Post #24 - Costa Rica, Part 1 - Quite long!

Sorry for the long absence, but writing while in Costa Rica (or while preparing to leave) proved impossible! Between somewhat limited internet access and virtually limitless birding opportunities, I didn’t slow down enough to write a thing this past week! As I am now on the plane home, its time to crank out what I hope will be the first of two blog posts recapping this trip. The first of these will focus on my general impressions of Costa Rica and suggestions I have for future travellers. The second will specifically highlight the birds that we saw during the two major phases of our particular trip. I will also mention some of what worked and that which did not work from a photography standpoint in that second point.

Topographical map of Costa Rica

This last-minute, 8-day sprint was, almost unbelievably, my first foray into the tropics in nearly 30 years of birding.  I did admittedly spend 9 days birding in Northern Mexico on one of my Victor Emanuel Nature Tours youth camps, but even that episode was nearly 20 years ago (ugh, I feel like a dinosaur writing that). Both Sonia and I start new jobs this week, so it made perfect sense to escape while neither of us was working. As an added bonus, we brought Sonia’s mom with us. This meant this trip was as much about family as it was birding. We managed to see a ton of great birds, experience a really wonderful country, and spend some really nice family time together.

Sonia and mother Yolanda

We divided the trip into two parts – the cloud forest in San Gerardo de Dota and the lusher areas around Arenal National Park. As this was our first visit to the country, we figured we didn’t need to run ourselves ragged moving from place to place. This proved correct and made for a very relaxing introduction to Costa Rica. As we discovered, staying at all-inclusive eco-lodges ensured great birding without the need for much daily travelling. It also ensured access to non-birding activities for those that needed a break from bird-centric activities.

A map of the 2 areas we visited

There are many reasons besides its amazingly varied habitats and approximately 850-900 bird species that Costa Rica is a prime birding destination. First, the country is very politically stable and the people are very friendly. That the country formally abolished its military in 1948 speaks generally to both points. Second, Costa Rica is very small (about the size of West Virginia) and easy to navigate. We had zero issues finding anything using Waze or Google navigation tools on a phones (it cost $30 to activate an international data plan for the week). Third, Costa Rica is relatively inexpensive. Yes, it is the most expensive country in Central America, but the aforementioned stability and hospitality understandably come with a price. As an aside, we used dollars for just about everything. Fourth, the country displays a great respect for all things natural and has constructed its tourism industry around this sentiment. I will round out this blog entry with a more in depth discussion of some of these points.

Meeting The People

Absolutely everyone we contacted during our stay was incredibly friendly and, when required, willing to help. This included not only the staff at our eco-lodges, but also the people with whom we interacted beyond their admittedly protective confines. Both Sonia and her mom are fluent in Spanish. I took 4 years of high-school Spanish and possess a basic ability to understand what is being discussed in casual conversation. Spanish is certainly not a prerequisite for visiting Costa Rica, but it did allow us an interesting window into the country’s people that I think those who don’t speak any Spanish might miss. Nowhere was this on better display more than at a dinner we had at a local ‘soda’ in San Isidrio.

Serving typical rice-and-bean-based local fare (‘comida typica’), this small roadside restaurant and fruit stand, or ‘soda’, provided the perfect opportunity to interact with some local folks. Joined, without initial invitation, at our table by the husband-and-wife owners, we quickly welcomed the chance to speak with them about the local area, the local people, and the country in general. Without going into too much detail, what we general took away from this conversation is that most Costa Ricans are thankful for what they do have and not in want for that which they don’t. They are content with a pace and style of life that many from more developed countries might pejoratively label as basic. Material possessions seem to take a back seat to family and experiences, and there seems to be a general respect for the natural world on which many of them rely for their income – either directly as farmers or indirectly through eco-tourism. Take away point: This couple, like all the folks we met, was simply wonderful.

Bird guide Marino at a feeding station near the Savegre Hotel, Natural Reserve, and Spa

Navigating the landscape

Costa Rica is blessed with an amazing array of habitats. These range from cloud forests, to rainforests, to lowland foothills, and to marshes and beaches. The diversity of habitats explains the astounding array of birds that can be found within the country’s borders. As Costa Rica is so small, it is exceedingly easy to move between several of these areas in even just a short stay. We elected to do this by car. We rented an economy model, a Toyota Yaris. This proved to be a very wise and completely painless decision. You do not need to rent an SUV to get around in Costa Rica. We found Costa Rican drivers to be quite courteous. At no point did we feel that we were going to get pushed off the road – even in our tiny car.

While there are zero traditional freeways, there is a decent network of paved main roads that can be used to get to wherever you need. As most of them are a single-lane in each direction, traffic generally moves slower than it does on multi-lane highways. San Jose seems to be a perpetual snarl, but most visitors are likely to quickly exit the city in favor of other areas anyway. Many of the more rural side roads are dirt and can admittedly be a bit rugged, at least over stretches. Those who don’t mind being bounced around a bit (like us) should be able to navigate all but the worst of them in a standard sedan. Our Yaris handled even the ride up to Arenal Observatory Lodge without incident. Many folks had said we needed 4-wheel drive to reach that point – complete hogwash. Take away point: Getting around is quite easy provided you aren’t in a rush.

Eco-lodge hospitality and product

As this was our first visit and since we had Sonia’s 69-year old mother with us, eco-lodges provided the perfect introduction to Costa Rica’s birds, plants, and animals. We stayed at the Savagre Lodge in San Gerardo de Dota and the Finca Luna Nueva Lodge and Farm near Arenal. As our general experiences at both of these all-inclusive type lodgings were similar, what I say below applies to both and should extend to similar accommodations. Lodges have restaurants on-site; These 2 were no exception. We hardly needed to use our car once we reached the lodges.  The staff at both places had whatever answers we needed and generally went to great lengths to ensure that our stay was pleasant, stress-free, and educational.

            As for the physical side of things, the grounds at both of these lodges were exquisite. Hummingbirds, toucans, tanagers, and honeycreepers could be seen right from our front porches at both places. I scarcely had to move to find amazing birds. Gray-necked wood-rail walked out from our parking space at Finca Luna. Both of these lodges had their own private reserves, and we could fill up most of the day simply drifting between the various trails that snaked around the properties. This arrangement would let me bird for a few hours, then return for family time and meals. Sonia and her mom accompanied me on some shorter walks, but they also made time for spa treatments and make-your-own chocolate experiences as well. What activities not directly provided by the lodges can be easily organized with their help. Both lodges had onsite bird guides available for private tours or the more general “I saw this bird that looked like this……”-type consultations. Take away point: Lodges make birding easy while accommodating non-birders as well.

Me on the Finca Luna Nueva farm tour

Entrance to Savegre Lodge

Eco-tourism

            Costa Ricans certainly recognize both the present and future value of environmentally sustainable travel. This appears true from the industry level down to the individual. Both Sonia and I remarked that many Costa Ricans seem to have a general interest in birds, animals, and plants. This might not seem surprising given the riches of each in the country, but all too often nature’s wonders are somehow taken for granted. That Costa Ricans seem to have avoided this pitfall speaks to their appreciation for all things nature.

The attitude is echoed and supported by a government that has set aside an astounding 26% of the country’s lands for conservation. Besides San Jose, the country generally feels perfectly underdeveloped. With just 1.76 births per woman as of 2014, population growth and associated human development is unlikely to be a major problem in the foreseeable future. A commitment to recycling seems the national norm; Everywhere one turns, specifically in these eco-lodges, there are helpful reminders of how and where to dispose of what. Take away point: Costa Ricans understand that people will visit their country and enjoy the biodiversity provided that it is protected.

Sonia and Yolanda spy a very odd bird!

The bottom line is that Costa Rica is as great a travel destination for the Latin American newbies (such as ourselves) and more seasoned Central and South American birders. Both Sonia and I want to spend more time in Costa Rica in the future, and there is no doubt in my mind that we will. As it is a very easy 5.5-hour plane ride from LA, we might find ourselves back there sooner than we even realize!

In the next entry, I will focus on the actual birds that we saw during the two phases of out trip. Please stayed tuned! Until then, enjoy this grasshopper!

Post #23 - National Bike Big Day record falls - TWICE!!!

Prior to this week, the national Bike Big Day (BBD) records stood at 181 species. This record was shared by two groups. Groups 1 is a San Francisco-based team consisting of Josiah Clark, Rob Furrow, and Andy Kleinhesselink. Group 2 is a Texas-based duo of John Hale and Ron Weeks. Interestingly, these two groups achieve 181 species on the same day, April 20, 2013. Both teams fell short of this mark in 2014 but exceeded it this spring. On April 18th of this year, The Texas Team found 193 species. Nine days later, on April 27th, Team SF (minus Andy) found 187 species. Both groups should be acknowledged for their incredible efforts and results! As I have standing invitations to join each of these groups moving forward, I hope to find the time to join one or both fo them in the future. It would be great to be a part of a similarly exciting and successful BBD in the future! Below I have posted the official recaps as authored by both teams. Their first-hand accounts will be much more interesting, accurate, and authentic than anything I could possibly recount on their behalf. Its very cool to see just how different the different species lists are!

Recap from Team Texas - Ron Weeks and John Hale 
John Hale and I began our 2015 Bicycle Big Day effort near the town of Orange Grove, Texas just before 0500 hours on April 18.  I had spent the past few weeks scouting the new route – one used annually by Jon McIntyre and Steve Taylor for Car Big Days.  We would not be able to move as fast as a car team, but we would have the advantage of listening for birds during the entire day.  I felt it had an excellent shot at breaking the current national record for bicycles of 181 species – ironically set by us in Texas and a team of Bay Area birders in California on the very dame date two springs ago.  Our first bird of the day was a Great Horned Owl.  We would add Eastern Screech-Owl, and Common Pauraque before mounting our bikes for the first time.  It was just less than 3 miles to our dawn starting spot.  But before the sun began to rise, we added Common Poorwill and both Lesser and Common Nighthawks.  The dawn chorus - a bit retarded due to the heavy overcast - began in earnest at 0620 hours with the addition of two key birds we could get nowhere else on the route, Black-throated Sparrow and Ash-throated Flycatcher.  We then coasted down to the bottom of the hill and waited for Audubon’s Oriole to sing.  It did at 0640 hours and we raced off.  A Blue-gray Gnatcatcher mewed and a Cactus Wren growled as we clicked off our brush country birds.  The White-crowned Sparrows were still hanging in and that allowed us to pick up speed planning to get most all the other area residents “on the fly”.  Vermilion Flycatcher, Lincoln’s, Chipping, and Grasshopper Sparrows, Bullock’s Oriole and more fell into place.  As we neared SH281, we were only missing Verdin, our “staked” Bell’s Vireo (which failed us) and American Kestrel.  An unscouted Bell’s sang as we wheeled our way east and a Verdin finally sang in the last possible patch of suitable habitat.  The kestrel would be one of the surprise misses for the day.  By the time we left the town of Orange Grove just before 0900 hours, we had tallied a very respectable 80 species.  The interesting thing about a Bicycle Big Day of this length is one has no time to stop and tally the birds.  We knew we had done well on the brush country run.  But, we had no idea of how many we had seen at the time.

 John (Yellow) and Ron (White)

We were averaging around 20 mph during the first stretch of the 20 mile ride to Calallen.  But as the rolling hills gradually wore us down and the light winds turned towards our direction of travel, we slowed to a lower pace.  The weather began looking more dismal with an intermittent mist and the threat of real rain apparent ahead.  We made our only stop at the Wright Ranch Pond where we added Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill, and Double-crested Cormorant.  We had decided before we even began the day to bypass Hazel Bazemore County Park and check the sod farms for grasspipers.  We got our first hit of shorebirds there along with very pink Franklin’s Gulls, but would add only one bird we would not see later, Pectoral Sandpiper.  Pollywog Pond was our next stop and our last hope for Carolina Wren.  No wren, but we did add both Belted and Green (lucky bonus) Kingfishers, and our first warblers – Northern Parula, Yellow-breasted Chat, and Common Yellowthroat.  Our next major stop, Rose Hill Cemetery, would tell us what potential this day would have.  If Rose Hill did not have migrants our day would likely not be a record breaker.

Fortunately, Rose Hill was very birdy.  In a single tree, we had 10 Chuck-will’s-widows fly out as we approached it and Great Crested Flycatchers seemed to be in every tree.  We found a nice roving flock of warblers adding 7 new species including Golden-winged and with them were some other goodies including Acadian Flycatcher and a late Ruby-crowned Kinglet.  Unfortunately, the Lesser Goldfinches that had been frequenting the park were nowhere to be seen or heard.  We zipped over to nearby Blucher Park to get our understory warblers and were not disappointed adding Kentucky and Hooded straight away.  We also added both migrant orioles, Baltimore and Orchard, Scarlet Tanager, and a Least Flycatcher among others.  We left for the bays and beaches with 145 species already in the bag.  After a 9 mile ride along Ocean Drive in Corpus Christi we arrived at the Texas A&M Corpus Christi campus where the closed road to the adjacent Naval Air Station was filled with hundreds of people watching an air show.  The bay was filled to the gills with water pushing all the shorebirds and terns into a small area where we could view them.  There we added all 4 small plovers (Piping, Snowy, Wilson’s and Semipalmated), several terns including our only Black of the day, Whimbrel, and Marbled Godwit while fighter jets roared upon takeoff just a few hundred yards away!  We next rode over to South Padre Island Drive (SPID – SH358) which gave us more ducks and most importantly American Oystercatcher and Long-billed Curlew at its Oso Bay crossing.

As we rode towards Mustang Island on the SPID, our first major obstacle of the day became evident.  We felt cold air overtake us with the temperature easily dropping 15 degrees in a matter of seconds.  An ominous wall cloud was immediately behind us.  We hurried onward hoping to take the JFK causeway bridge before the heavy rains drenched us and made that high arching bridge with a shoulder of only 18 inches even more of a safety concern.  We no sooner crested the bridge than the rains came thundering down.  We zipped into Packery Channel and found cover.  It looked like a hurricane scene with sheets of rain seemingly “falling” horizontally.  The good news was the violent part of the storm front passed within 10 minutes.  It allowed us a quick break and the chance to catch up on eating and drinking.  One of the greatest challenges of a day such as this is keeping hydrated and fueled as we push the pace all day long.  The amount of calories one has to ingest (mostly simple sugars for quick return) is obscene and must be done without wasting time – my triathlon gels came in very handy.  As we waited it out, I knew the frontal passage might prevent us making our final destination, Port Aransas.  The problem was we had already biked over 100 miles and the next 15 would into the teeth of a 15 to 20 mph wind.

We took frequent mini-breaks as we struggled to maintain an 11 mph pace.  Mustang Island did have tremendous freshwater habitat due to the abundant rains that had poured down all spring.  The ponds yielded us some bonus birds like American Wigeon and Ring-necked Duck.  About half way down the island, I told John we would take a longer break and check a small stand of willows for migrants.  That paid off handsomely as we added our most unexpected bird of the day, a late Yellow-bellied Sapsucker along with Yellow Warbler, Warbling and Red-eyed Vireos, and Swainson’s Thrush.  We left not knowing we had pushed our total to 175 species.  By virtue of cutting our beach check – we never saw the Gulf of Mexico even though it was only a ¼-mile away – we had managed to be on schedule!  This meant we would have almost two hours of light to bird Port Aransas.  Then we were given another break.  As we moved back onto the highway we discovered the winds had swung around so that it was hitting us from the side instead of head on!  This made the remaining ride downright pleasant.  Even though our staked Lesser Scaup had left their pond, we hit Port Aransas proper with 179 species adding Snowy Egret, Sora, Mottled Ducks and Spotted Sandpiper on the ride in.  Our first major stop was the Turnbull Wetlands Center.  Number 180 was a Western Sandpiper on some wetlands on the way in.  We were in luck – the long staying male Cape May Warbler was still there and allowed us to tie the current record at 181.  A minute later we added an American Redstart to set a new standard.  In at the tower we added our only Tree Swallow of the day along with another bonus duck, a female Northern Pintail.  Marsh Wrens also began singing.  But where were the Common Gallinules?  After some tense moments, John spotted one along the marsh edge and we headed off for Paradise Pond.  Unfortunately, it was dead and we quickly moved to our last location, Charlie’s Pasture.  This brackish flats area is an amazing birding location for water birds.  We added a singing Sedge Wren as we started down the trail and our Horned Lark was right where it was supposed to be.  Semipalmated Sandpiper was further out the boardwalk and we settled in at sundown on the tower overlooking the marshes.  Even though it was not a new species for the day, the group feeding flock of 30 Reddish Egrets (both color phases) was an amazing spectacle that has to be mentioned.  We searched in vain for White-faced Ibis and Little Blue Heron, but did add some Lesser Scaup for species 190.  On the way back in after sunset, we heard Solitary Sandpiper and Black-crowned Night-Heron and flushed some Wilson’s Snipe for our last bird of the day.  We tried in vain to add Virginia Rail back at the Birding Center, but our clapping (no tapes allowed for the Birding Classic) could not even tease a Sora into calling.  We stopped and counted up the birds before quitting.  We knew we could potentially add Clapper Rail, but that would be a 7-mile ride in the dark.  After logging 122 miles on our bikes, we were tired and decide to call it a day at 2100 hours.

What a day it had been.  We logged 193 species by ABA Big Day rules without the aid of fossil fuels, bird recordings, or lights to illuminate birds.  188 were seen or heard by both John and myself.  Before the day began, I was unsure whether we could complete the full route given the length and the unknowns of weather, flat tires, etc.  For those who might be interested, we rode the entire day on standard road bikes equipped with 23 mm-wide Kevlar fiber re-inforced tires.  So, is 200 possible?  Yes, if we can maintain the enthusiasm for such a physically taxing endeavor.  I am 52 and not going to get any younger.  John is only 19, but has college as a first priority.  But the potential is certainly there.  I listed 40 species that I thought we had a reasonable chance of getting but missed on the day.  These included  such obvious additions as Clapper Rail, Ring-billed Gull, Eastern Kingbird, Carolina Wren, Cedar Waxwing, and Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  One will always have many misses with such a tight schedule, but some day 200 will happen on the Texas coast.

Recap from Team SF - Josiah Clark and Rob Furrow (author)
This new route had a lot of potential, but also a lot of unknowns. Would we find the regular owl species? How could we replace the typical Santa Cruz mountain species, considering our low crossing at 92? Would we be able to keep to a schedule to even make it to Calaveras Reservoir? It turns out that we succeeded on all three of those fronts. Combined with nice weather, shorebird migration, and a few surprises, we ended up with a great total. I'm sure that improving is possible on a good day (and in a good year), but with such a huge list of possibilities, we'll always have a lot of misses as well.

We left from my house in San Mateo at 1:10am. The first bird of the day was a GREAT HORNED OWL calling from the far slope of Crystal Springs Reservoir. Soon after, we added singing GRASSHOPPER SPARROWS by the first streetlamp on Canada by the intersection with 92. (There appear to be at least 3 pairs potentially breeding here.) Heading up 92, we heard a distant NORTHERN SAW-WHET OWL from the rich, wet area near the pass, on the south side of the road. That ended our owling for the pre-dawn, as we had already left screech-owl territory, and we couldn't linger too close to dawn along the Half Moon Bay part of 92 due to timing constraints. We easily heard VIRGINIA RAIL at the Pillar Point marsh. By about 5:20am we were riding alongside the airport, hearing SAVANNAH SPARROWS. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve took some time to warm up, but eventually offered a surprise GOLDEN-CROWNED KINGLET, as well as ALLEN'S HUMMINGBIRDS, WILSON'S WARBLERS, and a DOWNY WOODPECKER.

Josiah

Our Moss Beach seawatch began at 6:15am. Not a ton of birds close, but we did find all three loon and cormorant species, SURF SCOTERS, COMMON MURRE, and PIGEON GUILLEMOT. No magical surprises here. As we headed to the western edge of the harbor, a singing YELLOW WARBLER by the Princeton willows shocked and energized us. Some warbler flocks descended into the trees. Mostly YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS, but at least one TOWNSEND'S as well. Tucked into the corner of the harbor were hundreds of SANDERLING and many BRANT. We never managed to find any of our stakeout Common Goldeneye, but we would find that bird later. We pushed on to the Pilarcitos Creek Mouth. This offered our only RED-BREASTED MERGANSER of the day, as well as some flyby BLACK TURNSTONES, and an okay diversity of gulls. HERRING GULLS had been passing north in small numbers, and there was a second-cycle THAYER'S GULL on the beach. The gull showed a nice short bill that was nearly all black, a round head, a moderately dark mantle, pink legs, very worn primaries and coverts that still showed some nice contrast between a pale underside and darker upperside. We swing by Malia DeFelice's house to look for her stakeout Lincoln's Sparrow, but not luck there. We would end up dipping on all of our stakeout wintering sparrow species.

Rob

Riding up 92, we enjoyed BLACK-HEADED GROSBEAKS and a PACIFIC WREN. The wren was a welcome bird, since we missed it at Fitzgerald and it was going to become very difficult after we began climbing the higher part of 92. At the intersection of 92 and Skyline, we pulled into the rest stop to hear the local breeding MACGILLIVRAY'S WARBLER. It was a bit further downslope than usual, but it was calling away. Inside Skylawn Memorial Park, we made short work of a VARIED THRUSH on the lawn, OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER singing from a pine, and RED CROSSBILLS calling. We hustled out and rolled down to the Crystal Springs Reservoir. RING-NECKED DUCK numbers had slightly increased since Friday, with 4 birds on the southern end of the lower reservoir. Scanning the upper reservoir, we found BELTED KINGFISHER and a COMMON MERGANSER on a spit. Josiah and I each found our own SPOTTED SANDPIPER flying across our scope view. A SHARP-SHINNED HAWK was heading north along the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Passing Filoli, we heard 2 different WESTERN WOOD-PEWEES, while another OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER call from the distant slope. LAZULI BUNTINGS sang from a few locations, and ASH-THROATED FLYCATCHERS were common. We failed to find Blue-gray Gnatcatcher at our stakeout spot, which we would miss for the day.

Now we did our suburban sprint, adding only CEDAR WAXWING, WHITE-BREASTED NUTHATCH, and HOODED ORIOLE. Along the bay, we quickly spotted an immature COOPER'S HAWK being harassed by CLIFF SWALLOWS. We rolled out to the San Francisquito Creek mouth, and it was on! The falling tide had revealed a moderate amount of mud, and 12 species of shorebird were foraging. The highlights were ~20 RED KNOTS, and 2 LESSER YELLOWLEGS showing their shorter, thinner bills, as they pranced along the water's edge. Ducks included 2 CANVASBACKS, 50+ NORTHERN PINTAILS, and a few AMERICAN WIGEON. RIDGWAY'S RAILS called from the San Mateo side of the creek. With such success, we skipped Palo Alto Baylands and the outer flood control basin altogether. Instead, we traveled down Geng Road, finding the GREAT-TAILED GRACKLE, then headed along the frontage road to the north pond of the flood control basin. The 2 GREATER WHITE-FRONTED GEESE were still there! A quick pass through Charleston Slough offered some CINNAMON TEAL but not much else. BLACK SKIMMERS were on Shoreline Lake, but we failed to locate the Ross's Goose. We had already found several Green Heron, so we skipped out on Charleston Marsh. Instead we enjoyed the BURROWING OWLS at the kite-flying area, and headed to Moffett Field. No sign of Ring-necked Pheasant, but SAY'S PHOEBE was a welcome trade. In Crittenden Marsh there were 2 SNOWY PLOVERS, a HORNED GREBE that still had a very dark neck, and young male COMMON GOLDENEYE. Pond A2E had a few dozen BONAPARTE'S GULLS. An AMERICAN WHITE PELICAN was on an island in AB2. Not much to be found through Sunnyvale.

Josiah

We reached Alviso around 3pm. Heading to the marina, we felt so lucky to hear a BLACK RAIL in the marsh, and a few RED-NECKED PHALAROPES were in the SE corner. We took the levees over to A16, but didn't find anything new. Mallard Slough offered COMMON GALLINULE, but no Blue-winged Teal. We began to get nervous that we would miss Peregrine Falcon... and we did end up missing it for the day, just like last year. However, we traded that for a MERLIN as we rode through Milpitas. We skipped birding along Coyote Creek north of 237 because we had already found Yellow Warbler, Downy Woodpecker, and Red-shouldered Hawk. All that hustling pays off when you reach a nice, new habitat. We made it to Old Calaveras Road, and quickly found LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE and RUFOUS-CROWNED SPARROW. Sitting under an oak on the Tularcitos Trail, we enjoyed watching a CHIPPING SPARROW fly out and perch on a wire. It was in the area for the next 10 minutes while we ate like pigs and drank like camels. A GRASSHOPPER SPARROW sang from the other side of the road. Reaching the Elm Picnic Area, Josiah enjoyed a passing WESTERN TANAGER while I was indisposed in the bathroom. A dirty bird -- one of only two for the day (the Townsend's Warbler was the other). The rest of Ed Levin was pretty quiet. We kept an eye on kettling Turkey Vultures, but never detected any rarer raptors.

The final daytime push up Calaveras to the reservoir was exhausting, but visions of magpies kept us going. Indeed, YELLOW-BILLED MAGPIE was the first new bird in this stretch. Soon after, the LEWIS'S WOODPECKER previously found by Mike Rogers was on a post by the first house up the hill after Calaveras turns northeast at the intersection with Felter (not the house at the intersection, but the house after you crest the hill after the intersection). ROCK WRENS sung from several rock piles, but no Lark Sparrows showed up anywhere. BROWN CREEPER had eluded us on the coast-side, but we knew exactly which wooded draw had some birds waiting for us on Calaveras Road. We then enjoyed a BALD EAGLE, and began to really scan the reservoir. Unfortunately, no new birds there, although there were still many Bufflehead, and a few Northern Pintail.

Rob 

We waited until dusk, and started heading down, appreciating calling BARN OWL, NORTHERN PYGMY-OWL, and WESTERN SCREECH-OWL. This helped fill out our owl count after a slow owling morning. Our strongest possibility after dark was Sora, but we didn't manage to find any. So we continued to push north. By midnight we were riding through Menlo Park, and we made it home around 1am. Just 24 short hours.

This new route has its benefits and costs. We managed to replace most higher elecation Santa Cruz Mountain birds with the help of Skylawn, Canada Road, and some lucky migrants here and there. Getting some more difficult ducks on the coast, plus all the true ocean species (loons, other cormorants, rocky and beach shorebirds), helped us to move faster along the bayside, since we didn't need to find a lot of ducks. But the most important factor by far was getting the right tide at San Francisquito Creek. It has often offered us Red Knots in late spring, and it has such a diversity of shorebirds and ducks that it saves you time trying spot after spot for particular bayside birds. On the downside for this route, it's incredible fun to spend the whole morning riding trails in the mountains as in previous years, instead of riding along 92. This isn't a route I'll necessarily want to try every single year.

Our big misses this year: Ring-necked Pheasant, White-tailed Kite, Peregrine Falcon, Lincoln's Sparrow, Lark Sparrow, Blue-winged Teal, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Rufous Hummingbird.

Other reasonable or stakeout birds that we missed include Ross's Goose, Redhead, Eurasian Wigeon, Sora, Surfbird, Wilson's Snipe, Heermann's Gull, Calliope Hummingbird, Pileated Woodpecker, Cassin's Vireo, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Hermit Thrush, Nashville and Hermit Warbler, White-throated and Fox Sparrow.

Post #22 - Announcing photography auction!

I just returned from a 4-day trip to Boston. On Friday the 24th, I delivered a lecture at the annual meeting of the Brookline Bird Club. Founded in 1913, this is one of the oldest and largest bird clubs in the country. With close to 1,200 members, turnout was very good - about 180 people. There was a very interactive question and answer session following my 50-minute talk, and I had the chance to catch up with many old friends and meet a few new ones as well.

On Sunday, I visited Hunt's Photo and Video in Melrose (just north of Boston) to kick off a 5-week exhibit of some of my work from my bike trip last year. Excitingly, all of the 14 images are up for auction. They are beautifully mounted and will be shipped to the highest bidder. All of the proceeds go to The Conservation Fund and the American Birding Association. I DO NOT GET A PENNY! This is a great way to help conservation efforts while obtaining a unique photo from what I think was an incredibly journey last year. They would make great gifts for any bird or nature lover. The auction ends on May 29.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>The auction is here<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Here are a few shots of the galley at Hunt's to give you an idea of how the photos appear.

Post #21 - LA birding - local patch auditions, off to Boston

We are, finally, just about settled in LA. This past weekend I was able to sneak out for 2 mornings of birding and photography. I am very lucky in that we live right next to the freeways. This means that getting around is exceptionally easy early on weekend mornings when there is basically zero traffic.

On Saturday I headed to Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach. This spot is roughly 20 miles south of Norwalk (where I live) and took just 25 minutes to reach. Many folks in my photography network have recommended this spot despite the abundance of unbirders. I arrived just after sunrise and spent the better part of the next 5 hours familiarizing myself with the area. There is a decent diversity of birds, and, they appear, importantly for photography, to be relatively tolerant of people. At one point a Forster's tern hovered 3 feet above my head before landing just a foot to my right on the wooden boardwalk! Just birding casually, I tallied 46 species during my visit (eBird checklist here). In full disclosure I spent more time studying lighting conditions than I did birding. By the time I got it mostly figured out the sun was pretty high in the sky. I did manage to walk out with one nice shot of an Allen's hummingbird. All in all I think Bolsa Chica will become a regular spot in my rotation. It's close, has lots of birds, and is photo friendly. I can't really ask for much more!

Allen's hummingbird - Selasphorus sasin

Bolsa Chica Wetlands, Huntington Beach, California, 4/18/15

Canon 500mm f/4 IS v1 + 1.4x III on EOS 1D Mark IV

1/3200 at f/5.6, ISO 1600

Sunday I headed to San Joaquin Ecological Reserve in Irvine, CA. Very close to the 405 Freeway, this fantastic spot is just 30 mins from my apartment. Heavy cloud made photography difficult, so I focused a bit more on birding on this day. I was really surprised with the mix of birds on the grounds. There were the expected shorebirds, waders, gulls, terns, and, pelicans. I also found 2 Least bitterns, 2 Soras, and land birds such as Black-headed grosbeak and Ash-throated flycatcher. I ended up with 54 species for the morning, but I am sure I missed a number of things that were present (eBird checklist). The highlight of San Joaquin was certainly the courting/mating avocets. There was constant activity as they chased one another around for the better part of the morning. I will certainly be returning to this spot in the next few weeks - particularly once the avocet chicks hatch! 

This shot was taken in very harsh 11am light from quite a distance. It shows the mating behavior well, so I figured I would share it anyway.

America Avocets mating

Here is another fun behavior shot, again in less than awesome light. This is a male Mallard scaring a female Gadwall off a log. All I can think is "AFLAC!"

Interestingly, both Bolsa Chica and San Joaquin are the result of extensive engineering projects designed to create wetlands. They have been incredibly successful and should serve as models for additional projects moving forward.

I will be in Boston this weekend for a series of talks/event that center on the bike trip from last year. I'm really looking forward to speaking at the Brookline Bird Club Annual Meeting on Friday night and to making an appearance at the Hunt's Photography flagship store in Melrose, MA on Sunday morning. I will certainly squeeze in some birding as well. Hopefully I can get a nice shot of early eastern warblers since I'll miss them all once I return to California on Monday!

Post #20 - Ivory-billed woodpecker, Passenger pigeon sightings!

Sonia and I moved into our new digs in LA at the end of last week. We are getting settled and hope to do some local birding this weekend.

I spent Monday of this past week in Ann Arbor Michigan where I spoke to several groups of students and faculty about my biking and birding adventure from last year. In my various talks, the main point I tried to convey to the students was life is often a lot less linear than we make it for ourselves. There is room for exploration, diversion, and even failure. I additionally tried to stress the importance of travel in one's personal development. As I told them, my adventure last year will ultimately prove more valuable than any of my various degrees from or tenures at academic institutions.

During my campus visit, I was fortunate to be given a behind the scenes tour of the bird/ornithology collection at the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History. This was conducted by long time collection manager Janet Hinshaw. She took me through both the egg and nest collections before we examined a number of actual bird skins. Her knowledge of bird ecology and evolution was simply extraordinary, and I listened intently to the interesting information that she dispensed with such apparent ease. 

Nests!

Eggs!

It was fascinating to learn how brood parasites (some cuckoos, cowbirds, etc) can influence egg evolution. Brood parasites lay their eggs in other birds' nests. These nest parasites rely on egg mimicry to camouflage their eggs among the host's own eggs. The hope is that the host won't recognize the foreign egg and will raise the chick that hatches from it as its own. In the absence of nest parasites, the clutches of eggs laid by individual females across a given species appear remarkably similar. There is no selective pressure to deviate from the mean. However, when brood parasites are present, clutches of eggs from different host females can vary widely in appearance. This ensures that no matter how the eggs from a given nest parasite look, they will stand out as foreign in at least some fraction of hosts' nests. In this way, the hosts stay one evolutionary step ahead of the nest parasites. Pretty cool stuff!

I also had the chance to handle bird skins from extinct species. I handled Passenger pigeons and Carolina Parakeets. I also examined an Ivory-billed woodpecker and a Bachman's warbler, two species that have not been formally declared extinct but should be probably considered so for most practical purposes. Both Janet and I agree that it is important to keep these last 2 birds in the field guide just in case someone finds one of them - somewhere. Part of the point of this blog is to raise awareness for birds and their conservation. Hopefully, I'll do at least something to ensure that more species don't disappear in the near future. 

Ivory-billed woopdpecker

Passenger pigeon

Then there was this big thing (see below). No it's not a dinosaur, its a Southern Cassowary. These five foot tall birds live in the Australian tropics. Sonia and I were fortunate enough to find 3 of these on our 2010 trip to OZ. I can say with certainty that the Southern cassowary is the oddest bird I have ever seen in the wild!

Southern Cassowary

Cassowary photos from Australia 2010

(this was before I got serious about photography)

Just for fun, Janet also showed me Harpy eagle. These huge birds of prey live in Central and South America where they feed on monkey and sloths, among other animals. Check out how big the feet and talons are!

My hand, 2 Harpy eagle feet

After showing me some of the more popular birds in the collection, Janet asked if there was anything else I wanted to see. "Red-bellied woodpecker" was my response. I chose this rather common bird for a very specific reason. Sonia (my girlfriend) goes crazy every time we see this species. She always complains that it should be called Red-headed woodpecker. She knows that that name is already taken by a properly Red-headed woodpecker, but she points this out every time anyway. Well, how did the Red-bellied woodpecker gets its name then? The answer is that many birds were named from their skin specimens. In collections, these lie exclusively on their backs. When looking down at a these skins, Red-bellied woodpecker makes perfect sense. From this view no one would have thought to name it Red-headed or Red-capped woodpecker!

Red-bellied woodpeckers

My visit was clearly lots of fun and very informative. I want to send out a personal thank you to Janet Hinshaw for the tour, as well as to Tim McKay who invited me and organized my whole visit. The University of Michigan looks like a really great place to live and learn! I hope to visit sometime again in the future.

Post #19 - Last installment of Colorado grouse - Sharp-tailed!

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Sonia and I are now fully settled in Los Angeles! As I have been consumed with moving, furniture procurement, and unpacking, I am only now able to catch-up on the last of my birding exploits on the back end of the cross-country drive. I am hoping to find some time this weekend to sneak out for my first full-fledged California birding session. I will be sure to keep everyone posted when I do! 

After wrapping up with the Greater sage-grouse in Coalmont, Colorado, Sonia and I turned our attention west towards Craig. It was here that I fortuitously managed to find Sharp-tailed grouse last July (2014). That encounter, like most of my grouse sightings, consisted of several flushed birds flying away from me at great velocity. The looks were good enough to identify and count the birds, but they unsurprisingly left much to be desired. I was hoping for a bit of redemption this spring. I was not disappointed.

Leaning on some of my local contacts, I was again able to secure permission to bird the Trapper Mine, a very large coal operation just south of Craig. We arrived very early in the morning. Placing a small blind near an established lek, Sonia and I spent the better part of the next 3 hours surrounding by upwards of 60 Sharp-tailed grouse. 90% of the birds were males. On the rare occasions when a female did venture onto the lek, she was immediately mobbed by half a dozen males. In each instance, her patience for aggression short, she took to the air to escape the horny suitors. I guess it really wasn't that different from the juvenile behavior displayed by young men at some times!

Of grouse encounters of that previous week, this might have been the most impressive. Not only were the birds literally at out feet, but the preponderance of males on the lek made for constant skirmishes between them. At several points, I thought the combatants might end up in the blind with Sonia and I! The constant foot stomping, wing flapping, and squawking made for an incredibly entertaining morning! Despite the close proximity of the the birds, photography at this particular lek proved quite challenging. This lek, like the first Greater prairies-chicken lek I visited, was situated on the crown of a hill. I had a really hard time avoiding hard shadows in my shots. There was also some very high grass that cast some very long shadows across the lek. One thing that week taught me was that it is really important to visit the lek site before you actually show up to shoot. As Trapper is a restricted access site, I only got one crack at it. Hopefully, if I return again, I will be a bit better prepared.

Sharp-tailed grouse - Tympanuchus phasianellus

Trapper Mine, Craig, Colorado, 4/6/15

Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 IS v1 at 320mm on EOS 1D Mark IV

1/2500 at f/5.6, ISO 800, Manual

1/2500 at f/5.6, ISO 800, Manual

Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 IS v1 at 210mm on EOS 1D Mark IV

1/3200 at f/5.6, ISO 1600, Manual

Getting a clear shot of this behavior proved very tough

Canon 500mm f/4 IS v1 + 1.4x III on EOS 1D Mark IV

1/2500 at f/5.6, ISO 1600, Manual

Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 IS v1 at 340mm on EOS 1D Mark IV

1/2500 at f/5.6, ISO 800, Manual

Canon 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 IS v1 at 340mm on EOS 1D Mark IV

1/2500 at f/5.6, ISO 800, Manual

Since we were already at the mine, Sonia and I took a tour of the whole operation. While I am admittedly a big proponent of more renewable energy sources, coal is, for better or for worse, a big source of the power we are able to generate at this time. Interestingly, all of the leks on Trapper's property are on reclaimed ground. Trapper has made a very nice effort to repair the habitat once they extract the coal that lies beneath the surface. They have actually received several awards for their commitment to environmental management and reclamation efforts. Regardless of how anyone feels about coal as an energy source, it is nice to know that at least this mining entity is trying to conduct itself in an partially sustainably manner. 

Sonia with some large mining machinery

More of the same

Me with tour guide Forrest Luke

In the next installment of this blog, I'll be holding an Ivory-billed woodpecker......stay tuned!