What's in your trunk?

Never leave expensive optics inside your car beyond sight! Nearly each week at Eagle Optics I hear from a customer whose high-end binocular or spotting scope was stolen from their car. Be proud and wear your binocular into the restaurant or store. Naturally, advertising on my car that I'm a birder might not be such a great idea:




The Birdermobile.

© 2008 Mike McDowell

Birding in Eden?

Sometimes the stream corridor is so beautiful in the morning, I swear I'm birding in mythical Eden. No southbound warblers yet, but the refreshing cool air and relaxing calmness made it a worthwhile walk.

Location: Pheasant Branch
Observation date: 8/15/08
Notes: Stream corridor.
Number of species: 27

Mourning Dove
Chimney Swift
Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Belted Kingfisher
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Eastern Wood-Pewee
Red-eyed Vireo
Blue Jay
American Crow
Barn Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
White-breasted Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
House Wren
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
American Robin
Gray Catbird
Cedar Waxwing
Song Sparrow
Northern Cardinal
Indigo Bunting
Common Grackle
Baltimore Oriole
House Finch
American Goldfinch

© 2008 Mike McDowell

Bush Aims to Relax Endangered Species Rules

Bald Eagle

Y'all had enough of this guy yet?

"Just months before U.S. President George Bush leaves office, his administration is proposing changes that would allow federal agencies to decide for themselves whether subdivisions, dams, highways, and other projects have the potential to harm endangered animals and plants."

Link: Full article from National Geographic

Link: Scott Weidensaul's comments

Link: Nuthatch/Bootstrap Analysis Blog comments

Bald Eagle © 2008 Mike McDowell

Jupiter and the Moon

Last night I dusted off the C8 and photographed Jupiter and the Moon:



Celestron 8" SCT
Pentax K10D DSLR
10mm Vixen Lanthanum Eyepiece
1" Eyepiece Projection



Celestron 8" SCT
Pentax K10D DSLR
f/6.3 Focal Reducer
1/125" Prime Focus

All images © 2008 Mike McDowell

Answers to Quiz

Here are my answers to Ryan's Photo Quiz. Of 38 responses he received, only 9 people got all 3 birds correct. Bird #2 provided the greatest difficulty, with fewer than half correctly identifying it as Mourning Warbler.

Bird #1: Clay-colored Sparrow

The long tail of this immature sparrow directed identification to spizella. Of them, within breeding range in Ryan's neck of the woods are Chipping, Field (sparse) and Clay-colored. Bird's gray nape somewhat noticeable. The overall warmer tones of this bird eliminated Chipping. The dark crown eliminated Field. I settled on Clay-colored Sparrow.

Bird #2: Mourning Warbler

This immature warbler was sort of tough to figure and the bird I spent the most time on with Ryan's quiz. Given overall color and pattern (gray head, yellow throat and belly), placed into consideration were Nashville Warbler, Magnolia Warbler, Canada Warbler and Mourning Warbler. I eliminated Nashville because the bird in Ryan's photograph lacks the petite and pointy vermivora shaped bill. I eliminated Canada Warbler because there just wasn't enough yellow in the supraloral area, but notice that there is some yellow there (above the bill). There seemed to be a slight hint of a necklace, but I chalked it up to feather contour. The warbler in Ryan's photo has yellow tibial feathers (upper leg) and Magnolia's (and Nashville's) are white. Then there's the broken eye-ring and stockier bill; I concluded Mourning Warbler.

Bird #3: Broad-winged Hawk

A juvenile buteo. There's a conspicuous white supercilium, streaking on the breast, and narrow-banded tail. Note the wide, dark subterminal band (end of the tail feathers) and narrow inner bands; quickly settled for Broad-winged Hawk.

© 2008 Mike McDowell

Back to the Corridor

We've reached the point of summer when Sylvia, Dottie and I return to the Pheasant Branch stream corridor in hopes of finding early southbound warblers. The morning was picturesque with the sun's rays illuminating the dense foliage of the canopy. We found many of resident species like Red-eyed Vireo, Eastern Wood-Pewee, Carolina Wren, Gray Catbird, Red-bellied Woodpecker, and Belted Kingfisher, but nothing we could definitively say was a migrating bird from the north. It didn't really matter. The scenery and cool air made for a wonderful walk through the woods. Too bad there were so many freak'n mosquitoes!





We probably won't spend much time on the north side of Pheasant Branch until the boreal sparrows return late September. Its summer splendor is already beginning to fade, but memories remain most vivid. So many winged jewels were admired against this beautiful backdrop. Though their northern cousins are on their way, we already begin to await the return of those who have recently departed this magnificent place; we miss it for them - the glorious feathered beings whose home this wonderful place is.



PBC images © 2008 Mike McDowell

Quiz!

Ryan Brady of Ashland, Wisconsin, posted a photo quiz to the Wisconsin Birding Network on Monday. The bird in photo #2 seems to be giving birders the most difficulty. In building a case for identification, try to use every visible feature and eliminate species lacking that particular feature or field mark. Ryan said he'll post the answers on Friday, at which time I'll publish steps I took in identifying each bird correctly. These photographs were taken recently in Ashland, Wisconsin. You can view a larger version of each image by clicking on it.

Is there no one brave enough to post their guesses in comments? ;)

Bird #1


Bird #2


Bird #3


All images © 2008 Ryan Brady

Setting the Pace

Biking to work this morning, I found a Cooper's Hawk, American Robin, Cedar Waxwing, and Chipping Sparrow before leaving Waunakee. On Woodland Drive, I passed the drainage pond I've been routinely checking and picked up Lesser Yellowlegs, Spotted Sandpiper, Solitary Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Least Sandpiper, and Killdeer. There were probably a few other shorebirds I missed. South on Kingsley, I heard Horned Larks and a Song Sparrow. Along Pheasant Branch Road, Barn Swallows swept across the farm fields where two Sandhill Cranes foraged. West on Fisher Road, I added Indigo Bunting and Great Blue Heron. I got on the bike trail that would take me almost the rest of my trip to work. No Dickcissels were seen or heard as I buzzed down the stretch of trail along HWY 12; there were no Savannah or Grasshopper Sparrows either - the fields were quiet. Nearing the business park, I spotted a Green Heron on the shore of the big pond near Deming Way. A House Wren darted across the trail just before Pleasant View Road. Like kicking a stone while you walk, looking and listening for birds makes a bike trip go by a whole lot quicker.

"The love for all living creatures is the noblest attribute of man."

- Charles Darwin

Spotted Sandpiper © 2008 Mike McDowell

Cool Jumping Spider

I just love the Salticidae (Jumping Spiders). Whenever one manages to find its way inside our house and is discovered, I'll carefully capture it for macro photography. Yesterday I found this awesome specimen of what I believe to be a male Platycryptus undatus, though I'm not 100% sure on my identification. Shall we go over the field marks? Are any readers an arachnid expert? For photographing him, I setup a little studio on a piece of white paper beneath a fluorescent light. At first he wasn't very cooperative and kept jumping onto the camera lens. Though rather menacing in close-up photographs, this spider is only around 12mm long.



All images © 2008 Mike McDowell

Birding Update

Solitary Sandpiper

Shorebird migration continues to progress and I’ve been closely monitoring a drainage pond just outside of Waunakee on Woodland Drive. The past week or so, I’ve found Solitary Sandpiper, Spotted Sandpiper, Lesser Yellowlegs, Least Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Baird’s Sandpiper, Pectoral Sandpiper, Semipalmated Plover and lots of Killdeer. A few other birders have been finding Buff-breasted Sandpipers in southern Wisconsin. Yesterday on my way into work I checked the Pheasant Branch stream corridor for early southbound warblers, but found none. I’ll be leading a field trip for Madison Audubon at Pheasant Branch on August 28th. Expect to see warblers, vireos, flycatchers and other migrants. Bring comfortable shoes for a two hour walk. Meet at 7:00 a.m. in Middleton at the dead-end street by Parisi Park (where Park Lawn St. and Park St. meet.) Rain or shine!

Solitary Sandpiper © 2008 Mike McDowell

Texas Border Wall Update

"Construction of a wall along Texas' border with Mexico for months has pit some landowners, local officials, immigrant advocates and conservation groups against the federal government. Now, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission can be counted as an opponent. "

Link: Full article from Statesman.com

Link: No Texas Border Wall

I get email

Having been down with a nauseating stomach virus the past few days, I find myself unable to grasp the intent behind a somewhat cryptic email I received regarding my "Birds at the Airport" post:

Dear Mr. McDowell,

I am no statistician, but when you post numbers from a "survey" such as this especially when they may provide the basis for certain advocacy, you lay yourself open to critical remark that could in the end undermine important work! Be careful when venturing into such a project so as not to shut the door on future possibilities that could in turn be very beneficial to both man, animal and environment. Good luck!

Cordially,

Michael

Alright. I'm really struggling to understand what Michael is alluding to. If by publishing such survey results I'm opening myself (and possibly Curt) to criticism, I'm pretty confident that we can handle whatever comes our way. I wonder what merit such criticism might have; Curt counted some birds at a municipal airport and I published the results on my blog. So what? As for there being a potential problem for birds; the airport fields were being mowed earlier in the summer before Curt spoke to Rich Morey (airport manager). To my mind, one of the great benefits of sharing survey results of this kind is to raise awareness. All this unsolicited advice that comes my way! I'm just amazed whenever I manage to find my way to work in the morning.