Report by Claude Morris.
Location: Tarcoola Ranch to Fisherman Park in Bastrop, Texas
Distance: ~5 miles
Observation date: 7/4/09
Perhaps the best sightings of the day are ones we cannot include in the survey results. There were numerous Crested Caracara in the pastures around Webberville and we found a Mississippi Kite at the Utley bridge. Both sightings were outside the survey area.
Inside today’s survey area our best of the day include Green Kingfisher and American Coot. We had a species list of 36 species.
We have to thank Joan Bishop, Pam Hohman, Kirsti Harms, Julia Balinsky, Andy Balinsky, and Jason Stuck for their help on this hot July 4th.
On another note, I know y’all expect to see some photographs with these results. Well if someone can find my camera I would be glad to try to get the pictures. The camera was dropped in the water. The last time this happened there were numerous suggestions on the care and handling of such apparatus. Those suggestions were ignored. Will I change my habits with my next camera…
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Report by Claude Morris.
Location: Utley Bridge (Hwy 969) to Tarcoola Ranch near Austin, Texas
Distance: ~9 miles
Observation date: 6/6/09
Summer is here and the heat is on. On a day that proved itself to be a difficult birding day we managed to find two Prothonotary Warblers, our target bird.
Some of our better sightings for the day include Prothonotary Warbler, Bald Eagle, Northern Parula, Green Kingfisher, and Swainson’s Hawk.
The rest of our list of 45 species was rather common.
What was not common was our group of birders. I have to thank Julie Bollman, Pam Hohman, Sam Byars, Chris Masey, Jason Stuck, Kevin Anderson, and Eric Carpenter for their help today.
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Palm Warbler
Photo by Jeff Nadler
Unfortunately, this habitat is in danger, dwindling away due to destruction and development. Millions of acres of the Boreal are clearcut each year.
A little over a year ago, a petition called “Save our Boreal Birds” was launched by the Boreal Songbird Initiative, along with other environmental groups like Bird Studies Canada, Nature Canada, and the David Suzuki Foundation.
On May 12, this petition will be sent to the Prime Minister of Canada and many provincial leaders, asking that vital bird habitat be kept intact despite the fact that over 30% of the Boreal Forest has already been designated for development. Many migratory birds that travel through the US and other countries breed in the Boreal Forest to the north.
Only 5% of the Boreal Forest in Scandinavia remains. Don’t let this happen in Canada. The birds and wildlife that live there need your help.
Report by Claude Morris.
Location: Big Webberville Park to Hwy 969 near Austin, Texas
Distance: ~15 miles
Observation date: 5/2/09
Sometime there are days in the field that defy what has come to be expected as normal. How can I explain five Green Kingfishers yet no Belted Kingfishers? How can I explain five Anhinga yet no Osprey? Such was our day today.
In spite of missing those two usual species we did manage to list 68. Some of the highlights include the Anhinga, Green Kingfisher, Baltimore Oriole, Tri-colored Heron, Bald Eagle, Pileated Woodpecker, and our target bird of the day Prothonotary Warbler.
In our list is an interesting mix of our winter species, summer species and migrants.
We also had an impressive list of birders that braved the 15 windy miles. Our birders today include Sally Breed, Joan Bishop, Julia Balinsky, Andy Balinsky, Chris Masey, Nevin Durish, Jason Stuck and John Barr. Thanks for the help collecting all these birds.
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Report by Claude Morris.
Location: Webberville to Big Webberville Park near Austin, Texas
Observation date: 4/4/09
Two species stand out as being good finds today. A Pileated Woodpecker, just because it is not an everyday bird, and two Great Crested Flycatchers, because they represent a return of our summer birds, were probably our two best species of the day. We also got an unusually high count of Crested Caracara at 10. I also think we got three Nashville Warblers singing. It was an incomplete song but I listed them as Nashville.
I also need to mention that we saw no Osprey, White-eyed Vireos are plentiful and we got several Little Blue Herons.
Our species total was a bit low at 42. Again I think the blustery wind early in the morning kept some of the smaller birds hidden in the woods.
This month I want to again thank Ananda Debnath for being my co-pilot. Once the clouds and chill burned off it turned into a beautiful day. Thanks Ananda.
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Report by Claude Morris.
Location: Austin Colony to Webberville near Austin, Texas
Observation date: 3/7/09
Alright, what happened to all the ducks? Last months survey we listed 14 species of ducks and this month only 2 species. We couldn't even find an old Coot. Could it be that all this warm weather has them thinking about leaving? All this warm weather has the Carolina Chickadees singing. Those guys were chattering and singing all day and all down the river.
Perhaps our best birds of the day were three Bald Eagles (2 Adults and one juvenile) and Northern Rough-winged Swallow. Always making a highlight list is Barred Owl and Inca Doves.
On a side note we found a water snake warming itself, the nicotine plants are blooming and we had about 12 feral pigs swim across the river ahead of us.
The very windy conditions make paddling a bit difficult today.
We listed 44 species while trying to keep out kayaks upright and grab some photos of the emerging spring.
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    All photos by Claude Morris |
Report by Claude Morris.
Location: Highway 183 (Montopolis Bridge) to Hornsby Bend in Austin, Texas
Observation date: 2/7/09
Today I would like to give mention to six species we have never had on a survey before. Those six species are Rusty Blackbird, Cinnamon Teal, Hooded Merganser, Herring Gull, Ash-throated Flycatcher, and Harris Sparrow. All of these species are good finds for our area.
Always deserving of a highlight list includes Anhinga, Green Kingfisher and Neotropic Cormorant. These three species and the previous six rounds out our total of 81 species tallied today.
This section of river lived up to its billing as being very ducky. We counted over 400 individuals divided among 14 species.
An impressive list of birds compiled by an impressive list of birders. Thanks for your help today.
If anyone has anything resembling a rain dance now would be a good time to get it out.
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    All photos by Claude Morris |
Through our nine-mile trek, we racked up 44 specied of birds, including two juvenile and two adult Bald Eagles as well as two Pileated Woodpeckers. I was able to add Crested Caracara to my life list.
This trip was part of a monthly survey of the Colorado River corridor between Austin and Bastrop. It takes place the first Saturday of the month and is led by Claude Morris (who also keeps the detailed lists as seen below). If you’re in the Austin area and want to join in, let me know. Birding on the water provides a great perspective and beautiful scenery. Hope to see you on the water!
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 Beautiful Views |
My new coworkers and the familiar faces of those who’d already transferred from the Santa Monica office were key in helping me get settled in. I’d spent so much time in LA, that I knew most of the town like the back of my hand. And though Austin’s a fraction of the size of LA, it was a complete unknown. Exciting, yet I didn’t quite know where to start. I had a direction…well several directions actually, which was kind of a problem. A good problem. Rather than searching for all that is Austin, I decided to let Austin find me.
The past year has been quite inspirational and energizing. Some of that energy has gone into Beakspeak. And after more development hours than I care to count, a vision that’s been developing for quite some time is finally able to emerge. The egg tooth has broken through the shell.
Without boring you too much with the details, here are some of the main changes:
1) Visual design. When I first designed Beakspeak in 2004, I didn’t have much of a plan past a basic blog. Then I got into photography. I created a Beakspeak photo gallery on Flickr and started including photos in posts. Next, I got into Birdcams and Podcasts. Those sections were easy additions…I didn’t change any of the layout; for each new section I just changed the color scheme. This rebirth brings photos into the main layout. The best color schemes are better found in nature than in a book, and the new theme uses colors found in the African Grey parrot. I’ve named it “Tango” in honor of a wonderful bird I left in the care of a sanctuary when I moved.
2) Podcasts. The list of podcasts has grown significantly. Listing everything on one page made the page very long and busy. The new page lists the most recent six podcasts for each channel, with a button that takes you to all podcasts for that channel. And you can now listen to the audio podcasts using the inline player. There’s no longer any need to download the file and open it with an external player. Video podcasts will still require downloading.
3) Birdcams. The list of birdcams has grown significantly in the past few years thanks to all the generous people who took the time to email me links to new and updated video feeds. It’s been great to see all the support! If you’ve been to the page during nesting season, you’ve seen how many nests there are with eggs and chicks! I added three columns of icons to help make things a little more friendlier and easier to use. The second and third columns note the location and local time of the nest. The first column is new and shows the most recent status of the video, whether it’s an empty nest, shows activity or nest building, or has a nest with eggs or chicks. If you see a video feed that needs a status change, please feel free to drop me an email.
If you were subscribed to the RSS feed, you’ll need to update your information using the link at the bottom of the page.
That’s it for now. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. It’s been a lot of work in the making, and there’s still a lot more to do. There is also a lot more to write about, so stay tuned!
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A Visit To The "Garden Of Eden"
Read and watch video for A Visit To The "Garden Of Eden".
More info on Foja.
Some people wanted to stay, some wanted to go. I found the opportunity intriguing and exciting, but I didn’t really know much about Austin. There was no rush or pressure for any of us to move, and the new office was just getting established, so I gave it a little thought, teetering back and forth. Part of me wanted something new, and another part wanted to stay and be a part of the birding community I’d found myself deeply involved in.
In June, the company sent a group of us to Austin for a weekend to see if it would be a place where we’d want to relocate. I’d heard a little about Austin from others who’d made the trip before me, and those that knew me said they thought I’d like it. As our plane made its final approach into the Austin, I discovered how green the area was. I was amazed at how many trees there were. It was definitely a good first impression. Our hotel was downtown, right along beautiful Town Lake, and right next to the Congress Avenue bridge where the famous Mexican Free-tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) roost. The colony is estimated at 1.5 million bats, and they clear out about 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night!
On Saturday, our group had a short guided tour of some of the residential areas of town and on Sunday we were each assigned a realtor to take us around and show us some homes that were available. I hadn’t made up my mind fully about moving, but looking at homes was enticing. With the prices of homes in Austin, I could finally own a house! Night life was great too. Downtown Austin is easy to access, and there are plenty of places to go. Live music abounds! Austin is also home to the University of Texas, and Longhorn fans and memorabilia are quite abundant. It reminds me of the Husker spirit I experience every time I go home to Nebraska.
The only thing that might outnumber the Longhorn fans in Austin (besides the bats, who are probably UT fans as well) is a certain species of bird. These guys (and gals) are everywhere. They have several distinct calls, and one of them is reminiscent of a common sound in Los Angeles…car alarms. Great-tailed Grackles (Quiscalus mexicanus) are everywhere you go. They’re greeting you as you park at the grocery store…they’re picking up twigs in the parking lot at Target…they’re hiding in the plants at the Lowes Garden Center…they’re pooping on your car while you’re in the restaurant. You name the time and place, and they’ll meet you there. There are also a number of other birds (and other wildlife) in Austin as well, but if you ever need to take a photo of a Great-tailed Grackle, you’re sure to get it in Austin.
Though it was only a weekend, I got a good feel for what Austin is about. There are many things to do, and lots of nature-oriented activities. After more consideration, I felt that Austin could fulfill some life quality items that Los Angeles couldn’t. I’d spent over 18 years in Los Angeles, and I knew it would be difficult for me to leave my friends, as well as my Los Angeles Audubon family, but I felt that I couldn’t pass up this opportunity. That week at work, I started the ball rolling on my relocation.
At the end of August, I returned to Austin to do some house hunting. I found exactly what I was looking for on the first day and made an offer. It was accepted. With everything I had to do for closing and preparing to move, the next several weeks are now a blur.
I’ve been here in Austin for nearly a month now, and I’m still unpacking. I’ve been mostly occupied with getting settled in (going from an apartment to a house is such a big change!), so I haven’t really ventured out much yet. But I will soon, and there will be plenty of experiences to share!
]]>(...continued from Part Six.)
Now that Carol and I were in the Florida Keys, we could relax just a little and enjoy our surroundings. And we didn't really have a choice anyway; the vibe of the Keys doesn't really allow for anything else. The trip so far had produced all the herons I'd hoped for except the Least Bittern, but the chance for that bird had passed. The only birds left were two morphs of the Great Blue Heron known as the Great White Heron and Wurdemann's Heron, found only in southern Florida. (The Great White also appears in the Yucatan Peninsula, and in the Caribbean.)
Broad-winged
Hawk
Palm Warbler
Iron Chicken
Laughing Gull
Ruddy Turnstones
On March 29th, Carol and I woke up at 5am. We stopped at IHOP for some breakfast and arrived at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center in Tavernier around 8am. The sky was grey and there was a slight rain that soon subsided. The FKWBC is a rescue and rehabilitation center that began in 1984 and has grown considerably.
Great White Heron
Brown Pelican
Reddish Egret
(Juvenile)
White Ibis
Great Egret
(Breeding Plumage)
Snowy Egret
Chuck-will's-widow
Belted Kingfisher
With the addition of the Great White Heron, my heron list was as complete as it was going to be for this trip. Though I missed the Least Bittern and Wurdemann's Heron, I considered the trip a huge success. And we still had one more full day in the Keys. Carol and I were both really hungry, so we headed to No Name Pub and celebrated with their gourmet pizza and No Name beer.
On Friday, our last full day in the Keys, Carol and I decided to make one last trek to see if we could find the Loggerhead Kingbird. We'd missed it on Friday, but it had been seen again on Thursday. We arrived at Fort Taylor at 10am. Some of the birders we'd talked to on Wednesday were there, but the Loggerhead Kingbird was once again missing in action. We searched the area and all we came up with was Osprey, Palm Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, and Great Egret. It was also a treat to see another Great White Heron. Carol noticed something strange in some bushes...a snoozing Chuck-will's-widow. The brush wasn't very thick, but the bird was right in the middle. It was difficult to find the right angle, but I was able to snap off a few decent shots. We went into the fort and looked out the ebrasures. In the moat, we spotted Great Blue Heron, American Coot, Blue-winged Teal, and Belted Kingfisher. Around 1pm we were getting a bit hungry, so we threw in the LOKI towel and checked out the rest of Key West. It turns out that the Loggerhead Kingbird hadn't been seen since.
On Saturday, we said goodbye to the Keys and made our way back to Miami to catch our plane. Our trip to Florida had been a wonderful experience and a great success. Carol and I had seen and photographed a lot of great birds, including ten species of herons and also one of the two white morphs of the Great Blue. Like many places throughout the world, Florida's habitat for herons (and other birds) is slowly shrinking due to development. If you want to see herons, Florida's definitely a must. And if you want to continue to see them in the future, please make sure to do all you can to help ensure their survival.
]]>California’s largest wind farm cluster at Altamont Pass unintentionally kills golden eagles, burrowing owls and other threatened birds. Now, wind companies, scientists and environmentalists are working to bird-proof these massive wind farms.
(...continued from Part Five.)
After spending the night in Homestead, it was time for another great day. On March 27 (my birthday!), Carol and I headed out around 6:45am. When I first told people we were going to Florida and planning on stopping in the Everglades, many of them said that we had to make sure and visit Flamingo. And so we did. We arrived as the sun came up; it was 65 degrees, mostly cloudy, breezy, and humid.
Nesting Osprey
(QuickTime Video)
Flamingo took quite a hit from Hurricanes Katrina and Wilma in 2005, and the damage was quite apparent. The Flamingo Lodge used to provide rooms to those without tents or RVs. It was now in shambles. Many of the trees looked like the aftermath of a dominoes tournament. And I could see where once Eco Pond must have been a great freshwater haven with cattails, an island with trees, and observation decks to get viewpoints of all the wildlife, but after the hurricanes and especially dry season, only dissheveled trees and small pools of mucky water remained. The National Park Service has expedited a Commercial Services Plan/Environmental Assessment to determine how best to restore the area. See how you can get involved.
Brown Pelican
(juvenile)
Osprey
Roseate Spoonbill
(QuickTIme Video)
About 12:30pm, we stopped at Pa-hay-okee Overlook, a quarter-mile boarwalk that overlooks a "river of grass".It was starting to get windy and really humid, still threatening to rain some more. Not sure if it was because of the time of day or the weather, but there was next to nothing going on. The only birds we saw were Turkey Vulture, Black Vulture, and Swallow-tailed Kite in the air, and a crow hanging around in the parking lot.
Watch the birds.
Watch out for ants!
Palm Warbler
Green Heron
Purple Martin House
at Robert is Here
We arrived at our lodging in Little Torch Key around 5:30pm. The drive had been incredible. The aqua-green color of the ocean was amazing...not like what we see in California. We checked in and dropped our stuff off. Carol treated me to Parrotdise restaurant just down the road. It was a nice walk, windy, but a refreshing windy. We enjoyed conch fritters for an appetizer, a delicious main course of coconut lime Pink Tiger Shrimp with mango peanut sauce, and a perfect Key Lime pie for dessert. A great way to end an awesome birthday!
(Continue to Part Seven)
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