pretty easy photos even for phone-scoping (a couple pictures inserted below).  These photos confirmed that this bird was different from the one seen in CT a week earlier based on bill coloration.  Almost anti-climactic after those other 2 tries, but with 2 failed efforts I guess I was due for an easy one. 

This was my 4^th New England state for Pink-footed (see the map below - click on the map to enlarge those little states).  It’s pretty amazing how regular this species have become in New England given that it was virtually unheard of in the US not too many years ago.  And this tick was number 1,900 for me in New England – just 100 to go to reach my goal of 2,000.

Snowy Owl, Sachuest Point NWR, RI, February 2012

The 2011-2012 winter has been a big one for Snowy Owls – the biggest one in New England in a long time.  So this winter would be my best chance yet to try to get Snowy Owl in my last 3 New England states – Maine (which I got in Dec. 2011), RI, and VT.  Sachuest Point NWR has traditionally been one of the best locations for Snowy Owl in RI, so it wasn’t too surprising when one was reported there during much of the winter, at a spot called Island Rocks.  Although the bird is likely there all the time, it can easily roost out of view on the far side of the islands, so some luck is needed.

My first visit there was unsuccessful – though the bird was seen there later in the day.  On my second trip, I arrived in the early morning and started to scan the rocky islands with my binocs.  I quickly saw a white bump on top of one of the islands.  Even with a 50x scope view, it was little more than a bump, but very likely the owl.  But within a few seconds of viewing, there was some movement and the bird turned its head toward me – a positive ID for a Snowy Owl.  A phonescoped photo is attached with the scope at 30X – you'll need to zoom in to see much of anything.

My Snowy Owl statebird map is below.  Pretty spotty coverage for this northern irruptive, but now 5 of 6 New England states.  Now I just need to see one in VT - which is most likely in the northwest corner of the state.

Lazuli Bunting – Wellfleet, MA, February 2012

My first MA statebird for 2012 was an immature male Lazuli Bunting that was spotted at the feeders at the Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Sanctuary.  This 3^rd MA state record was certainly worth the nearly 5-hour round-trip drive.  The bird was feeding under the feeder when I arrived, with viewing from inside the warmth of the sanctuary building.  After several recent misses I guess I was due for an easy one.  A couple phone-scoped photos taken through the sanctuary windows are posted below.

My statebird map for Lazuli Bunting is below.  Lazuli is a pretty easy statebird out west in its regular range, and now MA is my second state where I've seen this species as a vagrant.