28 February 2014 - Hoodies and Crests

February is going out with a bang.  (Hmm--wonder if that means March will come in like a lion?) Yesterday we had one and a half inches of rain followed by two inches of snow. The snow was gone by ten this morning. We have several more days of rain in the forecast. This is great news! Rain in the valley, snow in the mountains--the more the better.   This morning the weather report said if you want to do anything outside today, do it in the morning before the clouds, wind and rain move in. I am taking a long weekend-- vacation days for today and Monday. Based on that recommendation I got myself out of the house. 

The goal for today was Hooded Mergansers, but it turned into a crested bird day. 

Yes, I did find the Hoodies. But first, amongst the hundreds of Robins eating berries in the Russian Olives, I saw a few Cedar Waxwings. 

 

The next crested bird was a Belted Kingfisher. I spent about 20 minutes watching him. He was sitting on a branch overhanging the water. Woe to any duck or goose that tried to swim under his perch. 

He was pretty ferocious in his efforts to defend his territory. He would dive bomb the intruders while screaming at them. I was surprised that even the Canada geese left in a hurry. The Kingfishers have a pretty stout bill, that may have had something to do with it. 

And finally the Hooded Mergansers showed up. All these crested birds are so appealing. 

 

Along with the hundreds of robins, the red-winged blackbirds were back in loud numbers. Most of them were busy staking out their territory. 

Would it be any kind of marsh or wetlands without a rodent?

I am always surprised by just how fast these guys can swim!

 Leaving the wetlands, I had quite a conversation with Mr. Lincoln. He wanted directions to the White House.

It was a fabulous way to start a long weekend. 

Who knows what other great things are in store? 

Whatever happens, you can bet I'll be spending time in the shop. 











 

21 February 2014 - Stalking the Wood Duck

Knowing my weekend was spoken for, today after work I drove up to Ogden to find a wood duck, as they are one of the most brilliantly feathered in the duck world. 

I had a pretty lucky day. First, it was much warmer than normal, in the low 50s. Second, it was only partly cloudy, so when the sun was out, it felt much warmer. Third, I found the wood ducks. 

The males are exquisite. Depending how the sun reflected on his head, the color would vary from emerald green
(above) to purple (below). 

 
His neck is so skinny it almost looks like someone else's head has been stuck on this body. 

Unfortunately for me, they were pretty shy. I found myself deep in the underbrush around the pond slithering on my belly on an uncertain surface of mud, or ice or icy mud. 

Oh yeah, I got filthy. Practically undressed at the door and dropped my clothes straight into the washer. Did not pass go. But I must say, it was worth it. 

The females were just as pretty in their own way.

Their coloring is very subtle, but still you can see purple, green and blue on their feathers. I really like their wispy droopy crests. 






Since I was up in Ogden anyway, I stopped by the Great Salt Lake Shorelines Preserves. The wetlands were about 50% frozen. I did see a lovely Northern Harrier. 

The Preserve has two wonderful lookouts. In a post-winter setting they look like something out of Burning Man. 

Don't you love it when your assumptions are turned on their head? It can really twist your ears around. I had that happen. 

Next to the preserve is a pasture full of hugely pregnant cows. The surprise was the very new calves. In my mind, lambing and calving season was April into May. Bright green grass little babies bouncing around, you get the picture.  Now I find out cows usually drop their kids in February and March. Always something new to learn. 

As I was leaving, I saw this stunning skyscape. 

17 February 2014 - Long Weekend

What a treat to have a three day weekend. I took Friday off as well, so it was almost a mini vacation. The weather made it even more pleasant. Abnormally high temperatures and warm winds melted all the snow in the yard over the weekend. 

This morning I discovered  snowdrops coming up in the lawn that yesterday was under snow.  In addition, there are snowdrops scattered across the lawn that are all blooming. I have a vague recollection of planting a bag of bulbs in the front yard last fall. 

I also took advantage of the warmer weather to get some early spring clean up done, raking up seed hulls from under the feeders and picking up downed limbs. It felt great to get out if only for a little while.


We are having quite the early spring. In the mornings, the robins have joined the chirping chorus, adding another level to the symphony created by house finches, song sparrows, chickadees and countless other singers. 
I took a drive out to Antelope Island today. I heard Meadowlarks and  Red-winged Blackbirds. Definitely spring. Not many birds to see today. Ran across several Horned Larks. 



I tried to locate a meadow lark that was being heard but not seen. I was skirting the edges of the buffalo corrals and ended up in the hay barn in my efforts to sneak up on him. I was delighted to discover a Great Horned Owl in a nesting box up by the roof, and about ten feet away from her was her guy, sleeping on a tension wire. Never did find the Meadowlark.

                                                                                                         






The landscape was stunning, as usual. 

 Leaving the island, I had pulled over on the causeway to check out a cluster of gulls. Turns out I was not the only one checking them out. 

She looks pretty well fed. 

On the way home I took a quick detour over to Farmington Bay. Both the wetlands and the open water were still frozen over. The road was muddy and rutted making for a miserable drive. The highlight was a ring-necked pheasant.  

I was talking with another birder who was photographing the pheasant. He told me the DNR had released quite a few of these pheasants in the area last November.  Hmm, that explains the leg band.

 

He also told me there was a bald eagle just up the street and over a block.  It is much easier to spot them when the trees are bare. But notice how big the leaf buds are getting. 

Waiting to get back out to the main street I noticed a huge nest with ears sticking up. I whipped over to the side and took a look. 

Wow! Another pair of Great Horned Owls-- female in the nest and the male fifteen feet away and well disguised among the branches. Protective coloring at work.

What a great day! 

Moving from the sublime to the ridiculous. It amazes me on a daily basis to see how many cars have stick families on their back windows. But over the weekend I saw two new ones.  The second one made me roar with laughter. 

2 February 2014 - Spring starts early

The first day of spring is March 20, a month and a half away. I've been thinking about spring lately, as I am sure many of the other winter weary have been as well. Although probably for different reasons.

Last week I saw magpies building a nest. Yesterday, 30 miles away I ran into another pair working on a nest. For the last several weeks, the birds have been busy in the early morning vibrating the air with their songs. 

The cottonwood trees have swollen buds and the leaf sheaths are greening up. Birds are already showing some breeding plumage. All of this got me thinking that spring starts a lot earlier than most people think.  Something worth celebrating. 

But the little changes are worth celebrating, too. Right now it is still light at six p.m. That swells my heart as much as anything. 

February 1st was ushered in with three inches of snow-- not much, just enough to make me shovel out the driveway. February 2nd was bright, sunny and cold. I put on my wind pants and went out to see what was happening in the bird world.

My first stop was Willow Pond. Here I found spring. The ducks on the pond were already in pairs. The male red-winged blackbirds were already flashing their shoulder epaulets at each other and singing loudly in the tops of bare trees or raking through areas of ground where the snow had melted .

I found a mallard with a beautiful white female -- variant plumage. I think he realized how special she was--he was aggressively protective of her, keeping all other males away. She was worth it. 

Here is a normal pair of mallards--the female is brown. Nicely patterned, but nothing special

Now check out my white female. You have to agree she is pretty spectacular. 

I spent some time watching the gulls steal food from the coots. The coots would dive and come up with mouthfuls of greens. The seagulls would dive in and grab the food right out of their beaks. Bullies. This shot was taken right before he lost his lunch. 

Over on an icy patch a gull was following another coot around. Every time she pecked at the ice, the gull would rush over and try to take whatever she had. 




 

I moved on to my next destination, a wide open field on the west side of the city. I was rewarded by three Horned Larks. 

This is what Horned Lark territory looks like. 





Not much was going on here--hundreds of Canada geese, a couple ravens, a kestrel and another hundred gulls. 

Moved on to the GSL frontage road. First bird was another kestrel.

 This was followed by a Rough-legged hawk.  A slightly out of focus hawk. The wind was howling--rocking me, my camera and the bird.

The big surprise of the day? First think about this: sunny, 28 degrees, winds varying from light to blustery. Given the conditions you can imagine my surprise at seeing three sailboats on the lake. 

The lake never freezes, so yes, you can sail all winter, but it must have been cold out there. There were buoys set up. They seemed to be practicing making turns around them. Getting a head start on the racing season? 

That is snow on the edge of the lake, not sand. 

My original plan had been to be out for an hour, but six hours later I headed for home. Detoured for one last stop at the Lee Kay ponds. I didn't find the Harris sparrow that has been reported to be there, but I did see a Bald Eagle and a fox.   Not a bad way to end a sunny day. 

 It was good to get out, since the forecast is calling for snow tomorrow.  Whether or not that actually happens, I'm just happy to see the signs that the world is working towards spring. It is a reminder to me that the world is changing every day, but it is such a slow change that if you don't look for it, you miss it.  Such subtle stuff-- you just have to love it.