Pumpkin Spice and Everything Nice

A male Ruffed Grouse puts on a show for his lady friend

This week we take you to the beautiful Pacific Northwest where I joined friend and bird guide Khanh Tran for a scouting mission.  

Our mission?  To scout several new areas for owls and grouse, specifically the Boreal Owl.  And while I was there, I wanted to understand the Blue Grouse habitat better.  Several years ago, they were split.  The Dusky Grouse. And the Sooty Grouse. 

Pine Grosbeak

It was a fun trip.  There were no expectations other than to go birding with Khanh and have fun. Khanh needed to do some scouting for his clients and we definitely checked out some amazing places together. 

Pine Grosbeaks were definitely in good numbers for this time of year.  We had them at virtually every location.  Khanh mentioned that this might be a good sign for winter birding in Washington state. 

We maneuvered around hunters during this week on mostly secure roads. During one outing, we had three species of chickadees.  My ears could pick out ONE Boreal Chickadee and we both briefly saw the bird.  A huge flock of Mountain Chickadees passed through the area, but one lingered a little longer.  Bingo!  But it didn't stick around for a pic. This chickadee prefers the higher elevations, above 5,500 feet, in Engelmann spruce.  The tighter the growth of these spruce; the better chances of us finding this species of chickadee. 

A Mule Deer evades the hunters

It was fun watching Khanh bird.  He is unique from other birders in that he studies habitat well.  He knows his elevations.  In fact, his jeep has a sensor detecting elevation hikes. And what separates him from other birders is that he doesn't use ebird.  He's aware of it, but he does his own thing.  I admire that about him.  It frustrates some local birders because he doesn't report his findings on ebird. In fact, during our time together, I hid several reports to protect the owls.  It takes a lot of time and money, along with the habitat knowledge, to find these birds.  This kind of birding is very different from much of my Arizona work.  However, I will say today that Ebird has blocked out several sensitive and specific owl species sightings from their program.  And I'm appreciative of that.  It's all to protect the bird.  You want an owl?  Teach yourself by attending conferences, reading and personal exploration.  There are no short cuts. 

The roads and hillsides burst forth with bright fall color.  I don't think Khanh even knew how wonderful it would be.  Every year, I plan an autumn trek somewhere where I can just bird and look at the pretty landscape.  During this time of year, the birds take a backseat to all the trees and bushes changing color. 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

Often during our trek to find the Boreal Owl, there would be flurries as we hiked in elevation.  Then the snow would happen and it was time for the holiday music.  Everyone always apologizes for the weather, but I informed Khanh that I bring the rain and snow with me everywhere I go.  I hate the heat so much and I love wrapping myself up in my fuzzy lined jacket.  It makes me happy to feel that cold.  He told me it wasn't optimal weather, and I understood that very well.  I didn't care.  We were just birding and doing what I would normally do in Arizona. Chasing birds gets old.  Exploring new habitat however NEVER gets old. 

I frosted my hair for this trek so that I would match my surroundings:)  Snow. The older I get, the more and more I hate the heat.  I'm not sure I could live along the Pacific Northwest because of the constant overcast skies.  But eastern Washington or Oregon wouldn't be such a bad option. The minute you leave the rain forest strip, the skies open and the sun shines. 

One of the most stressful things about the birding here are the roads. On this trek, there was only one road that was questionable. I mean, if that rock below my feet let go, there's no way of surviving that fall. The pic below shows me on that sketchy part of the road.  The rock juts out and underneath the rock there is nothing for a couple thousand feet!

For those of you following my Dusky Grouse search in Arizona, you will know that I have not had any luck with this bird over the years.  I have searched the right kinds of habitat for this bird and looked in the right locations. Well, I'm excited to say that I spotted my first 3 Dusky Grouse! After studying them for 20 minutes, I attempted a pic.  Understanding their behaviors and where they prefer to feed has helped me understand our only AZ grouse better.  They are found in the White Mountains around Greer, the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and around Snowbowl north of Flagstaff on Mt. Humphrey.  Next year, I know how I'll approach finding my last "new" breeding AZ bird. 

An elusive Dusky Grouse

Now onto our Boreal Owl story.  Our first night was too windy.  The snow storm was strong and the night dark.  No luck. 

It was on our second night, again during the most beautiful snow storm, that we'd find our Boreal Owl in a new location.  There was no wind.  It was quiet. Dark. And snow flakes gently fell to the ground.  The packy kind of snow. As we stood under the snow umbrella of a dense conifer tree, we heard the unmistakable "skee-oo" of the Boreal Owl.  Most people just get to hear that call, but I was rewarded with a great look as the bird flew into my light.  It's short body and longer wings flew silently under that quiet umbrella into the branches above our head.  I didn't know which was cooler, the atmosphere surrounding the bird or the bird itself.  It wasn't long, but it was enough to ID and memorize.  I closed my eyes and tried to mentally capture this moment for those really difficult days at my job. There are no souvenir pictures other than the one my mind mentally took.  I was proud of myself for letting the camera at my side so I could just enjoy watching this bird. "Skee-oo!" and it moved further away.  And then another quieter, further "Skee-oo!" The Boreal Owl was gone. 

It was hard to top that sighting of the owl, but the following day, we saw a male Ruffed Grouse on display!  Never in our lives have we seen this bird display.  Khanh sees this bird all the time, but never like this.  I have only ever dreamed about seeing this bird in his mating stance ever since the day I began studying them in Wisconsin.  I thought I'd never see this bird do it's strut.  But years later, both Khanh and myself get the observation of a lifetime!

The larches of the North Cascades were a brilliant yellow as the sun hit them with a gentle ray of light. 

We hiked northern Washington along the Canadian border in lots of snow. 

Don't mind my crazy hair.  Khanh looks great.  I need a haircut. Until next time friends!

Nick of Time

At the 11th hour, things became stressful.  I had to find one last life bird.  I left the downtown area of Monterey and headed to the airport.  It was here that I would make my last stand.  It was time to find the Chestnut-backed Chickadee. 

A birder looks at the "green space" for proper habitat of expected birds

The Monterey airport is VERY small with a great restaurant. So I dropped off all my stuff and began to scan the area outside near the parking area. This Chestnut-backed Chickadee was supposed to be easy! Enough was enough.  Time to get that bird! With my birder eyes, I scanned a small patch of woods by the control tower.

The right circle was off limits but the left one was not:)

The control tower was off limits and protected behind a fence, but the left area was totally ok for birding.  After an hour of patient study, I finally had several chickadees fly into the area.  It would be my last lifer on this trip!  And just in the nick of time. My flight left 25 minutes later. 

Chestnut-backed Chickadee

I arrived back in Tucson that night and would be meeting Kathie Brown in the morning.  I had put a lot of thought into the next several days.  For almost 2 weeks, every birder and their mother had been reporting the very rare Lesser Sand Plover on reservation land near Flagstaff.  It was an AZ first and a bird that I had expected on not seeing because of my work schedule and trip to Monterey. Plus, it'll probably be the only time this bird is EVER reported in Arizona again. It was all bad timing. And quite honestly it caused me a lot of anxiety! What were the chances that this bird would still be in Arizona when I got back? It would be a lifer for both myself and Kathie.  So to kick Kathie's vacation off proper, we headed ASAP to find this rare(for the US) plover.

Kathie Brown explores Outer Mongolia....I mean Round Cedar Lake in Leupp, AZ. 

The Lesser Sand Plover hails from the continent of Asia and more specifically Mongolia. Sometimes during migration, a few of these birds cross lines and take the "wrong" route.  Several posts ago, I complained about the chasing of birds all over the state and about how tired I was from running after far away birds. You don't go to Flagstaff without staying there for a short visit! For this bird, it would be an 11 hour drive back and forth from Tucson and I couldn't justify that kind of drive for one bird.  But this wasn't ANY bird; this was an amazing lifebird. The thought of dipping on it festered in the back of my mind. Every day, I received the reports that it was still hanging around the "lake".  I am not exaggerating when I say that several hundred people saw this bird. What if we made that long trek and the bird wasn't there?!!  I remembered the painful experience behind the dip of the Rufous-necked Wood-Rail at Bosque Del Apache several years ago.  I was afraid that this gamble might end the same way. 

But Kathie was there this time.  And we laughed and had fun driving up to the spot together as a shared experience.  It felt better because our friends offered us places to stay as we birded our way down afterwards.  I didn't want to waste gas for one bird.  Instead, we made a fun several day birding trek out of the adventure.  

a happy Kathie

When we arrived at the location, we had thought we were actually in Mongolia. For a half hour, we searched and searched for the bird.  I was beginning to feel like the bird had finally flown.  Wouldn't that just be our luck?!  It sticks around for just two weeks and then on the day we can go chase it, it disappears. But then Kathie spots a plover and shouts out, "Oh oh oh, I think I have it!"

I put my binos on it and discover it's a Killdeer playing hide and seek with us.  It was actually quite cute. My heart sank as I scanned right and.....

It all looks like dirt until it doesn't(left is the sneaky Killdeer and the right is our Lesser Sand Plover)

Kathie spots another plover!!!!  And not just any plover but THE PLOVER!  A small group of birders quickly assembles with scopes and watches the bird from a safe distance. Everyone is so happy. 

a resting Lesser Sand Plover

I am so thankful for this new lens this year.  It allows me to get photos from a far distance. We are always conscious of our treatment of birds when these photos are taken.  We never want to endanger a life while out in the field.  That goes for all biological creatures...including humans:)

As a nod from the bird gods, we'd be the last to see this bird. We were lucky.  VERY LUCKY.  Had we waited a day to go find this bird, it would have been too late.  What are the chances of that happening??!!!  I don't believe in a higher power, but after this experience, I might change my tune:)  Well maybe not.  But still! What an amazing moment that we had all shared together! 

My favorite Mexican place in Flagstaff is MartAnnes!  We celebrate our lifer at this delicious Mexican restaurant.  Try their chilaquiles!  Green or Red Salsa.  It's all good!

A big year birder(and many other birders) would try to find the bird over the next several days without luck.  Some think the bird flew to California.  Others think that maybe a Peregrine Falcon was hungry.  As for me, I'd like to think that the bird made it to California.  We'd feast in Flagstaff to celebrate our lifer and then head to our friends Cynthia and Roger White's home where we'd bird in Prescott the next day.  But that is another adventure.......

Ebird Reports
Round Cedar Lake(Lesser Sand Plover) and 
Monterey Regional Airport(Chestnut-backed Chickadee).