300 Lifebirds

Greetings all,

Today was a big day for me as I hit 300 lifebirds!  I know I know.  "That's it?", you're all saying:)  Yes.  10, 000 birds out there and only 9,700 +some to go:) But with my work ethic and OCD nature, those numbers will go up. It's not as easy as it sounds:) I began truly birding just a year and a half ago.  And I only began serious birding when I met Kathie Brown.  So I blame it all on her:)   So today, I thought, I'd take you on a brief countdown from the EBIRD list of birds I've seen and photographed during my travels.  It was fun revisiting all of these shots.  So here we go.....

25-Lesser Kiskadee.  At number 25, I found this bird in Panama City on the Amador Causeway.  I thought the tree leaves and bird were perfect together and took the pic.

50-Mallard Ducks.  Invasive for some countries and seen everywhere, the Mallard is well known around the world.  This shot was taken at Bay Beach State Park near Green Bay, Wisconsin.

75-Red-tailed Hawk.  The pride of the Desert Southwest.  The Red-tail Hawk is a beauty.  Here he stares down a punk Loggerhead Shrike.  They had issues on this day.  At Box Canyon near Green Valley, AZ

100-Black-throated Sparrow.  Many say this bird is handsome.  I think they're correct:) Taken at Saguaro National Park, Rincon Unit, Tucson, AZ

125-Mexican Jay.  We all have Jays in our lives and at our feeders.  The Mexican Jay is the Jay that I see on every outing in Pima County.  We both speak Spanish and have a good relationship.  Thankfully, there aren't any issues with Border Patrol and this bird.  Gracias a Dios! Madera Canyon, AZ

150-Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher.  Truly a catch.  This bird is sought after by everyone in the US.  Arizona is its' northern most range.  Here the bird nests at Ramsey Canyon.

175-Plain-Capped Starthroat.  This bird taught me the thrill and anxiety of the "chase".  It was my first bird that I couldn't let go.  I lost many nights of sleep pursuing this rare Mexican migrant.  During one day with people from around the US, this bird came to the feeder and allowed me some much needed R&R....and relief from the chigger bites.  Ash Canyon B&B in the Huachuca Mountains

200-Belted Kingfisher.  I love Kingfishers.  They are one of my favorite birds to see in the wild.  Taken at Sam Lena Park in Tucson, AZ

225-Western Meadowlark. The beautiful song of the Meadowlark makes people smile ear to ear.  Near Sandario Road

250-American Pipit.  While maybe not an exciting bird for many people, it sure makes looking at a farmer's field more interesting.  Santa Cruz Flats near Picacho Peak, AZ

275-Hepatic Tanager-Who doesn't like Tanagers?  Whitehouse Picnic Area, Madera Canyon.  Now drum rolls please........who is number 300????

300-Swainson's Hawk!!!!!  Today on the way to work, I saw one on the telephone pole!  The picture above was taken at the Renaissance Faire for up close study and detailed shots.  For every hundred gained is a celebration earned.  More soon.....

As Precious As The Desert Rain

Redhead

A rain event in the desert is quite the celebration.  But it also signifies something else.  The storms from the north will also bring in foreign birds:)  On this rainy day,  I would head off to find rare and unusual birds.  And find them I did.

Solitary Sandpiper

It was pretty exciting.  Cloudy skies.  Cold weather.  Rain.  Hungry birds.  Epic day birding.  Hundreds of Northern Shovelers would fly over my head as I counted birds.

Northern Shovelers

I'm really not sure who these birds are below.  I think they are Red Tail Hawks but the lighting isn't very good here but I have been seeing Golden Eagles in the area.......and one of the things I would love to see is how they free fall together.  As you can see in the pic, their feet are down which made me wonder....but nothing happened.

Some interesting moves

Black Phoebes are cool little birds.  I love how they hop from one rock to the next catching bugs.

Black Phoebe in flight

But my special finds would happen at Kennedy Park.  I knew that there was a rare Canada Goose in the area but I didn't expect to  find this lifebird....the Redhead. There were at least 22.

When a lifebird is present, you work hard to get excellent photos.  Why?  Because once I've documented them, I can just enjoy observing them.

Western Grebes

There were 4 Grebes on this day.  But a failure on my part?  I missed the extremely rare Horned Grebe in Pima County.  I had assumed all 4 were Western Grebes.  To be fair 3 of them had their heads tucked into their bodies.  A report followed the next day stating a Horned Grebe was in the mix.  I am still going to try for this bird again tomorrow.  We'll see if this bird is still hanging around....again, another easy rare bird search.

Canada Goose

While the Canadian Geese or Western Grebes are not new to the lifelist, they are welcome additions to my birds found in Pima County. Very special finds.

Mallard Duck

It began to rain and get dark.  A sign that it was time to go home and stay warm.  More tomorrow.....

The Unexpected Surprises

Harris Hawk

Today's post if full of wonderful awesomeness.  It's when you're walking and stuff happens right around you. If you don't act quick enough, you miss the shot like the photographer trying to get the Harris Hawk during this day.  I had a private smile but that smile turned upside down the next day when I missed out on the American Kestrel attacking the Harris Hawk.  You win some and you lose some:)

And my camera is always right next to me at every turn.  On my way to Sweetwater in my neighborhood, a Cooper's Hawk sat on our street light.  I parked the car, aimed the camera, and took pics.  An older lady came my way and began talking with me.  She was sweet and replied, "A Cooper's Hawk on a Sunday morning.  It doesn't get better than that.:)"  But it would get better....

Cooper's Hawk

And like the Cooper's Hawk, I flew off to Sweetwater.

What an incredible day!!!!  It was super birdy and full of a billion bird species.  I began my count and within a short time, I had over 30 birds species!!!

Cactus Wren

Birds were either hanging out or flying by me at a rapid pace.

American Kestrel

I knew a Buffelhead was in the area but I kept my eyes open for other surprises.

Pied Bill Grebe

And I found everyone on my list that I was supposed to find!

Female Buffelhead

And while some of the photos weren't super great, I did have photo documentation that they were there.

From left to right, female Buffelhead, Northern Shoveler, and Mallard Duck.

Some posts, like this one, take time to process as I need to confirm the birds spotted.

With the Buffelhead, it wasn't an issue. The markings were clear and easy to see:)

But for this new species of Warbler and Sparrow below, I had to investigate.

Orange Crowned Warbler

This Orange Crowned Warbler sat in front of me for a few brief moments and then like all warblers took off!!!

But what took me the longest to research was this sparrow below.  Before any of my posts go out, I have several eyes check and verify pics before labeling them because I want accuracy on my reports.  Sometimes I'll throw the wrong name out there just to hear people give their explanations. About 60 percent of the time, I've labeled the "confusing" birds correctly.  But not the one below:)

Lincoln's Sparrow

It took one week to get enough feedback on the ID to prep for today's report. So many sparrows will just pop out of nowhere and surprise you along the way.  With sparrows, it's just important to sit and wait for them.

White Crowned Sparrow

Of course there are plenty others that are much easier to ID like the White Crowned Sparrow.  There have been so many of them lately around here and they have such cute faces.

Solitary Sandpiper

And Sweetwater is also home to the rare Solitary Sandpiper that has decided to call our wetlands home every winter:) And that is another wonderful unexpected surprise.  Here he is calmly taking a stroll in the stream.

More tomorrow....

The Dark Side

Yellow Headed Blackbirds

Just how many black birds are out there??!!!!  Well on this day with Kathie, we'd discover every type of black bird and then some at Lakeside Park!!!!  There were some incredible surprises in the mix as well....rarities.  I love my birding buddy.  She's not only a cool person, but I now miss her when I'm birding alone.  Birding anytime is great but it's better when we work together as today would prove.

Great Tailed Grackles

And of course there were those that stood out from the "black feathers" only club.  But Kathie's careful eye discovered Cowbirds!!!  She was in awe and when it's something big, she says things like, "Oh my gosh Chris.  Oh my gosh! That's a...."  And we both get excited over the discovery.  

Wigeon

First, she documents and by the time she gets that camera ready, they've taken off on her. Birds are fast so I usually snap the shot and ID later.

Mallards landing

Now to be honest, blackbirds or sparrows scare me and can be difficult to ID. Or maybe it's just in my mind.  But they are birds and they are cool.  I just don't know why I feel that way because the blackbirds are incredibly interesting behavior wise.

American Coots

But inevitably, my eye is attracted to the raptor sitting in the tree.  I'm fascinated by them. Or how the above Coots gathered in a big group to have breakfast.

Red Tailed Hawk

But something captured both Kathie and my eyes.  Yellow.  WTH?!  There were two yellow headed blackbirds on the grass!  If you've ever tried taking shots of these birds, you know how difficult it is to get them on camera as they like to hang out in the reeds around water areas.  But here out in the open, there were TWO Yellow Headed Blackbirds.  And these birds do grab my attention and it was one of the many personal thrills for this day. The Vermilion Flycatchers and Herons being the other exciting finds...

But this sequence here of shennagins really got me excited and was thrilling to get on the camera.

Like hummingbirds, there was a pecking order and someone crossed the line......it was the female Grackle.

What a ^%&#!  She had to get her bill into the fold but thankfully the two young ones stood their ground......until 2 Kestrels presented themselves up in the airwaves and then all hell broke loose.  Everyone and their mother goose got up and flew the coup!

Well except for this cute adorable little White Crowned Sparrow.  They're back!

White Crowned Sparrow

The shot below of the Cowbirds REALLY got Kathie jumping up and down.  Luckily I was able to capture the two together.  It's important to note that they are two completely different Cowbirds hanging out on the same branch.   The trees were full of Brewer's, Grackles, etc etc.  And these two were cleverly disguised in the mix. And while the Bronzed Cowbird wasn't a lifer for me, the Brown Headed Cowbird was.  It was an unusual find in Tucson.  I saw my first Cowbird in Madera Canyon.

Male Bronzed Cowbird and a Brown Headed Cowbird

Kathie told me that this would happen.  She said that many times there are different birds hiding in the mix.  But my eyes were pulled to the Vermilion Flycatchers, Egrets, Herons, Raptors, Hummingbirds, etc etc.

And lately the Warblers have grabbed my full attention.  Coming up, I'll present several from my Portal visit. It was a fun day, as always, with Kathie.  But most importantly, I learned the very important lesson of looking closer.  Not everything is as it appears.  And then I joined the Dark Side of the force:) And it's appropriate.  Kathie would be the Emperor and I would play her henchman Darth Vader.  That Yellow Rumped Warbler never had a chance:)  More tomorrow.....

Yellow Rumped Warbler