Big Birds at Sherburne WMA

Another revisit to some of the bird images from Sherburne WMA outside Baton Rouge, LA.   This time focusing on some of the large subjects that frequent the area.  

Little Blue Heron

Great Egret

Green Heron

White Ibis - immature

Little Blue Heron - immature 

(interesting that the previous two are such negative images of the adult plumage versions of their species) 

Cattle Egret

That was quiet a total for the Heron/Egrets in one day, from previous posts I had also counted Great Blue and Tricolored on that day.  I was also on the lookout for Roseate Spoonbills, but they eluded me on this trip and remain high on the wish list.  Will return for at least one more Sherburne post featuring shorebirds, but may jump ahead to Grand Isle between now and then.   

Tic-Toc

In 24 hours I will hopefully be minutes from departure. I am off for adventure with a couple of old school buddies, to explore a new locale and escape the reminders that Colorado keeps throwing out that winter isn't that far gone. So in the meantime a few more shots from Sunday. Nothing new from yesterday, I ran a couple of errands and moved 96Gb of pictures, (the first 1/3 of 2011), to external storage freeing up some space on the ol' laptop. The first shot (above) is a Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Not a particularly well lit shot, but finding one perched as opposed to zooming around above a lake was worth noting. NRWS show that buffy arc across the top of their breast, which can also be a good field mark when looking at rows of swallows on power lines.


While looking for shorebirds at the edge of one pond, a bird decided I had gotten too close and took off across the water.

I just had to head along the bank to make sure the large bird that had just flown quietly away was what I suspected it to have been.


A Great Horned Owl. I backtracked, as I intended to take a different route through the maze of small ponds and having confirmed its identity I was content to leave the owl in peace rather than risking flushing it once again.

A lone Great Egret had set up shop in a pond which I was gradually working my way around. I believe that this was the same bird that had started my morning with a flyover as I parked.


Further along I heard dull tapping coming from a tree. I paused, and quickly realized that it was the sound of a woodpecker excavating a nest cavity. I circled the tree until I found the hole, and then waited....


Northern Flicker, maker of holes.

One of my real highlights from Sunday was this sight, Wood Ducks in the woods. After seeing the Wood Ducks last week in Wheat Ridge I had been hoping to find some roosting, and finally got the chance. They moved deeper into the trees when a nice couple walked up to me with their dog, but I got to follow their progress through two more flights.


Finally, a Great Blue Heron for kicks.


I had a great series of this bird taking off. Unfortunately I was aiming somewhat into the poor light, but fun to see them in their breeding finery.

So now I am back to watching the clock and ready for travel. My hotel will be a few minutes walk from a National Seashore, so I hope to get my bird on in the early part of the day, and my chill-axin' tourist on in the afternoon and evening. I already know the trip will be fun, and my first visit to a shoreline since beginning birding has my mind spinning with the new species I may get to see and photograph.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a great day!

Fall Counting at Barr Lake State Park

I had the chance to spend a great Saturday helping out with the Fall Bird Count at Barr Lake State Park. The weather wasn't spectacular, overcast and damp, but birding with others is always educational. Saturday was no exception.


One of the early highlights of the day was the Osprey in the previous post. In addition to that I had the chance to observe four new species, three of which I got passable photos of, including the Swainson's Thrush above.

Not all birds were new, however, some just gave me better photo opportunities than I have had in the past. The Rock Wren above and Great Egret below were two such species. The Great Egret was a species that I observed for the first time in Colorado.

It was really a day of Egrets when looking out over the vegetation surrounding the lake. We kept passing groups of Snowy Egrets in numbers from four to six, and then near the end of the day saw a group of 20 all working through the weeds together. They made a good comparison with the Great Egrets who were far fewer in number.

I was glad for the accompaniment of a much more experienced birder, who was able to help me identify this Cassin's Vireo. The overall olive tinge is a strong field mark distinguishing it from the Plumbeous Vireo which is more gray.

The Vireo wasn't the only Cassin's species I observed however. The two Kingbirds below are of the Cassin's species. We saw these mixed in with several Westerns in a group of passed sunflowers. In the field it was tough to be certain of the id, but after zooming in on the stills the overall gray head and upper breast were clear. That differs from the Western variety which has a lighter head and white on the breast. Because of the lighter head on the Western Kingbird, it has a more distinct eyeline. In contrast the Cassin's has a less distinct eyeline, but a distinctive white malar streak. It was a good lesson to learn. Later as we visited with some banders working further along I learned that in mid September most of the Westerns will depart and Cassin's Kingbirds will become the more common of the two until they complete their migration as well.

Along with the Cassin's Vireo, Kingbird, and Swainson's Thrush I added a group of Franklin's Gulls to my list, but while distinct through a scope they were just blurry specs on a fully zoomed photograph.

Counts are great fun, and as always birding with others is a good educational experience. If you don't get the chance to join one this fall think about clearing some time for a Christmas Bird Count in a few months. I am really looking forward to repeating those counts and being more of a contributor this time around.

2009 Count: 185

Lifetime: 193

A Walk Around the Lake

Gray Catbird

In Minnesota, for my family like many others, there is nothing like "going for a walk around 'the' lake" in nice weather. The concept of "the" lake is clear when you live in a land of 10,000 of them. There is generally a lake in the neighborhood, and it is usually ringed by a trail or two. Instead of a walk around the block, you walk around the lake. My maternal Grandparents lived a few blocks from Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, and walking around the lake, or in their case lakes meant one or a combination of Calhoun, Harriet, and Isles.

Northern Cardinal

When I was very young the city of Bloomington drained a large marshy area just across the street from my home, and created Mt. Normandale Lake. Myself and a few other neighborhood kids felt like lords in the manor in that large park. We built forts in the trees, played hockey on its frozen ice, fished from its banks and biked, ran, and Rollerbladed its trails. Needless to say a summertime return to Minnesota is always highlighted by a return to the "lake".

Great Egret

Sharing time outdoors with family just adds to the fun, and for my Saturday visit I was joined by my Brother-in-law, Nephew, and Niece. We started out in sprinkles, but by the time we made the 2 mile loop the sun was out and humidity was rising.

Great Blue Heron

I had a great time, and in addition to the species photographed I enjoyed two Osprey circling overhead, many young Wood Ducks and Blue-winged Teal, and a lifer Eastern Wood Pewee. Unfortunately the mid-day sun and our relation two it kept any of those photos from being blog worthy. The only other miss was a Green Heron that my Sister and Brother-in-law had seen on a run the day before. Getting to wade across a flooded section of trail where the rain swollen lake had joined a nearby pond made it a memorable adventure for all of us. I can't wait until my next visit, whenever it may be.

2009 Count: 172

Lifetime: 182