Neighborhood Birds #1

After getting a much needed 0.77 inches of rain last night, I decided to see what was around the neighborhood this morning.  It was a beautiful 70 degrees at 8 a.m.  Yesterday evening three unidentified, fluffy young birds made an appearance in my backyard.  I was hoping to find them and get some photos.  As I entered the desert area, about twenty Lark Sparrows flushed.

Lark Sparrow

Then I heard a few Rufous-winged Sparrows singing and spotted one low on a branch.

Rufous-winged Sparrow

 I later spotted one at the nest.

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Then I spotted what I was looking for, a fledgling!

Rufous-winged Sparrow fledgling

A distant buff-tinged bird caught my eye as it flew up from the grass.  As I approached I noticed it was a Lazuli Bunting and managed this photo.

Lazuli Bunting

The squeak of a Ladder-backed Woodpecker got my attention.  I followed it for a while.  It obviously did not want a photograph.  While chasing it, I was excited to get this photo of a Curve-billed Thrasher.  The brown block wall made a good background.

Curve-billed Thrasher

I finally caught up with the woodpecker and got this shot.

Ladder-backed Woodpecker

Although I would have liked to have gone searching for migrating shorebirds and warblers this morning, it was nice to enjoy the desert birds in the neighborhood.

Puerto Peñasco, Sonora, Mexico

At the end of this past July, my fiance and I gave ourselves a relaxing weekend in Puerto Peñasco before starting another school year of teaching.  It was my first time there and the birding did not disappoint.  We arrived at the malecon (jetty) in the afternoon and had lunch at Señor Amigo.  It's an open air restaurant with a great view of the water.  The first course included Yellow-footed Gulls sitting on the rocks with Heerman's Gulls and Brown Pelicans.  For the second course, a distant fishing boat came in that was dripping with Blue-Footed and Brown Boobies.  I was sorry I had left my camera in the car!  The main course was a very small, dark bird flitting just above the water.  A Least Storm-Petrel!  It stayed in the area for ten minutes giving me good binocular looks at its short, wedge-shaped tail.  For dessert, two Magnificent Frigatebirds showed up high above the water.  Now I know why they're called magnificent.  Wow, what an intimidating-looking bird!  This frigatebird I saw later cruising around the resort more than made up for leaving the camera in the car.

Magnificent Frigatebird 7/23/11

I couldn't believe I had seen four lifers in the first hour!  Also at the malecon were Brandt's and Double-crested Cormorants, Eared Grebe, and Royal Tern.

For most of the weekend we relaxed at the beach or the balcony of the Sonoran Spa Resort where we stayed.  It was very humid!  I had to let my camera acclimate outside with the lens cap on for a few minutes each time I wanted to use it.  Otherwise, the lens would fog up immediately upon going from A/C to the heat and humidity.  I wasn't used to that!  Here in the desert, we only get humidity during the monsoon season.

view from our balcony 7/24/11

view from our balcony 7/24/11

While photographing Elegant Terns on the beach, I was lucky to catch a Black-vented Shearwater cruising over the water.  Ditto for a pelican.

Elegant Tern 7/24/11

Elegant Tern 7/24/11

Black-vented Shearwater 7/24/11

Brown Pelican 7/24/11

Two Osprey gave me a great photo op as they took advantage of the stiff ocean breeze above the resort.

Osprey 7/23/11

I only saw one Yellow-footed Gull land on the beach, but I took advantage of it.

Yellow-footed Gull 7/24/11

Yellow-footed Gull 7/24/11

From our balcony I could see Brown Boobies off in the distance, and wished I had had a scope.  I picked up another lifer when two Common Terns flew along the beach.

Saturday evening, we spent the last hour of light at Cholla Bay at high tide.  Eight Common Loons were on the water.  While looking at a Willet, I managed to find three Wilson's Plover camouflaged against the rocks.  Another lifer!  A couple Elegant Terns were the only terns that came close enough to ID with my 8 x 42's.  Dozens were out above the water.  I saw more shorebirds far ahead in fading light, but had to hike back to the car before it got dark.

Willet 7/23/11

Wilson's Plover 7/23/11

Puerto Peñasco treated me well and I can't wait for another trip there.  But next time I want to check out the great winter birding I've heard about.

Rufous-winged Sparrows in the 'hood!

This morning I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood to see what birds were around.  A few birds caught my attention and led me to a wide section of desert between the houses.  Rufous-winged Sparrows!  In a little over a year in this neighborhood, this is the first time I've seen them here.  I've learned in the past to always take my camera, even if I'm just going for a little stroll.  It paid off this morning, as a couple birds posed nicely for me.

Rufous-winged Sparrow

Rufous-winged Sparrow

 

A great neighborhood bird considering it's a southern AZ specialty.  I also saw some Lark Buntings, another first for me here.  But I failed to get between them and the morning sun to get a decent photo.  It had already hit 90 degrees and the sun was beating down on me.  Maybe I'll try again later.

  

A Teachable Moment

 male Vermilion Flycatcher (my file photo 11/26/09)

     

Yesterday when I picked up my first graders from music class, I noticed the resident pair of Vermilion Flycatchers in the courtyard.  As my students filed past me in line, I told them to be very quiet so they wouldn't scare the birds away.  Not many were listening though.  Apparently they had been learning about marching songs because they were all marching and humming away like some kind of goofy scene from Stripes.  One boy was so into it, he continued past me and shot me a look like, “Don’t bother me, I’m marching!”  I managed to hustle back to the marching leader and stop them near where the birds were perched.  I pointed and said, “Look, right there in the tree.”  A girl said, “A bird!”  A few others saw them too, perched on a low branch twenty feet in front of them.  All the commotion caused the pair to fly up to a higher perch.  This allowed other students who were looking in the right direction to catch a glimpse of the beautifully colored male.  More commotion ensued and the pair flew higher out of sight.  I knew the kids in the back of line didn’t get a chance to see them.  

Back in the classroom I fired up the projector and called up the page on the Vermilion Flycatcher from whatbird.com.  The class was impressed with the stunningly good looks of the male.  I also showed them the photos of the female.  With a tone of machismo I said, “In almost all birds, the boy is prettier and more colorful than the girl.  Sorry girls!”  One boy pumped his fist with an emphatic, “Yeah!”  Then came my question, “Okay, so why do you think the boys are prettier than the girls?”  One boy, “Because they’re prettier.”  Me- “Yes, true.  But why do they have brighter colors? ... Marilyn, what do you think?”  “I think the boys are brighter so the wild animals will go after them and not the mom and babies on the nest.”  I wish I could have seen the dumbfounded look on my face at that moment.  My eleven years of teaching flashed before my eyes.  Was I in teacher heaven?  Was this inception?  I snapped out of what felt like ten seconds but was in reality only an instant.  The nine negative phone calls I had made during music time melted away from my memory.  WOW!  “That is a fantastic answer!  Yes, you’re right!”  I gathered my composure and told them, “It’s also the boy’s way of saying, hey look at me, I’m hot!”  Then in a loud whisper, “So he could get a girlfriend…”  Some laughed and boys stuck out their tongues, “Ewwwww, gross!”  I switched off the projector and told Marilyn she could go to treasure chest.  She had made my day.

After school, I ran into a colleague outside her old classroom.  She is suffering from a terrible cancer, and has not returned for this school year.  She asked me about my birding and told me to keep posting photos to my flickr site.  I hugged her goodbye.  As I walked away, I thought to myself, “I can do one better than that.”  Thank you Marilyn and Maria for lighting a fire under my butt and inspiring me to create this blog.  I dedicate it to both of you.

female Vermilion Flycatcher (my file photo 02/20/11)