March Madness

Evidently my March Madness was making plans to travel to the Trans-Pecos region where rain is a rare event.  Well I guess that myth is ended, at least this year, because since I arrived at Seminole Canyon SP on Wednesday it has rained nearly non-stop.  In fact, it began around 10 this morning (Thursday) and it is still raining hard now, 6 PM.  The forecast tomorrow is for more rain.  The saying "The best laid plans of mice and men" is certainly applicable to this trip.  I never expected to have rain from the first day of the trip to the present in an arid area of the western part of our state.  There is a silver lining to this story however.  This is early March and is and was one of my favorite times of the year to live in south and southwest Texas,  blooming black brush (Acacia rigidula).  This yellow flowering shrub permeates the air with a wonderful fragrance that fills your nostrils as you travel the highway.  I have missed this experience these past few years living in central Texas.  

With limited time to do some photography this morning before the relentless rain began, I took a short stroll in the park.  In the distance I could hear the familiar, beautiful song of Cassin's Sparrow and the harsh cackling of Cactus Wrens singing from their perch.  It is evident that Spring Migration for many species is well underway.  I observed large flocks of Lark Bunting (Calamospiza melanocorys) heading for their breeding grounds on the western Great Plains.

In addition, there are other large flocks of White-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) moving northwest as well.  It never ceases to amaze me that these sparrows who wintered on my ranch in deep south Texas breed in the boreal forest and on the tundra of Alaska,  That's quite a move for a small sparrow. This is a first year bird that is not yet molted to breeding plumage.

Finally I was able to get a shot of a Pyrrhuloxia (Cardinalis sinuatus).  This is a cousin of our ever present Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis) in central Texas. This if a female and I was not able to find a male who is especially striking this time of year.  Hopefully when I get to Laredo and the RGV the weather will improve and I will have a better opportunity to do some photography.

Thailand Photography Trip

This article is a second in a series I will be doing on my recent photography trip to Thailand in December.  I want to start with some observations made on something other than birds.  On any trip in the outdoors you are bound to encounter critters other than birds and this trip was no exception.  In the Kaeng Krachan National Park we encounter three types of monkeys besides those traveling with me.  Attached is a photo of a Stub-tailed Macaque which we observed as a part of a large group that were crossing the road.  This macaque is sometimes called bear or red-faced monkey and is endemic to South East Asia. 

It can live as long as 30 years and is found in gregarious groups of 20 to 50.  Within the group there is a strict hierarchy which is inherited from the mother, but males must fight to retain their position.  Their diet is primarily fruits, seeds and young vegetation but they also consume insects, birds and
eggs.
 

A second none avian species that got my attention was the Yellow Leopard Moth pictured here.  I have tried to find more information on this species but all I could come up with was information on the Giant Leopard Moth. 

However, I decided to include it in this article because it is such a pretty moth.

So now let’s move on to some of the birds of Thailand.   I must say we encountered about 360 species and for the most part they were extremely colorful as you will see from the included pictures.  We first consider the Sultan Tit, an extremely beautiful bird and one sought out by birders. 

This species is one of the larger of the tit family and is found primarily in the evergreen forest of central Thailand.  It’s diet includes berries, seed, catepillers and insects.  This was the bird which my friend Kim Risen most wanted to see during our visit.

In this same national park, Kaeng Krachan, we also found two species of hornbills, Great and Oriental Pied.  The picture included with this article is of the Oriental Pied.  Both are very large birds with found in the canopy of tropical forest.   The Oriental Pied is the smallest of the hornbills and can be found on the Indian Subcontinent and throughout Southeast Asia. 

They feed primarily on fruits but will also eat insects, small birds and reptiles.  They are monogamous and cavity nesters, but usually rely on cavities created by other species.  One of the many birds I hoped to see on this trip.

One afternoon we had the opportunity to visit a photo blind where pictures of these last three species were taken.  It was located in a creek bottom surrounded by dense forest and with a small water source provided by the owner of the property.  The water feature was the focus of bird activity and taking a bath was their prime objective.  One of the larger and more exotic species that visited the area was the stunning Siamese Fireback Pheasant pictured here. 

This species is endemic to Indo China, Vietnam, and eastern Thailand.  It is found in very dense forest and is usually very difficult to see.  We were lucky to get a look at what is becoming a threatened species due to hunting pressure.  Note the beautiful red facial skin, bright crimson legs and the long flowing tail.  I was excited to find this bird on the trip.

Another favorite was the Greater Ratchet-tailed Drongo.  This is only one of the seven species of drongos found in Thailand.  Greater Ratchet-tails are the largest of the Asian drongo family. 

They are found in forest settings and feed on insects primarily but will also eat fruit, berries, and seeds.  They are known to mimic calls of other species.

And our final bird is the Black-headed Bulbul.  I must say that bulbuls are the largest single category of birds we encountered on our trip, second only to leaf warblers.

This bright yellow bird can be distinguished from the similar colored species, Black-crested Bulbul, by their blue eye as well as the lack of a crest.  Like most bulbuls they feed on small fruits, berries, and insects.  They usually travel in small flocks and are passerines, meaning they are migrants.

I want to note that we are not far from the passerine migration we experience here in Texas every spring.  Many of our warbler passerines are as brightly colored as those in Thailand, so be on the lookout for them starting at the end of March.  

A Sad Sight

I am currently camping at Bastrop State Park under some of the few remaining pine trees that survived the devastating fires that occurred a few years back. This was not the only disaster to befall this beautiful park.  Over Labor Day Weekend in 2015 the area experienced a major flood washing out roads and sweeping away understory which was holding the soil in place and exposing the root structure of many trees causing them to fall.  I can recall camping in years past under the beautiful canopy of the Lost Pines.  I am surprised today to be able to see and hear the traffic on State Highway 71 from my campsite.  I never realized how close the parks southern boundary was to this busy thoroughfare.  I have made some panoramic views of what the current landscape looks like and one that shows to some degree what it use to look like.

However, there is good news to report as well.  In the devastated areas you can see new pines emerging, either planted by volunteers or provided by nature.  This forest will recover, but it will just take years to do so.  And this is in keeping with the nature of destruction and regeneration that naturally occurred before we, humans, began to interfere with this process. 

Now for the good news!  I had a nice morning of birding here under clear, blue skies with no wind.  I had not even left the parking lot before I was treated to a large group of one of my all time favorites, Cedar Waxwings.  These magnificent birds are winter visitors and are known to eat the cedar, and other, berries that offer themselves at this time of year.  I look forward to seeing their cousins in Duluth, Minnesota next month--an equally beautiful bird you will have to wait to see.

A short time later I found our largest woodpecker--Pileated Woodpecker-- doing his thing in search of insects in hidden in the bark of a dead pine tree. This large black woodpecker is about 18 inches long and features a white line running up each side of its neck to just below the eye and loops around the bill.  The unmistakeable call and drumming are easy to detect even with my hearing loss.  The chin is white and the breast black and in flight the big, white wing patches are clearly apparent.  I for once had the opportunity to get some good shots of this bird, my only regret is that he stayed on the shaded side of the tree and avoided the beautiful early morning sunlight.  In tge second one he is hanging upside down.

The other birds of the day included a smaller, Downy Woodpecker working the trees for insects.

And a beautiful Eastern Bluebird that was very close and washed with the soft light of the early morning.  

The final shot I want to share in this blog is a cooperative Red-tailed Hawk setting on the branches of a large pine tree.  He was very cooperative until I opened my door to get out and take his picture but my movement forced him to launch and me to hurry and snap a shot before he could escape.

So tomorrow is another day and I hope to find some other interesting birds to share with the next blog.

I had the good fortune to travel to Thailand for an 18 day photography outing in December.  I would rate Thailand 5 stars for birding and 1 star for eating.  I admit I am a very picky eater, but the food there was not to my liking. Fortunately, I took my peanut butter and jelly along as I usually do on foreign trips.  Enough of that!  This is a birding column so let’s get started on that subject.

The trip began in Bangkok, a very modern city of 15,000,000 people.  I was amazed at how clean and modern it was. There are many skyscrapers and ornate temples devoted to the worship of Buda, the religion of 99% of the population.  There are ever present pictures of their King, whom they call Dad.  I arrived on Dad’s birthday so it was a national holiday. The area in the south of Thailand surrounding Bangkok is a flat plain with adjacent coastal area. The Chao Pharya River flows through its center and empties into the Gulf of Thailand (Siam).  The first couple of days were devoted to some light outings, allowing time to recover from the 25 hour trip and day change travelers experience.  

 Our guide, Pan, took us to the coast near the city of Bangkok.  There I was able to secure a nice, close up picture of the most common gull in Thailand-- Brown-headed Gull.  This is a very handsome gull even in basic (non-breeding) plumage as you can see from the photograph.  The outstanding feature of this species is the bright yellow eye with black smudges in front and behind and a bright orange bill with a black tip.  In breeding plumage these gulls will have a brown hood.

Most of our day was spent driving around the many fish farms in the area .  There we encountered most of the species included in this article.  Thailand has some very colorful kingfishers as you can see from the photo included in this article.  The White-throated Kingfisher gets its name for the striking white throat that is set off by the brown head, blue wings and tail and its blood red bill.  Just as our American kingfishers they are usually perched above water waiting to plunge in and grab an unsuspecting fish.  They are such good fishermen many of the ponds have netting stretched across them to preclude their hunting over them.

The Asian Brown Weaver pictured here is one of the old world weavers, closely related to finches.  They are seedeaters and are best known for the highly complex nest they weave (see attached picture).  Our House (English) Sparrow is in this group of birds.  This is a female and the male would have a black cheek patch and throat offset by a yellow head.  They are found in the proximity of wetlands.

One of my favorite species, Bee-eaters, are also found in Australia.  These beautifully colored birds are gregarious and form colonies. Bee-eaters build their nest by burrowing into sides of river banks. The feed primarily on bees and wasp, but eat other insects as well.  They sally forth from their perch, grab a bee or wasp, and remove the stinger and venom by repeatedly striking and rubbing them on a hard object.  This Blue-tailed Bee-eater was the most common one we encountered.

This large stork is an Asian Openbill.  They are birds found primarily in Southeast Asia and India.  They get there name from the gap formed in there bill by the recurved lower and arched upper mandible.  They are not born this way but this occurs in their growth to maturity.  The reason for this structure is believed an adaption to eat their principal food, snails.  They are not found along rivers, instead they prefer inland wetlands.  They are often seen circling in large groups much like our American White Pelicans.

The Grey-headed Lapwing is a wintering species in Thailand.  They breed in China and Japan.  This species is found in rice fields and other wetlands.  They feed on worms and mollusk.

  And our final species in the Little Grebe.   This is a pretty grebe with a dark head and reddish neck and bright yellow eye.  They are found in small ponds and lakes and breed on the edges of these areas.  As with other grebes their legs are set far back and they do not ambulate well on land.

A New Lens

On Wednesday of this week I received my new Canon 100 mm, IS, f/2.8 macro lens and this morning I took it to the San Gabriel trail to try it out.  This was an exceptional August morning here in Georgetown, Texas as we have had an unusual cold (?) front and the temperature is a cool 72 degrees as I begin my walk.  They (the weather liars) are promising some rain as well.  It has been 50 days since we had any precipitation.  The lack of moisture is very evident and many of the plants are stressed and shedding their leaves.  However, our very wet spring has recharged the springs that feed the San Gabriel and they continue to flow, albeit at a slower rate.  And Lake Georgetown continues to release water so the river is in good shape. 

I truly love this trail.  I discovered it shortly after moving here in 2008 while leading birding walks for the Recreation Center.  Actually, I choose my current neighborhood because of its proximity to this trail.  It is but a short half mile trek to the low water crossing where I begin and by the time I return home it is a nice 3.5 mile walk.  The river provides some nice scenery, is canopied for the most part by trees and their is abundant understory for birds, insects and animals  to utilize.  I often encounter deer, birds, dragon & damsel flies, bees, reptiles and one time a ring-tailed cat.  Here are a couple of pictures of the more scenic areas.

All three of these were taken with the new lens and photos were bracketed, then processed using the new Lightroom 6 HDR option to complete them.

In addition to the nice scenery there were still a few plants in bloom in spite of the lack of recent rainfall.  I am attaching several here.

The first one has become one of my favorites, Texas Lantana.  This hardy plant I well remember from my childhood.  I particularly enjoy the native, wild variety over the more recent hybrids.  It is a great plant to attract butterflies.  The second one is Low Wild Petunia and adds color along the trial. It is abundant in bloom at this time.  The third is American Beautyberry whose fruit is now ripening just in time for the fall bird migration and the final flower is the Common Sunflower.  As you can see from this picture there is a bee actively working to pollinate this flower.  Shortly the plant will produce seed that are especially appealing to finch of which we have three species.  Our resident species are Lesser Goldfinch and House Finch who will soon be joined by wintering American Goldfinch. 

Our final picture is of a female  Common Whitetail, a rather common dragonfly for this area.

So much for my first experience with the new macro lens.  This type of photography opens up an entirely new field and one I am looking forward to spending more time pursuing.

Jim

San Gabriel Trail

Now that my term as president of the Texas Ornithological Society has ended and I have given up leading trips for that organization, I will have more time to devote to this blog and my photography.  I do plan on doing some travelling with the new travel trailer I purchased this past spring.  So you might want to check back occasionally to see if I have added anything new to the blog.

I am fortunate to live close to Booty's Park here in Georgetown, Texas.  It is a short 15 minute walk from my house to the low water crossing on the east end of the trail that runs along the San Gabriel Trail.  I really enjoy a walk along this beautiful tail and then return to my home in about an hour.  It is a 3 mile round trip and is one I regularly take for exercise in addition to my gym time.  On Tuesday of this week I made the trip. With all the rain we have had here in Williamson County this year the river is in great shape a
and the water is running swiftly.  I love the peaceful sound of water running over the dam. this is where I begin the trail. 

As I strolled along the tail this morning I could hear a Canyon Wren singing across the river.  I was a bit surprised to hear this as it is far down the trail where I usually encounter them.  I even questioned if a Mockingbird had master his song, but it was a complete in length and that is usually not what Mockingbirds do.  The tail is canopied with tall trees for the most part and the spring at the top of the hill (Booty Spring) is rushing now.  This is a rock bottomed, spring fed river that is somewhat rare here in Texas.  The Tonkawa Indians called this are the land of Good Water because of the clean water sources in the area.  As I moved toward the parking lot area I really heard little in the way of birds, but the morning was relatively cool and I enjoyed the quite time. 

After reaching the parking lot area I continued up the trail toward the dam and bird songs became more numerous.  I heard the chortle of a Summer Tanager, the hard clack call of Northern Cardinals, the near constant song of a White-eyed Vireo, and the call of a Bewick's Wren, which responded to my pishing and came close to check it out.  There were also Black-crested Titmouse and Carolina Chickadee singing as I moved along.  This years abundant moisture has really had its impact along the trail as evidenced by the heavy growth of flowers and bushes adjacent to the trail.  I noticed the presence of many dragonflies active this morning.  I was able to get a couple of shots the first one is a Common Whitetail

 And the second one I am told by a reliable source is somewhat rare for this area, a Slaty Skimmer, dragonfly that according to range maps reaches its western extreme in this area.

 

As a bonus we often encounter other wildlife here, especially white-tail deer such as this one.



 

 

On my way back to my house, once I reached the area where neighborhoods exist I began to here the call of Blue Jays and House Sparrows.  These birds seem to enjoy neighborhoods more than the wilds along the water.  So I finally arrive home and ended another hike along the San Gabriel.

 

 

 

 

 



 

Barrow, Alaska--From Nome we traveled back to Anchorage before heading to the most northern part of North America, Barrow.  Barrow is an isolated Inupiat village that can only be reached by plane,over an ice highway in winter.  Many there live on subsistence hunting.  They pride themselves in their ability to hunt bow head whales, which they do every year.  I must say I admire them because they truly risk their lives the this pursuit.  Their whaling boats are made of skins and they are manned by a five man crew.

To be selected to serve as a crew member is a high honor within the community.  When they are successful in their hunt, most of the villagers turn out to help with the large task of cutting up and transporting the catch across the massive ice pack to the shore.  Later the village will be invited to a pot latch celebration and dinner.  

The village is a very poor one as can be evidenced by the poor housing in which they live. Only in recent times have they had the luxury of natural gas to heat their homes.  There are several wells in the area which provide this much need resource.  Since there are no trees of any kind, the highest living plant is grass that may reach to be a foot tall, you can understand their need for a source of heat. While we were there on June 10 it was in the mid thirties and it snowed as we were leaving.  I take no photos of the homes or living conditions as they do not was that done by outsiders.  But as you drive through the neighborhood's you are struck by the abandoned vehicles, trash and other items laying about.  

For birders this far north community offers the opportunity to enjoy some very colorful species, specifically king, spectacle and Steller's eiders.  Fortunately on this trip we got them all.  Here are some pictures.

Top: King Eider, Middle, Spectacle Eider, Bottom. Steller's Eider

In addition to these beauties, we are also able to get very close views of red phalarope, enjoy the display of both pectoral sandpiper and dunlin which are very interesting to watch.  The sandpiper puffs out his chest feathers and using a rapid flutter of his wing as he sails just above the ground to attract his mate.  Not to be out done, the dunlin flies high up in the air and then begins a rapid fluttering decent.  I always enjoy these displays.  In this community there are only twelve miles of road which be driven by traditional vehicles.  To go off into the tundra you will need a special permit and a four wheeler, something I have yet to experience.  

There is also a possibility of a polar bear which in winter are known to wander into town.  In hopes of keeping them out of their community the locals place the whale and other hunting remains out side of town on the ice pack, thus encouraging them not to invade their space.

Let me conclude this with three other favorites the red-necked phalarope, long-tailed duck (which used to be called Oldsquaw before political correctness) and snowy owl which are specialties of the area.