We recently spent a few days on the beach at Waldport, OR.
It is located in Oregon Dunes area of the coast. Just outside of town sets a
beach amongst a craggy, old volcanic lava flow. It is a beautiful beach with
many tidal pools left teeming with wildlife as the tide recedes.
On this visit, the birds really took center stage. We saw
some seals, but they were offshore and all I could see were heads bobbing. So,
they weren’t photo worthy. But we found some Pelagic Cormorants (Phalacrocorax
pelagicus); one with a chick on the nest. We found Western Gulls (Larus
occidentalis), many of which were recently fledged juveniles.
The Pelagic Cormorant is found along coastal waters and eats
fish and marine invertebrates. It roosts and nests on steep, inaccessible rocky
cliffs. It swims and dives for food.
The Western Gull is the common gull that you find on US West
Coast beaches. They like fish, marine invertebrates, bird eggs and jelly fish. They
will also scavenge on carrion and human refuse.
Our experience with the Western Gull brought some amusement. The juveniles were in the water and along the shore. When they wandered too far inland, an adult would chase after and send it back to the shoreline with the others. In the early morning, we even saw adults force the young into the tidal pools to splash and bathe. It was great fun.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution
Last May, we visited some family in the San Diego area. On
one of those days, we visited some spots along the shore that teemed with
wildlife. It was a great time.
Please note that the wild Red-crowned Parrot is a wild bird. Pet releases and other incidents have allowed a colony of these birds to establish themselves in the San Diego area.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
I’ve been traveling a lot this year. In my travels, I have seen and photographed many interesting birds. I just haven’t made the time to share them. Here are a few of them. Others will follow.
First up is the Gray Jay. It is a corvid like other jays but
is smaller and has a much less raucous voice. In November 2016 the BBC reported
that Canada adopted this bird, also known as the Whiskey Jack, as its national
bird.
The other Jay in this collection is Woodhouse’s Jay. Those of us in the west don’t see Blue Jays; they are eastern birds. Mostly, we see the scrub jay. At one time, the Scrub Jay was just called the Western Scrub Jay. But recently, it was split into 3 separate species: the California Scrub Jay which we see here west of the Sierra Nevada mountains; the Island Scrub Jay which is only found in the Santa Cruz Islands, and Woodhouse’s Jay which is seen between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Rocky mountains and from Southeastern Oregon into Mexico.
I found the Horned Lark and the Black-throated Sparrow at
Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge. Ash Meadows is an oasis, a marshland in
the Mojave Desert that is fed from springs that draw from an ancient aquifer.
You’ll find it in Amargosa Valley, NV . It is a great place to visit, in the
early morning.
The Yellow-headed Blackbird is a common bird in much of the western US. It thrives in marshes among the reeds and cattails.
Note: Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
This past week, I had the opportunity to visit the Grand
Canyon National Park. While there, I saw a rare site: a juvenile and adult
California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus). This vulture can reach 4 ½ feet
long with a wingspan of nearly 10 feet; 25% larger than the more commonly seen Turkey
Vulture.
What makes this bird remarkable, beside its size, is that it was nearly driven to extinction. Many millennia ago, it ranged across the entire North American continent. By the time European settlers arrived, it was found mostly in the western part of North America.
During the 20thcentury, California Condor populations declined until extinction became extremely likely. In 1987 all remaining 22 wild birds were captured. These birds formed the breeding stock for a federally sponsored program aimed at reestablishing them in the wild. These condors were bred and their offspring released into the wild. The birds have begun breeding in the wild. Captive birds continue to be released. The population is now expanding.
The birds can sometimes be seen in places like the Grand Canyon but seeing them is still the exception rather than the rule. So, I feel blessed to have been able to see and photograph these magnificent birds.
Note: Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
We had the opportunity to visit the Phinizy Swamp Nature
Park near Augusta, GA a few weeks ago. While there, we were treated to some
bird and alligator sightings including some interesting egret – Alligator
interactions.
The Phinizy Swamp Nature Park is part of a complex shared with the
Phinizy Center for Water Sciences. According to their website, the Phinizy
Center for Water Sciences studies rivers and watersheds to understand impacts
on water quality and quantity. The history of the park is fascinating. It tells
the story of a stream that was once the recipient of waste from sanitary and
storm sewers of Augusta and how it was cleaned up. Today, it serves as the
third stage of water treatment – further filtering water cleaned by the water
treatment plant.
On our visit, we were treated to adult and juvenile Little Blue
Herons, Snowy Egrets and Alligators. At one point we watched a Snowy Egret
having a stare down with an alligator. After about 5 minutes, the alligator
turned and left. In another incident we saw an alligator with sticks and green
vegetation covering its head and snout. I was curious if alligators used
camouflage when hunting. There was little information. But one article
referenced an article published in the journal Ethology Ecology & Evolution
by Vladimir Dinets, a behavioral ecologist at the University of Tennessee
Knoxville. He stated that, during the nesting season for birds like egrets,
alligators will cover themselves with nesting material to attract prey.
Another interesting discovery was the juvenile Little Blue Heron. Mate
Rouse, a guide at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge mentioned to us that
the juveniles were all white. I had buried that fact somewhere in my brain. So,
on this trip, I saw some white birds that looked like egrets but didn’t look
quite right. The legs were a gray-green color and the beak was more gray. So, I
took photos and did some research only to discover that I wasn’t looking at
egrets, I was looking at a juvenile Little Blue Heron. That moment connected
the dot back to what I had been told.
I hope you enjoy the images. I hope someday you can stop at Phinizy Swamp Nature Center. There are lots of other birds there to see also.
Note: Please click on caption to see images at higher resolution.
Eaglet at Week 8; Rollingwood Bluffs Park, Folsom – Orangvale, CA; May 17. 2019
Twenty Nineteen is the third season a pair of Bald Eagles
has nested on a bluff above Lake Natomas near Orangevale, CA. This year, as
well as the last 2 years, this pair of eagles has produced 2 offspring.
According to the volunteers that monitor the nest, the eggs were laid in late
February and they hatched approximately March 26. One baby hatched 3 days
before the other. This year, I decided to visit the nest weekly and post a set
of images showing them as they grow. It’s
been a great experience because I got to know some people who have been
observing eagles for a long time. They were very happy to share their knowledge
with me.
My first visit was MAR 31. On that visit, all I was able to
see was a tiny patch of down just above the nest edge. At week 2, I could see a
head. Although, it looked more like the stereotypical gray space alien with its
long head and neck. By week 3, the yellow down had been replaced by a gray down
that will remain as an underlayment for feathers throughout life. From week 3 to
week 4, the eaglets had grown substantially. One image shows some sibling
rivalry. At week 5, feathers are emerging. On the image, you can see the pin
feathers on the wing. By week 7, the feathers had filled in substantially, but
the flight feathers aren’t developed enough to support flight.
Mother and father eagle feed the oldest eaglet first and do
so until it is full because if it is not satiated, it will kill the younger
one. But, when they feed the younger one, they make sure it gets food by
preventing the older one from stealing it.
The babies will fledge by mid-June. By the end of June, the babies will reach adult size. They will not fully mature for 2 – 5 years. It takes about 3 years to get their distinctive adult plumage. Mom and dad will leave the nest about July and leave the babies to fend for themselves. They will return about November to prepare the nest for next year. When they do, the babies will be invited to leave and told never to come back.
I will try to follow-up with some more images as the summer progresses.
Two Eaglets born approximately MAR 26, 2019 are in the nest; A small patch of yellowish down can be seen below the adult to the right of a longer diagonal stick. That is one of the eaglets. March 31, 2019.Mother Eagle with one of the eaglets at Week 2. April 7, 2019.Mother Eagle with eaglet at Week 3; April 14, 2019.Eaglets at Week 4; APRIL 21, 2019 Some Sibling Rivalry. Eaglets at Week 4; APRIL 21, 2019 Mother Eagle with Eaglets at Week 5. April 28, 2019Mother Eagle and Eaglet at Week 5. Eaglet has Pin Feathers on Wings; April 28, 2019Mother Eagle with Eaglets at Week 5; May 3 2019Eaglets at Week 6; May 12, 2019Eaglet at Week 8; May 17, 2019Father Bald Eagle, April 7, 2019Mother Bald Eagle; April 7, 2019
On a recent road trip, we spent a day at Joshua Tree National Park near
Twentynine Palms, CA. The trip was, in part, motivated by a chance to
photograph the Milky Way over the park. It was our first trip to Joshua Tree NP
and we really did not know what to expect other than it was a desert landscape
with Joshua Trees. It was indeed a desert landscape typical of the American
Southwest. It has beautiful eroding, rolling hills covered by talus – piles of
rocks eroded from the hillside. There were large, weathered boulders throughout
the park that people used for climbing. We learned that it is a very popular rock-climbing
location.
The desert was in bloom with ocotillo, cholla, desert senna,
Mojave mound cactus and many other plants. But, the signature plant of the park
is the Joshua Tree. The Joshua tree is a large tree like plant with hard spiky
leaves. Despite looking like both a tree and a cactus, it is neither. It is a
plant in the Yucca family (Yucca brevifolia). The oldest one in the park is
about 350 years old. Because it is not a tree, it doesn’t have the woody structure
to bear all of its weight, so, when branches get to big, they bend and fall to
the ground. We missed seeing them in bloom on this trip, but they were
developing their seed pods. I like them so much; I’d like to have one in my
backyard but they only grow in the Mojave Desert between 4,000 and 5,000 feet
in altitude.
Our night sky photo shoot was spectacular. The Milky Way
didn’t rise until after midnight. It was a pleasantly warm evening and we had
to scramble over some boulders, in the dark, to get to a ledge on another large
boulder. That location was picked because The Arch was directly in front of us
and our goal was to shoot the Milky Way over The Arch. I hadn’t done a night
sky shoot in a very long time, so it was great to knock the rust off my skills.
The only disappointment in the shoot was light pollution. When you look at the
Milky Way image, you’ll see the sky has a greenish cast along the horizon. That
cast is the light rom the Palm Springs and Indio areas of Southern California.
Indio is 25 miles from the park.
I want to give a shout out to Casey Kiernan of Joshua Tree Workshops for guiding us in a great night sky workshop and fun time.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
Burrowing Owls are interesting little creatures. Unlike most owls, these 8”-10” owls forage during the day and they live in burrows in the ground that were abandoned by ground squirrels, prairie dogs and the like. They spend most of their time on the ground or on low perches. They eat insects and small animals. I’ve even red that they will carry dung near the burrows to attract insects.
Please click on caption to see image at higher resolution.
Earthwatcher 