Feeder Flight Shots

One of the things I enjoy most about the Wingscapes Birdcam is flipping through a series of shots for the first time and seeing what it has captured. The flight shots that it captures are surprisingly good. I love the shot, (above) of the American Goldfinch slowing down to land. The speed setting captured just the pauses of the wing and tail at the top and bottom of the beat. A shot like that makes me think of a backstroke of a canoe paddle. That first back force in the water which creates eddies and whirlpools which dissipate the forward momentum. Air doesn't let us see that effect from wing-beats, but the cup shape created by the tail and wings would seem to create the same patterns.
The House Finches can hardly avoid getting flight shots with all their activity in the area.

Even the intrusive House Sparrow female, bland as she is, can look graceful when fully extended.

This shot may require a click on the photograph to see, but it captures a House Finch looking on with interest as an American Goldfinch makes a banked approach from below.

I just love that this little camera is hard at work while I am doing other things!

Feeder Variety Improving

A beautiful weekend, overshadowed by a forecast of FEET of snow for my upcoming four day trip to Estes Park and RMNP with my family. Looks like I will be packing some spare winter gear for the family! Despite that news this morning I had a great time Sunday driving my folks around some of the areas near my home that I have *discovered* since their last visit. Doing so, I left the camera at home, and will use the automated efforts of my Wingscapes Birdcam to show some of the more recent arrivals at my feeder.

I saw my first American Goldfinch in the yard late last week, and accordingly this couple had their photo taken to mark the event, (top). House Sparrows (above) aren't new arrivals, or uncommon, but they have taken to the Nyjer Feeder and were regular visitors in my latest batch of pics.
Of course the House Finches are always around as well.

At times the species seem to share the feeder without much visible friction, here a female American Goldfinch and House Finch seem to be tolerant of one another.

A later shot, however, shows that their tempers can flare. This view seems to show a bit of 'communication' between the two.

I am really enjoying the fact that even when I have other activities going on the Birdcam is happy to keep tabs on things for me. My hope is that I will be able to use it on my upcoming trips and take it along camping as well this summer. Any goodies will be shared here, so check back for updates.

Saturday's Sunny Snow

Saturday was a bird activity day I had really been looking forward to. It was the day that I was set to attend a volunteer training for the Hawkwatch at Dinosaur Ridge. When I replied to the invitation email I indicated that I was really looking forward to the opportunity, but that the date of the training fell on my oncall weekend, and that I may have unforeseen conflicts come up.

Of course, any time that I have something I hope to sneak in while oncall it is inevitable that I will get a page at the same time. So it was on Saturday. Instead of starting my morning at the top of Dinosaur Ridge I started it on the phone and working from my laptop.

While I worked I had time between updates to pull out my camera and get some pics of the birds around my feeder. The snow was really highlighting their colors.

Even the iridescence of the Common Grackles was impressive as they dumped the feeder contents on the snow.

Rather than getting to see majestic raptors, I had a chance to watch House Sparrows between keystrokes.

Finally, an hour after the training was to have started I got in my car and headed out, on a drive that was much slower in mid-morning traffic than it would have been 2 hours earlier. Eventually I made it, and strapped on my new Yaktrax to rush up the hill and see if anyone was still around.

I made it just as the leader was giving the wrap up talk, but at least I had a chance to introduce myself and see a couple of familiar faces including a couple of people from my Big Dry Creek trip a couple of weeks before.

First off - Dinosaur ridge is phenomenal! I have driven past it hundreds of times on my way to the mountains and watched the sunset reflect from it while at concerts at RedRocks Amphitheatre but had never made the short hike to the ridge line. Boy is it worth it! On a day like Saturday, when the snow is gleaming under a clear blue sky I could almost appreciate the view a soaring raptor gets to enjoy.

After saying "Hi" to the participants I was hearing that there hadn't been much raptor activity. I was asking where the sightings had been, when three Red-tails caught a thermal just above us and to our west, and leisurely road it up the adjacent ridge.

The snow-reflected sunlight gave their undersides brilliant white sharpness, and against the blue sky they seemed like they were just inches away. A Ferruginous Hawk went by followed by another Red-tail. Most of the group headed back down, and I pulled out my camera so that I could get a few shots of what I imagined would be a raptor parade that seemed to just be getting started.

Of course the act of pulling out my camera must have announced my presence to the avian world. Perhaps the Townsend's Solitare and many Robins were spreading the word to migrating hawks that humans were nearby and wanted to take their pictures. Whatever the case, the action dried up. We had at least one more Red-tail and one more Ferruginous, in the distance, and another two that were two distant to id in the next hour.

My one remaining hawkwatching partner, Doug, decided to head out, and I planned to walk the ridge while keeping an eye skyward for additional raptors. The slush kept me from going too far, so I slowly turned to make my way back to the station, and then down the hill. Just as I did I saw the Coopers Hawk that others had reported earlier in the day make a hunting pass over my head. I had two more Red-tails flash along the ridge line as I walked back. They were moving way too fast to think about getting a picture, but they sure were cool.

All in all it was one of the best disappointing photography days I have had birding. Despite being cut short and unprepared for the best photo ops the day was fantastic and the views were spectacular. The good news is that there are still lots of opportunities to get back up there, so I will hope for shots better than the one below soon.

The second training session will hopefully work better for my schedule, and in the meantime I know I will try to get back for some drop in time with the others.

Trading Bins for a Pager

House Sparrows paired up in a tree near my house.

I am in the midst of the exciting time known as pager week amongst myself and my coworkers. While it is not bad in and of itself it does keep everything close to home so the long hikes and trips to regional hotspots are out.

Despite not actually heading out to look for birds I did have a few bird experiences. On Friday morning while driving through the neighborhood I was surprised to see a Great Horned Owl flying low up the street. I slowed as it approached and hoped that he would stop to perch on a lamp post along the side of the road. He did not, but it was a good way to start the day anyway.

On Saturday I was watching a bit of the WBC Match Play Championship coverage on television while I did routine around the house busy work. Since the golfers had been cut down to four semi-finalists at that point there was plenty of fluff time for the announcers to fill. Some law of physics dictates that after four hours you can no longer speak about Tiger Woods, so the announcers turned to fill topic number two - the desert. The matches were being played on a course outside of Tuscon. At one point I looked up when I heard the announcer say with conviction that the Cactus Wren should be careful about where he chose to sit on top of a saguaro cactus. I wasn't familiar with the Cactus Wren and wanted to get a look while they had it on camera. It was a bit perplexing that the back of the bird did not look anything like the wrens I have seen. It seemed large, and did not have the upright tail angle typical of most wrens I have seen. It turned its head and I immediately yelled - "That's no wren, its a Northern Flicker!".

I may be in trouble, I am now calling out TV hosts for misidentifying birds. I did some reading on the Cactus Wren and learned that it is the largest species of wren in North America, so I guess that made it more possible, but still they don't look much alike.

The silver lining to this is that through watching golf I was introduced to a species that is not found in my area, and one that I wouldn't have otherwise been introduced to. Thanks Northern Flicker!