Mountains Mania Part III or is it IV? (16-18Jul2014)

Greg and Harry were planning a trip up to the mountains to try for the Saw Whets I got a couple weeks ago and I just couldn't let them go without me despite having a fairly packed work week.  Luckily Harry volunteered to drive so I could keep working while we drove.  Have to love a job you can do from pretty much anywhere as long as you have 4G and a phone line.

We got to Hooper Lane in the afternoon but the reported swallows were not present in numbers.  A call to Wayne Forsythe revealed that mornings were crucial for getting the numbers we needed to get me a Bank Swallow.

So up we went to Devil's Courthouse on the Blue Ridge.  Harry has the NC record for pictures of the most species for his life list but he still needs a Saw Whet. He has seen Saw Whets flying over his head in the dark in the Outer Banks but has not gotten a real good look and certainly not a picture.

Greg also has heard and seen Saw Whets but he was looking to get a picture.

We got to the top of the Courthouse well before sunset and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  One of the best views on the Parkway.

Then just around 9pm Greg heard some fluttering of wings and found a nice juvenile Saw Whet checking us out.  We all shone our flashlights and tried to snap a few shots but unfortunately Harry's camera was not cooperating and would not focus on the bird.  I was the only one that managed a shot where you can see clearly its a Saw Whet.  Greg got a sasquatch style photo that he is going to try and work with but I thought it was a lost cause.  Greg heard juveniles begging but despite staying well past 10pm we were not able to get another look.

Next dawned as a beautiful cool day and we headed to Hooper to try for Bank Swallows again.  The swallows were out in full force this time with the majority of them perching on the tomato stakes offering good looks.

Barn Swallows were the most numerous with hundreds if not thousands.

Tree Swallows were a close second with loads of Juveniles causing diagnostic troubles for me.  Juvenile Tree Swallows can have a breast band that will trick you into thinking of Bank.  But the breast band is usually not complete and certainly not as well defined.  There are some other field marks like the framing of the auriculars and Tree Swallows have a nice crescent behind the wing.

Tree Swallows - Male on right and Female on left.

Bank Swallow or Tree Swallow?  Would appreciate my readers weighing in on this one.  The breast band was fairly well defined but it was still borderline.

In this shot the breast band is still visible, but the wing is maybe too broad to be a Bank?

This one is clearly a Tree.

The swallows were sharing the Tomato Stakes with Goldfinches, Song Sparrows and Mourning Doves.

Barn Swallow.

It was great meeting some good local birders in Wayne Forsythe and Steve Ritt.  The birding community in NC is strong with real good birders in which I am trying to learn from.

After a Teleconference for work, we hopped into the truck and headed up to Mount Mitchell via the Curtis Creek back road.  We were hoping for Ruffed Grouse but they did not show up.  First stop at the top was the Bald Knob Ridge Trail to look for Crossbills.  Marilyn Westphall and Marcus Simpson have been seeing Crossbills from this trail on a fairly regular basis.  I have tried and failed to find them on this trail 4-5 times now this year but this time I was confident that armed with Greg's ears we would get them.

We made it to the grove of Red Spruce where we thought our odds would be the best.  Then out of the woods materialized Marilyn and Marcus.  We were chatting away when I noticed a bird fly into a spruce.  Once on the bird I immediately knew and told the others "Crossbill!!!".  I guess if you really want to see Crossbills you just have to hang around Marilyn and Marcus and eventually you will see one.  We were treated to some excellent looks although my pictures are not so great.  A male and female provided good comparisons between gender.  The male is Red and Female is a yellow/green color.

Red Crossbill - male.

Red Crossbill - female.

This was the only shot I had where you could actually see the crossed bill.

Next up was the restaurant at Mt Mitchell for some eats.  Unfortunately the restaurant was packed and after a 15 minute wait on the back porch which is gorgeous, we decided we would call it quits and eat in town.  However, the birding gods were with us and not 50 yards down the road from the restaurant, I saw a dark shape in a field and shouted "woodchuck"!  Greg loves woodchucks so Harry slowed down.  Then we got a better look and both Greg and I shouted "Ruffed Grouse"!!!  I literally jumped out while the truck was still moving and was able to see a beautiful Ruffed Grouse with two or three chicks.  Harry was a trooper and directed traffic while Greg and I snapped away.  Harry already had grouse pictures in his bank.

Ruffed Grouse with two chicks which are getting big.

Seeing a Ruffed Grouse is like winning a mini lottery.  There is no sure fire way of finding one of these short of going to the zoo.  Its all about just putting in the time in suitable habitat.  I have put in days worth of time this year so it was just a matter of time.

Random photo of an upside-down Lily.

Here Harry is saying "I got you a Crossbill and Ruffed Grouse in the span of one hour, you better get me a Saw Whet picture or you are walking home".

We had some time to kill before a second shot at Saw Whets so Greg and Harry dropped me off at one of my favorite Parkway spots, Black Balsam Knob.  They took a nap while I took a short hike down a spur trail.

Golden-crowned Kinglet - this guy had 2-3 inch worms he was probably gathering for his growing brood.

Blue-headed Vireo

That night we met up again with Marylin and Marcus coincidentally and were able to get a tooting Saw Whet that was tooting pretty much the whole time we were there.  At one point it flew one foot above Marilyn's and my head and perched for a short second above us but alas Harry couldn't get his camera to pivot to the angle needed to get a photo.

Oh well, Harry still has something to live for.  He is already talking about next year.

We stayed one more night in Hendersonville and tried for a definitive Bank Swallow the next morning. Although we had seen a couple the previous day I still did not have a definitive picture. Greg had one that looks pretty good for a Bank but mine was still not convincing.

I did get this Cliff Swallow picture though as a consolation.  Too bad I have that bird already.

Great times.  I really enjoy birding with Greg and Harry. Greg's background as a Forensic Scientist (inside joke) and Harry's as a Ferry Captain provides for lots of good storied in between the birds.

Redheads have all the fun (07Jul2014)

After work today I joined Harry for a trip on the spit.  There were surprisingly a ton of birds including what must be early migrants.  We had Western Sandpipers, Black-bellied Plovers and tons of Semi-palmated Plovers.  There were lots of breeding birds with fledged chicks too.  It seems all the Least Terns, Black Skimmers and Wilson's Plovers have moved from the South end of Wrightsville and have taken up residence at the spit.

However, the best find was a dancing Reddish Egret.

Reddish Egret - no white underneath, chalky blue color with purple tones, larger than a Little Blue and dancing like a drunken sailor.

I didn't get any really good photos, we were trying not to scare it away as Greg was coming down to get a look.   Here you can see it dancing and hunting.

He seemed to look different in every frame.  Here he was puffing himself up.

Not a bad find for a work day. Unfortunately he disappeared before Greg made it down.

Great times.

Mountain Birding (30Jun2014 - 05Jul2014)

My wife had a class in Greenville, SC that she signed up for so I used it as an excuse to make another trip up to the mountains and we booked just short of a week at a house in Clyde, NC which is just North of Waynesville, NC.  Most of the week I had to work or watch the kids while she had the class, but as you can guess I made some time for birding.  You would think for a whole week of birding in the mountains I would make a killing for my photographic big year but I ended up with only 3 new species, 4 if you count a common one I had neglected until now.

First stop of course was Black Balsam Knob on the Art Loeb trail to look for the reported Mourning Warbler.

Despite having these two bird finding dynamos with me and some good overcast conditions, the bird never showed.  In fact several other birders confirmed it had not been seen in several days.

The most common birds above 5000 ft were the following.

Cedar Waxwing - these were everywhere and kept throwing me off due to their habit of perching high in the spruce firs.  I was looking hard for Red Crossbills and the slight reddish hue on these birds made me check every one but they were inevitably all waxwings.

Indigo Bunting - these were everywhere and singing like mad.

Dark-eyed Junco - easy to identify with the white outer tail feathers.

I think we explored every inch of the Parkway from Asheville to its terminus in Cherokee and even north as far as Mt Mitchell. The biggest issue was that I was only getting out in the afternoons due to work and I had the family with me.  If you have ever birded with a 8 and 9 year old boy you will know what I mean.  They are absolutely impossible to keep quiet.

My biggest target breeding birds for the week were Northern Saw-whet Owl, Ruffed Grouse, Red Crossbill, Alder Flycatcher, Vesper Sparrow and Black-capped Chickadee.  Any rarities like the Mourning Warbler would be bonus. I ended up with 3 out 6 and no rarities.

One evening we were driving along the Parkway and I slammed on the brakes!  3 Ruffed Grouse on the side of the road!!!!

Wait a minute, those aren't Ruffed Grouse.  They are Turkey chicks.

 And here was Momma.

Later in the week I brought Melissa and the boys back to Black Balsam to hike some more and try one last time for the Mourning Warbler on the Art Loeb Trail.  No luck but what a beautiful spot. It was my wife's favorite hike of the week.

Before leaving, we checked out the parking lot at the end and I walked down past the gate and found this Alder Flycatcher.  I saw many empinodax flycatchers on this trip but the looks were brief and I only positively identified 2 of them.

Alder Flycatcher - large empi with wing bars, moderately long bill (longer than Least).  I have trouble hearing Least Flycatchers due to the high frequency unless they are right on top of me.  But I can hear the Alders and Willow pretty well.  Up higher than 5000 ft if you see one that is good for a Willow/Alder, chances are its an Alder.  Least has a shorter bill with a more compact jizz.  This particular bird was not vocalizing due to the insect in his/her mouth. Probably saving it for the little ones back at the nest.

Canada Warbler.

I finally convinced the family one night to stay up on the Parkway late and look for owls. Devil's Courthouse is known as one of the best spots to reliably hear Northern Saw-whet Owls.  Now getting a picture is not normally considered to be easy so I had low expectations.

We hiked up to the top of the Courthouse trail at dusk and just before it got dark my kids and wife headed down to the car while I waited.  They apparently did not fancy walking down the trail in the dark.  I waited until just about 930 pm and started to walk down the trail carefully.  Not far down the trail from the top I started to hear some Toots.  The Saw-whet song is very distinctive so I knew I was in the money.  One bird was tooting while flying as the sound was moving from downslope to upslope. Then it started to get interesting, I had one bird fly just above my head making its rounds of the Courthouse trail which is really a tunnel of vegetation.  They must use the route to hunt mice after all the tourists take off for the day.  I posted up and waited being as quiet as I could.  Soon I had a couple birds perching in close and checking me out.  When I thought I could hear a bird land I would switch on my headlamp and bingo!

Adult Northern Saw-whet - notice streaking on breast.

Then I had a very curious bird perch without a couple feet of me.

Juvenile Northern Saw-whet.  Obviously not the best quality picture as the head lamp was not the best lighting but it was the easiest way to light the bird and take pictures at the same time.

The birds were very curious and playback was not needed at all.  I think the key is knowing when to turn on the head lamp.  For this reason I think its best to look for these guys while there is still a tiny bit of light so you can see movement and know when to shine the light.  There was no need to look for nest boxes and in fact I did not see any.  I thought that maybe I was standing near one hence the juvenile bird sitting so close, but I moved down the trail 50 yards and I had more birds come to investigate me.

Obviously these birds are very sensitive to human activity and it would be a bad thing if tons of people went up there shining lights around.  However, I think everyone should get an opportunity to see one of these beautiful birds at least once in their life and if you be smart about it and use common birding etiquette I think the impact would be minimal.  So try not to use playback, it was not needed on this night, not sure if I was just lucky.  Only shine the light if a bird comes to investigate, no need to shine it aimlessly around the forest looking for the birds.  If they don't want to be found you never will find them.  Don't hike off trail, that rule is important not just for the owls and other critters, but there is tons of sensitive plants in the Courthouse area.  Don't stay too long.  Although I was in awe, I only stayed about ten minutes. Of course it helped move me that my family was waiting at the car.

I know I am preaching to the choir about being a responsible birder, but I just wanted to make sure I was not giving the impression that I was using every method possible to get pictures of the birds I am trying to get for my big year.  I love the birds I am looking for and the last thing I would want to do is disrupt their breeding.

After the Courthouse night, I was feeling great and when I heard a report of a rare bird seen in the middle of downtown Asheville so next day we went into town for lunch.  It didn't take long to find the rarity, what a beautiful bird.

Ok its not a rarity and I didn't go into town just to find this bird, but if you can believe it I still had not taken a picture of a Feral Rock Pigeon until this trip.  So chalk up this common city bird as #3 for my mountain trip.

My favorite of all the trips we took was a trip up to Clingman's Dome in the Smokies.  The actual trail/road to the top from the parking lot was an absolute zoo with all kinds of people including Harley guys with leather chaps, some people that looked like they hadn't been outside in years and even some Goth teenagers.  What a nightmare!  But once we got off the main tourist attraction and headed out on the Appalachian Trail it was absolutely gorgeous and totally quiet with the exception of my kids playing American Ninja on the rock formations.

The target bird was the Black-capped Chickadee and Clingman's Dome is pretty much the most reliable place in NC to find them.  It didn't take long for me to hear the trademark two note mournful song.

This bird was at over 6500 ft which is really mostly Black-capped habitat in NC but the clincher was the song.  I made a recording on my iPhone too.

Here you can see the extensive white edging on the wings.

My bird finding (or scaring) crew.

Later in the week we headed back to Black Balsam for a nice long hike on the Art Loeb and Ivestor trail loop.  5 plus miles with the boys being troopers all the way up to mile 4 when they started to get mad at dad for bringing them so far.  We saw more of the same birds and some Ravens and Broad-wing Hawks.

See the tiny people on top?

They don't call it the Blue Ridge Mountains for nothing.

My American Ninja Warriors in training.

Horrible picture but it was notable to see a Yellow-rump Warbler in NC in the summer.

At Graveyard Fields this juvenile Canada Warbler threw me for a loop.

Drink your teaaaaaaa! The most common sound on the Parkway, at least for my poor ears.

This Empi was giving the pip call note for the Alder.

Alder Flycatcher.

Alder - faint eye-ring, relatively long bill.

This Veery had an interesting tear drop tattoo.

So to recap, four new species for my big year was nice.  However the Crossbills were a big miss.  I spent tons of time in the right places and even went to Mt Mitchell twice.  I hiked the Bald Knob Trail for 3 hours and didn't get anything despite Marilyn Westphall getting 5 Crossbills on the same day I went.  The difference is Marilyn is a pro and can hear them well.  I did finally see a Crossbill fly by from the Mt Mitchell Restaurant but I didn't count it due to the poor looks and no picture.  The bird was the right size and color and had an undulating flight.

Well now I have an excuse to go back some time soon.

Great times!