tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42061406633175138692024-02-20T08:09:03.165-05:00Wild WanderingsMark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-53184092087638642012017-01-30T23:31:00.000-05:002017-04-06T12:11:12.972-04:00Arizona Final Day: Madera CanyonAugust 1, 2016<br />
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Since I'd been out herping until 3:00am I let myself sleep in a little this morning and got up some time after 7:00. It was my last day in the field before heading north to catch my flight, so I'd decided to make it fairly relaxing and spend whole day exploring Madera Canyon. Aside from the hummingbird feeders at the lodge and some owling at night I really hadn't seen much of this famous canyon yet, so it seemed like a great way to end my trip. It was cloudy and still damp from the rain the night before, and from my camp on Proctor Road at the foot of the canyon I could see clouds settled into the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cloud in the Santa Ritas </td></tr>
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I drove up the canyon and set out to hike the Carrie National Trail. Along this trail was supposed to be a pretty reliable Elegant Trogon, and I was keen on getting a nice look at one. I'd seen a male super briefly and then a pair high in a pine in the Chiricahuas near the beginning of the trip, but the views just didn't quite do this gorgeous bird justice. Here I had all day to bird, so with luck I'd get to spend some quality time with one of them. Plus, with the weather still damp and not too hot I hoped I might get to find a few more montane rattlesnakes crawling about.<br />
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The lower reaches of the trail was mostly deciduous, and lots of the usual canyon birds were about. Quite a few Sulfur-bellied Flycatchers were calling with the Dusky-capped ones, and I had a single Arizona Woodpecker too. Further up the trail climbed higher up into the pine forest, with the creek continuing down the steep slope to the left. The forest was much quieter here, but then from the gloom up ahead I heard the unmistakable rhythmic croaking of the bird I'd come to see. The silence returned, but I excitedly made my way up the trail to try to find it. Soon I came up to a sycamore right off the path that stood out in contrast to all the pines around it. <i>If I were a trogon this is where I would be</i> I thought, but it seemed like the bird must have moved on. Too bad, another that got away. Then all of a sudden the croaking started up again, and I saw the male that I'd somehow completely missed, sitting in that very oak less than 5m away! There it was, an Elegant Trogon in all it's glory. I gawked at it first through my bins (and got unfairly good views) then went for my camera on my belt, but before I could get a photo it flew back down the trail. I was able to re-find it again but this time it was higher up and more obscured by leaves, so while I got another half-decent look I'd missed my photo opportunity.<br />
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After my trogon time I kept going up the trail, and soon found rocky hillside that looked like it might be good for snakes. I set off and explored the area but was unable to turn anything up.<br />
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Further along I heard s high screech up from one of the pine-clad hillsides, followed by some scolding jays. It definitely sounded like a young owl, and based on the habitat I had a hunch on what it might be. I wasn't able to get a look at it from the trail, but with a bit of climbing I soon came upon not one but two fuzzy young Mexican Spotted Owl fledgelings!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Spotted Owl fledgelings</td></tr>
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It was really satisfying to stumble across these guys on my own, after being the famous family of them at Miller Canyon. I spent a while sitting alone on the hillside just watching the big fluffballs. They were curious about me too, and the one in the pine spent some time trying to figure out what I was.</div>
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Or, more accurately, <i>where</i> I was. I read up afterwards that owls do this head-bobbing behaviour is because their eyes are fixed in their sockets and can't move around. Instead, moving their head up and down and side to side helps them more easily gauge the position of what they're looking at.<br />
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While still up on the hillside I nice mixed flock of songbirds passed through. The group was mostly Bridled Titmice, but from the mob I was able to pick out a few Painted Redstarts and Red-faced Warblers, and a pair of Hepatic Tanagers. In the frenzy I got a brief look at a warbler-sized bird with a yellow head and darker auriculars and white wingbars, and my thoughts immediately went to female Olive Warbler. This species is very uncommon in Madera Canyon according to eBird, and I'd thought I'd missed it for the trip. But the view was too quick, and after the flock moved on I realized I couldn't eliminate the possibility of an early Hermit Warbler. Frantically I chased after the flock, and caught up with them up on the next hill. I didn't think there was much of a chance to resight the bird, but low an behold it popped up in front of me on a pine branch and fed among the needles! Sure enough it was a female Olive Warbler; another lifer had fallen into my lap.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pine-clad hillside</td></tr>
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Once I was confident there were no other treasures lurking in the flock, I made my way back to the trail and kept heading upwards. None of the hoped for mountain snakes crossed my path, but up near the top some Steller's Jays found me a couple young Northern Goshawks perched in a pine. By then the clouds and come in and put a misty roof on the valley.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clouds had moved in near the top</td></tr>
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On the way back the male trogon was vocalizing again, and was cooperative enough to give me a couple photos and a video (which on my little camera was quite the privilege). I was really happy to get nice one-on-one time with this beautiful species before leaving Arizona.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male Elegant Trogon</td></tr>
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Not much farther along a couple female Montezuma Quail flushed from the side of the trail. The views were quick and the buffy females weren't quite as striking as one of the ornate males would have been, but nice to get them off the "heard only" list. They rounded out a nice <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30982511" target="_blank">morning</a> of birding with the trail and all the birds to myself.<br />
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I was back at the trail head before 1pm, and decided to relax a bit as one does in Southeast Arizona: sitting in front of the hummingbird feeders. Some 15 hummers of 4 species kept me entertained, including 3 Magnificents which was the most I'd seen at one time. But the "star" of the show was 5th species that showed up for the space of 10s half way through my vigil, the Plain-capped Starthroat. This shy Mexican vagrant had been playing hard to get at the feeders since the beginning of the month, and my luck was clearly still going strong to get a glimpse of it. The light didn't hit it right to see its namesake red throat, but its large size and really long bill still impressive. Another bird for the life list!<br />
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To celebrate I drove to a nearby picnic area and took nap. It was definitely needed, after one long night of road cruising and before one more night of the same. But from there I headed down towards the mesquite near Proctor Road where some Black-capped Gnatcatchers had been hanging out earlier in the month. They hadn't been seen for a while so it was a long shot, but it was nice to change up the birding habitat anyway. The birds were fairly quiet and I didn't connect with any gnatcatchers, but a Bell's Vireo was always nice to see, as were a couple of calling Summer Tanagers and a Varied Bunting. Always lots of colourful birds in the mesquite thickets, and Northern Cardinal, Blue Grosbeaks, and a Hooded Oriole were around too.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mesquites and the north end of the Santa Ritas behind</td></tr>
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This barrel cactus had a single bloom left.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barrel Cactus</td></tr>
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Later in the afternoon I thought about hiking some more of the canyon trails, but I was pretty exhausted at this point in the trip and decided instead to just head back to the Santa Rita Lodge. It was nice to chat with some of the other birders there, and I got to help a few newbies with their hummingbird ID. The starthroat even made another appearance for us! I talked with another couple birders from California about how my questing had been going, and mentioned trying for the Black-capped Gnatcatchers down the road. They mentioned that those ones hadn't been seen in a while, but they had seen the ones in Florida Canyon next door which were quite cooperative. I had seen those birds on eBird, but for some reason thought the canyon was 4WD access and therefore out of bounds for me. Nope, apparently it was an easy dirt road, and the birds hung out near the beginning of the trail. <br />
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I checked my watch, and I less than an hour of daylight left. Did I try for it? I'd hardly have any time to look for them, but I wasn't doing much anyways and I'd sat around staring at the same hummingbirds enough for one day. Lets do it! I drove out of Madera Canyon, missed the turnoff, realized that I had and doubled back. By the time I got to the parking lot at Florida Canyon the sun was almost set, but I hurriedly made it to the trail and started birding. This late in the day not many birds were making noise, and I definitely wasn't convinced my lucky streak was THAT strong. So I didn't believe it when I heard a gnatcatcher, then saw it with another one following it. That was them, really them!!! Or was it; the call was different than the Black-tailed Gnatcatchers I was used to, but gnatcatchers can be tricky.<br />
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My pair of birds disappeared and shut up, and stress levels shot up as daylight began to fade. I was SO CLOSE, they couldn't get away from me now. I checked my recordings in the meantime and it sounded good, whiny but rising-and-falling and more drawn out than a Blue-gray, not angry and harsh like a Black-tailed. But what I really needed to feel good about it was a proper visual. With minutes of light to spare I heard them again, and the pair popped up in the shrubs on the other side of the path. I managed to get a quick look at the male at point-blank range with a black cap without a noticeable eye-ring, then the female with a full white under-tail. Success!!! I couldn't believe the incredible luck I'd had with life birds this trip, and with the gnatcatcher I'd succeeding in tracking down 49 of the ~55 species possible during my stay. Unreal!<br />
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As I walked back to the car the silhouette of a Great Horned Owl on the hilltop wished me well on the rest of my night, and I set out for my last chance at desert herping. Despite hours of trying it had been about a week since I'd actually seen a snake on the road, so I was surprised when I saw one in the headlights not 15 minutes after starting out. It turned out to be a new species for me, the iconic Western Diamond-backed Ratttlesnake. You can tell them from the similarly-patterned Mojaves by their black-and-white "coontails" with the black and the white about equal width. UPDATE: not a lifer, the snake we had up at Dave's earlier in the trip was also a WDB.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neonate Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake</td></tr>
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Although Western Diamondbacks are the monsters of the Southwest's rattlesnakes, with adults getting over 5ft long, this little neonate was less intimidating and more cute.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who said rattlesnakes can't be cute?</td></tr>
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Look at him go:</div>
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After trying the desert north of the Santa Ritas I continued up to the deserts around Tucson. To make a long story short, I cruised desert roads from about 8:00pm until 3:30am, and all I found snake-wise were a dead Mojave Rattlesnake and a dead California Kingsnake. Maybe next time I'll find the trick for this road-cruising, but at least no one can blame me for lack of effort.<br />
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Unfortunately by the time I was finished for the night the public land I was planning on camping on wasn't public after all, and was open, dusty, and windy besides. That considered, in my early morning delirium though what the heck, it was less than 2h to Phoenix, why not just drive out? Well, after winding my way out of the back roads and getting on the empty highway I realized this was not such a good idea. Instead I pulled off on the very next exit, stopped in a McDonald's parking lot, and reclined in the passenger seat to get a bit of sleep.<br />
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The rest of the story isn't terribly exciting. I got to Phoenix, returned my rental car, then relaxed at a motel room by taking my first shower in 2 weeks and sleeping in a bed for the first time in 4 months. I caught my 8:00am flight the next morning and was back in Ontario for a week before my next position.<br />
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What a hell of a run! I got to spend the first 5 days with some great friends from GBBO, and the next week as my first solo road trip. I'd got to explore the many incredible landscapes Southeast Arizona has to offer: the Saguaro deserts and mesquite thickets of the Sonoran Desert, oak-pine canyons of the Sky Islands, lush riparian areas of the desert rivers, and the arid grasslands in between. Through it all I'd tallied over 160 bird species of which an unreal 49 were lifers, plus 10 rattlesnakes of 6 different species. Plus all the other cool herps and mammals I'd come across, and the interesting people I met here and there along the way, I really couldn't have been any happier with the trip.<br />
<br />
The country down there was so wonderful that I've let it call me back. For the breeding season of 2017 I've got a position with the Bird Conservancy of the Rockies conducting surveys for Mexican Spotted Owls. The project has survey areas all through the mountains in Arizona and New Mexico, and although I don't know where I'll be placed yet (I've put my bids in for SE or Central Arizona...) I'm super stoked to get to spend a whole season exploring the amazing country down there.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-53005224449390271212017-01-24T18:47:00.002-05:002017-01-25T18:05:01.025-05:00Listing Blitz: Part 2<div>
July 31 2016<br />
<br />
My alarm woke me at 2:45am, 15 minutes later I'd broken camp and was up-canyon trying again for Elf Owls. I spent an hour listening in various spots, but other than one of the same Whiskered Screech-Owls from earlier that night and another Ringtail that ran across the road no other nocturnal creatures were about. From there I started driving my way down toward Patagonia while looking for snakes on the road.<br />
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I didn't luck out in the herp department, but made it to the grasslands around Patagonia as dawn broke. I stopped at a couple spots along the highway to try to unsuccessfully turn ravens into Chihuahuan ones, but was rewarded with a dawn chorus of Cassin's, Botteri's, Rufous-winged, and Grasshopper Sparrows, as well as a couple of Montezuma Quail.<br />
<br />
With my new directions I found my way to the Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve without any issue, and the way in I heard then saw the day's first lifer, a group of Inca Doves. Their coos of "<i>no hope</i>" tried to put a damper on my listing prospects for the day, but I'd do my best to prove them wrong!</div>
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I arrived at the preserve and the place seemed like a jungle. Massive cottonwoods were surrounded by lush thickets of ash and willow, and the woods were<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30981863" target="_blank"> loaded with birds</a>! Yellow-billed Cuckoos clacked and crept through the shrubbery along with jems like Northern Cardinal, Summer Tanager, Blue Grosbeak, Lazuli Bunting, and stupid numbers of Yellow-breasted Chats.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Letj0wjNGYBuTy1bYxuH32-JpYpCOziuRjmnzEXGUf9pbYHbGstzDLJf_2J3CjVfthY3eaDzfz0rypguzfm0I4lyJglGVIfWxYk72kQUyfREc9-fOT4qzJJEaSbUsiHf-9tCUvlELx2-/s1600/IMG_3463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Letj0wjNGYBuTy1bYxuH32-JpYpCOziuRjmnzEXGUf9pbYHbGstzDLJf_2J3CjVfthY3eaDzfz0rypguzfm0I4lyJglGVIfWxYk72kQUyfREc9-fOT4qzJJEaSbUsiHf-9tCUvlELx2-/s400/IMG_3463.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Shrubs and Cottonwoods along Sonoita Creek</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsor3DdkVnHcbsaccvzRoAF2oiW2-HxPdSR9O57UPrdyNuXyESdzCrxg_HIkx-pQ2nsIqAfUkLfDPV53hdudZqlpFvgtiTwHLUICaJs-HrzXRPkjdJkfTy55pBielon1XjmiKtid-H9PJ/s1600/IMG_3468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPsor3DdkVnHcbsaccvzRoAF2oiW2-HxPdSR9O57UPrdyNuXyESdzCrxg_HIkx-pQ2nsIqAfUkLfDPV53hdudZqlpFvgtiTwHLUICaJs-HrzXRPkjdJkfTy55pBielon1XjmiKtid-H9PJ/s400/IMG_3468.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Yellow-billed Cuckoo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The more open savannah type areas hosted numerous excited Cassin's Kingbirds and a couple pairs of Vermilion Flycatchers. I scanned all these Tyrannids for one of my other targets, and eventually found not one but 3 different Thick-billed Kingbirds calling along the creek. A group of 4 Black Vultures perched on a snag nearby one of them too, my best ever looks at this species.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0SN0TXj63zhC-7_hv0dx8CclK7fQrd93ooYma6k7Sz-FZhtwO-LllVMjxybvye5xDmvHWzdxIRtlghYpBxpzssTxR1DREd51KmYKj3kTyvdlS-3QBFQi8JFcTqhwOlWFjyYjGJbO8reX/s1600/IMG_3466.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx0SN0TXj63zhC-7_hv0dx8CclK7fQrd93ooYma6k7Sz-FZhtwO-LllVMjxybvye5xDmvHWzdxIRtlghYpBxpzssTxR1DREd51KmYKj3kTyvdlS-3QBFQi8JFcTqhwOlWFjyYjGJbO8reX/s400/IMG_3466.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Open grassland</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
It started to rain so I took shelter under a visitor centre roof to wait it out and watch the hummingbird feeders. It was fun to watch half a dozen Broad-billed Hummingbirds tried to keep the Black-chins and an Anna's off the feeders. Just before I left a Violet-crowned Hummingbird joined the frenzy, and I got to enjoy point-blank views of this uniquely coloured lifer. Its brown and white body was definitely plainer than most of the other hummingbirds I'd seen, but its large size, bright red bill and orange crown made it a real treat to watch.<br />
<br />
What a spot! I was really glad I'd decided to come here in the morning when the birds were active, because the numbers and diversity of birds here were just spectacular. I would have loved to spend more time there, but I'd achieved all 3 of my targets for the area, had other places to be, and it was still raining besides. So after spending the better part of 2 hours at enjoying Patagonia I decided to move on.<br />
<br />
On the way out I stopped in some sparser mesquite away from the water and picked up a few calling Northern Beardless-Tyrannulets. They played hard to get and didn't allow looks, so I continued on to check out the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30981964" target="_blank">Paton's feeders.</a> They weren't super-jumping in terms of hummingbirds, but I got to see another Violet-crowned as well as get better looks at some Inca Doves coming to the seed.<br />
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From there I worked my way towards the border and stopped at Kino Springs, which was apparently another good spot for Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks. No ducks in the pond there, but I was able to get my first proper views of a male Varied Bunting in the scope as he perched on a wire. I also heard one of my few Crissal Thrashers of the trip calling from further back in the brush too.<br />
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Next was Rio Rico for a second round, and this time I stopped at a trail head by the Santa Cruz River. Here there was a nice riparian area, and although there were no ducks in the river a handful of songbirds kept me occupied. Soon a flock of my first "Mexican" Mallards flew over, and they gave me hope that my whistling-ducks would do the same. Sure enough, some squeaky calls later gave me enough warning to glimpse 2 flocks of the lanky ducks through the cottonwoods as they flew past on the other side of the river. Nice!<br />
<br />
But the fun wasn't over yet, because not long after the ducks had past I heard the rapid call of my other target for the area, Tropical Kingbird. It headed downriver towards it got good looks at a pair of them by the bridge. I didn't know it at the time, but with this bird my life list hit 500 species, all within the ABA Area. A milestone I'd hoped for but hadn't quite expected to reach on this trip. Clearly I was doing well.<br />
<br />
With both birds in the bag, I birded my way back to the car to move on. But the biggest surprise of the stop was just before I left, when I glimpsed a brilliant bird fly out from a bush and across the river to a willow on the other side. Although the look was brief I was more than confident on the ID: blue head, green back, and red rump, it could only be a male Painted Bunting! Another life bird, and definitely not one even on my radar down here. I found out after the fact that they interrupt fairly regularly to southern Arizona after breeding. Who knew? It was a touch too late on the timing though, it would have been a great one for my 500th! Look and pish as I might it didn't reappear, so I had to let it go and head back to saguaro country.<br />
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Next on the schedule was Harris's Hawk. This beautiful hawk became my favorite bird when I first started birding, after watching footage of a group of them cooperatively hunt a rabbit on a David Attenbourough documentary. While the Sandhill Crane had since taken its place as my Totem Bird (under Dave Henderson's rules of the Totem Bird), Harris's Hawk still has a place in my heart and I was eager to see one.<br />
<br />
Finding one here wasn't super simple though. They live all through the desert around Tucson, but they're not really a species you can pin down to a certain location. Instead, one's best bet is simply driving around in their habitat and keeping an eye out for them atop saguaros or telephone poles. Well, today was my day for driving around and looking for birds, so I headed up Old Spanish Trail east of Tucson to try my luck. That luck kept running stronger than I'd hoped, and a nice adult teed up nicely on a hydro poll for me. Seventh lifer of the day.<br />
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By now it was 4pm, not an ideal time to try for songbirds. But, I was close to Mount Lemmon where Olive Warblers bred, so I set my cross-hairs for my last target for the day. I needed to kill time before evening herping anyway, plus the Catalina Highway to the top was supposed to be gorgeous. I'd driven the bottom stretch of it our first night in Tucson, but this time I was able to take photos in the daylight.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJeM_lb7OcXBDRXzDU6bHA10rQyT-BUshkidpppjXy8ZVJyFYBLvUXqBriQrAGWNm5T_2Qw8ogS8fS0zLohTTJJOC67pJOWc7VSlRkOlv6LG2lL_UClUcbcWJsP6GMFkFlO2SvSP6SoxA/s1600/IMG_3479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFJeM_lb7OcXBDRXzDU6bHA10rQyT-BUshkidpppjXy8ZVJyFYBLvUXqBriQrAGWNm5T_2Qw8ogS8fS0zLohTTJJOC67pJOWc7VSlRkOlv6LG2lL_UClUcbcWJsP6GMFkFlO2SvSP6SoxA/s400/IMG_3479.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Drive up the Catalina Highway</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQMW94YPBBGFGbMNHRg6-6C29jrMOv_3hEYbfciIGdb6z7X-gcl0iPKAdCv0wyyQnGffFRHCjREJBGKmnvffMf4Hp3KYBrgaej-deyRQA2m_f1CLz1CKgcnPRcfkLVleQsYjZ8UNG556g/s1600/IMG_3481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilQMW94YPBBGFGbMNHRg6-6C29jrMOv_3hEYbfciIGdb6z7X-gcl0iPKAdCv0wyyQnGffFRHCjREJBGKmnvffMf4Hp3KYBrgaej-deyRQA2m_f1CLz1CKgcnPRcfkLVleQsYjZ8UNG556g/s400/IMG_3481.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Santa Catalinas</td></tr>
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<br />
I then continued higher than we'd gone that first night, and got some pretty spectacular views for it.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTHn6Y-4fXthj8aOifR5tPDL44PFxTjUMiQpBTEO5t89Th0n9hDVBDrrkVz99SMxZ9taakgu-ZkKiHEt_Tq6gxfsu-3IXDocR4LUgjrlSf8R8lMQkvs7Hk_KbNfxKGXQsDyXJn-dKh3p6/s1600/IMG_3483.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlTHn6Y-4fXthj8aOifR5tPDL44PFxTjUMiQpBTEO5t89Th0n9hDVBDrrkVz99SMxZ9taakgu-ZkKiHEt_Tq6gxfsu-3IXDocR4LUgjrlSf8R8lMQkvs7Hk_KbNfxKGXQsDyXJn-dKh3p6/s400/IMG_3483.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">View from a lookout higher up</td></tr>
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Near the top I finally made it to conifer forest where the warblers could be found. Not surprising for the time of day, both stops were virtually dead of bird activity. Well, I couldn't push my luck too far I suppose. I ate a can of soup for supper and enjoyed the quiet woods before heading back down to get in position for herping.</div>
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As I got back down to the desert the day was wearing away and storm clouds were building over the mountains. This all lined up perfectly for my herping plans. The idea was to head off down a back road through good habitat and wait for night to fall and the storm to pass. Once it did, I would drive it back in towards down and then drive some of the paved roads once the traffic died off. Perfect!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lVIu4rBK-U06j8PKh6_sd71bzv6vGmvND-dsQq6AIfycfnwTLUGia4GnhOhyphenhyphenu11IX34d1fewjSwIAD-Xgt6OuvcmL3gz2pXw62PCzEJ43lzmvQQhnOcyDE8BeczkbR6wVjhdu7rovHhZ/s1600/IMG_3486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5lVIu4rBK-U06j8PKh6_sd71bzv6vGmvND-dsQq6AIfycfnwTLUGia4GnhOhyphenhyphenu11IX34d1fewjSwIAD-Xgt6OuvcmL3gz2pXw62PCzEJ43lzmvQQhnOcyDE8BeczkbR6wVjhdu7rovHhZ/s400/IMG_3486.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Sunset on the Sonoran</td></tr>
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I followed the road to just before a big wash then got out to wait. Suddenly flicker flew in to a saguaro right by the road, and the flicker had yellow under-wings. I'd heard some flickers in the desert earlier in the trip that were likely Gilded by habitat, but this was the first one I'd actually got eyes on (except perhaps for the <a href="http://markdorriesfield.blogspot.ca/2016/05/mojave-roadtrip-part-2-southern-nevada.html" target="_blank">one that got away</a> in Nevada). So another lifer for the day!<br />
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Eventually it got dark and the storm hit. I had been hoping for a roving storm that would get the ground wet and then move along so all the snakes would come out to play, but unfortunately it had different ideas. I stayed in the humid car as the rain pounded for over an hour, biding my time until I could hit the road and find some critters. By then it hadn't quite stopped but had let up a bit, but I was eager get out so I started to cruise.<br />
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But as they say: "The best laid plans of mice and men..." Not far down the road I saw truck headlights parked opposite a raging torrent. Of course, rain in the desert causes flash floods, and having one in between me and the main road put a quick end to my plans. Stupid of me for not anticipating this scenario! After a while the truck decided the waters had gone down enough for it and with a bit of a run crossed the wash, then he stopped beside me and warned me about taking my sedan through it. I told him I wasn't thinking of it, and instead was prepared to spend the night reclined in the passenger seat with the 4-ways on haha.<br />
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A few other trucks coming back from town forded the wash, but I settled in to sleep. A couple hours later I woke up to find the waters had finally subsided, so with some sleep under my belt I was finally able to get some road cruising in. I drove out to the paved road, then spent the next few hours around the outskirts of Tucson before cruising my way back to Madera Canyon. I saw a number of the ever-present toads, but sadly in the reptile department my only find was this dead-on-road Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmdFMNv3nU7wLT1MwqJGdCX8bzY6UrXWWXPproX3Td63IJPA75zsIDuHk3OP0GWNwyByztCSeQdYXae_mWgbswU0m2R0F8G85Z5OJPB2xSN5n6bZELi9Z8Ith0SLzx3sMkwjzVY_735Eg/s1600/IMG_3501.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihmdFMNv3nU7wLT1MwqJGdCX8bzY6UrXWWXPproX3Td63IJPA75zsIDuHk3OP0GWNwyByztCSeQdYXae_mWgbswU0m2R0F8G85Z5OJPB2xSN5n6bZELi9Z8Ith0SLzx3sMkwjzVY_735Eg/s400/IMG_3501.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dead-on-road Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake</td></tr>
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Although the herping wasn't terribly productive the day overall was a huge success. I'd connected with over half of my remaining target birds plus the bonus bunting, got to see the world from the top of Mount Lemmon, learned a good lesson about flash flooding, and was now in position to spend my last whole day birding Madera Canyon.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-83642706720546026562017-01-09T09:53:00.001-05:002017-01-19T08:20:38.806-05:00Listing Blitz: Part 1<div class="separator" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">I posted this
one a while back and it disappeared on me, so I’ve had to re-write it. I wonder
how close it is to the original haha. If you read it the first time you won’t
gain much by reading it again, but if you missed the first one then here we go:<br />
<br />
July 30, 2016 continued</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, serif;">After spending a great couple days in the Huachucas, I headed back
west towards Tucson for the last couple days in the Southeast. Since it was
still early in the afternoon when I left Miller Canyon I decided to take the
long way, around the south end of the Santa Ritas, and try for a few missing
life birds on the way.<br />
<br />
On this loop I learned a valuable lesson in researching specific directions
before heading on a quest like this. My first planned stop was the
Patagonia-Sonoita Creek Preserve, which is one of the most reliable locations
in North America for Thick-billed Kingbird and Violet-crowned Hummingbird.
According to my map the preserve was just off the main highway, so it couldn't
be that hard to find, could it? You would think not, but I came and passed the
community of Patagonia without any sign or turnoff for the preserve. I thought
maybe it was further down, but as I kept driving there was still couldn’t find
it. I could have turned around and tried to look again, but I’d been thinking
of coming back the next morning anyways when the birds would be more active, so
I kept on going.<br />
<br />
The highway took me down to Nogales by the Mexican border, and after driving
through a border patrol stop with drug dogs and the whole nine yards I continued
north to Rio Rico. Standing water in the fields around here was supposed to be
good for Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, and Tropical Kingbirds were found along
this stretch of highway as well. Following a similar trend, I hadn’t looked up
where exactly these fields were, but I thought it would be straight forward.
The fields just off the exit had no water in them, so I kept going down the
road looking for more promising habitat. This took me through thick mesquite
habitat, not ideal for ducks! But there were lots of colourful birds like
Yellow-breasted Chats, Blue Grosbeaks, Northern Cardinals, and Summer Tanagers
singing and flitting around which were nice to see. An adult Gray Hawk teed up
for me on a hydro pole posed for a photo. </span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtZwqHou8Chirq1Rlh9TBPcXcp92tbeGrc0Bh0nDJ_K0-nX7DBiLKl65A9o1JhDIey4qtPzhLM1t91eKApqKwRpFvObvFaKzwLUfeGmO0kNt4mYHojAzkYhCBQMmbhW7-EnVC_zTXRgb0/s1600/IMG_3448.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRtZwqHou8Chirq1Rlh9TBPcXcp92tbeGrc0Bh0nDJ_K0-nX7DBiLKl65A9o1JhDIey4qtPzhLM1t91eKApqKwRpFvObvFaKzwLUfeGmO0kNt4mYHojAzkYhCBQMmbhW7-EnVC_zTXRgb0/s400/IMG_3448.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Gray Hawk</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I stopped for each kingbird I saw on a
wire, but I couldn’t transform any of the Westerns or Cassin’s into a Tropical
one. However, at one of these stops I spotted a couple raptors soaring
overhead. The lower bird was a Red-tail, but the second looked like it might
have been the reason I’d been scanning every single Turkey Vulture for the past
week. I got the scope out, and although it was very high and the overcast light
was dull I was able to make out a dark hawk with gray flight feathers and a
striped tail, flying with a dihedral. Not the best view of my lifer Zone-tailed
Hawk, but I was happy to get the bird under my belt anyways.<br />
<br />
The road looped back to the highway without me seeing either my duck or
kingbird targets, so I continued north to the Amado Water Treatment Plant. It
wasn’t anything special with only a single pond, but that pond was exactly
where it was supposed to be, as was a Neotropic Cormorant that was sitting on
some of the equipment. Tick!<br />
<br />
From there I stopped in at a Green Valley McDonalds to bum some wifi and plan for
the next day. The first thing I looked up was how to actually get to the
Patagonia Preserve, and learned that you had to drive off the highway into the
community, then take a back road in. Good to know! Next I evaluated my “hit
list” to see where I was sitting with my target birds. I’d done really well so
far, having tallied 37 lifers in the past 8 days, but there were still a
handful of birds left. These included the whistling duck, kingbirds, and hummer
I’d fumbled on that afternoon, as well as Harris’s and Common Black-Hawks, Inca
and Common Ground-Doves, Elf and Whiskered Screech-Owls, Plain-capped
Starthroat, Gilded Flicker (none visually confirmed yet), Chihuahuan Raven,
Black-capped Gnatcatcher, and Olive Warbler. I only had 2 full days left, and
I’d already set aside my last full day to spend hiking in Madera Canyon. So, that
meant I only had the evening plus the next day to do as much damage to the list
as I could. I did a bit of eBird research, made some plans, and then headed to
Madera Canyon for the evening to try for owls.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">When I got there I stopped to watch the
hummers a while at the Santa Rita Lodge. Always a nice way to relax after a
long day! But I wasn’t only relaxing, because I also hoped I’d get to see the
Plain-capped Starthroat that had been coming to the feeders for the last couple
weeks. The bird showed up daily, but not often and always briefly, and I’d
struck out on this big hummingbird on my previous visit. I spent the better
part of an hour and enjoyed the usual Broad-bills, Black-chins, and a pair of
Magnificents, but no Mexican vagrant made its presence known. I did get a
blurry photo of the male Magnificent though. They’re really neat since in most
lighting the head looks black, but when it hits them just right bam! Purple on
top and emerald on bottom. Gorgeous!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbbXFRJvhNtE-j_-czEhq9splgLueQvKcG4ZEkCaPSEZOztunjSVEZOXW6m4tuRN2hTAcnF5lLEAJ3se6or_wTg7ZAkglJ-WhGplrL32ZZ2DDXVcWlkPxVVzYVU3-zIvqKd9IxW37Tbja/s1600/IMG_3451.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbbXFRJvhNtE-j_-czEhq9splgLueQvKcG4ZEkCaPSEZOztunjSVEZOXW6m4tuRN2hTAcnF5lLEAJ3se6or_wTg7ZAkglJ-WhGplrL32ZZ2DDXVcWlkPxVVzYVU3-zIvqKd9IxW37Tbja/s400/IMG_3451.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: small;">Blurry male Magnificent Hummingbird, head-on</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">By 7:30 it was starting to get dark, so I
headed up canyon to start listening for owls. I got to the top of the road and
walked and listened a while, but it was silent with neither owl nor nightjar
calling to the twilight. Next I tried at the amphitheatre, and a couple there
had just heard a Whiskered Screech-Owl sing 10 minutes before. Sweet, hope! I
stood and listened, and maybe another 10 minutes later I caught the faint bark-like
calls of an owl coming from far up-slope. Elf Owl! It was the kind of distance
where you’re not quite sure if you heard it or not, but as time went on I kept
catching snatches of call, so I hiked down the trail and up the slope towards
the call. Eventually I clambered right underneath the tree the owl was barking
from. As I was trying to get a glimpse of the bird I slipped on the steep
slope, and the noise frightened the bird off. Damn, so close!<br />
<br />
From there I climbed back down to the path in the hopes of hearing it again. As
I wandered I saw some eye-shine through the trees, and getting closer I saw the
big brown eyes of a Ringtail staring back at me. These nocturnal creatures are
slimmer than their Raccoon cousins, with little round ears and a long, striped
tail that gives them their name. They range all throughout the arid southwest
including Nevada, but this was the first time I’d laid eyes on one. I got to
watch it for the better part of 20 minutes as it foraged through the leaf
litter and munched on something or other I couldn’t make out. I even got some
video clips of it in the beam of my headlamp, but unfortunately most video
players (Youtube included) can’t make anything out on them. It’s really too
bad, since on the camera screen you could see it alright. Ah well, still really
cool to get to see one of these nocturnal guys.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
The owl didn’t return, so I tried a couple more spots further down the canyon.
I didn’t have luck there, but as I checked some recordings I discovered that
Whiskered Screech-Owls can also make a bark type call. While the Elf Owl
recording was definitely sharper and higher, in hindsight I couldn’t remember
how my bird from earlier in the night had sounded. No longer confident with my
call from, I went back to the amphitheater and hoped I could clarify the ID.<br />
<br />
When waiting and listening at night time always seems to pass by slowly. But it
seems to do so even more so when you don’t want to “cheat” and play a tape, so
you’re just listening to the silence and praying that your owl will cooperate.
Well after 20 minutes of that I finally heard an owl, and like I suspected it didn’t
sound quite right for Elf Owl. Over the next 40 minutes 2 birds occasionally called
back and forth, and I also wandered back and forth through the woods trying to
follow them and get a look. They weren’t THAT cooperative, but they did give me
some other vocalizations that made the cut for the screech-owl. Although the
bird from before may have been an Elf, I took it off my list and substituted it
for the screech for now.<br />
<br />
By this time it was 10:30pm, not super late but I was feeling tired after a
long day. I had been thinking of herping as well, but I made the game time
decision to call it a night early. The owls weren’t very talkative anyway, so I
figured I’d get a bit of sleep, try again for Elf Owl in the wee hours of the
morning, then road-cruise my way down back to Patagonia for dawn to begin my
day of full-on listing.</span></span></div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-21471556773873678172017-01-04T09:00:00.001-05:002017-01-13T06:51:29.849-05:00Last Days in the Huachucas: Hunter and Miller Canyons<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
July 30, 2016 continued</div>
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After spending the beginning of the day at Ramsey Canyon, I thought I would use the afternoon to check out Hunter Canyon. This canyon is much less birded than some of the other canyons in the range, and as a change of pace I decided to just head there without doing any research beforehand. Most of the other stops on my trip had been planned quite meticulously using eBird and trip reports, and as a result I knew what birds to expect at each location and what targets to look for. While this made for an efficient trip (I'd got 33 life birds in the first 6 days), it definitely took the surprise out of my finds. So at this point in my trip an outing of exploration rather than questing sounded refreshing, and off I went.</div>
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The afternoon was overcast, and as I drove up the road to the canyon with thick shrubs on either side my first Gray Fox leaped across the road in front of me. It was a pretty brief look, but definitely a gray fox with a black tip on the tail. They're found in Nevada too and I'd seen probable tracks before, but it was nice to finally connect with the animal.<br />
<br />
At the end of the road I parked at the trail head and started hiking up canyon. Here as well the area was covered an shrubbery, and the Spotted Towhees clearly loved it. Otherwise most of the birds were quiet. Further up the trail was a stand of trees around the dry creek bed, and there I followed some sharp flycatcher notes. When I found the bird I was surprised to see a small flycatcher with an orange-washed breast: Buff-breasted Flycatcher! I had been going to try for these cute flycatchers at Carr Canyon before my car decided not to, so it was great to find them here. Plus the find was definitely more satisfying without knowing they were here to find!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04XxQS_7m9PhE5NEOc1Bbxb0roaLjjYKavV0YanF-B2E_kZaHo9A2hl5m8O3pcVyzJ_tnPjujtcYd_9wONhe_8Az6EEykKx5fWOKf1JQonFBx9V59dapwRlgft8o-UFFrvoJnI5EsWC_i/s1600/IMG_3398.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04XxQS_7m9PhE5NEOc1Bbxb0roaLjjYKavV0YanF-B2E_kZaHo9A2hl5m8O3pcVyzJ_tnPjujtcYd_9wONhe_8Az6EEykKx5fWOKf1JQonFBx9V59dapwRlgft8o-UFFrvoJnI5EsWC_i/s400/IMG_3398.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trees around the shrubby creek, Hunter Canyon</td></tr>
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Although things didn't seem super jumping at first, gradually I pulled together a nice <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30973341" target="_blank">list</a> of birds. Up ahead I found 3 more Buff-breasted Flys, along with a handful of hummingbirds (always nice to see them away from feeders) and my 3rd ever Band-tailed Pigeons, which I hadn't seen since the year before. The other main highlight were my lifer couple of Greater Pewees I discovered in the pines on my way back down, the other high elevation flycatcher I'd hoped to get at Carr Canyon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH5AqTA1rdla8TWBHWsU6AngjlCWstZO1oBp68nDd-lhSsXD5Ne_06KHLJs4ObI6qdA5d0SRzTe4gQNVkuJAPGfiUXRDJNPf-MI2blgvXomAMgHZGQPlwD_8-1rtRnwifGiSwoUsNYgZh/s1600/IMG_3405.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisH5AqTA1rdla8TWBHWsU6AngjlCWstZO1oBp68nDd-lhSsXD5Ne_06KHLJs4ObI6qdA5d0SRzTe4gQNVkuJAPGfiUXRDJNPf-MI2blgvXomAMgHZGQPlwD_8-1rtRnwifGiSwoUsNYgZh/s400/IMG_3405.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pines up the canyon</td></tr>
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As I worked my way back a bit of a monsoon shower came across the valley. Instead of continuing to hike in the rain I made a bit of a shelter in a shrub with my rain jacket which worked surprisingly well.<br />
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The rain didn't last too long, but many other systems were working their way across the landscape and I worked my way back to the car before another one hit.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6IH1XV9CNsmjXVrTkgSzVAWBWgZHOG8pJUdzHY_g7dyhZdxhrJnIq_RwQsl3YaYX9oyEbnhcQDOuCEDOPjZBrSE-HyyWn_6Nx9uUDzYd8FKXeOWnIQ0MP8j-HJYcFplETVVFfFaTAQkZ/s1600/IMG_3407.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM6IH1XV9CNsmjXVrTkgSzVAWBWgZHOG8pJUdzHY_g7dyhZdxhrJnIq_RwQsl3YaYX9oyEbnhcQDOuCEDOPjZBrSE-HyyWn_6Nx9uUDzYd8FKXeOWnIQ0MP8j-HJYcFplETVVFfFaTAQkZ/s400/IMG_3407.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another monsoon storm moving across the flats below</td></tr>
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I got back to the parking lot just as a more persistent rain came in. As I was about to leave another car pulled up, and it was the couple of birders I'd met taking recordings of the Tufted Flycatcher in Ramsey Canyon earlier that day. He drove up and asked if I'd got the bird. <i>Shoot</i> I though, <i>what bird? </i>Quickly I remembered a report of a Rufous-capped Warbler from one of these other canyons, and asked if this was the canyon where it had been seen. It was. Well, birding without reports is satisfying, but you do miss stuff that way! I told him that although I hadn't been looking for it, the birds had been pretty quiet and I hadn't heard it singing at least. (What I didn't tell him was that I didn't know what their song sounded like, but I was confident there had been no singing birds that had stumped me...). He said they'd probably come back in the morning, and I planned on trying then as well.<br />
<br />
Since it was late in the afternoon and raining as well, I headed into town for some McDonalds wifi to plan the next couple days of my trip. After plans were made I came back and camped off a side road in Hunter Canyon, ready to begin questing again the next morning.<br />
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July 30, 2016</div>
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In the morning I was at the trail head just after dawn, and as I arrived I saw the 2 other birders just ahead disappear up the trail. I caught up with them, and as we neared the copse of trees we heard a series of chips. The other birder spotted the bird first, and soon we got some better than expected views of the skulky Mexican warbler. It even got up to sing for us numerous times, and I got a clip of it with my camera at full zoom. The sound's decent at least, and when it turns its head you can sort of make out its yellow face and rufous cap.</div>
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The other birder had a proper camera as well as his parabolic mic, so he got both some nice photos and audio recordings. It was at this point when I realized that after seeing these birders three times in the past 2 days, I still hadn't actually introduced myself. So I did, and it turned out the guy with the mic was Jay McGowan, a specialist at Cornell's Macaulay Library. Pretty cool, and it explained the heavy duty recording equipment!<br />
<br />
I birded up and down the canyon again and saw most of the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30973528" target="_blank">same species</a> I had the afternoon before. On my way back I came across the singing Rufous-capped Warbler again, but this time it was with a mate, and I got point black views of the two of them just off the trail.<br />
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Next I headed one canyon to the north, Miller Canyon. This was the last major canyon I'd yet to visit, and I planned to hike up and see what birds or snakes I could find. No real targets here, although what is likely the world's most-seen family of Mexican Spotted Owls lived just up the trail. The Beatty's at their guest ranch at the base of the trail will apparently take you right to the birds if you want, but that sounded to easy so I hiked up myself. They weren't supposed to be too hard to find, and if I missed them it wouldn't be the end of the world.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiS8JzQvF5FX9xXtigcxesdV1ur5Sf2KrWuAxYZDgkAEdsVDMbfg3Xx_zkM4EXZ64-BBdHoPdwYHcJDKn47SHb8ZatQjWfthyphenhyphenTUKmwfgawcbCu_MgJtQFQo6vzBd3uWeznpwH5L1V-gz7/s1600/IMG_3412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiS8JzQvF5FX9xXtigcxesdV1ur5Sf2KrWuAxYZDgkAEdsVDMbfg3Xx_zkM4EXZ64-BBdHoPdwYHcJDKn47SHb8ZatQjWfthyphenhyphenTUKmwfgawcbCu_MgJtQFQo6vzBd3uWeznpwH5L1V-gz7/s400/IMG_3412.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Base of Miller Canyon</td></tr>
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After I'd passed the more open area at the bottom and entered the treed canyon I ran into a group of 3 birders. I decided to be social and introduce myself this time, and they turned out to be Joe Woodley, a local who lived just down the canyon, and his friends Rick and Cindy from Sierra Vista. Joe was scouting for a field trip he was leading for the upcoming Sierra Vista Birding Festival, and he said I was more than welcome to join them. So I did end up having a guide after all! A ways up-canyon we met one of the Beatty's was coming back down with his hounds as well as a couple folks he'd just showed the owls too. He gave us some tips, and soon I got my first view of a Mexican Spotted Owl.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2V3KUh3lT96JwrESZ8Xwjkrk3EILJaAZWyGfKDCZ_8diF506taGJZNV2F_Lw7Bham_jOtcCVDYyg8cQOopOMZr_6pnX7dZ5C-rR0ekcGcv-7eaZftkgGxgFj6K9u1W6agqtBqpUGjRujs/s1600/IMG_3417.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2V3KUh3lT96JwrESZ8Xwjkrk3EILJaAZWyGfKDCZ_8diF506taGJZNV2F_Lw7Bham_jOtcCVDYyg8cQOopOMZr_6pnX7dZ5C-rR0ekcGcv-7eaZftkgGxgFj6K9u1W6agqtBqpUGjRujs/s400/IMG_3417.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult Mexican Spotted Owl</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
There were apparently a couple fledgelings around as well, but we only saw one of them. Baby owls are always super cute, and there's something of the deep, dark eyes of the <i>Strix</i> owls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUsL6tLyZEWOYxnIx-9HUa8eDkhUR_0g15UrV_dHogwUl8cLTFbhlJO10X_lu93msYVJr_lV0lrxWqF3w-3TuqyfI6xYNNYvZPMY7BZHz2kyJkR0vE6kGb_5xH1GsltvhdHjfi5l5NMRu/s1600/IMG_3418.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjUsL6tLyZEWOYxnIx-9HUa8eDkhUR_0g15UrV_dHogwUl8cLTFbhlJO10X_lu93msYVJr_lV0lrxWqF3w-3TuqyfI6xYNNYvZPMY7BZHz2kyJkR0vE6kGb_5xH1GsltvhdHjfi5l5NMRu/s400/IMG_3418.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Spotted Owl Fledgeling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Also in the maples nearby we had a number of singing Red-faced Warblers, Painted Redstarts, and a nice couple of Hepatic Tangers. A singing Orange-crowned Warbler took me a second to ID out of context; must have been an early migrant. It was great birding with these locals, they clearly had a huge amount of knowledge about the birds and wildlife at Miller and it was really interesting hearing about the various birds that had been found in the canyon over the years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wN3ZrfoxCpEC6uvdoCf6DEVXRiVDO35rZdcHfm5WUNVEcccOGHUx6db_GtchgSJhwBH5vtYdoKk2liAoENIR7QGM8qIS-yF9rXcY_p3McVfxXl6nG_e8gLTkpWI7X-bMjGRsBckdUNi3/s1600/IMG_3428.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9wN3ZrfoxCpEC6uvdoCf6DEVXRiVDO35rZdcHfm5WUNVEcccOGHUx6db_GtchgSJhwBH5vtYdoKk2liAoENIR7QGM8qIS-yF9rXcY_p3McVfxXl6nG_e8gLTkpWI7X-bMjGRsBckdUNi3/s400/IMG_3428.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunny, open maple-pine forest</td></tr>
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<br />
Eventually we came to the end of their route, so I left them to continue up higher, Yarrow's Spiny Lizards always seem to be around to photograph, so here's another one.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtdKrz8UcgaNf-yfprnTGbijB2hguwwVYFz480oL7lWJjUfZOTs4kcVt6-CyoN3FsBUl9HVIhXZmlMH5np1Jm_5TqzY0F9b4s2XmLrpBbbsqQc-ghbZmPFZIKrqYAb_d_HPaVNp4Rgy1R/s1600/IMG_3429.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHtdKrz8UcgaNf-yfprnTGbijB2hguwwVYFz480oL7lWJjUfZOTs4kcVt6-CyoN3FsBUl9HVIhXZmlMH5np1Jm_5TqzY0F9b4s2XmLrpBbbsqQc-ghbZmPFZIKrqYAb_d_HPaVNp4Rgy1R/s400/IMG_3429.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yarrow's Spiny Lizard</td></tr>
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Further up the a landscape opened up a bit, looking fairly similar to Hunter Canyon with its shrubby hillsides and pine snags about. Similarly, I had a Greater Pewee "pip-pip"ing here as well.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoJ8GxJ4Sil5lyQNelbrww2aoL7v1HJCjRbnHa3qu4JFfCSK6Q-DLgpJASIIhYCBCVdFZ58SeaBL4O7Mky9TXLmWAa9HUO7BUdcSZ8fs4pQpFgDB4YgLJmfi4LlQy26wPEXPvnDq75jUs/s1600/IMG_3432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFoJ8GxJ4Sil5lyQNelbrww2aoL7v1HJCjRbnHa3qu4JFfCSK6Q-DLgpJASIIhYCBCVdFZ58SeaBL4O7Mky9TXLmWAa9HUO7BUdcSZ8fs4pQpFgDB4YgLJmfi4LlQy26wPEXPvnDq75jUs/s400/IMG_3432.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountainside in Miller Canyon</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq7qveUtxLFq0ajBveVIDOaoxqg5VVobY1ssMk0tV538rxhsI_RfdRjwzibM0WJ0g0PnKZdj9lgQ7aRN466DW_9vG012DiDFM65A75CGtdUcufJMuBZO4Yicf4ybKciXcFOsYcXBk1BDz/s1600/IMG_3433.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPq7qveUtxLFq0ajBveVIDOaoxqg5VVobY1ssMk0tV538rxhsI_RfdRjwzibM0WJ0g0PnKZdj9lgQ7aRN466DW_9vG012DiDFM65A75CGtdUcufJMuBZO4Yicf4ybKciXcFOsYcXBk1BDz/s400/IMG_3433.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View down the canyon</td></tr>
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I didn't luck into any snakes this time around, but it was a beautiful place to explore. On the way back down I heard a strange call and discovered this juvenile Northern Pygmy-Owl! I'd heard them in many of the canyons on this trip, but this was the first of these petite owls I'd gotten a look at. It flew from its snag across the trail and I was able to find one of its parents as well. Such tiny owls, apparently they're pretty feisty and take birds the size of quail from time to time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN9LYFLOhz9zHRorsjbAilEbS_kfwux5xiUzjxq4KnNeAtClwPx-zMbnDiYUL4H3kRuMR-jrdXM6VZzqyb9NhdqYZpPoyyuI-dWzx00i7FArxsuAalLavothFyuu-mzraylEtO7K-58HS/s1600/IMG_3438.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwN9LYFLOhz9zHRorsjbAilEbS_kfwux5xiUzjxq4KnNeAtClwPx-zMbnDiYUL4H3kRuMR-jrdXM6VZzqyb9NhdqYZpPoyyuI-dWzx00i7FArxsuAalLavothFyuu-mzraylEtO7K-58HS/s400/IMG_3438.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Pygmy-Owl Fledgeling</td></tr>
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I passed back through the maples and spent a bit more time with the Spotted Owls, then headed out of the canyon to the car. It was a nice <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30974608" target="_blank">outing</a> to end my time in the Huachucas, but from here I would spend the last couple days of my trip out around Tucson.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxzXZQh_K6TvX2AiInHmnNi65qUIbRwdpFjP4L9agVAYbUX9hRd4ZyDMECrXWAltKSfbPfGljRpbXSRz5c0pAw77wRLxeH_ebwR2gwNaZ_PjsWLJawu1B0pM6Tv2dhNPF6RoqM95MUnUU/s1600/IMG_3439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxzXZQh_K6TvX2AiInHmnNi65qUIbRwdpFjP4L9agVAYbUX9hRd4ZyDMECrXWAltKSfbPfGljRpbXSRz5c0pAw77wRLxeH_ebwR2gwNaZ_PjsWLJawu1B0pM6Tv2dhNPF6RoqM95MUnUU/s320/IMG_3439.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Trail through the maples and pines, Miller Canyon</td></tr>
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-19601589039593184692016-12-13T19:55:00.001-05:002016-12-14T10:34:09.043-05:00Black Serpent and a Devil Bird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
July 28, 2016</div>
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I woke up at dawn in a pulloff in the Santa Catalinas to a singing Cassin's Sparrow on the hillside. After a bit if work I spied the bird, and got to watch my 'sight lifer' giving its fluttering song flights, satisfying after only hearing my first ones east if the Chiricahuas. I didn't spend too long though, since the plan for the morning was to check out one of the local parks east of Tucson. The outskirts of the city are not very developed, and the parks and yards in the area are still covered in mesquite with the odd Saguaro sticking up above them. It'd be a pretty sweet place to live!<br />
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I arrived at Agua Caliente Park just after 7am and was excited to spend a bit of time birding the mesquite thickets. When I got there a local birding group was gathering for a walk, but I decided not to join them and instead wander around and find my own birds. It was nice to be back in this habitat, similar to some of our sites in Warm Springs in Nevada, although the vegetation was higher and denser since Warm Springs burned 5 years ago. I enjoyed tracking down familiar Bell's Vireos, Verdins, and Abert's Towhees as they crept through the shrubbery.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5hhe_zi-cUXBXjMIwIhp1yPxop6FtOwZb4J5xGa7YVJh15bwMpBHg6xJBVUr-Z2b765AfhaJtfTU8z6Xp5UsRrBgx7v9TqOt_BbLAvRcnCq-ViiDFkrlX5ZeW8e0pMQigd9s2Lsv7sLj/s1600/IMG_3274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG5hhe_zi-cUXBXjMIwIhp1yPxop6FtOwZb4J5xGa7YVJh15bwMpBHg6xJBVUr-Z2b765AfhaJtfTU8z6Xp5UsRrBgx7v9TqOt_BbLAvRcnCq-ViiDFkrlX5ZeW8e0pMQigd9s2Lsv7sLj/s400/IMG_3274.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Path through the Honey Mesquites</td></tr>
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Of course being in Arizona there were many species we don't get at Warms Springs, and Canyon Towhees gave me better looks than the one I'd seen a couple days before as they fed right off the path. This Gila Woodpecker taunted a park sign, since it was free to fly wherever it wanted.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8dYKldFIdYUfh_gushY3U8NBiyfC9mzD-WBH7ta1yjYMcyGQpeXIpTTB1Kyj1mK7o0Cn5A5iuc1daDTm56GE2h0CdAsjWdGtaNflgbh3dvRZdee-DoPBsCcUnXlW_fA1O3-71ixNgEJZ/s1600/IMG_3269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV8dYKldFIdYUfh_gushY3U8NBiyfC9mzD-WBH7ta1yjYMcyGQpeXIpTTB1Kyj1mK7o0Cn5A5iuc1daDTm56GE2h0CdAsjWdGtaNflgbh3dvRZdee-DoPBsCcUnXlW_fA1O3-71ixNgEJZ/s400/IMG_3269.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gila Woodpecker</td></tr>
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There was a pond in the middle of the park with a flock of Mallards feeding near the shore. I spent a while watching them, but eventually was satisfied none of them were the "Mexican" variety. I also briefly got my hopes up that some of the turtles floating in the water would be something new like Sonoran Mud Turtles, but it turns out wherever you go in North America people will release their pet Red-eared Sliders into the wild when they get sick of them.<br />
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A number <i>Washingtonia filifera </i>palms were planted around the pond and throughout the park. While native to the SW US in a few spots, they're planted almost everywhere else, and whether native or not they're a magnet for Hooded Orioles wherever they're found. These bright birds can be surprisingly hard to see as they sneek through the palm fronds, but their high 'weet' calls are a good way of tracking them down.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAN-Ijf1QLZlBnJi00V4YyqtC1-2r17zDpufjNkd6t-0EUWaTOlkFiidY1T4xzZH8MfPY8Jv98NB5P_vGmXgr9NVtPGi9rgFb8_Qg4_Ri5B_Ccbyph6cvKEGjAaAWhRBQxo0yS5FlS89b/s1600/IMG_3272.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfAN-Ijf1QLZlBnJi00V4YyqtC1-2r17zDpufjNkd6t-0EUWaTOlkFiidY1T4xzZH8MfPY8Jv98NB5P_vGmXgr9NVtPGi9rgFb8_Qg4_Ri5B_Ccbyph6cvKEGjAaAWhRBQxo0yS5FlS89b/s400/IMG_3272.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Planted palms along the trail</td></tr>
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These palms were also home to my first Ornate Tree Lizards, which although pretty plain looking do like to hang out on tree trunks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvYGvhX9wXlRcRgMN1Q1ljLYIn2jCMvqLyKS2w7mhTnsODMwTI1CdVfk8sqPHWVbr4LG25ZzTVRIgGrN4HSvDnWx5IC6G7jAi20BqYCZkm4KjGpD7Aaqfz5XMGkctumC-YUMdKw28UzKZ/s1600/IMG_3281.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvYGvhX9wXlRcRgMN1Q1ljLYIn2jCMvqLyKS2w7mhTnsODMwTI1CdVfk8sqPHWVbr4LG25ZzTVRIgGrN4HSvDnWx5IC6G7jAi20BqYCZkm4KjGpD7Aaqfz5XMGkctumC-YUMdKw28UzKZ/s400/IMG_3281.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ornate Tree Lizard</td></tr>
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Also nearby were a couple of my lifer Clark's Spiny Lizards, but my photos of them were pretty terrible.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZfQGGIzlowRfwVvQrabfX2u4L4TaQOKZ3Rvcc3LFAeGEeJuHUCDwjp4dY5b1zEkWH3N7qk3nzrMzDT3a6fDbhPMTMtUAnNO8wJnR4buMtwBkwbf37q7aTSDzkhFuwA-OHz2ydhPxojDJ/s1600/IMG_3276.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoZfQGGIzlowRfwVvQrabfX2u4L4TaQOKZ3Rvcc3LFAeGEeJuHUCDwjp4dY5b1zEkWH3N7qk3nzrMzDT3a6fDbhPMTMtUAnNO8wJnR4buMtwBkwbf37q7aTSDzkhFuwA-OHz2ydhPxojDJ/s400/IMG_3276.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clark's Spiny Lizard</td></tr>
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Further down I stopped to watch some whiptails scurrying around on the path, when all of a sudden a black snake shot out lightning fast from under a garbage can and made a go at one of them. Before I get a better look it retreated back underneath the can, so I wasn't quite sure what it was. Looking through my guide I saw that Mexican Black Kingsnakes make it into southern Arizona, and although the snake looked slimmer than I thought a kingsnake would be it was the only all-black snake I could think of. There was a bit of a gap underneath the garbage can the snake was coiled up, so I couldn't make out any more field marks.<br />
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Not long after the birding group made their way down the trail. I told them about the snake, and offered to try to get it out to give them a look (and get a better look myself). Some of them suggested that it might not be the best idea to go after it, but whatever it was I was cartain it was non-venomous, and after a bit of coaxing a long, lean snake escaped out the other side. It was a Coachwhip, but unlike the brown and red ones I'd seen in Nevada this gorgeous creature was almost entirely jet-black. Beautiful! Coachwhips are also notoriously quick, and with the group watching me I was at first hesitant on whether it would be acceptable to catch the snake in front of them. Unfortunately one cannot hesitate if one wants to catch a Coachwhip, and before I new it it had climbed up into the mesquite to safety and I had lost my chance at joining the infamous "Coachwhip Club." However, now it was sitting still and in the open, so we got some good looks at it as it draped itself over the limbs above us.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQMYlcUzQ440EutOKvwqgmsbItKjhrPRWN37KSJHIfpnYuxFBVCdSsUtEJqcXl0AJ17Rob4pqnI_MpHXFcIXeFKWPMoMxjq3EJPHn9kvq_Mfx5G60RYNZouUpsp6QkHHHse8pDMhIyPDz/s1600/IMG_3291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIQMYlcUzQ440EutOKvwqgmsbItKjhrPRWN37KSJHIfpnYuxFBVCdSsUtEJqcXl0AJ17Rob4pqnI_MpHXFcIXeFKWPMoMxjq3EJPHn9kvq_Mfx5G60RYNZouUpsp6QkHHHse8pDMhIyPDz/s400/IMG_3291.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coachwhip hanging in a mesquite. Check out the red on the lower belly</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8X_r25_5ZEmxhMF7Q8piC75iv68QF9GXauuasu3ELf2kabSFRumxKxPZFDGhtFf5vMESON4uo_9AG8Vf4t97CkRL12aDppeKYhlsG7vOGW2SA53TxP_EKK_LP2HzcYjOKuqtZCaFQFup9/s1600/IMG_3286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8X_r25_5ZEmxhMF7Q8piC75iv68QF9GXauuasu3ELf2kabSFRumxKxPZFDGhtFf5vMESON4uo_9AG8Vf4t97CkRL12aDppeKYhlsG7vOGW2SA53TxP_EKK_LP2HzcYjOKuqtZCaFQFup9/s400/IMG_3286.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of its head. Coachwhips super quick, and I was taught by the NBC<br />
crew that if you catch one, they WILL bite you (this consequently is how<br />
one joins the Coachwhip Club)</td></tr>
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After the snake sighting I walked out with the group and chatted with a couple of them about herping and birding in the area. As we were talking the group stopped, and the leader began to play the recording of a Northern Beardless-Tyrannulet. Before I could do much about it my life bird flew right in and posed meters from the group. While I got great views, I really hate using recordings to bring birds, so that definitely took away from the enjoyment of seeing this tiny little flycatcher. However, I still had a five days to find some of my own and get it off my 'dirty' list.<br />
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On my way out I passed by a couple cute Round-tailed Ground Squirrels, my 4th squirrely lifer of the trip and a great way to round out the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30972750" target="_blank">morning</a>. After leaving the park I drove into town to do some laundry and bum some internet, but soon I headed out east and south to spend the next few days in the Huachuca Range. This range is just above the Mexico border and was the last of the southeastern 'sky islands' I hadn't visited yet, with a number of famous canyons I'd yet to explore.<br />
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My destination for the afternoon was Ash Canyon, more specifically Ash Canyon B & B. The owner Mary Jo has a large feeder set-up like many places in the area, but her's is one of the most reliable spots for Lucifer Hummingbird.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKKPCyQCJlM1xziA3YcaT4tU6SILQYoakdza29fe22Nbni1rUq_v4PJR47_p1JtBKsbSVgNVx41GHufHGB1N0rKwLgU2L28yMuUw2wXm7Of5Of3t67-1EOwzGHJOKvxaVEVqmOO-g4DlM/s1600/IMG_3292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKKPCyQCJlM1xziA3YcaT4tU6SILQYoakdza29fe22Nbni1rUq_v4PJR47_p1JtBKsbSVgNVx41GHufHGB1N0rKwLgU2L28yMuUw2wXm7Of5Of3t67-1EOwzGHJOKvxaVEVqmOO-g4DlM/s400/IMG_3292.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash Canyon B & B</td></tr>
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Overall things weren't too busy, and most of the action involved a few bossy Anna's Hummingbirds scaring off the smaller Black-chins. Then about 20 minutes after I arrived some other birders there spotted the male Lucifer perched up on a bare branch, and we soon got some decent looks at it came in to feed a few times and showed off its long, curved bull and extensive purple gorget. A pretty spectacular hummer, it wouldn't hesitate to call it "devilishly good-looking."<br />
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Afterwards it disappeared (unfortunately right before a couple other birders arrived), and while we waited for it to return I headed over to the other side of the house where no one was watching the feeders. There I was able to add a couple Broad-billed Hummingbirds, a female Magnificent and female Calliope to bring the stop up to a respectable 6 species (the latter my first for the trip as well). There were plenty of other <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30972809" target="_blank">non-hummers</a> visiting the feeders and keeping us entertained, as well as some more whiptail lizards and some Rock Squirrels. Eventually the Lucifer did come back, and luckily the birders who missed it before were able to get some great looks and photos. Soon after I decided I'd seen what there was to see (and had sat on my butt for long enough), so I headed out to Carr Canyon for the evening.<br />
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Carr Canyon is one of the higher elevation canyons in the Huachucas, and it was supposed to be good for some high elevation species like Red-faced and Olive Warblers, Greater Pewees and Buff-breasted Flycatchers. I had read that the road up was supposed to be rough and "4WD recommended," but I figured I'd give it a shot with my rental Hyundai. The first part of the road was fine, and it gave a nice view of the highlands the canyon was nestled in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1RH5uV7jsWi4S0cmP5_b9f-hsU7bjEbkxeYUKEdGK2PVnEo-LMTyu-j-yfaO-UQg6kjYzgoxSh1xoU6nRxO1lUFYDFIlqx5iUiqT3s13Gf4k0ClKBNGnyic8H9SdnFfHM46IswK_9vQw/s1600/IMG_3299.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq1RH5uV7jsWi4S0cmP5_b9f-hsU7bjEbkxeYUKEdGK2PVnEo-LMTyu-j-yfaO-UQg6kjYzgoxSh1xoU6nRxO1lUFYDFIlqx5iUiqT3s13Gf4k0ClKBNGnyic8H9SdnFfHM46IswK_9vQw/s400/IMG_3299.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Highlands around Carr Canyon</td></tr>
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But as I reached the base of the highlands the road began to ascend in a series of steep switchbacks. Still it wasn't too rough, and taking it slow in low gear I gradually made my way up. Thankfully the road wasn't too busy, since there wasn't a lot of free space when other vehicles came by in the other direction (almost entirely trucks, jeeps, and SUVs I noticed). There was the occasional pull-off, and these gave increasingly spectacular views of the plain below.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXHDTA9aEeYBja3mVOPX6x39NhhbQ5LLqKJSMeky6Y8vt-wOoayxMh3gyJ2RDL7tGcdNJ7vu_UGprFZx3FrojpaNgkXST3BIw7weXrvsXoPZMaBnMM2BDiu7yufxHvaqJQukcpADI7Qto/s1600/IMG_3300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggXHDTA9aEeYBja3mVOPX6x39NhhbQ5LLqKJSMeky6Y8vt-wOoayxMh3gyJ2RDL7tGcdNJ7vu_UGprFZx3FrojpaNgkXST3BIw7weXrvsXoPZMaBnMM2BDiu7yufxHvaqJQukcpADI7Qto/s400/IMG_3300.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Sierra Vista from Carr Canyon Rd., with Century Plants in<br />
the foreground</td></tr>
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I'd made it most of the way to the campground when a woman coming the other way warned me of a truck up ahead that was half off the road. Apparently the driver had tried to drive on the shoulder to go past an incoming car instead pulling over safely and waiting, and had ended up stuck for their efforts. She assured my there was still enough room to get by, but I still didn't really like the sound of it. Besides the image giving me flashbacks, I thought that if a truck can get stuck avoiding traffic, my sedan certainly wouldn't have much of a chance. But still I kept on going to see how bad it would get.<br />
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Well it turned out I didn't even make it to the truck, since at the next bend some washouts had my car spinning her tires and rubbing her undercarriage on the road. While she probably could have made it, I wasn't sure how hard I wanted to push my rental and figured the safer thing would be to turn back around. I ended up backing up down to the last switchback where there was room to safely turn around, then made my way back to the lowlands.<br />
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Although it was too bad I couldn't make it to Carr Canyon, the drive was both scenic and a bit of an adventure. Plus there were plenty of other birding options in the area, and I decided instead to find a camp for the evening and then head to Ramsey Canyon the following morning. There were a couple sweet Mexican rarities hanging out there so reckoned it would be a good substitute. And man was it worth the change of plans...<br />
<br />Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-84978651982891344852016-11-30T19:00:00.000-05:002016-11-30T19:00:00.990-05:00July Showers bring Amphibious Critters<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
July 27, 2016</div>
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Before our crew went separate ways Dave took us up to see Meadview's namesake, the view of Lake Mead. Its bright blue water provided brilliant contrast with the barren rocky mountains looming around it .<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefqcBOYWMr4Zq3jwDveWCjLZxF8GZCPRtX2w05bgx3aRUziP_RAbHEpdnJQ8YoOlgZ1WI2TT_GzDMB-ZCSwqW5Tk0khTNnIjUswvlwP9MKaZ0oOImxIJNtcRdxDXjXVjnLCANN4u5H8PP/s1600/IMG_3195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefqcBOYWMr4Zq3jwDveWCjLZxF8GZCPRtX2w05bgx3aRUziP_RAbHEpdnJQ8YoOlgZ1WI2TT_GzDMB-ZCSwqW5Tk0khTNnIjUswvlwP9MKaZ0oOImxIJNtcRdxDXjXVjnLCANN4u5H8PP/s400/IMG_3195.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake Mead</td></tr>
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From the same vantage point I also got to see the Colorado River for the first time as it exited the west side of the Grand Canyon.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc810OVyomdLxZao089Af1QJcqnpsbKGtjV-FQMABM5br8WByBk45Uwpm-IVggkCPCC2mngW6tTsUZEHIzL0z-WWJpZraFgSB_dvX_7rNQ9cE9PBuwHnyWO9la7XM1H6vJzIP7ASZ8x4ZK/s1600/IMG_3199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc810OVyomdLxZao089Af1QJcqnpsbKGtjV-FQMABM5br8WByBk45Uwpm-IVggkCPCC2mngW6tTsUZEHIzL0z-WWJpZraFgSB_dvX_7rNQ9cE9PBuwHnyWO9la7XM1H6vJzIP7ASZ8x4ZK/s400/IMG_3199.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Colorado River and end of the Grand Canyon</td></tr>
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After saying our goodbyes Sally Suby carried my companions off towards Nevada, while my unnamed rental took me on the beginning of my first solo road trip. I was pretty tired to start off, but I decided to take the detour through Flagstaff and Oak Creek Canyon anyways. While it turned a six hour drive into 7 and a half, the route through the mountains was absolutely gorgeous, plus on a weekday it wouldn't be choked with tourists like last time we drove it. near Flagstaff, and I enjoyed my second drive through the mountains.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rPabR7ySp53baUTK2PR10Ebwskdk-rIl5lJc9UEo5SEI-O0ibfZ4C7gG84dlQ5q6C9foRe-tIjrsPN1bbZVUfT-rQOLrWLluUUdiNp1skiY-LJx1B1sN1DBAX9N1Qgqsk6sg7nfP35O_/s1600/IMG_3209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8rPabR7ySp53baUTK2PR10Ebwskdk-rIl5lJc9UEo5SEI-O0ibfZ4C7gG84dlQ5q6C9foRe-tIjrsPN1bbZVUfT-rQOLrWLluUUdiNp1skiY-LJx1B1sN1DBAX9N1Qgqsk6sg7nfP35O_/s400/IMG_3209.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oak Creek Canyon</td></tr>
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When I stopped in Phoenix to fill up on gas the car thermometer read 115°F (46°C), which was the officially the hottest temperature I'd ever experienced (although anything over 100°F its is just stinking hot). Luckily Tucson is at a higher elevation than the low desert of Phoenix, so it doesn't get that as hot. I arrived there around 6:30 that evening I was greeted with an absolutely wonderful sight: a rainstorm pounding the Santa Catalinas and coming my way. Rain on the desert and night falling seemed like the perfect equation for some good herping, so I eagerly headed up into the mountains to wait for the storm to pass and the critters to come out.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUK8dhQcWtBs7kleeyy76wPe9kOPnIOXccW8NT46FeGzmubHnj62MAsNhbrY_VzR7nI6wBLw_bhMSKskXjX5JKRvM0ngben4h3CpCVUk9LVSqJVwT68Xon1SRW_f7ohm5cpHk7DiOiqGv4/s1600/IMG_3213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUK8dhQcWtBs7kleeyy76wPe9kOPnIOXccW8NT46FeGzmubHnj62MAsNhbrY_VzR7nI6wBLw_bhMSKskXjX5JKRvM0ngben4h3CpCVUk9LVSqJVwT68Xon1SRW_f7ohm5cpHk7DiOiqGv4/s400/IMG_3213.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Storm clouds over the Santa Catalinas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHYo_CdpGG6jUELYCpiabQ6XSCwrYGbKdWQURCt3LaJNvDqaKpilK1-eWHJyx39IE2JWaRA2rOfnRJiI2am33t9KxCMbh0xi1p1cH0-1Fh-UKhfikltHlXogDVq8uwzd-N2JbPrl_aQv8/s1600/IMG_3216.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyHYo_CdpGG6jUELYCpiabQ6XSCwrYGbKdWQURCt3LaJNvDqaKpilK1-eWHJyx39IE2JWaRA2rOfnRJiI2am33t9KxCMbh0xi1p1cH0-1Fh-UKhfikltHlXogDVq8uwzd-N2JbPrl_aQv8/s400/IMG_3216.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NLhpyY-7aq-sAVpd_0C1171Bj_-GMsqzKDvRrCHMmTudICt_wo6SNiAky1UROOEzWDlPgx-NN2NIbvL7o2tlyClQf71EYLJw-U3Br5qusRJ91i6stS63ZVSR2iZ6d8s_WA_XN5-KSXSZ/s1600/IMG_3217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NLhpyY-7aq-sAVpd_0C1171Bj_-GMsqzKDvRrCHMmTudICt_wo6SNiAky1UROOEzWDlPgx-NN2NIbvL7o2tlyClQf71EYLJw-U3Br5qusRJ91i6stS63ZVSR2iZ6d8s_WA_XN5-KSXSZ/s400/IMG_3217.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for darkness</td></tr>
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After the sun set I made my way back down, and on my way a couple massive Sonoran Desert Toads that bounced across the road in my headlights. Once I hit pavement I soon got my first lifer of the night, a Red-spotted Toad.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZly1qUQmp-0IEl8uMKe0UMcypx2fukSC-HiRDkUvd6i1hxfIOxfRx6OxOrouUIgU-9RpGvnOgG5Ef1v3txgMK_Z5y4VjCe3Xi6ZbHZPHkzeeN0Q9VBdXBEFwQs2aCQLRAxOMsfzlwVqrh/s1600/IMG_3220.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZly1qUQmp-0IEl8uMKe0UMcypx2fukSC-HiRDkUvd6i1hxfIOxfRx6OxOrouUIgU-9RpGvnOgG5Ef1v3txgMK_Z5y4VjCe3Xi6ZbHZPHkzeeN0Q9VBdXBEFwQs2aCQLRAxOMsfzlwVqrh/s400/IMG_3220.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-spotted Toad</td></tr>
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Not long after I discovered this young Long-nosed Snake. Although this was a species I really wanted to see, when I got it off the road it was acting injured which really took the enjoyment out of the encounter. I checked it over and didn't see any obvious damage, but it was still acting fairly sluggish. Afterwards I read that they have a few defensive behaviours including writhing around and void the contents of their cloaca, so perhaps this was some other defense, sort of playing dead? Or maybe it was cold. Either way, I left it be and hoped it would be alright.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKHWUS9npVJt5r4sAfKQIPUoAnTqoh5J6CZ9eKxLF-2KDtE3ydkNs6dBFLW2_EvHXk3ApSTlcIBA4FSrxifbZZlaQyLII6l5mi4jMmSQPX7Z6dCUPGacxn3pJjy1ktod30mdHM0b64icY/s1600/IMG_3227.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXKHWUS9npVJt5r4sAfKQIPUoAnTqoh5J6CZ9eKxLF-2KDtE3ydkNs6dBFLW2_EvHXk3ApSTlcIBA4FSrxifbZZlaQyLII6l5mi4jMmSQPX7Z6dCUPGacxn3pJjy1ktod30mdHM0b64icY/s400/IMG_3227.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-nosed Snake</td></tr>
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The most common species of the night was Couch's Spadefoot, of which I stopped for over 10 and drove by many more. This species is sexually dimorphic, with the males sporting a more contrasting brown and yellow pattern while the females are a more muted green.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uc-nBm78KvKWg-wBaEMXH87Zz9H6OJmHMZJV63kV7XypmFlR2ytaDQA9ql59Om4d4iPMiCGBQga4NtkcNmrss9kLHQ6cpTGLMQjKso6sYwuAQqlVbKuKhNcVldYpTZ633lRKXXoNwCSN/s1600/IMG_3244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-uc-nBm78KvKWg-wBaEMXH87Zz9H6OJmHMZJV63kV7XypmFlR2ytaDQA9ql59Om4d4iPMiCGBQga4NtkcNmrss9kLHQ6cpTGLMQjKso6sYwuAQqlVbKuKhNcVldYpTZ633lRKXXoNwCSN/s400/IMG_3244.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male Couch's Spadefoot Toad</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBlVouspfJzKq0xPImCGuObn7wAYJtWPSQOmeZ2c9GDqVR61342oO72SmtQNSM6NSO-Z9q5BYiSmaKkqtxUWtaWXXoKOMLRmp3aKUhBMnyDU0iBT5Uab3qPJztUpJUu5h_sWiZ02nIafl/s1600/IMG_3256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBlVouspfJzKq0xPImCGuObn7wAYJtWPSQOmeZ2c9GDqVR61342oO72SmtQNSM6NSO-Z9q5BYiSmaKkqtxUWtaWXXoKOMLRmp3aKUhBMnyDU0iBT5Uab3qPJztUpJUu5h_sWiZ02nIafl/s400/IMG_3256.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female Couch's Spadefoot</td></tr>
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The "spades" of spadefoots are hard growths on their hind feet which aid in digging. Spadefoots spend much of their time buried underground, coming to the surface during wet periods when they breed. Couch's has a unique sickle-shaped spade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeqgAHqVM6uWYOpNYBzVNyAH9XcRXTEgRpLq5fzoggGOT_6Zs5OjFydCyefEGpVdlTSukGDmuiLGE82QitgBGhrIJcrWsSigzI3Lx8kIrE8F9O5zpR5FapVqxs8CbTcq0BIF-kC0z-pCj/s1600/IMG_3252.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSeqgAHqVM6uWYOpNYBzVNyAH9XcRXTEgRpLq5fzoggGOT_6Zs5OjFydCyefEGpVdlTSukGDmuiLGE82QitgBGhrIJcrWsSigzI3Lx8kIrE8F9O5zpR5FapVqxs8CbTcq0BIF-kC0z-pCj/s400/IMG_3252.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Couch's Spadefoot's sickle-shaped spade</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
The only other spadefoot I came across was this single Mexican Spadefoot. They're quite small with a more warty appearance and a more bug-eyed look than Couch's.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Lh3p4eKmGGOUgcujyptLtm0ZZoFCezaUdONZ3ZP1WDnmRpjTkQQNTdVykRYAY2_YFlvK0RZz7Pu5azNDQA4wNVxVRc0RbOk9LjgsYR9sT33gMX6sAjZbwPNypdQGx70Ot24nGANwgBrt/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Lh3p4eKmGGOUgcujyptLtm0ZZoFCezaUdONZ3ZP1WDnmRpjTkQQNTdVykRYAY2_YFlvK0RZz7Pu5azNDQA4wNVxVRc0RbOk9LjgsYR9sT33gMX6sAjZbwPNypdQGx70Ot24nGANwgBrt/s400/IMG_3259.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Spadefoot</td></tr>
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Their spade is more typical of the other spadefoot species, a smaller wedge.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyp0SzQPa054ywOy74qzbGeYOBxnenFzQZHhyphenhyphenRN85STw5pkj3VIe51DOq2IAvv9fhC1_ys5Mh4FNW68xb4XHIRZZeV12sIBPXel6eLAZrRt43ydhvcnrk3bk7PY5Y53zepmt97nH9Nt1K/s1600/IMG_3264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFyp0SzQPa054ywOy74qzbGeYOBxnenFzQZHhyphenhyphenRN85STw5pkj3VIe51DOq2IAvv9fhC1_ys5Mh4FNW68xb4XHIRZZeV12sIBPXel6eLAZrRt43ydhvcnrk3bk7PY5Y53zepmt97nH9Nt1K/s400/IMG_3264.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Spadefoot 'spade,' more typical triangle shape</td></tr>
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One one of the back roads I got a quick look of a pair of Antelope Jackrabbits in the headlights. No photos unfortunately, but these hares have ears that put the more common Black-tailed Jackrabbits to shame, they're ridiculously huge! Not simply to look silly, the large surface area helps them release excess heat for these desert-dwellers.<br />
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After some 4 hours of road cruising I'd turned up a few dozen toads of 4 species but only the one snake. I wasn't sure where they were at, but by midnight I'd given my second wind a solid run and spent over 12 hours driving, so I found a spot in the wilderness to crash for the night.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-71926021079729521342016-11-28T18:00:00.002-05:002017-04-06T12:07:56.938-04:00Desert Herping and the Wren Den<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
July 26, 2016</div>
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I woke up with the dawn in Tucson Mountain Park and was surprised with the intensity of the dawn chorus which greeted me. Unlike the last time we birded the desert when the birds were fairly quiet, this morning the air was full of birdsong and calls. Numerous Gila Woodpeckers churred from the cacti, Cactus Wrens chugged and scolded, White-winged Doves cooed from atop saquaros, and the whit-weets of Curve-billed Thrashers pierced the air from the thickets. This was the sound of the Sonoran!</div>
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After everyone woke up we packed up camp and wandered the campground a while. What was interesting was that the dawn chorus was just that, a chorus at dawn, which subsided within half an hour of beginning. By the time we started birding things had calmed down to much more sporadic vocalizations. It seems that since it heats up quick out here the birds sing their hearts our at first light then take it a bit easier, and this explained our quiet round of desert birding a couple days before.</div>
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Though things were quieter they <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971741" target="_blank">weren't quiet</a>, and we spent some quality time with the desert birds on our last day down south as a group. A singing Canyon Towhee was a lifer for me and made up for the one Ned got but we missed in the Santa Catalinas. Soon we followed a trail out of the campground proper and worked our way through the desert along a mesquite-lined wash. Many species of cholla were present, including some huge ones that were over head height.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cholla cacti in Tucson Mountain Park</td></tr>
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As we worked the wash a trio of raptors flushed low ahead of Ned and I and disappeared behind some mesquites. Considering the habitat we were in we had Harris's Hawks on the brain, and although our brief look didn't seem right we kept our hopes up end eyes peeled. Sure enough field marks and gut feelings are always more important than what you 'want' to see, and we were greeted by a family of Great Horned Owls further along. Had to keep trying!<br />
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Later on we heard the call of a Costa's Hummingbird as it flew over, which sound sort of like a tiny laser gun charging and firing. These birds can be tricky to find and it was only my second time encountering one. Unfortunately we didn't get to see it, but it was a great addition to my hummer list for the trip which was steadily building.</div>
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Our best find of the morning was found hiding under the shade of a creosote in an opening in the wash. I can't remember if I spotted it first or if Maebe drew our attention to it, but either way, under the shrub was one if the most regal of desert critters, a Regal Horned Lizard!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Regal Horned Lizard</td></tr>
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These guys are similar enough to the Desert Horned Lizards we have across Nevada, although they're diagnostic in that their large cranial horns touch at the bases which give them a triceratops-esque look. Check out those horns! Aside from rattlers and Gila Monsters these guys were at the top of my list of herps I wanted to find.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhceeRynANR6_Z3ulEDGapuYJmbSGo0tB3BdYzHIyq_xi2vOZ4HoGBEFzOBr6qDP2cP1OzZURCy2W4RXPf3WZOYJ4flOiJGEDWd-Hc3U0fV1Q32fKP8XuAcUjEZD49xD8drvZ7WF7SsyGO/s1600/IMG_3165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhceeRynANR6_Z3ulEDGapuYJmbSGo0tB3BdYzHIyq_xi2vOZ4HoGBEFzOBr6qDP2cP1OzZURCy2W4RXPf3WZOYJ4flOiJGEDWd-Hc3U0fV1Q32fKP8XuAcUjEZD49xD8drvZ7WF7SsyGO/s400/IMG_3165.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Close-up of those regal horns</td></tr>
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Soon after our lizard find we agreed it was time to leave the South behind and begin the long journey to Meadview. That night the plan was to visit our co-worker Dave Henderson and his wife Sandy at their place in the north of the state before the crew headed back to Nevada. After working with Dangerous Dave for one, two, or more seasons we had all heard many tales of his home in the middle of Arizona's largest Joshua Tree forest, so we were eager to see it for ourselves.</div>
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After a quick stop at Tania's for some breakfast burritos we hit the highway and were on our way (no B. Rex this time but just as delicious, I definitely recommend it if you're ever in Tucson). As we passed through Phoenix I picked up a rental car for the solo extention of my trip, then we caravanned in good time as the Sonoran disappeared behind us and we came back into the Mojave. By late afternoon we pulled up to the Henderson's and were greeted by Dave and his wife.<br />
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Their place is located in the desert south of Meadview, where the view from their porch looks over Joshua Tree desert and the Grand Wash Cliffs to the west, marking the end of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We had to admit it was a pretty nice view.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the desert and the Grand Wash Cliffs from Dave's place</td></tr>
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After catching up a bit and taking some much-needed showers, Dave took us on a tour of his property. He'd created a nice system of trails crisscrossing his piece of desert, with each trail delineated by its own colour of rocks. We also got to see his newly completed guest house, fondly named "The Wren Den."<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dave taking us on a tour<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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After our tour we were treated to some delicious pizza and eagerly shared our stories of the Southeast. We watched the sun set on the Grand Wash Cliffs and just generally enjoyed this comfortable end to the 4-day blitz we'd just completed. Once it was dark Dave showed us a couple of the Western Banded Geckos which hang out under the lid of his cistern. The juveniles are more strongly banded than the adults, which show more variable patterns of wavy stripes and spots.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juvenile and adult Western Banded Geckos</td></tr>
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Another aspect of Dave's home that was often boasted about was the abundance of Mojave Rattlesnakes. There were more venemous snakes in the area than non-venomous ones he would tell us, and the potent 'Mojave Greens" were the most common of the bunch. We were all pretty exhausted by that point in the evening, but since we had missed these snakes down south we couldn't give up the opportunity to give them one last try. I have to admit I wasn't too optimistic in finding one, especially since after days of driving we decided to walk the roads instead and would cover less ground. But boy was I happily surprised when Kelly spotted this beauty crossing the road in front of us! UPDATE: while the following information about Mojaves is correct, I've just had this snake re-IDd as a Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake. A different lifer!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mojave Rattlesnake -UPDATE: Actually a Western-Diamond-backed Rattlesnake</td></tr>
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These impressive snakes have one of the deadliest venoms of all North American snakes. While the venom of most rattlesnakes is haemotoxic and causes tissue damage, the Mojave's is rare in that it contains a neurotoxin as well. This so-called 'Mojave toxin' can cause paralysis and resulting respiratory failure in its victims, pretty intense! However like all rattlesnakes, as long as you give them a bit of space and don't antagonize them you won't be in danger; striking is a last resort. Our friend was pretty docile and retreated under a creosote.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hr7IrvIDyHv0UL-uaQYbTRopomV4biXm5ZJTgSTi9bgwV2oYOEXy3LUygsPaTeAnoDP_WsthqXHb0zFV5zfOO7MAxIvu9ipc3HcySWDVe7u8U_RFW0eoxE8EyTkvuS3XnxmhTKOS0fd1/s1600/IMG_3189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0hr7IrvIDyHv0UL-uaQYbTRopomV4biXm5ZJTgSTi9bgwV2oYOEXy3LUygsPaTeAnoDP_WsthqXHb0zFV5zfOO7MAxIvu9ipc3HcySWDVe7u8U_RFW0eoxE8EyTkvuS3XnxmhTKOS0fd1/s400/IMG_3189.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake sheltering under a creosote</td></tr>
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The snake was a great way to end the first part of my trip. A whirlwind four days through one of the birdiest places in the states with 3 amazing naturalists and good friends, it was a trip I won't soon forget! The next day Ned, Kayla and Kelly would head back to Nevada, while I would drive back down south again on my own to explore for another week and see what else I could find. </div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-24635594045252060492016-11-26T21:29:00.000-05:002017-03-24T11:17:52.251-04:00Over the Mountains, and Sonoran Night LifeJuly 25, 2016<br />
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Similar to the day before, a Mexican Whip was singing in the hours before dawn, but this time it was joined by another nocturnal lifer, a Northern Pygmy-Owl. The Mountain subspecies found in SE Arizona sings faster than more-northern pygmy-owls, sounding essentially the same as a Northern Saw-whet Owl. But, saw-whets aren't around in the mountain canyons in the summer while the pygmys are widespread, so we were able to make the ID.<br />
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The mountains behind us were brilliant in the morning light.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn in the Chiricahuas</td></tr>
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Kelly took Maebe for a walk first thing and heard the trogon call a couple times just down the road, but by the time I got there it had disappeared. After the rest of the crew woke up we decided to bird around camp a bit and search for the it while our tents dried out.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU59KIvQDKUo-9PTsNed8e7_6r_F16fZK3podeznJzVsbIn1HW3oen_JzhFsT6Gfh-z0Gd8RKQx8Ye4dtUbiWm9T5ZysVVTuOM-H45CdMedonXT-563yLcq8tmjKDiP7EO3Y62IqwvmDDR/s1600/IMG_3088.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU59KIvQDKUo-9PTsNed8e7_6r_F16fZK3podeznJzVsbIn1HW3oen_JzhFsT6Gfh-z0Gd8RKQx8Ye4dtUbiWm9T5ZysVVTuOM-H45CdMedonXT-563yLcq8tmjKDiP7EO3Y62IqwvmDDR/s400/IMG_3088.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoon aftermath</td></tr>
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Despite birding the area for a while things were pretty <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971518" target="_blank">quiet</a>, and we didn't find any new birds or our trogon quarry. Maebe made the most interesting find in the form of a skunk she chased down. Its spray got her a bit, and thereafter she was known as "Maebe the Skunk Dog." And apparently it was just a Striped Skunk, which was too bad since if it was a cool southern skunk like a Hooded or Hog-nosed it would have been more worth spending our time with a smelly pooch.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqh9R57lG7mybdWNxVBwH6moGrrF87cwRfqiR2VxdsQcZDbjkWb5wbE990vugBHdEUTR9vGJa9R50ZD5T5jcLyt__MCmAfDl6YJkAdMHJNardKDqFjso6OO0we24qBQtbYFILQ2eLXMXi6/s1600/DSC_0236.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqh9R57lG7mybdWNxVBwH6moGrrF87cwRfqiR2VxdsQcZDbjkWb5wbE990vugBHdEUTR9vGJa9R50ZD5T5jcLyt__MCmAfDl6YJkAdMHJNardKDqFjso6OO0we24qBQtbYFILQ2eLXMXi6/s400/DSC_0236.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maebe post-skunk<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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Just before we headed out to the South Fork I spotted this mantidfly on the bathroom door, my first time seeing one of these super cool insects! Not only do they look awesome with their raptorial forelegs, but they have fascinating life cycles. After they hatch, mantispid larvae find and climb onto a spider and wait until it lays eggs. Once the spider lays its clutch, the young mantispid enters the egg case and feeds on the spider eggs before they hatch.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJi0lCgs_snjENfoh08Z6D-z4_GNZh7MyLoyQgE_Jkd-aKyeYTsAopCiHnIDaY33dQr-Fw1WMU01KG69R3Etakt-dECKfVC3ZK0m7y0t0SroU8LnEBNSBtVaVDo2DFXR0xOFb4VnoBMA4R/s1600/IMG_3090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJi0lCgs_snjENfoh08Z6D-z4_GNZh7MyLoyQgE_Jkd-aKyeYTsAopCiHnIDaY33dQr-Fw1WMU01KG69R3Etakt-dECKfVC3ZK0m7y0t0SroU8LnEBNSBtVaVDo2DFXR0xOFb4VnoBMA4R/s400/IMG_3090.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mantidfly</td></tr>
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After a quick drive we made it to the South Fork Trail of Cave Creek, one of the most popular of the Chiricahuas' riparian birding areas. We had just started up the trail when back from the parking lot we heard the unmistakable, wild croaking of the jewel we were after. Elegant Trogon! We rushed after the call, and in the hurry through the brush I spied a male Magnificent Hummingbird perched on twig right in front of me before it flew off. Bam, this was Arizona birding! We traced the call to a group of tall pines near the dry creek, and as we arrived we saw a female trogon flush from near the top of one of them. Then the calling started up again, and we spied the male in the same tree. Partially obscured by branches, the bright red belly and white tail were clearly visible, and the body pumped in sync with the tropical-sounding croaks. Such an exotic bird, and between the sight and sound it made us feel like we were in the neotropics. I ran back to the car to get the scope for a better view, but by the time I got back it had flown off up cliff and taunted us as it continued to call.<br />
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After trying in vain to locate the bird again high up on the slope, we decided to bird our way up dry creek bed instead of heading back to the trail. Soon we heard the rubber-ducky calls of numerous Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers watched a Blue-throated Hummingbird hovering at the edge of the creek, showing off its wide black tail with white corners. It was really satisfying to get our lifer Magnificent and Blue-throateds out in 'the wild' like this, since a lot of the hummingbirding down here involves sitting in front of a dozen hummingbird feeders and waiting for them to fly in.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ziLL73AU2vpXYiYMQPxcNXatTennWlG9DsvycqYTQhi9Kq3sFZQzNnp59glwJNnChExaMGo7MCXqJuovYQB0szKC6KT8wKgBfObe_HSHNSA_C8sDkHmS-BgP1sBtEBhXQQZvQHO8_hnp/s1600/13686590_10208830884262391_2029001898793350595_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ziLL73AU2vpXYiYMQPxcNXatTennWlG9DsvycqYTQhi9Kq3sFZQzNnp59glwJNnChExaMGo7MCXqJuovYQB0szKC6KT8wKgBfObe_HSHNSA_C8sDkHmS-BgP1sBtEBhXQQZvQHO8_hnp/s400/13686590_10208830884262391_2029001898793350595_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birding Cave Creek<br />
Photo Credit: Kayla Henry</td></tr>
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High red cliffs reared up on either side of the canyon, and the descending whistles of Canyon Wrens echoed off the rocks. Definitely one of my favorite bird songs.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0ISRSWYUr035Snc7iddIbkUCP2dhrpLNnA1FJaYl9iDUPBjd6WfsMu_tdgzZHHb7jrTlmlMzgh_cxmnpnokioQyRqhz6Or8p1kIl4zu6zuqBOkAM67NNaNrbUMS1yk76vi3m_I94BIPv/s1600/IMG_3097.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0ISRSWYUr035Snc7iddIbkUCP2dhrpLNnA1FJaYl9iDUPBjd6WfsMu_tdgzZHHb7jrTlmlMzgh_cxmnpnokioQyRqhz6Or8p1kIl4zu6zuqBOkAM67NNaNrbUMS1yk76vi3m_I94BIPv/s400/IMG_3097.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canyon Wren haunts</td></tr>
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The trail gave us a <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971442" target="_blank">great dose</a> of SE Arizona riparian birding, and we spent a lot of time with many of the area's specialties that we had to leave behind the morning before. The mix of deciduous and coniferous trees in these canyons makes for a great variety of species, with leaf-loving birds like Acorn Woodpeckers, Dusky-capped and Sulphur-bellied Flycatchers and Bridled Titmice along with birds I usually consider higher-elevation species like Brown Creeper, Hermit Thrush, Black-throated Gray Warblers and Red Crossbill. Such great birding! On our way our we even nabbed one of the specialties we'd missed so far, a female Arizona Woodpecker.<br />
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In the non-avian department, Yarrow's Spiny Lizards were quite common, and we saw a few Mexican Fox Squirrels which outside of Mexico are only found in this mountain range.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8haVPtTcDLYuXlMc9SdBoC64BS26YW4I5OAb-DTyZptvEmkp-htfq1pjIAWPGaaKQ6_3_BmQtgn_JoYGLSDqOfxDTeXnqDBLvekex2v0ty-quS7iXsQemQZDJb_BDd0-oCYRCqd84cEn/s1600/IMG_3096.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz8haVPtTcDLYuXlMc9SdBoC64BS26YW4I5OAb-DTyZptvEmkp-htfq1pjIAWPGaaKQ6_3_BmQtgn_JoYGLSDqOfxDTeXnqDBLvekex2v0ty-quS7iXsQemQZDJb_BDd0-oCYRCqd84cEn/s400/IMG_3096.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yarrow's Spiny Lizard</td></tr>
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After birding the South Fork we made a quick stop at the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971540" target="_blank">Southwest Research Station</a> to check out their hummingbird feeders. The diversity here wasn't astounding with only two species of hummers, but getting to watch half a dozen Blue-throats dominate the feeders was great to see. One thing that really surprised me while watching them was how noticeably slower these large hummingbirds beat their wings than the smaller Black-chins. We also got a look at this cooperative whiptail which sat still enough for us to identify as a Chihuahuan Spotted. Like a number of the whiptails in the southwest this species is unisexual, made up entirely of females which reproduce via parthenogenesis.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZEWlAq4HPgaW8QMGfZfXZ-XxJU-DD84ei3ntXJQcH92ej1ylKR6T17U3r6g2_yIX7BQ8iOq-EWbMQ7VQMo8eU2TKYo5_HFOFRXe1BpMx0m3LuRCchXoRg_AmYGzMWI7KZmVreGZAvYMn/s1600/IMG_3103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZEWlAq4HPgaW8QMGfZfXZ-XxJU-DD84ei3ntXJQcH92ej1ylKR6T17U3r6g2_yIX7BQ8iOq-EWbMQ7VQMo8eU2TKYo5_HFOFRXe1BpMx0m3LuRCchXoRg_AmYGzMWI7KZmVreGZAvYMn/s400/IMG_3103.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chihuahuan Spotted Whiptail</td></tr>
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From here Sally Suby carried us higher into the mountains where we would take the pass up and over the mighty Chiricahuas. The road twisted and turned as we gained elevation, giving us spectacular views of the mountains and valleys below. Unfortunately no one took photos on this while leg of the journey, so you'll just have to imagine it! We had planned this route not only to experience the glorious views but also to put us in the habitat of a few higher-elevation species: Mexican Chickadee, Red-faced and Olive Warblers. But one thing we did not expect was to find much of the area not covered in conifers, but burned. Apparently back in 2011 the Horseshoe 2 Fire swept through a 200,000+ acre chunk of the range, and much of the range we drove through was covered in standing snags. We kept an eye out for Greater Pewees and Olive-sided Flycatchers on these snags while we looked for a promising place to find our targets.<br />
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We made it to the top Onion Saddle and were headed down the other side when we realize we'd missed our turn towards a couple parks where our birds were supposed to be hanging out. The road was narrow and we had a cliff to our right, with nowhere to turn around as far as we could see down the descending road. No problem! Ned pulled the car into a many-point turn to take us back to the find the birds. While he was mid-turn, car perpendicular across road and pulled up to the cliff ("Face the danger" we were taught in GBBO training), he decided to stick his head out the window to see how close he was. His update was "Woah, if I had gone any further... never mind, it doesn't matter now." It turned out there may have been a spot where the shoulder had given way, and the hole was within a couple inches of the front left tire. That was another for the quote list, but soon we were out of danger and on our way.<br />
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Up our missed road we found patch of conifers and got out to take a look around. Being midday things were quiet, but as we walked up the road our lifer Cassin's Kingbird toyed with us in the burn to our right. We eventually came to a group of pines with a <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971591" target="_blank">mixed flock</a> passing through, and we worked the cute mob of Bushtits and Pygmy Nuthatches for our target birds. We got our best looks yet at a trio of Hepatic Tanagers including a nice male, but the best of the bunch was a single Mexican Chickadee. While we struck out the two warblers, the chickadee was the only one of the three found solely in the Chiricahuas, so it was good to get that one in the bag.</div>
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Ned navigated the rest of the pass without incident, and by the afternoon we were out in the grasslands west of the mountains. Here we checked all the kingbirds along the fence line in the hopes of getting a better look at a Cassin's, and kept an eye on the meadowlarks for a "Lilian's". We came up empty on our kingbird, but one of the meadowlarks was perched close to the road and conveniently sang for us to confirm its identity as a "Lilian's". Here's a sub-par video the bird singing at the end, along with Ned describing what a "Lilian's" Meadowlark is.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1-bBYgv5-4E/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1-bBYgv5-4E?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PIYC7GFr4MBKq3EGqdHUM8pqDk1fWXJAnv1Ms6ZqgMsybSMcmGqS9F7Rymh0UO3SHjVXagyVps7Azjsjwd7ZjzgdjPEfPbdMAPuZa0Mata-yK5SY6NBaly_YJElmBc88EQOR-PVrX0QF/s1600/IMG_3105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3PIYC7GFr4MBKq3EGqdHUM8pqDk1fWXJAnv1Ms6ZqgMsybSMcmGqS9F7Rymh0UO3SHjVXagyVps7Azjsjwd7ZjzgdjPEfPbdMAPuZa0Mata-yK5SY6NBaly_YJElmBc88EQOR-PVrX0QF/s400/IMG_3105.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maebe helping us watch for meadowlarks</td></tr>
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Before heading back to Tucson for an evening of bat-watching and herping we had enough time for a detour to Madera Canyon to try for more hummingbirds, since this would be the crew's last shot for them before they headed north the next day. We made it to the Santa Rita Lodge tired and hungry (we'd skipped lunch this time because we couldn't decide where we wanted to stop to eat), but a bunch of comfy chairs in front of a yard stocked full of bird feeders was just what we needed to lift our spirits. The yard was loaded with hummingbirds, with our brilliant lifer Broad-billeds buzzing all over the place and giving us point-blank views.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIm_Jy8tMtYFd3RMM-0o1XRm3OdN7NjnVdZFzlElKPtHR9rcmzQfFw0ROHuYt9SYEwK9MqDpmLhpVRwkuALUTkcdXZQk6p7-UTQcz_O6v5U3M9oNrvt44PUNpzjsE3XZ3igdWS-eqVbDX/s1600/DSC_0265.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIm_Jy8tMtYFd3RMM-0o1XRm3OdN7NjnVdZFzlElKPtHR9rcmzQfFw0ROHuYt9SYEwK9MqDpmLhpVRwkuALUTkcdXZQk6p7-UTQcz_O6v5U3M9oNrvt44PUNpzjsE3XZ3igdWS-eqVbDX/s400/DSC_0265.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male Broad-billed Hummingbird<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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This was definitely one of the cases where some birds are under-appreciated due to their abundance. The Broad-billeds sported bright orange bills and iridescent blue and green bodies and were essentially flying gems, definitely the most colourful hummingbird I'd ever seen. But ten minutes after arriving I found myself glossing over the hoardes of them for something different.<br />
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Along with the Broad-bills were a handful of Black-chinneds. They're one e of the more common hummers in the lowlands of Nevada so we'd seen them a lot, but what I found fascinating to see here was the interactions between different species of hummingbirds. Size was clearly the dominance determinant here, and even though the Broad-bills weren't that much larger than the Black-chins they went out of their way to keep them off the feeders.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvw00QKhosa89yj6Qf3gxlvq9P-xgVCtyxqazvqhrggcOVTPAFMfpQgGGPilj-cJ_YNc0paSJ9FdljIq00yKy80QIqRrqWIEwke16tdUhfuYoU6RCvhfWOV5Is9W77-r-1yCd-cIG94rw/s1600/DSC_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvw00QKhosa89yj6Qf3gxlvq9P-xgVCtyxqazvqhrggcOVTPAFMfpQgGGPilj-cJ_YNc0paSJ9FdljIq00yKy80QIqRrqWIEwke16tdUhfuYoU6RCvhfWOV5Is9W77-r-1yCd-cIG94rw/s400/DSC_0256.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female Black-chinned Hummingbird<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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While the previous two species were the ones we saw most of the stay, a pair of Magnificent Hummingbirds graced the feeders from time to time. Ned and Kayla had missed the bird at Cave Creek, so they were pumped to get great looks at these massive hummers.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYN-eaaeW3r3vb8JMTeWqfp4XWCJA0dkSaOLwlo7FHXQRaQyiw2WldagyMlnedZVfN_IXrQvMq2889UdaCv6D4tBkafQmoMSs3doKZoEerxJJnbGen1d8EwaT1NzmJ3ch6f2w1Wl7L8v8/s1600/DSC_0275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIYN-eaaeW3r3vb8JMTeWqfp4XWCJA0dkSaOLwlo7FHXQRaQyiw2WldagyMlnedZVfN_IXrQvMq2889UdaCv6D4tBkafQmoMSs3doKZoEerxJJnbGen1d8EwaT1NzmJ3ch6f2w1Wl7L8v8/s400/DSC_0275.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male Magnificent Hummingbird<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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The lodge had plenty of other seed feeders up as well, and a whole load of other species took advantage of them. It was a great way to end a long day of birding by having Black-headed and Blue Grosbeaks, Bridled Titmice, Mexican Jays, and Rufous-crowned Sparrow come right to you without any legwork. A whole pack of Wild Turkeys wandered around underneath, showing the white-tipped feathers of Southwestern birds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW9mm8L2tDx96a6pZjrIEDZ2__QJZb7El_I-PhFn6U_0PDdJxHRZgin2vnL_j9y_ldVPmP1mrRaHmJZeOIVix27xScpTyD4Bj00GalfmdYdnq8evyAw31X_sYgw4_HLqE_CQVzJ8Pt_v6/s1600/DSC_0254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJW9mm8L2tDx96a6pZjrIEDZ2__QJZb7El_I-PhFn6U_0PDdJxHRZgin2vnL_j9y_ldVPmP1mrRaHmJZeOIVix27xScpTyD4Bj00GalfmdYdnq8evyAw31X_sYgw4_HLqE_CQVzJ8Pt_v6/s400/DSC_0254.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild Turkeys<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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The highlight of the feeder birds was a female Bronzed Cowbird that showed up on one of the platforms. A hard bird to nail down to a particular location, it was the only individual I saw my whole trip.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjYHLaoUSMm9Txugoquv9PS287hYPD7MZrJ-kOJEXj-9C0kU4dZjZzQnjU6LE02JFAa98elT1RGZhyphenhyphenMb6ZIHWGKPIzF58kepS9gxf92kjaHWdlNFHpQHaJva8NZE1_7KJlZS3o2W0GOl_/s1600/DSC_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjYHLaoUSMm9Txugoquv9PS287hYPD7MZrJ-kOJEXj-9C0kU4dZjZzQnjU6LE02JFAa98elT1RGZhyphenhyphenMb6ZIHWGKPIzF58kepS9gxf92kjaHWdlNFHpQHaJva8NZE1_7KJlZS3o2W0GOl_/s400/DSC_0262.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Female Bronzed Cowbird<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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The icing on the cake was a pair of Gray Hawks that at first passed briefly behind the treetops but later came back to circle over and give stunning looks. They rounded out a solid <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971634" target="_blank">list</a> for just sitting on our butts, my third lifer for the stop and my 24th in just 2 days.<br />
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From Madera Canyon we headed into Tucson for dusk to watch a roost of Mexican Free-tailed Bats take off for the night. A number of the bridges in the city are home to these bats, with an estimated 200,000 living throughout the city. We headed to the largest roost which was apparently home to 20,000 individuals.<br />
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The bridge where they roosted was conveniently next to a burrito place (you may notice a trend here, but while in the Southwest the Mexican food is excellent), so we got ourselves some overdue supper and went to sit by the bridge. I suppose we didn't bring our bins with us since we figured the bats would come out when got dark, but as we neared our supper spot we noticed a raptor eating something atop a power pole. After looking at it for a moment, Ned and I both exclaimed at the same time "Crested Caracara!" I ran back to the car to get my bins and scope to enjoy this awesome bird. But when I got back and scoped the bird I had some bad news to break to the crew: "And by caracara we actually mean Peregrine Falcon." Something about the bird had tricked both of us, so the mis-ID did't hurt as bad, but we watched the falcon eat its meal as we ate ours.<br />
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Eventually it occurred to us that the falcon was waiting for the same thing we were: the bats. As dusk neared we got closer to the bridge and the bats were already starting to get active, calling and flying around under the bridge. Then a few small groups left, and before long a stream of hundreds of bats was flying off towards the sunset.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL9WUt-YXwWCSWJXqdYDE0gkEk-yFtlPzRBrNIKlBSHTJJbYbbhG888IiILqbNL5f1vEj1bbFNzG_DL7-4ceHsaoEWhrTNktr3rRYPD4b0BMAxmyee2Od_6qca4PZhieFycgmv838H-58/s1600/DSC_0296.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJL9WUt-YXwWCSWJXqdYDE0gkEk-yFtlPzRBrNIKlBSHTJJbYbbhG888IiILqbNL5f1vEj1bbFNzG_DL7-4ceHsaoEWhrTNktr3rRYPD4b0BMAxmyee2Od_6qca4PZhieFycgmv838H-58/s400/DSC_0296.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mexican Free-tailed Bats leaving their roost for the night<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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I'd never seen a bat exodus like this before, and it was incredible to see just that many bats! Here's a video of some of them:<br />
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And Kelly's "It's comin' it's comin'" at the end of the clip was in reference to the Peregrine we'd been waiting for, which came in from behind the stream and made a run at the bats.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxekt_XXlqU39OkSswwj70aHhc0W_3xTuoKiE3TRvuHMQmzhqXwJ4AY4JAcvXOW3cNqH2P1KtMxm2fdG97qBGV1vgEVpKtHd4k6E9q5JnpYNUM9tiqB5ghY3P7Gx-I9oG474XTupuidjE/s1600/DSC_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkxekt_XXlqU39OkSswwj70aHhc0W_3xTuoKiE3TRvuHMQmzhqXwJ4AY4JAcvXOW3cNqH2P1KtMxm2fdG97qBGV1vgEVpKtHd4k6E9q5JnpYNUM9tiqB5ghY3P7Gx-I9oG474XTupuidjE/s400/DSC_0300.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peregrine Falcon hunting the bats<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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On its first run it singled one out and picked it out of the sky right in front of us. So awesome! After eating that one it made another 4 runs over the evening as the stream that continued to leave the bridge. Its next 3 runs were misses but it gave us another hit on its final attack before it got too dark to hunt.</div>
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As darkness fell we left the bats behind us to take our one shot at road cruising as a group. With 80's tunes blaring we headed out to some out-of-the-way roads through the desert. Our first critter on the pavement was this Great Basin Toad.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcr86CzKTp6HF63PW1U0ki1KZ5ClJGVkyGjD_1bbap5sML9CdjwmWoAGFbUnRfEfHMqpS3C-Pewm5pa8NAnRJmJh3JENyohKaHnfJIdBitP50OzqsILHuggNagBel65eMkqXlaPOJ820O/s1600/IMG_3116.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkcr86CzKTp6HF63PW1U0ki1KZ5ClJGVkyGjD_1bbap5sML9CdjwmWoAGFbUnRfEfHMqpS3C-Pewm5pa8NAnRJmJh3JENyohKaHnfJIdBitP50OzqsILHuggNagBel65eMkqXlaPOJ820O/s400/IMG_3116.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Basin Toad</td></tr>
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About a minute later we came across our first of one of our most wanted herps, the Sonoran Desert Toad. These toads are massive, with some getting larger than a softball.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-W2wMy8t_YXWHrq5OLS5_uJJR-8wA8SJGAeGoLEWa2XNf_OVAQsRyAC8RNWAYix2mQTXI5S7JTOPLIA-erLLGigMPlYtZ_qmC0l_2l0L0MViHo8-2Z_HlDKWVL-xrxH2Fv63lRtB3tULa/s1600/DSC_0320.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-W2wMy8t_YXWHrq5OLS5_uJJR-8wA8SJGAeGoLEWa2XNf_OVAQsRyAC8RNWAYix2mQTXI5S7JTOPLIA-erLLGigMPlYtZ_qmC0l_2l0L0MViHo8-2Z_HlDKWVL-xrxH2Fv63lRtB3tULa/s400/DSC_0320.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonoran Desert Toad, with hand for comparison. Beasties!<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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A little further on the pavement turned to dirt, and almost immediately we spotted our first snake. It was immediately evident that "That snake's moving sideways!!"and it's was none other than a Sonoran Desert Sidewinder.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tcxvjYLOmNHBMLXzrO_4Cw4lGFoyP471bxFpJitTQd604aXyos4JGSFYHUtaD6e440IUnd-EgNUYskEeZpAFUaT5kQQ99qTGR-zWQDjeKAM1b-DGjJ-veWbCjgaEwxCdkhQ7q8wTuLKd/s1600/IMG_3136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7tcxvjYLOmNHBMLXzrO_4Cw4lGFoyP471bxFpJitTQd604aXyos4JGSFYHUtaD6e440IUnd-EgNUYskEeZpAFUaT5kQQ99qTGR-zWQDjeKAM1b-DGjJ-veWbCjgaEwxCdkhQ7q8wTuLKd/s400/IMG_3136.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sonoran Desert Sidewinder</td></tr>
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Rattlesnakes area always a thrill to find, and sidewinders are definitely one of the most iconic of them. Despite their small size, maxing our at less than three feet long, their little horns and unique method of moving around their hot, sandy habitats are unique among rattlesnakes. Here's a clip of it sidewinding.</div>
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I'd heard that sidewinders can be quite common in the right habitat, and not two minutes further down the road we got our second individual of the night, this one a little smaller.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y0yJeu3-kFuFP_uJOl2p18hKN91XYs3Ytxmupexgq5rlfzdz7PVcOU2Ywv8CB1tT4RCvp2tdtv-ODvDUY6lO3ig5avFB7iCZxjXwV-jybchWkou7A7ugW7Xe2Vptcl89w2fhJuxrT6Us/s1600/IMG_3144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6Y0yJeu3-kFuFP_uJOl2p18hKN91XYs3Ytxmupexgq5rlfzdz7PVcOU2Ywv8CB1tT4RCvp2tdtv-ODvDUY6lO3ig5avFB7iCZxjXwV-jybchWkou7A7ugW7Xe2Vptcl89w2fhJuxrT6Us/s400/IMG_3144.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second Sidewinder of the night</td></tr>
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All four of these herps were found in the space of about 10 minutes, a super productive start to the night! After that things slowed down for herps, but kangaroo rats still suicidally ran across the road in front of us as we approached. This one was tame enough to give a photo opportunity.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolWguJAjZkZ5ekEd6R5fr-pzGrDXC_39LBcJDy5ZDpp4kDzN5S-OEDiAldYYp-a3a6-Ssaf8ulBN1D3LeGyjU3myioJbbydXO3pBSrJfm4WPmowXeabaOUR0L8mibTtKa2T5CGSiJ0ZOT/s1600/IMG_3147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiolWguJAjZkZ5ekEd6R5fr-pzGrDXC_39LBcJDy5ZDpp4kDzN5S-OEDiAldYYp-a3a6-Ssaf8ulBN1D3LeGyjU3myioJbbydXO3pBSrJfm4WPmowXeabaOUR0L8mibTtKa2T5CGSiJ0ZOT/s400/IMG_3147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kangaroo Rat sp.</td></tr>
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Once the road got too sandy and loose for comfort we turned the rig around and headed back the way we'd came. On the way back saw another half a dozen Sonoran Desert Toads, but no more snakes slithered across our headlights and we ended up in Tucson Mountain Park for the night. While walking around the campground before bed we discovered a Western Banded Gecko that got away from us and a number of Desert Tarantula which were more cooperative.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQIBGS6jJDaCIF4vsr_X4nBJBuV_tMLye9xlLmgsVBDP1XkYyFuVf59hyphenhyphenOu6I0zVlUhlGMN8av4cTih_puZUQfQ0CBhdbrFLX_jUXCwIyLonveVBDq36MLRlC2Z6-uJs8OJ5_XPLrFcfz/s1600/IMG_3155.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQIBGS6jJDaCIF4vsr_X4nBJBuV_tMLye9xlLmgsVBDP1XkYyFuVf59hyphenhyphenOu6I0zVlUhlGMN8av4cTih_puZUQfQ0CBhdbrFLX_jUXCwIyLonveVBDq36MLRlC2Z6-uJs8OJ5_XPLrFcfz/s400/IMG_3155.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert Tarantula</td></tr>
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Thus ended a solid night of road cruising and our last night in the Southeast as a group. The next day we would make the drive north back to the top of the state to visit tour crew-made Dave Henderson's home amid Arizona's largest Joshua Tree forest that we'd heard so much about.<br />
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-48569853284893123422016-11-23T19:27:00.002-05:002016-11-24T11:08:06.152-05:00Exploring the Southeast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
July 24, 2016</div>
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We were finally in position in the Southeast portion of the state, and my first lifer of the trip was tallied before I even got up out of bed: a singing Mexican Whip-poor-will. Split from the eastern population in 2010, these birds are distinguished by their lower, burrier song. Here's a video recording I snapped of it singing in the moonlight.</div>
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Camped up in the oak-pine forest in Bear Canyon of the Santa Catalinas, our plan was to head downwards as soon as we were ready to spend the morning birding the saguaro desert. However, we couldn't simply ignore all the life birds flitting through our camp, so we spent an hour birding nearby. A few Yellow-eyed Juncos were feeding around the parking lot, as were a gorgeous adult Painted Redstart and a juvenile following its parent around. Man, and I thought our American Redstarts were flashy! Stark black, white, and red, they're very acrobatic feeders like our American ones but flash bright white outer-tails instead of orange. A poor look at a Bridled Titmouse, a raucous trio of Mexican Jays and a heard only Hepatic Tanager rounded out a <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971274" target="_blank">6-lifer</a> start to the day, but we needed to leave better looks for another time since we had desert birds to find.</div>
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We arrived at our piece of desert near Reddington Pass at quarter to seven, but found things quieter than we were expecting. Ash-throated Flycatchers, Black-tailed Gnatcatchers and Black-throated Sparrows were numerous, but these were birds we were familiar with from the Great Basin and the Mojave; we'd come this far south in search of different targets. Still, the towering saguaros and chugging songs of Cactus Wrens set a gorgeous scene, the later a lifer for Kayla and Ned and my second time encountering these massive, charismatic wrens.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYenGh5vjzLdWQYWhkuqCD-Qo_BXyWvygtdI-ExQl5WgSvkCOP2458y0oeQyNRy4bZAt5TrDS9WhawPhYzfQLNbQQCOQSY9y38YLMmAdOpkQ5HkUE9BuQUhCY4WwUlg_vOJkrsPOYTuIQM/s1600/IMG_3039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYenGh5vjzLdWQYWhkuqCD-Qo_BXyWvygtdI-ExQl5WgSvkCOP2458y0oeQyNRy4bZAt5TrDS9WhawPhYzfQLNbQQCOQSY9y38YLMmAdOpkQ5HkUE9BuQUhCY4WwUlg_vOJkrsPOYTuIQM/s400/IMG_3039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Compared to the barren Mojave, which is sparsely inhabited by Creosote, a few other shrubs and the occasional Joshua Trees, the Sonoran looked like a jungle! While the saguaros were obviously impressive, the sheer abundance and diversity of all the other cacti and shrubs down here made for a really rich desert environment.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe7Vdd5ZS1z2VziO4MSCdH30TZtg_sw0YbrwKKE9z40rED8gnrTKGmCO6n5qPOf3jt_6tAwEEyQ8z1BS5Xav5DHJVjS8N3rA9Cr6WnedWtyF4QN52JMea34w-pmlbJ76kyNuurHirP4g6/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJe7Vdd5ZS1z2VziO4MSCdH30TZtg_sw0YbrwKKE9z40rED8gnrTKGmCO6n5qPOf3jt_6tAwEEyQ8z1BS5Xav5DHJVjS8N3rA9Cr6WnedWtyF4QN52JMea34w-pmlbJ76kyNuurHirP4g6/s400/IMG_3049.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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While most of the saguaros were not flowering yet, many of the Pancake Prickly Pears were, adding bright pink to the sea of greens. A park warden that we chatted with told us that the ocotillo had been barren up until less than a week before we arrived, when the rains had allowed them to leaf our in a matter of a few days. Truly incredible how quickly the monsoons can bring the desert to life.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9lvWRHHsO8YyK8KolxMfusKDsiTtrZxBQQj37_mEwoISd0tzfqw-0MrJK9AgOrhCMzf6REmofnKbkxP5yIMKXHwo5HCtTMCeqMa4kPOLbB0BFrz2c18rvHA9EEEtliQzztaI-crM31KV/s1600/DSC_0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc9lvWRHHsO8YyK8KolxMfusKDsiTtrZxBQQj37_mEwoISd0tzfqw-0MrJK9AgOrhCMzf6REmofnKbkxP5yIMKXHwo5HCtTMCeqMa4kPOLbB0BFrz2c18rvHA9EEEtliQzztaI-crM31KV/s400/DSC_0068.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pancake Prickly Pear in bloom, in front of ocotillo and saguaros<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove </td></tr>
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We wandered up the road, scouring the area for new birds. Ned spotted a flash of red in the shrubs, the southwestern subspecies of Northern Cardinal, but unfortunately we didn't get a good look (funny how one get's a new appreciation for them when you haven't seen them all summer). Further up we got some glimpses of a few more cardinal-like birds chasing each other through the shrubs. The brief looks we got showed the birds might not have been entirely red, suggesting they might have been Pyrrhuloxia, the difficultly-named cousin of the cardinal and one of our targets. However, I seemed to remember hearing that the southwestern cardinals were paler than the ones out east, so as we waited for another look I explained to the crew that they might have just been cardinals. Excitement was high, and as I was thinking out loud of how to identify the birds said "Wait, what does a Pyrrhuloxia even look like??". That got a good laugh and went down as one of the quotes of the trip. In the end one of he birds popped up for a good view, and it was in fact a stunning male Pyrrhuloxia.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"What does a Pyrrhuloxia even look like??" Also note Maebe's sun-retardant white t-shirt<br />
Photo credit: Kayla Henry </td></tr>
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Woodpeckers were also on the hit-list, since both Gilded Flicker and Gila Woodpecker would be new for Kayla, Ned and I (I should mention that Kelly used to live in Arizona, so had seen most of the birds before). In the absence of trees they use the saguaros to nest here, so we continuously scanned the sides of the massive cacti. The trunk of one of them had collapsed and looked like an elephant's trunk.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSfAOKuWob3galfGp_umqvMvW9r-GRBBEpDY3z6vJ7IrBQDMFaJ_JZAh7RU-JSb-ArkhLjUn4iNJTUjbgtuUOQ_5ninYXXnC6GlwaL3CVFXVzN2Pv3t9iTsStHXVCx-NRBYWqiGwxFk7t/s1600/DSC_0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWSfAOKuWob3galfGp_umqvMvW9r-GRBBEpDY3z6vJ7IrBQDMFaJ_JZAh7RU-JSb-ArkhLjUn4iNJTUjbgtuUOQ_5ninYXXnC6GlwaL3CVFXVzN2Pv3t9iTsStHXVCx-NRBYWqiGwxFk7t/s400/DSC_0062.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant saguaro<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove </td></tr>
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Even after the mostly-fleshy cacti died, they left behind their rib-like skeletons.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3_2QyAUYnOLSi5V7JTIkh438Or0e3S2FA4AcywEMbzkZ7qF2YM-if9X4W7HqND9j5PPQEbBOt6wy8wakIkjsxi6XnRk8toDGMfrhJDN874gbcsf9BwOgNNpC5CCOoqKh03XB8iML_Xpa/s1600/IMG_3042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie3_2QyAUYnOLSi5V7JTIkh438Or0e3S2FA4AcywEMbzkZ7qF2YM-if9X4W7HqND9j5PPQEbBOt6wy8wakIkjsxi6XnRk8toDGMfrhJDN874gbcsf9BwOgNNpC5CCOoqKh03XB8iML_Xpa/s400/IMG_3042.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saguaro skeleton</td></tr>
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A handful of Ladder-backeds were around, but the closest we came to the flickers were a couple vocalizing birds that we couldn't get eyes on. Although Gildeds are the default in this habitat the two flickers sound almost identical, so we didn't want to count them as heard-only. On our way back Kayla finally picked us out a pair of Gilas on a distant cactus, one of her most-wanted birds for the trip, and we all got good looks.<br />
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Also near the end of our hike we spotted a Varied Bunting that gave us poor views atop a cactus, but good enough to see that it was a very dark bird with maroon on its head and breast (not a common combination). While not the most satisfying to ticks, a tick it was, my fourth for the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971356" target="_blank">hike</a> and tenth for the day. And it wasn't even breakfast!<br />
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Well... we were overdue for breakfast. After skipping supper the evening before and birding a chunk of the morning away, we were all pretty famished. We headed into Tucson to a burrito place Kelly knew about, and on the way Ned and I joked about going up to the counter and saying "I want your largest burrito, and can you make it bigger?". Well sure enough, as we walked up to Tania's we were greeted by this sign:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaOf12nHsqpy6tc4hIoGjW9u5Q8tZ0Dh7yQELU3LHfe88ObTLHDf91iMCvQdpxSd8k-vXyRAiTB9etwvvstEWr3ZdPG9C0S6sCq9VTXSp_G8YESBOHprDa0Nh0Y1ydNNFjTez6akCAc06/s1600/IMG_3054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvaOf12nHsqpy6tc4hIoGjW9u5Q8tZ0Dh7yQELU3LHfe88ObTLHDf91iMCvQdpxSd8k-vXyRAiTB9etwvvstEWr3ZdPG9C0S6sCq9VTXSp_G8YESBOHprDa0Nh0Y1ydNNFjTez6akCAc06/s400/IMG_3054.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The answer to our prayers</td></tr>
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Ned and I just looked at each other and knew we had to put our money where our mouths were. We ordered "The B. Rex" and they brought out a burrito bigger than my head.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoEE7559VFr0WDbKt7tqRFKA_8DL882mKyrvfqONHou_A-QIn9yyquybzdky4FXuaeUrCSY7HlVQC93cfklA9rSJjjUdaPmfs49YLIfFNoEM0f6MN04UU8tzDusKXQVql8DT1SapbeFoI/s1600/IMG_3057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnoEE7559VFr0WDbKt7tqRFKA_8DL882mKyrvfqONHou_A-QIn9yyquybzdky4FXuaeUrCSY7HlVQC93cfklA9rSJjjUdaPmfs49YLIfFNoEM0f6MN04UU8tzDusKXQVql8DT1SapbeFoI/s400/IMG_3057.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ned with the B. Rex</td></tr>
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Even splitting it between us, each half gave us two solid meals each and it was the only thing we ate all day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEHSqZJYezLaI6Qgktvm8yLqGmPBRbtXZy5iaj4jMcf1oD7JeC1_fgJ19r0yjD06tgzc71haah1em8wq-rdgg6p_uEJ7RqzGu8XgM2-e66-T0d554xGEdtfhQfCBFRHVxmHEDEOwsf_oE/s1600/IMG_3058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAEHSqZJYezLaI6Qgktvm8yLqGmPBRbtXZy5iaj4jMcf1oD7JeC1_fgJ19r0yjD06tgzc71haah1em8wq-rdgg6p_uEJ7RqzGu8XgM2-e66-T0d554xGEdtfhQfCBFRHVxmHEDEOwsf_oE/s400/IMG_3058.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite the meal!</td></tr>
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Our destination for the evening was the fabled Chiricahua Range a few hours east near the New Mexico border, but on our way we took a detour to make a few cultural stops at the towns of Tombstone and Bisbee. On our way east on I-10 we scrutinized every Turkey Vulture to try to turn them into Zone-tailed Hawks. While we were yet to succeed on that front, a surprise was a pair of Mississippi Kites I spotted circling over the highway west of Benson. Not a bird I associate with the West, but a small population breeds in south-central Arizona. These were life birds for everyone in the car except me, who'd lucked out on working in Manitoba the year when <a href="http://artusobirds.blogspot.ca/2014/08/mississippi-kite-in-winnipeg.html" target="_blank">Canada's first breeding pair</a> settled in Winnipeg of all places.</div>
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We made it to Tombstone and had a quick walk in the Wild West town. The main attraction was the Bird Cage Theatre, which was home to countless gunfights back in the day and is now apparently haunted.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf85-qFpL-9VhuXkVPM6znHClsH0-KDVvL3GGaPna1QDvxIZJStN9ZarexmflTmhcIvpgsb9ZBmny4HHvKg9jx1ei3nHwo0UZtlGJEdCCMm5x0jfKEQfygIuLpdYj8yd_RtLhXqhEI_6N0/s1600/13876679_10208830883142363_3427828919689731759_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf85-qFpL-9VhuXkVPM6znHClsH0-KDVvL3GGaPna1QDvxIZJStN9ZarexmflTmhcIvpgsb9ZBmny4HHvKg9jx1ei3nHwo0UZtlGJEdCCMm5x0jfKEQfygIuLpdYj8yd_RtLhXqhEI_6N0/s400/13876679_10208830883142363_3427828919689731759_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bird Cage Theater in Tombstone<br />
Photo Credit: Kayla Henry</td></tr>
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The next stop was Bisbee, an artsy town nestled in the mountains down near the Mexico border.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2d9CiLazR30ET0lbPmUhHHb-ZKz-fIMq1qEjt8AIvzT0xiXfcmTnjx6erfNCx9wfjk4BV7a_BoETqc8FLci4O6kBwwGuDgizSrYsDJdsGcPVPXpvAB2B3onsMawDw7wLjM1Mpo-htShA/s1600/DSC_0138.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE2d9CiLazR30ET0lbPmUhHHb-ZKz-fIMq1qEjt8AIvzT0xiXfcmTnjx6erfNCx9wfjk4BV7a_BoETqc8FLci4O6kBwwGuDgizSrYsDJdsGcPVPXpvAB2B3onsMawDw7wLjM1Mpo-htShA/s400/DSC_0138.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main street in Bisbee<br />
Photo Credit: Kelly Colegrove </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8tOfcFN-OEt_ERa2f83LRYV9x-HePQyvKPcQ2B8E7wvjB_sWzr8jvhyphenhyphenHjq6BMBFuf5qZ6zEagGJ2m84dFMaxNY0mGxbNq0180pN-FFD8y5bVn6QEUUijU8exBlVuw4rGjKZx1USQRwPE/s1600/IMG_3063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB8tOfcFN-OEt_ERa2f83LRYV9x-HePQyvKPcQ2B8E7wvjB_sWzr8jvhyphenhyphenHjq6BMBFuf5qZ6zEagGJ2m84dFMaxNY0mGxbNq0180pN-FFD8y5bVn6QEUUijU8exBlVuw4rGjKZx1USQRwPE/s400/IMG_3063.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These weird flies were all over town</td></tr>
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Our main draw here was the Beast Brewery, where we spent a bit of the afternoon.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAe-GMfHDh3VC7YnpPDMqfrOdBJ10A_0zuSY0NpCQo02U9oWqDL4Gow69qlp9eFWJnpVI7SJ97UGS9PYzBusnD7H1bTrC_uu_62p9yujCXxJsae3sy9i316-q9VmlgDCqtjnNjGR3HIoF/s1600/13880419_10208830883382369_3600294404756134376_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAe-GMfHDh3VC7YnpPDMqfrOdBJ10A_0zuSY0NpCQo02U9oWqDL4Gow69qlp9eFWJnpVI7SJ97UGS9PYzBusnD7H1bTrC_uu_62p9yujCXxJsae3sy9i316-q9VmlgDCqtjnNjGR3HIoF/s400/13880419_10208830883382369_3600294404756134376_n.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beast Brewing Company<br />
Photo Credit: Kayla Henry</td></tr>
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Later in the afternoon we made our way around the bottom end of the Chiricahuas and up along the state line between Arizona and New Mexico. Here the arid grasslands were supposed to be pretty productive, so we stopped to try for <i>Aimophila</i> sparrows. We walked down a dirt track and were lucky enough to get great views of a Scaled Quail as it scurried our across the road right in front of us. While waiting for the sparrows to reveal themselves we watched our first monsoon storms rove across the grassland, and soon enough we heard a few Cassin's Sparrows giving their flight songs and got good looks at a silent Botteri's Sparrow.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MEpmgXJV_bgu689Nv4Q79b2HbOsK7dDUn26NVr2Y8Yj6d5XrD-f38H4f424GR51mqI9TJOhp4vwg-oIEvr7Q8rjbwdimCSOWdTelRQHe46pBT84_sZmb8gEm8QshvdDd6gRpYm2O-TIX/s1600/IMG_3070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0MEpmgXJV_bgu689Nv4Q79b2HbOsK7dDUn26NVr2Y8Yj6d5XrD-f38H4f424GR51mqI9TJOhp4vwg-oIEvr7Q8rjbwdimCSOWdTelRQHe46pBT84_sZmb8gEm8QshvdDd6gRpYm2O-TIX/s400/IMG_3070.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monsoon storm</td></tr>
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Finally we headed up into the mountains and reached our camp for the night. Since we could see a large storm advancing on us from the east we decided to put up our tents after it had passed (no sense getting them all soaked), and instead headed up the dry creek to look for birds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaQLxmhn2Ud9MwrpAdn_VMyLl0M1gzBTyPpNbk1T8w2M_bZD06kpr0wHqFvxXe2DjQYFPaFK5Wo1y_ZTy5DknD5BxcgKU5xOL7KIEEw4DH8taR3xcFRm1qBMo1k5-w9KFOHajzWtreMuE/s1600/IMG_3077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMaQLxmhn2Ud9MwrpAdn_VMyLl0M1gzBTyPpNbk1T8w2M_bZD06kpr0wHqFvxXe2DjQYFPaFK5Wo1y_ZTy5DknD5BxcgKU5xOL7KIEEw4DH8taR3xcFRm1qBMo1k5-w9KFOHajzWtreMuE/s400/IMG_3077.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Chiricahuas</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz1KkB2M_5d7k39m1Q0EkDt_imI7TJ5o-Ov2lgi2DcXjBTn7gY-7UEFwWXh2Vfr-av0iCAloxOe4CFU2qwq8nZ_vK6VyfuGFCOHKJJf_lWnob1RCtNHcKoym4d6Ryvbjf2Mo30oKHwT_u/s1600/IMG_3086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguz1KkB2M_5d7k39m1Q0EkDt_imI7TJ5o-Ov2lgi2DcXjBTn7gY-7UEFwWXh2Vfr-av0iCAloxOe4CFU2qwq8nZ_vK6VyfuGFCOHKJJf_lWnob1RCtNHcKoym4d6Ryvbjf2Mo30oKHwT_u/s400/IMG_3086.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was cool to see yuccas and cacti among the oaks in the forest here</td></tr>
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Things were very quiet, but we soon picked out the melancholy whistles of our lifer Dusky-capped Flycatchers and got to watch three birds chasing each other around the sycamores. Then it started to rain, so we turned around hiked back to camp. Just as we arrived a bird flew over our heads across the parking lot. I got on it late and only saw a large-ish dark bird with white outer tail feather, which almost reminded me of a giant towhee. But Kelly and Ned got on it first as it passed above us, and saw ruby-red below. An Elegant Trogon, in our camp!!! We searched the patch of woods it had flown to but unfortunately couldn't get another look. Damn, not the way I wanted my lifer trogon, but at least we knew they were around.</div>
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The rain started to fall harder, so we took shelter under the bathroom roof and watched the storm come in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sheltering while waiting for the storm</td></tr>
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And come in it did! After dark we were assaulted by our first big monsoon storm, and it was the most intense thunderstorm I'd ever experienced. After the storm hit us the sound of thunder never subsided, since as soon as one boom began to fade a second lightning strike would add a second one in on top of it. We sat in awe under or shelter as the rain poured down and the thunder roared around us. Here's a video clip to give a feel for it.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TTZiUxn812Y/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TTZiUxn812Y?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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Now you may remember that we had assumed this storm would pass over us quickly, after which we would set up our tents and go to bed. Well, one hour passed, then two, and the storm just intensified. We began to second-guess our judgement call. As the rain blew under our roof we all retreated to the Subaru and waited another hour there, hoping it would slow down so the four of us wouldn't have to spend the night in the packed, humid car. After a while my fatigue overcame my patience, and I braved the rain and set up my tent under the bathroom roof before moving it out into the parking lot.</div>
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Luckily for the rest of the crew at this time the storm weakened a little, so the girls were able to set up their tents, Ned climbed into mine, and we rested up for the next morning's birding in the famous Cave Creek.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-12069701746143655662016-11-20T22:48:00.001-05:002016-11-22T12:42:00.115-05:00Heading South<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Hello again everyone! I've had few months' hiatus from posting, but now that I'm back in Southern Ontario for the winter and have some free time I'll try to catch up on my past three months' adventures. And with the the first dose of winter hitting us today here in Ontario, why not warm up again with tales from hot and sunny Arizona?</div>
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At the end of this summer's season on the Nevada Bird Count I had the opportunity to make a trip I'd wanted to do since my first season in the project: a monsoon visit down to SE Arizona. In late July into August thunderstorms sweep through the state daily, adding moisture to the parched environment and allowing the plants, birds, herps, and other wildlife to flourish. During this 'second spring' many of the birds are in full song (unlike most places at this time of year), and many species of hummingbirds are either making their way from the north or coming up from Mexico. In addition to the birds, I was almost more excited for the herping in this region, as the storms allow frogs, toads, lizards, and snakes to be more active than in the hotter, drier part of the summer. Rattlesnakes in particular were one of my main goals, as Arizona hosts an amazing 11 species of these impressive venomous critters.<br />
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This year I was lucky in that my co-workers Ned Bohman and Kayla Henry had some free time before going back to work, and Kelly Colegrove from GBBO's Crescent Dunes project decided she and her dog Maebe could take some time off to join us as well. So plans were set, and after being set free on our last Friday of work we made plans to head south for Arizona!<br />
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Friday July 22, 2016<br />
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After our season end lunch in Reno was had and loose ends were tied up, we headed back south at a later-than-hoped-for 3:30pm to Yerington to load up Ned's trusty steed, Sally Suby, with all of our gear. Ned's friend Nai joined us for the first leg of the journey, since her car had broken down in Tonopah the week before and she needed a lift. It made for a tight fit, but we packed up the car tetris-style and in about an hour we had packed and continued on our way.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Crew: Ned, Kelly, me, and Kayla, with a well-packed Sally Suby</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">When we added Nai and Maebe the dog it was a tight fit! </td></tr>
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The ride down was a long one, but it passed easily with good tunes and good company. Around dusk we pulled into Tonopah to drop off Nai with her rig, then the four of us continued on towards the Mojave. Our original plan was to stop around Las Vegas for the night, but as Vegas came up we decided to push for Arizona and make ground while we had the stamina. By 1am we made it to Boulder City and, having missed all the fast-food turnofffs in Vegas, had dinner of an egg salad sandwich and a large loaf of garlic bread in the lamp-light parking lot of a 24h grocery store. It was starting to feel like a real road trip!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Parking lot dinner at 1am<br />
Photo credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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We soon crossed the Colorado River which marked the border of Arizona, and continued on for another hour before crashing in a picnic area in the Hualapai Mountains for a brief sleep.<br />
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Saturday July 23, 2016<br />
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At 6am we were up again, with very few <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971155" target="_blank">birds</a> singing and none of the hoped-for Hepatic Tanagers, Painted Redstarts, or Olive Warblers that mark the NW edge of their range in these sky islands. We packed up camp quick before the wardens woke up and made their rounds, and soon were on our way towards Flagstaff for breakfast. As we climbed up into the mountains and neared the town we entered back into the Ponderosa Pine forest. After some breakfast burritos at a local coffee shop we headed to a nearby park to bird a bit and stretch our legs. Lucky for us, immediately after stepping out of the car we heard the squeaky voice of a Lewis's Woodpecker. This was Ned's nemesis bird, and we were all happy to join him in celebration and watch the gorgeous woodpecker in the pine above us.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lewis's Woodpecker</td></tr>
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Ned, Kayla and I FUTSed around the Flagstaff Urban Trail System for a while and enjoyed the montane <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30971224" target="_blank">birds</a> while Kelly took Maebe to the dog park to burn off some steam. There I saw my first of the Red-backed subspecies of the Dark-eyed Junco in addition to some Pygmy Nuthatches, Mountain Bluebirds, and a nice male Red Crossbill showing well as it fed on the ground. Another treat was my lifer Abert's Squirrel, with long fuzzy tufts on its ears leading to it's other common name, Tassel-eared Squirrel. No photos of it unfortunately.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ponderosa Pines in Flagstaff</td></tr>
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In town we bumped into an entertaining crew member from Ned's work on Desert Tortoises in the Mojave last fall, so we chatted with/listened to him for a while before continuing on south through the mountains. We elected to take a slight detour through Oak Creek Canyon, and despite the swarms of tourists that had invaded it on that weekend day it was still absolutely spectacular. The road runs through a lush riparian canyon surrounded by red rock cliffs, and was definitely worth the extra time. It was really refreshing to see dense oak, maple, sycamore, ash and more, such diversity after working most of the summer seeing only cottonwoods and aspen for deciduous trees.<br />
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Near the creek we had a singing Huttons Vireo, as well as a Yellow Warbler that we tried to turn into a Red-faced (we swear it sounded funny). Further down the canyon widened out and transitioned to PJ with some Alligator Juniper which we hadn't seen before.<br />
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After passing through the tourist trap of Sedona we were back on the open highway and covering good ground. Soon we began to see signs that we were entering the transition zone between the Mojave and the Sonoran Deserts. An ocotillo here and a palo verde there were all cool to see, but the heralds that sent gasps through the car when they first made their appearance were the mighty Saguaro cacti, the lords if the Sonoran. As we headed further towards Phoenix they be went from ones and twos to dominating the surrounding hills, and were impressive indeed.</div>
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Despite venturing deeper and deeper into the American Southwest, it was nice to see a bit of Canadian culture in the form if a road sign Gordon Lightfoot would have approved of.</div>
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We arrived in Tucson, the gateway to SE Arizona, in the late afternoon, and headed for the Borderlands Brewery for a snack and a drink. While navigating the roads trying to find it we spotted a prickly pear cactus full of fruit. Apparently Ned had tried them down in the Grand Canyon the fall before and they were absolutely delicious, so we stopped to try one out. I had the honour of harvesting one of the pink fruits and attempting to carefully remove all of the tiny, hair-like spines or 'glochids' with my belt knife before consumption. Ten minutes of ginger work resulted in a few fingers full of irritating spines and a single bite of unpleasant fruit before tossing the rest away. A consolation prize was an emerald-coloured scarab that had been shriked on one of the leaves.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scarab beetle cashed by a shrike on a prickly pear</td></tr>
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After our refreshment stop at Borderlands we headed east through Tucson towards the Santa Catalina Mountains where we would spend the night. The plan was to find a burrito place Kelly knew about on the way for supper, but it turned out to be closed for the evening, so we continued to the mountains without. However, we soon forgot our grumbling stomachs as we gawked at the cacti-covered hillsides in the fading light of the sunset and the view of the desert below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo credit: Kelly Colegrove</td></tr>
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-2740577357536445332016-08-14T10:00:00.000-04:002016-08-14T10:00:16.585-04:00Season End Celebration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nevada Bird Count Tour 7 Part 3</div>
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At the end of the last birding tour of the season, it's tradition that the crew head to some incredible place of Jen's choosing to spend a couple days birding, relaxing, and having campfire cookouts. This year the location was Onion Valley Reservoir, nestled in the Pine Forest Range a bit farther north than our Black Rock survey sites. The crew had come here at the end of season 2 years ago and we'd heard good things about this beautiful site (including the fact that one of the NBCers had a Long-tailed Jaeger on the reservoir that year), so we were excited to see it. Would it really be that much different from the Black Rock/High Rock we'd spent weeks at this season?</div>
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Once getting to the road it took us over an hour to climb up out of the dry, cheat-infested salt desert of the flats below up into the range. For most of the drive the incoming ridges hid the glory of Onion Valley from us, but eventually we crested the height of land and were given views of massive aspen stands and pockets of mountain mahogany and pine crowning the peaks. No photo of those first views unfortunately, but soon enough we were in camp next to the reservoir itself.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camp at Onion Valley Reservoir</td></tr>
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On these season end events, each of the crew does have to work in that they need to collect some sort of data, but they are 'fun' surveys. Everyone got the choice of surveying a pre-existing transect, create their own transect, or (the best option) survey a 1km x 1km atlas square. The atlassing essentially entails picking a square of cool country out on the map and then birding it the next day, trying to maximize your species list and track down as many baby birds as you can. No time constraints, distance estimation, temperature measurements etc., just straight birding! Always a refreshing way to end the season.<br />
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For myself I chose a section over the closest ridge from camp, with some high-ish peaks on my plot in the hopes of getting some Coniferous Forest habitat. Proper coniferous forest, with Limber Pine and the like as opposed to Pinyon-Juniper, is a real rarity on the NBC, and I was hoping it would produce some fun birds. For instance, the last time the crew was here they found some breeding Hammond's Flycatchers, one of the few places in the state that has them.<br />
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That morning, July the 11th, we woke up to temperatures below freezing, which surprised me not only for the time of year but also that we were only a bit over 7000ft. It was tough crawling out of bed, and even tougher clambering up the steep slope with thick vegetation before I even got to my square. It was a pretty rough start, and I had thoughts of just turning around since it was only 'fun' data, but I'm glad I didn't. Even before it warmed up, I was rewarded with some breathtaking views of the reservoir and surrounding hills. A Golden Eagle drifted over the peaks in the dawn light.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Onion Valley Reservoir at dawn</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Misty Mountains</td></tr>
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But eventually the temperature warmed up, my bones thawed out, the birds became a little more active, and my spirits improved. Climbing up high enough I did eventually reach the Limber Pine, where a group of Clark's Nutcrackers with their fuzzy babies provided some entertainment. I got to watch some 'cracking nuts' as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XFPq5DgNZLYhOy7mEcSXmP9v90tXF04C_sZNmGaT7AwoCkOv83XX4BAXTzZIlcNk0hGGaDxWy0oQCFXspcrGc1gjA0JgOHNFe14zz61lz-W4C1OdFUpQZf5Cmkhb7aJJN5E7ZTMVxh4o/s1600/IMG_2887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_XFPq5DgNZLYhOy7mEcSXmP9v90tXF04C_sZNmGaT7AwoCkOv83XX4BAXTzZIlcNk0hGGaDxWy0oQCFXspcrGc1gjA0JgOHNFe14zz61lz-W4C1OdFUpQZf5Cmkhb7aJJN5E7ZTMVxh4o/s400/IMG_2887.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Limber Pine and a snow patch clinging on</td></tr>
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And the views got even better as I got higher.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsQDGgcASQMswBGU7uOkPQe_5YJUmVt_G8a-8XR9Lu0alFNPD_aDnOz3Y3hfu_lSCz3rnSGOQ7uIfYRXs0_kLPbC9Jc0ET3ptKpYZAhmjiUOWavbuGxo9eGxfCrcBTYdr4VWIERxHcWJE/s1600/IMG_2901.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfsQDGgcASQMswBGU7uOkPQe_5YJUmVt_G8a-8XR9Lu0alFNPD_aDnOz3Y3hfu_lSCz3rnSGOQ7uIfYRXs0_kLPbC9Jc0ET3ptKpYZAhmjiUOWavbuGxo9eGxfCrcBTYdr4VWIERxHcWJE/s400/IMG_2901.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Near the top a family of Mountain Bluebirds was fun to watch. Here's the male blending into the sky:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Male Mountain Bluebird</td></tr>
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And one of the three hungry babies:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GDK86luHl0UyofkV2Y_fMcL6mI_rYOrVXAAoCw2hUPHjSXh8TpezqEhCdaWTuMlPEeVQirdeUqrbweA1w3yCppeFQPqhwNSsTZhZXM_JqVBP1sLAvGsTcF9pFUHM2QmMhD5rhRIQJJze/s1600/IMG_2917.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7GDK86luHl0UyofkV2Y_fMcL6mI_rYOrVXAAoCw2hUPHjSXh8TpezqEhCdaWTuMlPEeVQirdeUqrbweA1w3yCppeFQPqhwNSsTZhZXM_JqVBP1sLAvGsTcF9pFUHM2QmMhD5rhRIQJJze/s400/IMG_2917.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fledgeling Mountain Bluebird</td></tr>
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As they often are on these high elevation sagebrush patches, the wildflowers were lovely to see as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp914Zu6sDm3aGdVQ9sNWSAtgCs2xRtXBg7ptDRG7ADPYoctYUqBihqqtnRnprRuBYK0UmOxaBxAvRxBbTSngVtBMhkS1tTmO0A3GuaBFpkz5uRknvGn_Gc8mpTFcNGLaoEzIIQ_cQCJm/s1600/IMG_2931.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkp914Zu6sDm3aGdVQ9sNWSAtgCs2xRtXBg7ptDRG7ADPYoctYUqBihqqtnRnprRuBYK0UmOxaBxAvRxBbTSngVtBMhkS1tTmO0A3GuaBFpkz5uRknvGn_Gc8mpTFcNGLaoEzIIQ_cQCJm/s400/IMG_2931.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castilleja and other wildflowers in the sage</td></tr>
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The square was quite varied in its habitats, which was great for atlassing. The higher elevations were mostly Limber Pine as I'd mentioned, but in places the hilltops were covered with Mountain Mahogany. These patches looked great for Virginia's Warbler, a bird I've encountered once and that remains on my 'heard only' list, but none made there presences known. Ned and Bobby had similar patches on their squares but struck out as well.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAyVO4VTWFvfPIpyRcb9k8nHLhAtlrgSbXEDuqVpJ1xCyOpLGgDOl5jOsQ3Tvabh4W8XlKxnclseqWCNEg_9mQkaunyCHYMI94Z414jUaCaViPcEG6FWaLg_xkdktw-JIsjAE0bgPjrSo/s1600/IMG_2932.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwAyVO4VTWFvfPIpyRcb9k8nHLhAtlrgSbXEDuqVpJ1xCyOpLGgDOl5jOsQ3Tvabh4W8XlKxnclseqWCNEg_9mQkaunyCHYMI94Z414jUaCaViPcEG6FWaLg_xkdktw-JIsjAE0bgPjrSo/s400/IMG_2932.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Mahogany patch</td></tr>
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<br />As I made my way down from the peak, I had my highlight sighting of the morning and possibly the season. I was coming the hillside when 10m away a large animal burst out from underneath a pine in front of me. In that first split second I thought by the tan colour it was a Mule Deer, but then its shorter profile, smooth bounds, and long, snake-like tail trailing behind it became clear. The Mountain Lion made one, two, three, four, five bounds of increasing length before disappearing into a thick stand of young aspen. I'd seen their tracks numerous times both of the last two seasons, and they can be found almost anywhere in the mountains of the state, but it takes a lucky moment like that to actually come across one of these majestic cats. While the view was brief, and I didn't get to see its face, coming across my lifer cat at 10m was pretty exhilarating and kept my pumped for the next while. It was running away downslope and I'm not typically too worried about predators (particularly during the bright light of day, as it was now 8:00 or something), but I didn't follow it to try to get a better look haha.<br />
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Further down-slope I came back into the aspens, with some creeks winding their way through and a few patches of open sage. Along one of those creeks an angry Slate-coloured Fox Sparrow eventually lead my to its silent fledgeling, and a stealthy Orange-crowned Warbler chipped as it carried food to its own. A pair of Warbling Vireos likely also had young around, but they were being very uncooperative as I watched them and I wasn't able to confirm their breeding.<br />
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The lichens on the dead pine are always striking.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnKOB-DEaVE_Zpz0rB2vn-pYVRyR2afgIW_sRu7iKgAvD8F_0cn3f1qG24ydX2PSQJ3zKDeLx4fIpq-IGthALyZ7uzZ_pvVf57UEs_wQOwfvL7m0akyfUhz92_4v14Nz7zj-30ncvPkVK/s1600/IMG_2948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHnKOB-DEaVE_Zpz0rB2vn-pYVRyR2afgIW_sRu7iKgAvD8F_0cn3f1qG24ydX2PSQJ3zKDeLx4fIpq-IGthALyZ7uzZ_pvVf57UEs_wQOwfvL7m0akyfUhz92_4v14Nz7zj-30ncvPkVK/s400/IMG_2948.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Lower down yet I discovered a series of seepy meadows surrounded by willows. A local pair of Red-naped Sapsuckers had put wells into many of the willows, and this attracted wildlife like California Sister butterflies.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">California Sister on Red-naped Sapsucker wells</td></tr>
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Some excited chirping and buzzing lead me to a family of Rufous Hummingbirds, a female with 3 young. This tour had been interesting with finds of this species, because 3 days before Ned had found a family down on MR-SummerCamp, and the day before Bobby and Kaitlin had found a similar group along BlackRockMahogany. What makes these finds so interesting is that this species has never been confirmed breeding in Nevada. Now, Rufouses (Rufi?) do start migrating early, so our birds could very well have been post-breeding migrants, but the fact that many were still hanging around in their family groups was notable. Perhaps the fact that no one on the crew had any sightings of this species on either of our previous tours up here lends more evidence to these birds not being breeders, but it'll definitely be something for future crews to look our for.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwQvIW60AC4DyWUloM4hyphenhyphenRIOqyE6I03_Sah1CHprv2XhP0xKcncPakpjE6HlGd183rqDeryhYc4mh9PoCF1FsPvSOjdayp-tS7QGZt3K8iB7Koau7YysdxUu7UDqNCEJu1CWMI40ZAo4t/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwQvIW60AC4DyWUloM4hyphenhyphenRIOqyE6I03_Sah1CHprv2XhP0xKcncPakpjE6HlGd183rqDeryhYc4mh9PoCF1FsPvSOjdayp-tS7QGZt3K8iB7Koau7YysdxUu7UDqNCEJu1CWMI40ZAo4t/s400/IMG_2961.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juvenile Rufous Hummingbird</td></tr>
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The meadows opened up even more as I followed the drainage down to the edge of my plot, and here I was able to add Yellow Warbler families to my list as well as White-crowned Sparrows and many more Fox Sparrows. This area rounded out my square and a solid circuit of different habitats, summing up to <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30694311" target="_blank">33 species</a> for the morning with about a third of them confirmed breeding. A great morning out in the Pine Forest Range!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kf-txLq0-SEGUYZesEKiJxvzDSciwuEaXa1gee_lTv8xkQNC0I1_KoSU1xFQV-WLYwwt_jOXxRg5Dt02OEiD7Alh01RP-h6Hna-B_X-1K24hT4DTEzCqT_0xNNXefDTgSn0u0NW8zZWL/s1600/IMG_2970.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_kf-txLq0-SEGUYZesEKiJxvzDSciwuEaXa1gee_lTv8xkQNC0I1_KoSU1xFQV-WLYwwt_jOXxRg5Dt02OEiD7Alh01RP-h6Hna-B_X-1K24hT4DTEzCqT_0xNNXefDTgSn0u0NW8zZWL/s400/IMG_2970.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain meadow</td></tr>
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When we got to camp everyone shared their finds from the morning. I have to say my Mountain Lion took the cake, but Bobby found a Northern Goshawk nest on his plot which is pretty high up on the list of awesome. At last season's end-of-season get together I found my first (and only) goshawk nest in the Toiyabes, and I was pretty keen on seeing another one. Kayla had never seen a goshawk, and Ned was always down to track down one of these awesome raptors, so the following morning before heading back south we quested to Bobby's atlas square to find these mighty accipiters.<br />
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After driving towards Blue Lake we navigated to the UTM Bobby had given us and quickly found the nest. Bobby had said that the young were fledged but still hanging around the nest while he was there, but on our visit the forest was quiet an the birds were no-where to be found. We were hoping the birds might make it easy for us when they discovered us, coming in screaming with talons drawn, but they didn't materialize so we hiked out of the stand into the meadow above with the hopes of a better view.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2JDTfvUcHstFXi-_MN-_wXN76GZQ3hgaVWAvveUN8sYBavOJ8vsQoGZEnTYgcDM5CuOiSFvWa082Gc8_bUij3-tYtqEQfHtyLKRAoROmPLh745Lpu0GIFgo_OUWSsotbPJ8beaEtREv2/s1600/IMG_2977.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs2JDTfvUcHstFXi-_MN-_wXN76GZQ3hgaVWAvveUN8sYBavOJ8vsQoGZEnTYgcDM5CuOiSFvWa082Gc8_bUij3-tYtqEQfHtyLKRAoROmPLh745Lpu0GIFgo_OUWSsotbPJ8beaEtREv2/s400/IMG_2977.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Northern Goshawk nest</td></tr>
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On our way out a massive accipiter did pass us in the dim dawn light which, through the bins, I was barely able to make out the gray mantle and white eyebrow of an adult Gos. Unfortunately after we made it to the meadow and set up to wait for another fly-by the birds did not cooperate. It was a lovely meadow though, and the sun warmed us on the chilly morning.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YpDqiRCms_MnB8VDvaIVKGhxFJNEGabNPTbBxcqNrUzOQVrZqCVP9lqzRqd_ctgZsr_5jxNEci-YSaoc8izo3YvCY3Bs0V6XyETK7MQbez_9IK3weH_3ut9Y-n6TqWfOn8LERYkI6yrO/s1600/IMG_2979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1YpDqiRCms_MnB8VDvaIVKGhxFJNEGabNPTbBxcqNrUzOQVrZqCVP9lqzRqd_ctgZsr_5jxNEci-YSaoc8izo3YvCY3Bs0V6XyETK7MQbez_9IK3weH_3ut9Y-n6TqWfOn8LERYkI6yrO/s400/IMG_2979.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shadows of goshawk searchers</td></tr>
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After packing up camp we started the long drive back south. Coming down from the range we had a few Chukar, one of which teed up on a rock for us.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVNTn_D3cwmQe86VDW_cJM0GLQ72CKTLtiSPGwqCinf-9uKw2ExkudbR9wpcOj3xsXvo0E47UwVBE1ANQYn4juIeJDVOodSuUegXOPtqj8VMpXpR_ArOsFMs0KLynrP5B3HPZEbm2tRyW/s1600/IMG_2981.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSVNTn_D3cwmQe86VDW_cJM0GLQ72CKTLtiSPGwqCinf-9uKw2ExkudbR9wpcOj3xsXvo0E47UwVBE1ANQYn4juIeJDVOodSuUegXOPtqj8VMpXpR_ArOsFMs0KLynrP5B3HPZEbm2tRyW/s400/IMG_2981.JPG" width="300" /></a> </div>
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At the turn-off for the main road we made a stop at <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30694073" target="_blank">Gridley Lake</a>, a mostly dry salty playa, to try for Snowy Plovers. A potential lifer for Ned, Kayla and I had only seen the species a few times before so, so we hiked down to the shore to check it out. Sure enough, the plovers were there, chasing the clouds of gnats across the saline puddles of the lakebed. In a distance patch of water there was a much larger group of peeps, Western and Least from what I could tell, accented by a few tall Avocets and Willets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczTeA2Y6bU13ac0wnc5bCbDjGF1aHdkiG5V6NAM7LYztJGA-G8luEXb-0UL3VLbtCuGAmq8XCOnLmvmvMOW-i4pS8kA9zjWaUmx4whR-a7xwDmDc1KncRsIVdoyAfE_YaNif81JxKKK8l/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgczTeA2Y6bU13ac0wnc5bCbDjGF1aHdkiG5V6NAM7LYztJGA-G8luEXb-0UL3VLbtCuGAmq8XCOnLmvmvMOW-i4pS8kA9zjWaUmx4whR-a7xwDmDc1KncRsIVdoyAfE_YaNif81JxKKK8l/s400/IMG_2983.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gridley Lake</td></tr>
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On the way out Ned caught this big Desert Horned Lizard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dwX0zQnG7T5e8PZOUzdf7cJ3Q4ScPQVAUsRsl0uHDpdm7BfTjAaz82frjrQRDUvAse4-Ut6ffj4f0A7CFbB8ox3-o0hc5t0Qk5MLOumwp14aZXiOCCx-VriLgUaKsoixgiudxHsm70Hp/s1600/IMG_2982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9dwX0zQnG7T5e8PZOUzdf7cJ3Q4ScPQVAUsRsl0uHDpdm7BfTjAaz82frjrQRDUvAse4-Ut6ffj4f0A7CFbB8ox3-o0hc5t0Qk5MLOumwp14aZXiOCCx-VriLgUaKsoixgiudxHsm70Hp/s400/IMG_2982.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ned with his Desert Horned Lizard</td></tr>
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And so ended out last birding tour of the NBC. One heck of a season with an amazing crew, I'll definitely miss Nevada's deserts and mountains, and the birds, critters, and people I met there. Next year I don't see myself returning for a third season in a row, but maybe some year down the line I'll find myself coming back to this great project.<br />
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After the season's end Ned, Kayla, Kelly (from GBBO's Crescent Dunes Project) and I headed down to Southeast Arizona, where in my 5 days with them and 7 days on my own tallied 49 life birds, some 20 new herps, and saw loads of awesome things. However, we'll see when I get around to recounting those adventures, since when this posts I'll be up at James Bay for to survey shorebirds for 4 weeks, after which I'll be at banding at Thunder Cape Bird Observatory for another 5 weeks. Too much content and no time to write it! Anyhow, thanks for reading along with my wanderings in Nevada, and hopefully when I get the time I'll be able to get some photos and stories up about the next legs of my travels.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-83825487772832074262016-08-09T20:07:00.000-04:002016-11-06T16:39:55.028-05:00When Roads Fail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nevada Bird Count Tour 7 Part 2</div>
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Following our sage-grouse-filled expedition into the Virginia Range, Ned and I made the long haul up to Black Rock/High Rock on the 6th of July to finish our birding season. Ned had drove us out of the mountains, so I drove most of the rest of the way, with 37 of the Tragically Hip's greatest hits to help me along. We met up with Kayla in camp and, to our surprise, met someone else sharing our camp! Other humans are not something we often see in the wilderness of Nevada, but this hunter was down from Oregon to scout the area for Mule Deer hunting in the fall. Apparently he'd seen some 22 different bucks in the hills over the weekend, so he should luck out come deer season.<br />
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The following morning I was gifted with doing an easy transect along Mahogany Creek. A two-track followed the creek for most of the way through the riparian aspen stand, making for an easy hike.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopZBviKmm1lyQSiBo6AS6IRfQxKQHZ4101O9jCcpPNYXd8Oo4ETyIxlmKUO3LbYOV9ECiQBwitCavJ01s-G9dV4wGLUhEFzS_6-8AGfokBITzECCEaP89DhScNetmgI-YSh11YeQ9DKsu/s1600/IMG_2758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjopZBviKmm1lyQSiBo6AS6IRfQxKQHZ4101O9jCcpPNYXd8Oo4ETyIxlmKUO3LbYOV9ECiQBwitCavJ01s-G9dV4wGLUhEFzS_6-8AGfokBITzECCEaP89DhScNetmgI-YSh11YeQ9DKsu/s400/IMG_2758.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">MR-BlackRockMahogany</td></tr>
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This late in the season the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30693885" target="_blank">birds</a> are often quieter because they are coming to the end of their breeding cycles, but consequently one gets confirmed breeders out the wazoo. Numerous families of House Wrens were chattering in the understory along with young Green-tailed Towhees, White-crowned Sparrows, and Gray-headed Juncos. Baby woodpeckers always make a real ruckus, and some hungry young Red-naped Sapsuckers lead me to their nest. After a couple veg points I headed up-slope back to the truck and a Golden Eagle glided over, a bird I never get tired of seeing. While almost back at the truck, I spotted a medium-sized bird sitting up on one of the burned snags on the edge of the valley. It looked to be about kestrel-sized but seemed quite dark, so I got the bins on it to check it out. The bird that looked back at me was a watercolour of iridescent green, pink, gray, and red, the one and only Lewis's Woodpecker! A pretty localized and sporadically-distributed bird in Nevada, I'd only seem them once before down south. After a few moments it took off and showed off it's very corvid-like flight.<br />
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On the drive back across the sagebrush hills I came across a large group of wild horses around a nearby watering hole. We see them fairly often around the state (Nevada has more than any other state), but this group of 60+ animals was my best look at such a large group.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWeYQEzKbkZ9dWVv9n1SOKKSOEaDSIDAIFazRQo4PFHGnP66k2hIAk4f4kAqY5taemXMtnvVhrmhEIJC5hZz7clsqTcTOKFqm11UgM1Y6FgVV5Ut9z6RkPmfKpXkG8kWUzi7g33_MA-ai/s1600/IMG_2760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWeYQEzKbkZ9dWVv9n1SOKKSOEaDSIDAIFazRQo4PFHGnP66k2hIAk4f4kAqY5taemXMtnvVhrmhEIJC5hZz7clsqTcTOKFqm11UgM1Y6FgVV5Ut9z6RkPmfKpXkG8kWUzi7g33_MA-ai/s400/IMG_2760.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Wild Horses</td></tr>
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I met up with the Ned, Kayla, Bobby, and Kaitlin who had all done surveys to the west, and after relaxing a while headed up towards Leonard Creek Ranch where Kayla and I would finally get to survey on MR-Leonard and MR-Chicken. These couple transects follow some very steep creeks up into the Pine Forest Range, and were supposed to be both strenuous and gorgeous. After my easy transect that morning I was ready for something more challenging, especially since this tour I wouldn't have my regular bout with UpperColeman.</div>
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The next morning I assaulted MR-Leonard. The transect was actually only bad for the first 4 points, after which it leveled out into a series of meadows. To get to those meadows, however, one had to climb up 2000ft in the space of about a kilometer. As I made my way upward, a phrase came to mind that my partner Alan from last season had picked up in Utah "It's not a real hike if you're not using your hands." While I don't agree with the validity of that saying in all circumstances, this was one of those kind of hikes, and both hands and feet were used to haul myself up by grasping shrubs and crawling over granite boulders. Fox and Song Sparrows, Yellow and MacGillivray's Warblers sang to me as I climbed, and the occasional hummingbird zipped (most too fast to ID). Eventually I made it to the top, and got view of the way I'd come:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">View from the top of Leonard</td></tr>
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There were some cool-looking granite outcrops on the way up as well:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScDJTFIVkMJtPp3PCSfnTbw_KQeJQedulZW6XXNrEmUIy9h5wRTY3y1t734URqPdJEOYU-9DbjhlJGq_OUbXc-uWNrzNp98Uj2CfUsq181rTdDoGBGMnkBZ3JuLxWTXDZhz763U_0CMWL/s1600/IMG_2782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgScDJTFIVkMJtPp3PCSfnTbw_KQeJQedulZW6XXNrEmUIy9h5wRTY3y1t734URqPdJEOYU-9DbjhlJGq_OUbXc-uWNrzNp98Uj2CfUsq181rTdDoGBGMnkBZ3JuLxWTXDZhz763U_0CMWL/s400/IMG_2782.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Upon reaching the top the transect, I was rewarded with some beautiful open meadows and larger aspen stands (as well as level ground). Up here a few forest birds like Western Tanager, Cassin's Finch, and Western Wood-Pewee were sprinkled in with the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30693986" target="_blank">shrub- and sage-dwellers</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh867OlqlZ1QVjeDD59D5LbSPIG2syFDPR1A9NGl7v7zI4er8NW31ZFSiaxTNy0DeWrnh5ngZyVtUnWYLZoyYOARzO6SVQFna3TnLP2VeCiru-njAU2qclMXKIFK7I49eEwUgvaeolkvMBI/s1600/IMG_2797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh867OlqlZ1QVjeDD59D5LbSPIG2syFDPR1A9NGl7v7zI4er8NW31ZFSiaxTNy0DeWrnh5ngZyVtUnWYLZoyYOARzO6SVQFna3TnLP2VeCiru-njAU2qclMXKIFK7I49eEwUgvaeolkvMBI/s400/IMG_2797.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately there was one aspect that really took away from the beautiful landscape of the transect. This late in the season the cattle had made their way up to graze these meadows, so unlike the times when Dave and Kaitlin surveyed it, the entire place was chewed up and stank of manure. I was already pretty sick of cattle at this point and their aroma at this site didn't help improve matters. Really too bad, as this would have been one of my favorite transects otherwise.</div>
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At the very end of the transect was a small mountain lake, a prize for reaching the final point. To augment the prize, my first Prairie Falcon in a few weeks flew over as well.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1Uox0byJjaARb5bqdYdTDGRnUDz4lT0a6KpN9McEmZ1_WBMvBhsfDW1ODYe0eT_xoL6VXZchZHjFp7O74-BtPHhyjmfoeiwkjM4jzBEtPX9H3wAd-vFjLyCacJWKE34fKY7ou9uc9pBE/s1600/IMG_2808.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS1Uox0byJjaARb5bqdYdTDGRnUDz4lT0a6KpN9McEmZ1_WBMvBhsfDW1ODYe0eT_xoL6VXZchZHjFp7O74-BtPHhyjmfoeiwkjM4jzBEtPX9H3wAd-vFjLyCacJWKE34fKY7ou9uc9pBE/s400/IMG_2808.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lake at the top of Leonard Creek</td></tr>
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The point by the lake marked my last point count of the season, and my last point count on the Nevada Bird Count for the foreseeable future. It didn't really hit me at the time, but it's been a good run with the project, and I'll we'll see if I come back to the NBC some season in the future.<br />
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After completing our final transects the crew got together to make a plan to knock out all of the remaining rapid veg surveys in the Black Rock the following day. Ned, Bobby and Kaitlin offered to attack the steep slopes of Leonard and Chicken to clean up the many points that remained there, while Kalya, Dave, Sue and I headed into town for gas then further west to clean up the transects towards Mahogany Creek.<br />
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The morning of our veg day I awoke to the barking of a Long-eared Owl flying above my tent. Really my bird-of-the-season, as I happened to trip over them all over this summer. Another bird was hanging around in the shrubs near the creek next to camp. As the sun rose it lit up the clouds in impressive colours, and Sue enlightened us with a new twist on an old adage "Red sky in morning, birders get the f@#$ our of Black Rock." We thought her words were funny and not prophetic, but we should have heeded her warning.</div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBitaYcKIfnZqX60ceZICRuySoWp2plL4iWG3SZY32YQmd0WnEZpZ2DX1yBodfReVfw1epWENWS-bQ5Vj6nGYm66bVNRQneOPn79wA1gUx7adJ720ZVg8P2Ya6wd6DaotVffi77uu8Y9_d/s1600/IMG_2830.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBitaYcKIfnZqX60ceZICRuySoWp2plL4iWG3SZY32YQmd0WnEZpZ2DX1yBodfReVfw1epWENWS-bQ5Vj6nGYm66bVNRQneOPn79wA1gUx7adJ720ZVg8P2Ya6wd6DaotVffi77uu8Y9_d/s400/IMG_2830.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Red sky in morning...</td></tr>
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Dave and Sue made their way to MR-SummerCamp to clean up those points, while I drove to drop Kayla off at BlackRockMahogany before heading off to my personal favorite transect, SummitSnow on Snow Creek, to finish my season. When I got to Mahogany Creek I was able to drive half-way down the transect to save her a walk and get to a place where I could turn around, since the road was positioned on the slope of the side of the valley. After turning around I made my way a few hundred meters up the road, when all of a sudden the road under the left side of my truck gave way and I started to slide. "No no no no no!" There was nothing I could do, and before I knew it my truck was slanted at 45 degrees off the road. I put it into 4-low and tried to go forward or backward to get back up to the road, but it was no use. The slope I was on was made of sand and provided no support, and the truck, without the power to climb out, just settled a little bit farther down the slope with each attempt. Crap.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A less-than-ideal situation</td></tr>
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Luckily Kayla wasn't too far off, and with a few blasts on the horn she came to check what the issue was. We agreed that making further attempts to get out on our own was likely to cause the truck to slide further down the slope or roll, neither ideal situations. So we contacted the boss with our satellite InReach and let her know about the situation. After a while we got the response that she was on her way with implements of pulling-a-truck-out, so we split the remaining veg points on the transect then waited.<br />
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It was mid-afternoon we saw the wonderful site of 2 white trucks coming around the corner. Jen had arrived, and Dave and Sue with her, to get us out. Jen is pretty fantastic in understanding that these kind of things happen with field work, and then working to get them fixed. We joked that she should have a cape when she rides in to save the day haha. Anyhow, long story short we made attempts to pull our truck out with Dave's rig: with first a winch (which pulled Dave's smaller truck towards the slope instead of plling us out) and then with a tow rope (which also didn't have enough power to pull our truck from the sandy slope. Shoot, this would require a tow truck, and we were in the middle of nowhere. While Jen went out to organize some help, we made the best of the situation. Like they say "When life gives you lemons, set up your lawn chairs in front of the truck that's half off the road and drink beer." Or something like that...</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Dave, Kayla and Sue making the best of a bad situation</td></tr>
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Later in the evening the rest of the crew, who had eventually hit some cell service and heard about our plight, came to join us as well. Before coming they headed up to Fields Station for some gas. Field Station also conveniently has a great selection of craft beers, so they brought some of that as well. So, we had the whole crew together for a camp-out in front of our truck; an unexpectedly fun way to finish our last day of work for the tour!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">NBC Crew 2016: Clockwise from the bottom, Bobby Wilcox,<br />
Kaitlin Murphy, Sue Bruner, Dave Henderson, Kayla Henry, <br />
and Ned Bohman</td></tr>
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The following day was spent hanging our and waiting for Jen to arrive with the tow truck. By the early afternoon most of us were tired sitting around, so one by one we decided to kill the wait by napping. Kayla documented the scene:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Napping the wait away</td></tr>
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In mid-afternoon Jen showed up with Jim, the backcountry tow truck driver. Jim was a soft-spoken man with a very slow and deliberate demeanor. He would stand and examine a situation for a long moment before giving a few words of instruction, with non-hastiness that would make an ent proud. Slowly but surely, with Dave in the driver's seat of the precariously-balanced truck, Jim pulled us out.<br />
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Before we headed out we loaded our trucks with dry aspen deadfall that was littered around the understory, then our convoy headed up to the Pine Forest Range where we would have our season end celebration.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The firewood-laden convoy</td></tr>
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-34181283208609674632016-07-21T11:00:00.000-04:002016-07-21T11:00:00.199-04:00Hidden Valley of Sage-Chickens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nevada Bird Count Tour 7 Part 1</div>
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For the beginning of our last tour of point-counting, I partnered up with Ned to go knock out the last couple transects deep in the Virginia Range. The tour prior Kayla and I scouted the access road to Black Canyon but got there too late to attempt the rocky road. This time around Jen had given us a gate combo that was supposed to get us into the area from the south and save a lot of driving, so the afternoon Monday July 4th we headed north from the field house to check out this alternate route.<br />
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As things turned out, the gate code the boss had been given was incorrect, so we had to drive all the way around to the top of the canyon and access it from the crappy road we had located the first time. Of course this time we arrived at around 7pm to the start of the road, a full half hour later than we had last tour when we decided to pull the plug on it. But, these surveys needed to get done, so we pressed on and weaved, hopped, squeezed and bolder-crawled the truck down the road. The valley itself was completely degraded by numerous of filthy cows that had been up there for who knows how long which didn't help our spirits after the long day, but before dark we made it to camp.<br />
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I set up my tent on a a solitary strip of nice green grass and returning to the truck to get my gear. However, while away from my tent large, mean, and particularly well-hung bull walked along the grassy path that my tent happened to be blocking. It stopped and made some concerning noised towards my tent, as I watched and desperately hoped that it would decide to not confront the strange object in its path (since I really did need my ten t for the rest of the season/ seasons to come). Luckily, it decided it wasn't worth trampling the foreign object, and instead walked around through the shrubs. I then quickly moved my tent to a much less attractive bare patch of ground surrounded by cow pies and not on a cattle path, and slept hard until the next morning.<br />
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That next morning I was treated to the silhouette of my first Short-eared Owl in a few years drifting ghost-like above my tent, then Ned and I headed out to split the transect. My half was up and over the ridge, and as I climbed the slope the influence of the cattle waned and the landscape became quite lovely. Unlike the rest of the lower Virginias I had spent 6 days surveying the last tour, this area higher up was coded 'montane shrubland' on our rapid habitat assessments, a habitat neither Ned nor I had surveyed before. On these hillsides Snowberry, Gooseberry, Rabbitbrush and Sagebrush were almost equally common, with large fuzzy Mule's Ears sticking out throughout the shrubbery. A very nice change from the desolate sage and cheatgrass dominating the lower elevations.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Montane Shrubland</td></tr>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30693624" target="_blank">Birdwise </a>the area was loaded with sparrows of various kinds, with the ubiquitous Brewer's Sparrows and Spotted Towhees joined by Vespers which are usually only found at these higher elevations. While hiking between points I noticed a long, black, pointed feather I soon realized must have been from a sage-grouse. Cool stuff! This is a species I'd only seen briefly once the season before, but it there was a feather there must be grouse around right?<br />
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Well, as I came up to my last point I caught a glimpse of something flushing quickly from the shrubbery. I went to investigate and sure enough not one but 7 Greater Sage-Grouse, a hen and her brood, burst from the ground nearby and sailed far over the sage and around the next hill. These birds are surprisingly strong fliers, and with their flapping and gliding they can cover impressive distances over the flats to get to safety. I didn't record them on my count unfortunately, but my veg survey afterwards just so happened to take me in the direction they had flown. As I rounded the hill the hen popped up on a rock to get a look at the intruder, and I was able to shoot this distant-ish video of my first perched sage-grouse.<br />
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Hiking back along the transect in a different spot from my tail feather I found a site where something had plucked another grouse.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Greater Sage-Grouse kill site</td></tr>
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When I got back to the truck Ned informed me he'd had a number of Sage-Grouse flying around his half of the transect as well. Awesome, there were sage-chickens in these hills! We then spent much of the day navigating the roads within the mountains to get to our second transect even deeper into the range. In between the two major ridges was a large open valley containing Spanish Reservoir.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Spanish Reservoir Valley</td></tr>
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The reservoir itself had a few Eared Grebes and a couple ibis on it which were fun, but the most exciting find were the mammals on the far end of the waterbody. At first from a distance I thought they must be more very distant cattle, but as we got closer we saw they were Pronghorn. Dozens and dozens of them! Many were drinking at the edge of the reservoir while a number of other groups were spread out throughout the valley. A quick count with the scope tallied some 90 individuals, more than either of us had seen in one place. As we drove towards them they started to move, and soon the valley was full of groups of Pronghorn running in all directions. What a wonderful valley hidden deep in the mountains!<br />
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We finally got to our second transect later in the afternoon, and after relaxing a while we set out to get our veg work done that evening. That way the following morning we could just bird and split, since it would take hours to exit the range and then we needed to drive another 4 hours up to the Black Rock/High Rock. While out vegging I flushed another hen with brood, in addition to a bachelor group of 3 large male sage-grouse, the first I'd seen. After all our veg was done we celebrated a hard day of work by eating some mostly-cooked hamburgers then settled down for the night.<br />
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The next morning survey began with a spectacular sunrise as the sun crept over the mountains.<br />
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Overall the habitat was similar to the day before and the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30693776" target="_blank">birdlife</a> reflected that with a few highlights. My half of the transect had a nice patch of mountain mahogany on a hillside which hosted a couple Fox Sparrows and a Dusky Flycatcher in contrast to the shrub-loving Green-tailed Towhees and other sparrows, and later on another Short-eared Owl had a brief dogfight with a Northern Harrier. Finally, I was treated to another sage hen with 6 young (great to see many of the hens up here with so many surviving young), and this lady let my get even closer for a video.</div>
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I'd thought I'd been lucky with the grouse so far, but I hadn't seen nothing yet! On the drive our we flushed another 6 hens with brood from the roadside, bringing my total for the 2 days to almost 50 birds. Here's one last video of one of the broods we flushed, with commentary courtesy of Ned and music courtesy of the Crash Test Dummies. Note how the birds coincidentally flush in time with the music haha.</div>
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We ended up exiting the range in a bit under 3 hours of rough driving (thanks Ned!), and then we were off to our last bout with the Black Rock/High Rock to round out the birding season.</div>
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-37390567676215164602016-07-18T11:00:00.000-04:002016-07-19T11:33:47.025-04:00Close Encounters of the Ovine Kind, and Pine Nut Grail BirdNevada Bird Count Tour 6 Part 2<br />
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On June 25th after the morning's surveys in the Sierras, Kayla and I headed up west of the Pine Nut Range to loiter in an air conditioned Starbucks doing paperwork for the afternoon before heading up into the mountains. I was pretty exhausted that afternoon after a couple very early mornings, but it was going to be an easy drive up Sunrise Pass to our transects on the west side of the range, and my plan was to head to bed early and get a good sleep for the night. In the late afternoon we followed our map out of town to where the pass should have been.<br />
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What our map didn't show, however, was the matrix of un-mapped roads that crisscrossed the entire area west of the range. We took a road that appeared to be going the way we wanted to, but it ended up getting worse and worse, climbing and getting very rocky. The pass was supposed to be a good road, right? It was on the east side at least, why wouldn't it be on the west side? To make matters worse, our transect map didn't have the UTM grid on it, so we had no way of using our GPS to see where on these unmarked roads we happened to be and where we'd need to go from there. After driving this maze for an hour or so we came to the conclusion that we didn't want to be stuck on these bad back roads not knowing where we were when it got dark, so we decided to drive around the south end of the range and then drive across from the east like we usually do. The pass would be easy to find from that direction, and even if we got to our transect late, we would get there.<br />
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So, we drove around the mountains and were heading up the east side of the range as it was getting dark. It must have been something to do with the remaining light of the setting sun, the rising moon, or some combination of the above, but the sagebrush surrounding us seemed to glow with a weird fluorescence that neither of us had seen before. Kind of cool and a little odd, but we kept driving north as darkness descended around us.<br />
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Now since our field house is on this side of the Pine Nuts, and I've done a lot of work in these mountains both this and last season, I know these roads quite well. However, I'd never driven them in the dark, and as we continued down the road the surrounding did not look familiar to either of us. It occurred to us that many of the landmarks one uses to navigate in Nevada are distant hills and mountains, which one can't see when your field of view is limited to the glow of the headlights. I was keeping an eye on the GPS to see when our turn should have been coming up (we did have a map with UTMs for this side of the range), and after a while a turn appeared on our left. It didn't look right, so we kept going a bit further in hopes we'd recognize our road. After driving a little longer we didn't find the pass, so maybe the turnoff we passed was the one we were looking for? We headed back and tried that road, but it lead through a barbed wire gate we'd never noticed on the pass road before. Perhaps they close it at night? So we passed through it but the road petered out into nothing.<br />
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By this time it was about 10pm, well past dark, and we were both exhausted. Checking the GPS and map, our coordinates indicated the pass should have been at this location. What was going on??? We thought that perhaps we had somehow come onto an unmarked road parallel to the one we thought we were on, so we decided to retrace our tracks and make sure we were on the right road. We headed back south again praying we'd find our road.<br />
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After driving a while back the way we'd came. We noticed some strange lights in the distance. It was probably just a few lights from Wellington, the community south of these flats. Right, that made sense. Then all of a sudden up ahead of us and much closer than the distant lights we saw literally a thousand blue-green eyes glowing out at us from out of the darkness. As we pulled up this is what we saw:<br />
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It was hundreds of sheep, packed in a dense flock that had NOT been there on our way in, blocking our path. I'm not sure how many because the flock went farther than the lights of our high beams reached. Where the heck had these come from?? I'm not typically a superstitious person, but in combination with the sleep deprivation, unfamiliar surroundings in the dark, roads that were not there when our map and GPS said they should be, fluorescing sagebrush, strange lights, then mass of glowing eyes, I can safely say that at that moment I was the most creeped out that I can ever remember feeling.</div>
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We honked the horn and pulled forward, but the sheep just packed tighter together and remained barring our way. Okay, continuing south wasn't an option, so we just had to head back north and hope we'd missed something, because we REALLY didn't want to spend the night out in this strange place with its mysterious alien-sheep. As it turned out, after we passed our initial incorrect turn and went a little farther than we went before we found the signed Sunrise Pass Road. What a relief! We were still a while from our sites for the morning, but we knew where we were, so we crossed the mountains and got to camp around 11pm. So much for a good night's sleep! There wasn't an immediately obvious good spot to set up a tent so I simply threw my tent footprint in a gully with my sleeping bag on top of it and crashed hard until dawn came too soon.<br />
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The next morning was definitely one of my toughest mornings of the season to crawl out of my sleeping bag and head out to survey. Luckily my first point was only 50m away, and luckier still there was a surprise in store that would wake me right up and keep me going for the rest of the morning.<br />
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As I started my first point and blearily tried to put distance estimates to the birds I was hearing, a distant vireo song caught my ear. Unlike the typical slow song of the Plumbeous which is the standard PJ vireo, this song was very quick, with less than a second between phrases. Gray Vireos are found mostly in the scrubby PJ of desert mountains in the Mojave and eastern Great Basin, but have an almost mythical presence in the Pine Nuts, with a few NBC surveyors over the past 15 years or so detecting birds here well northwest of their usual range. Our boss Jen had always told us to keep an ear out for them when surveying in these mountains, but no one had got one for a number of years so I hadn't been convinced they were a real possibility. But this bird really was THE bird yeah? It wasn't just the sleep deprivation? Either way it got the adrenaline going, working better than the caffeine drops I'd drugged my water with earlier.<br />
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After completing my first point I hustled through the forest in the direction of the song. After a few hundred meters, sure enough there was a very fast singing vireo in the junipers in front of me. But Dave had said he once spent an hour on a 'fast' vireo that turned out to be a Plumbeous a couple years ago, so I needed a visual to be sure. With a bit of patience the bird finally showed itself, and sure enough it showed the rather drab garb of a Gray Vireo! You can't make it out due to it being back-lit in the dawn light, but here's a clip of the silhouetted bird singing.<br />
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From there I hurried back to the transect to complete it within the birding morning, but luckily I had service to text the boss about what to do with the vireo. Gray Vireos are a conservation priority species in the state, and with the few sightings in the Pine Nuts they has never been confirmed breeding there. It was pretty high priority to try to get some breeding evidence on this bird, so I got the go ahead to skip veg work after my transect in exchange for following the bird around. Not a bad deal!</div>
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The transect itself was <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30406933" target="_blank">pretty typical</a> for lower PJ, with trees more scattered than higher up in the range and with a higher juniper component. Consequently quite a few Juniper Titmice were about, as well as groups of Bushtits with some bluebirds and jays to spruce (or juniper?) things up.<br />
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Once I was finished I headed back towards where the vireo had been. It was getting hot and many of the birds were quieting down, but luckily the bird was singing intermittently and I was able to follow it around for a good hour. Unfortunately I didn't any breeding evidence other than it singing, but it was interesting to follow it around as these birds can have pretty large territories (especially when they have no neighbours). This bird's was over half a kilometer in diameter.</div>
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After the vireo search I headed back to the truck to head out to civilization. Kayla had got her one priority veg point done but had left without completing more due to hearing gunfire in the the hills around the transect. America!<br />
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At this point we were really curious to take Sunrise Pass out of the mountains to see where exactly it came out. As we neared Mindin, to our shock things started to look a little familiar. A sign, a steep wash... and we pulled out on Johnston Way, the road we had taken in the day before! This was another 'twilight zone' moment, and we then turned around to go back the way we'd came to see where we went wrong. It turned out that the road to Sunrise Pass unintuitively strikes out south from the first intersection and then wraps around to eventually head towards the mountains. Good to know for next time!<br />
<br />Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-6111936594185010102016-07-15T11:27:00.000-04:002016-07-15T11:27:23.469-04:00High Sierra BirdingNevada Bird Count Tour 6 Part 2<br />
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The second half of our tour started on June 24th with Kayla and I heading south across the California border to a couple of the NBC's handful of transects in the Sierra Nevada. Last year I got to spend a lot of time in this area, since my partner Alan had his area search at nearby Rosaschi. This was my first time heading down this season, so I welcomed the familiar drive through the sagebrush and pinyon-covered hills. We continued past Bridgeport Reservoir which often hosts Bald Eagle, scouted out Kayla's transect in the meadow across from the Pickle Meadow Mountain Warfare Training Facility (apparently choppers once came down in the meadow while someone was surveying), and then finally made it to one of the jewels of the NBC, LR-LittleWalker.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Valley leading to LR-LittleWalker</td></tr>
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Situated in a large montane valley in the Sierra, there are almost no transects on the project like it. Sierra Junipers and Logepole Pines are western conifers that we don't get on the bulk of our transects, but they are found here in addition to aspen stands, sagebrush flats and willow meadows. Upon arriving, we hiked out to some of these willows in the hopes of finding some Calliope Hummingbirds. These tiny montane hummers are the smallest birds in North America, and and Little Walker was the only place I'd seen them before. Kayla hadn't ever seen one, so we were hopping we'd connect her with this lifer.<br />
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As we wandered up the valley we came across a spot where a Black Bear had marked a tree. Haven't seen any yet this season, but these were pretty high up on the trunk of this lodgepole.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Black Bear claw marks</td></tr>
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Also fun was Giant Puffball. After we had hiked out another pair of hikers came out carrying it. Apparently they're delicious if you saute them in butter. I let them know I may have kicked their food when making sure it was a mushroom.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Giant Puffball</td></tr>
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We eventually got to one of the wet meadows sprinkled with large mountain willows, and it wasn't long before Kayla spotted a small hummer on perched atop one of them. Due to its tiny size and location it was almost certainly a Calliope, but we wandered around a while longer for a satisfying look. Eventually we had close looks at the male when it returned to its same perch, and its mate came by to visit briefly. Really cool look,ing hummers, with their flared gorgets made of separate streaks of magenta on each feather unlike the solid throat patches of many hummingbirds. No photos worth posting unfortunately.</div>
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Hanging out back in camp for the evening we were treated to a single booming bout from a Sooty Grouse, my only one for the season and Kayla's life bird. A lone Mountain Quail was calling temptingly nearby as well, but remained quiet when we tried to track it down. This Western Tanager was more cooperative however and sang for us atop a juniper.<br />
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The next morning I headed out to my first point an hour earlier than I needed to in the hopes of hearing a new owl, perhaps a Northern Pygmy or Flammulated. Didn't connect with either of them, but a Great Horned Owl and a few Common Poorwills made a nice soundtrack for the moonlit walk to the transect.</div>
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As I said before, the habitat in this area is much different than most of the NBC, so it was a treat to get to count <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30407251" target="_blank">birds</a> you get almost nowhere else on the project. Specialties like Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Red-breasted Sapsuckers, Ruby-crowned Kinglet and Nashville Warbler were found in the forests, along with Thick-billed Fox Sparrows, Wilson's Warblers and Lincoln's Sparrows in the shrubby wet areas.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Coniferous forest at the end of a sagebrush meadow</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Beaver pond, something I you don't see many of out here</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dense aspen stand</td></tr>
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The one downside of the transect is that on half the points you're fighting with the noise of the fast-flowing Little Walker River for any sound of birds. Both years I've surveyed this transect, at Point 9 next to the river I've actually been able to watch birds sing and not hear them! But the scenery and cool birds make up for the difficulty point-counting. Last year I had a flyby American Dipper at this point, but not this time around.<br />
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The wildflowers up here in the sagebrush meadows were lovely as well. Red <i>Castilleja</i>, white <i>Plox</i>, yellow <i>Senecio</i> and blue <i>Penstemon</i> added their colours to the landscape.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Montane Wildflowers</td></tr>
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<br />After completing the transect I hiked out to where Kayla would pick me up, and we drove out to town west of the Pine Nuts to get some paperwork done before heading into the range for the next day's surveys.<br /><br />Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-9277695359890378692016-06-29T18:59:00.001-04:002016-06-30T19:56:05.290-04:00Exploring the VirginiasNevada Bird Count Tour 6 Part 1<br />
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My sixth tour on the NBC started earlier than normal, on the weekend after our fifth tour, because there were a few extra transects that needed to be done and the boss was looking for people who wanted to do them. On weekends like last one where I have no means of getting away from the field house (I really need to get a car!) I'm always chomping at the bit to get away and do something, so getting to work in the mountains for pay seemed like a great idea.<br />
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Making it even more enticing, the transect needing to be done was one part of a brand new NBC contract in the Virginias and nearby ranges up north of Reno. Most of our sites are part of long-running projects, and the NBC veterans like Dave and Sue have surveyed most of them over the years. The Virginias, however, were new to this season, so not even they knew what to expect. Luckily my whole first half of the tour was stationed up there to knock out the majority of the transects, so it was a rare opportunity on the NBC to explore the unknown area.<br />
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So I headed up on my own on Friday June 17th to spend the night in the oddly named Dogskin Range to be in position for a survey the next morning. In this range and in the nearby ranges the usual PJ of Nevada's mid-elevation ranges was reduced to simply J, as the forests were entirely scattered junipers. Apparently the pinyons drop out very quickly once you get north of Reno. Lots of rock outcrops scattered around added to the scenery.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJZv_seQ5SWhPMkI5umTJz0FofghmkRaLqDDVNRJeWMo7KDsVVq3NyNy7awGrAGdg2lWc7N1PhTUDRvb8aaDThS_MMoKUpHv-GBcJqotscju-GodewCjJTzqRJhiN5JO2JcWSyJO8VXp-/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJZv_seQ5SWhPMkI5umTJz0FofghmkRaLqDDVNRJeWMo7KDsVVq3NyNy7awGrAGdg2lWc7N1PhTUDRvb8aaDThS_MMoKUpHv-GBcJqotscju-GodewCjJTzqRJhiN5JO2JcWSyJO8VXp-/s400/IMG_2210.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Much of Nevada is used as open rangeland for cattle, so it's not unusual to come across a few while driving or hiking throughout the state.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-Caavy6SlgcS-TgwwQ1fA269NMoOqmdIi9HFT5kFQQ2wObjWmD781tDPS9Hb7xNBGx6g3czWgoAvFXG9bVZ4NFsrrRy0vdef8bvNsdzdE6SvVxwAkOhaKRj5uOA-SMEv1-JnhD-gnf_3/s1600/IMG_2212.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5-Caavy6SlgcS-TgwwQ1fA269NMoOqmdIi9HFT5kFQQ2wObjWmD781tDPS9Hb7xNBGx6g3czWgoAvFXG9bVZ4NFsrrRy0vdef8bvNsdzdE6SvVxwAkOhaKRj5uOA-SMEv1-JnhD-gnf_3/s400/IMG_2212.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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That night after getting to camp I wandered around a while to see <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30460156" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what was about</a>. A Mountain Quail crowing from a distant hillside was a nice find, although not quite as nice as the Northern Pygmy-Owl I was trying to turn the distant call into, and a soaring Golden Eagle was a treat as always. Although my favorite sighting was around dusk when four Long-eared Owls flew right into the trees around camp. I've been having incredible luck with these owls this season! The local Blue-gray Gnatcatchers didn't like the owls as much as I did, resulting in this humorous video. It's not terribly sharp due to the lack of zoom on my camera, but it captures the essence of the encounter.</div>
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On my survey the next morning the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30459936" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">birds</a> were similar to the PJ birds in the Pine Nuts although lacking some of the species preferring thicker forest, with Juniper Titmice and Bushtits being a couple highlights. However it was the scenery that morning that really captured my interest. While the skies were clear at dawn, the wind quickly picked up from the West and pushed patches of dark menacing clouds rapidly by overhead. These clouds were low enough to shroud the tops of the surrounding ridges.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3REm7TtISGqYJJwdH2wtGXU5VfSNPAsZJmOq8n-t5r05Y2Vj6Im5sXko2tISS-ZEOc0YAYvor4EItglnBZ5bu_VwMleDwb_sIItZqNK94hC1bqlfs-WG-HzaOzekVbYgJg9sMKvnC8yv/s1600/IMG_2246.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3REm7TtISGqYJJwdH2wtGXU5VfSNPAsZJmOq8n-t5r05Y2Vj6Im5sXko2tISS-ZEOc0YAYvor4EItglnBZ5bu_VwMleDwb_sIItZqNK94hC1bqlfs-WG-HzaOzekVbYgJg9sMKvnC8yv/s400/IMG_2246.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Another cool find was this neat formation I saw in one of the rock faces. I showed the photos to Sue, who has a fair bit of geological knowledge, and it turns out this formation is called a concretion. They originate in the formation of sedimentary rock, when minerals precipitate in layers around some sort of nucleus within the sediment, such as a pebble or shell. Apparently you can crack open some concretions an find a perfect fossil in its centre.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CupwUf-Hp30WUvQnc9ZX8wVo13gae6E0iDccOd4X05ttWpqXycwO7vCZN6LfaAN8mMrbkzo4LUjRlnSna8R_0347Z9SHA-9702jE7doKi1wIWqcEbvoUaQt5CaJaoeLzuXPTgt8qasKw/s1600/IMG_2251.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CupwUf-Hp30WUvQnc9ZX8wVo13gae6E0iDccOd4X05ttWpqXycwO7vCZN6LfaAN8mMrbkzo4LUjRlnSna8R_0347Z9SHA-9702jE7doKi1wIWqcEbvoUaQt5CaJaoeLzuXPTgt8qasKw/s400/IMG_2251.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Concretion</td></tr>
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Also that morning I came across one of my favorite wildflowers out here, Cobweb Thistle (<i>Cersium occidentale</i>). It may sound funny to be fond of a thistle, but I find these flowers with their ghostly white stems contrasting bright pink inflorescences very beautiful.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sxT8den-fDien6Grcs8P42CaZQbZDrxhoOYfcMDL_Y9otVrunc2syv2rV2e5-RWCc2JInfCOPgJESgK0P5l2SZlMe3k9wrUI34BifWV2kZaDmXVbyq_WcrAmGTp3xfQzVqBORcctMDJv/s1600/IMG_2278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sxT8den-fDien6Grcs8P42CaZQbZDrxhoOYfcMDL_Y9otVrunc2syv2rV2e5-RWCc2JInfCOPgJESgK0P5l2SZlMe3k9wrUI34BifWV2kZaDmXVbyq_WcrAmGTp3xfQzVqBORcctMDJv/s400/IMG_2278.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cobweb Thistle</td></tr>
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After the morning of surveying I was back to the field house until the end of the weekend when Kayla and I headed back up to the Virginias for another three mornings of surveys. We drove in late in the evening on Monday the 20th and were treated to some spectacular clouds lit up by the setting sun.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYHnuvISCMaSsxUcNkEzPZTQBn7Kge7addQw0TXC1DpLGU6EAzNkCvxAY3aBS9GkXQFiMDEMMRztbnWGDZ3Dcgcw9Ge2v6yDppgWbmZk8ewwc2P3Cb2YsJjBN2QDoa6XuBHTI4h9OkIRp/s1600/IMG_2288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYHnuvISCMaSsxUcNkEzPZTQBn7Kge7addQw0TXC1DpLGU6EAzNkCvxAY3aBS9GkXQFiMDEMMRztbnWGDZ3Dcgcw9Ge2v6yDppgWbmZk8ewwc2P3Cb2YsJjBN2QDoa6XuBHTI4h9OkIRp/s400/IMG_2288.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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A pronghorn doe enjoyed the sunset as well.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUAqe30Nat409vf_ouLaCH5w9QhamWOJovZaTNP4SG5gG0vwnDsLaSwPdDfBUkRqUgjxTJHUTbBOKAoMKVuUQHM0QISCQbHIZhBPV_kic6mUdcKxKDd4HOc9621P4WrpInwVSjtfmRUce/s1600/IMG_2284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlUAqe30Nat409vf_ouLaCH5w9QhamWOJovZaTNP4SG5gG0vwnDsLaSwPdDfBUkRqUgjxTJHUTbBOKAoMKVuUQHM0QISCQbHIZhBPV_kic6mUdcKxKDd4HOc9621P4WrpInwVSjtfmRUce/s400/IMG_2284.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Tuesday morning I had a transect in the flats near Dry Valley. Junipers were scare and the area was mostly a sagebrush plain, providing home to hoards of <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30460107" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">larks and lark-like objects</a> (i.e. Horned Larks, Lark Sparrows, and Western Meadowlarks) but not too much else of note birdwise. The real treat was in the mammalian department. As I was a minute into my fourth point count of the morning a couple pronghorn does and their fawns ran by not 50m away. I decided to stop the count to re-start it afterwards, and got my camera on the animals a they passed. While filming them I heard more incoming hoofbeats, and another 6 females and 2 fawns ran in from the same direction, only to stop right in front of me.<br />
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An even more incredible encounter happened on my final count of the morning. Not too much was going on, and I enjoyed the quiet count by watching a male Horned Lark giving its display flight. It would climb upward with 4 bursts of wingbeats, and on the fifth it would let out it's lovely tinkling song. Then it would climb another 5 steps and repeat, until it was a speck overhead. While watching the bird I heard the unusual sound of a male pronghorn's alarm call and saw two young bucks and an older male come over the nearby ridge. They were followed by a curious youngster who, not used to seeing strange two-legged beings, decided to investigate. I stood motionless as the fawn came slowly closer and closer to me, while the concerned mature buck followed some distance behind. The fawn eventually stopped a mere 15m from me, and for a moment paused to decide what it thought of this intruder. It then decided it wasn't worth getting any closer, and took off in a circle around me. The buck, at this point some 50m away, then took off at a run and followed a wider circle around me after its kid. Seeing a full grown male pronghorn take off and get up to speed from so close is a truely impressive thing. These animals are built on muscles made for running, and have been built that way since the ice age when they needed them to outrun the American Cheetah. No video of this encounter unfortunately, but I decided to keep the camera on my belt this time and just absorb the experience while it was happening.<br />
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That afternoon, with temperatures climbing to the mid-high 30s Celsius, we decided to head over to nearby Pyramid Lake to look for a shady place to putt on paperwork for the afternoon. Pyramid Lake is one of the few large terminal lakes in this desert state, and belongs to the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation. We had to pay a $10 day use fee for our stay, but our nice set up under a shaded awning, with a picnic table to work on and a scope set up to watch the grebes and pelicans, it was worth it.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEredHcsfAaHnVnWwvvuJhUZ5bcOk50AUajsDYoZT5MSbgQweg5_oG-ZYZ0wW1xgQykhRFrccDGo1stpAg_XLYdYFp60rDi125tCHKWcZeg4mDSu7EZRqDJ7on9csdXh2e11pN5kEHWRT/s1600/IMG_2334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqEredHcsfAaHnVnWwvvuJhUZ5bcOk50AUajsDYoZT5MSbgQweg5_oG-ZYZ0wW1xgQykhRFrccDGo1stpAg_XLYdYFp60rDi125tCHKWcZeg4mDSu7EZRqDJ7on9csdXh2e11pN5kEHWRT/s400/IMG_2334.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paperwork and pelicans at Pyramid Lake</td></tr>
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The following morning I had a hilly transect just northwest of the lake. Birds were downright <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30460221" target="_blank">quiet</a> here, but the views of the lake and surrounding hills were spectacular. At the north end of the lake are large tufa sandstone formations called The Needles, and I was lucky enough to get to watch the sun rise behind them.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5RS6d1S5PkwK9pGfIyuZr4kimYCWpiY9Ux3lQ5WRU-r782wgnaafpccsJEd5DfmjOJLXp90mvPPbm13L6HzzJwMIuvnLWjLmzs7xMjWuBwQxOpMV-Z8uEjOw6qoW-Z1w3SowKfLsMHZk/s1600/IMG_2341.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5RS6d1S5PkwK9pGfIyuZr4kimYCWpiY9Ux3lQ5WRU-r782wgnaafpccsJEd5DfmjOJLXp90mvPPbm13L6HzzJwMIuvnLWjLmzs7xMjWuBwQxOpMV-Z8uEjOw6qoW-Z1w3SowKfLsMHZk/s400/IMG_2341.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunrise over The Needles</td></tr>
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Atop my highest ridge while looking over the cliff in the valley below I got a rare look at a Golden Eagle from above. It was really something to watch it gliding over the valley below me, with its shadow gliding over the sagebrush and cheatgrass below it on the valley floor.<br />
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The rocky terrain on these ridges was perfect for lizards, and I saw numerous Great Basin Collared Lizards along with the more widespread Western Fence Lizards.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Basin Collared Lizard</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qWJomc4DD6QKX_HKxeQUmBclGT4-tgEnhlEhLtU7XyI8pEmxGBPTHZE-aNJGNkCecFuRVYuZ8jZHE5jLgU-hVChulrKRuYy50AhKCJGPvStNuMO9dUlXM873clRS3xgP-LihWSZtBEuU/s1600/IMG_2383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qWJomc4DD6QKX_HKxeQUmBclGT4-tgEnhlEhLtU7XyI8pEmxGBPTHZE-aNJGNkCecFuRVYuZ8jZHE5jLgU-hVChulrKRuYy50AhKCJGPvStNuMO9dUlXM873clRS3xgP-LihWSZtBEuU/s400/IMG_2383.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Western Fence Lizard</td></tr>
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The afternoon and evening was spent driving all over the wilderness trying to find an alternate way into our transects for the next day, since our original route was thwarted by a gate on private land. Eventually we found a long, rough road in too late to attempt, so we took Plan B and got into camp by some back-up transects just before nightfall. Happy to finally be off the road, we took a break for a little astronomy. With the naked eye we were able to pick out 3 different planets, and after getting out my scope we had amazing views of Mars, the bands on Jupiter plus all 4 of its large moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto), and the brilliant rings on Saturn in addition to its large moon Titan. A great way to end a long day.<br />
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Our final morning in the Virginias was fairly <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30460221" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">low-key</a>, with my transect passing through rocky, hilly scattered juniper country again.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgKVJ_UFNkz0vFnWmyCP4Sb-tl94JG03HEjcjDpCs6pvYGYCvwzmKgOqpdzvDDKayay5JquzkaQvjvhhwE_VAmnS_7Zc9WxXivGsRd5IvO7E5BjP5XsinuhhQ3U3ZER10_4f6kIqNnsGw/s1600/IMG_2426.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHgKVJ_UFNkz0vFnWmyCP4Sb-tl94JG03HEjcjDpCs6pvYGYCvwzmKgOqpdzvDDKayay5JquzkaQvjvhhwE_VAmnS_7Zc9WxXivGsRd5IvO7E5BjP5XsinuhhQ3U3ZER10_4f6kIqNnsGw/s400/IMG_2426.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The rocky terrain seemed great for snakes, so I was keeping my eyes out. One thing that kept me on my toes were the dried lupine stalks. When kicked, their dry seed pods would rattle together and make a sound surprisingly similar to that of a rattlesnake. Whether or not you want to find them or not, hearing that rattle always makes your heart stop briefly! Didn't luck into any Great Basin Rattlesnakes this time, but this young Great Basin Gophersnake on my way back was a nice consolation prize.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkajPST2EleTGggdWAq_bE8c2plzhMjBnRHDWxN4KuYmmxV-_xKhOr9cGawg3dAQYVJ6Kohs44U4s-1Ds2DOFXAI4apZxdYpRq7NWvvcdG927p3F19wofPlg0cwnqfGOQADzMb_9UT2OYG/s1600/IMG_2432.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkajPST2EleTGggdWAq_bE8c2plzhMjBnRHDWxN4KuYmmxV-_xKhOr9cGawg3dAQYVJ6Kohs44U4s-1Ds2DOFXAI4apZxdYpRq7NWvvcdG927p3F19wofPlg0cwnqfGOQADzMb_9UT2OYG/s400/IMG_2432.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Basin Gophersnake</td></tr>
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Also on the way back I got close views of a pair of Swainson's Hawks mobbing a Golden Eagle which was fun to see. Additionally, fairly close to me meeting point I flushed another 3 Long-eared Owls! There must be a good population of rodents this year because I keep tripping over these birds.<br />
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And with that we finished the first half of our tour. After our mid-tour area search we were excited to have a circuit of transects in 3 different mountain ranges to round our the second half of the tour: the Sierras, the Pine Nuts, and finally back up to the Virginias.<br />
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-5468190523031886362016-06-22T11:00:00.000-04:002016-06-23T23:49:28.647-04:00Owls and Other Things<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nevada Bird Count Tour 5 Part 4<br />
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After driving out of Upper Coleman, Kayla and I met up with the rest of the crew including Bobby Wilcox and Kaitlin Murphy, a couple who spend most of the breeding season down on GBBO's Lower Colorado River project and join us on the Nevada Bird Count for the end of our season. Soon afterwards Kayla, Bobby, Kaitlin, and I caravanned across to Leonard Creek Ranch, from which we would access our transects for the next morning. Bobby and Kaitlin were sent up to do MR-Leonard and MR-Chicken, 2 tough transects climbing high into the Pint Forest Range that I'm hoping we'll get to do on our final trip up here in a couple weeks time. As for us, after a day Upper Coleman Kayla and I were grateful to have a couple easier transects following creeks through the sagebrush.</div>
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On the way in I got a photo of an abandoned farmstead that caught my eye on our previous visit. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Abandoned farm south of Bartlett Peak<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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The next morning, June 12th, I was dropped off on the bottom of my transect which started off in the flats and then followed a small creek up a valley between two peaks. I surveyed the bottom half of this transect on our last visit, and like last time the sagebrush flats were still loaded with Western Meadowlarks and Lark Sparrows without too too much else going on. However I did flush a group of 4 adult Long-eared Owls from the sage which was a treat. These nomadic owls are ones I'd only seen a couple times before this season (now I see them every few days on my area search), and I always a treat to see them. Last tour Sue had found an agitated adult further up on the transect, so perhaps a couple of these birds belonged to that territory.<br />
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Higher up the valley began to narrow and thick rose and serviceberry began to grow. With the lusher veg Warbling Vireo, Yellow Warblers, Dusky Flycatchers and others were added to my fairly meager species list. As I approached my 7th point a male Northern Harrier came in to greet me, and continued to vocalize and dive-bomb me throughout the duration of the count. He got lower and lower as the count progressed until he was coming in a foot above my head.<br />
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Part way through he teed up on a sagebrush, close enough that even my point-and-shoot could nail a decent photo.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angry Northern Harrier</td></tr>
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The female flew in part way through the point as well clutching a big lizard to bring to their young, which hidden in a nest on the hillside somewhere. She made a couple passes at me as well but wasn't as persistent as the male.<br />
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My next surprise was up near the top of the transect, when I heard my second Ovenbird of the season. Normally a regular vagrant to Nevada, this year I've happened to stumble across the only 2 records so far. It's perhaps unfair that I seem to only get excited about these eastern birds when they're thousands of kilometers from home</div>
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Finally, while vegging one of the points in the thick serviceberry near the middle of the transect I flushed the pair of fledged Long-eared Owls who's parent had harassed Sue last time around. They gave great looks but unfortunately didn't stick around long enough for a photo.<br />
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That afternoon after leaving the ranch Kayla and I needed to head out of the wilderness because our gasoline situation was looking a little sketchy. It turned out to be a lucky for us, because on our way out through the salt desert Kayla spotted a small owl flying beside the road. We got out to stop and saw this Burrowing Owl scolding us from the top of a greasewood. This was only my second sighting of this long-legged owl, my first being a distant bird scoped from a roadside last year, but this time I got killer views through both bins and scope. Unfortunately my camera doesn't make them look very close. Later on its mate emerged from a burrow nearby. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burrowing Owl</td></tr>
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And the fun didn't stop there! Just around the corner Kayla brought the truck to a stop. "That was a Kit Fox!" We got out and watched as one of these tiny desert foxes hung around its den by the roadside.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kit Fox</td></tr>
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It was really fun to watch, as it would run off into the bushes, then come back out to see what we were doing, then pop into its den, then come back out. Really quirky little animal. We were lucky to see this usually nocturnal species too, as the only ones I'd seen were while conducting nocturnal lagomorph surveys last season by spotlight. This was Kayla's lifer, and definitely a great way to get it.<br />
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On our last morning up in the Black Rock I had an easy transect following a creek up near Bartlett Peak. One of my quietest NBC transects of all time, there was very little other than Rock Wrens and mobs of Black-billed Magpies even after I climbed up enough and got into some shrubs and aspen. However there were a few fun sightings to keep me interested over the course of the survey. The first were Yellow-bellied Marmots that were perched on top of the rocky spires once I climbed into the canyon. Smaller than our groundhogs back home, I had about half a dozen of these mountain dwellers over the length of the transect, including one vocalizing individual trying unsuccessfully to trick me into recording it on my bird survey form.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imagine marmots on top of these rocks...</td></tr>
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The marmots were also joined by a couple Chukar. A species we dismiss as escapees in Ontario, in Nevada these introduced Middle Eastern chickens have naturalized well to the rocky canyons throughout the state. They're a bird I only got eyes on once last season, but here in the Black Rock,a few have given good looks while walking along the road. Here's a distant shot of a male calling from a spire.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chukar</td></tr>
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At the last point of the transect I was rewarded by hearing one of my favorite songs, that of the Canyon Wren. Their descending series of whistles 'falling down a canyon' is a sound I've only heard a handful of times, and it's always a treat.<br />
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On my way down I bumped into the mob of magpies again, and they were making an even bigger ruckus than on the way up. It turns out the reason for their excitement was finding another couple fledgeling Long-eared Owls. I've never seen more of these perpetually surprised owls than this season, and they're not one I think I'll tire of seeing. This time I even got a distant photo of one of these dark-faced juveniles.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-eared Owl fledgeling</td></tr>
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The hiking had been easy and I was finished the transect and back at the truck by 9am. With the long drive we had no veg obligations this morning, so we set off for an uneventful drive back south to round out the tour.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-3758189345338251672016-06-19T20:14:00.002-04:002016-06-26T19:29:53.482-04:00Upper Coleman: Second Round<div class="separator" style="clear: both;">
Nevada Bird Count Tour 5 Part 3</div>
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After area searching on Friday June 10, Kayla and I once again made the long trek up to Black Rock/High Rock in northern Nevada. We left a touch earlier this time and got in to Stanley Camp around 6pm. Dave and Ned had arrived 10 minutes before we did, so we had a bit of time for a quick drink and a chat. A while later Sue joined us as well, making it all the way up from her area search in the Sierras. While we would have loved to stay and catch up longer, we were anxious and scout the road to our transect for the next morning, UpperColeman. Last tour a large snow patch on a north-facing slope had forced me to leave the truck behind and make a 20km round trip hike through the Black Rock Mountains to get to the transect. While quite the achievement, I was hoping not to repeat the experience, so this time we had armed ourselves with a spade.<br />
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Dave was convinced there wouldn't be any snow left. It had been quite hot in the couple weeks since we'd been here, and Sue mentioned the snow on her area search at 9000ft was gone too. "Come on, stay a while longer." We were insistent that we had to get going, because on the off chance of snow we wanted to have some daylight to get through it. Dave offered to bet us there would be no snow. I'm not much of a betting man, but in the gambling state of Nevada perhaps I should have followed suit and taken the bet...<br />
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The drive up Summer Camp Road started out not bad. The creek fordings went fine and we once again got under "The Squeeze" without any problems despite there being less than an inch of clearance between the trunk and our cab.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">"The Squeeze"</td></tr>
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Further up the road there were some pretty steep, rocky hills to climb as well that had made us nervous looking at them last tour, but our trusty truck crawled up them without hassle. But then we reached the aspen slope where the snow patch was. While it was much smaller than it had been half a month before, it was still a foot deep in places and resting on a 45 degree slope. "Let's see how this goes!" I put it into 4-high, gained speed up the hill, and this was the result.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First attempt</td></tr>
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Now we only had one shovel, so as the only guy and only Canadian in the truck I took the honours of shoveling two ruts through the drift. We made a second run and gained a couple more meters before the wheels started spinning and we came to a stop. "Okay, so there's a half-inch of ice under the snow, I suppose I should have gotten rid if that." So I hacked the ice out of the ruts with the spade, and we made another run at it. And stopped. The wet soil had churned to mud, our treads were saturated, and we weren't moving. "Okay, back up, switch to 4-low, let's give this another shot." We made it to within about a meter of the top when we couldn't gain traction. We jammed sticks under the tires, but no luck. I tried backing up out of the rut we created to try again, but that just lost us ground foot by foot. We then emptied the spare tire and all our gear bins out of the truck to make it lighter, but still nothing. It was getting dark, we'd been up since 4am, and even after we got to camp we still had to wake up for a 3km hike down through the mountains before dawn the next day.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8BWmosmfAGJYJ1oaD_-ktx-n22Ho4zIBkVL213Ob8KSnkTQ8sqFINfuxVPTL9QRPClc13Z-ZmlGvtZJgCg8pVyZH07c6OsqPU2jZA2m3t1KoxOnu-8yC8crM_FIiioj57qjNQOC0UpSP/s1600/IMG_1992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8BWmosmfAGJYJ1oaD_-ktx-n22Ho4zIBkVL213Ob8KSnkTQ8sqFINfuxVPTL9QRPClc13Z-ZmlGvtZJgCg8pVyZH07c6OsqPU2jZA2m3t1KoxOnu-8yC8crM_FIiioj57qjNQOC0UpSP/s400/IMG_1992.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So close yet so far...</td></tr>
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Finally, we had one last shot. I backed us up all the way down the hill, kicked it into 4-high, and gunned the truck up the slope with all she had. We felt her slowing as we hit the mud and snow, and we almost stopped as we made it to the top, but she was just able to crawl past it and keep going. Cheer's erupted on the mountainside as we stopped to reload the truck. By 9:45 we made it to our camp on the open sage hilltop at 8300ft where we'd have some 5 hours sleep before hiking down to the valley before dawn.</div>
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Before dawn we woke and it was below freezing. Not something you first expect on the 11th of June in the desert state of Nevada, but mountains are funny things.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tent at 8300ft at 3:45am in June</td></tr>
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The two of us hiked out to split the transect because it was pretty remote and the last time I didn't have time to do any veg on it. Luckily this time around we weren't in a cloud and it wasn't raining, so nocturnal navigation was easier and more pleasant. We actually found the right drainage to hike down to the valley, and made it to the transect in 1.5 hours. The transect itself was <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30253047" target="_blank">quieter</a> than my last visit, and some common species like Fox Sparrow and MacGillivray's Warbler I only had as incidentals between counts. After veging most of the transect we worked our way up the valley. Along the way we flushed a large chicken that was likely a Dusky Grouse, although sage-grouse can also use these montane riparian areas.<br />
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The Black Rock/High Rock is aptly named, since the area is full of rocky cliffs and formations jutting out from the sage-covered mountainsides. This one looked to me like some sort of fortress crowning the hilltop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04fc4mC_TqaWMiXyNT6pTvpr2PkuztMEHo-i5mcGaIPhCCPOM76giSj3AARUv6CE_Vw5mS3dcOp1gzJMQ7zPTDBpvYVU13ugsa8GJR6gFJRDDb3e0vs9wRof6hOVTYFcUvyAX22bYaUa9/s1600/IMG_2049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg04fc4mC_TqaWMiXyNT6pTvpr2PkuztMEHo-i5mcGaIPhCCPOM76giSj3AARUv6CE_Vw5mS3dcOp1gzJMQ7zPTDBpvYVU13ugsa8GJR6gFJRDDb3e0vs9wRof6hOVTYFcUvyAX22bYaUa9/s400/IMG_2049.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Rock Fortress</td></tr>
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And my personal favorite, the Man in the Mountain. Never have I seen such a face-like rock outcrop!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFzD9KwpyJqZ-DMiMUPbMVrIHe93SwPszmkxRSWHI9Ea_FgU4xMHEBskO87z9fYQ2pALwsoEZtH5CLM4RaD9D6Viy1t7c7jx2I95m__h1sk46WBgozp1rdgyMGfrJvIRkw351ShxEnB6h/s1600/IMG_2066.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFzD9KwpyJqZ-DMiMUPbMVrIHe93SwPszmkxRSWHI9Ea_FgU4xMHEBskO87z9fYQ2pALwsoEZtH5CLM4RaD9D6Viy1t7c7jx2I95m__h1sk46WBgozp1rdgyMGfrJvIRkw351ShxEnB6h/s400/IMG_2066.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Man in the Mountain</td></tr>
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Further along the valley narrowed to a canyon and became more lush. Here while picking out our trail we heard the distinctly 2-syllabled whistle of a Cordilleran Flycatcher, my first of season. They breed in coniferous forests as opposed to these thin riparian areas, but this late migrant was likely heading towards the disjunct population in the very northeast corner of California.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a80aHU17nOhirSNdPQsLkkXFOu04BqsfxEf9685tXxiAF85gKCugZUadfjj6XRUCL2hlFTEXpImiXw2_taRBFeIU-59z_idvHaO7GYte3GgIgBTjGURNYlZ1257Hzf7hkI9hD3Rr4bKy/s1600/IMG_2055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-a80aHU17nOhirSNdPQsLkkXFOu04BqsfxEf9685tXxiAF85gKCugZUadfjj6XRUCL2hlFTEXpImiXw2_taRBFeIU-59z_idvHaO7GYte3GgIgBTjGURNYlZ1257Hzf7hkI9hD3Rr4bKy/s400/IMG_2055.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upper reaches of Coleman Creek</td></tr>
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The climb up out of the valley was just that: a long climb. It took us about twice the time heading out as it took us to get down, but steadily we made our way out.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMU0IaUTdGzqPumCeRwMfVBix00T1oyGXhcLw2MFIkZlkzu1PVAUq7r20jI8bBEKfuxNYfa9Cmc8Z5g3Bd9uQEk-39FjOkGnh_RBVWXK-oZxkJmfviSsNaXVXRmWHabBKsodibYg1SwG_/s1600/IMG_2070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrMU0IaUTdGzqPumCeRwMfVBix00T1oyGXhcLw2MFIkZlkzu1PVAUq7r20jI8bBEKfuxNYfa9Cmc8Z5g3Bd9uQEk-39FjOkGnh_RBVWXK-oZxkJmfviSsNaXVXRmWHabBKsodibYg1SwG_/s400/IMG_2070.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kayla on the climb up from the valley bottom</td></tr>
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Higher up on the hillside the usual Big Sagebrush had been replaced by Low Sagebrush, and consequently the mountain wildflowers really stood out. The oranges of paintbrush, whites of locoweed, yellows of hawksbeard, and blues of penstemon all shone out amongst the tiny pale sagebrush. The photo doesn't do it justice at all, but gives a feel.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3fMB4T5Pj_VCY5tBVab7cWKYaPjiIFteXXLtJPFRps-HC3JJlbUfEOwhaI_a1xqoU7zy2J0P6IwniRER30oguDrKSfz4wkbfVdJbf7nV9Ofz4FNTXyDcCwJAev8lC9JKk_WSj1dQEsIS/s1600/IMG_2072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir3fMB4T5Pj_VCY5tBVab7cWKYaPjiIFteXXLtJPFRps-HC3JJlbUfEOwhaI_a1xqoU7zy2J0P6IwniRER30oguDrKSfz4wkbfVdJbf7nV9Ofz4FNTXyDcCwJAev8lC9JKk_WSj1dQEsIS/s400/IMG_2072.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountainside wildflowers</td></tr>
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Once we crested the right, some 2000ft above the valley we'd surveyed, it was an easy walk along a wild horse trail back to the truck. The view to the east from up top was pretty spectacular as we made our way across the plateau.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_hb5tGltckyKEzetD3RPn2p0UZeHaxaEn0poyAeNuKKrRLbAVlx9TAFNoZthcn5tB18Evm7Kgpr4EQYtcsiDEFoH0Pt40aUK9Fo0c9etOVpYHsSWurJLPnjYTNAcWdvnvG2rUAEGtkbN/s1600/IMG_2075.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh_hb5tGltckyKEzetD3RPn2p0UZeHaxaEn0poyAeNuKKrRLbAVlx9TAFNoZthcn5tB18Evm7Kgpr4EQYtcsiDEFoH0Pt40aUK9Fo0c9etOVpYHsSWurJLPnjYTNAcWdvnvG2rUAEGtkbN/s400/IMG_2075.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the Top</td></tr>
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So once again UpperColeman had been conquered, and 8/10 veg points knocked out to boot! Since I've done the transect twice now I'm sure one of the other crewmembers will get their shot at it our last round, but it was great to visit one of the wildest, most ruggedly beautiful places I've gone, and a place I'm sure few other people have got to see.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-29889135663334697362016-06-16T08:52:00.000-04:002016-06-18T20:59:07.632-04:00Lowland Riparian Rarities<div class="MsoNormal">
Nevada Bird Count
Tour 4 Part 3 and Tour 5 Part 2</div>
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Two of the major projects the NBC is involved in occur along the riparian
corridors of the Walker and Truckee Rivers. Characterized by massive, gnarled
cottonwoods and dense thickets of willow, buffalo berry and Russian Olive,
these riparian zones are absolutely loaded with birdlife. Most of these birds
are quite common and not that exciting on their own, but the sheer number of
wrens, kingbirds, doves, towhees, sparrows, orioles, hawks, grosbeaks, blackbirds
and owls combined is always impressive. While surveying these sites it’s not
uncommon to have to scribble in extra birds in the bottom margin of our 25 line
datasheets, and it provides great experience at taking in a huge amount of
information at once, then subsequently ignoring while still keeping track of
all the birds you’ve already recorded, while watching and listening for new ones later
in the count. Plus, every once in a while you get something exciting mixed in.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp02DJJA6QLkucrNbBinzEcfjIkDq__MwJWW1Eb7erMXruf8foJoZXKB7c8Yhu2W57jxRY0r7jeeGzxz96PQ7GywNNeDUFRDsxsdI8qHNdMPOAvTNuTNtNxnMFYRCjZafP8f6Dp_MqZKPC/s1600/IMG_1951.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp02DJJA6QLkucrNbBinzEcfjIkDq__MwJWW1Eb7erMXruf8foJoZXKB7c8Yhu2W57jxRY0r7jeeGzxz96PQ7GywNNeDUFRDsxsdI8qHNdMPOAvTNuTNtNxnMFYRCjZafP8f6Dp_MqZKPC/s400/IMG_1951.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shrubs and small cottonwoods at Rafter 7 Ranch</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNLAdd3nnNBfArhy3bBvGJQUetexLB6CZWuBa07GRZtU9EC2p31opI2KbPdRiXW45F20S0X3IohdhGGHdHNYxDA6YwcIeC5orAsZBEaui-qoR7ZmZM3B6un2vbJCvWKCwBGGWLk5w7_DM/s1600/LR-LowerWeber+%25235a%252C+MDorriesfield+20160529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNLAdd3nnNBfArhy3bBvGJQUetexLB6CZWuBa07GRZtU9EC2p31opI2KbPdRiXW45F20S0X3IohdhGGHdHNYxDA6YwcIeC5orAsZBEaui-qoR7ZmZM3B6un2vbJCvWKCwBGGWLk5w7_DM/s400/LR-LowerWeber+%25235a%252C+MDorriesfield+20160529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottonwood gallery below Weber Reservoir</td></tr>
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On May 29 near the end of our fourth tour, Ned and I headed out towards the Weber Reservoir to complete a couple transects. Mine was LowerWeber, and followed the river along a gorgeous cottonwood gallery below the reservoir. Seeing all the campers along the opposite side of the river for the Memorial Day weekend took a bit out of the atmosphere, but the area was still <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S29973635" target="_blank">super birdy</a>. Many Common Nighthawks were flying around well into the morning as they seem to do quite often in these areas, and Wood Ducks in the river were nice to see.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZauadrLwU1T7pcBLansdg2HZW01uyrEJuRhI6t_oM82vLUaDCteWiH5o4CNjqZ_H92hTTX6oCvRS0V2jIUEyXGgiRUg2LNvpSz5gU1zt7Yi1u1fUNRU5ujr_M0T72Lbw_-JtC4luwL9x_/s1600/IMG_1710.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZauadrLwU1T7pcBLansdg2HZW01uyrEJuRhI6t_oM82vLUaDCteWiH5o4CNjqZ_H92hTTX6oCvRS0V2jIUEyXGgiRUg2LNvpSz5gU1zt7Yi1u1fUNRU5ujr_M0T72Lbw_-JtC4luwL9x_/s400/IMG_1710.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">River along LR-LowerWeber</td></tr>
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My most interesting bird of the morning was a raptor I heard vocalize while
doing veg on my way back. It first reminded me of a raspy goshawk, but goshawks
are only found up at higher elevations, and it didn’t sound quite right anyways. While
Cooper’s call is more nasal than a gos, this bird didn’t seem right for that
either, so I decided to let it go unidentified. A short while later a large,
brown falcon buzzed down the river corridor, and with the quick look I assumed
it was a Prairie, the regular large falcon in the Great Basin. But then I put two
and two together and realized it was a juvenile Peregrine! It’s a bird I’ve
very rarely had to ID by ear, so it was a fun learning experience. Funnily enough,
when I was doing a raptor set for a birding by ear course this past winter with
the University of Guelph Wildlife Club, I had decided to exclude this species because they’re not something I’ve heard vocalize very much at all. But when the
class insisted I include the species, listening to the tapes on the spot I had
described the call as a raspier goshawk. Glad my first impressions of its call
were the same in both instances, I just need to remember it for the next time!</div>
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<o:p>The next day Kala and I had a double-observer survey at Mason Valley WMA, a local birding spot just north of our Yerington field house. Many of the same birds were had a this <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S29991938" target="_blank">site</a>, although the river here is shrubbier for the most part than the open cottonwoods of Lower Weber, so we had many more Spotted Towhees and Bewick’s Wrens which love the dense thickets.</o:p></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37dHUvLxR4DK1L3GUqrRS8KJhWwOmNDBBsvUpw526Eg3JkET6TjDZqEKGeTVvSRvNxGTRKUkIOH8y4t2r4UWltxUgsKdMTr8DN7X_ExPDFT9L3PbcX7eQAjHaiFEeencEiPTKdTXTOGLb/s1600/LR-Mason2+%25235%252C+MDorriesfield+20160530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi37dHUvLxR4DK1L3GUqrRS8KJhWwOmNDBBsvUpw526Eg3JkET6TjDZqEKGeTVvSRvNxGTRKUkIOH8y4t2r4UWltxUgsKdMTr8DN7X_ExPDFT9L3PbcX7eQAjHaiFEeencEiPTKdTXTOGLb/s400/LR-Mason2+%25235%252C+MDorriesfield+20160530.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mason Valley WMA</td></tr>
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Breeding Western Bluebirds are always fun
to see out that way, and some migrant Western Tanagers and Plumbeous Vireos
added some burry phrases to the chorus. Mason Valley is also home to a large
system of ponds and wetlands, so we had my first Caspian Tern and American
Bittern as flyovers on some of our counts. But we had our best bird of the morning as we were approaching Point 7, a loud, emphatic song that no Easterner can
forget and no birder can dismiss, “TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER TEACHER.” An
Ovenbird! They are a regular rarity in the Nevada, with five records just last year along according to eBird (and the species is not on the state review list). However, looking it up afterwards I found that this was the only record in the state this spring, so that was exciting. The
bird decided to inconveniently stop singing during the ten minute duration of
our count, but gave us a few good bouts of its unmistakable song before and
afterwards. I had missed the Zone-tailed Hawk a few days before I arrived, the
Rose-breasted Grosbeak that Ned had down at Warm Springs and the Acorn
Woodpecker Kayla had in the Pine Nuts, so this was my first rarity of the
season.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Fast forward to our
fifth tour, after spending a couple days in the Pine Nuts Dave, Ned, Kayla and
I descended onto Rafter 7 Ranch where I have my area search to knock out the 3
transects on the property. Rafter is notorious for its dense, dense thickets, and transects with randomly located points that one must get to.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from Rafter7B Point 6</td></tr>
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But for a some of the points you can walk along the salt desert and then cut into the thickets closer to the point.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Salt desert bordering Rafter7B</td></tr>
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As Kayla and I walked to the southern-most transect which we were splitting, we noticed we were following a nice set of Mountain Lion tracks. My area search is on the same ranch a couple kilometers north of this transect and I hadn’t seen any cat sign there on my many visits, but here the tracks were very apparent going both directions in many of the open sandy areas next to the riparian zone. Because she has some stupid luck with these animals, Kayla actually heard a cat giving some gruff noises on her end of the transect after we'd split up for our surveys, her second of the season! In two seasons out here I still haven’t had sight or sound of one, but I’ve still got a month and a week to go so I’ve got my fingers crossed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Lion prints</td></tr>
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My half of the transect had a couple Blue Grosbeaks as well as more numerous Lazuli Buntings and Yellow-breasted Chats, three species that I find more often at Rafter than most lowland riparian areas because of its such good shrub habitat, but other than that it was the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30247554" target="_blank">usual suspects</a>. Since we only had 5 points each to do and all of the veg on the ranch we had done with the crew last season (now that was an endeavor!), we headed out early with the windows down and the quirky local Classic Rock station on the radio. As we were passing through a cottonwood stand, an incessant, snappy song caught my ear over the radio. Hold on, really?!? I stopped the truck, turned off the radio, and the “che-bek che-bek che-bek” of a Least Flycatcher came in through the driver’s side window from the grove right off the road. We got out and got great views of the bird singing and flying from perch to perch. Kind of fun to get excited about these dirt-common eastern birds while one’s out West! It turned out that this bird was a bit higher quality than the Ovenbird too, with only 9 accepted records for the state in addition to another 4 or 5 of silent fall birds that didn’t make it past the NBRC. Here's a super-shaky video of the bird singing.<br />
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So amongst the hordes of common river birds one can pick out some stray jewels
if they keep their ears open, and having an Easterner’s ear certainly helps
when getting rarities here in the West. The next day I was back at Rafter 7 for my
area search, then the whole crew immediately headed up on the long trek to
Black Rock/High Rock to round out the tour.<o:p></o:p></div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-71468076432597858342016-06-14T19:05:00.002-04:002016-06-18T21:00:40.456-04:00Sightings from PJ CountryNevada Bird Count Tour 5 Part 1<br />
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Monday June 6th, after the usual area searching with which we start off every tour (and I'll talk about that in a post eventually), Kayla and I headed up into the Pine Nut Range for the second time this season. This time around we had actual transects to do instead of raptor surveys, and our first site was in the north of the range where I'd never been before. We took the rocky but not too bad Como Road in from the north and had a nice view of the hills from which we'd come.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View north out of the Pine Nuts</td></tr>
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We arrived to camp at the start of our transect which worked it's way up a valley surrounded by pinyon-juniper clad hills. While looking for a place to set up my tent I found this Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion under a board.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion</td></tr>
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After setting up camp we were treated to many Mountain Quail were crowing from the hillsides. Unlike the California Quail lower in the Great Basin and the Gambel's down in the Mojave, these gorgeous quail are quite skulky and usually take a fair bit of work/luck to get a look at. After a couple attempts at a male near camp I got a good look at him up in a pinyon (after looking at the tree he was in for a solid couple minutes). He flushed as Kayla came up, but she at least got a brief lifer view. We hiked upslope to hunt it down for another look, but unfortunately it didn't cooperate.<br />
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Back at camp we decided to practice some of our bird songs, as we hadn't done much birding in the PJ this season and there are some groups we felt we could work on. While we were going over our corvids and, my personal stumbling block, Cassin's Finch vs. Townsend's Solitare, we heard a poorwill singing from the hillside above us. A common bird in rocky hill country throughout Nevada, it's not often you hear them while it's still light out. We decided to hike up the hill, do some PJ botanizing, and maybe trip over the nightjar.<br />
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Well, we ended up lucking out. As I was climbing up to a rocky outcrop, the bird which I hadn't noticed from feet away flushed and landed a short distance away. We crept towards the bird and found it teed up on a rock, giving us incredible views. I'd seen brief views of flushed birds before, but this was my first perched in broad daylight, and Kayla's life bird. We spent a while admiring the bird's incredibly camouflaged plumage.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Poorwill</td></tr>
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We wandered up the hill a ways farther, getting a feel for the veg in the area, until it started to get dark. It seemed to be drawing close to Mountain Lion o'clock so we decided to head back to camp, since wandering in the dense PJ at dusk isn't always the best idea. But when we got back to camp and were preparing for bed, we heard a distant warbling song from way up on the hill opposite hill. Was it a Cassin's Finch or solitare? We couldn't tell with the distance, so we decided to climb up to find out and hopefully nail down the differences between these songs. On the way up, Kayla happened upon what appeared to be a pair of cat tracks. These animals can be found just about anywhere in mountainous Nevada, but finding tracks always provide a little reminder to stay vigilant.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM2qCo_MozrLIgizr0-2PBngjkYFlBOKl531Nrb7rWbl05eTRNozqi8gH9KmQx1ARpeWPdEOHg0sVT85ETAHnIA132FoYMYAFrnreOYZogzKqOdzlTQ0kJEnx3tgKc0HXRxcfsKeGkWoD/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM2qCo_MozrLIgizr0-2PBngjkYFlBOKl531Nrb7rWbl05eTRNozqi8gH9KmQx1ARpeWPdEOHg0sVT85ETAHnIA132FoYMYAFrnreOYZogzKqOdzlTQ0kJEnx3tgKc0HXRxcfsKeGkWoD/s400/IMG_1811.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Lion print</td></tr>
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The next morning we awoke for our double-observer survey and it was dead calm. Great for hearing the birds, it made some of the distance estimation tricky on our counts since many of the songs were able to carry really far from the surrounding hillsides. Coupled with the dense trees in which you're usually lucky to see 50m in any direction, it was great to be able to compare our distances and get our ears trained on our PJ IDs. The transect consistently climbed upwards, giving us a workout but providing some great views.<br />
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Birdwise we had a nice smattering of the typical PJ bird community, with specialists like Gray Flycatchers, Juniper Titmice, and Black-throated Gray Warblers. Of course the Mountain Quail continues to pierce the still morning air with their crows from distant hills, but we come close to any. At one point a Golden Eagle being mobbed by a kestrel over a far ridge made for the highlight of the <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30142614" target="_blank">morning</a>.<br />
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That afternoon we headed out of north of the range and back in from the east to hang out with Sue for a while before we headed of to our respective camps for the night. We had been to this area a few weeks before, but this time the air throbbed with the drone of hundreds of cicadas. Upon looking around we saw all the holes from which the nymphs had emerged. We found a few of these nymphs nearby, loads of shed exoskeletons on the surrounding shrubs, and loads of adults all singing from the trees. It was really cool to see most of the life stages of these critters. I can only imagine what one of the periodical cicada emergences out East would be like!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holes where nymphs emerged</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cicada nymph</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exoskeleton on a sagebrush</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult in a Pinyon</td></tr>
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After hanging out for the afternoon and being treated with a pair of Golden Eagles kiting across the valley, we headed to camp just in time to see the sun light up the clouds on its way down.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset from Sunrise Pass</td></tr>
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Wednesday's survey was a transect I had done last year, which worked its way up a sagebrush valley where the PJ has been cut to allow create more open habitat within the forest. Not quite as interesting as birding in thick pinyon-juniper forest, but I got <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S30143037" target="_blank">more than my share</a> of Spotted Towhees and Brewer's Sparrows.</div>
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One treat was that the valley was that the numerous wildflowers were attracting many butterflies. Most numerous were the Variable Checkerspots, while I had a few Lycaenid type butterflies that I'm unsure of the species (should have brought my butterfly guide!).<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Variable Checkerspot</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown Lycaenid</td></tr>
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My favorite was some sort of very worn skipper with a blue-green body that I got to land on my finger. If anyone knows what this or the Lycaenid is feel I'd love to know!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna0sja146LRMwzZ-3Op4jdxTTnm7MadF46VVxuxdHdkk9YStizwnUSPBu6d0VPztXTusyVF_qYAPiZ1Jneo_7KF8-Q2sPeg5xr05Hh4MQHZHlfeQVva3ORUAaduTG5A338PeFgbnZMAep/s1600/IMG_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjna0sja146LRMwzZ-3Op4jdxTTnm7MadF46VVxuxdHdkk9YStizwnUSPBu6d0VPztXTusyVF_qYAPiZ1Jneo_7KF8-Q2sPeg5xr05Hh4MQHZHlfeQVva3ORUAaduTG5A338PeFgbnZMAep/s400/IMG_1918.JPG" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unknown Skipper</td></tr>
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On our way out of the range we got a distant view of an absolutely monstrous dust devil roaring across the dry bed of Artesia Lake. The photo doesn't do it justice, but the ranch buildings and large cottonwoods in the middle of the photo provide some scale.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79xxw560K3xDJCME_pq-WBOTmf-Xu6FsiP132dQ3g8hi5JeNuyR4wsOQ_M45D6DWWckWWF6TQt23nm8QTwB7uP0GbgUI-NT5oM4xk8RH-p07eFaPGWWYRvfR70-rXf0pvlSKY016VGYs5/s1600/IMG_1936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg79xxw560K3xDJCME_pq-WBOTmf-Xu6FsiP132dQ3g8hi5JeNuyR4wsOQ_M45D6DWWckWWF6TQt23nm8QTwB7uP0GbgUI-NT5oM4xk8RH-p07eFaPGWWYRvfR70-rXf0pvlSKY016VGYs5/s400/IMG_1936.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dust Devil</td></tr>
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It was great to be back in the Pine Nuts for a change of scenery. The next couple days of the tour were to be in doing surveys in the lowland riparian areas of Rafter 7 Ranch where I have my area search plot, then up to the Black Rock/High Rock for a second round to end out the tour. Stay tuned!</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-84077869893593813782016-06-03T13:15:00.001-04:002017-01-24T16:42:58.854-05:00Black Rock/High Rock Vengence: Quest for Upper ColemanNevada Bird Count Tour 4 Part 2<br />
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Well, after relaxing all afternoon Tuesday May 25 and heading to bed early, I was up at 2:45 the following morning, pack shouldered and on the road just after 3am. As I hiked through the aspen valley we were camped in a couple saw-whets tooted me on my way, but soon I had climbed up out into the higher sagebrush hills. And kept climbing. The road was good to walk on, but rose quite steadily from around 7000ft where we had camped to around 8400ft where it leveled out. The climb kept my nice and warm, and most of my layers came off during the ascent despite the freezing temperatures. What made matters interesting is that at about 400ft shy of the hilltop I entered a cloud. Between the darkness and the fog my headlamp didn't shine far, but the road made navigation simple and the rain and snow falling around me wasn't much of a bother at first. After the road ended I had another 3km or so to go, and things became a little more difficult.<br />
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I knew I needed to cross the first drainage that Coleman Creek ran through, as following that downstream would lead to a series of impassable waterfalls. My intended course was to cross that drainage and the ridge on the far side, then follow the next drainage down to the creek, putting me downstream of the falls. It was hard to see in the fog, but the ridge I needed to climb looked steeper than I wanted to climb while that early, cold, and tired, so I decided to hike around to the edge of the ridge and work down from there. The plan was good, but somehow in foggy night I ended up coming around the hill then back over it the way I had come. I didn't realize this until I looked at my GPS and compass and saw I'd become spun around, and my 'south' was actually north! I normally have a great sense of direction, but for the next 20 minutes I felt completely confused navigation-wise and depended entirely on my instruments to take me to my transect. A very vulnerable feeling I've felt on few occasions before.<br />
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But it all worked out, and I made my way down the drainage to the Coleman Creek Valley. As I neared the transect dawn began to break, and I walked down out of the cloud that had shrouded me the past hour or so.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Descending from the cloud to Coleman Creek</td></tr>
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Between the hike and navigational issues it took me just over 3 hours to get to my first point, putting me 40 minutes after sunrise and behind schedule. By this point I was cold, tired, and sopping wet from the rain and wet vegetation, but I knew I needed to push hard to get the transect done on time. I wasn't sure it would even be possible, but the idea of having to do this trek again was really unappealing. I flushed an American Dipper off the creek by my first point but otherwise the birds were pretty quiet and typical of a thin montane riparian corridor.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Coleman Creek</td></tr>
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A few minutes into my third point it began to rain, lightly at first and then harder. "Oh no" I thought, if this kept up steady then I would have to call off the survey, hike back in the rain, then come back to repeat the 20km round trip hike the day after next. Once I'd finished the count (the birds kept singing more or less for most of the period), I took what shelter I could in a small copse of aspens and hoped the rain would pass over. It was around this time that The Animals' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" got stuck in my head. Funny timing on that one...<br />
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However, we'd discovered the day before that the weather up in Black Rock is pretty temperamental and constantly changing, so that looking at the conditions it's often hard to predict what the weather will be like 20 minutes later. As it turned out I did have a bit of luck with me, since after 15 minutes the rain died off and the sun attempted to fight its way through the clouds. It wasn't successful until near the end of the survey, but the air warmed substantially, and in addition to some lenient terrian and some cattle trails I was able to finish the transect with half an hour to spare. While much of the route was fairly quiet <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29943661" target="_blank">birdwise</a>, some Orange-crowned Warblers spread throughout the valley were a treat, as was a silent Willow Flycatcher which are rather uncommon in the state.<br />
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By this time the sun was mostly out and I was pumped and relieved at having actually finished the transect within protocol, so I headed out tired but in good spirits. As I neared my the drainage to climb out I got to see the waterfalls upstream that had caused my detour on the way in.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Waterfalls in upper Coleman Creek</td></tr>
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Climbing up out of the valley I got a split second view of a large dark raptor pop up above a ridge of rock then back down again. After a bit of patience a sub-adult Golden Eagle came out from the side of ridge, cruising low over the sagebrush on the opposite valley wall and giving amazing views. A male Northern Harrier must have had a nest nearby, and flew in to intercept the larger raptor. It looked puny in comparison, with it's entire wingspan less than half of the Golden's.<br />
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Carrying on my way back I followed my tracks to a spot I'd waypointed on the hike in. In the dark I almost tripped over this Bighorn ram's skeleton, and I was thrilled to get a photo of it in the light.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Bighorn Sheep ram skeleton</td></tr>
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The rest of the hike was much easier in the daylight, and I got back to camp from the 20km ordeal sore but whole. From there we made a trek with the rest of the crew out of the wilderness to re-fuel the trucks, on the way back from which we had another Golden Eagle up on a hydro pole as well as both an adult and juvenile light Ferruginous Hawk hunting off of the highway.</div>
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For our last day of surveying in the area Kayla, Sue, and Selina were splitting the birding and vegging on a small creek transect through some lower sagebrush hills. The view was pretty spectacular when we got to camp that evening.<br />
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Thursday morning I got to bird the lower half of the transect since I was needing a break from the day before. Down in the flats were loads of Western Meadowlarks and a few Lark Sparrows to keep things interesting, but<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29943770" target="_blank"> not too much going on</a>. Looked pretty nice though.<br />
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Sue, who surveyed the top end of the transect which wound up into the mountains, got rewarded for her climb with an agitated Long-eared Owl and a flyover California Red-shouldered Hawk. Kayla, who was vegging just a couple points behind me, had a stare-down with a cougar up on a sagebrush hillside 150m away. Everyone was super jealous of that, since not only did she get a good look at this elusive cat but it was in the open and a reasonable distance from her. An encounter in dense pinyon-juniper like in the Pine Nut range can be a little more nerve-wracking, since they can get a LOT closer before you actually see them.<br />
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On the drive out Sue spotted this Desert Horned Lizard on the road. The patterns on these guys are really variable, but this was one of the biggest and most smartly marked I'd seen.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Desert Horned Lizard</td></tr>
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That evening we camped at an abandoned mine entrance and relaxed for the first time after 4 days of pre-dawn till dusk work. Sitting around a campfire, surrounded by Lombardy Poplars were home to some neat <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29943813" target="_blank">birds</a>, it was a great way to recharge before the 5 hour drive back the next day.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Pearl Camp</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.8px;">Mine shaft heading into the hill</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old building and Black Rock hillside</td></tr>
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The Black Rock/High Rock had definitely worked us hard, but we had some amazing views and some awesome sightings to show for it.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-40403587715625801102016-06-01T18:40:00.004-04:002016-11-26T07:47:28.728-05:00Up to the Black Rock/High Rock<div class="" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Nevada Bird Count Tour 4 Part 1</div>
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Our fourth tour on the NBC began at 4am on Monday May 23 when Kayla and I headed off to our area searches. After finishing our surveys in the late morning and running a quick errand for our truck, we took off north to the much anticipated Black Rock/High Rock Wilderness area of northwestern Nevada, up near the Oregon border. It is a new contract for the NBC and quite an intensive one, with 11 transects that need to be surveyed 3 times (as opposed to the usual 2) over the course of the season. It's our only survey area new to the project from last season, and being brand new even Dave the NBC veteran had not been up there. However we'd heard from our boss Jen that it was supposed to be remote and absolutely beautiful, and over the weekend the executive director Elizabeth had said it was her favorite area in the entire state. So, we were pretty excited to check it out.<br />
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The drive north turned out to be longer than we had assumed, and by the time we found ourselves north of Winemmucca and driving into the wilderness it was early evening. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but our first impression of the area was summed up by the term 'rugged.' The flats, foothills, and mountains were covered in a sea of sagebrush, creating a smooth pale green landscape which was sharply contrasted by large outcrops of rock jutting out irregularly like battlements. We drove on for a while hoping we were on the right road to get to camp, and all the while not seeing much for vegetation that would support many birds for our surveys. But as we got closer to camp we came across a few swift-running streams, along which willows and aspen produced dense riparian corridors. Again a land of contrast between the desolate sagebrush flats and the occasional patches of black rock or lush greenery: it was gorgeous.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">General landscape around Black Rock/High Rock</td></tr>
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We ended up pulling into camp at around 7pm after 6 hours of driving, meeting Dave and Ned who had showed up a little while earlier. I dropped Kayla off at camp and then immediately headed off down the dirt track to the south to scout my transect before the sun set. The scouting mission resulted finding a place where a stream joined the river, a place that was slightly too tight to multi-point turn which claimed the licence plate of the truck, a back-up up a large, rocky hill, and a place that <i>was</i> wide enough to multi-point turn. I made it back to camp without having reached the transect, but was informed that the creek/road sounded shallow enough ford, so I planned to head out early in the morning with plenty of time to get to my transect. And so ended a 16h day.</div>
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The morning came to quickly, and the sub-zero temperatures woke me up around 3am. After laying about in my tent for a while I was on the road by 4 to see if the road would reach my transect. The night was beautifus; crisp and dead-calm with a bright moon. The possibility of owls came to mind, but with needing to make sure I got to my transect for dawn I didn't have time to do much more than keep the window cocked as I drove through the aspen stands. But I was lucky, because as I got out at one point to scout the rocks on the road, I heard a Northern Saw-whet Owl hooting from nearby. It was only the first time I've had a good listen to one, so that pumped me up and gave a great start to the morning.<br />
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Further along I came to a place where a tree had fallen across the road, so I parked the truck and set out on foot to cover the last few kilometers. This turned out to be a great turn of events, because in the pre-dawn chorus as I climbed out of the valley I was serenaded by all four Nevada montane thrushes: the fluting of Hermit and Swainson's Thrushes, the sing-song of the familiar robin, and the soft whistles of the Mountain Bluebird. Leaving the aspens and cresting the ridge these fell back and the Vesper Sparrows, Brewer's Sparrows, and a couple Sage Thrashers took over.<br />
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I climbed down into the next valley where my transect lay, and was greeted by a beautiful valley full of scattered copses of aspen, with the aspen- and willow-lined Snow Creek flowing down towards Summit Lake.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow Creek Valley</td></tr>
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The riparian corridor was loaded with Warbling Vireos, Yellow Warblers, House Wrens, and Dusky Flycatchers, with smaller numbers of Slate-coloured Fox Sparrows singing against the similar sounding and more numerous Green-tailed Towhees from the adjacent sagebrush. Two point counts in I knew I had a new favorite transect on the NBC. I birded my way along, breathed in the smell of aspen in the fresh mountain air, and waited for the sun to come over the east end of the valley and warm the air up above freezing.<br />
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As I mentioned before, the Black Rock/High Rock is aptly named due to the large, rough rock formations sticking out randomly throughout the landscape. The bright coloured lichens made them even more impressive.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Rock formation</td></tr>
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And the transect continued to impress me. Just after the half-way point the north side of the creek on which I'd been travelling turned into a cliff and the stream dropped off a waterfall.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Edge</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Waterfall</td></tr>
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The transect after the drop was much different than the valley upstream. Downstream from the fall the north side of the valley was a sheer cliff face, providing homes for White-throated Swifts and Violet-green Swallows, while the south side was a shallower sagebrush slope. The river was swifter and louder here, and consequently fewer birds had colonized the thin riparian corridor. I however was fine to settle for some quieter point counts and simply take in the scenery as the valley worked its way down to Summit Lake in the flats below.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Summit Lake at the valley's end</td></tr>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29943385" target="_blank">MR-SummitSnow</a>, as the transect was named, has become my new favorite transect after a season and a half on the NBC, and it'll be a tough one to beat for sure.<br />
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Arriving back to camp, short on sleep but pumped after one of my favorite mornings in the project, I soon learned that the morning had not been so kind to the rest of the crew. Many of their transects pushed through thick, mature aspen stands full of thick veg and blown-down trunks, making navigation difficult and absolutely exhausting. I tried not to boast too much about my lovely morning in the wonderful Snow Creek Valley.<br />
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But I would pay my dues the following day. That afternoon was time to scope access to our surveys for the following day and conveniently, the road I needed to scope for my transect was the road I had hiked the first part of to get to SummitSnow that morning. Inconveniently, a little farther down the road from our downed-tree (which it turns out could be navigated around by moving a few logs and crunching a few sagebrush) there was a 20m snow patch covering the road as it ran up a north-facing slope. Consequently, the road was impassible until warmer temperatures allowed it to melt. This meant that I had a 7km hike in the following morning before sunrise. But I had a road to follow for the first 4km or so, so how tough could it be?</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-76905411628047532872016-05-29T21:03:00.001-04:002016-06-18T20:38:33.545-04:00Great Basin National Park<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="text-align: start;">Last weekend our crew headed out towards the Utah border to visit Great Basin National Park. One of the most under-visited national parks in the US due to it being in the middle of nowhere, the park surrounds part of the Snake Range and is home to Wheeler Peak, the largest mountain within the state, in addition to the spectacular Lehman Caves. I had heard wonderful things about the park and was excited for the opportunity to visit.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The reason for our visit was to assist with the park's avian bioblitz on behalf of Great Basin Bird Observatory. Unlike the bioblitzes that have been run in Ontario, in which experts across all taxa raid an area find as many species as they can, the blitzes at the park focus on a single taxonomic group and have more of an educational focus. To this end, the weekend included a number of guided walks as well as seminars on various avian topics. From GBBO, walks were scheduled to be led by Dave from our crew, our executive director Elizabeth Ammon, and Kelly Colegrove who runs GBBO's Crescent Dunes project. Ned, Kayla, Kayla's boyfriend Alex, and I, in addition to Kelly's crew, were to help out with the walks and explore the park as we liked.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">Thursday May 19 I headed out with Dave bright and early to cross Nevada on Highway 50, the so-called "Loneliest Road in America." It's actually quite a lovely drive, as it bisects a series of mountains that make up the classic 'basin and range' of the Great Basin. Along the way I checked the map and watched as the Desatoya, Shoshone, Toiyabe, Toquima, Monitor, and White Pine Ranges passed beneath our tires. The Tragically Hip helped us across with their Yer Favorites greatest hits compilation, and before too long we arrived at the park.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: start;">The scenery was impressive, and as one drives up into the park the road forms a cross-section of the various habitats of the Great Basin, beginning with the Salt Desert through Sagebrush, Pinyon-Juniper, and Coniferous Forest. As an easterner, I always get a kick out of watching the habitat change so rapidly up an elevational gradient.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snake Range in Great Basin National Park from the flats below</td></tr>
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When we got to camp it was pretty windy and the birds were fairly quiet, so we hung around until the rest of our crew and Kelly's crew arrived. Ned, Sue, Kelly, and her crew arrived a little while later and the birds became a bit more active, so we wandered around a little. Not huge <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29942288" target="_blank">numbers</a>, but it was nice to be back birding in the mountains. The highlight was later that evening when I heard a strange song coming from down in the shrubby creek below camp. It sounded mimic-like, with successive series' of repeated notes. But Sage Thrashers sound much more random than that, and are found in different habitat to boot. Then it hit me, mimic song from a mountain creek: American Dipper! These facinating birds are ones I've only encountered a couple other times before, and I had never heard them sing their mimid-like song. I got the crew, and we got to hear the bird sing and see the pair briefly before darkness fell. Here's a video of one of them I took the next day</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/KodgZ1kFDB4/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KodgZ1kFDB4?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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The next morning Sue left us to visit family in Utah, and we were joined by Kayla and Alex who got in during the night. After birding a bit while people woke up, the group of us headed over to Snake Creek in the south of the park to scout Dave's hike route. It was pretty quiet <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29942608" target="_blank">bird-wise</a>, but nice to hike among the mountain conifers and practice out montane botany. Some Douglas-fir were mixed in with the White Fir and aspen, and showed off their unique cones with bracts shaped like adder tongues or the back-ends of mice, depending on who you ask. One tree close to the trail showed of some of its new cones along with a mature one, making for a nice comparison.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Douglas-fir cones</td></tr>
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Further down in elevation there was some mountain mahogany chaparral, the preferred habitat of Virginia's Warbler which I didn't connect with last season. We had hopes that we'd hear some of these birds from the hillsides on our hike the next morning.</div>
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That afternoon Kayla, Alex and I decided to pay the $10 fee for a tour of Lehman Caves. It was absolutely worth it, as the caves were packed and packed with delicate stalactites and stalagmites on the floor and ceiling, helictites sprouting off the walls, and many other unique limestone formations. I have done very little cave exploring before so it might not be saying much, but it was all completely unlike anything I'd ever seen before. The guide told us about how in days of your the cave had hosted an exclusive fancy restaurant as well as prohibition-era dance parties. Quite the place! I didn't take too many photos because photography was difficult in the dark and they simply didn't do it justice, but here are a couple.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'The Parachutes,' stalagmites descending from shield formations</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">In the evening we attended a well-stocked potluck and then stayed to watch Elizabeth's presentation on birding up an elevational gradient. The owling that night was knocked out by high winds, so we headed back to camp and called it an early night.</span></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;">Our wake-up Saturday was cold and crisp with ice on our windshields. Dave, Kayla, Alex and I headed out before the rest of the crew woke up, since Dave's hike was scheduled earlier and farther away than the rest of the tours. You need to put the effort in if you want the birds! And the wake up turned out to be worth it for more than just the birds. As we began to drove higher into the Snake Creek Valley, we saw that the entire thing was covered in a blanket of snow. In the dawn sun it was absolutely breathtaking.</span></div>
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We were all taken aback by the beauty of the landscape but Kayla and Alex, being Californians from the Central Valley, were particularly stoked at seeing all the snow.</div>
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Only one person joined us for our hike, a keen birder from Utah named Evan who was doing his PhD on African vultures. Since we didn't have any newbies with us to interpretive-bird for, the 5 of us just <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29942811" target="_blank">birded</a> our way down the road. There was nothing too crazy in terms of highlights, but it was wonderful to hang out with all the usual mountain suspects amid the fresh-fallen snow. Warbling Vireos were our most abundant bird and filled the aspen stands, and loads of Dusky Flycatchers sang from atop the conifers. We didn't hear any Virginia's Warblers from the hillside, but perhaps they didn't like the cold.</div>
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After the hike we had originally had plans to attempt to summit Wheeler Peak, and along the way try for specialties like Black Rosy Finch, American Three-toed Woodpecker, and Pine Grosbeak (for the latter two, the American's get to cheat on getting our northern breeders in their mountains). However, due to snow at the high elevations the road leading up to the trailhead was still closed from the winter, and we were not up for a 16 mile hike in snowshoes. However, we did drive up as far as we could, and got to check out Wheeler Peak from a lookout anyways. At over 13,000ft, this mountain was truly a monster.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wheeler Peak</td></tr>
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In the evening the predicted rain never materialized, so the whole lot of us got to spend time around a roaring campfire. Always a nice way to end a camping trip.</div>
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Sunday morning was our last morning in the park before heading back west for work the following day. I headed out with Dave again, and this time we were joined by Noah and Grace from Kelly's crew. As we drove through the flats on the way to Snake Creek Valley, a large buteo caught our eyes on the roadside hydro pole. We pulled over and got the glasses on it and, just as we suspected, a Ferruginous Hawk. And an adult dark morph no less! I was able to get the scope on the dark grinning monster, and after if flew behind us got this shot of his silhouette in the dawn light.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ferruginous silhouette</td></tr>
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When we got to the trailhead we met up with Dennis and Becca Serdehely, Nevada Bird Count veterans from years past. They were birders to the bone.</div>
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The five of us birded the same road as before, but the birds seemed to appreciate the lack of snow and slightly warmer temperatures and both our <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29942985" target="_blank">species count and numbers</a> were up from the day before. Western Tanagers, MacGillvray's Warblers and Mountain Bluebirds that had been inexplicably absent the morning before made their respective presences' known.</div>
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One bird that remained silent was the sought-after Virginia's Warbler, but after the Ferruginous on our way in I was pretty content with whatever we ended up with. However, another unexpected highlight made the morning. While walking along, I saw what looked to be a large gamebird flapping and gliding across the valley and disappeared into a distant shrub. But then I saw a juvenile accipiter fly into the same bush. Perhaps they were a pair of hawks? But then there was a scuffle in the shrub, and out burst a Dusky Grouse, with a young goshawk hot on its tail! The pursuit followed the distant ridgeline until both birds disappeared from view. It wasn't a very close view, but still absolutely awesome to witness nature in action.</div>
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And the fun wasn't over yet. Noah was looking to get his lifer Plumbeous Vireo, so we decided to stop in the PJ on the way down to give it a try. After driving downhill a ways we saw a nice looking area of Pinyon and decided to stop. Seconds after stepping out of the truck we heard a Plumbeous Vireo singing just off the road, so Noah and I headed off and got crippling views of the bird singing on an open branch. The bird flew off after a bit, so we headed back to the trucks to leave. Just then, I heard a 2-parted warbler song from up on the hillside, like a sloppy Nashville crossed with a Yellow Warbler, and not as loose as the more common Yellow-rumped Warblers. Could it be a Virginia's? The bird sang a couple more times and confirmed my suspicion, but then shut up before we could scale the slope and get a look. Not the most satisfying lifer, but good enough to call it and at least add it to the 'heard only' list.<br />
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All in all, we had successful blitz and a great trip to a very under-appreciated park that sums up much of the Great Basin after which its named. However, it left us fairly un-rested for the start of our next tour, when we would head up to the wilderness of the mythical Black Rock/High Rock area of NW Nevada.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-1224882869205688822016-05-21T11:00:00.000-04:002016-06-18T20:47:48.778-04:00Mojave Critters: Mini to Monsters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nevada Bird Count Tour 3 Part 2<br />
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Last Friday the 13th after our raptor surveys Kayla, Ned, Dave and I headed back down to our Mojave site one final time to complete our surveys there for the season. Since they are further south the birds start and finish breeding earlier, so we need to finish our surveys there before everything fledges. It's also convenient for us, because the summer in the Mojave gets stupid hot. When we arrived on the mesa Friday evening and stepped out of the truck the dry heat hit us immediately.<br />
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We relaxed around camp that evening until the sun was starting to set, at which point the four of us hit the wash for some herping. On my trip south with Ned the weekend before the weather was downright cool, but this time sundown made the temperature comfortably warm, ideal for some herptological action. Plus this was likely our last chance to visit the Mojave for the rest of the season, so we aimed to make the most of it.<br />
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On our way out while the sun was still setting we didn't come across any lizards or snakes, despite checking all the cracks we could in the caliche walls. But on our way back after the sun went down the action started. Peering into one crack I saw my first woodrat. Also known as packrats, these rodents hoard large piles of sticks and things to make their nests, which are often easily seen in caves and holes throughout the desert. This individual is either a Desert or White-throated Woodrat, but telling them apart is pretty subtle.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desert/White-throated Woodrat</td></tr>
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Further along we came across a couple Western Banded Geckos. They look kind of like small, translucent Leopard Geckos that many people have as pets, but are really quite quick and agile. The younger ones are quite strongly banded, while the patterns of the adults are much more variable,<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adult Western Banded Gecko</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More plainly-patterned juvenile</td></tr>
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After a while we headed back to camp to make plans for the morning's surveys, and Kayla and Dave headed to bed. Ned and I were still keen on staying out while the herping was good, so we clambered around on the rocky hill above our camp. Still none of the hoped for Southwestern Speckled Rattlesnakes, but the geckos were abundant and we tallied another 5 of those. More exciting and unexpected was this striped-tailed lizard hiding in a crack in the rock.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Juvenile Common Chuckwalla</td></tr>
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It was a juvenile Common Chuckwalla, a diurnal lizard that is always found near rocks and hides out the rest of the time in crevices like this. It was a lifer for both of us, and a great one to see since we struck out on them at Valley of Fire the weekend before. These lizards are known for crawling into cracks when threatened and puffing themselves so they can't be removed. Apparently the Natives used to get around this by popping the lizards with sharp sticks...<br />
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We also found a larger adult with a dark body and pale unpatterned tail in another crevice, but it was too far in for a photo.<br />
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Over the next 3 days between the 4 of us we completed the summer surveys of this year's grids at Warm Springs as well as all 4 transects on the property. I did the same grids and transect as the tour before so it was cool to see a lot of the same individual birds again, including bumping into the Black-tailed Gnatcatcher family again. I didn't see too much new but it was nice to spend a bit more time with our Mojave birds since I won't be seeing them for the rest of the season. By the early afternoon temperatures climbed to 100F, so we spent that time swimming in the river, napping under the awnings at the local wildlife refuge, or hiding behind the makeshift shade from our trucks.<br />
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Our second night folks were tired myself included, so I went out solo for a 45 minute walk before bed. In addition to a couple geckos I found this Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion. It wasn't as giant as some I'd seen last year, but still larger than the Bark Scorpion that can also be found nearby. This species isn't very potent, with a sting likened to that of a bee sting. Ned and Dave discovered last year that even though they act mean they are very reluctant to sting, even if one tries to get them to sting you. The guys made it into the safety portion of the field manual for that escapade.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rsVKxUDDirTpwMdzM1HQJz-sy5VHwAp3qP2c_nX0CM-OK4XqCgppj2Lzg2puspXGcvrKlgc9l347MziCTkxjlFAj83gkAbmwz2_aB7kT7wxETuK0ZVYr3Vcu1zsObe1qWy5gD3tkyMCJ/s1600/IMG_1147.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rsVKxUDDirTpwMdzM1HQJz-sy5VHwAp3qP2c_nX0CM-OK4XqCgppj2Lzg2puspXGcvrKlgc9l347MziCTkxjlFAj83gkAbmwz2_aB7kT7wxETuK0ZVYr3Vcu1zsObe1qWy5gD3tkyMCJ/s400/IMG_1147.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Giant Desert Hairy Scorpion.</td></tr>
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On Monday we left the south for good, and it just so happened this is where we had the find of the trip, and likely the season. Kayla and I left after the guys, but just south of Pahranagat we saw their truck pulled over on the side of the highway. I thought they might either have found something or were out watering some shrubs, so I sent Dave a quick text. No response, so we kept going. Five minutes later I got a call from Ned. He asked us where we were at and I told him we'd just passed them on the highway. He told us they'd just caught a Gila Monster crossing the road. A Gila Monster, the holy grail of Mojave herps!! I may have yelled a little and let out a few excited expletives, Kayla swung the truck around and we raced back south to where we'd seen their truck.<br />
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Upon arriving we saw the guys up on the hill waving to us. We ran to meet them and found them standing there with Dave's ice chest. This was what I saw when I opened the chest.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwp8a_GjGyIj1zulGVTleo9g5RxpF7X1Xi9vfuLvXDtWMgbLJ2apGld-qo5N1lJpoDQ2ZUMVIi56WN_UsLrngX9l9GX8P8AZXvSGY8vA_LT_1vyDs_DqioIceX2Tiu8LWohHM36u8G9PP/s1600/IMG_1219.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwp8a_GjGyIj1zulGVTleo9g5RxpF7X1Xi9vfuLvXDtWMgbLJ2apGld-qo5N1lJpoDQ2ZUMVIi56WN_UsLrngX9l9GX8P8AZXvSGY8vA_LT_1vyDs_DqioIceX2Tiu8LWohHM36u8G9PP/s400/IMG_1219.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banded Gila Monster</td></tr>
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A full grown Gila Monster!!!! This beast was massive, filling the whole bottom of the cooler, and with a tail full of fat he looked to be healthy and in his prime. The guys then filled us in on the story behind the find. Apparently they had been driving down the highway when they saw the lizard in the opposite lane. They slammed on the breaks and pulled over to attempt to bring it to safety, but the lizard was testy and full of vigor, hissing loudly and striking at Ned's boots lightning speed that one wouldn't expect from an the large, cumbersome-looking animal. At this point a large semi truck was approaching, so with quick thinking Dave grabbed a piece of shredded tire from the side of the road and the guys wrangled the angry venomous lizard out of harm's way just in time. The beast was transferred to the ice chest then brought up and over the next hill, at which point Ned called us to let us know.<br />
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After we got our look at it the guys tipped over the cooler and carefully released the lizard under a nearby creosote.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4JRIm7heUXggSxNFkxSfILVsxqXXok2VdVlo2ke6RWGxznXoW1hnkLJ_c5fpWyKEtgSi13GlcEp2J3cQiwWF-_jmL8ygfrytY4DQonnmR4lDwqNffArJEK-55apfikouqi6cIbBvwzEQ/s1600/IMG_0420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm4JRIm7heUXggSxNFkxSfILVsxqXXok2VdVlo2ke6RWGxznXoW1hnkLJ_c5fpWyKEtgSi13GlcEp2J3cQiwWF-_jmL8ygfrytY4DQonnmR4lDwqNffArJEK-55apfikouqi6cIbBvwzEQ/s400/IMG_0420.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The release</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFHtmk6l7vYNbx4YIr1McMfDaFjBRpV4nanLLpg26WK0si0hnyLEV-U5-0FL7q6sv9NG0gZQcEKZ5LRTjl_q1qr5lhOvtI25l9Un9H2sxukc30siqKpeBgXdQj0EIHN8MbxSUK8_3_xzt/s1600/IMG_1225.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJFHtmk6l7vYNbx4YIr1McMfDaFjBRpV4nanLLpg26WK0si0hnyLEV-U5-0FL7q6sv9NG0gZQcEKZ5LRTjl_q1qr5lhOvtI25l9Un9H2sxukc30siqKpeBgXdQj0EIHN8MbxSUK8_3_xzt/s400/IMG_1225.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gila in it's Mojave scrub habitat</td></tr>
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Unfortunately the Gila wasn't completely unscathed, as it was bleeding from the side of the head and and looked blinded in one eye. However, the head still looked symmetrical and the jaw didn't appear to be broken, so it may have been barely nicked by an oncoming vehicle. Otherwise it looked very healthy, and with a good store of fuel in it's tail to help it get through the recovery. We did the best we could for it, and hopefully it'll be able to pull through and roam the desert for years to come. Not under the best circumstances, but I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to see one of these monsters and hope that it'll pull through.<br />
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On our way back across the Extraterrestrial Highway Kayla and I stopped to take a photo of a road sign that summed up the open range, aliens, and general chaos that can be found in the no mans land of the ET Highway.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlFbNHfW9R2s_OQXea6PQX53DlHrVn__UniZncvQfNxIPKbOk3GMLhM35_GobuFZcwx50M6vmlUZU23hjqoTgHADBvfzb3MDtPUY6Dz15t55SM-ymUNZwQ7UsDNic5idNLCZCCq7Y42LJ/s1600/IMG_1239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWlFbNHfW9R2s_OQXea6PQX53DlHrVn__UniZncvQfNxIPKbOk3GMLhM35_GobuFZcwx50M6vmlUZU23hjqoTgHADBvfzb3MDtPUY6Dz15t55SM-ymUNZwQ7UsDNic5idNLCZCCq7Y42LJ/s400/IMG_1239.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Range sign on the ET Highway</td></tr>
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It also happened to be in an area of Joshua Trees and surrounded by rocky juniper hillsides, so we took the opportunity for a bit of a birding break. It was late in the morning, but I hoped we might hear some Black-chinned Sparrows singing from the hillsides, a species I'd only lucked into once before. As it was things were fairly quiet, but we did hear a single Cactus Wren and got great looks at a pair of Scott's Orioles feeding in the yuccas. Both birds were new for Kayla and I had only seen them for the first time the weekend before.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsXIEIREZUhb0LdvH3DB80fevzjLip-QPVhpq-wJXqa6yrCvmqIfMkSRJJpleIv5ybchKMhRrj9iTGI0gwmK1ubRIQ0Nz35Nuy_M_bvjYuMJRoJskwpbODy-Kb3LQDk2G1dYOvmwcY7bu/s1600/IMG_1245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirsXIEIREZUhb0LdvH3DB80fevzjLip-QPVhpq-wJXqa6yrCvmqIfMkSRJJpleIv5ybchKMhRrj9iTGI0gwmK1ubRIQ0Nz35Nuy_M_bvjYuMJRoJskwpbODy-Kb3LQDk2G1dYOvmwcY7bu/s400/IMG_1245.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Joshua Tree-Blackbrush community with Junipers on the surrounding slopes</td></tr>
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The rest of the drive was fairly uneventful until we got to the mountains near Walker Lake. We had briefly glimpsed a couple Desert Bighorn Sheep on the way down, so I let some cars pass us by and we kept our eyes keen as we neared that spot hoping we'd get better looks. As we came to the spot I spotted one sheep up on a hillside so we pulled over. It had disappeared, but Kayla soon noticed a herd of about a dozen just across the road back the way we'd came.<br />
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I'd only seen sheep a couple times very briefly from a vehicle before, so it was great to get to study them with bins on foot. The group was made up of females, as the big rams are on their own this time of year. One of the ewes was distinctly paler than the others.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx3F1r7jv3Odxnrp7aOjM8ynTCB4d5MgfHRAQIS3N9lj1qG2KS9mz6JTRODfVP4FSc4WLlLS9rTDQn1F4ymwPI99EnmarCF02H-r18ZuTfsCjTTXhgmvxBeKF2S8XSow_PA88Qd6QcnOK/s1600/IMG_1269.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTx3F1r7jv3Odxnrp7aOjM8ynTCB4d5MgfHRAQIS3N9lj1qG2KS9mz6JTRODfVP4FSc4WLlLS9rTDQn1F4ymwPI99EnmarCF02H-r18ZuTfsCjTTXhgmvxBeKF2S8XSow_PA88Qd6QcnOK/s400/IMG_1269.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pale bighorn</td></tr>
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We heard some rocks fall from the cliff above and upon looking to investigate saw another 10 animals up on a shelf including some small lambs. Super cute to see, but too high up for photos.<br />
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We had one more day of the tour in which I did some more scouting for my area search, but I'll cover those highlights on my post next week. This weekend (May 19-22) our crew is heading over to Great Basin National Park near the Utah border to run some birding hikes for the Bio Blitz the park is running. The park is home to the highest peak in Nevada, some cool montane birds and incredible scenery. I've never been there before but it's supposed to be spectacular, so stay tuned to hear about that in my next installments.<br />
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Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4206140663317513869.post-42088896771101425962016-05-20T16:24:00.000-04:002016-05-31T21:34:50.787-04:00Walker River Area Searching and Pine Nuts Raptoring<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Nevada Bird Count Tour 3 Part 1</div>
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Our third tour began on May 9th with some scouting of our area search plots. On the NBC much of the work we do consists of distance-based point counts, but each season a number of more intensive area searches are conducted as well. These are located on a current transect and involve repeated visits over the course of the season, with the goals being to map the territories of all species on the plot and find as many nests as possible. This data then acts as the ‘truth’ with which to compare our point count data against and helps calculate detectability ratios etc.<br />
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We won’t start actual surveys on our area searches until next tour, but on Tuesday the 10th everyone on the crew went out to their respective plots to get a feel for their areas. Kayla and I headed to her plot first, at <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29546898" target="_blank">Pitchfork Ranch</a> along the Walker River.<br />
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A pretty nice spot, with many massive cottonwoods around to support birds and very few shrubs for the birds to skulk in and make life difficult.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhiLohD7HOqxcNVqJGy3HglIf2zhQs06uYxVZbGPk2c8kXwsL5UC7MKxUBFfBQ1mN2-AsCO1-S-5y142DXypH1BWDDQFNz_wrquL3M6e4prZOnYjcq8QItxITiGxitI1Gb-3PLNkeSxx4/s1600/IMG_0978.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbhiLohD7HOqxcNVqJGy3HglIf2zhQs06uYxVZbGPk2c8kXwsL5UC7MKxUBFfBQ1mN2-AsCO1-S-5y142DXypH1BWDDQFNz_wrquL3M6e4prZOnYjcq8QItxITiGxitI1Gb-3PLNkeSxx4/s400/IMG_0978.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cottonwoods at the river bend on LR-Haystack</td></tr>
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This type of cottonwood gallery habitat supports an impressive number of
raptors, and we many Swainson’s and a few Red-tailed Hawks soaring about. A
distant Prairie Falcon was a treat on a distant power pole, pretty far but close
enough to ID.<br />
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On the walk in we saw a family of Great Horned Owls. I’m always impressed with
how many of these owls I see down here. It seems there’s lots of prey about,
but due to the lack of forests the birds have fewer places to hide.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUS7_d6CRAkEiRcgPzJIFJ6hyphenhyphenXHnG9Ntxwv01rzx09Iu-mdxoAkb2WzdgqhON0h0zWBWwa8o4TixwKzXZFUk0wwWB0xh-wOFjLo6tf2daYY9yF26DKhXQv1X3bT2rEL_VJ_3adHPDRipwK/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUS7_d6CRAkEiRcgPzJIFJ6hyphenhyphenXHnG9Ntxwv01rzx09Iu-mdxoAkb2WzdgqhON0h0zWBWwa8o4TixwKzXZFUk0wwWB0xh-wOFjLo6tf2daYY9yF26DKhXQv1X3bT2rEL_VJ_3adHPDRipwK/s400/IMG_0966.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Horned Owl Juvenile</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0VFq4HIXq94AVHCWXCGiO8f_xYcSSQsffLViNcElUguN9psP11aLUKyCNUdRpifKqs-VrP7dcn5oNOuQPPj8OpSI-U6CeoNxhqFOF2Cz0y3rs65IsKQd62tHX0k5WI6GTRLlw_w3om7f/s1600/IMG_0971.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP0VFq4HIXq94AVHCWXCGiO8f_xYcSSQsffLViNcElUguN9psP11aLUKyCNUdRpifKqs-VrP7dcn5oNOuQPPj8OpSI-U6CeoNxhqFOF2Cz0y3rs65IsKQd62tHX0k5WI6GTRLlw_w3om7f/s400/IMG_0971.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">and Adult</td></tr>
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Kayla also had a large colony of Yellow-headed Blackbirds on a corner of her plot. It’s always great to see these gorgeous large blackbirds and hear their ridiculously obnoxious calls. The birds had been calm while we were watching them despite all the cruising buteos about, when all of a sudden the pond burst into a frantic flurry of alarm notes. I called out that a falcon must be passing over, and sure enough Kayla picked out a gorgeous adult Prairie that cruised overhead and gave us great looks.<br />
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Next we headed to my area search further south at the infamous Rafter 7 Ranch. The NBC established a few transects on the ranch last season, when we discovered that the willow- and buffaloberry-choked riversides there can be hell to navigate. As luck would have it, I was given my area search there, so it was really important to scope it out to see where I could get through and where I might need to flag and break some trails through the tangle.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTWR1iUYsCjzg4QCl5MxMXT5nERR2JNCfcoBXlBg06zRFlzVqUbeQawEVNYdNBlIKD5HXW2UnQBTu_cJRrzDyLKycpWbhb3w4fuYrvU3K6-eg1nsT9SGRmhSVbMOWsTyDNUpBp7BErN-s/s1600/IMG_1287.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjTWR1iUYsCjzg4QCl5MxMXT5nERR2JNCfcoBXlBg06zRFlzVqUbeQawEVNYdNBlIKD5HXW2UnQBTu_cJRrzDyLKycpWbhb3w4fuYrvU3K6-eg1nsT9SGRmhSVbMOWsTyDNUpBp7BErN-s/s400/IMG_1287.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rafter area search, with the willows stretching from the left across the top</td></tr>
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On the way down we came across our first Great Basin Gopher Snakes of the season. These gorgeous constrictors are quite large, with many 4-5ft long and some as long as 7ft, and also quite common, so we get to see then now and then. Here’s me with our first one, a four-footer.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcBPWWA4EnL7KUTVshNbKfy6IjJv413s6p3pnn_FfU2fB9q7lDb0YpDWFA21EvNCiwRRBIRKhlLIjZ6krY2W0F4KpNnrdkRND_jPywVgCgtQz1RpyQ35Qj_tx5XS7XswwmYOJ2BbYC54F/s1600/IMG_0266.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYcBPWWA4EnL7KUTVshNbKfy6IjJv413s6p3pnn_FfU2fB9q7lDb0YpDWFA21EvNCiwRRBIRKhlLIjZ6krY2W0F4KpNnrdkRND_jPywVgCgtQz1RpyQ35Qj_tx5XS7XswwmYOJ2BbYC54F/s400/IMG_0266.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me with a Great Basin Gopher Snake</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ6-mgW1no0FsCPzsFdSVx4i81N3U8ZC-pOHF1U-mGFwnAlVFuTWIGhYvFYVA6C6YaVPJ6Fd0yJVdkYASoLp219oqQHhxwnqiHSJFH5MszWHIjbzvApsZ1R5nYdwMBPzcFvO0RyQpKGwt/s1600/IMG_0986.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZ6-mgW1no0FsCPzsFdSVx4i81N3U8ZC-pOHF1U-mGFwnAlVFuTWIGhYvFYVA6C6YaVPJ6Fd0yJVdkYASoLp219oqQHhxwnqiHSJFH5MszWHIjbzvApsZ1R5nYdwMBPzcFvO0RyQpKGwt/s400/IMG_0986.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And after helping it off the road</td></tr>
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We got <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29547034" target="_blank">Rafter</a> late in the morning so the birds had quieted down, but my first
migrant Olive-sided Flycatcher was a treat.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX0yArbxEmC5_LM1n5PpNRhyxCHAcQiQFIQ3Ip0bOJwQsMKQHqXFsCE4EgnolLbUtRGWgWoosGS-wJTwQ8kgH5Ob8wJC7E7tcYpxbJpN_OZy0rXfTDHIys2lFXXxeOQ3ZSxLGF_-wGMHx/s1600/IMG_0992.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGX0yArbxEmC5_LM1n5PpNRhyxCHAcQiQFIQ3Ip0bOJwQsMKQHqXFsCE4EgnolLbUtRGWgWoosGS-wJTwQ8kgH5Ob8wJC7E7tcYpxbJpN_OZy0rXfTDHIys2lFXXxeOQ3ZSxLGF_-wGMHx/s400/IMG_0992.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Olive-sided Flycatcher</td></tr>
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It turned out not to be quite as bad to navigate as I had feared, and it didn’t
take us as long as I thought to weave through the length of my plot. While we
were concentrated more on the navigation than the birds, we did get great looks
at one of the male Lazuli Buntings that I’ll get to monitor for the season.<br />
<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]-->After our day of scouting the crew moved into the Pine Nut Range west of Yerington to blitz some of our Raptor-Raven surveys. As the name suggests, the Pine Nuts are dominated by Pinyon-Juniper forest with areas of Sagebrush in between, and the scenery is gorgeous. My <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29743316" target="_blank">first day</a> of surveying involved my first good hike of the season, some 12km over hills and valleys, and it was really refreshing to be out hiking again in the range.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBtDVpVRtOuXC2M6tOI1NyxccMZsCVtjYtQ5zvTwJ_t7OHPw66CmhJspsHibpa4Prc3cZ-t91HROCug-HMSzOG7AHcX8Ci0V8yTErrQSAAEJkjaECqSgJQPS_onZ0loYGuiKUcUUYKHmX/s1600/IMG_1023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIBtDVpVRtOuXC2M6tOI1NyxccMZsCVtjYtQ5zvTwJ_t7OHPw66CmhJspsHibpa4Prc3cZ-t91HROCug-HMSzOG7AHcX8Ci0V8yTErrQSAAEJkjaECqSgJQPS_onZ0loYGuiKUcUUYKHmX/s400/IMG_1023.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVF5rNZJ0FE3U5ZIZ-saFRgGFvybK-7WzmtsG6IZMjxlzWCMOY-HHAgO_7-op9ZSq1ptm7sz2Szw1eac4RndxzZVvo4Fgpnb9QGH5CTFWpYZc7mst30y050nf7zTTr8k7SifAfh_csiV_/s1600/IMG_1025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVF5rNZJ0FE3U5ZIZ-saFRgGFvybK-7WzmtsG6IZMjxlzWCMOY-HHAgO_7-op9ZSq1ptm7sz2Szw1eac4RndxzZVvo4Fgpnb9QGH5CTFWpYZc7mst30y050nf7zTTr8k7SifAfh_csiV_/s400/IMG_1025.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The habitat is dominated by the pale green of sagebrush and the darker green of the conifers, so the flowers like paintbrush and balsamroot really pop.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb_H_EZfMTZFQz0WPAgAQXTqRhVMtAL7XG02K_xBM2IQLuMajqSx78dO-1QKZHSebhvdxPWrtWEar3y3fvdSwBXygXQwj0QDcxC3tgyDZr897NGJY_5U6YXc9qKtD2Fj2vlzqkI-11eTV/s1600/IMG_1020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhb_H_EZfMTZFQz0WPAgAQXTqRhVMtAL7XG02K_xBM2IQLuMajqSx78dO-1QKZHSebhvdxPWrtWEar3y3fvdSwBXygXQwj0QDcxC3tgyDZr897NGJY_5U6YXc9qKtD2Fj2vlzqkI-11eTV/s400/IMG_1020.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indian Paintbrush and Balsamroot</td></tr>
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On my hike I came across a few Great Basin Collared Lizards. None were as big and bright as they come, but always fun to see.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh-hzzooviHkI_JXW63rihGQIAkdz7iRzx5wbky8gV3pxKSZKugg59TAZcP6cAh5UkYDnsSORwB3bPBzwhlo6FF8B46bEp25INWPkozZVrmrzvF0QNJHa9Q9mKTHzedLAbXS_CEQ_oa1a/s1600/IMG_1033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGh-hzzooviHkI_JXW63rihGQIAkdz7iRzx5wbky8gV3pxKSZKugg59TAZcP6cAh5UkYDnsSORwB3bPBzwhlo6FF8B46bEp25INWPkozZVrmrzvF0QNJHa9Q9mKTHzedLAbXS_CEQ_oa1a/s400/IMG_1033.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Basin Collared Lizard</td></tr>
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But the highlight of my day's surveys was on my second point count. I was just preparing to start my count when I heard what sounded like a strange raven call overhead. I looked up and was surprised to see a male Pronghorn on the hillside above me! It was staring intently at me, and every once and a while it would give a strange call. I stood still and began my survey, and over the course of the count the Pronghorn kept staring at me, creeping forward, and making its odd call.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSly2UhVyp8LOxFOSYBbwjGC2EeAnkNsIvXPt1ELHebNIfV5puDO3qugvhZBIHHZwSPxvM3cX4SAc6fwWt_rYAb6SpccIT0JNrP1l-Ud4VaYuGQ0mPgieG7mHqCak4xGQE5UExg8QKcWK6/s1600/IMG_1039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSly2UhVyp8LOxFOSYBbwjGC2EeAnkNsIvXPt1ELHebNIfV5puDO3qugvhZBIHHZwSPxvM3cX4SAc6fwWt_rYAb6SpccIT0JNrP1l-Ud4VaYuGQ0mPgieG7mHqCak4xGQE5UExg8QKcWK6/s400/IMG_1039.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Eventually it lost interest and headed off to the north. A few minutes later I saw a group of 9 more distant animals on a far hillside in that same direction, so I assume this was the leader of that herd that had come to check out this odd intruder into its regularly empty domain. It was my first time seeing Pronghorn on foot and definitely one of my favorite wildlife encounters with GBBO.<br />
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After our hikes we headed to a great camp Dave new of nearby. While hanging out that afternoon playing cards we had a couple other cool non-avian visitors. The first was a huge Long-nosed Leopard Lizard, a fairly common species across the state but the largest most of us had ever seen.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOhpLgN7YGBn8ApSn2PqGzYhw1kDJrem-VRaYlf9qnRGkuuqpmhDIrtcOGHK70Uf1gdTgCno0c9metF_QscXyMyiV4BXXDmCdDkrtH77nX0DQp6KUprM0aO_Zpe1GH5LFS8cNBSN-15Y4/s1600/IMG_1067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnOhpLgN7YGBn8ApSn2PqGzYhw1kDJrem-VRaYlf9qnRGkuuqpmhDIrtcOGHK70Uf1gdTgCno0c9metF_QscXyMyiV4BXXDmCdDkrtH77nX0DQp6KUprM0aO_Zpe1GH5LFS8cNBSN-15Y4/s400/IMG_1067.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-nosed Leopard Lizard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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We also had a Black-tailed Jackrabbit hanging around our camp. These are super common across the state, but usually to quick and skittish for a photo. This one passed pretty close by us a couple times though, so I got a shot of it showing off it's massive jackrabbit ears.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2Lq5Trgo5wB4_nj9yMnDADrI6fXM7hQLwrqUzty9Zg3-_b5sPr083WlGWWQgCG43zIVMxHzV1NPwlIRbQlETOqyiKRdqTQYfyaxcWIE-9dcbdlsNgExIzO9_jkoBjOIOi6m1T83BfLSd/s1600/IMG_1063.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP2Lq5Trgo5wB4_nj9yMnDADrI6fXM7hQLwrqUzty9Zg3-_b5sPr083WlGWWQgCG43zIVMxHzV1NPwlIRbQlETOqyiKRdqTQYfyaxcWIE-9dcbdlsNgExIzO9_jkoBjOIOi6m1T83BfLSd/s320/IMG_1063.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black-tailed Jackrabbit</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Our second day of surveying put Kalya and I higher up near <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S29743747" target="_blank">Sunrise Pass</a>. On the way up I had a count near a couple small copses of aspen and had Green-tailed Towhee, Fox Sparrow, and Dusky Flycatcher singing. I was surprised to encounter them at this low an elevation, but I suppose the aspen liked the conditions and the birds like the aspen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWso65x9VqWsuCaWYUWFCJzIq_pCcRogKA-4YH0HSLfsU5YdMg2zFZXZfB-WfO2YjAUcof5Oq8u0LsRggiBysOIoV6gmEak5zByzhJERa0U8AqF8tG1Z3poyDtqPlLpdRHuJtvDSkS9I0D/s1600/IMG_1052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWso65x9VqWsuCaWYUWFCJzIq_pCcRogKA-4YH0HSLfsU5YdMg2zFZXZfB-WfO2YjAUcof5Oq8u0LsRggiBysOIoV6gmEak5zByzhJERa0U8AqF8tG1Z3poyDtqPlLpdRHuJtvDSkS9I0D/s400/IMG_1052.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Further along we got into the PJ proper. Not always the easiest to scan for raptors through the trees, but lots of the Pinyon breeders such as Western Tanager, Black-throated Gray Warbler and Plumbeous Vireos kept me company. Hearing my first Mountain Quail crowing from the hillsides was a welcome sound to my ears. Not to be outdone, the views on some of my counts were pretty nice too.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ecw3kdOgq60gRxcRZw2BseAPLgg-NN4_dLhbQ413tY-g47UgedQJk3jFjAdP4sbq7uaJT3-Bkx7iIVzv46oJTaaO98Chy7VY1GCvh9g6SU7UEzzTMSU__gTKMDs5t-yl2YVt-8yRPfO-/s1600/IMG_1055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Ecw3kdOgq60gRxcRZw2BseAPLgg-NN4_dLhbQ413tY-g47UgedQJk3jFjAdP4sbq7uaJT3-Bkx7iIVzv46oJTaaO98Chy7VY1GCvh9g6SU7UEzzTMSU__gTKMDs5t-yl2YVt-8yRPfO-/s400/IMG_1055.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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On Friday the 13th, our last day in the Pine Nuts before heading back south to Warm Springs, we encountered my 3rd gopher snake of the season. Knowing the snakes were out we were keenly watching the road on our drive out, and were thrilled when we spotted our first of season Great Basin Rattlesnake ahead of us.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxdXIPTX2dihyphenhyphen3Px_wykya1m50duGe9hjqG6F99sAvAtSajaPSZTj-Ktv2hJD6aeBq2zCrz5LIl38CPltqUEDW7KEFSamBM-KYsio3lIZHXNrEg4SFS1d7ccCbHHDJz5Z6ISX6O8rjVGJ/s1600/IMG_1095.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOxdXIPTX2dihyphenhyphen3Px_wykya1m50duGe9hjqG6F99sAvAtSajaPSZTj-Ktv2hJD6aeBq2zCrz5LIl38CPltqUEDW7KEFSamBM-KYsio3lIZHXNrEg4SFS1d7ccCbHHDJz5Z6ISX6O8rjVGJ/s400/IMG_1095.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Great Basin Rattlesnake</td></tr>
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The only rattlesnake this far north, these snakes are quite variable in pattern so it's always a interesting to see what each will look like. We stopped to take a look at it and let it cross the road, but it decided the shade under our truck looked enticing and promptly curled up between the front tires.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGYespV-EMYN-qLwh89CXj7qMkdBt5CDUYYDqg6RAdXqbpKOQco4F9fLRSqqfjfLH7Y4Qi6ex7TAwsmXOGvjzfNQtyWWbbyxJXZaDFaCLj-gylm7uOCNMTZcDcMVDAKt5XpZlSQncaftj/s1600/IMG_1105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiGYespV-EMYN-qLwh89CXj7qMkdBt5CDUYYDqg6RAdXqbpKOQco4F9fLRSqqfjfLH7Y4Qi6ex7TAwsmXOGvjzfNQtyWWbbyxJXZaDFaCLj-gylm7uOCNMTZcDcMVDAKt5XpZlSQncaftj/s400/IMG_1105.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rattler hiding in the shade of the truck</td></tr>
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After taking some photos we coaxed it on it's way off the road with one of our veg poles. With it moved to safety we made it out of the mountains and then headed south for our last Mojave surveys of the season.</div>
Mark Dorriesfieldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12690976774062654779noreply@blogger.com0