Day 146 - A Bird Blog

Spring is here!  As we head into summer, the year is almost half over. 

 Here is a summary of our family birding activity since my last blog.

Again, I must remind us of the rules.  We are logging BIRD sightings.  Not mountain lions (as amazing and scary as that is).  Spotting wineries must include live bird sightings, although some (she remains anonymous) may need the added incentive.

Tyler didn't know when he married into our family that visits to Lincoln would include birding outings.  He is a great sport and was the first to spot a Baltimore Oriole on their most recent visit.  When Dene'  & Ty were here over spring break we went to the Rowe Sanctuary near Kearney and saw Sand Hill Cranes, Snow Geese and Canadian Geese.  Also, Gold Finches and Red-winged Black Birds.  I found these birding socks (and Mike found a birding hat).  (Don't forget to submit pictures of your birding paraphernalia!  Sherry, what is the prize for the best birding socks?  Am I currently in first place?)

Birding apparel

Sand Hill Cranes

 

Snow Geese (really pretty!)

 



The following weekend Mike and I went in search of Bald Eeagles.  (If you remember, Team Peltier has bragging rights for the first Bald Eagle sighting.)  We hit the jackpot.  See Mike's blog for details about our sightings at the DeSoto Wildlife refuge.

Also, sorry to be stickler about the rules, but Big Year birds have to be sighted in the United States.  Having said that, I vote we bend the rules and give Team Peltier credit for the Spanish Pigeons sighted during their trip to Madrid in March.

 

Spanish Pigeons

 



                                                              

Although Mary Jo technically has the furthest-from-home sighting, Sherry has the furthest-from-home legal sightings (as well as the most exotic birds - are we motivated to compete?).  Visiting Phelan and Sherrie in Texas in April she sighted the following: 

Black Vultures, Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher, Northern Mockingbird, Grey Vireo, Common Moorhen, White-Winged Dove, Lesser Goldfinch, Hooded Oriole, Great-Tailed Grackle, Black-bellied Whistling Duck, Summer Tanager.  On South Padre Island (all Big Year Wannabees are gealous!) she saw Brown Pelican, Cattle Egret, Snowy Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Green Winged Teal,Red Breasted Merganser, Red Head (duck), Osprey, Mottled Duck,Pied-Billed Grebe, Black Skimmer, Laughing Gull, east Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Sora, American Coot, American Avocet, Black Necked Stilt, Willet, Marbled Godwit, Caspian Tern, Eurasian Collared Dove, Killdeer, Barn Swallow, Red Winged Blackbirds, Reddish Egret, Tricolored Heron.  (For a better description, see Sherry's email dated Apr 28th.  I didn't do it justice.) 

 

We are still waiting for pictures, Sherry.  (You all could apply some peer pressure - that might help.)

 

Mom saw these on their trip to be with Josephine when her brother passed:  Robin (big deal for Northern folk that time of year!), Morning Dove, and Pheasant . 

 

Mom also saw a Magpie riding a horse when she and Dad drove through the Southern Hills!  (No, joke, although we laughed pretty hard when she told us.  And, no, Nancy, she didn't have a wine glass in her hand.)

 

Ashley and Alex were relieved to find out in April that the really strange noise they kept hearing associated with their gas fireplace was a Flicker Woodpecker trying to make a good impression during mating season.

 

Nancy discovered that Robins can get confused in the Spring.  On April 12 she and Little Bit saw a Robin out after dark  in the snow.  In Nancy's words "Heard some other birds, but have no idea what they were. Pretty sure they were saying "SERIOUSLY?! IT'S SNOWING AGAIN?!"

 

Mike spotted a Red-Tailed Hawk in the tree in our back yard.  (Those of you paying attention are saying, "that's old news - not your first Red-Tailed Hawk.)  It was hard to be sure, but we thought it was a Red-Tailed Hawk.  So, we phoned a friend (sent pictures to a guy with whom I work) who brought in an expert.  A friend of his, who is an ornithology professor at UNL, said of 'our' bird: "It looks like a Red-tailed Hawk to me, probably a Krider’s morph (lighter color overall but particularly light on the belly), there is a darker Harlan’s morph. Mostly we get plain, regular plumaged red-tails here in Nebraska, so this bird is probably a migrant on its way north. Have your friend keep an eye out for the bird to see if it stays around for the summer."  We haven't seen it since.  The smaller birds in our yard were not welcoming.

 

 

 

 Red-tailed Hawk in our back yard

 

Late April this put a damper on birding in the Hills.

 

 



Sherry thought she was still on South Padre Island (i.e., dreaming of exotic birds), or, more likely the North Pole.  During same said storm we got this text from Sherry:  “Great birding here today; snow goose, Eskimo curlew, article loons and Iceland gulls.  Another foot of snow last night and most everything shut down with blowing snow. Sigh. I think a Himalayan snowcock just flew by the kitchen window.”

 

Ashley was tempted to let some American Tree Sparrows in when they knocked on her back door during a Colorado spring snow storm.  (See last picture in Ashley's blog.)

 

More birds are hanging out at Mom and Dad's of late.  Recently Mom has reported the following:  Red Crossbill, Tree Swallow, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Lincoln Sparrow, Yellow Warbler and a Flicker. 

 

Ashley, after the snow had melted, caught this bird on camera.  (Note: not an intentional sighting.  " Liam was looking for the garbage truck; Michael was doing an impressive impression of a monkey; I was telling them to stop jumping on the couch when I saw the birds in the bush outside the window behind them.")

 

Western Tanager

 

To close, here are the birds we've seen in Nebraska recently:  Yellow Warbler, Flicker, Marsh Wren, Red-bellied Woodpecker, House Finch, Brown Thrasher, Black Cap Chickadee, Baltimore Oriole (first spotted by Ty on the 18th, we saw another one today), Eastern Kingbird (first spotted by Dene' on the 18th, we saw several today), Mountain Blue Bird, Killdeer, Cedar Wax Wings, Western Kingbird, and Gray Catbird.

 

Pioneer's Park, Lincoln May 18th

Cedar Wax Wings in our yard

 

 

Day: 146

Species: 96

Bird Sighting reports: 144

 

Winter birding activities

Sherry/Mom/Nancy's birding outings sound like an excuse to go shopping and out for lunch.  But, as long as you see birds, at least occasionally, all is fair.  Who knew that Osprey don't winter at Pactola?!  Although I am still waiting for Sherry's promised forms, I have counted the Junco and Red Breasted Nuthatch.

It appears that Mom and Sherry have found that reward which encourages Nancy's participation in birding outings (a stop at the local area winery).  But, that isn't totally fair to Nancy.  Nancy has reported four sightings without any prompting from anyone else.  Well, okay.  One of those four was Little Bit's sighting.  Little Bit sighted a wild turkey in the back yard while taking care of her business.

Bird dog

 



 

Little Bit's sighting

Team Crane saw a rough legged hawk on the way home to Colorado after New Years.  Pretty impressive that they were able to identify it as they barreled down the interstate.  I wonder if birding while driving is legal in Nebraska?  Birding while parked near someone's farm house with binoculars is apparently suspect.  Mike was quite startled by a highway patrolman, whose approach was not noticed by Mike as he intently watched an eagle while pulled off to the side of a road in the middle of nowhere.  "Sir, are you okay?"  Translation, "sir, what the heck are you doing?"

Speaking of hawks, Wendy turned in a birding report at which, I am sorry to say, I initially scoffed.  And I quote, "I have been spotting and watching lots of birds over the last few months ( falcons, eagles, cardinals, ravens, and of course, Seahawks). Sadly, most of the birds have dropped out of sight except for the famed Seahawks."  I am no longer scoffing.  I think Wendy's Seattle Seahawks sighting counts.

Since none of us who have seen bald eagles have been able to get a picture (i.e., Team Peltier first eagle sighting, Mike multiple eagle sightings, and Mom/Sherry/Nancy immature bald eagle sighting) Nancy generously provided a picture that friend took at the Spearfish fish hatchery.   (Or, is she just making sure that what we saw is what we think we saw?)

Mike has attempted to find bald eagles in order to capture said photograph.  But, when he tries to find them, they elude him.  On one such outing he did find a gaggle of geese (near Eagle, Nebraska - I'm not making that up).

Gaggle of Canadian geese near Eagle, NE

While we are all freezing up north, we have high expectations of our Florida team.  MJ's recent report, however, clears up the misconception that only because it's cold out are the birds hard to find.  We are all quite relieved that the largest-they've-ever-seen alligator wasn't interested in them during their last birding outing.  Another common birding theme, regardless of location, is topping the day off with a meal out.  Since MJ's phone had died, I tried to find a picture for her on the Internet, but I unsuccessful.  See FAQ #5.

Birding can be dangerous!  Stumbling upon humungous alligators that share the same walking path.  Becoming distracted by seeing a bird out the window while preventing small children from going down the staircase.  Just as no birders were eaten by alligators in Florida, no Crane children gained unauthorized access to stairs during Ashley's most recent sighting of a Northern Flicker outside their window.

Day: 47
Species: 21
Bird sighting reports: 32

Keep those bird sightings coming.  I think we are all waiting for spring, and not just because we can expect to see more birds!

FAQ
1.  Can cute, adorable dogs substitute for bird sightings?  No.  (Sorry, Winston)

2.  Can I report the same bird more than once? 
Absolutely!  We will report every bald eagle we see.  Maybe every woodpecker.  Probably not every robin, cardinal and house sparrow.  But, each species will be counted only once.

3.  Can I report a bird someone else reported first?  Absolutely!  We will report every bald eagle we see.  No matter Team Peltier saw one first.  But, each species will be counted only once.

4.  Do I have to use that stupid, hard to remember where I put it, form?  No.

5.  Where do birds sleep?  Apparently, not in their nests.
(Web address compliments of Dene'.)

6.  How many times can I use the "couldn't get a photo because my phone had died" line?  Safely, at least twice.  After that, we may start doubting.  (Especially since my Google search for 'grayling pictures' so I could provide one for MJ brought up a web site for fish.  When I added grayling bird pictures, I got birds, but too many that looked nothing alike.  So, no grayling picture for this blog.)

All squawk and no flight

I had in my mind that on January 1st we would go to Ashland and see a bald eagle.  Based on Mike's response to me yesterday ("I'm watching football") I realized it must have been a conversation I had with myself.  Today, New Year's Day 2014, was cold and snowy with about a quarter mile visibility.  Not to mention slippery roads.  It didn't take much to talk me out of going.  Besides, we have all year, right?  And, Team Peltier sighted the bald eagle so we are right on track.  (I am so jealous!)

Team Nebraska watching the Rose Bowl.

But, our day wasn't completely birdless.  Mike saw a Blue Jay on a birding walk this morning, I saw a female Cardinal at the bird feeder and Ty saw a House Sparrow, both from the warmth of our kitchen.

Ty scoping out the backyard on Dec 31st.

Fortunately, other members of the family were on the ball.  Mom made the first sighting of the Family Big Year.  A Junco at the feeder on their patio.  In addition to a different Junco, Nancy saw a Not Turkey, a.k.a. Crow!

Mom's morning bird buddy.

Is that your lucky birding shirt?

Nancy submitted this next sighting, which prompts me to remind everyone of the rules.  All sighting reports are welcome (the more details the better), but only real bird species will be tallied.

Here's an "old bird" eating birdseed (Dad's words).

But, hey, way to go, Team Peltier!  I can't improve on Michael's email so am pasting from it here (parental warning for language).

Greetings to all and a Happy New Year to each. The start the big year has begun and the Rappana/Peltier contingent took full advantage of our milder climet.
I’m not sure if this is an omen for things to come. If so, I can only extend my condolences to the rest of you.  The second bird on our 2014 list is an American Bald Eagle. No sh$%^&t. That was the second bird we saw as we began our Big Year at Lafayette Heritage Park about three miles from our cat infested house ( known henceforth for birding purposes as "The Killing Fields.")
Mary Jo runs there a lot and it is also the site of her weekend walks with a handful of her girl friends who make the trek to check in with each other and solve the world’s problems. Men are not allowed.
We enlisted -or more accurately conscripted – Ky to come along with us, pulling him away from Netflix. Sam got out of the outing by going to soccer practice. Ky was not so lucky.
We call Ky our “urban birder.” We’re sending along a photo to give you an idea why. I think the ear buds give him away, but we had to throw stuff at him today to make him stop walking since he could not hear us with so much music in his ears.
Along with the eagle, we saw a bunch of other species. MJ had a chance to catch a great blue heron in flight after stealthily walking up within 20 feet of it. We expect that you northern birders will make up for the winter calm when spring and summer hit. When it gets really hot down here, the smarter animals go north. Anyway, here is what we saw today.

      1    -      Great (White) Egret

      2    -      American  Bald Eagle

      3    -      Anhinga (red headed)

      4    -      Great Blue Heron (IPhone foto)  

      5    -      Cardinal (both male and female)

      6    -      Pileated Woodpecker

      7    -      Winter Wren

 

Count:
Day 1 - 11 species