Adventures
in
the Field - continued
PINE VALLEY FIELD TRIP
July 16, 2011
July is the time to be with family for fun things to do. If you like ‘birding’, make sure you join in the Red Cliffs Audubon Field Trips.They are always fun and you feel like one big family.
As we drove closer and closer to the beautiful meadows, entering the valley at the top of the mountain, the air was cool and full of excitement. Our thoughts were, “Why don’t we come here more often. Such a beautiful place. There are wild flowers all over. Let’s stay here all day and all night. The stars are always big and bright over Pinevalley. Did we bring along a fishing pole?”
There were lots of interesting sights for us. On the road going through the new campgrounds we found it loaded with a zillion birds. Parent birds and baby birds begging to be fed. Young birds trying out their new wings. Everyone in search of food, and apparently there was a lot of it in this area, cause the place was loaded with bird life. The Whipple Trail was full of spring flowers and a bubbling stream. The reservoir had fish jumping out of the water all over the surface. A sight I have never seen before. Fishers were there to harvesting a catch or two or three. Then we ended up at the little white house of the Forest Service to eat lunch. Didn’t matter where we went, there were birds, birds, birds. A great get-away for those who live in hotter climates.
Birds seen or heard: Turkey Vulture, American Kestrel, Swainson's Hawk (2 in Central), Spotted Sandpiper, Eurasian Collared-Dove, Downy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Western Wood-Pewee, Say's Phoebe, Warbling Vireo, American Crow, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Cliff Swallow, Mountain Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Mountain Bluebird, American Robin, Grace's Warbler, Spotted Towhee, Chipping Sparrow, Black-headed Grosbeak (mom & young),
Brewer's Blackbird, Cassin's Finch, Hermit Thrush (singing), Brown-headed Cowbird. Here are some other photos from the trip:
Swallow nests on
Pine Valley Fire Station (babies inside)
Pam and Everett enjoying the walk
The Turkey Vultures and the deceased deer
Two Yellow-bellied Marmots
Downy Woodpecker
That's all! Please join us next time!
~~~
Pam and Everett enjoying the walk
The Turkey Vultures and the deceased deer
Two Yellow-bellied Marmots
Downy Woodpecker
That's all! Please join us next time!
~~~
Field Trip to Kolob Reservoir
to See the California Condor
June 11, 2011
It’s a
thrill to see a California Condor anytime. To watch this
huge bird fly, soar, or perch. To see it up close, or at
a distance. And, it’s a thrill to go looking for one,
even if we don’t find one . . . like last Saturday.
The day couldn’t have been more beautiful. It was warm and the sun was shining. We could see evidence of spring from St. George until just before Tabernacle Dome, and then there were no leaves on the Oak. Birding trips are a lot like going to Las Vegas. In Vegas . . . you buy two rolls of nickels and when they are gone they are gone. Never hit the jackpot. You can have a lot better luck when birding. Some days are like hitting the grand slam on the slot machine. Weather - perfect! Birds - everywhere! Then, instead of having an all you can eat buffet at a casino, lunch can be as yummy as peanut butter sandwiches and seedless grapes. The difference between gambling and birding is that at the end of the day you still get to drive your car home because you have not lost it on a pair of jacks or queens.
The scenery on Saturday was worth every cent paid for gas, every second spent traveling, and all aches and pains rightfully brought on from getting in and out of the vehicles at each stop we made to check for birds. The beauty of this trip is one we will long remember.
California Condors are worth a trip to Kolob, and sooner or later this summer you will see them, and that will be a ‘jackpot day’. Birds seen during the trip were: western kingbird, turkey vulture, song sparrow, red-breasted nuthatch, red-tailed hawk, black-necked stilt, mallard, American coot, Virginia's warbler, yellow warbler, mourning dove, black-throated sparrow, lark sparrow, northern flicker, Cassin's finch, brown-headed cowbird, Brewer's blackbird, spotted towhee, black-capped chickadee, barn swallow, violet-green swallow, raven, scrub jay, Steller's jay, mountain bluebird, olive-sided flycatcher (doing it's wee-hoo call), and many other birds (I don't have the complete list yet).
The day couldn’t have been more beautiful. It was warm and the sun was shining. We could see evidence of spring from St. George until just before Tabernacle Dome, and then there were no leaves on the Oak. Birding trips are a lot like going to Las Vegas. In Vegas . . . you buy two rolls of nickels and when they are gone they are gone. Never hit the jackpot. You can have a lot better luck when birding. Some days are like hitting the grand slam on the slot machine. Weather - perfect! Birds - everywhere! Then, instead of having an all you can eat buffet at a casino, lunch can be as yummy as peanut butter sandwiches and seedless grapes. The difference between gambling and birding is that at the end of the day you still get to drive your car home because you have not lost it on a pair of jacks or queens.
The scenery on Saturday was worth every cent paid for gas, every second spent traveling, and all aches and pains rightfully brought on from getting in and out of the vehicles at each stop we made to check for birds. The beauty of this trip is one we will long remember.
California Condors are worth a trip to Kolob, and sooner or later this summer you will see them, and that will be a ‘jackpot day’. Birds seen during the trip were: western kingbird, turkey vulture, song sparrow, red-breasted nuthatch, red-tailed hawk, black-necked stilt, mallard, American coot, Virginia's warbler, yellow warbler, mourning dove, black-throated sparrow, lark sparrow, northern flicker, Cassin's finch, brown-headed cowbird, Brewer's blackbird, spotted towhee, black-capped chickadee, barn swallow, violet-green swallow, raven, scrub jay, Steller's jay, mountain bluebird, olive-sided flycatcher (doing it's wee-hoo call), and many other birds (I don't have the complete list yet).
Here are a few photos from the trip:
~~~
Field Trip to Zion
May 11, 2011
What a glorious way to start a field trip . . . a Mocking Bird displaying on the top of the parking lot light! Jumping up and down, showing off the white of his wings, and he really impressed us . . . both female and male.
It was a beautiful spring morning for a field trip. The air was fresh and the sky was blue. We could have stopped a dozen times on the way just to ‘look’, but we kept on driving to Zion National Park. We arrived before the zillion visitors did. We had the advantage. We could hear the sounds of the canyon without distractions. A slight wind was blowing, and birds were singing in the tall trees at the Visitors Center. The first was a Yellow Warbler and then we saw the beautiful red Summer
Tanager. Could colors get any
better? Yes! In the campground we found more
Summer Tanagers and a sparkling Blue Grosbeak.It’s purposeful to see birds, but so very nice to meet new friends who share your interests. The day was spent going from one shuttle stop to another, spotting birds, talking about birds, taking pictures of birds, and counting how many birds!
My Honey and I went home another way, over the top of Rockville Mountain. It’s a totally different way to see Zion. The road was bad the first mile, but much better thereafter. Always let someone know when you go off main roads, and be sure your vehicle is in good shape with new tires.
Birds seen: Wild Turkey (one calling at the Riverside Walk Trailhead), Turkey Vulture, Black-chinned Hummingbird, Hairy Woodpecker, Plumbeous Vireo, Warbling Vireo, Common Raven, Violet-green Swallow, Canyon Wren, House Wren, Blue-gray Gnatcatcher, Western Bluebird, American Robin, European Starling, Lucy's Warbler, Yellow Warbler, Summer Tanager, Western Tanager, Spotted Towhee, Black-headed Grosbeak, Blue Grosbeak, Brown-headed Cowbird, Lesser Goldfinch, American Goldfinch, Lark Sparrow, Western King Bird.
Here are a view of the visual hightlights:
Blue
Grosbeak
Lark Sparrow
Spotting the Summer Tanagers
Looking for more birds
Zion in all her beauty
Lark Sparrow
Spotting the Summer Tanagers
Looking for more birds
Zion in all her beauty
~~~
Parowan Gap
March Field Trip
It was
an exceptionally early morning, even by birder's standards as
eight people gathered in the BLM office parking lot at 4:30
am. We were headed to Parowan Gap with the goal of viewing
greater sage-grouse lekking. For those who have never seen
these birds or their behavior, the spectacle is one of North
America's greatest wildlife viewing experiences and all were
anticipating an exciting day. The crew met our guest
leader, Nicky Frey, at Parowan Gap and she led the way to the
lek. Unfortunately, she had to leave as soon as we arrived at
the viewing site. As dawn approached, a cold wind blew while a
northern harrier passed over the lek. All eyes were
straining to find the cryptic shapes of arriving males.
Finally, through Kevin's new scope, a sage grouse was spotted.
It was a male and he was primed to display.
His tail was fanned out and his wings were held rigid,
pointing to the ground. Suddenly, he expanded the air
sacs in his chest and with a loud thump, like a bass drum
striking, he expelled the air in the characteristic mating
display. The bright yellow sacs were visible, even from our
distant viewing location. With our attention directed towards
the lone male, we hadn't noticed others approaching the lek.
Everywhere we looked, another male had made his way to the
lekking grounds. The obvious, striking males
were accompanied by the even more cryptic females, who were
looking over each male and judging his stature and
display. At one point, We counted 17 male sage-grouse on
the lek. There were fewer females present, though they
seemed to come and go at will. Kevin, who is ever
observant, noticed both horned larks and sage sparrows near
our location. These two birds were difficult to find,
though everyone finally got to see them. We also had a
western meadowlark singing near us. Time passed quickly,
and within an hour of starting the display, most males had
left the lek, flying off rather quickly.
We decided to drive back through Parowan gap and view the petroglyphs. While we were stopped, both rock and canyon wrens made appearances. Continuing the drive, we stopped when a falcon-like figure was spotted high up on a cliff. Sure enough, it was a female peregrine falcon. We spotted another, her mate, and were lucky to witness the pair mating. Across the road from the falcons, many dark-eyed juncos were singing and we also got a great look at these common sparrows. A bit further down the road, a flock of jays was seen so we stopped the caravan. They turned out to be pinyon jays, but not in the flock of 30 or 40 that was first visible. This flock turned out to have close to 200 birds! They were raucous and entertaining. Eventually we began driving back towards the highway. Along the road we saw sage thrasher, mountain bluebird, red-tailed hawk, western meadowlark, and common raven. We stopped near a pond outside of Parowan and observed red-winged blackbird, ring-billed gull, mallard, bufflehead, Canada goose, and white-crowned sparrow.
This was a very entertaining field trip, and thanks to everyone who made it out, especially to Nicky for meeting our group so early! Next month's trip should be during the heat of migration and equally exciting. See you then! (Dan Trujillo)
The End
We decided to drive back through Parowan gap and view the petroglyphs. While we were stopped, both rock and canyon wrens made appearances. Continuing the drive, we stopped when a falcon-like figure was spotted high up on a cliff. Sure enough, it was a female peregrine falcon. We spotted another, her mate, and were lucky to witness the pair mating. Across the road from the falcons, many dark-eyed juncos were singing and we also got a great look at these common sparrows. A bit further down the road, a flock of jays was seen so we stopped the caravan. They turned out to be pinyon jays, but not in the flock of 30 or 40 that was first visible. This flock turned out to have close to 200 birds! They were raucous and entertaining. Eventually we began driving back towards the highway. Along the road we saw sage thrasher, mountain bluebird, red-tailed hawk, western meadowlark, and common raven. We stopped near a pond outside of Parowan and observed red-winged blackbird, ring-billed gull, mallard, bufflehead, Canada goose, and white-crowned sparrow.
This was a very entertaining field trip, and thanks to everyone who made it out, especially to Nicky for meeting our group so early! Next month's trip should be during the heat of migration and equally exciting. See you then! (Dan Trujillo)
The End
~~~
Santa Clara Arboretum, Stonebridge Pond
& Halfway Wash
February 12, 2011
It was one of those ‘Perfect Days’ in February. The kind
of day that causes people to move here. Cool, and yet warm
enough to enjoy spending a day outdoors. This was our
monthly Red Cliffs Audubon Field Trip. We participated in
the Winter Bird Festival and were all fired up about going
out and finding birds. We followed our leader, Kevin
Wheeler, to Stone Bridge Pond where we found several
species of waterfowl and then to our surprise, four
Black-crowned Night Herons asleep in a tree. We left that
area and went on to the Santa Clara Arboretum where we
walked along the trails. There we found another highlight.
It was a Roadrunner on top of a chimney, singing his heart
out, looking for a Valentines Day sweetheart. The singing
went on for a good 30 minutes . . . but we had to leave.
Hope he was successful!
Next we walked the Half-way Wash trail. It was just FUN being with good friends and seeing some really neat birds. We saw Mallards, Shovelers, Ring-necked Ducks, Ruddy Ducks, Common Mergansers, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Ferruginous Hawk, Gambel’s Quail, American Coot, Wilson’s Snipe, Mourning Dove, Eurasian Collared Dove, Greater Roadrunner, Northern Flicker, Common Raven, Verdin, Rock Wren, Bewick’s Wren, Marsh Wren, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, American Robin, Mockingbird, Cedar Waxwing, Yellow-rumped Warbler, Abert’s Towhee, Song Sparrow, White-crowned Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Red-winged Blackbird, House Finch, Pine Siskin, Lesser Goldfinch, House Sparrow, American Kestrel, and European Starling.
Now how can you beat a day like that? Check out the
pictures below:
Crossing
the bridge for a better view.
Blossoming
birder at the feeder.
The
Stone Bridge Pond four (Black-crowned Night
Herons).
A
close-up of the feathered chimney cap.
See
you all next time!!
~~~