Archive for the 'Binocular Uses' Category

Favorite Bird

Published on March 31, 2010 in Binocular Uses and Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

What was your favorite bird today? My friends Jim Flyn, Marissa Benaventa, partner Scott Hoskin and I were relaxing at dinner after a long fruitful day of birding in Eastern Washington. How does one decide after many hours, miles and 72 species on a particular bird that was more outstanding than any other? After a moments reflection Jim pipes up – the Great Horned Owl – definitely.

Jim’s highlight species was a female owl secreted in the crevices of a basaltic cliff along the Old Vantage Highway. Nocturnal birds are so difficult and rare to view. Her camouflaged beauty had been hard to detect in craggy cliffs, but once we located her nestled amongst the rocks it was difficult to tear away from her piercing yellow eyes.

Marissa barely hesitated – the Red-headed Duck for sure. Beauty again was a deciding factor for Marissa. We had stopped along the highway outside of Othello at the County Line ponds to scan for birds. Despite the fact that there were elegant Tundra Swans, Sandhill Cranes feeding, and multitudes of waterfowl, the singular Red-head had captured all of our attentions. It floated alone in the early evening light with a perfect reflection on the still waters, its burgundy head appearing to glow from within.

Scott? The Rock Wrens – absolutely the Rock Wrens. The stop at the Ginkgo State Park Overlook had truly been productive. We had driven to the base of the overlook on the shores of the Columbia River with towering cliffs on either side. Moments after stepping out of the car the lyrical song of the Rock Wren had floated down from the surrounding rocks. We had all thrilled with the song and lamented the fact that one rarely gets to see this lovely bird up close. The males will perch and sing on a high inaccessible rock far from our prying binoculars but well within auditory range. Frustrated with the tiny view, even with a spotting scope, we had meandered along a trail bordering the river, enjoying the activity of a Townsend’s Solitaire feeding on rose hips. On the way back to the car, much to our delight, the Rock Wren had descended from the cliffs. We focused on the wren a mere 200 yards away singing his heart out for a nearby feeding female. Gasps rippled through the group as the wren left his perch and flew straight at us! Binoculars FILLED with Rock Wren – no longer inaccessible but gorgeous in full detail.

And for me a favorite bird? Sigh…..I just can’t decide…..my favorites were moments and memories punctuated throughout the day rather than singular birds. The first outstanding memory was early morning along the banks of the Cle Elum River with a tri-fecta of Nuthatches. White-breasted Nuthatch was the first discovery, with a nasal too-too it was moving around a Ponderosa Pine. A delight by itself but soon we could hear the distinct yanking of the Red-breasted Nuthatch working over a Douglas fir. But the icing on the cake was the piping kit-kit of a pair of Pygmy’s arguing over a snag. The final Nuthatch sighting was greeted by the four of us doing the sprinkler dance in the middle of the road – a touchdown indeed.

But this choice was pushed aside when I recalled the sage land discovery of mid-afternoon. We were soaking in the beauty of early spring amongst the sage – admiring the burst of yellow from the Sage Buttercup and brilliant purple of the Sage Pansy when our attention was grabbed by a lovely melody floating amongst the color and light. Sage Sparrow! He would make brief appearances atop a low shrub and burst forth with song then quickly disappear among the grasses and early spring blooms. Nothing compares to the sound and brilliant visuals of spring in the sage, except…

Yes, we all agreed the end of the day had truly been spectacular. Early evening as the light was fading we positioned ourselves under the roosting flyway of thousands of waterfowl and Sandhill Cranes. The darkening skies were filled with skeins of geese, ducks and cranes, their sounds filling the air around us. Quietly we drank in the marvel of migration and the wonder of spring. Delighting in the joy that all birds we had experienced together were special and the day would always reign as a favorite memory in our friendship.

Gems of the North

Published on January 15, 2010 in Binocular Uses and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Bundle up. Bird bloggers Scott and Penny take us on a winter birding adventure, north of the border.


“^(!@&$%(! Hawk Owl!”

I braked sharply, sliding the car to a stop, narrowly avoiding the snow bank.  Following Scott’s shaky directions, I spied the lovely Northern Hawk Owl perched serenely on the top of a stunted pine.  Turning to look in amazement at Scott after his uncharacteristically explicative outburst, I see he is still shaking with excitement, barely able to hold his binoculars.  And rightly so… we had been exploring the Hat Creek drainage in southeastern British Columbia for hours.  Through deep 4-wheel drive snow searching high and low for birds – any birds.  And here, not only do we have a spectacular owl but a life bird for Scott as well.

Birding during the winter in eastern British Columbia gives one a whole new perspective on migration.  Birders often congregate and chase birds during migration, flocking to fallout areas of warblers, sparrows and raptors.  But on the reverse end of migration is the emptiness left behind by departing species.  The frozen north is an area for birds to leave, not to congregate.  But the species that do make their winter home in this frozen landscape are spectacular finds – giving proof to quality over quantity.

During our long winter birding expeditions in British Columbia we have been rewarded with Prairie Falcons perched on the cross bars of power poles along the highway, Short-eared Owls silently sailing over frozen ranch land, Trumpeter Swans floating serenely over the last remaining open water.  Where else could the most commonly-seen bird, Townsend’s Solitaire, be?  Each Solitaire staking out a territory of juniper bushes loaded with bitter, sweet berries; calling back in forth incessantly to each other; proclaiming their rights to this coveted winter food source.  Where, too, are birders rewarded with glimpses of Common Redpoll flocks flitting from pine to pine?  Desperate searching can turn up gold nuggets such as a Pygmy Owl, decorating the top of an evergreen, mimicking the star on top of a perfect Christmas tree.

But now all the swans and Solitaires are forgotten – we have a life owl!  Gently easing out of the car so as not to bump the Hawk Owl, we quietly set up the spotting scope.  Breathlessly we take turns gazing at this remarkable bird; its gold eyes ablaze and piercing within its black bordered white facial disc.  The Northern Hawk Owl, also known as the Canadian Owl, is one of the few diurnal owls in North America.  Their penchant for hunting during the day is a treat for us, allowing an unobstructed look into the otherwise obscured life of owls.  This owl’s style of swooping low and reemerging at the top of fence post, tree or other handy perch during active hunting is very reminiscent of Accipiters.  The pointed wings and long rounded tail add to this impression.  But the distinctly rounded head does not allow this impression to remain long.

We watched the Hawk Owl for precious moments as it hunted its way down the snowy farm lane.  Eventually it was out of sight and we were left with a life bird and a lifelong memory of the rare wonders of the Canadian winter.

What Began as a Birding Adventure …

Published on October 21, 2009 in Binocular Uses and Uncategorized. Closed Tags: , , , , , .

It’s time for the next birding adventure with birding experts Penny Rose and Scott Hoskin:

“Skunk!…………….Swimming!” Scott exclaimed. “What?”

My partner Scott and I had just completed a six hour arduous but gorgeous journey from Seattle to the heart of Okanogan County. I was sure that the stress of driving the open top Land Rover over the severe North Cascades, combined with the fear of not getting “our” campsite was taking a toll on Scott’s sensibilities. Granted we had discovered “our” campsite waiting and available with no other birders, fisher folk or outdoor enthusiast for miles around. The tent was set up, the kitchen in order and the scope was in place scanning the lake for our feathered friends of previous visits. But skunks, swimming?! Sure enough as I stepped up and looked through the eyepiece a magnificent Striped Skunk was paddling across the lake in the most serene manner. Its long black and white tail floating behind just as if this was an ordinary short cut for any self respecting skunk. It eventually reached shore and waded through the cattails in search of more skunkly pursuits.

Thus began another intriguing weekend in the Okanogan- an area we have visited and camped in regularly over the last four years, always in search of good bird sightings.
Each spring we conduct a breeding bird survey over a 25-mile route, counting innumerable Western Meadowlarks, thrilling at the Bobolink and Bank Swallow colonies, and marveling at the occasional Golden Eagle. This September we were setting up another survey route through the Wildlife Refuge in hopes of adding species of interest in the confines of the refuge.

At least that was our goal. But there are so many other wonders of nature to discover when one goes birding. The concrete outhouse near the campsite surprised us last spring with a very large Western Rattlesnake guarding the front door. Not a shock one wants to discover prior to entering any bathroom. This fall I checked immediately to see if it was still on duty. Alas, the snake had moved on but the quarter sized female Black Widow was doing a superb job of guarding the interior from any unsuspecting flies that may have wandered in.

While marking the stops of our new bird route on the GPS I caught sight of yet another “cool critter”. Quickly insisting Scott stop the Land Rover, I jumped out and caught the biggest Rubber Boa I have ever seen. A fascinating snake, gentle in manner, unless you are a vole, small bird or smaller snake; they defend themselves by curling up and placing their head shaped tail up through the coils, while hiding their real head safely at the bottom of the pile. We enjoyed its cool, rubbery muscular body gliding gently over our hands then quietly placed it back in a safe area away from the road.

The new route marked carefully on to the lap top, we returned to the campsite for some real birding. This consists of carefully placing oneself in a camp chair facing the lake and waiting for the world to fly and float by. We were rewarded with no less than 38 Wood Ducks dabbling about in the water weeds. Many of the group was adults in full breeding plumage – the males could not have been more stunning reflected against the quiet windless lake. It was good to see the large number of young they had successfully raised during the long hot summer months. The Pied-billed Grebes were still raising their stripy headed youngsters – trying desperately to fill the months of these peeping beggars. Their cries were heard across the lake from dawn till dusk.

Each evening as we watched the sky fill with a carpet of stars from horizon to horizon, listening for Western Screech Owls and Great Horned Owls calling from the pines we promised we would go to sleep right after the next shooting star. But it was hard as the days and nights were filled with so many sights and sounds of nature at her best in the Okanogan. And really isn’t that what birding is all about – getting outside, discovering new and vivid memories. So go outside – go birding – you never know, you might see a skunk swimming!

The Big Sit – A Birder’s Ultimate Tailgate Party

Published on October 21, 2009 in Binocular Uses and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Administrator’s note: This is the first blog post slated for the new BirderBlog, scheduled to launch soon. If you’ve ever been birding, you’ll appreciate authors Penny Rose and Scott Hoskins’s expertise. Even if you’re new to birding, Penny and Scott are known for getting first-timers hooked on this rewarding pastime.

The Big Sit- October, 2009

The Big Sit is a very simple yet intriguing event sponsored each October by Birder’s Digest. Your team chooses a 17 foot circle to count species for any length of time during a 24 hour period. Simple right!?

List of absolute necessities for a successful Big Sit:

  • The 17 ft circle – the PERFECT circle
  • Chairs – very comfortable chairs
  • Snacks – lots and lots of snacks
  • Warm clothes – lots and lots of warm clothes
  • Tide Chart – read it accurately- your return home depends on it
  • Binoculars – clean
  • Spotting scope – one for EVERY member of the team
  • Patience – lots and lots of patience

Our team consisted of Scott Hoskin and myself; the site, Discovery Park. As I work in this park our circle had to be out of the public arena. Scott recognized I would have wasted precious birding time providing compliance and interpretive moments for every passerby. The solution – a tucked away pocket beach accessible at low tide in the wee hours of the morning with no escape (or entrance) at high tide during the public hours.

We slogged a mile and half through the seaweed during the pre-dawn hours, toting chairs, scopes, thermoses, and all the essentials for a good day. Settled into to the circle we awaited the first birds. The early morning was maddening with tremendous birding activity: migrating flocks of Band-tailed Pigeons, Song Sparrows galore, several species of gulls to sort through. The stress of missing even one species was exhausting. How could birding be so tiring!?

Yet the rewards were countless. A Hermit Thrush graced us with her presence, feeding along the edge of the forested cliff at our backs and occasionally bobbing amongst the driftwood, close enough to touch. We captured views of Red-throated Loons flying over Puget Sound, their heads seemingly too heavy to hold up. Mid-morning the Belted Kingfisher who had been rattling at us repeatedly, flew to a nearby cliff and began excavating a nest hole. We were fascinated with its woodpecker tail balancing act for over ½ an hour till we realized – Arghh we need more species!

The Law of Diminishing Returns. The more species you see the less you will see. So scan and scope, scan and scope. Soon we picked out a Black Scoter to add to our White-winged and Surf Scoters, Horned Grebes to add to the Red-necked Grebes. A Red-tailed Hawk floated past, oblivious to the angry Kingfisher’s calls. Later a Cooper’s Hawk and Bald Eagle bumped up the raptor list.

And so the day went. The late afternoon lull was spent snacking and focusing on the tide line. Would it really get low enough for us to hike back around the bluff from our little pocket beach? You can’t change the tide, so back to scanning Puget Sound. Low and behold is that a blow from a whale!? The next hour was spent in high excitement watching a super pod of Orca frolic together. Huge dorsal fins identified the adult whales and tiny, tiny dorsal fins spread the good word that young Orca are in the Sound. Spy hopping, tail lobbing, fin splashing. Joyous greetings of three separate Orca pods coming together. We could feel their welcome from our perfect birding circle.

The tide out and our way clear, it was time to call it a day. Just one more scan before leaving rewarded us with a single Western Grebe and the first Bufflehead of the fall, bringing our count to 42 species. As we slipped and slogged back through the seaweed in the gathering dusk, reminiscing about our favorite birds and potential treats to pack next year, I nearly stepped on a Pectoral Sandpiper. Truly a marvelous reward for a very Big Sit.