Saw the wave again this morning before the sun was up. This time it was a twisting mass spread out along the line of flight -- to the east. Birds were low, housetop to treetop level. Only a block away to the south but I couldn't see what they were.
I suppose they are nesting in trees in town and then going east either to the canyon lakes where there is plenty of water, or heading out to feed on grain in a field somewhere. Grackles seem to do that, fly west in the evening and east in the morning, but do so in smaller numbers and often as single birds.
And this morning on a limb outside the kitchen door window, two curvebill thrashers by a feeder. I took them more food. One bird let me come to within two feet to put in seed. Haven't seen them together like that before.
The male and female pyrrhuloxia have been coming to eat at about the same time, which may indicate that they too are pairing off.
The doves are always paired off and horny.
Monday, March 21, 2016
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Sunday, March 13, 2016
I am so excited! In dusk at 7:30 pm a male cardinal came to the feeder, joined for a minute by a female cardinal. My 1st ever sight of a female. Went for camera but when I got back the female had flown and the male was munching away.
The female looks bigger than the pyrrhuloxia and with a glowing red-pink beak that is plainly conical, unlike the curved scoop beak of the pyrrhuloxia.
The female looks bigger than the pyrrhuloxia and with a glowing red-pink beak that is plainly conical, unlike the curved scoop beak of the pyrrhuloxia.
Friday, March 11, 2016
My Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb 12-14, 2016
The Great Backyard Bird Count was forgotten about at my digs until the final day.
Too much trouble to come up with hard and fast numbers. So I didn't post guesses on eBird.
The most common bird here are house sparrows, and they form a seething mass of boiling feathers around the feeders. Very hard to count. Plus birds come back to gorge; they don't just eat and run, which means if you have a count over a period of time, say 30 minutes or an hour, you'll count the same bird several times. I think what happens is that the birds fill their crops and lay off eating for a spell and come back for more if there is any more.
But, objections voiced, here's my guestimate count.
House sparrows. A lot. 25-40.
House finches. 10-15.
Eurasian collared doves. 10 plus. There were more back in the fall than now.
White winged doves. 4-6. More than back in the fall.
Pyrrhuloxia. 3, 1 male & 2 female. 1M & 1F regulars.
Curve-billed thrashers. Saw only one at a time. Mighta been 2.
Cardinal. One, came by Saturday. Not a consistent visitor unless the weather is cold.
Dark-eyed, slate-colored junco. 1. On ground, not at feeder.
Sparrow as yet unidentified, 1-2. Gonna have to ask for help from the bird forum on ID. Heard one "churr" first time yesterday. Not chirp like house sparrows. And they scratch like chickens.
Ruby-crowned kinglets, 2 seen yesterday. In evergreen trees, not at feeders. Tiny boids, just over hummingbird size.
Starlings. Rarely come to my yard. See them perched on utility wires in alley. 2-3 this weekend.
Great-tailed grackles. Many pass overhead or perch in the hood, whistling or scraping. Saw one for the first time perched in the backyard close to a feeder. No feeding behavior observed. Don't much go for seeds.
Blue jay. One has been coming by the front yard, Heard but not seen.
Canada geese. Saw two groups fly overhead in v-formation, total 22 birds.
Mockingbird. One. Started singing this weekend from LP&L pole.
Too much trouble to come up with hard and fast numbers. So I didn't post guesses on eBird.
The most common bird here are house sparrows, and they form a seething mass of boiling feathers around the feeders. Very hard to count. Plus birds come back to gorge; they don't just eat and run, which means if you have a count over a period of time, say 30 minutes or an hour, you'll count the same bird several times. I think what happens is that the birds fill their crops and lay off eating for a spell and come back for more if there is any more.
But, objections voiced, here's my guestimate count.
House sparrows. A lot. 25-40.
House finches. 10-15.
Eurasian collared doves. 10 plus. There were more back in the fall than now.
White winged doves. 4-6. More than back in the fall.
Pyrrhuloxia. 3, 1 male & 2 female. 1M & 1F regulars.
Curve-billed thrashers. Saw only one at a time. Mighta been 2.
Cardinal. One, came by Saturday. Not a consistent visitor unless the weather is cold.
Dark-eyed, slate-colored junco. 1. On ground, not at feeder.
Sparrow as yet unidentified, 1-2. Gonna have to ask for help from the bird forum on ID. Heard one "churr" first time yesterday. Not chirp like house sparrows. And they scratch like chickens.
Ruby-crowned kinglets, 2 seen yesterday. In evergreen trees, not at feeders. Tiny boids, just over hummingbird size.
Starlings. Rarely come to my yard. See them perched on utility wires in alley. 2-3 this weekend.
Great-tailed grackles. Many pass overhead or perch in the hood, whistling or scraping. Saw one for the first time perched in the backyard close to a feeder. No feeding behavior observed. Don't much go for seeds.
Blue jay. One has been coming by the front yard, Heard but not seen.
Canada geese. Saw two groups fly overhead in v-formation, total 22 birds.
Mockingbird. One. Started singing this weekend from LP&L pole.
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Two Short African Bird Videos
National Geographic Story
A little bit scary.
Don't miss the video at the end of the article, featuring one ostrich egg, one mammal, and three other birds.
A little bit scary.
Don't miss the video at the end of the article, featuring one ostrich egg, one mammal, and three other birds.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
So What's in My Yard?
Considering I've been feeding consistently since late summer, there hasn't been a lot of variety. I'm sure some species that came around I just haven't seen, and there have been glimpses of species I just haven't been able to identify. I'll dedicate a post to the unidentified ones later.
House sparrows. 30-40 show up, recently enough to look like a feathered boil around the feeders.
Eurasian collared doves. In early fall I was getting close to 30 of these. With winter it's been more like 10-20.
White winged doves. Very pretty birds, with blue around the eye, often bluish bill, an irridescence on top of the head and back, and some variety in shade, with the smaller ones dark gray. Back in the summer I considered these rare, and once saw four close together. As fall wore on into winter, there was one that showed up regulrly. In late December there have been more including several smaller darker ones. I'd guess at least four show up some time every day.
House finches. Probably a dozen,counting both male and female. I'm not sharp on separating house finches from purple finches. I think some were purple finches but no positive ID. And the male house finches vary in the amount of red they show; some are red only on head and throat, and in some the red color goes down the belly. I've seen raspberry shades; those may have been purple finches, can't say.
Curve-billed thrashers. A pair has been resident here since at least 2013. Raised at least one brood last year. Accustomed to my presence and come to within four feet when hungry. When hungry, one of them has conditioned me into bringing out food when it perches on a branch in front of the kitchen door. All the cholla and prickly pear cactus is a likely reason why they hang around; their nest(s) are in cholla cactus.
Last October I identified my first pyrrhuloxia, a male. Then in December a female showed up. In late December-early January another female came by. I have seen three pyrrhuloxia at one time, and perhaps another skinnier male too, but usually it's just the fat female (fat from having easy pickin's here for a couple of months) and one male. I've read that pyrrhuloxias flock together, but from what I've seen they don't like each other. Some chasing observed.
In the heavy snow of December 30, 2015 (heck, it was something like 8" here, hardly significant in half the USA), a single male cardinal showed up. He was a consistent visitor while the snow was on the ground, and occasionally afterward. Haven't seen him for a few days. Possible the swarm of house sparrows has driven him away. I have never seen and identified a female cardinal.
A dark-eyed junco, slate gray variety was seen, November 19 and again during the December 30 snow and after. Feeding on the ground, never on or in a feeder, though it did pick up spilled seeds below a feeder.
The above are the most regular visitors. Some birds in the hood do not come by the feeders, such as starlings (3-4 hang out next door) and great-tailed grackles. When I threw out part of a pizzaa, that brought a couple of grackles. The resident mockingbird doesn't come to the feeders.
Birds more rare are:
Ladder-back woodpecker observed spiraling around a dead tree October 11, 2015.
Rufous-sided towhee (spotted towhee) seen a couple of days beginning October 13 foraging in the short grass.
Common nighthawks flying overhead, plentiful through September, then disappearing in October.
Vesper sparrow seen October 16 in grass and perched on limb.
White-throated sparrow feeding on seeds on the ground October 17.
January 3 in the snow, American goldfinches and also 1-2 yellow-rumped warblers were seen at the low platform feeder.
In January, several visits by 1-3 sparrows that are, after 3 weeks, still unidentified.
Today, Feb. 2, I saw a ruby-crowned kinglet around the arborvitae evergreen trees in front, sometimes hovering like a hummingbird to peck at something in the evergreen leaves. Since the kinglet is an insect eater, it must have been insects, but in the winter? I had seen the kinglet a couple of months before. Today I was leaning against a porch post, and the little bird came to within 4 feet. Saw the hovering behavior twice.
House sparrows. 30-40 show up, recently enough to look like a feathered boil around the feeders.
Eurasian collared doves. In early fall I was getting close to 30 of these. With winter it's been more like 10-20.
White winged doves. Very pretty birds, with blue around the eye, often bluish bill, an irridescence on top of the head and back, and some variety in shade, with the smaller ones dark gray. Back in the summer I considered these rare, and once saw four close together. As fall wore on into winter, there was one that showed up regulrly. In late December there have been more including several smaller darker ones. I'd guess at least four show up some time every day.
House finches. Probably a dozen,counting both male and female. I'm not sharp on separating house finches from purple finches. I think some were purple finches but no positive ID. And the male house finches vary in the amount of red they show; some are red only on head and throat, and in some the red color goes down the belly. I've seen raspberry shades; those may have been purple finches, can't say.
Curve-billed thrashers. A pair has been resident here since at least 2013. Raised at least one brood last year. Accustomed to my presence and come to within four feet when hungry. When hungry, one of them has conditioned me into bringing out food when it perches on a branch in front of the kitchen door. All the cholla and prickly pear cactus is a likely reason why they hang around; their nest(s) are in cholla cactus.
Last October I identified my first pyrrhuloxia, a male. Then in December a female showed up. In late December-early January another female came by. I have seen three pyrrhuloxia at one time, and perhaps another skinnier male too, but usually it's just the fat female (fat from having easy pickin's here for a couple of months) and one male. I've read that pyrrhuloxias flock together, but from what I've seen they don't like each other. Some chasing observed.
In the heavy snow of December 30, 2015 (heck, it was something like 8" here, hardly significant in half the USA), a single male cardinal showed up. He was a consistent visitor while the snow was on the ground, and occasionally afterward. Haven't seen him for a few days. Possible the swarm of house sparrows has driven him away. I have never seen and identified a female cardinal.
A dark-eyed junco, slate gray variety was seen, November 19 and again during the December 30 snow and after. Feeding on the ground, never on or in a feeder, though it did pick up spilled seeds below a feeder.
The above are the most regular visitors. Some birds in the hood do not come by the feeders, such as starlings (3-4 hang out next door) and great-tailed grackles. When I threw out part of a pizzaa, that brought a couple of grackles. The resident mockingbird doesn't come to the feeders.
Birds more rare are:
Ladder-back woodpecker observed spiraling around a dead tree October 11, 2015.
I plan to leave most dead trees up, just to appeal to woodpeckers!
Rufous-sided towhee (spotted towhee) seen a couple of days beginning October 13 foraging in the short grass.
Vesper sparrow seen October 16 in grass and perched on limb.
White-throated sparrow feeding on seeds on the ground October 17.
January 3 in the snow, American goldfinches and also 1-2 yellow-rumped warblers were seen at the low platform feeder.
In January, several visits by 1-3 sparrows that are, after 3 weeks, still unidentified.
The most spectacular visitor was this one --
Cooper's Hawk (or possible sharp-shinned/Cooper's hybrid, since imo the head coloration is more like a sharp-shinned, while the tail feathers indicate a Cooper's/ Both are known to be drawn to feeders in search of prey. On Jan. 6, at about 11 a.m. I looked out the back door and saw this fellow perched between a swinging feeder (that pail in the pic) and a low platform feeder. Took the pics through the door window plexiglass and the storm door glass, both dirty.
Back in December I noticed a hawk flying high overhead, harassed by 3-4 smaller birds. Think it was a buteo.
And of course there are the Canada geese flying overhead. Saw seven flying low this day. Haven't identified any snow geese or brants overhead.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Bird & Birding Links for the City of Lubbock, Texas, West Texas, and the South Plains
I'll update this post from time to time. A collection of links can be very useful.
Local Bird Links: Lubbock & West Texas
Keep in mind that "West Texas" is NOT west-most Texas on the map. The real west Texas we call the Trans-Pecos region, west of the Pecos River, that includes the Big Bend and El Paso area, that are in the Mountain Standard Time zone while the rest of Texas is Central time. "West Texas" as commonly used refers to an area beginning somewhere west of Dallas/Ft. Worth [Dallas/Ft. Worth are in "North Texas" despite the fact that the panhandle of Texas including Amarillo is still farther north] west to the New Mexico border.
Lubbock is on the "South Plains" and the southerly part of the "High Plains." We also say that Lubbock and other South Plains locations are "on the Caprock," referring to the geology that puts us at around 3500 feet altitude. Both east and west there is an escarpment where the South Plains or Caprock falls off to lower altitudes.
"Llano Estacado" (Spanish for "staked plains") refers to a portion of the South Plains and the term goes back to about 1550 and the explorer Coronado who passed through this area in his quest for gold and the Seven Cities of Cibola, it being supposed that the Coronado expedition found the lack of landmarks confusing and resorted to putting stakes in the ground to mark their path, like the trail of breadcrumbs in the fairy tale or the string used by Theseus in the Labyrinth. OR, it may be that the High Plains escarpment looked from a distance like a palisade or staked wall. Spanish artifacts from that period have been found within 100 miles of Lubbock and are thought to mark campsites for the Coronado expedition.]
The "South Plains" includes a portion of New Mexico.
City of Lubbock website: https://mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/parks-recreation/get-outdoors/birding
ABA Birding News: http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/TX#1003716 The hotline, the latest reports on what was seen where in Texas. Look for Lubbock area updates. In particular, check out http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/TX#1053728
Area bird checklists. http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/Region1.htm
http://lubbockcountybirds.blogspot.com/ This blog was started by expert local birders but went stagnant in 2013. Pity.
If you want up-to-date info on what is seen where, eBird is good (see link below) or ABA Birding News (link above)
The Llano Estacado Audubon Society Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/LlanoEstacadoAudubonSociety For a period of time before I started this blog the Llano Estacado Auduybon Facebook site was inactive. That is no longer true. They have meetings, give a monthly birding tour at Clapp Park, and respond to sightings and comments.
Permian Basin [Midland, Odessa, SE NM area] birds. https://www.facebook.com/West-Texas-birds-1117994948306150/
Local bird photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/67238923@N03/
West Texas bird photos. http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/west_texas&page=all
Texas birds. http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/00texas_birds_2&page=all
Birdwatching Daily's info on Lubbock's Clapp Park: http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/hotspots/159-clapp-park-lubbock-texas/
National and International Bird Links:
iNaturalist is a worldwide nature observation site. Membership is free.
eBird is here: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ eBird has a lot of bird info but is primarily a clearing house for species counts. Want to look up your city and see where birders were counting birds and what they saw? Find the local hotspots? This is the place. Want to post your own observations? Set up a free account and post away!
Once upon a time local newspapers would publish the results of annual bird counts. Haven't seen that in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper lately. Years ago I'd clip the count info out and put it in my Peterson guides. Still useful because pre-internet bird counts are generally not available on the net and old bird counts show changes in bird populations.
For the hardcore birder, see http://birdingonthe.net/ for more links.
Bird forums: http://www.birdforum.net/forum.php http://www.whatbird.com/forum/
Birdwatching Daily: http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/
Various: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478 https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search/
Texas Parks & Wildlife species list: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/listed-species/
Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine's Checklist of Birds, available for download: https://www.tpwmagazine.com/birding/media/bird_checklist_texas.pdf
I think I saw a bird checklist for the South Plains from Texas P&W, but haven't been able to find the link.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Birding info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/parks/things-to-do/birding-in-state-parks
AND of course, printed bird guides. Texas is in the middle between guides to the Eastern USA and Western USA. In 1960 Roger Tory Peterson published a guide to Texas birds, recognizing this fact. In general, a guide to Western USA birds will cover most of what you might see around Lubbock and the South Plains. But be aware, not always! While birders often prefer the Sibley and Kaufman guides, I love the Natl Geographic guide, and a 7th Ed came out late last year. And I'll use the 1966 Golden Guide occasionally and love its compact size.
Local Bird Links: Lubbock & West Texas
Keep in mind that "West Texas" is NOT west-most Texas on the map. The real west Texas we call the Trans-Pecos region, west of the Pecos River, that includes the Big Bend and El Paso area, that are in the Mountain Standard Time zone while the rest of Texas is Central time. "West Texas" as commonly used refers to an area beginning somewhere west of Dallas/Ft. Worth [Dallas/Ft. Worth are in "North Texas" despite the fact that the panhandle of Texas including Amarillo is still farther north] west to the New Mexico border.
Lubbock is on the "South Plains" and the southerly part of the "High Plains." We also say that Lubbock and other South Plains locations are "on the Caprock," referring to the geology that puts us at around 3500 feet altitude. Both east and west there is an escarpment where the South Plains or Caprock falls off to lower altitudes.
"Llano Estacado" (Spanish for "staked plains") refers to a portion of the South Plains and the term goes back to about 1550 and the explorer Coronado who passed through this area in his quest for gold and the Seven Cities of Cibola, it being supposed that the Coronado expedition found the lack of landmarks confusing and resorted to putting stakes in the ground to mark their path, like the trail of breadcrumbs in the fairy tale or the string used by Theseus in the Labyrinth. OR, it may be that the High Plains escarpment looked from a distance like a palisade or staked wall. Spanish artifacts from that period have been found within 100 miles of Lubbock and are thought to mark campsites for the Coronado expedition.]
The "South Plains" includes a portion of New Mexico.
City of Lubbock website: https://mylubbock.us/departmental-websites/departments/parks-recreation/get-outdoors/birding
ABA Birding News: http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/TX#1003716 The hotline, the latest reports on what was seen where in Texas. Look for Lubbock area updates. In particular, check out http://birding.aba.org/mobiledigest/TX#1053728
Area bird checklists. http://www.bafrenz.com/birds/Region1.htm
http://lubbockcountybirds.blogspot.com/ This blog was started by expert local birders but went stagnant in 2013. Pity.
If you want up-to-date info on what is seen where, eBird is good (see link below) or ABA Birding News (link above)
The Llano Estacado Audubon Society Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/LlanoEstacadoAudubonSociety For a period of time before I started this blog the Llano Estacado Auduybon Facebook site was inactive. That is no longer true. They have meetings, give a monthly birding tour at Clapp Park, and respond to sightings and comments.
Permian Basin [Midland, Odessa, SE NM area] birds. https://www.facebook.com/West-Texas-birds-1117994948306150/
Local bird photos on Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/67238923@N03/
West Texas bird photos. http://www.pbase.com/davidmcd/west_texas&page=all
Texas birds. http://www.pbase.com/dadas115/00texas_birds_2&page=all
Birdwatching Daily's info on Lubbock's Clapp Park: http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/hotspots/159-clapp-park-lubbock-texas/
National and International Bird Links:
iNaturalist is a worldwide nature observation site. Membership is free.
eBird is here: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ eBird has a lot of bird info but is primarily a clearing house for species counts. Want to look up your city and see where birders were counting birds and what they saw? Find the local hotspots? This is the place. Want to post your own observations? Set up a free account and post away!
Once upon a time local newspapers would publish the results of annual bird counts. Haven't seen that in the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal newspaper lately. Years ago I'd clip the count info out and put it in my Peterson guides. Still useful because pre-internet bird counts are generally not available on the net and old bird counts show changes in bird populations.
For the hardcore birder, see http://birdingonthe.net/ for more links.
Bird forums: http://www.birdforum.net/forum.php http://www.whatbird.com/forum/
Birdwatching Daily: http://www.birdwatchingdaily.com/
Various: http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Page.aspx?pid=1478 https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search/
Texas Parks & Wildlife species list: https://tpwd.texas.gov/huntwild/wild/wildlife_diversity/nongame/listed-species/
Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine's Checklist of Birds, available for download: https://www.tpwmagazine.com/birding/media/bird_checklist_texas.pdf
I think I saw a bird checklist for the South Plains from Texas P&W, but haven't been able to find the link.
Texas Parks & Wildlife Birding info: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/parks/things-to-do/birding-in-state-parks
AND of course, printed bird guides. Texas is in the middle between guides to the Eastern USA and Western USA. In 1960 Roger Tory Peterson published a guide to Texas birds, recognizing this fact. In general, a guide to Western USA birds will cover most of what you might see around Lubbock and the South Plains. But be aware, not always! While birders often prefer the Sibley and Kaufman guides, I love the Natl Geographic guide, and a 7th Ed came out late last year. And I'll use the 1966 Golden Guide occasionally and love its compact size.
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